Virus Outbreak: News and Analysis From 23 August 2020

Photographer: John Moore / Getty Images

We follow the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and the global response. Sign up here for our daily newsletter on what you need to know.

Covid-19 deaths worldwide exceeded 800,000 as cases came to more than 23 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.

The US had its fourth day in a row with more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Falls and deaths in Florida are slower, while both have increased in Arizona. Georgia became the 10th state to pass 5,000 dead.

Australia’s virus epicenter, Victoria, reported 208 new cases and 17 more Covid-19 deaths. New Zealand, where the virus has re-emerged, reported three more infections – two of which were imported. China had 12 new cases.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: cases over 23 million; dead passed 802,000
• Three new cases in New Zealand
• Mexico has more than 6,000 more infections
• New cases in Australia Victoria, Queensland, state
• Trump is pushing the FDA, he claims deep state vaccine
• Why European countries keep dead in control
• Vaccine Tracker: where we are in the race for protection

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team over here. Click on CVID on the terminal for worldwide data on cases and deaths of coronavirus.

More New Zealand cases appear (9:27 AM)

New Zealand reported three new Covid-19 infections, a day before the government evaluated its position on the unlocking 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. The total number of New Zealanders is now 1,324, as the country struggles to stop a new outbreak after months of success with the virus.

Vietnam reports more cases in Danang (9:23 AM HK)

Vietnam’s health ministry said last Saturday that the country had 5 more local cases and one death – a 93-year-old man – all in the coastal hotspot of Danang. Fallen in the Southeast Asian country, once a model of containment in the region, are now a total of 1,014. There have been 26 deaths.

South Korea has nearly 400 new cases (9:20 a.m. HK)

South Korea, which has been fighting a new wave of the virus after initially seeing success it contained, reported 397 new infections. That brings the total of the country to 17,339.

Mexico Has Thousands More Cases (8:38 AM HK)

Mexico reported 6,482 new infections, bringing the total hard-hit total to 556,216, according to data released by the Ministry of Public Health. There were 644 more dead.

The World Health Organization said this week that Mexico’s limited tests meant the pandemic was “clearly recognized below,” and that Mexico conducted only about three tests per 100,000 people.

Read more about the outbreak of Mexico

Australia’s Queensland finds two cases (8:31 pm HK)

The state of Queensland had two new virus cases the day after the restrictions were imposed due to an outbreak in a Brisbane youth center. Queensland’s totals are 1,105. Meetings at homes and outside in the southeast of the state are limited to 10 people, and 30 people in the rest of Queensland.

Meanwhile, New South Wales reported 4 more cases.

New cases in Victoria State (8:05 a.m. HK)

Australia’s hotspot Victoria reported 208 new infections as lockdown continued in Melbourne. 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 among 200.

California business 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 death toll rose from 167 to 11,988. The number of patients admitted to the hospital and those in the ICU continued to decline.

Georgia Deaths Pass 5,000 (6:43 AM 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 made headlines during the pandemic, reopening the state early and submitting it to prevent locations, including Atlanta, from passing on mask mandates. He withdrew that suit earlier this month, although exemptions or fines were released against private companies.

Earlier this week, he defended his handling of the outbreak, noting that cases and hospitalizations have fallen in recent weeks.

Death sentence for Brazil’s death for the fourth day (17:48 NY)

Virus-related deaths in Brazil increased in 892 in the last 24-hour period to 114,250, an increase of 0.8% which is less than the average of 1% in the previous two weeks. The Ministry of Public Health also reported another 50,032 cases, bringing the total closer to 3.6 million – the second-highest total behind the US

EU Trade Chief Pressured on Golf Outing (17:27 NY)

European Commission Commissioner Phil Hogan faced increasing pressure from the Irish government to explain why he attended a social event during the coronavirus pandemic, raising questions about his attitude to the post.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin and Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkarspoke met with Hogan on Saturday and “asked him to reconsider his position,” according to a government spokesman. Hogan refused to call Friday to stop after he and about 80 others attended a function this week organized by the Irish Parliament’s golf association.

While Hogan, the EU’s chief negotiator, apologized for “causing any pain”, he said he was following the government’s quarantine rules and he was sure the incident complied with Ireland’s pandemic guidelines.

Texas Deaths Slow (5:25 pm NY)

Texas reported 215 deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday, a four-day low, for a total of 11,266 deaths, the Department of State Health Services said on its website. There are 573,139 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state.

IMHE predicts 310,000 deaths by December (2:47 p.m. NY)

Dovs of Covid-19 in the U.S. could reach nearly 310,000 on Dec. 1, according to projections from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. In two other scenarios, universal mask wearer could reduce the death toll to about 241,000, and limited restrictions could push the toll as high as 421,000.

IHME, funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was influential in the early days of the pandemic, including within the Trump administration. The institute has been criticized by some as too optimistic and says it has since updated its modeling.

French Infections Stuck at May Levels (2:28 pm NY)

France reported 3,602 new cases after two consecutive days with more than 4,000, although infections remain at levels last seen in May, according to government data. Deaths increased by nine to 30,512, the lowest in six days. The toll compares to more than 1,000 deaths on different days in April at the height of France’s virus crisis.

Falls from Italy continue (11:47 a.m. in NY)

Italy reported 1,071 cases, the first time since mid-May the country has registered more than 1,000 new infections.

While many Italians are returning from holidays abroad and some of the country’s holiday destinations have been popular with foreigners close to capacity, the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has closed nightclubs and demanded face-covering in public at night.

Arizona Cases, Deaths Rise (11:40 am NY)

Arizona reported 996 cases, a rise of 0.5% which is more than the average 0.4% daily increase of the previous week. The total, in a hard-hitting state that is now improving, is 197,895.

Another 68 deaths were reported, up from 4 the previous day. Total deaths, which peaked at 105 peaks last week, are now 4,756.

UK adds most cases in two months (11:30 am NY)

The UK has had the most new cases since June as the country continues to step up testing. Infections increased by 1,288 to 324,601, respectively government data. That is the most since June 20 and above the previous seven-day average of 992. Deaths increased by 18 to 41,443.

Florida Cases and Deaths Slow (11:03 am NY)

Florida reported 597,597 cases on Saturday, an increase of 0.7% compared to the average increase of 0.8% over the previous seven days. The state added 4,311 new cases.

Deaths among Florida residents reached 10,274, an increase of 106 compared to 119 the previous day and below the average daily increase of the previous week, according to the state Department of Health report, which includes data through Friday.

Business in New York, Deaths Remains Empty (10:15 a.m. NY)

New York reported 653 cases, not much changed from the average 0.1% daily increase of the previous seven days. Another four deaths were reported, and hospitalizations fell to 483, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet.

American Cases Steady; Deaths Still High (8 am NY)

U.S. cases rose 47,581 on Friday, up 0.9% from the average daily rise of the previous seven days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. While the general cases have dropped in recent weeks, there were 1,102 deaths, the fourth day in a row more than 1,000.

– With the help of Karen Leigh, and Ian Fisher