COVID-19 Outbreaks In US, Russia & India Show Promising Slowdown As China Imposes New Restrictions On Air Travel: Live Updates

Summary:

• Victoria reports 374 new cases
• Russia reports just 5,842 new cases
• Beijing requires all foreign travelers to show negative COVID-19 test results
• India’s Delhi region confirms fewest new cases in 6 weeks
• US reports roughly 62k new cases yesterday
• Iran suffers record death toll
• The EU has reportedly reached a deal on rescue fund

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As we begin our COVID-19 news rundown for Tuesday, the Australian state of Victoria reported 374 new cases of coronavirus and three deaths on Tuesday as mask wearing will become mandatory in the state, a large swath of which (the city of Melbourne) is already under lockdown.

Yesterday, BBG reported that many Russian elites have  been injected with an experimental COVID-19 vaccine as early as April, a story that, if accurate, would appear to undermine the UK’s claims that Russia-backed hackers stole British vaccine research.

On Tuesday, Russia reported 5,842 new cases of the novel coronavirus, pushing its total infection tally to 783,328, still the fourth largest tally in the world, although the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 countries – the US, Brazil and India – are pulling further and further ahead.

Russia’s coronavirus response center said 153 people had died in the past 24 hours, pushing Russia’s death toll to 12,580.

In the first sign that India’s outbreak may have finally peaked after the country reported a record 40k+ new cases in  one day, the Indian Union territory of Delhi has registered fewer than 1,000 new cases in a day for the first time in 6 weeks. The chief minister of the region reported Monday night that the region reported just 954 cases the prior day.

🏥Delhi Health Bulletin – 20th July 2020🏥#DelhiFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/1FQMGzR017

— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) July 20, 2020

Though markets seesawed briefly after the news was released, the Lancet’s publication of the results from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate’s Phase 1/2 trial predictably sent stocks ripping higher.

In China, after moving to reopen international air travel more quickly than the US had anticipated, officials imposed new rules on Tuesday for foreign passengers arriving in the country: All will now be required to provide negative COVID-19 test results before they board any China-bound flights. The tests must be from 5 days before the flight, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement.

Beijing has also announced plans to provide free COVID-19 tests to residents of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang which is experiencing an outbreak.

The EU has reportedly managed to reach a deal to boost the bloc’s post-pandemic economies after Charles Michel, president of the European Council and chair of the summit, offered compromises over the €750 billion ($860 billion) recovery fund that will be the first fiscal vehicle jointly funded by the EU27 members. The “Frugal Four” have apparently shown a willingness to accept the following adjustments: Outright non-repayable grants will account for just €390 billion ($446 billion) compared with the €500 billion originally proposed. Disbursements will also be linked to governments observing the rule of law.

Around the world, more than 14.7 million people have been diagnosed with the virus. Nearly 610,000 of these have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The US has recorded nearly 141,000 deaths, the most in the world.

Worldometer counter roughly 62,000 new cases in the US reported yesterday, as the daily totals continue to slow.

In Japan, five new novel coronavirus patients have been identified at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa.

In Iran, public health authorities have recorded yet another record death toll with 229 deaths from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, health ministry figures showed. Iran, the Middle East country hardest hit by the pandemic, started relaxing its lockdown back in April.