#	Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
	World	20,511,458	+265,888	744,915
1	USA	5,305,957	+54,519	167,749
2	Brazil	3,112,393	+54,923	103,099
3	India	2,328,405	+61,252	46,188
4	Russia	897,599	+4,945	15,131
5	South Africa	566,109	+2,511	10,751
6	Peru	489,680	+6,547	21,501
7	Mexico	485,836	+5,558	53,003
8	Colombia	410,453	+12,830	13,475
9	Chile	376,616	+1,572	10,178
10	Spain	373,692	+3,632	28,581
11	Iran	331,189	+2,345	18,800
12	UK	312,789	+1,148	46,628
13	Saudi Arabia	291,468	+1,521	3,233
14	Pakistan	285,191	+531	6,112
15	Bangladesh	263,503	+2,996	3,471
16	Argentina	260,911	+7,043	5,004
17	Italy	251,237	+412	35,215
18	Turkey	243,180	+1,183	5,873
19	Germany	219,530	+1,030	9,268
20	France	204,172	+1,397	30,354
21	Iraq	156,995	+3,396	5,531
22	Philippines	139,305	+2,754	2,311
23	Indonesia	128,776	+1,693	5,824
24	Canada	120,421	+289	8,991
25	Qatar	113,646	+384	188
26	Kazakhstan	100,164	+722	1,269
27	Egypt	95,834	+168	5,059
28	Ecuador	95,563	+862	5,951
29	Bolivia	91,635	+1,636	3,712
30	Israel	86,593	+1,871	622
31	China	84,712	+44	4,634
32	Sweden	83,126		5,770
33	Ukraine	83,115	+1,158	1,951
34	Oman	82,050	+263	533
35	Dominican Republic	81,094	+595	1,346
36	Panama	76,464	+1,070	1,680
37	Belgium	74,620	+468	9,879
38	Kuwait	73,068	+668	486
39	Belarus	69,005	+58	592
40	Romania	63,762	+1,215	2,764
41	UAE	62,966	+262	358
42	Netherlands	59,973	+779	6,159
43	Guatemala	57,966	+979	2,233
44	Singapore	55,353	+61	27
45	Poland	52,961	+551	1,821
46	Portugal	52,945	+120	1,761
47	Japan	48,928	+938	1,052
48	Honduras	47,872	+418	1,506
49	Nigeria	47,290	+423	956
50	Bahrain	44,804	+407	165
51	Ghana	41,404	+192	215
52	Armenia	40,593	+160	803
53	Kyrgyzstan	40,455	+278	1,478
54	Afghanistan	37,269	+107	1,344
55	Switzerland	36,895	+187	1,990
56	Algeria	36,204	+492	1,322
57	Morocco	35,195	+1,132	533
58	Azerbaijan	33,731	+84	495
59	Uzbekistan	31,747	+443	204
60	Serbia	28,497	+235	652
61	Moldova	28,223	+382	857
62	Venezuela	27,938	+1,138	238
63	Kenya	27,425	+497	438
64	Ireland	26,801	+33	1,773
65	Costa Rica	24,508	+636	255
66	Ethiopia	24,175	+584	440
67	Nepal	23,948	+638	83
68	Austria	22,245	+139	723
69	Australia	21,713	+316	331
70	El Salvador	21,269	+397	570
71	Czechia	18,783	+289	391
72	Cameroon	18,213	+171	398
73	Ivory Coast	16,847	+49	105
74	Denmark	14,959	+144	621
75	Palestine	14,875	+365	104
76	Bosnia and Herzegovina	14,708	+210	447
77	S. Korea	14,660	+34	305
78	Bulgaria	13,722	+210	471
79	Madagascar	13,317	+115	152
80	North Macedonia	12,083	+141	529

 

Source：https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

UK economy enters recession after plunging more than 20% in worst quarterly slump on record

From CNN’s Chris Liakos

 

 

A woman walks past a vacant retail unit on Oxford Street in London, England, on July 22. David Cliff/NurPhoto via AP

The UK economy shrank 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020, capturing the direct effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the government measures taken to reduce transmission of the virus, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This is the worst quarterly slump since such records began in 1955. It follows a 2.2% contraction in the first quarter, meaning the UK economy is now officially in recession.

Output of services, production and construction -- industries most exposed to government restrictions -- saw record drops from April to June. But as coronavirus restrictions eased in June, the UK economy rebounded 8.7%.

"The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and housebuilding continuing to recover. Despite this, GDP in June still remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus struck," said Deputy National Statistician and Director General for Economic Statistics Jonathan Athow.
"Overall, productivity saw its largest fall in the second quarter since the three-day week," he said, referring to a 1973-74 measure. "Hospitality was worst hit, with productivity in that industry falling by three quarters in recent months."

Deepest recession: This is the worst quarterly drop for the second quarter of 2020 among the G7 economies.

UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I’ve said before that hard times were ahead, and today’s figures confirm that hard times are here. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will. But while there are difficult choices to be made ahead, we will get through this, and I can assure people that nobody will be left without hope or opportunity.”

 

 

Germany sees new spike in coronavirus infections

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin 

 

A traveler has a corona test performed at the airport by an employee of the German Red Cross in Hamburg, Germany, on August 8. Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany’s daily new coronavirus infections soared above 1,000 again on Tuesday, after several days with lower numbers, according to data from the country’s center for disease prevention, the Robert Koch Institute.

The institute recorded 1,226 new cases over the past day, up from 966 the day before. 

Germany has been dealing with a rise in infection numbers for several weeks. The government is urging citizens to strictly adhere to social distancing rules, mask wearing and hand sanitizing. It has also rolled out free tests for anyone entering the country.

 

 

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he would volunteer for trials of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine  

From CNN’s Alex Stambaugh

 

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte meets members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases in Manila, Philippines on July 30. Robinson Ninal Jr./Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he has confidence in the Russian coronavirus vaccine and is willing to volunteer in trials.  

“I will volunteer to receive it in public. I will be the first to be experimented on,” Duterte said during his address to the nation late Monday broadcast by state-run RTVM.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced the approval of a coronavirus vaccine for use, claiming it as a "world first.” 

Several US health leaders and vaccine experts have expressed skepticism about whether the vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective. No data from human trials of the vaccine has been released, and it has not yet gone through large Phase 3 trials. 

"I believe that the vaccine that (Russia has) produced is really good for humanity,” Duterte said, “By December... we will hopefully have a Covid-free December." 

Duterte went on to say that his country would get priority access to the vaccine because of its relationship with Russia. 

 

 

America is not in a Covid-19 vaccine race with Russia, US health chief says

From CNN’s Jen Christensen

 

 

 

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday that coronavirus vaccine development is “not a race to be first,” responding to Russia's approval of what it claims to be the "world's first" Covid-19 vaccine.

Azar noted that two of the six Covid-19 vaccines that the US government has invested in entered Phase 3 clinical trials weeks ago, while the Russian vaccine is now only beginning that step of the process. The data from the initial trials in Russia has also not been disclosed, he said. 

“We will require any vaccine in the United States be safe and effective and meet the FDA's gold standard,” Azar said at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan during his three-day trip to the self-ruled island, the highest-level visit by a US cabinet official in four decades.

Comparing Operation Warp Speed, the US government’s Covid-19 vaccine effort, to the Apollo mission to land humans on the moon, Azar said this “once in a generation type initiative” should produce a safe Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

Under Operation Warp Speed, the US government has six vaccines under contract. 

“As a result of this just unprecedented action and historic speed, never before has a vaccine in the developed world gone from Phase 1 to Phase 3 as quickly as the Moderna vaccine,” Azar said.
“The United States is committed that any vaccine that we would distribute would be safe and effective and meet the Food and Drug Administration's gold standard for authorization or approval.” 

 

 

New Zealand election date in doubt after new coronavirus cases emerge 

From CNN's Isaac Yee

 

 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament on August 12, Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand will defer the dissolution of Parliament "by at least a few days," which would allow it to reconvene if needed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a news conference Wednesday.

The dissolution of Parliament was scheduled to take place on Wednesday in a key step toward holding a national election on September 19. 

Ardern said that “no decision yet as you can imagine” has been taken regarding the postponement of the election. 

The announcement comes after New Zealand confirmed four new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases Tuesday, breaking the 102-day streak the country had gone without recording a local infection.

All four of the cases were found within one household in South Auckland, and none of them had recently traveled outside of New Zealand, according to New Zealand's Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield.

Elderly homes closed: Ardern also announced Wednesday that all retirement homes in New Zealand will be closed off in a bid to protect “vulnerable ” communities from the spread of coronavirus.

Ardern said all aged care facilities would be closed to everyone but staff and essential deliveries from noon local time Wednesday. 

“I realize how incredibly difficult this will be for those who have loved ones living in these facilities but it is the strongest way that we can protect and look after them,” Ardern said.

Mass testing: Speaking at the same news conference, Bloomfield said health officials have prepared “to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, so we can see if there are anymore cases of Covid-19 in the community.” 

He added that New Zealand has over 270,000 coronavirus tests in stock, with the ability to process 12,000 tests per day. 

Back into lockdown: Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, was placed under level 3 restrictions following the confirmation of the new cases Tuesday. All non-essential businesses, including restaurants and bars, are closed, and residents are only allowed to leave home for essential activities such as grocery shopping. Schools in Auckland will also be closed for three days.

The rest of New Zealand went into level 2 restrictions, where businesses can remain open as long as they follow public health guidelines.

 

 

Fauci says he seriously doubts Russia has proven new vaccine is safe and effective

From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas

 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 31. Kevin Dietsch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US' top infectious disease expert, said he seriously doubts Russia has proven its coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective after Moscow said it had approved a drug for use Tuesday.

“I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that they've done that,” Fauci told Deborah Roberts of ABC News for a National Geographic event to broadcast Thursday. A portion of the interview was posted by National Geographic on Tuesday.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.

“We have half a dozen or more vaccines,” Fauci said. “So if we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But that's not the way it works.” 

Fauci said that if and when Americans hear announcements from countries like Russia or China about vaccine development, they have to remember that the United States has certain safety and efficacy standards in place. Makers of the Russian vaccine have not yet released any data from human trials.

The US Food and Drug Administration has said that it will only approve a vaccine if it meets a 50% efficacy requirement.

In a statement emailed Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it is in touch with Russian scientists and authorities and looks forward to reviewing details of the trials. According to WHO, there are 28 vaccines in human trials around the world.

 

 

Trump tries to make the case the US is doing better than Europe

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal  

 

US President Donald Trump cited misleading statistics about coronavirus cases in Europe during a news briefing Tuesday, claiming inaccurately that the United States is currently handling the pandemic better than other countries.

“Since the end of July, the seven-day average for cases in the United States has fallen by nearly 20%, but the virus continues to increase in nations across the globe,” the President claimed, speaking before taking questions. “Last week, France and Germany both recorded their highest daily number of new cases in three months.”
“Not that I want to bring that up,” he added, “but might as well explain it to the media.”
“The seven-day case average for Germany has increased by 62% since last week, unfortunately, and that is truly unfortunate. It’s increased 82% in France, 113% in Spain, and 30% in the United Kingdom. Those are big increases. Cases are also rapidly increasing in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovakia, Estonia and other European counties. And in our country, they’re going down. We will be seeing that even more rapidly as time goes by, short time,” the President claimed. 

It’s true that cases are rapidly rising in Europe, but the numbers are nowhere near the level of infection in the United States. 

The US added 49,536 new cases on Monday, a day that consistently sees lower numbers. The US is averaging 54,409 new cases over the past seven days, which is up slightly from the previous few days.

However, the percentage change from the prior week in cases is down 10%, not 20% as the President claimed. This is also slightly lower than last week, when the US dipped down 16% compared to the prior week in this metric, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. 

 

 

US government strikes deal with Moderna for 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine

From CNN's Jen Christensen

 

 

Moderna Inc. headquarters located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 25. Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Trump administration has reached a $1.525 billion deal with Moderna Inc. to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine once it is approved, according to a news release from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

President Donald Trump announced the deal during a media briefing on Tuesday.

Moderna is one of several companies manufacturing the vaccine “at risk,” as the industry calls it, meaning the company is currently making the vaccine before it is approved. Clinical trials are currently underway to test whether it’s safe and effective.

Under this contract, worth up to $1.525 billion for 100 million doses, the doses would be owned by the US government and distributed and used as part of its Covid-19 vaccine campaign. If the doses are used, they would be provided to Americans at no cost. The government can also acquire up to an additional 400 million doses of this vaccine. 

The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, was developed by Moderna in collaboration with the US government. It had development help from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the US Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA) supported late stage clinical trials and has helped scale up manufacturing. Moderna’s advanced stage clinical trial, which started July 27, is the first government-funded Phase 3 clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine in the US.

This contract is a part of the US government’s Operation Warp Speed, the federal push to get vaccines and therapeutics to market as soon as safely possible. HHS said the goal is to get effective vaccines to the American people by the end of the year. 

The government also reached a deal with Pfizer in July to produce 100 million doses of its vaccine. In August it agreed a similar deal for 100 million doses with Janssen, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arm, for its vaccine candidate. It has other deals with GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Novavax and AstraZeneca. 

There are 28 Covid-19 vaccines in human trials, according to the World Health Organization.

“In creating a vaccine portfolio for Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administration is increasing the likelihood that the United States will have at least one safe, effective vaccine by 2021,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in Tuesday’s news release. “Today’s investment represents the next step in supporting this vaccine candidate all the way from early development by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, through clinical trials, and now large-scale manufacturing, with the potential to bring hundreds of millions of safe and effective doses to the American people.”

 

Source：https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-08-12-20-intl/index.html

 

 

Summary

 

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest from around the world for the next few hours.

You can get in touch with suggestions, questions, tips and news from your part of the world on Twitter @helenrsullivan and via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.

A week after a massive explosion in Beirut left more than 200 people dead and 300,000 unable to return to their homes, Lebanon has recorded its highest daily coronavirus case rise, at more than 300.

Meanwhile in New Zealand, which had celebrated more than 100 days without community transmission, four new cases have been discovered among a family in Auckland, the country’s largest city.

New Zealand’s government has responded by introducing Alert level 3 restrictions – people are encouraged to work from home and bars and restaurants are closed except for takeaways – in Auckland and Alert level 2 in the rest of the country, where people can go to work and school, but gatherings may not exceed 100 people.

 

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

· Lebanon registered a record daily number of coronavirus cases. As the country grapples with the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion that has rocked the political sphere and overwhelmed hospitals, Lebanon’s totals now stand at 7,121 cases and 87 deaths since February, according to health ministry data. Even before the blast there had been a recent surge in infections.

· New Zealand’s largest city is to go into lockdown. Restrictions were announced for Auckland after the first community transmission in more than 100 days was detected. All restrictions on daily life had eased in early June when the last remaining Covid-19 case recorded in the community recovered. Auckland residents were told that from midday Wednesday they were not to gather in large numbers and to work from home if possible. The rest of New Zealand will have measures imposed too.

· The Netherlands plans to introduce mandatory home quarantine for people identified by local authorities as having been in close contact with somebody infected with coronavirus, and for travellers returning from high-risk countries. The Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to lawmakers that mandatory quarantine could be imposed if people refuse to isolate voluntarily. It comes amid rising infection rates in the Netherlands and an unwillingness among some people to adhere to social distancing measures and cooperate with contact tracing.

· Germany has extended a partial travel warning for Spain to the capital of Madrid and the Basque region amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The foreign ministry said it was warning against any unnecessary tourist trips to both regions because of a rising number of new infections and local restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus.

· The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said his country has granted the first regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine. The announcement came after less than two months of human testing. The country’s sovereign wealth fund said the vaccine would be named Sputnik V, in a reference to the cold war space race. The news from Moscow was greeted with some scepticism. Experts highlighted the lack of proper phase-3 testing, with one warning that “collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably”.

· The WHO said it had not received enough information to evaluate the Russian vaccine. The Pan American Health Organization said the vaccine should not be introduced in Brazil, as has been reportedly planned, until phase 2 and 3 trials are completed.

 

Source：https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/aug/12/coronavirus-live-news-lebanon-sees-record-cases-after-blast-as-new-zealands-biggest-city-heads-into-lockdown?page=with:block-5f3330f08f0803fbf9405b87#liveblog-navigation