Publications
Partners
- Germany's daily coronavirus infections fell, while the infection rate rose above the critical threshold of one.
- Sinopec posted its first-ever loss over a half-year as lockdowns and the oil price crash weigh on the oil giant's earnings even as China's economy recovers.
- India set a single-day record of 78 761 cases, according to data from the health ministry.
Global coronavirus cases reached the 25-million mark, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. India set the record for the world's highest single-day rise.
More than 300 000 people have already registered for Hong Kong's free coronavirus tests. The city began a two-week drive seeking to screen a large proportion of its 7 million residents.
Police in Berlin clashed with far-right activists after a day of protests against Germany's coronavirus restrictions that drew an estimated 38,000 people. The US added 47 860 virus cases in a day, slightly more than the average increase over the previous week.
German Numbers Fall
Germany's daily coronavirus infections fell, while the infection rate rose above the critical threshold of one.
There were 709 new cases in the 24 hours through Sunday morning, taking the total to 242 835, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That is less than half of Saturday's increase of 1 555. At the peak of the pandemic in Spring, Germany registered almost 7 000 new infections.
The reproduction number - the average number of people infected by one person with the virus – rose to 1.04 on from 0.94 the previous day, according to the latest report from the RKI public health institute. It is the first time in six days that the number rises above the key threshold of one.
Sinopec Bleeds
Sinopec posted its first-ever loss over a half-year as pandemic lockdowns and the oil price crash continue to weigh on the oil giant's earnings even as China's economy recovers. Looking forward, the company plans to boost refining output in the second half as the economy continues to revive after the pandemic. Sinopec forecast that it would process 130 million tons of crude in the second half, compared with 111 million in the first half.
Lufthansa Mulls Job Cuts
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is working on more belt-tightening measures that could result in the elimination of another 20 000 jobs, according to newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. The scenarios, currently being hammered out by the German airline's management, would be for September, the Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday, citing two sources it didn’t identify.
A spokesman for Lufthansa declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg. The paper quoted a spokesman as saying there were no new job reduction plans.
India Sets Record
India set a single-day record of 78 761 cases, according to data from the health ministry. The United States had set the previous highest number of 77 638 on July 17, according to Agence-France Presse.
The total number of cases in India went past the 3.5-million mark and the death toll exceeded 63,000, according to government data.
India is third in the world behind the U.S. and Brazil in terms of infections and fourth for fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Egypt's Warning
Egypt's health minister warned that a second coronavirus wave could emerge due to dismissal of precautionary measures, according to Egypt Today.
Schools in the United Arab Emirates are set to reopen Sunday with new precautionary measures set in place, Khaleej Times reported. Some Dubai schools decided to postpone campus reopening after being unable to carry out all required Covid-19 tests.
Hong Kong Registrations
Hong Kong has embarked on the world's biggest experiment in voluntary testing. Local media Radio Television Hong Kong said that as of 08:00 Sunday, 310 000 people had already signed up for the free virus test. The two-week effort aims to reach a high percentage of its 7 million residents.
Government ministers on Sunday stepped up their campaign, urging people to sign up as soon as possible, RTHK reported. Officials said more than 40 testing sites had already been fully booked on the launch day of the tests - and authorities will decide whether or not to extend the program depending on the public’s response.
Kosovo boosts testing
The Balkan state, where more than half of the 1.8 million population is under the age of 25, has recorded 54.2 fatalities per million people resulting from Covid-19 in the past week -- just ahead of second-placed Colombia, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from Johns Hopkins University.
Johns Hopkins does not update its data for Kosovo as regularly as it does with other countries. Numbers published on the Facebook page of the Kosovo National Institute of Public Health show Kosovo had 37.2 deaths per million people over the 7 days through 26 August. That would place it fourth in the world for that period, according to Bloomberg calculations.
South Korea Has Fewer Additions
South Korea added 299 more coronavirus cases in 24 hours vs 323 a day earlier, raising the total tally to 19,699, according to data from Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Yesterday's numbers included 283 locally infected cases, bulk of that in Seoul. There were two more deaths, taking the total death tally to 323.
Brazil Reports 758 Deaths
Brazil, the country with the world’s second-highest number of infections, reported there were 758 deaths in the past 24 hours. The country also had 41,350 new cases. More than 3.8 million cases have been confirmed in the country while the number fatalities exceeded 120 000.
Mexico Cases Increase, Budget to be Tight
Mexico reported 5,974 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 591 712, according to data released by the Health Ministry on Saturday night. Covid-19 deaths rose by 673 to 63 819; there are 84 310 suspected cases.
Finance Minister Arturo Herrera told ruling party lawmakers that next year's budget will be tighter as the government seeks to rein in debt after steep losses in the peso this year, news site El Universal reported.
Victoria Numbers Jump
Victoria state, the epicenter of the pandemic in Australia, reported 114 new Covid-19 infections for Saturday, an increase from Friday's 94 cases which had been the fewest since 4 July. The state’s health department also reported Sunday via Twitter that there were 11 deaths, a reduction from the previous day's 18 fatalities.
India Eases Restrictions
Metro rail services have been permitted to resume in a graded manner from 7 September. Social, political and cultural and religious gathering with a limit of 100 people permitted from Sept. 21 as per the new guidelines. States will not be allowed to impose local lockdown within state or city limits other than in containment zones. Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed until 30 September.
Texas Cases Kept in Check
The number of new coronavirus cases in Texas climbed by 4 732, or 0.8%, to 606 530, the Department of State Health Services said on its website, less than the 0.9% average over the previous week. Deaths increased by 154 to 12 420.
New infections have retreated from records of more than 10 000 a day at the peak of Texas' outbreak in mid-July.
