(Bloomberg) —
With Covid-19 showing signs of a resurgence across Europe, Austria’s chancellor warned of tough months ahead. The virus reproduction rate rose above 1 in Germany, while U.S. cases remained steady.
South Korea was relaxing its social-distancing rules amid a drop in confirmed cases, but Thailand tightened its border checkpoints to prevent the virus’s spread from neighboring countries.
A powerful ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quit the government over a proposal to lock down the country during the upcoming Jewish holiday.
Key Developments:
Global Tracker: Cases near 28.8 million; deaths exceed 920,500Googling for gut symptoms predicts Covid hot spots: studyOxford University is resuming trials of an experimental vaccineRussia reports its lowest death rate in six daysCovid-19’s made flying business class feel more like economyAbsent patients sound alarm bells for South African doctorWhy telemedicine may stay even after Covid fades away: QuickTake
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.S. Cases, Deaths Steady (8:08 a.m. NY)
The U.S. added 40,016 cases, a 0.6% rise in line with the average daily increase of the previous seven days. Total cases are now 6,483,064.
Another 708 people died, down from more than 1,200 the day before, but in line with the 0.4% average daily increase of the previous seven days. Total deaths reached 193,676.
Greek PM Would Be First in Line to Try Vaccine (7:42 a.m. NY)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would be first in line to try a new coronavirus vaccine, whenever it is developed.
“If, for reasons of symbolism, I and my family have to be vaccinated first, I will do it with great pleasure,” Mitsotakis told reporters in the northern city of Thessaloniki. The anti-vaccine movement has been rising in Greece.
Norway Overtakes Sweden in Infection Rate (7:15 a.m. NY)
Norway’s infection rate has risen to 24.8 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks, overtaking Sweden’s rate of 24.0, Aftenposten reported. That’s despite Norway introducing stricter restrictions than its neighbor.
German Reproduction Rate Keeps Rising (7 a.m. NY)
Germany’s reproduction rate — which measures the average number of people infected by one person — has risen to 1.15, the Robert Koch Institute said. It was 1.0 on Saturday and 0.9 on Sept. 10.
The number of infections rose by 1,713 to 261,448, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The increase was up on the day before but below the 1,898 tally measured on Sept. 8. Germany registered daily new infection numbers as high as 7,000 at the height of the pandemic.
Israeli Minister Quits Over Holiday Lockdown Plan (6:13 p.m HK)
A powerful ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quit the government on Sunday over a proposal to lock down the country during the upcoming Jewish holiday season to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak.
Yaakov Litzman, housing minister from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism bloc, said the proposal reflected a “lack of values” at a time when summer holidaying and mass protests against Netanyahu were allowed to go on.
Israel’s cabinet was to vote Sunday on plans for a two-week lockdown.
Iran Has More Than 2,000 New Cases (5:50 p.m. HK)
Iran recorded 128 fatalities and 2,089 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 23,157 in 402,029 known infections, latest Health Ministry figures showed. Over 346,000 people have recovered from the virus with 3,791 patients under treatment in intensive-care units.
Austrian Chancellor Warns of Tough Months Ahead (5:20 p.m. HK)
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz urged citizens to stick to the rules after coronavirus numbers surged to levels last seen in March.
“What we’re experiencing right now is the beginning of the second wave,” Kurz was quoted as saying by Austria Press Agency. “We’re going to see 1,000 infections soon. Fall and winter will be hard on everybody.”
Health authorities registered 869 new daily infections on Saturday, the highest numbers since March 28. The numbers declined to 463 on Sunday.
Belgium’s Virus Cases Top 92,000 (5:15 p.m. HK)
Belgium on Sunday reported 941 new coronavirus cases, down from 969 the day before, bringing the total to 92,478. Deaths from the virus rose by four to 9,923, while 34 more people were hospitalized.
Jakarta to Isolate Virus Patients in Official Facilities (4:39 p.m. HK)
Residents of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, who have tested positive for the coronavirus will be isolated in official facilities rather than be quarantined at home, the city’s governor said ahead of tighter restrictions that take effect on Monday.
Isolation at home must be avoided to limit contagion, Anies Baswedan said at a press conference on Sunday as Indonesia reported 3,636 new cases of Covid-19.
South Korea Eases Distancing Rules as Cases Taper (3:35 p.m. HK)
South Korea is relaxing social-distancing rules as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases tapers after last month’s surge.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said distancing requirements for the Seoul metropolitan area will be lowered to level 2 from level 2.5 for two weeks. The announcement came hours after the government confirmed 121 new coronavirus cases, the second-lowest total in the past month.
“We shouldn’t let our guard down, given one out of four cases can’t be traced back,” Chung said Sunday in an address televised on Yonhap TV. “But tighter quarantine is showing its effect slowly.”
Level 2 forbids indoor gatherings of 50 or more people, affecting everything from weddings to amusement parks.
South Korea adopted three levels of progressively tighter restrictions in June. After the number of daily virus cases surged into the hundreds last month, the government considered raising the level to 3. That would have forced the closures of bars, cinemas and cafes, and limited business hours at shopping malls and retail shops.
Thailand Steps Up Border Checks After New Imported Cases (1:05 p.m. HK)
Thailand is tightening monitoring measures at border checkpoints to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from neighboring countries, the Ministry of Health said.
Local health volunteers will patrol natural borders with Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, and watch out for the smuggling of foreign workers. Thailand reported seven imported cases Sunday, raising its total to 3,473. Fifty-eight people have died from the virus.
Googling for Gut Symptoms Predicts Covid Hot Spots: Study (9:55 a.m. HK)
Internet searches on gastrointestinal symptoms predicted a rise in Covid-19 cases weeks later, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found, demonstrating a novel early warning system for hot spots of the pandemic disease.
Researchers at the top-ranked hospital in Boston compared search interest in loss of taste and appetite, and diarrhea with the reported incidence of Covid-19 in 15 U.S. states from Jan. 20 to April 20. Using Alphabet Inc.’s Google Trends online tool, they found the volume of searches correlated most strongly with cases in New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois — states with high disease burden — three to four weeks later.
The research was published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Plant Thieves Scour Forests to Satisfy Foliage-Starved Filipinos (8:30 a.m. HK)
The pandemic has set off a wave of theft in the Philippines. The target? Plants.
The government has stepped up monitoring of social media and patrolling of protected natural areas amid reports of traders scouring mountains and forests for plants, including endangered species, to meet a sudden spike in demand from locked-down Filipinos who are craving some greenery in their homes.
Australia’s Victoria Reports Rise Ahead of Easing (7:05 a.m. HK)
The Australian state with the nation’s highest transmission of coronavirus has recorded a small rise in new cases, the state’s health department has announced, just as it begins its first stage of easing in one of the world’s strictest community containments.
The state of Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services recorded 41 new cases in the last 24 hours and seven new deaths, it said in a twitter post on Sunday morning.
It marks a minor up-tick from 37 new cases and six deaths the day before across the country’s second-most populous state, and comes as the state is slated to embark on the first step on a reopening road-map starting at midnight.
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