WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23 - CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

 in-cyprus 23 September 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Britain has re-imposed some lockdown measures as a second wave of coronavirus infections swept across Europe.

And the death toll in the United States crossed 200,000, with a report saying the U.S. drug regulator would tighten COVID-19 vaccine authorization standards, according to Reuters.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE

* Britain’s prime minister told people to work from home where possible and ordered bars and restaurants to close early to tackle a fast-spreading second wave with restrictions lasting probably six months.

* The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 1,769 to 275,927, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

* The southern German state of Bavaria ordered new measures to fight a resurgence.

* France registered more than 10,000 new confirmed coronavirus infections over 24-hours, for the sixth time in 12 days.

* Sweden, which so far has decided against lockdowns, is seeing early signs that cases are rising again and could impose new measures in Stockholm.

AMERICAS

* Mexico’s confirmed cases rose to 705,263 on Tuesday, according to updated data from the health ministry, along with a reported death toll of 74,348.

* Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a new public health emergency and extended a face mask mandate into November to fight a coronavirus flareup in his state.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan is considering allowing more foreigners into the country for longer stays starting as early as next month, while keeping the COVID-19 entry curbs in place for tourists, the Asahi newspaper reported.

* India reported its lowest daily cases tally in almost a month as it prepares for clinical trials of a potential Russian vaccine in the coming weeks.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The number of recorded cases in the six Gulf Arab states has doubled in three months to over 800,000, according to a Reuters tally.

* Saudi Arabia will allow pilgrims residing inside the country to undertake the umrah pilgrimage beginning on Oct. 4, after a seven-month pause due to coronavirus concerns, state news agency SPA reported.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to soon announce new, more stringent standards for an emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Washington Post reported.

* Fujifilm Holdings Corp said its Avigan drug reduced viral loads and symptoms of COVID-19 patients, paving the way for regulatory approval in Japan after months of delays.

* Vaccine makers will be indemnified in Europe if their COVID-19 shots cause unexpected side-effects, an industry official said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Business sentiment among Asian firms rebounded in the third quarter as easing restrictions lifted sales, but lingering uncertainty over the pandemic thwarted a return to business-as-usual, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.

* Japan’s factory activity extended declines in September largely due to a sharper fall in output.

(Reuters)