Coronavirus Outbreak: Live Updates and News for Aug. 16, 2020 - Bloomberg

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New Zealand delayed its national election by four weeks over concerns its coronavirus outbreak could disrupt the campaign and balloting. Australia had its deadliest day.

Italy and Spain told nightclubs to close, while France’s public health agency warned that all of the country’s Covid-19 indicators are trending upward.

U.S. fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the fifth consecutive day, though cases slowed. India’s death toll topped 50,000. South Korea reported more cases after warning over the weekend of a wave of infection, most of them linked to an outbreak at a church.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Global cases top 21.6 million; deaths pass 775,000
• Russia’s new Sputnik launch raises risks in dash for Covid shots
• U.K. exam crisis deepens as Johnson faces another week of chaos
• India’s virus testing system is ‘like flipping a coin’
• Nearly 1,000 new hotels are still opening during the pandemic
• Vaccine Tracker: Where we are in the race for Covid-19 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.

India’s Death Toll Tops 50,000 (12:59 p.m. HK)

India reported 941 additional fatalities, bringing the country’s death toll above 50,000. India has the fourth-highest number of fatalities globally, after it last week surpassed the U.K.’s tally. The spread of Covid-19 continues to accelerate through the world’s second most populous country, with the total number of confirmed case at more than 2.6 million, the third most in the world.

Singapore Steps Up Measures for Air Crew (12:45 p.m. HK)

Air crew of Singapore carriers who return from overseas from Aug. 20 will have to undergo Covid-19 testing on top of existing health and safety protocols already in place, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a statement. There have been no positive cases among air crew of Singapore carriers for more than three months.

Philippine Trade Chief Pushes for Looser Virus Curbs (12:06 p.m. HK)

The Philippines’ trade department wants looser movement restrictions in the capital region to enable more people to go to work, Secretary Ramon Lopez said. President Rodrigo Duterte will announce either an extension or easing of the restrictions before the tightened curbs implemented in Metro Manila and nearby provinces for 15 days lapse on Tuesday.

Thailand Recession Deepens as GDP Drops 12% (11:34 a.m. HK)

Thailand’s economy contracted the most in more than two decades, deepening its recession as the nation’s key drivers of trade and tourism remain hobbled by the global coronavirus pandemic. Gross domestic product shrank 12% from a year ago, the National Economic and Social Development Council said, its biggest decline since the Asian financial crisis in 1998.

International Students to Return to Australia (11:31 a.m. HK)

Australia has approved a pilot program for 300 international students to enter the country, providing a potential lifeline to the A$38 billion ($27 billion) sector that’s been smashed by the pandemic.

South Australia had been preparing for the arrival of around 800 students under an earlier proposal in July, but the plans were delayed by an outbreak of Covid-19 in neighboring Victoria and the closure of state borders. Similar pilot programs in Canberra and Victoria were also postponed as surging cases in Melbourne alarmed the nation.

South Korea Reports 197 Additional Cases (10:40 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported 197 more cases of coronavirus on Monday, amid a flareup of infections. The country warned over the weekend of another mass infection after reporting the highest number of coronavirus cases since early March, most of which are linked to an outbreak at a church in the capital.

H.K. Studying Extending Dine-in Hours: Sing Tao (8:53 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s government is looking into letting restaurants end their dine-in services at 9-10 p.m., later than the current 6 p.m. limit, Sing Tao Daily reported, citing unidentified people.

Other virus-related measures at restaurants, such as limiting customers to two people per table and a 50% cap on seating capacity, are not expected to change as the current round of social distancing measures is set to expire Tuesday.

Capital of Vietnam Coffee Province Lifts Order (8:42 a.m. HK)

Dak Lak province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands coffee belt removed a 14-day stay-at-home order applied to its capital city of Buon Ma Thuot and a lockdown of four locations in the city as the coronavirus outbreak is under control, it said in a statement.

Malaysia Finds Cases With More Infectious Strain (8:27 a.m. HK)

Malaysia has detected a strain of the new coronavirus that’s been found to be 10 times more infectious. The mutation has become the predominant variant in Europe and the U.S., with the World Health Organization saying there’s no evidence the strain leads to a more severe disease.

A paper published in Cell Press said the mutation is unlikely to have a major impact on the efficacy of vaccines currently being developed.

The mutation called D614G was found in at least three of the 45 cases in a cluster that started from a restaurant owner returning from India and breaching his 14-day home quarantine. The strain was also found in another cluster involving people returning from the Philippines.

Japan Economy Shrinks Most on Record Amid Emergency (8:08 a.m. HK)

Pedestrians wear protective face masks in Tokyo, Aug. 2.

Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg

Japan’s economy shrank last quarter by the most in data going back to 1955 as shoppers stayed home and factory production lines were idled amid a virus-triggered state of emergency and lockdowns in the country’s major export markets.

Gross domestic product contracted an annualized 28% in the three months through June from the previous quarter, the Cabinet Office reported Monday.

Australia Has Deadliest Day With 25 Fatalities in Victoria (7:32 a.m.)

Australia had its deadliest day in the pandemic, with 25 fatalities in the state of Victoria. The nation’s second-most populous state, which has imposed a lockdown and nighttime curfew in its capital Melbourne, on Monday also reported 282 new cases in the past 24 hours, down from daily tallies in the 700s in late July.

Victoria is isolated from the rest of the nation as other states have closed their borders -- threatening to deepen and prolong the economic recession. On Sunday, Victoria’s government announced it will extend a state of emergency until mid-September.

Spain and Italy Move to Shut Nightclubs (7:17 a.m. HK)

The Amnesia nightclub, which remains closed, in Ibiza on July 30.

Photographer: Jaime Reina/AFP via Getty Images

Spain will start shutting nightspots this week after they were blamed for spikes in cases that triggered new travel warnings. Suspending operations again was one of 11 measures Spain’s regional governments agreed to take to curb the fastest virus growth rate among Europe’s major economies.

Italy also ordered nightclubs to close and broadened rules on wearing protective masks.

Texas Hospitalizations Down (6:50 a.m. HK)

Coronavirus patients in Texas hospitals fell to 6,267, the lowest in seven weeks. Another 143 deaths were reported, to just under a total of 10,000 fatalities. The state added 6,204 new cases, fewer than the previous day, for a total of 535,042.

New Zealand Postpones Election (6:23 a.m. HK)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed the general election by four weeks until Oct. 17 as a community outbreak of Covid-19 worsens.

Ardern said Monday she delayed the election from Sept. 19 after consultation with other political parties, to provide certainty to voters.

A fresh outbreak of the virus in Auckland has seen the largest city locked down since Aug. 12 with people urged to stay home and consumer-facing businesses shut -- denting consumer confidence while making political campaigning and fund-raising impossible. The city, home to almost one third of the nation’s 5 million citizens, is a key battleground for Ardern as her Labour Party seeks a second term.

Watch: New Zealand is battling its first coronavirus outbreak in more than three months and that’s forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to postpone the general election by 4 weeks.

(Source: Bloomberg)

Brazil Cases, Deaths Down (5:50 p.m. NY)

Brazil reported 23,101 cases, down from 41,576 the previous day, for a total of 3,340,197. Another 620 deaths, down from 709 the day before, were added in the nation hit worst by the pandemic after the U.S. Total deaths are now 107,852.

Virus Clusters Spread at University of North Carolina (5:15 p.m. NY)

A new cluster of Covid-19 cases has broken out at a University of North Carolina residence, the fourth in the last three days, the Daily Tar Heel reported on Sunday.

A university spokesman said it would not say how many students were infected, according to the student newspaper. The university defines as five or more cases in “close proximity.”

Another Georgia High School Closes (2:58 p.m.)

A third high school in a Georgia county hit by a Covid-19 outbreak said it would close after 25 students tested positive and 500 were quarantined, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The school district expects more of the 1,800 students to be quarantined once testing is completed.

California ICU Trend Reaches Seven-Week High (2:05 p.m. NY)

Nurses care for a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care unit in San Jose.

Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California added 7,873 new cases -- compared with the 14-day average of 8,029 -- bringing the total to 621,562. Deaths rose by 77 to 11,224.

While the number of hospital patients fell to the lowest level since the end of June, the percentage of those in ICU increased to 31.8% based on a five-day average, the highest since late June, according to data on the state’s health department’s website.

France Headed for Masks in Offices (1:48 p.m. NY)

France reported 3,015 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, marking the second straight day with more than 3,000 new infections. One additional death was reported.

“The situation is worrying: All indicators continue to increase and the transmission of the virus is on the rise,” the French public health agency said in a statement.

French Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne will propose Tuesday that masks be required in businesses by September in places where people work together in an enclosed space, she said in an interview with Journal du Dimanche.

N.J. Governor Backs Biden Mask Plan (10 a.m. NY)

Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk along the boardwalk in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Sunday he supports Joe Biden’s suggestion that each state should require its people to wear face masks to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus that continues to ravage the U.S.

U.K. Cases Pass 1,000 Again (9:55 a.m. NY)

U.K. cases increased by more than 1,000 for the sixth consecutive day and five more people died of Covid-19, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.

The latest daily figure for deaths, which includes all those who tested positive for coronavirus in the U.K. and then died within 28 days of that test, rose from three reported Saturday, according to the department. The number of new cases was up from 1,012 Saturday.

U.S. Rise in Cases Below 7-Day Average (8 a.m. NY)

U.S. cases increased by 47,813, a 0.9% rise on the day. That’s lower than the 1% increase over the previous week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. It was the smallest increase since Tuesday.

Deaths related to Covid-19 rose by 1,046 nationwide, the fifth-consecutive day with more than 1,000, though almost 300 fewer than the previous day, according to the data.

China, Russia Plan Joint Tests: Chinese Scientist (4:35 a.m. NY)

Zhong Nanshan, a top virus expert in China, said at a meeting on Sunday that China and Russia have plans to jointly conduct vaccine clinical trials, without giving further details. The meeting, held in China’s Guangdong province, is about virus cooperation between the two countries and attended by virus experts from both sides, according to local reports.

Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin’s drugmaker Petrovax is starting a phase III trial in Russia of Chinese company CanSino Biologics Inc.’s Ad5-nCoV vaccine candidate, it said on its website Saturday. Petrovax plans to produce the vaccine at its facilities in the Moscow Region once it’s registered in Russia.

Russia Gets Saudi Arabia to Test Vaccine (3:15 a.m. NY)

Russia reached an agreement in principle to conduct clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the head of its sovereign wealth fund.

— With assistance by Ian Fisher

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