The European Union’s chief executive on Wednesday painted a sober picture of the bloc grappling with a pandemic and the deepest recession in its history, but laid out ambitious goals to make the 27 nations more resilient for future crises.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
* For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.
* Eikon users, see MacroVitals cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
AMERICAS
* A disproportionate percentage of U.S. COVID-19 deaths have been recorded among Black and Hispanic people younger than 21, according to a study.
* Brazil on Tuesday registered 1,113 new deaths, the highest number since Sept. 2, while Mexico reported 4,771 new cases and 629 additional fatalities.
* Argentina’s rugby team has reported three more cases in its training camp as players continue preparations for the Rugby Championship.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* India’s cases surged past 5 million, the second country to do so after the United States, piling pressure on hospitals grappling with unreliable supplies of oxygen needed to treat tens of thousands of critical patients.
* A hospital in India has deployed a customer-service robot to patrol wards, connecting patients to friends and relatives.
* Indonesia reported its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections with 3,963 new cases on Wednesday.
* Myanmar authorities are racing to build a field hospital in Yangon to cope with a surge of infections that doctors fear threatens to overwhelm the country’s fragile health system.
* China is inoculating tens of thousands of its citizens with experimental coronavirus vaccines before trials are completed.
EUROPE
* Ukraine registered a record daily high of 76 deaths, up from its previous record of 72 last week.
* Germany will declare Austria’s capital Vienna a risk area, Der Standard newspaper reported.
* Amid growing anger, Britain’s government promised to do whatever it takes to boost laboratory capacity that has left people across the land unable to get a COVID-19 test.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* A spate of corruption scandals has further fuelled some South Africans’ frustration with the ruling party, as reports of suspect deals between state officials and businesses providing medical equipment and food aid sparked outrage amid a deepening recession and some 650,000 reported cases.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* China and the UAE have seen some positive results in their Phase III vaccine trials, China’s foreign ministry spokesman said.
* Serum Institute has received Indian regulatory approval to resume local clinical trials of AstraZeneca’s experimental vaccine, a source said.
* Brazil’s health regulator authorized AstraZeneca to test its vaccine on an additional 5,000 volunteers in the country for clinical Phase III trials.
* Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said it will supply India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories with 100 million doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine once regulators approve it there.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Investors were generally cautious before the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday, boosting the yen, as the rally that pushed up shares after Chinese and U.S. economic data in the previous session slowed in early London trading.
* Global demand for marine fuels is expected to fall by up to 17%, driving consolidation among bunker suppliers, an industry executive said.
* International tourist arrivals plunged 65% in the first half of 2020 compared to last year, data from the World Tourism Organization showed, with just over half of destinations easing travel restrictions from early September.
* Thailand plans cash handouts worth $1.64 billion to boost domestic consumption and support a struggling economy, an official said.
(Compiled by Sarah Morland and Devika Syamnath; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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