US Set To Pass 200,000 Deaths As UK Scientist Delivers Grim New Warning: Live Updates

Summary:

• US added 41,206 cases as post-LDW surge slows
• Death toll across US: 199,531
• Texas deaths near 15,000
• India tops 5.5 million cases
• Iceland closes bars, karaoke parlors
• 4 more counties in Wales brace for lockdown
• UK mulls new national restrictions
• Jakarta scrambles to add beds
• China says it finds COVID-19 genetic material on Russian frozen squid

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The post-Labor Day Weekend surge in COVID-19 cases across the US – but particularly in certain new hot spots in the Midwest – appears to be abating, if only slightly, while the American death toll – still the highest in the world even as India reports more new deaths-per-day – rests on the cusp of 200,000. As the chart below shows, deaths haven’t yet picked up.

As we first reported last night, the US added 41,206 new cases, a 0.6% rise, on par with the seven-day average, while another 693 people died of virus-related illness, bringing the toll to 199,258 on Sunday morning. At last count, the US had counted 199,531 deaths.

In Europe, Germany’s health minister warned the trend of growing COVID-19 cases is “worrying” as HMG’s top scientific advisor cautioned that the daily rate of new cases could top 50,000 per day – compared to roughly 4k per day currently – a rate that he said “is not a prediction but it is a way of thinking about how quickly this can change.”

Four more counties in South Wales are preparing to reenter lockdown beginning Tuesday evening local time. PM Boris Johnson on Tuesday morning will chair a meeting of the emergency committee – known as “Cobra” – which will also be attended by the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“Cases are increasing, hospitalizations are following. Deaths unfortunately will follow that, and there’s the potential for this to move very fast,” said Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance.

With India’s outbreak still raging amid a surge in testing, the country’s virus tally is approaching 5.5 million, while Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, is adding thousands of beds to house patients as its health system groans under the weight of one of the worst outbreaks in Southeast Asia.

India added almost 87,000 cases to its virus tally Monday, pushing the total to nearly 5.5 million in the nation that already has the world’s second-largest coronavirus outbreak. Deaths increased by 1,130, topping 87,800, according to the India’s health ministry.

After reportedly detecting traces of viral genetic material on packaging of imported seafood products from Norway and South America, Chinese authorities from the northeastern city of Changchun on Monday claimed that they had detected pieces of viral material on packaging of frozen squid from Russia. Russia has seen its outbreak accelerate in recent days, with daily cases climbing more than 6,000.

Circling back to the US, Texas is approaching the 15,000 death threshold after recording 45 new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 14,893. Cases climbed by 2,241 to 688,534, the Department of State Health Services said on its website.

Source: COVID Tracking Project

New cases in California topped 4,000 for a 2nd straight day while the number of new deaths tumbled below the 14-day average, according to the health department’s website. There were 4,265 new coronavirus cases, higher than the 14-day average of 3,304. Deaths increased by 75, compared with an average of 91, raising the state’s toll to 14,987.

Source: COVID Tracking Project

France’s daily coronavirus cases rose by 10,569 on Sunday, after surging above13,000 twice in recent weeks, notching the highest daily increases since the national lockdown ended in May on Saturday.

Still, the seven-day average, which smooths out reporting spikes, rose above 10,000 for the first time, indicating a significantly higher pace of infections than just one week ago. The authorities have been calling on the population to step up social distancing measures as new clusters are emerging across the country.

Iceland’s Health Ministry ordered the closure of all pubs and nightclubs until Sept. 27. The decision comes after a number of infections were traced to pubs and karaoke bars in central Reykjavik.