August 22 coronavirus news

The Covid-19 testing positive rate in Maryland remains at 3.09%, according to data posted on the website for the state’s health department.

There was only a 0.01% change in the rate in the last 24-hours, the website said.

The state announced 624 additional cases of Covid-19 and 10 deaths from the virus.

Maryland has a statewide total of 103,523 cases of the virus and 3,546 deaths.

To note: The numbers listed were released by the state of Maryland and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project. 

Florida health officials have reported 4,311 new Covid-19 cases and 106 additional resident deaths on Friday, according to the state’s health department.  

Florida has reported at least 4,000 cases for four consecutive days, according to CNN’s tally.

The state has 591,283 coronavirus cases among Florida residents and 597,597 total cases across the state, according to data from the department.

The total Covid-19 death toll in the state stands at 10,274, according to the department.

To note: These numbers were released by Florida’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project .

The global coronavirus death toll has reached 800,000, according to the latest data released by John Hopkins University on Saturday. 

The US remains the country with the highest death toll, with a total of 175,429 coronavirus-related deaths recorded so far.  

The US, Brazil, Mexico, India and the United Kingdom have the five highest death tolls recorded globally.  

The Slovan Bratislava football team from Slovakia is under quarantine in the Faroe Islands after two of its players tested positive for coronavirus, Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA said in a statement Saturday.

The entire team had tested negative before arriving at the North Atlantic archipelago, where it was scheduled to play a Champions League qualifier against the Faroe Islands’ team KI Klaksvik on Wednesday, UEFA said. But all players were tested again after arriving, with one testing positive.

“Following a member of the delegation of ŠK Slovan Bratislava having returned a positive test for COVID-19, the local authorities decided to quarantine the entire ŠK Slovan Bratislava team,” UEFA said.

Slovan Bratislava came up with a second group of players to represent the club in a rescheduled match on Friday, but one among them also tested positive. That match was cancelled and the entire second group, which also included officials, has also been quarantined.

Dr. Stephen Hahn at hearing on Capitol Hill on June 30.

President Trump took aim Saturday at the Food and Drug Administration commissioner he nominated, Dr. Stephen Hahn, and accused some in the agency of being part of the “deep state.”

Trump called on Hahn to speed up testing for a coronavirus vaccine.

The President claimed some in FDA are deliberately delaying vaccine trials so one would not be available until after the election.

Critics have expressed concerns the administration will rush to prepare a vaccine at the expense of safety.

CNN has reached out to the FDA for comment.

Some background: Hahn addressed some of those concerns in an op-ed on Aug. 5, in which he wrote: “While speed is essential in this global emergency, we at the FDA are committed to maintaining strict scientific principles and protection of those who volunteer as vaccine test subjects.”

Passengers wearing protective masks exit the arrivals terminal at Birmingham Airport on July 27, 2020 in England.

An expert adviser to the UK government on the pandemic has warned that the coronavirus could remain active on a global scale indefinitely, adding that the world may need to undergo several rounds of vaccinations.

“[It] almost certainly will require repeated vaccinations so, a bit like flu, people will need re-vaccination at regular intervals.”

Pressed on whether he agrees with projections from WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said Friday that he hoped the pandemic would be over in under two years, Walport told the BBC that tackling the virus will depend on a successful vaccine. 

The government adviser also cautioned that the percentage of new cases in the UK is rising in some parts of the country, warning that “much more draconian measures” may need to be enforced if there is a significant rise in the infection rate. 

“Is there a situation where it could get out of control? Well, obviously, that is possible and that is why it is so important that we all work together,” Walport said. 

“This infection is with us. We know that less than one in five people around the country have been infected, so 80% of the population are still susceptible to the virus.” 

Irish politics has been plunged into chaos after dozens of current and former politicians attended a parliamentary golf society dinner, allegedly in breach of the country’s coronavirus social distancing rules.

Ireland’s national police force confirmed in a statement Friday that it was “investigating an event” held in the city of Galway on Wednesday evening that may have breached coronavirus-related health laws. Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary has resigned, as has the vice chair of Ireland’s upper house, Jerry Buttimer. 

Irish Twitter users expressed their furor Saturday over the dinner using the hashtag #golfgate. The dinner was held by the parliamentary Oireachtas Golf Society at a hotel in Galway with more than 80 people listed as in attendance and with seating plans showing 10 people per table, according to the Irish Examiner.

One Twitter user vented his anger over the dinner, saying the dinner made a mockery of everyday people’s sacrifices.

The day before the dinner, the government tightened restrictions on indoor gatherings to just six people. Weddings and some cultural events, including plays and concerts, could be attended by up to 50 people, although there was confusion over whether those rules had come into effect. Older restrictions also capped the number of people sitting at one table indoors to six from no more than three households.

Irish media reports said that the event space originally included a partition to separate the group and keep numbers in each section to below 50. Some quoted sources saying the partition was removed for speeches.

Several Twitter users pointed out the hypocrisy of having one rule for politicians and another for everyone else.

Calleary, who resigned Friday, apologized in a series of tweets on Thursday, expressing “sincere regret” to his government colleagues. “In light of the updated public health guidance this week I should not have attended the event. I wish to apologise unreservedly to everyone,” he wrote. 

Buttimer shared on Twitter a letter sent to the chief of parliament’s upper house saying his attendance “had compromised the government at a time when people, across every sector of Irish society are doing their best to keep all safe during this global pandemic.” Calling it an “unintended but serious lapse in judgement,” Buttimer said he “should not have attended the dinner” and consequently would tender his resignation.

A health worker sprays disinfectant at a market near the Sarang Jeil Church, a new coronavirus infection cluster, in Seoul on August 18.

South Korea will close entertainment venues such as nightclubs, karaoke bars and internet cafes, and ban spectators from sporting events after new Covid-19 cases were reported across the country on Saturday.

Beaches across the country will also be closed indefinitely. 

The restrictions, which will also limit indoor gatherings to 50 and outdoor gatherings to 100, will come into effect on Sunday, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo has announced. 

South Korea detected 332 new cases Friday, Park said Saturday. Imported cases counted for 17 of the total infections. More than 75% of new local cases were found in the Seoul metropolitan area. No deaths were recorded on Friday, Park said Saturday.

The measures align the rest of the country with the capital, Seoul, which has been operating under these restrictions since August 16. Provinces with lower counts will be able to follow these restrictions as a recommendation rather than a mandate. 

South Korea has been credited for having one of the world’s most rigorous and well-planned responses to the coronavirus.

Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport after a flight from Dubrovnik, Croatia, landed on August 21.

British people on summer holidays abroad are rushing home as government rules on who must quarantine on their return have again changed.

The UK on Thursday removed Croatia, Austria, and Trinidad and Tobago from its list of safe travel corridors as cases in those countries rise, obliging those returning from those countries to quarantine for 14 days. The new restrictions were scheduled to take effect after 4 a.m. on Saturday, triggering masses of holidaymakers to cut short their vacations and get on earlier, often more expensive, flights home.

Thomas Maguire, 63, a sales manager from Northern Ireland was among those on the last planes to land at London’s Heathrow Airport before the quarantine rules went into effect. He was due to fly back Sunday but returned early on Friday evening.

He told the UK’s PA Media the rule changes were a “complete shambles,” saying he had spent almost £400 ($523) to get on an early flight.

“Why they decided to do it the way they have done it, it’s not in support of any scientific evidence … that I’m safer today than I would be tomorrow,” he said.

The UK on Thursday also added Portugal to its list of safe travel corridor countries.

The UK government has advised British residents to only travel if they are happy to be forced to quarantine on their return.

“As with all air bridge countries, please be aware that things can change quickly. Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly 14-day quarantine if required (I speak from experience!),” UK Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said in a Tweet on Thursday.

A testing center sign is pictured for vacation returnees at a rest stop on the A8 highway near Traunstein, Germany, on August 20.

Germany reported 2,034 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday – its highest single-day increase in infections since April 26, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the national agency for disease control and prevention.

Germany experienced its peak in daily new infections from late March to the beginning of April, with more than 6,000 cases reported a day. Since then, new daily case numbers had fallen significantly, until rising again in late July.

The United States recorded 48,693 new Covid-19 cases and 1,108 related deaths on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

As of Friday, the country has reported a total of 5,622,540 infections, including 175,363 deaths, according to JHU’s tally.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

CNN is tracking the coronavirus outbreak in the US here:

A small but growing coronavirus cluster linked to a youth detention center in Brisbane, Australia has led to the reimposition of stricter measures on gatherings in southeast Queensland.

The Queensland government on Saturday linked six new cases to the Brisbane youth detention center, where a 77-year-old supervisor tested positive for the virus earlier this week. The facility now has seven confirmed cases – all adult workers or their close relatives.

As a result of the cluster, gatherings in homes and outdoors are restricted to 10 people in areas of southeast Queensland.

Queensland has reported a total of 1,103 cases, including six deaths.

The state has shut its border with New South Wales in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The state is also closed to travelers from Victoria, which has been battling a surge in infections since late June.

However, the number of new daily cases in Victoria has been falling over the past week. On Friday, it recorded 182 fresh infections and 13 deaths – the second consecutive day with less than 200 new cases.

On Friday, the Victorian government said it would consider relaxing restrictions should daily cases drop to 50 or below.

South Korea is extending Seoul’s strict social distancing measures nationwide as the country battles a fresh coronavirus spike.

The announcement, by Health Minister Park Neung-hoo, comes as an outbreak linked to the Sarang-Jeil church continues to spread. The country recorded 332 new infections on Friday, with more than 75% of the 315 locally transmitted cases found in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area.

Seoul was placed under heightened social distancing measures on August 16. Clubs, karaoke bars and internet cafes were closed, and sports events could only be held without spectators. Indoor gatherings were limited to 50 people, while a maximum of 100 people were allowed to gather outdoors.

Park said those measures would be rolled out to the entire country – although provinces with few cases could follow them as a recommendation rather than a mandate.

South Korea has reported a total of 17,002 cases, including 309 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Health workers provide Covid-19 testing on a street in Washington, DC, on August 14.

The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States could spike to as high as 6,000 people a day by December in the worst-case scenario, according to Dr. Chris Murray, the chair of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

Currently, about 1,000 people are dying daily from the coronavirus in the US.

In a new model released Friday, researchers at IHME predicted the number of daily deaths will decrease slowly in September – then rise to nearly 2,000 a day by the start of December.

But Murray told CNN that, “depending on what our leaders do,” things can get worse.

The new IHME forecast projects 310,000 deaths by December – 15,000 more than the previous forecast two weeks ago. That’s because while coronavirus infections are dropping in some areas, the death rate is not.

“In some states – California is a good example – cases peaked, are coming down, but deaths haven’t,” Murray said. “We’re seeing upswings in transmission in places like Kentucky and Minnesota, Indiana.”

If mask use increased in the US to 95%, the number of deaths could drop by almost 70,000, Murray added.

Travelers walk to the ride-share area of Los Angeles International Airport on August 20.

Covid-19 hospitalization rates in Los Angeles County are the lowest since April, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a press conference Friday.

A total of 420 coronavirus patients are in intensive care units throughout the county – a “substantial decrease since last month,” Garcetti said.

Los Angeles County is working to reduce the number of cases to 100 for every 100,000 residents for 14 consecutive days to get off the state’s watch list, Garcetti said.

The county currently has about 250 to 300 cases per 100,000 residents.

Elementary schools can apply for waivers for in-person learning if cases fall below 200 for every 100,000 residents, the mayor added. 

“Let’s keep those numbers in mind. Let’s push towards those goals for our children, for our economy, for our wellbeing, and for our health,” Garcetti said.

Despite the decrease in hospitalizations, the Covid-19 threat level in Los Angeles remains at orange because the rate of transmission is 0.92, Garcetti said. This means there is still a high risk of transmission and residents are urged to minimize contact. 

Soldiers spray disinfectant at a market in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on August 18.

On Friday, Brazil’s health ministry reported 30,355 new Covid-19 cases over the previous 24 hours – taking the country’s total to 3,532,330.

The ministry also reported 1,054 new Covid-19 deaths, raising the country’s death toll to 113,358.

Some context: Brazil is second only to the United States in total number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

A paramedic prepares to move a patient at the Covid-19 triage area of the General Hospital in Mexico City on August 20.

Mexico recorded 5,928 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, taking the total number of infections in the country to 549,734.  

The Mexico health ministry also reported 504 new coronavirus-related deaths – taking its total death toll to 59,610. 

Some context: Mexico has the third-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, behind only the US and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

In terms of coronavirus cases, Mexico is ranked third in Latin America, behind Brazil and Peru, according to JHU.

The number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa surged past 600,000 Friday, according to the country’s Department of Health.

South Africa recorded 3,398 new cases to take its total to 603,338. Its coronavirus death toll stands at 12,843.

A 6-year-old girl from Hillsborough County became the youngest person to die from coronavirus complications in Florida, health officials said.

The girl is among the 119 deaths reported by the state on Friday, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. It’s unclear whether she contracted the virus after being in contact with a known case or if her infection was travel related.

The health department did not provide further details. CNN has reached out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for comment.

Some context: Eight minors in Florida have died from Covid-19, according to the latest health records.

The previous youngest victim of Covid-19 was 9-year-old Kimora “Kimmie” Lynum. The girl, who had no known underlying health conditions, died July 18 in Putnam County.

Florida has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the US. The state has reported 593,286 cases since the pandemic began, according to a tally of cases from Johns Hopkins University.