Tuesday Morning Briefing: India leads global rise in new weekly coronavirus cases

Share

September 1, 2020 Reuters News Now What you need to know about the coronavirus today India leads global rise in new weekly cases India reported the most new COVID-19 cases of any country in the past week, its nearly half a million fresh infections pushing the global tally up by 1 percent, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Overall global new deaths in the past seven days fell by 3% compared to the previous week, the WHO reported, adding that overall new infections around the world rose by 1.8 million. The respiratory disease is also spreading in the Americas, which continues to account for more than half of reported cases and deaths worldwide, although there have been slight decreases in some areas, WHO said in its latest update. Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina have seen “increasing trends”, it said. Text books and face masks Tens of millions of pupils returned to school across Europe, their rucksacks loaded with exercise books, geometry sets and, for many, face masks to protect them from the resurgent coronavirus pandemic. Hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time will become the new normal as countries seek ways to get children back into the classroom safely and their economies functioning once again. But they do so at a time when infections rates are spiraling upwards across the continent and there are widespread concerns that the return to schools and offices, the autumn flu season and excess mortality in winter could drive a second wave. Hong Kong begins China-led mass testing Hong Kong began free coronavirus testing for all residents in the Asian financial hub, as the mainland Chinese-led initiative faced skepticism from the city’s medical community and public, with some activists urging a boycott. The initiative began with a 60-strong mainland team conducting tests. It is the first direct help from China’s health officials for the semi-autonomous city as it battles the pandemic. The scheme has emerged as a politically charged issue, with authorities in Hong Kong and China saying critics are trying to smear the central government. AstraZeneca bolsters vaccine supply AstraZeneca has expanded its agreement with cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica to mass-produce its COVID-19 potential vaccine, as it looks to scale-up supply ahead of a possible U.S. fast-track approval. AZD1222 is among the leading candidates in the global race for a successful vaccine and it has entered late-stage trials in the United States, the British drugmaker said, as it targets 3 billion doses of the vaccine, globally. Medical waste spills into Indonesian river For residents along Indonesia’s Cisadane River, the coronavirus has brought not just deadly disease, but also a deluge of medical waste: a constant stream of syringes, masks and hazmat suits floating by. As the virus has spread, medical waste had been piling up at Tangerang’s Cipeucang landfill. Then in May its walls collapsed, sending tons of garbage straight into the Cisadane’s khaki green waters. “I still worry to be honest, but I have to wash here,” resident Eka Purwanti, 36, told Reuters, as she did her laundry in the river, and children played on the bank. Indonesia’s health ministry acknowledged the problem - saying 1,480 tons of COVID-19 medical waste was produced across the country from March through June - and admitted it lacked treatment facilities, but was working on solutions. Track the spread with our U.S-focused and global live graphics. Breakingviews - Corona Capital: HNA, M&A, Cineworld, Old Mutual. Read concise views on the pandemic’s financial fallout from Breakingviews columnists across the globe. Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic. We need your help to tell these stories. Our news organization wants to capture the full scope of what’s happening and how we got here by drawing on a wide variety of sources. Are you a government employee or contractor involved in coronavirus testing or the wider public health response? Are you a doctor, nurse or health worker caring for patients? Have you worked on similar outbreaks in the past? Has the disease known as COVID-19 personally affected you or your family? Are you aware of new problems that are about to emerge, such as critical supply shortages? We need your tips, firsthand accounts, relevant documents or expert knowledge. Please contact us at coronavirus@reuters.com. We prefer tips from named sources, but if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can submit a confidential news tip. Here’s how. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday sided with a 17-year old charged with killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, saying the accused gunman was trying to get away and would have been killed by demonstrators if he had not opened fire. Trump on Tuesday will visit Kenosha, the site of protests against police brutality and racism since Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times by police on Aug. 23 and left paralyzed. McDonald’s Corp has been sued by 52 Black former franchise owners who accuse the fast-food giant of racial discrimination by steering them to depressed, crime-ridden neighborhoods and setting them up for failure. In a complaint seeking up to $1 billion of damages, the plaintiffs said McDonald’s has not offered profitable restaurant locations and growth opportunities to Black franchisees on the same terms as white franchisees, belying its public commitment to diversity and Black entrepreneurship. Massachusetts Democrats will decide whether they want to position a young member of the fabled Kennedy family to join the U.S. Senate or stick with their incumbent, who has been in Congress for decades fighting to tackle climate change and reduce nuclear weapons proliferation. This primary election pits Representative Joe Kennedy III, 39, the grandson of assassinated U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, against 74-year-old Senator Ed Markey, who has spent over 40 years in the House of Representatives and Senate. COVID Science COVID-19 often undiagnosed in frontline hospital workers A high proportion of COVID-19 infections among U.S. healthcare personnel appear to go undetected, according to a report on Monday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between April and June, among more than 3,000 frontline workers in 12 states, roughly 1 in 20 had antibody evidence of a previous COVID-19 infection, but 69% of those infections had never been diagnosed. Virus may impair heart’s beating, contracting Following recent reports that the new coronavirus can invade heart muscle cells comes the discovery that infected cells show impairments in function. In test tube experiments, researchers infected "myocytes," or heart muscle cells, with the new coronavirus and found that before the infected cells die, they progressively lose their "electrophysiological and contractile properties." Business Maersk to cut jobs in major reorganization Maersk will cut jobs in a major shake-up that will affect a third of the shipping giant’s staff as it seeks to integrate its seaborne container and in-land logistics businesses, it said on Tuesday. 3 min read Geely and GM venture both wade into China's pickup truck competition Zhejiang Geely Holding Group as well as General Motors Co’s Chinese venture are planning to launch their first pickup truck models, intensifying competition in a segment dominated by Great Wall Motor. 3 min read Return to big offices? Why bank branches may get a new lease of life The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to online banking in Europe, but it has also given some suburban branches an unexpected new purpose – as alternative office spaces for staff reluctant to commute to big HQs in city centers. 5 min read Top Stories on Reuters TV On board the historic Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi flight world   2:00 Legendary coach John Thompson dies at 78 sports   1:45 Real news for busy people More Newsletters Reuters News Reuters TV               © 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 Email Preferences    |   Privacy Policy    |   Terms and Conditions