August 24 coronavirus news

An American flag sits on top of a casket for a veteran who died of COVID-19 before his funeral at Ray Williams Funeral Home on August 12, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. 

There are at least 5,723,181 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 176,991 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

So far on Monday, Johns Hopkins has reported 21,502 new cases and 189 reported deaths. 

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

People wearing face masks walk next to a billboard reading "Mandatory mask in downtown Montpellier", on August 14, 2020, in Montpellier, southern France.

French health authorities are warning of a strong increase in coronavirus circulation, specifically among young adults. 

On Monday, the ministry said in a press release, that 3.6% of tests for Covid-19 came back positive in the week of August 15 to 21, compared to 1.4% at the start of the summer.

France has recorded 244,854 and 30,528 deaths since the beginning of the epidemic, including 1,955 and 15 respectively in the past 24 hours.

At least 4,690 coronavirus patients are currently hospitalized (-19 in the past 24 hours) including 399 in ICU (+19 in the past 24 hours).

The Vegas Golden Knights skate in warm-ups under team promotional signs prior to the game against the Vancouver Canucks in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 23, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The National Hockey League announced that for a fourth straight week it had no positive test results for Covid-19.

According to the league, 4,644 tests were conducted during the past week inside the league’s two hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton. 

Every member of each team’s traveling party was tested on a daily basis between Aug. 16 and Aug. 22. Since entering its two hub city “bubbles,” the league has not returned a positive test from any of the teams participating in the NHL’s return to play.  

The NHL season resumed with 24 teams participating and has now progressed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with eight teams still competing.

The last time there was a positive test in the NHL was during the two-week period of Phase 3, when there were two positive results (both occurring between July 13-17) among 6,874 tests.

Workers board up windows in the French Quarter in anticipation of Hurricane Marco and Tropical storm Laura on August 23, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both storms are expected to make landfall along the Louisiana coast within days of each other.

Louisiana’s government will not open any state-run shelters ahead of Tropical Storms Marco and Laura, the state’s governor said in a press conference Monday.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said they are prepared to open them if needed but “congregate sheltering in Covid really is a last resort.”

“We’re encouraging individuals that are able to do so and need to evacuate to go and take shelter in a motel or hotel,” the governor added.

A medical worker wearing protective gear collects a swab from a person sitting inside a car during Covid-19 tests at the the Santa Maria della Pieta' health center in Rome on August 17, 2020.

Italy has registered 953 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Civil protection. In the past week Italy has seen an increase of over 6000 cases, the highest since the period of May 11-17.

The country has had a total of 260,298 cases and 35,441 deaths. The Italian intensive care units are currently treating 65 Covid-19 patients, 6 less than yesterday.

The Main Building on the campus of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. 

The University of Notre Dame added a total of 50 additional cases of Covid-19 over the weekend. 20 additional cases were reported Saturday, 30 were reported Sunday. The total case count for the school now stands at 448 cases. 

Undergraduate classes are currently being conducted entirely online after the school announced last week it would move to all remote learning for two weeks. 

Olympic legend Usain Bolt says he’s self-isolating while awaiting his Covid-19 testing results. The eight-time Olympic champion posted a video on social media on Monday saying he currently has no symptoms. He took the test on Saturday.

Duke University's campus in Durham, North Carolina.

Twelve students at Duke University tested positive for coronavirus out of a total of 4,497 tests performed for the week of Aug. 15 to 21, the most recent data posted on the school’s website shows.

There were an additional 10 cases reported among faculty and staff, out of a total of 531 tests performed during that same time period. 

Since Aug. 2, the university has performed a total of 11,398 coronavirus tests among both students, faculty and staff members, and 37 cases total cases have been reported — a positivity rate under .01%. 

A health worker speaks to people queuing outside a medical centre to be tested for the novel coronavirus in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, north of Barcelona, on August 10, 2020. 

Some of Spain’s 17 regions have decided to tighten safety measures in their territory as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to climb.

Spain recorded 19,382 new Coronavirus cases since Friday, the Spanish Health Ministry’s data showed on Monday. The total number of cases in Spain has now reached at least 405,436.

The data also shows that at least 34 people died during the weekend due to Covid-19. At least 96 have died in the last seven days.

A total of 28,872 people have died of Coronavirus in Spain to date.

The Director of the Center for Health Emergencies, Fernando Simón, said at a press conference Monday that although the number of cases is increasing, hospital capacity in the country “is at 5.1%.” 

A coronavirus swab test being performed at a mobile COVID-19 Testing Drive at World Changers Church International on July 18, 2020 in College Park, Georgia.

The Covid-19 mega-testing site near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be extended until September 11, according to a tweet from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

CNN previously reported that the mega-testing site in College Park will run from August 10 until August 26. The Georgia Department of Public Health said at the time that the site would be able to test 5,000 people per day and would offer results within 48 to 72 hours.

A view of the the University of Kansas at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, KS.

The University of Kansas has issued disciplinary actions against two fraternities for hosting social events this weekend in violation of county and university health guidelines on Covid-19.

According to a letter from University Chancellor Douglas Girod, Kappa Sigma and Phi Kappa Psi have been issued a cease and desist, as well as a 14-day public health ban for the members of the fraternities.

As of last week, Girard said 89 people in the KU community had tested positive out of 7,088 test results.  

A walk-in coronavirus testing center is pictured in Oldham, Greater Manchester, on August 22.

The United Kingdom reported 853 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to at least 326,614, according to the latest UK government data released Monday. 

The number of new confirmed cases on Monday represents a slight decrease from the 1,160 new cases reported Sunday and the 1,288 new cases reported Saturday. 

The UK also reported four additional coronavirus deaths on Monday, bringing the death toll to at least 41,433.

Danbury, Connecticut, is facing “serious outbreak” of Covid-19 stemming mostly from recent domestic and international travel, according to a statement attached to Governor Ned Lamont’s latest Covid-19 update. 

Between August 2 and 20, there were at least 178 new Covid-19 cases reported in Danbury, compared to the 40 new cases that were recorded in the prior two week period, according to the state department of public health. That represents a 345% increase in new reported cases. 

Over the weekend, Danbury Mayor Mark Broughton reported via Twitter a total of 15 new cases and another 44 cases on Friday. There were no new deaths over those three days, he said. 

The state department of public health issued a Covid-19 alert for the city in response to the outbreak.

A nurse is waiting for patients at JFK International Airports Terminal 4 XpresCheck, the first airport-based covid-19 testing facility in the US on June 29, 2020 in New York City.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and NY Health and Hospitals will be setting up new Covid-19 testing sites at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City for incoming passengers.

He did not elaborate on the details.

This decision comes as New York continues to enforce its travel advisory which requires a 14-day quarantine for individuals traveling in from Covid-19 hot spots.

A Covid-19 testing site is pictured at the Maingate Complex at Walt Disney World in Kissimmee, Florida, on August 14.

Florida health officials report 2,258 new Covid-19 cases and 72 additional resident deaths on Monday, according to the Florida Department of Health (DOH).

The state is reporting 596,511 coronavirus cases among Florida residents and 602,829 total cases across the state, DOH data shows.  

The Florida Department of Health shows the total Covid-19 death toll in the state standing at 10,379.

Remember: 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   

A cyclist wearing a facemask rides over the Brooklyn Bridge during sunset on August 21, 2020 in New York.

New York State saw a 0.66% reported infection rate, the lowest the state has had since the pandemic began, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday

He said this is not a one-day anomaly, but is consistent with the reports over the past couple of weeks, which has shown results below 1%. 

Louisiana will pause coronavirus testing statewide as Tropical Storm Laura approaches, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

The National Weather Service said Monday, “there is an increasing risk of dangerous storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts from the upper Texas coast to the north-central Gulf coast beginning Wednesday” from Tropical Storm Laura.

Here’s the tweet from the health department:

A 33-year-old man living in Hong Kong had Covid-19 twice this year, according to preliminary research out of China. 

The pre-print study — which the University of Hong Kong said on Monday has been accepted to publish in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases — found that the man’s second case of Covid-19 occurred 142 days after the first. 

The study also noted that in the first case, the man showed symptoms but in the second case he was asymptomatic, in that he did not show any noticeable symptoms. 

During his first episode of illness, the patient had a cough, sore throat, fever and headache for three days, according to the study. He tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, on March 26. 

Then during his second episode, the patient was returning to Hong Kong from traveling in Spain via the United Kingdom, and he tested positive during his entry screening at the Hong Kong airport on August 15, according to the study. The man was then hospitalized again but remained asymptomatic. 

For the study, researchers at the University of Hong Kong and various hospitals in Hong Kong analyzed specimens collected from the patient 10 days after his symptoms emerged in the first episode and then one day after hospitalization for the second episode. They analyzed genetic material in those specimens. 

The genetic analysis showed that the first infection was from a strain of the coronavirus most closely related to strains from the United States or England, which were collected in the spring, and the second was most closely related to strains from Switzerland and England, which were collected in July and August. 

“This case illustrates that re-infection can occur even just after a few months of recovery from the first infection. Our findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may persist in humans as is the case for other common-cold associated human coronaviruses, even if patients have acquired immunity via natural infection or via vaccination,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

“In summary, reinfection is possible 4.5 months after a first episode of symptomatic infection. Vaccination should also be considered for persons with known history of COVID-19,” they wrote. “Patients with previous COVID-19 infection should also comply with epidemiological control measures such as universal masking and social distancing.” 

Some context: The researchers called this the “first case” of re-infection of Covid-19 in their paper, but other experts are calling for more research before naming this case truly the world’s first. 

“What I think is really important is that we put this into context,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead for coronavirus response and head of the emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday. 

Members of the Miami Dolphins run practice drills during training camp at Nova Southern University in Davie, Florida, on August 21.

In a statement released Monday, the Miami Dolphins announced that a maximum of 13,000 fans will be allowed to the opening game against the Buffalo Bills on September 20.

Masks will be mandatory for all fans entering the Hard Rock Stadium.

Vice chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel said, “When we started the process back in March of exploring what a socially-distanced stadium could look like, we made the health and safety of everyone the first priority.”

“We’re happy that our elected officials recognize the attention to detail and diligence that we’ve put into creating a safe environment and that they made the decision to move forward with a 13,000-capacity stadium at this time.”

The Dolphins have instituted several policies to enhance fan safety amid the coronavirus pandemic, including:

Season ticket members will have first priority to purchase seats for the home opener, based on their tenure.  

The official stadium capacity is 65,326.

Zoom, the video conferencing app that’s become a go-to for many stuck at home during the pandemic, is down in some parts of the world. In the United States, the problem seems to be affecting those in the East Coast.

“We have received reports of users being unable to visit the Zoom website (zoom.us) and unable to start and join Zoom Meetings and Webinars,” the company said in a statement Monday morning. “We are currently investigating and will provide updates as we have them.”

A glance at Down Detector, which tracks internet outages, show users in the United Kingdom were also experiencing issues.

Created as a business communication tool nearly a decade ago, Zoom’s popularity exploded at the beginning of this year, as millions of people in lockdown began using it to host events ranging from birthday parties to religious events and even to cabinet meetings.

Atlanta Public Schools just tweeted that there’s a Zoom outage impacting parts of the eastern US, interrupting online education.

“We are working to resolve the issue,” the agency said in statement.

This is the first day of school for the 2020-2021 school year, according to Atlanta Public School’s calendar.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, left, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speak to reporters in Washington, DC, after a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on July 30.

On July 30, during broader negotiations over the coronavirus relief legislation inside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, Sen. Chuck Schumer asked the White House officials in the room how things were going on the vaccine effort, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. 

It was at that point Meadows and Mnuchin walked through the various pieces of vaccine development, and then suggested that the AstraZeneca effort could be ready by September. As the conversation continued, the White House officials raised the possibility of an emergency use authorization before phase three trials were completed.

At that point, Speaker Nancy Pelosi interrupted to tell Mnuchin and Meadows there should be no cutting of corners during the vaccine development process.

The Financial Times first reported the details of the July meeting. 

A senior administration official previously told CNN there have not been any discussions about fast-tracking the AstraZeneca vaccine before the November election. However, this person did not rule out the possibility of an EUA on a vaccine before full approval if there is sufficient data – although this person said the FDA would not be pushed around on the science of a vaccine.

Michael Caputo, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, on Sunday denied that there was any effort to fast-track vaccine development for political purposes. 

“This is not true, don’t believe it. Talk of an October surprise vaccine plot is a lurid Resistance fantasy designed to undermine the President’s Coronavirus response. And nobody, but nobody, among the career FDA regulators I know will ever stand quietly for political pressure,” Caputo said.  

Meadows on Monday morning also dismissed concerns that there’s political pressure to fast-track a vaccine, reiterating how Operation Warp Speed will produce vaccines in phase three trials.

“Yeah that’s not happening. I can tell you we’re going through a standard clinical process like any other drug would happen and then what we’re speeding up is the non testing side of it,” he said. 

Additional reporting from Betsy Klein, Joe Johns, Elizabeth Cohen, and Jeremy Diamond

Staff and students have been told to self-isolate for 14 days after 22 cases of Covid-19 were detected at a school in Dundee, Scotland, according to a joint statement from the local health authority, NHS Tayside, and Dundee City Council on Sunday.

Schools in Scotland reopened on Aug. 11, with new rules stipulating that face-coverings should be worn if adults and children cannot keep a two-meter distance, crowded areas should be avoided and hands and surfaces should be cleaned on a regular basis. 

The Kingspark School, where the outbreak was detected, caters for 185 students ages 5 to 18 who all have additional support needs.

According to the statement, 22 positive cases had been linked to the school as of August 23. 

The cases are made up of 17 members of staff, two students and three community contacts. 

Staff have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days from the last day they were on site. Pupils have been told to self-isolate for 14 days from August 20. Anyone who is living or coming into close contact with a student should also self-isolate for 14 days, according to advice given by authorities. The school is currently shut to all students and staff and testing has been made available to all staff.

“Since the identification of positive cases at Kingspark, a detailed contact tracing program has been under way” Dr Ellie Hothersall, Consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS Tayside said. 

The US has reported more than 5.7 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic — but new cases appear to be declining in many states.

At least 25 states are reporting fewer cases in the past week compared to the previous week. Another 14 states have a steady amount of new cases.

At least 11 states are reporting an increase in new cases, but no state is seeing a more than 50% jump. Here’s a look at the latest numbers:

President Donald Trump holds a press conference at the White House on August 23, to announce that the Food and Drug Administration is issuing an emergency authorization for blood plasma as a potential treatment for Covid-19.

Stocks are set for a sharp rally on Monday after the Trump administration approved a potential Covid-19 treatment. With Wall Street in the green, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite could reach new all-time highs.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Sunday issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma — blood plasma taken from coronavirus survivors — to treat the virus, saying the “known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.”

Also boosting stocks, the Trump administration is reportedly considering fast-tracking an AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine prior to US election, according to the Financial Times. Although far from a certainty, investors were hopeful that a vaccine could come faster than many had expected. AstraZeneca’s stock rose 3.6% in premarket trading.

After months of investors saying that only a vaccine or an effective treatment solution for the virus would help the economic recovery along, it’s not surprising that the news of the plasma treatment is making waves.

Futures for all three main indexes are sharply higher:

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq finished Friday at record levels, so any incremental increase during this session will push them to new all-time highs. The Dow, meanwhile, remains more than 5% below its February record level as of Friday’s close.

Marseille, a popular tourist city on France’s southern coast, has seen a spike in positive coronavirus cases. French authorities have dispatched police to enforce coronavirus regulations. CNN’s Melissa Bell reports.

WATCH:

A health care worker in Madrid collects a swab sample at a Covid-19 testing center on August 17.

As governments in Europe battle to control further waves of the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19 cases are increasing across the continent, as students are returning to school. Here are the latest developments:

Germany continues to grapple with a steady rise in infections, with 711 new cases reported on Monday, according to the Robert-Koch-Institute. This comes after a dramatic increase of 2,034 cases on Saturday, the highest number of infections in the country since April 26. Germany had its infection peak in early April when cases hovered around 6,000 every day. The return of schools and holidaymakers from European travels has played a role in the recent resurgence of cases. 

The UK recorded a further 1,041 new cases on Sunday as its schools prepare to reopen. However, the chief medical officers and deputy chief medical officers of its four nations said they are “confident that there is clear evidence of a very low rate of severe disease in children of primary and secondary school ages compared to adults” in a Sunday statement. It added that teachers are not at an increased risk of dying from Covid-19 compared to the general working-age population, but did recognize that it “is likely opening schools will put some upward pressure on transmission more widely and therefore increase [the] R [reproduction rate].”

France reported its highest increase in case numbers since exiting lockdown, with 4,897 new cases reported Sunday by national health agency Santé Publique France. This takes the total number of cases to 242,899. There are currently 59.8 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Despite the impact on the country’s health system being “very limited,” the numbers of patients in hospital, particularly in intensive care, is beginning to rise, tweeted Health Minister Olivier Véran on Sunday. Véran urged French citizens to “break this dynamic” as French schools gear up for students to return. 

Belgium was one of the first countries to be hit by a new wave in cases and it drastically tightened social distancing measures on July 27. Belgians will have to continue restricting their social bubble to five people for a further month so that schools can return safely, according to a Thursday press release from the country’s National Security Council. The measures appear to be paying off with the average number of daily cases lower than the previous week. Last week there were an average of 493 daily cases compared to a daily average of 581 the previous week, according to figures from the country’s epidemiological institute Sciensano published Monday.

Ireland continues to deal with the fallout from a political scandal which saw the EU Commissioner for Trade, a Supreme Court judge and a government minister attend a golf event in violation of the country’s coronavirus social distancing rules, which restrict gatherings of more than 50 people. The country recorded 156 new cases on Saturday and 61 more on Sunday, according to the Department of Health, after significantly tightening up social distancing. Under new measures Irish citizens cannot gather in groups larger than six people indoors and 15 people outdoors. 

Italy recorded another 1,210 cases Sunday, the highest number of new cases since May 12, in addition to 1,071 cases on Saturday. Health officials say the increase in cases is due to large numbers of Italians returning from overseas. The Lazio region, which is home to the country’s capital Rome, recorded 215 new cases Saturday, 61% of which were found to be linked to the tourism hotspot of Sardinia. Regional health assessor Alessio D’Amato said Saturday that while “hospitals and intensive care units are under control,” young people in Italy must not assume they are “invincible” to the virus. 

Croatia’s case numbers continue to increase after the country was removed from the UK’s quarantine exemption list Thursday. There were 171 new cases reported Monday morning, according to the ECDC, which said the country has a rate of 57.8 cases per 100,000 persons.

Spain saw 8,148 new cases recorded in the 24 hours leading up to Friday, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, one of the highest daily increases since lockdown measures were eased at the end of June. Spain currently has the highest infection rate of any country in Europe, according to the ECDC, with a 14-day cumulative number of cases of 152.7 per 100,000 people. The government will release the latest data on Monday.

China has been using an experimental coronavirus vaccine on people who work in “high risk” professions since July, including front line medical professionals and border inspectors, a senior official from the national health commission revealed over the weekend.

Zheng Zhongwei, director of the Science and Technology Development Center of the National Health Commission, said the vaccine had been approved for use on July 22 during an interview with a Chinese state media broadcaster on Saturday.

Zheng told the CCTV-2 program “Dialogue” that the people who were at high risk of exposure to the virus – including frontline medical personnel, epidemic prevention personnel, medical staff at fever clinics, and customs and border personnel – were eligible to receive the vaccine.

The vaccine was developed by Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group Company (CNBG). Phase 3 clinical trials of this vaccine have been conducted in the UAE, Peru, Morocco, and Argentina.

Read the full story here.

More than 30 million students return to school in Mexico today. They will not be returning to the classroom, however, after the Mexican government announced earlier this month that all classes will be virtual. Nearly half of the country’s homes don’t have internet connection but about 93% have televisions, so the government has launched an ambitious plan to record lessons for every single grade level and broadcast educational content 24/7. 

WATCH:

A person gets a flu shot at a health facility in Washington, DC, on January 31.

Flu season will look different in the US this year, as the country grapples with a coronavirus pandemic that has already killed more than 176,000 people.

Many Americans are reluctant to visit a doctor’s office, and public health officials worry people will shy away from being immunized.

Although sometimes incorrectly regarded as just another bad cold, flu also kills tens of thousands of people in the US each year, with the very young, the elderly and those with underlying conditions the most vulnerable. When coupled with the effects of Covid-19, public health experts say it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot.

Getting vaccinated for the flu this year is particularly important, WHO officials say

If enough of the US population gets vaccinated — more than the 45% who did last flu season — it could help head off a nightmare scenario in the coming winter of hospitals stuffed with both Covid-19 patients and those suffering from severe effects of influenza.

Aside from the potential burden on hospitals, there’s the possibility people could get both viruses and “no one knows what happens if you get influenza and Covid (simultaneously) because it’s never happened before,” Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, told reporters last week.

Read the full story here.

People bike past a closed movie theater in Mumbai, India, on July 21.

India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has released fresh guidelines for the entertainment industry after all productions were ended in March due to the pandemic.

The new standard operating procedure (SOP) is expected to ensure the safety of the cast and crew in both television and movie productions, which may resume as India has slowly lifted restrictions over the past three months.

“The SOP ensures adequate distancing at shoot locations and other workplaces and contains measures including proper sanitization, crowd management and provision for protective equipment,” tweeted cabinet minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday.

Face masks, hand sanitizer, thermal screening and social distancing are among the new measures. Production companies have been asked to keep the cast and crew at a minimum and coordinate crowds that may gather during an outdoor shoot.

“The SOP follows international norms. This will help give a fillip to the industry which has been affected due to coronavirus for close to six months now and people will welcome this move by the Ministry,” said Javadekar.

People shop in the Herald Square area of New York City on August 6.

We’re coming up on six months since Covid-19 turned the world upside down. We are adjusting, but few things feel normal. Certainly not in our daily lives. Most of us are wearing masks and social distancing, while our favorite sports teams play in empty stadiums and arenas. Our work lives are hardly typical, either. Lots of us are unemployed, and many of us fortunate to have jobs continue to work from home.

How far from normal are we? And how much progress are we making toward whatever “normal” will mean in the future? These are tough questions, but CNN Business and Moody’s Analytics have teamed up to take a crack at answering them with regard to the economy.

How close to normal is your state? Click here to explore the index

The US economy remains far from normal. That’s the bottom line. Based on the Back-to-Normal Index that we constructed, the US economy was operating at only 78% of normal as of August 19. “Normal” for our purpose is the economy as it stood prior to when the pandemic struck in early March. Economic activity nationwide is down by almost one-fourth from its pre-pandemic level — far from normal.

As bad as that is, it is substantially better than the darkest days of the pandemic in mid-April, when we were unsure how contagious or virulent the virus was. Nonessential businesses in much of the country were shut down, and most of us were sheltering in place. Our Back-to-Normal index hit its nadir of just 59% on April 17.

Read the full analysis here.

Almost 2,000 schools in South Korea have suspended in-person classes due to the latest surge of coronavirus cases, according to a statement from the country’s Ministry of Education on Monday.

The announcement affects 1,845 schools across the nation, the first time since May that more than 1,000 schools will be closed, said the ministry.

A total of 283 students and 79 faculty members have tested positive for novel coronavirus since May 20 when South Korea began a phased return of pupils to the classroom, according to the ministry.

Countries around the world are currently grappling with how to keep children learning during the pandemic.

The world is facing a “generational catastrophe” because of school closures during the coronavirus pandemic, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at the beginning of August.

“Getting students back into schools and learning institutions as safely as possible must be a top priority,” once local transmission of Covid-19 is under control, Guterres added.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the headquarters of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust on July 13.

Even by the standards of a world leader navigating a pandemic, Boris Johnson has had a tumultuous 2020. The UK’s Prime Minister returns to work on Monday, having spent a week on vacation with his fiancée and baby in Scotland. In that time he’ll have had the chance to reflect on his extraordinary year to date, in which he took his country out of the European Union, got divorced, got engaged, got Covid-19 so badly he was taken to intensive care, had a baby and endured months of criticism over his handling of coronavirus.

The main charge is that Johnson’s government took too long to take the virus seriously, meaning it had an inadequate testing regime, locked down too late and obsessively tried to handle the crisis from London. The result is that the UK has suffered the most deaths in Europe and the fifth most in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

During the crisis, Johnson’s government has suffered multiple embarrassing scandals – from his chief adviser being accused of breaking lockdown rules to a messy U-turn after nationwide confusion over schoolchildren’s exam results led to protests in London.

Unfortunately for Johnson, life is unlikely to be much easier this fall. After an eventful summer, UK lawmakers return to parliament on September 1, giving Johnson’s opponents in the Labour Party – newly invigorated under the leadership of Keir Starmer – a forum to hold him to account as numerous crises run into each other between now and the end of the year.

Read the full analysis here.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in speaks at an event in Seoul on August 15.

South Korea’s President Moon said that the country is facing a new virus crisis and that it is much more severe than dealing with the controversial church cluster in its first wave.

“We are facing a new crisis. It’s a much more severe emergency than the Shincheonji situation in the early days of the Covid-19 crisis,” said Moon.

“Seoul and the metropolitan area have become the centers of spread, and nowhere else in the country is safe.”

If health officials were unable to curb the spread of the virus then the social distancing level will be raised to Alert Level 3 which would mean “daily life will be stopped, jobs will be collapsed and a huge economic blow should be endured,” warned Moon.

“Even the medical system could collapse,” the President said in a meeting with senior advisors in Seoul on Monday.

Moon said that the effort to stem the spread of the virus in South Korea is being hampered because “some in our society are challenging the nation’s disease prevention system and blatantly obstructing or refusing to cooperate the health effort.”

The latest outbreak in South Korea has been linked to churches in Seoul and the neighboring provinces. Members of religious groups have been criticized for withholding key information and obstructing public health authorities in their fight against the pandemic.

“We cannot tolerate individual transgressions such as non-cooperation in disease prevention or quarantine violation by refusing administrative orders. The damage to people is already too great. It has hurt the lives and health of many people, stopped their daily lives, and hurt the economy and employment,” Moon told his senior advisors.

Another 34,567 coronavirus infections were recorded in the United States on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The total number of cases confirmed in the US now stands at 5,703,586.

JHU recorded 449 Covid-19-related deaths on Sunday. To date, at least 176,808 people have died in the US from the disease.

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

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

A security guard who was infected with Covid-19 while working at an Australian quarantine hotel told an inquiry today there was a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff at one of the facilities.

The guard, identified as Security 16 for legal reasons, was engaged by a private security company to work at a series of different hotels, the inquiry into Victoria state’s hotel quarantine system heard.

At one hotel, the guard alleged his supervisor told him there was a shortage of masks and gloves, so he should put his mask in his pocket when he went for a break and wear the same face covering on his return to work. The guard also alleged he was told to put the mask in his pocket out of the view of security cameras.

The guard told the inquiry he wasn’t given extensive training on how to use his PPE, or initially warned that there were coronavirus patients staying at the hotel.

The guard said he eventually contracted the virus while working at the hotel.

The inquiry is ongoing.

Fresh outbreak: Victoria and its state capital Melbourne are in lockdown amid a major second wave of Covid-19 linked to quarantine hotels. To date, 18,330 people in total have been infected across the state.

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered clubs, bars and concert halls around the world, music fans have been dreaming of the day they can once again visit a busy, sweaty venue to enjoy a gig with friends.

With infection rates rising in many European countries, this dream could be far off for now. But some music fans in Leipzig, Germany, have been given the chance to rock for a day in the name of science – with the help of some glowing hand sanitizer and electronic trackers.

Researchers in Leipzig staged a 1,500-person experimental indoor concert on Saturday to better understand how Covid-19 spreads at big, busy events, and how to prevent it.

At the gig, which featured a live performance from musician Tim Bendzko, fans were given respiratory face masks, fluorescent hand gel and electronic “contact trackers” – small transmitters that determine the contact rates and contact distances of the individual experiment participants.

Using data from the contact trackers, scientists from The University of Halle will monitor the number of “critical contacts” had by each participant during specific times and locations, while the residue left by fluorescent hand gel will identify frequently touched surfaces. Researchers hope to use the data to find ways to bring big events, including sports, back safely.

Professor Michael Gekle, the dean of the university’s medical faculty and a professor of physiology, said the experiment was being conducted to better prepare authorities on how to conduct events in the upcoming autumn and winter seasons.

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LEIPZIG, GERMANY - AUGUST 22: Participants wearing FFP2 protective face masks watch singer Tim Bendzko perform in the RESTART-19 Covid transmission risk assessment study in a concert setting at an indoor arena during the coronavirus pandemic on August 22, 2020 in Leipzig, Germany. The study, organized by the University Hospital of Halle (Saale), simulates a live concert venue with several thousand audience members in three different scenarios in order to develop risk reduction measures for large events. Participants wear tracer devices to track their movements and sensors measure aerosol currents in the arena. All participants had to undergo a Covid-19 test within the last 48 hours and test negative in order to take part. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Related article Fans crowd into an indoor concert in experiment on how to return to normality

As US colleges and universities try to settle into the fall semester, coronavirus cases continue to rise leading some institutions to cancel in-person instruction and implement strict rules to control the virus.

Universities in at least 19 US states have reported outbreaks, despite health protocols on campus. Many outbreaks are tied to large group gatherings like parties, leading some schools to suspend students and organizations for breaking social distancing rules on and off campus.

The University of Notre Dame and the University of Alabama both have seen increases in Covid-19 cases on their campuses. Notre Dame has moved to online instruction, according to its website. Meanwhile, local and university police at the University of Alabama will partner to monitor bars, restaurants and off-campus housing to ensure the city’s Covid-19 ordinances and university guidelines are followed, university President Stuart R. Bell said.

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Middle-school teacher Brittany Myers takes part in a protest Thursday in front of the Hillsborough County Schools District Office in Tampa, Florida.

Related article Colleges and universities across US halt in-person classes and begin campus monitoring after rising coronavirus cases

Even before the coronavirus pandemic ignited global conversations about hygiene, there was one part of an airplane that nobody wanted to touch – the bathroom door.

That’s why Japanese airline ANA is testing a new hands-free bathroom door that passengers can open with their elbow or forearm.

One of the challenges of designing anything for an airplane is the lack of space. Lavatory doors open inward (less aisle blockage) or have small, flat handles instead of doorknobs.

But what you’ll see on ANA’s prototype is something that is hygienic but also conserves space: The familiar silver latch lavatory door handle now has a spring attached to it so that you can open it by pressing in instead of by pulling out.

Inside the bathroom, the locking mechanism looks pretty familiar, with a button you slide from one side to the other. A larger sized button can also be locked and unlocked with your elbow, meaning you can have a completely hands-free door both inside and out.

Currently, the door prototype is only available in ANA’s lounge at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, where the company is gathering feedback on it through the end of August. If the design proves popular and easy to use, it could get more widespread use.

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Related article Japanese airline testing hands-free bathroom doors

Japan recorded 746 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said today.

The national total for coronavirus infections is now 63,219, according to the government. Five new deaths were reported on Sunday, bringing the total death toll to 1,194.

Among the new cases, 212 were reported in Tokyo. According to the city government, 51% of the new cases on Sunday were identified in patients aged in their 20s and 30s.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that level 3 coronavirus restrictions in Auckland will be extended until Sunday, August 30, after the country reported eight new cases on Monday.

Ardern said Auckland, the country’s most populous city, will move down to a modified alert level 2 setting after the extended period of level 3 restrictions ends on Sunday.

The rest of New Zealand will continue to remain at level 2 restrictions. The current restrictions with Auckland at level 3 and the rest of the country at level 2 were originally set to be lifted at midnight on Wednesday.  

“Our ongoing goal is to maintain our elimination strategy while trying to reduce the impact on as many people and businesses as possible,” Ardern said.

Ardern also announced that use of masks or face coverings will become mandatory on public transport in alert levels 2 or above starting from next Monday.

What the restrictions mean: Under level 3 restrictions, public venues such as museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, playgrounds and markets will remain closed. People must stay within their immediate household bubble, but can expand this to connect with close family, bring in caregivers or support those who are isolated.

Under level 2 restrictions, no more than 100 people can gather in one place at a given time. 

Another 266 Covid-19 cases were recorded in South Korea in the past 24 hours, the vast majority of which were locally transmitted, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said today.

Among the local cases, 201 were reported in Seoul. This brings the nationwide total to 17,665 cases, while the death toll remains at 309.

Senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said today there is a high risk of a larger outbreak, as about 20% of last week’s cases were untraceable.

On Sunday, South Korea recorded 397 Covid-19 cases – the highest single-day increase since early March, according to KCDC.

The Seoul city government also announced today an anonymous Covid-19 testing option for people who do not wish to reveal their identity. They can now take a test by providing a valid phone number without having to disclose other personal information, authorities said.

At least 15 partygoers who were arrested for attending an unauthorized party in Lima, which ended in a deadly stampede, have tested positive for coronavirus, Peru’s Health Ministry said Sunday. 

The country’s Minister of Interior Jorge Montoya said police had arrested the owners of the club where 13 people were killed on Saturday, Peru’s official news agency Agencia Andina reported.

Three others were injured in the stampede, when partygoers attempted to escape a police raid on the venue, according to Orlando Velasco Mujica, general of the Peruvian National Police. 

Police were called to the Thomas Restobar in the Los Olivos district of Lima on Saturday evening to shut down an illegal party that more than 120 people were attending. 

Social distancing measures are mandated in Peru, large social gatherings are banned and there is a nationwide 10 p.m. curfew in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

The Australian state of Victoria recorded 116 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day increase in seven weeks, Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews said Monday.

The total number of cases reported in Victoria is now 18,330, Andrews said.

The state has been under a tight lockdown, including an 8 p.m. curfew, since a new outbreak in July which quickly spread to thousands of people.

Andrews said that 15 new coronavirus deaths were reported on Sunday, raising the state-wide death toll to 430. All the new deaths were linked to outbreaks in aged-care facilities.

The Premier said 629 Victorians remain in hospital, of which 31 are receiving intensive care.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the pandemic “is losing steam” in a YouTube video Sunday, adding that there are now enough hospital beds for the sick.

New cases: Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 3,948 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed infections to 560,164.

The ministry also reported 226 new deaths, taking the total number of coronavirus-related fatalities to 60,480.

Mexico has reported the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America, behind Brazil and Peru.

New Zealand recorded eight new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, seven of which were locally transmitted, the country’s top health official announced on Monday.

The total number of confirmed cases in New Zealand now stands at 1,332. No new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving the countrywide death toll at 22.

All seven of the new local cases were linked to the existing cluster in Auckland, New Zealand’s Director General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference. He added that one imported case was also reported.   

Bloomfield said 4,589 coronavirus tests were conducted on Sunday, bringing the total number of tests administered across the country to 697,070. Nearly 100,000 tests have been conducted in the past week, according to Bloomfield.  

Lockdown decision: The new cases come as New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is set to make a decision later today on whether to extend coronavirus restrictions in the country, after they were reimposed on August 14 following the new outbreak.

US President Donald Trump announces that the Food and Drug Administration is issuing an emergency authorization for blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment during a news conference at the White House in Washington, DC on August 23.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the use of convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19 on Sunday, saying the “known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.”

The FDA said more than 70,000 patients had been treated with convalescent plasma, made using the blood of people who have recovered from coronavirus infections.

Last week, Trump accused some health officials of playing politics regarding an EUA for convalescent plasma. When asked about the FDA not having granted an EUA, Trump said the reason was political.

On Sunday, a source who is close to the White House coronavirus task force told CNN the FDA had reviewed additional data to inform its impending EUA decision. This official has not personally reviewed the data. They added the FDA is under no obligation to consult anyone outside the agency about its decision.

Convalescent plasma is taken from the blood of people who have recovered from Covid-19. At the end of March, the FDA set up a pathway for scientists to try convalescent plasma with patients and study its impact. It has already been used to treat more than 60,000 Covid-19 patients.

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SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 17: Phlebotomist Jenee Wilson carries COVID-19 convalescent plasma from a donor at Bloodworks Northwest on April 17, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The plasma will be used in a new experimental treatment in hopes that the antibodies will help others still battling the COVID-19 disease. The plasma donation process, called plasmapheresis, separates blood plasma, from red and white blood cells and platelets, and returns the cells and platelets back to the donor. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

Related article Trump expected to announce emergency authorization for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19

Peru’s Health Ministry reported 3,706 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases confirmed in the country to 594,326.

The ministry also reported 210 new deaths, raising the death toll to 27,933.

On Saturday, at least 13 people were killed in a stampede at a nightclub in Lima, as partygoers attempted to escape a police raid on the venue. Police were called to shut down an illegal party with more than 120 people in attendance.

Social distancing measures are mandated in Peru, large social gatherings are banned and there is a nationwide 10 p.m. curfew to slow the spread of the virus.

Brazil’s Health Ministry has reported 23,421 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 3.6 million.

The ministry reported 494 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, raising the country’s death toll to 114,744.

Brazil is second only to the United States in the highest total number of coronavirus cases and deaths worldwide.