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Covid-19 deaths worldwide surpassed 804,000 and cases rose to more than 23 million as countries continued to hunt for ways to restrict transmission without shutting down their economies again.
Australia’s virus epicenter, Victoria state, reported 208 new cases. A senior Hong Kong official urged citizens to take part in a free testing service. India passed a grim mark -- more than 3 million infections -- and South Korea is considering raising social-distancing restrictions to the highest level as cases spread. The U.K. raised fines for illegal musical events just before the summer’s last holiday weekend.
The U.S. had its fourth day in a row with more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Cases and deaths in Florida slowed, while both increased in Arizona. Georgia became the 10th state to pass 5,000 deaths.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases above 23.2 million; deaths pass 804,000
- English rave organizers face fines of as much as 10,000 pounds
- South Korea considers raising social-distancing restrictions
- India infections cross 3 million mark
- New cases in New Zealand and Australia
- More than 200 new cases in Tokyo
- Trump pressures the FDA, claiming ‘deep state’ slowing vaccine
- Why European countries are keeping deaths
in check
- A new Europe surge challenges Italy’s lockdown success
- Vaccine Tracker: where we are in the race for protection
Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on coronavirus cases and deaths.
U.K. Proposes New Fines for Illegal Raves, Gatherings (4:42 a.m. EST)
British authorities are threatening the organizers of raves, unlicensed music events, or illegal gatherings of 30 or more people with fines of 10,000 pounds, just before the country starts the last holiday weekend of the summer.
People who attend such events may be fined 100 pounds, which can rise to as much as 3,200 pounds, the Home Office said.
Nations Continue to Report Rises (4:22 a.m. EST)
Poland registered 581 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, increasing the total to 61,762, the health ministry said on Twitter. The biggest number of new cases comes from southern Poland, where the government has been considering re-imposing some virus restrictions. Deaths increased by four, and now total 1,955.
Germany said new cases fell to 781 Saturday from 2,034 a day earlier as testing slowed during the weekend.
In Asia, the Philippines reported that its Covid cases rose 2,378 to a total of 189,601, and said it’s had 2,998 total deaths. Singapore said it had 87 new cases.
Korea Cases Spur Fear of Distancing Rules (3:02 p.m. HK)
South Korea is considering raising social-distancing restrictions to the highest level as coronavirus cases spread beyond the Seoul Metropolitan area and Busan.
The government is currently studying the need to apply level 3 restrictions, said Jung Eun-kyeong, head of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New infections are expected to continue rising, Jung said.
Tokyo Records More Than 200 New Cases (2:25 p.m. HK)
The Japanese capital reported 212 new cases, down from 256 cases on Saturday. Despite the drop, that marks four straight days of more than 200 cases in Tokyo. The city’s total number of cases now stands at 19,333.
Hong Kong Official Touts Testing Service (1:20 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung urged citizens to take part in a free testing service over the next two weeks in his Sunday blog. Community testing centers will be set up in all districts -- and samples will not be sent outside Hong Kong and will be destroyed after the test is completed -- he wrote.
Applications for the second phase of a wage subsidies program will be accepted Aug. 31 for the period September through November, Cheung wrote. Some HKD43.9 billion ($5.7 billion) of wage subsidies have been approved to help about 148,500 employers so far.
Separately, Hong Kong’s free testing program has been expanded to include foreign domestic helpers whose contacts have expired or been terminated and those waiting to take up jobs with new families, according to a spokesman for the Labour Department. The decision was taken in response to recently confirmed cases of foreign domestic helpers staying in boarding facilities.
India Passes 3 Million Cases as Outbreak Grows (12:32 p.m.)
India’s Covid-19 cases crossed the three million mark as the disease spread through the world’s second-most populous country. Infections rose by more than 69,000 and now stand at 3,044,940, according to data released by health ministry. The country’s epidemic is one of the world’s fastest-growing, with more than 65,000 new infections being reported each day.
China Grants Vaccine Emergency Use for Frontline Workers (11:35 a.m. HK)
China last month granted approval for the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine for “special groups” that include medical workers and border-check officials. The purpose is to build an immune barrier among frontline workers to guarantee stability in urban operations, according to China National Biotec Group, the state-owned firm now conducting late stage trials for two inactivated vaccines.
China’s drug regulator yet to approve a coronavirus vaccine. The National Medical Products Administration stipulated in a recently published guideline that such shots need a protection rate of at least 50%, and preferably more than 70%.
More New Zealand Cases Emerge (9:27 a.m. HK)
New Zealand reported three new Covid-19 infections, a day before the government reviews its stance on the lockdown in the city of Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this week that authorities will “stay the course” on the current strategy, and will consider information from the weekend in the next review.
Two of the new cases were imported, the health ministry said. New Zealand’s case total is now 1,324, as the country fights to quell a new outbreak following months of success containing the virus.
Vietnam Reports More Cases in Danang (9:23 a.m. HK)
Vietnam’s health ministry said late Saturday that the country had 5 more local cases and one death -- a 93-year-old man -- all in the coastal hotspot of Danang. Cases in the Southeast Asian country, once a model of containment in the region, now total 1,014. There have been 26 deaths.
South Korea Has Close to 400 New Cases (9:20 a.m. HK)
South Korea, which has been battling a new wave of the virus after seeing early success containing it, reported 397 new infections. That brings the country’s total to 17,399.
Mexico Has Thousands More Cases (8:38 a.m. HK)
Mexico reported 6,482 new infections, bringing the hard-hit country’s total to 556,216, according to data released by the Health Ministry. There were 644 more deaths.
The World Health Organization said this week that Mexico’s limited testing meant the pandemic was “clearly under-recognized,” and that Mexico was only performing about three tests per 100,000 people.
Read more on Mexico’s outbreak
Australia’s Queensland Finds Two Cases (8:31 a.m. HK)
The country’s Queensland state had two new virus cases the day after tightening restrictions due to an outbreak at a Brisbane youth detention center. Queensland’s case total stands at 1,105. Gatherings at homes and outdoors across the southeast of the state have been limited to 10 people, and 30 people across the rest of Queensland.
Meanwhile, New South Wales reported another 4 cases.
New Cases in Victoria State (8:05 a.m. HK)
Australia’s hotspot Victoria reported 208 new infections as lockdown in Melbourne continued. The state also had 17 more deaths, Victoria’s department of health and human services tweeted. The new figures came after Victoria reported 182 new cases on Saturday, the second straight day of infections under 200.
California Cases Slow (7:30 a.m. HK)
California added 6,556 new cases to 656,892, lower than the 14-day average of 7,936. The number of deaths rose by 167 to 11,988. The number of hospitalized patients and those in ICU continued to decline.
Georgia Deaths Pass 5,000 (6:43 a.m. HK)
Georgia exceeded 5,000 virus deaths on Saturday, the 10th state in the nation to do so. The Department of Public Health reported a total of 5,092 deaths and 252,222 cases.
Governor Brian Kemp has made headlines during the pandemic, reopening the state early and suing to prevent localities, including Atlanta, from passing mask mandates. He withdrew that suit earlier this month, though exempted enforcement or fines against private businesses.
— With assistance by Karen Leigh, Sarah Chen, Ian Fisher, and Heather Burke
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S. Korea Mulls Restrictions; Hong Kong Urges Tests: Virus Update - Bloomberg
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