In this April 6, 2020 file photo, a pedestrian walks past a street art mural, depicting "Mass Hysteria" related to the COVID-19 pandemic, near a digital advertising board with a message about social distancing by J Sainsbury Plc in Birmingham, UK. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)
BRASILIA / MEXICO CITY / RABAT / WASHINGTON / LONDON / PARIS / MADRID / WARSAW / ABUJA / ROME / MOSCOW - Boris Johnson’s scientific advisers warned the coronavirus pandemic may be growing again, as ministers put the UK’s second-largest city on alert and tightened rules in parts of northwest England.
Britain recorded 1,182 new cases on Thursday, the second-highest daily total since June 21, government figures showed, in part reflecting the higher number of tests being processed.
The UK-wide ‘R’ number is in a range of 0.9-1.1, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said Friday in an emailed statement, which also warned that infections could be rising in London, as well as in northwest and southwest England. A rate above one means the virus can begin to spread uncontrollably again, with a single case potentially infecting more than one other person.
It’s the first time in months that the government’s scientific advisers have said the nationwide reproduction rate of the virus could be above one, emphasizing the quandary for the prime minister as he seeks to continue opening up the economy in the wake of the lockdown that began in March. Officials have said repeatedly that any relaxation of pandemic measures must not allow the transmission rate to go above that level.
Responding to local outbreaks, the Department of Health tightened social-distancing measures in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn in northwest England. Residents there were told they should not socialize -- either indoors or outdoors -- with anyone from outside their household.
At the same time, ministers added the city of Birmingham to a watchlist of areas that may require further intervention, with an increase of testing and contact tracing. In Northampton, a Greencore Group Plc food factory voluntarily closed on Friday after almost 300 employees tested positive for coronavirus. Workers and their families will be required to self-isolate for two weeks.
Thursday's official data showed a total of 322,280 people had tested positive for the virus in the country. Thursday's data also showed 190,434 tests were processed, compared to 117,971 on June 21.
Britain also reported a further six deaths of people who died within 28 days of receiving a positive coronavirus test result, taking the total number of fatalities on this measure to 41,403.
Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, the region tightened restrictions on the size of gatherings as it faces a rise in new cases of COVID-19. Outdoor gatherings will from next week be limited to 15 people, reduced from 30, while indoor gatherings in private dwellings are now limited to six individuals from two households, from 10 previously. Events such as weddings, church services and sporting events can be bigger if there is strict social distancing.
North Carolina State University students wearing face coverings walk behind Dabney Hall to the Free Expression Tunnel in Raleigh, North Carolina, Aug 18, 2020. (ROBERT WILLETT / THE NEWS & OBSERVER VIA AP)
US
US President Donald Trump has urged universities to keep reopening their campuses, despite reports of COVID-19 cluster outbreaks among students across the country.
The virus is very dangerous for older people, "but for university students the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal flu," Trump was quoted by CNBC as saying.
The virus is very dangerous for older people, "but for university students the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal flu," Trump was quoted by CNBC as saying
However, some universities are rethinking their plans to reopen for the fall semester after several outbreaks emerged soon after students returned to campus. Varsities including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Notre Dame, and Michigan State University, have decided to to roll back campus reopenings.
"Instead of saving lives, the decision to close universities could cost lives. It is significantly safer for students to live with other young people than to go home and spread the virus to older Americans," Trump said.
ALSO READ: College students come to grips with learning choices
Trump's remarks came after the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday classified teachers as essential workers during the pandemic.
In Texas, a Dallas school district official said Thursday that all 155,000 students would be taught online for at least the first month of the new term. Houston, San Antonio and Austin, have also decided to begin the academic year with online-only classes.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio, however, stood by his vow to reopen in-class learning beginning in September despite threats by the teachers' union to strike or take legal action.
A healthcare worker sits at the entrance to a free COVID-19 testing site at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Aug 19, 2020. (DAVID J. PHILIP / AP)
Southern US states, which were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, are seeing a progressive drop in coronavirus cases, Robert Redfield, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
However, Redfield warned that data from 21 US states showed there was no drop in coronavirus cases for states such as Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The United States has more than 5.5 million cases of confirmed coronavirus infections, the highest in the world, and over 174,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
US Senator Bill Cassidy tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, and he has decided to self-quarantine for 14 days and is contacting those with whom he may have had contact, according to a statement released by his office.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson aims to test its experimental coronavirus vaccine in up to 60,000 volunteers in a late-stage trial scheduled to start in September, according to a US government database of clinical trials.
Another vaccine developer by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE is on track for a regulatory review as soon as October and 1.3 billion doses could be made by the end of 2021.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide on Friday surpassed 22.6 million cases while the global death toll topped 794,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Africa
Africa is beginning to slowly "bend the curve" of COVID-19 infections as measures like mask-wearing and social distancing slow down the spread of the pandemic on the continent, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday.
On average, there were signs of a decline in new infections across Africa over the last two weeks, said John Nkengasong, head of Africa CDC.
"So I think that is really some sign of hope that we are beginning to bend the curve slowly. We take this news with cautious optimism," he said. "It's very, very early, we're dealing with a very delicate virus that spreads very quickly but it's important to recognise those slight tendencies that are positive."
Last week Africa reported a total of 73,000 new cases compared to 55,000 cases the previous week, with the reduction mostly driven by South Africa, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director, Matshidiso Moeti, said at an online press conference on Thursday.
Although pressure was building in some countries to open up schools, Nkengasong said it was proper to delay such a move until infections have declined substantially.
As of Thursday, Africa's tally stood at 1,148,849 while the death toll has reached 26,664, Africa CDC said.
Argentina
Argentina reported a record daily rise of 8,225 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's tally to 320,884.
There were 111 additional deaths, taking the death toll to 6,517.
Belarus
Belarus reported 149 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking its tally to 69,950, according to the Health Ministry.
There were 282 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing total recoveries to 67,929, the ministry added.
The death toll rose by five to 627, it said.
Belgium
All Belgian students will return to school on Sept 1 on the basis of Code Yellow determined by the communities, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said Thursday.
"Today we can speak of a stabilization trend. We can even speak of an improvement with a reproduction rate of the virus of 0.9," said Wilmes.
Also starting from Sept 1, for a period of one month, the social bubble of five people will remain in force. A maximum of 50 people are allowed for funeral receptions in compliance with the rules of social distancing.
Meanwhile, the maximum number of people allowed at sports matches, theatre, cultural activities has been expanded to 200 people indoors and 400 for outdoors. Mask wearing remains obligatory.
Belgium has so far reported 79,479 confirmed cases, with 9,969 deaths.
Brazil
The Brazilian government has not allowed Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to provide assistance to prevent and detect suspected cases of COVID-19 in seven villages of the Terena indigenous tribe in southern Brazil, the medical NGO said on Thursday.
MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, presented a plan to assist the seven communities with about 5,000 inhabitants, adding in a statement that it had been invited to help by tribal leaders. Instead, the government’s indigenous health agency Sesai authorized its own doctors to assist another village with 1,000 inhabitants, where it said COVID-19 cases were more prevalent.
According to a statement by Sesai, MSF presented an expanded plan for assisting Terena communities that was not authorized because it failed to name the communities and resources to be used.
According to Brazil’s main indigenous umbrella organization APIB, 690 indigenous people have died from COVID-19 and 26,443 cases have been confirmed among Brazil’s 850,000 indigenous people. Half of Brazil’s 300 indigenous tribes have confirmed infections.
Brazil reported 45,323 new coronavirus cases and 1,204 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The figures brought the tally to 3,501,975 cases and the death toll to 112,304, according to ministry data.
Chile
Chile's Ministry of Health on Thursday reported a total of 391,849 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10,671 deaths had been recorded in the country.
According to the ministry, 1,813 new cases and 93 more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.
The number of recoveries stood at 366,063.
Health workers transporting a COVID-19 patient wait at the entrance of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the General Hospital, in Medellin, Colombia, on Aug 20, 2020. (JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP)
Colombia
The Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported on Thursday 11,541 new COVID-19 cases and 204 more deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 513,719 and the death toll to 16,183.
On the same day, Vice-Interior Minister Daniel Palacios said that restaurants, casinos, gyms and some religious services are now allowed to reopen in some municipalities.
"The implementation of pilot plans for 120 municipalities has been signed. With this, we can open restaurants, gyms, casinos, theaters, religious services, among others, in these areas of the country," said the official.
Dominican Republic
The number of COVID-19 infections and death toll in the Dominican Republic have risen to 89,010 and 1,505, respectively, the Ministry of Public Health said on Thursday.
In the previous 24 hours, tests detected 883 new infections and four more people died.
Currently, 7,079 confirmed cases are being treated in hospital isolation wards, of which 287 are in intensive care units, while 22,692 people with the virus are self-isolating at home, the ministry said.
The number of recoveries rose from 56,760 to 57,734, the ministry said.
Ecuador
Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health on Thursday reported the country has recorded a total of 105,508 COVID-19 cases and 6,200 deaths since the onset of the outbreak.
In the previous 24 hours, tests detected 1,033 new cases and 54 more patients died.
Egypt
Egypt reported on Thursday 111 new COVID-19 infections, the lowest daily tally since April 10, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 97,025, the Health Ministry said.
Deaths rose by 15 to 5,212 while recoveries increased by 909 to 63,462, Khaled Megahed, spokesman for the ministry, said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Upper Egypt's Luxor province announced that the cabinet has agreed to reopen archeological sites, hotels and museums in the monument-rich city for tourists from the beginning of September.
Public parks, entertainment parks and zoos will also be allowed to receive visitors from the beginning of September but with a limited capacity, while public beaches will remain closed until further notice.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 35,836 after 1,778 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, the Ministry of Health said.
This was the highest daily increase ever recorded in the country.
The ministry said 20 more patients have died, bringing the death toll to 620, while the number of recoveries rose by 228 to 13,536.
France
Schools in France will open as planned on Sept 1, despite calls from teachers for more time to prepare because of the coronavirus, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said in a television interview Thursday.
Sanitary protocols the government set forth in July, which include hand-washing and indoor mask-wearing by staff and students older than 11, are sufficient even as the spread of the virus picks up, Blanquer said. Rules can be adapted on a case-by-case basis as needed, he said.
France reported 4,711 new coronavirus infections and 12 more deaths over the past 24 hours on Thursday, a post-lockdown record and a level last seen during the height of the epidemic in France, but the number of people in hospital with the disease fell.
The seven-day moving average now stands close to 3,000, a level last seen mid-April.
The ministry said that over the past week, France had done over 664,000 virus tests and over six million since the start of the epidemic.
It said that the percentage of positive tests was increasing and stood at 3.3 percent in the week of Aug 11-17, compared to 2.1 percent in the first week of August, and more than double the 1.5 percent seen in the last 10 days of July.
Despite the soaring infection rate, the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has been relatively stable, falling by another 58 to a new post-lockdown low of 4,748, while the number of people in intensive care edged up by six to 380
The government has said this is due to the fact that the virus is now mainly circulating among young people, who typically do not develop serious symptoms.
Georgia
Georgia confirmed 15 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing its tally to 1,385.
Three of the 15 new cases were imported, the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.
A total of 1,128 patients had recovered while 17 people had died, the center said.
Germany
Germany recorded 1,586 new infections in the 24 hours through Friday, the same number as Thursday and above 1,000 for a fourth straight day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The number of cases rose to 231,292, while there were 14 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 9,263.
According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases on Friday, the number of confirmed cases increased by 1,427 to 230,048 while deaths rose by 7 to 9,260.
Like many of its European neighbors, Germany has experienced an uptick in cases in recent weeks, which authorities blame on social gatherings and travelers.
A worker takes the temperature of a traveller upon the arrival of a ferry from the Greek islands to the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Aug 20, 2020. (THANASSIS STAVRAKIS / AP)
Greece
Greece's National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced on Thursday that 269 new novel coronavirus infections were registered in the past 24 hours.
A total of 7,934 cases had been diagnosed in the country so far since late February, and fatalities stand at 235, EODY noted.
Officials had reiterated lately that according to official data, 8 in 10 cases were domestically transmitted and were not linked to tourists.
Out of the 332,934 tests conducted at 31 entry points from July 1 to Aug 18, only 725 travelers, or 0.2 percent, were found to be infected, EODY said.
Hungary
Hungary will tighten border crossing rules from Sept 1 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the number of new infections is rising in neighbouring countries, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.
Orban, a nationalist who has been in power for more than a decade, also said the government would draft a two-year plan to boost the economy by the middle of next month, after a deeper-than-expected 13.6 percent plunge in second-quarter economic output.
Italy
Italy reported 845 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, marking the highest daily increase since May, when the government eased its rigid lockdown measures.
Last time the country recorded a higher figure was May 16, with 875 cases, two days before restaurants, bars and shops were allowed to reopen after a 10-week lockdown.
Despite the rise in infections, daily death tolls remain low and are often in single figures. Thursday saw six fatalities compared to seven on Wednesday, health ministry data showed.
Lazio, around Rome, registered 115 cases, of which 73 percent were due to people returning from other Italian regions or from abroad, the regional government said.
ALSO READ: Europe clamps down on nightlife to regain grip on COVID spread
Kenya
Doctors in most public hospitals in Kenya’s capital went on strike on Friday to protest against delayed salaries and a lack of protective equipment when handling patients who may have COVID-19.
The strike began at midnight on Friday, said Thuranira Kaugiria, secretary general for the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union.
He said 320 doctors employed by the Nairobi County government were taking part in the strike because they had inadequate health insurance, poor quality protective gear and too few isolation wards to treat COVID-19 patients.
The strike will not affect private hospitals and public hospitals within Nairobi run by the national government.
Latest data show 31,441 confirmed coronavirus cases in Kenya, 532 deaths and 18,157 recoveries out of 411,630 tests done so far. The majority of confirmed cases have been in the capital.
Kenyan doctors have been posting pictures on Twitter of what they say is inadequate gear supplied by the government, including porous overalls meant to protect against dust that would not prevent the spread of the virus.
Libya
The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Thursday reported 395 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 9,463.
The center said in a statement that 15 more patients had recovered while five otherse died, bringing total recoveries to 1,018 and the death toll to 169.
Lithuania
Lithuania decided on Thursday to restore the requirement on mandatory mask wearing in both outdoor and indoor events due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
According to the decision signed by the country's Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga, all cultural, entertainment and other events, and gatherings organized in both open and closed spaces will require the wearing of protective equipment covering the nose and mouth, and ensuring a one-meter distance between participants starting from Friday.
The requirement will also apply to indoor and outdoor areas for trade, services, leisure and entertainment, during sports events.
Meanwhile, foreign truck drivers were asked to self-isolate upon arrival until their departure even if they would stay in Lithuania for less than 72 hours.
According to the Ministry of Health, Lithuania had registered 2,528 COVID-19 cases by Thursday morning. To date, 82 people had died while 1,747 had recovered.
Mexico
Mexico's Health Ministry on Thursday reported 6,775 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 625 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 543,806 cases and 59,106 deaths.
Mexico will receive at least 2,000 doses of Russia's potential COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed 'Sputnik V', to test among its population, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Thursday.
READ MORE: Russia to begin vaccine trials on 40,000 people next week
A worker makes face masks at a factory in Sale, Morocco, on Aug 20, 2020. (CHADI / XINHUA)
Morocco
Morocco could return to a complete coronavirus lockdown as cases continue to spike, Moroccan King Mohammed VI said on Thursday, warning of severe economic repercussions.
The deterioration of the health situation "does not leave much room for optimism," he said.
The warning came as a jump in infections in the once bustling tourist hub of Marrakech strained health services and led to protests by medical staff in recent days.
New cases nationally have surged to more than 1,000 a day since Morocco lifted a strict three-month long lockdown in late June and hit a record high of 1,766 on Aug 15. As of Thursday, Morocco had recorded a total 47,638 cases, including 775 deaths and 32,806 recoveries.
Pictures posted on social media platforms showed COVID-19 patients in Marrakech lying on the floor of crowded hospitals. Medics have staged protests in recent days to highlight the congestion and lack of anti-coronavirus equipment and oxygen.
The health ministry said on Wednesday it will boost capacity at the city's hospitals.
Nigeria
Nigeria will blocks flights from countries that do not allow Nigerian flights to land due to coronavirus restrictions, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said on Thursday.
A spokesman for the minister said Sirika was referring to landing rights for aircraft, and not the nationals of the countries.
The director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said that authorities were still drafting the list, but added that the European Union was among those barring Nigerians.
Nigeria earlier this week announced plans to resume international flights on Aug 29. The resumption will begin with four flights daily coming in to both Lagos and Abuja, but Sirika said that initially the number of passengers would be limited to 1,280 a day.
Nigeria has 50,488 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and has recorded 985 deaths.
Poland
Poland reported 903 new coronavirus cases on Friday, according to the Health Ministry's Twitter account, the highest daily increase since the pandemic outbreak.
The health ministry data showed the biggest increase in the south of Poland, including the mining region Silesia, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis as many miners caught the disease and mining operations were closed.
But there were also significant rises in central and northern Poland. The health ministry said outbreaks have become more dispersed and mostly stem from gatherings, such as weddings, crowded working places and organized holidays.
In total, Poland has reported 60,281 cases and 1,938 deaths.
Climate Minister Michal Kurtyka said on Thursday he has tested positive for the coronavirus, while Piotr Naimski, the minister in charge of key energy infrastructure, is ill and in isolation, according to his assistant.
Polish weekly Wprost said on its website on Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources, that Naimski had been infected with COVID-19.
Russia
Russia reported 4,870 new coronavirus cases on Friday, pushing its tally to 946,976, the fourth largest in the world.
Authorities said 90 people had died over the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 16,189.
The clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the Siberian Vektor research centre is due to be completed in September, the RIA news agency cited Russia's healthcare watchdog as saying on Friday.
Slovakia
Slovakia reported 123 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, the largest daily total ever.
In total, the country has reported 3,225 confirmed cases and 33 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The landlocked country of 5.4 million is still placed at the bottom of the European list of virus deaths per capita, but it has already tightened restrictions for guest workers and public events as new cases started to mount.
Slovenia
Slovenia on Thursday added neighboring Croatia to its quarantine list, meaning that returning travellers will have to self-isolate.
The decision to put Croatia on the list already comprising nearly 60 countries will come into effect at midnight, Interior Minister Ales Hojs said.
Travellers already in Croatia will be able to avoid a requirement to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they return to Slovenia before midnight on Monday, Hojs added.
Croatia escaped the worst of the first wave of the pandemic owing to swift lockdowns and a lack of tourist arrivals at the tail-end of winter, promoting itself as a safe destination for tourists. But on Thursday it registered 255 new infections, bringing the total number of cases to 7,329.
Slovenia has recorded 2,356 COVID-19 cases, dozens of which have been traced to people returning from trips to party hot spots in Croatia in the past couple of weeks.
Spain
Spanish Equality Minister Irene Montero has asked regions to order the closure of brothels in a bid to prevent new coronavirus outbreaks, a week after the government shut most nightlife establishments and imposed various other restrictions.
The ministry has sent a letter asking “regions to specifically act on places where prostitution is exercised, like brothels”, she told radio station RNE on Friday.
Brothels operate in a legal grey area in Spain, which makes regulating their activities tricky, a ministry spokesman said.
With more than 377,000 total cases and nearly 29,000 deaths, Spain is grappling with one of Europe’s most severe coronavirus epidemics, marked by a recent new increase in infections.
Sweden
Sweden plans to ease pandemic rules to allow more spectators at cultural and sporting events, if they can be organised to prevent the risk of spreading the new coronavirus, the government said on Friday.
With the number of new infections and COVID-19 deaths falling in Sweden, the government said it planned to introduce exceptions to the 50-person maximum for events where crowds could be seated two meters apart from each other, from Oct 1.
The government said it was also planning to ease some rules for restaurants and cafes that hold artistic performances.
Sweden has so far reported 85,810 confirmed cases and 5,805 deaths, statistics from the Swedish Public Health Agency statistics showed.
Sweden will be able to offer vaccines to between three to six million citizens following a deal between the EU and AstraZeneca, in which Sweden will get 6 million doses, a Swedish official said on Thursday.
READ MORE: Pope warns rich countries against virus vaccine nationalism
Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is set to introduce new measures to curb the recent spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths in the East African country, local media reported.
In a televised address late Wednesday, Museveni said some citizens and politicians are continuing to violate preventive measures and operating procedures aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Museveni said he will address the nation next week on the new measures.
The news came as the Ministry of Health on Thursday reported 94 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily increase in the last three months, bringing the tally to 1,750. Three more deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 19.
Zimbabawe
Zimbabwe's teachers have rejected the government's proposal to reopen schools for examination classes, said Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the government would proceed with its preparation to reopen schools for final examination classes.
In response, ARTUZ said in a statement that many students were not prepared to sit for the examinations due to the short studying time they have had this year. ARTUZ said the November examinations should be moved to May 2021 to give learners enough time to prepare.
"Learners have been confined to their homes since 31 March to date. The confinement is highly traumatic and triggers mental health problems. It will be cruel to force such learners into an examination room without providing therapy for the learners," reads the statement.
The move to reopen schools comes at a time when COVID-19 cases in the country are on a rise. As of Thursday, Zimbabwe has reported 5,745 confirmed cases and 151 deaths.
