Global Deaths Top 1 Million; U.S. Hospitalizations: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) — Global confirmed deaths topped 1 million, while U.S. hospitalizations have plateaued after falling for months. That suggests that the country could see more deaths and illness as it heads toward winter.

The pandemic is among selected topics for Joe Biden and President Donald Trump’s face-off on Tuesday night, and viewers can expect them to tangle over the path toward a vaccine approval in the U.S.

Boris Johnson apologized after wrongly explaining his own government’s coronavirus rules, and responded to reports of concern among colleagues by saying he is healthier than he was before getting the virus in March.

Key Developments:

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Worldwide confirmed deaths from the coronavirus climb above 1 million

Warning Signs Flash Ahead of Winter (10:30 a.m. NY)

As the seasons turn and the global death toll from Covid-19 tops 1 million, signs suggest there will be more deaths and serious illness ahead.

Data collected by the Covid Tracking Project shows that the number of people hospitalized has plateaued at about 30,000 in the past week, after a decline from nearly 60,000 that began in late July. Deaths, meanwhile, averaged about 750 over the seven days through Sunday, higher than the roughly 600 deaths a day in the first week of July.

Johnson Apologizes for Getting His Own Covid Rules Wrong (8:40 a.m. NY)

Boris Johnson apologized on Twitter after wrongly explaining his own government’s coronavirus restrictions in the northeast of England. It was the third time in three hours that government officials had failed to be clear on the new rules.

Earlier, the prime minister said he is now fitter than he was before he contracted coronavirus in March, following reports of concern among his Conservative Party colleagues that he has not fully recovered. He was responding to questions from the media at the end of a speech in Exeter, southwest England.

In the speech, Johnson had called out the “painfully apparent” shortcomings in the U.K. labor market as he pledged a new program of skills training to help people forced out of work because of the pandemic.

In India, 1 in 15 People Exposed to Virus: Survey (8:31 a.m. NY)

The results of India’s second nationwide serological survey, conducted between Aug. 17 and Sept. 22, showed that 1 in 15 people in the country had been exposed to Covid-19. The prevalence of infections nationwide rose to 6.6% from 0.73% in the first survey done in May, said Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research. The highest rates were in densely packed urban slums.

Separately, India reported 70,589 additional cases, bringing the total to 6.15 million, according to data released by the health ministry. That’s the smallest increase in almost a month, though India is still reporting roughly twice as many cases each day as the U.S. and may overtake it as the country with the most in the world. Hospitals in several states are now struggling to secure medical oxygen.

Dutch Cases Continue to Surge (8:26 a.m. NY)

The number of new cases in the Netherlands continued to climb, with 19,326 confirmed in the week ended Sept. 29. That’s up from 13,471 in the previous week, according to numbers released by Dutch health agency RIVM. Hospital admissions due to Covid-19 also rose sharply. The government has announced measures to fight the recent surge, including closing bars at 10 p.m. and banning public attendance at sports events.

Spain Extends Furlough Program as Crisis Drags On (7:57 a.m. NY)

The Spanish government reached a last-minute deal to extend its furlough program through January after weeks of negotiations that left businesses and workers on edge in a country suffering one of Europe’s deepest economic shocks this year.

EU Plans 2nd Contract With Gilead for Remdesivir (7:37 a.m. NY)

The European Union’s executive arm aims to sign a second contract with Gilead Sciences Inc. for supplies of its antiviral drug remdesivir to combat the coronavirus. The European Commission said it hopes EU countries will be able to start placing extra orders in early October.

Iran Has Its Second-Highest Daily Jump in Cases (7:01 a.m. NY)

Iran recorded 3,677 new cases in the past 24 hours, its second-highest number of daily new infections since the outbreak emerged in the country in February, bringing the total to 453,637. The death toll reached 25,986 with 207 more fatalities overnight, up from 190 a day earlier.

Italy Can Face Pandemic With ‘Moderate Optimism’: Conte (6:43 a.m. NY)

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tells reporters country can be relatively optimistic on the next phase of the pandemic if health and safety rules continue to be respected.

Military Outlay Amid Virus Sparks Tensions in Slovenia (6:38 a.m. NY)

Plans for a military upgrade worth almost $1 billion are sparking heated debates in Slovenia’s parliament as the country battles a second wave of infections. The Defense Ministry is adamant that the proposed 780 million-euro ($908 million) of investment over the next six years is key to the army’s survival. Opponents question why such an outlay should be prioritized over the health-care system.

South African Employment Drops to Lowest in 9 Years (6:21 a.m. NY)

The number of people with jobs in South Africa fell to the lowest in nine years in the second quarter, even as the official unemployment rate dropped.

Michelin Scraps 2020 Singapore Guide (6:05 a.m. NY)

The Michelin Guide won’t release new recommendations of Singapore restaurants for 2020 because of the long period these places were closed amid Covid-19 precautions.

“Although we’ve been impressed to observe how the chefs and their teams were able to reinvent their activity and to develop takeaways or delivery concepts, our policy is to evaluate dining-in experience,” a statement said.

England & Wales Virus Deaths Rise to Highest in 5 Weeks (4:41 p.m. HK)

Weekly fatalities linked to Covid-19 in England and Wales rose 40% in the week ended Sept. 18, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. Covid-19 linked deaths reached 139 and increased in six of the nine English regions.

Czech Government Prepares New Measures (4:31 p.m. HK)

The Czech government, struggling to staunch a record spike in infections, is preparing a new set of measures that may include calling a second state of emergency as early as Wednesday. The nation of 10.7 million people trails only Spain in Europe with new Covid-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks. Health Minister Roman Prymula said authorities need to quickly flatten the curve to protect the nation’s health-care system from being overrun by patients.

Unlikely Global Pandemic Contained in Near Future: CDC (4:03 p.m. HK)

The pandemic is still at its peak, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a briefing.

Crew on Greek Cruise Test Negative in Follow-Up (3:07 p.m. HK)

Twelve crew members on a TUI AG cruise ship in Greece have tested negative for the coronavirus after initially showing positive results at the start of a trip with 900 passengers. The TUI Cruises staff were among 150 tested before the Mein Schiff 6 departed Heraklion on Crete for the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greek authorities said Monday.

Moscow Orders Schools Closed for Two Weeks (2:37 p.m. HK)

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered all schools to close from Oct. 5 to Oct. 18 for an unscheduled vacation amid a resurgence of Covid-19 in the Russian capital.

“I kindly ask parents to explain to their children that the holidays are best spent at home or the dacha,” Sobyanin wrote on his blog Tuesday. “You shouldn’t visit malls or ride public transportation for fun.”

Moscow reported 2,217 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, with the number of daily infections up 3.5 times since the start of the September, when schools across the city opened.

Germany May Limit Gatherings to Fight Virus (2:28 p.m. HK)

Germany may limit the number of people at private and public gatherings in areas with high coronavirus infection rates as officials try to reverse a recent rise in cases.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will recommend limiting private meetings to 25 people and public gatherings to 50 people when she holds talks with regional premiers via video conference on Tuesday, according to reports by Deutsche Presse-Agentur and other media citing a federal government briefing paper.

Cases Rise on Ship Off Key Iron Ore Hub (2:21 p.m. HK)

Authorities in Australia are contending with a rising number of coronavirus cases among the crew of a bulk carrier anchored off Port Hedland, the key export hub for the country’s A$100 billion ($70 billion) iron ore sector.

A total of 17 of 21 seafarers from the Patricia Oldendorff, which had traveled from Manila and was scheduled to be loaded with manganese ore, have now tested positive, Western Australia’s health department said in a statement.

Kenya Extends Curfew, Eases Alcohol Curbs (2:20 p.m. HK)

Kenya eased restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus as authorities look to reopen East Africa’s largest economy.

The night curfew was extended for 60 days, but reduced to five hours starting 11:00 p.m., President Uhuru Kenyatta said Monday in a televised address. Bars and restaurants will reopen and resume the selling of alcohol until 10:00 p.m.

CanSino Starts Trial to Test Vaccine in Kids (2:08 p.m. HK)

CanSino Biologics Inc. is launching a phase II clinical trial in eastern China that will also test its Covid-19 vaccine in two doses, according to the trial protocol posted on database clinicaltrials.gov.

The trial will recruit 481 volunteers in total, including minors agedbetween 6-18 and people aged 56 or older, as well as those who have previously received the company’s Ebola vaccine, which was developed using a similar technology

Surprise Pregnancies in Philippines Surge (12:45 p.m. HK)

Unintended pregnancies in the Philippines could spike by almost half to 2.6 million if movement restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic remain until yearend, the United Nations Population Fund said.

Quarantine measures are also causing 60 additional maternal deaths a month, as restrictions prevent two million more women to access family planning needs, the agency said, citing a study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute.

Hong Kong Looks at Easing Mainland Returns (11:07 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said her government was looking at allowing city residents currently on the Chinese mainland to return home without quarantining for 14 days, providing they first had a negative virus test.

“We are in an advanced internal discussions to facilitate such Hong Kong residents coming back,” Lam told a weekly press conference. She also said the financial hub would extend virus-related social distancing measures, with details to be released at a later health briefing.

BOJ Mulls Calls for Virus-Era Policy Review (10:24 a.m. HK)

Some Bank of Japan board members discussed whether a new policy approach is needed in the age of Covid-19 to hit an increasingly distant price goal, according to a summary of opinions from the last meeting in mid-September.

“It will be necessary to reconsider the strategy toward achieving the target comprehensively” given that 2% inflation is out of sight and there have been significant changes in economic developments, one of nine board members said, a summary released by the bank said on Tuesday.

Global Covid-19 Deaths Top 1 Million (8:40 a.m. HK)

The world officially recorded 1 million deaths from Covid-19, though health experts say the real tally might be almost double. The virus’s rapid spread and ability to transmit in people who show no signs of the disease have enabled it to outrun measures to accurately quantify cases through widespread diagnostic testing.

The U.S. has by far the most recorded deaths, topping 200,000, with Brazil and India together accounting for over 200,000 more. Worldwide, the growth in the number of daily deaths has eased since spiking in March and April, helped by improved medical care and ways to treat the disease. But as resurgences flare in Europe and North America ahead of winter and the flu season, Covid-19 fatalities may rise again.

Estimates of a higher death toll, would rank it among the top five causes for deaths globally based on historical figures.

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Gallery: US surpasses 200,000 deaths: A timeline of COVID-19’s spread (Stacker)