September 14 coronavirus news

A mortician assistant prepares a funeral service for a man who died of COVID-19 at Ray Williams Funeral Home on August 12 in Tampa, Florida.

There have been at least 6,526,143 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 194,155 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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

So far on Monday, Johns Hopkins has reported 6,570 new cases and 84 reported deaths.

WATCH:

New York has remained under a 1% Covid-19 infection rate for 38 days, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Here’s a look at today’s numbers for New York:

Faculty members from Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane administer COVID-19 tests to students at a mobile testing site on campus on September 2 in Pullman, Washington.

As college students begin their fall semester, all 50 states have now reported positive cases of Covid-19 at colleges and universities.

This represents more than 45,000 cases of Covid-19 among students and staff at colleges and universities across the country.

Remember: This tally represents cases that CNN has reported so far. There are likely many others that have not been reported.

Additionally, many schools update their data every few days, or even once a week in some cases, so there can be a lag in data. 

The Aflac Duck and Macys balloon are pictured during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon inflation in New York City on November 27, 2019.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio teased that Macy’s is putting together entertainment for Thanksgiving to replace the traditional live parade coverage in light of the pandemic.

This will not be a live parade, but the experience will be online, and on television, de Blasio said, not delving into details. 

He is reviewing the specifics with Macy’s later today.

De Blasio began by saying there are some things “we still can’t do” like have “large gatherings … parades … community events.” 

The Mayor noted he is looking forward to the parade’s hopeful return in 2021.

Coronavirus has claimed the life of a Palm Beach County Sheriff deputy, the agency announced on Twitter Saturday. 

“We are sad to announce the passing of D/S Angela Chavers” PBSO tweeted.

Chavers 44, died on Saturday as a result of battling Covid-19. Chavers began working for the sheriff’s office in 2002, according to CNN affiliate WPBF. She was assigned to the Inmate Management and Corrections Division. 

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city has also created a Covid-19 Response “Situation Room” specifically for the Department of Education (DOE).

It will be comprised of DOE, Test & Trace and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene staff, and open six days a week.

It will also have a direct hotline for principals, and be responsible for daily public reporting.

It will be led by NYC Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca, who called the task at hand “unprecedented,” adding that the process will be “very straight forward.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a press conference in New York on September 14.

In New York City, 55 school-based staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 as a result of priority testing, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

Almost 17,000 school-based staff have taken advantage of “priority testing,” the mayor said, returning a .32% positivity rate.

“That tells us a lot” he said notably that efforts to fight back the disease are “working,” and that school workers are being “diligent.”

He said 98% of the results came back within 48 hours. 

There are 22 priority testing sites available at Health and Hospital facilities for students and staff this week, which will turn results in a 24-48 hour period.

This is free for any student or DOE employee, de Blasio said.

Enbal Sabag, a nurse practitioner, administers a flu vaccination at the CVS pharmacy and MinuteClinic on September 3 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Two Emory University doctors stressed the importance of getting a flu shot this year – to avoid what they call the “twindemic” of Covid-19 and influenza.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System, said now is not the time to lower our guard and become “complacent.”

“When Dr. Fauci said the other day, ‘We need to hunker down,’ I think what he was saying is: We need to really reinforce social distancing, masking, handwashing, and I would add to that, influenza vaccination,” del Rio said during a Monday webinar.

For the flu, “we have a vaccine. Use it,” he added.

Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center, said the middle-of-the-road effectiveness of the flu vaccine should not deter people from getting it.

“For the 2019-20 season, the estimated effectiveness is 38% overall. While these estimates are not optimal for a vaccine want – we’d like a more effective vaccine – they are still a lot better than 0%, which is the effectiveness of no vaccination,” Orenstein said.

Orenstein said the flu is not “a trivial illness,” as some people tend to think.

And by getting the vaccine, you’re protecting others, del Rio added.

“The effectiveness of the vaccine decreases with age,” del Rio said. “So if I get myself and my kids immunized, I protect my parents – my elderly parents – better, because even though they may not be protected from the vaccine, the fact that the close network of individuals they have is protected, protects them.”

As athletes recover from Covid-19, taking images of their hearts to screen for inflammation may help doctors determine when it could be safe to return to competing in games, new research suggests.

The study – conducted by researchers at Ohio State University – found in cardiac magnetic resonance images, or MRIs, that among 26 of the university’s competitive athletes who were recovering from Covid-19, four showed signs of inflammation of the heart muscle, called myocarditis.

More on this: The researchers performed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 26 competitive athletes referred to the university’s sports medicine clinic after testing for Covid-19 between June and August. The athletes were involved in football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and track – and only 12 athletes reported having symptoms, which were mild, while others did not show any symptoms.

The cardiac imaging was performed after each athlete quarantined for at least 11 days. No athletes had illness severe enough to require hospitalization, according to the study, and none received antiviral therapies specific for Covid-19.

The imaging showed that four athletes, or 15%, had findings consistent with myocarditis and eight additional athletes, or 30.8%, had signs of prior myocardial injury.

The study had some limitations, including that more research is needed to determine whether similar findings would emerge among a larger group of college athletes from various universities.

It’s Monday morning in the US, and the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the country and the rest of the world.

The World Health Organization received reports of 307,930 new Covid-19 cases worldwide in the past 24 hours — the highest single-day increase in global infections since the pandemic began. The previous daily high was set on September 6, when 306,857 cases were reported.

If you’re just reading in now, here’s what else you need to know to start the day:

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, center, leaves the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy on September 14.

Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been released from hospital in Milan where he was receiving treatment for coronavirus-related pneumonia, his press office told CNN Monday.

The 83-year-old media magnate, who first became the country’s leader in 1994, was admitted to the San Raffaele hospital on September 3 and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.

Upon his release from hospital Berlusconi told journalists the experience was “the most dangerous test of my life.”

Italy recorded six further coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry, taking its total death toll to 35,610.

The number of patients in intensive care has been steadily increasing, reaching 187 on Sunday. 

However, some Italian schools reopened Monday. Students and teachers have been given masks and hand sanitizer, but some schools have not received the new single person-desks which are supposed to help with social distancing.

Italy has a high percentage of teachers over the age of 50, a group at greater risk from coronavirus.

Secondary lockdowns are coming into force and restrictions being renewed, as countries struggle to get a handle on new waves of coronavirus cases while attempting to keep their economies afloat.

In a sign that the worst is far from over, the World Health Organization reported the highest single-day increase in global infections since the pandemic began on Sunday.

Israel will bring back a nationwide lockdown — one of the first countries to do so — reimposing many of the same severe restrictions seen earlier this year, as an outbreak widens there. The government, wary of mass gatherings ahead of the high holidays, said the measures will come into force on Friday, the start of the Jewish new year.

Meanwhile, in Britain, a government adviser has warned that failure to contain a surge of cases could put the country “right back in hard lockdown in short order.” In an attempt to contain the virus’ spread, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reduced the number of people allowed to meet from 30 to six, starting Monday.

As Europe sees a spike in cases, WHO’s director for the continent told Agence France-Presse that the crisis was only going to get tougher, and to expect more deaths in October and November. “It’s a moment where countries don’t want to hear this bad news, and I understand,” Hans Kluge said, adding that we all have to “learn how to live with this pandemic.”

A version of this story appeared in the September 14 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.

Read the full story here or sign up to the newsletter here.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, center, speaks alongside Czech Prime minister Andrej Babis, left, and Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic during a press conference in Vienna, Austria on September 9.

Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said his country is experiencing a second wave of the pandemic. ”We are at the beginning of the second wave. We are facing difficult months in the autumn and winter,” tweeted Kurz on Sunday. “The number of infections is increasing from day to day.”

Kurz asked Austrian citizens to continue to adhere to all coronavirus measures and reduce social contacts.

The number of new infections in Austria has risen in recent days and the situation is “particularly dramatic” in the capital, Vienna, which recorded more than half of all new infections in the country, Kurz told national Austrian news agency APA on Sunday.

“Whereas two weeks ago the number of infections per day was around 350, yesterday it was already over 850,” Kurz said, adding that the mark of 1,000 new cases per day would soon be reached.

Austria is tightening its coronavirus rules from Monday in response to the growing numbers.

Face masks must be worn in all public indoor areas and events without assigned and marked seats with more than 50 guests in closed rooms are not allowed. Additionally, eating and drinking in restaurants is only allowed when sitting down. 

On Saturday, Austria registered 869 new infections in 24 hours, the highest increase since the end of March, according to health authorities. 

So far 33,463 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Austria, and 757 have died, said the health ministry.

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) released its annual report Monday, noting that Covid-19 revealed the world’s “collective failure” to prepare and calling for a renewed commitment to collaboration and the World Health Organization (WHO).

GPMB is an independent body, convened by the WHO and the World Bank, to ensure preparedness for global health crises.

In its 2019 report, the board noted that “a rapidly spreading pandemic due to a lethal respiratory pathogen” was a real threat, and that the world was not prepared, financially or structurally. 

Among the lessons learned from Covid-19, the board notes that a pandemic can wreak havoc on social and economic systems, in addition to health.

Political leadership matters, the report says, especially when leaders realize that they do not need to choose between protecting people or the economy.

The board says it’s worth investing in pandemic preparedness, noting: “It would take 500 years to spend as much on investing in preparedness as the world is losing due to COVID-19.” 

The board calls for immediate action moving forward, including responsible leadership and ensuring fair access to vaccines.

“Each country should get an initial allocation of vaccine sufficient to cover at least 2% of its population, to cover frontline healthcare workers,” the report says.

The board also calls on ordinary citizens to step up, by holding their governments accountable and taking health precautions to protect one another.

The report notes that women in particular are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, while remaining inadequately involved in preparedness and response.

Texas has now recorded 14,405 coronavirus deaths, the third-most of any US state behind New Jersey and New York, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

New York, with 33,023 deaths, and New Jersey, with 16,031 deaths, hold the two top spots for deaths across the US. California is now in fourth place, reporting 14,386 total deaths, per JHU data.

Texas has a total of 681,885 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began – the second highest of any state behind California.

The US has recorded 6,520,606 coronavirus cases, according to JHU, with 194,084 deaths.

People queue to get tested for Covid-19 in Venissieux, France, on September 11.

There are mixed developments across Europe as the continent continues to grapple with the pandemic. Here is your latest roundup:

France

Daily coronavirus infections dipped slightly in France on Sunday, a day after the country recorded more than 10,000 new cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Health authorities say Sunday’s total number of new cases was 7,183, down from Saturday’s record-breaking number of 10,561.

Italy

The Italian Health Ministry says six people have died of the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of pandemic deaths to 35,610.

Some Italian schools reopened Monday. Students and teachers have been given masks and hand sanitizer, but some schools have not received the new single person-desks which are supposed to help with social distancing. Italy has a high percentage of teachers over the age of 50, a group at greater risk from coronavirus.

The number of patients in intensive care in Italy has been steadily increasing, reaching 187 on Sunday.  

Germany

Case numbers continue to rise in Germany, albeit more slowly than in some other European countries.

The number of total cases in the country increased by 927 to 260,335, said the Robert-Koch Institute, the national agency for disease control and prevention, on Monday. So far 9,350 people have died of the virus, with one additional death since Sunday.

Meanwhile authorities say a 26-year-old US citizen has caused a coronavirus spike in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The unnamed woman had recently returned from a holiday abroad, according to Stephan Scharf, press officer of the District Administrator’s Office in the southern German town.

Scharf told CNN he did not know which country she had returned from, but it had not been from the US. The woman developed Covid-19 symptoms, took a coronavirus test and was told to stay at home to wait for the results, said Scharf, but this did not stop her from going out and socializing.

She has since received a positive test result and is in quarantine, said Scharf.

UK

Britain’s health care system is experiencing “significant demand” for coronavirus testing from people who do not have symptoms, its health department said Monday, amid reports that its testing program has a backlog of 185,000 test swabs.

“[National Health Service] Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible,” a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson told CNN.

The UK recorded 3,330 new coronavirus cases on Sunday morning. Five more people have died, bringing the total official death toll to 41,628.

England is preparing for new restrictions to come into effect Monday after a recent rise in the infection rate. As of Monday, only six people can gather in England at any time. 

Switzerland

Switzerland has added some regions in neighboring countries to its quarantine list, according to its Department of Health.

Several French regions will be added to the list, including Provence-Alpes Cote d’Azur and Ile de France, which contains Paris. The Austrian capital of Vienna is also now on the quarantine list, as well as the whole of Spain.

Some countries were removed from the list, including Ecuador, the Faroe Islands, Guatemala and South Africa.

Switzerland reported 475 new cases on Sunday, taking the total to 47,179. A total 1,747 people have died, with a further four on Sunday, according to the Department of Health.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic set a new daily record for coronavirus infections, with 1,541 new cases recorded Saturday, according to its health ministry. The spike in cases coincides with increased testing, with an average of 15,000 people being tested every day. On Friday alone, 18,200 people took a test.

A total of 453 people have so far died of coronavirus in the Czech Republic, and there have been 35,401 total infections.

Sweden

Sweden has lifted its travel warning for non-essential travel to the UK. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the decision was taken because of the UK’s “reduced Covid-19 risk,” and will take immediate effect.

Keir Starmer, leader of the UK’s opposition Labour party, has gone into self-isolation while a member of his household awaits Covid-19 test results after developing symptoms. 

“This morning Keir Starmer was advised to self-isolate after a member of his household showed possible symptoms of the coronavirus,” said a spokesperson for Starmer.

“The member of his household has now had a test. In line with NHS [National Health Service] guidelines, Keir will self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test and further advice from medical professionals.”

The UK recorded 3,330 new coronavirus cases on Sunday morning. Five more people have died, bringing the total official death toll from Covid-19 to 41,628.

England is preparing for new restrictions to come into effect Monday after a recent rise in the infection rate. As of Monday, only six people can gather in England at any time.

Workers pack syringes at the Hindustan Syringes factory in Faridabad, India. The manufacturer is ramping up its production, anticipating a surge in demand amid the global race to find a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine.

The Indian government is considering an “emergency authorization” of Covid-19 vaccines, the country’s health minister, Harsh Vardhan, said Sunday.

Vardhan said that while Phase 3 trials are usually six to nine months long, an emergency authorization could cut that time period.

“Any emergency authorization is always done by adopting re-enforced safeguards so that people need not worry about safety,” he said.

At present, the Covid-19 vaccines that are at the most advanced stage in clinical trials in India include Covaxin, which is being developed domestically, and vaccines that the Serum Institute of India is collaborating on with Astra Zeneca, Oxford University and Codagenix USA.

Vardhan said the results of these vaccine trials will be available by the first quarter of 2021, and there will be efforts to ensure that the vaccines can be manufactured in parallel “so that we don’t lose precious time (in) providing vaccines to the population.”

Senior citizens and those working in high-risk professions, such as healthcare workers, will be given priority in getting the vaccination, the minister said.

“No corners will be cut in the clinical trials, and vaccines will be made available only when the government can ensure its safety and efficacy,” Vardhan added.

India reported 92,071 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total to more than 4.8 million. There were also another 1,136 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 79,722.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Sunday, September 13.

Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, US President Donald Trump tops the list of things Germans fear the most, according to a survey published by the country’s largest insurance group last week. 

The annual poll into the fears of people living in Germany shows that 53% of respondents are concerned by the consequences of ”a more dangerous world due to the politics of Trump,” putting the US president at the top of their list of worries.

This is the second time since 2018 that Trump tops the survey, which is carried out by insurance group R+V.

“This year, the fear of a serious illness is surprisingly small, although it is dominated by corona,” said Brigitte Roemstedt, head of R+V’s information center, in a company statement.

The poll found that 32% of Germans worry about catching a serious illness – compared to 35% in 2019 – before the coronavirus outbreak began to spread.

Roemstedt added ”only about one in three respondents is afraid that they themselves or people around them could become infected with coronavirus.”

The survey also showed that 42% of Germans believe that globalization could cause more pandemics, and 51% said they are concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus.

The annual R+V survey has been conducted since 1992. Researchers ask people about their greatest personal, political, economic and environmental fears. 

For this year’s study 2,400 people participated in June and July 2020, according to R+V.

Britain’s health care system is experiencing “significant demand” for coronavirus testing from people who do not have symptoms, its health department said Monday, amid reports that its testing program has a backlog of 185,000 test swabs.

“[National Health Service] Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible,” a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson told CNN.

According to the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, leaked DHSC documents indicate the government’s testing program has been so overwhelmed that swabs have been sent to labs in Germany and Italy to help keep up with demand, as British labs have seen “chaos” in their supply chains.

The DHSC spokesperson did not confirm or deny the specific details in the Sunday Times’ report.

“Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups,” they added.

A coronavirus testing center is pictured in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany, on September 13.

German authorities say a 26-year-old US citizen has caused a spike in coronavirus infections in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The unnamed woman had recently returned from a holiday abroad, according to Stephan Scharf, press officer of the District Administrator’s Office in the southern German town.

Scharf told CNN he did not know which country she had returned from, but it had not been from the US.

The woman developed Covid-19 symptoms, took a coronavirus test and was told to stay at home to wait for the results, said Scharf, but this did not stop her from going out and socializing.

She has since received a positive test result and is in quarantine, said Scharf.

“We don’t know how many people the assumed spreader infected, although we know she was out being infectious,” Scharf said.

On Friday there were 33 new cases in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

“We did not have so many even during the height of Corona,” Scharf said. “This kind of behavior of course is everything but commendable.”

Garmisch-Partenkirchen recorded a seven-day incidence rate of 55 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the latest figures.

German authorities have agreed to reimpose measures in areas where the incidence rate rises above 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

As a result new regulations came into effect in Garmisch-Partenkirchen over the weekend, meaning local pubs and bars have to close at 10 p.m. local time.

Only five people can be at a table indoors, and 10 people outdoors – half of what it was allowed before. The number of attendees allowed for parties have also been slashed from 200 to 100, Scharf said.

The woman works at the Edelweiss Lodge, a US Armed Forces Recreation Center Resort operated by the US Army, and Scharf told CNN 24 staff members had tested positive for coronavirus.

The US Army Europe Public Affairs Department said in a statement Sunday that the resort would be closed for two weeks starting from Monday.

France’s daily count of coronavirus infections dipped slightly on Sunday, a day after the country recorded more than 10,000 new cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

There were 7,183 new cases on Sunday, according to health authorities, down from Saturday’s record-breaking number of 10,561.

However a nationwide lockdown is not in the French government’s “mindset” despite the “clear deterioration” of the coronavirus situation, said Prime Minister Jean Castex in a televised address on Friday.

Castex said he is “particularly worried” to see “a substantial increase in hospitalizations for the first time in a number of weeks.”

French Prime Minister Jean Castex visits a manufacturing plant in Montévrain, France, on Monday, September 14.

The Prime Minister said a national lockdown should be avoided and gave power to local authorities to impose restrictions instead of the central government.

“Measures should not be decided from Paris,” said Castex, explaining that the virus is spreading unevenly.

Marseille, Bordeaux, and Guadeloupe are particularly badly affected, he added. Local authorities have until Monday to present measures to the Prime Minister.

Castex also announced changes to the French government’s testing and isolation strategy.

In face of the “significant waiting times” the priority will be to test people showing symptoms, those who were in close contact with coronavirus patients, and healthcare personnel, Castex said.

“France has become the third European country in terms of testing,” he added, with around a million tests per week.

Castex also announced the mandatory isolation period for people with Covid-19 will be reduced from 14 to 7 days, a “period where there is a real risk of contagion,” he said.

“Tomorrow depends on you, tomorrow depends on us,” said Castex.

In the US, the term “rage mom” has been used to describe fed-up mothers who are demanding change after months of juggling their roles as teachers, employees, caregivers, and parents with limited support during the pandemic.

And while it’s not a movement, the sentiment is also felt in the United Kingdom, one of the countries worst hit by coronavirus.

British “rage mums” say they, like their sisters across the Atlantic, are mobilizing to hold their government to account and make their voices heard.

Watch:

Not everyone in China will need to get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the country’s top medical official, as Beijing looks to prioritize frontline workers and high-risk populations in a move that underscores rising confidence among policy-makers of their ability to contain the virus.

The question of vaccinating the public was one of balancing “risks and benefits,” he added, pointing to factors like cost and potential side effects. There isn’t currently a need for mass vaccination at this stage – though that could change if another serious outbreak takes place, Gao said.

The policy marks China apart from many Western governments, most notably Australia, that have outlined plans to introduce mass public vaccination drives.

Outbreak under control: China’s reported virus numbers have stayed low since the spring. There have been a few flare-ups – clusters in the northeastern Jilin province in May, an outbreak in Beijing in June, and another in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi in July – but these were met with immediate lockdown measures and mass testing, and the outbreaks were contained within a few weeks.

Gao cited these brief outbreaks as evidence of China’s effective containment measures. “The facts have proven that we have several magic weapons to respond to the epidemic,” he said, according to China News Service.

Any potential vaccine would instead be prioritized for those on the front lines, he added: medical workers, Chinese nationals working overseas in virus hostpots, and people working in dense, high-risk environments like restaurants, schools or cleaning services.

Read the full story:

Chinese President Xi Jinping learns about the progress on a candidate coronavirus vaccine during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing on March 2, 2020.

Related article China says no need to vaccinate entire population against Covid-19 at this stage, only frontline workers

The United States reported 34,450 new Covid-19 infections and 378 virus-related deaths on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

At least 6,520,235 cases, including 194,081 fatalities, have now been recorded in the US.

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 cases here:

Cathay Pacific planes seen parked on the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport on March 10, 2020. 

Cathay Pacific Group, the owner of Hong Kong’s flagship airline, says it’s losing hundreds of millions of dollars a month as the coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel global demand for travel.

The company said Monday that its two main carriers – Cathay Pacific and regional sister airline Cathay Dragon – only carried about 36,000 passengers altogether last month, plunging 98.8% compared to the same time a year ago.

While the company has continuously taken steps to cut costs, it is still “burning cash” at a rate of 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($194 million) to 2 billion Hong Kong dollars ($258 million) per month, according to chief customer and commercial officer Ronald Lam.

Cathay was bailed out by Hong Kong’s government in June. That helped give the company “time and a platform from which to transform our business and continue to operate in the short term,” said Lam. “However, it is an investment that we need to repay.”

The company expects a long road back to recovery. Lam noted that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently pushed back its global forecast for an industry rebound “by a year to 2024, demonstrating just how slow a return to pre-pandemic levels will be.”

France’s daily coronavirus infections dipped slightly on Sunday, a day after the country recorded more than 10,000 new cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Health authorities said Sunday’s total number of new Covid-19 cases was 7,183, down from Saturday’s high of 10,561.

No lockdown: A nationwide lockdown is not in the French government’s “mindset” despite the “clear deterioration” of the coronavirus situation in the country, Prime Minister Jean Castex said during a televised address on Friday.

The Prime Minister said a national lockdown should be avoided and gave power to local authorities to impose restrictions, instead of the central government. 

US President Donald Trump offered a glaring new example of his refusal to put medical science before politics with a large indoor rally Sunday night that made a mockery of social distancing, while the pandemic he mismanaged has now claimed more than 194,000 American lives.

The event in Nevada – his second rally in the state in as many days – did not only risk the health of those present, thousands of whom were packed together inside a manufacturing facility in defiance of the state’s ban on local gatherings of 50 people or more. It also has the potential to turn into a super spreader event that could seed Covid-19 outbreaks in the wider community.

Trump hadn’t held an indoor rally in nearly three months, since his last one, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after which the city saw a surge in cases and multiple campaign staffers along with Secret Service agents tested positive for the virus.

The jarring scenes of the indoor event clashed with footage from the first weekend of NFL games that went ahead in cavernous empty stadiums, reflecting how almost alone the President, who might be expected to set an example, is responsible for the most dangerous breaches of his own government’s coronavirus recommendations.

Rare precautions: CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that major television networks, including CNN, decided not to send their crews and correspondents into the rally for their own safety. It’s not unusual for media companies to take steps to shield their employees in war zones abroad, but such precautions are exceedingly rare on home soil.

Read the full analysis:

Supporters cheer as US President Donald Trump arrives for an indoor campaign rally at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 13, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

Related article Analysis: Trump ignores science at dangerous indoor rally

Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, announced that her government decided to lower its coronavirus rank and loosen voluntary refrainment from large-scale public events, traveling and dining out at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office on September 10.

Japan recorded 441 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing its total caseload to 76,369, the Japanese Health Ministry announced Monday.

The country also reported three new deaths on Sunday, with its total death toll now at 1,455.

In the capital Tokyo, the total number of infections has surpassed 23,000, with 146 new cases confirmed Sunday, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Easing restrictions: Japan has been grappling with a second wave of infections since July, with more than 1,000 cases recorded daily during its peak in August. But the daily infections have been decreasing in recent weeks, and authorities are planning to ease restrictions.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike plans to end the 10 p.m. closure request on Tuesday for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol in central Tokyo.

The Japanese government has decided to ease the attendance restrictions for events including professional sports games. From September 19, the current restriction limiting the number of attendees in stadiums and large-scale facilities to 5,000 will be scrapped.

South Korea is planning to stockpile 4 million sets of additional personal protective equipment by December to prepare for a large scale spread of the coronavirus, according to its Ministry of Health.

The government also plans to secure additional ECMO machines – a specialized heart-lung bypass machine used when the lungs cannot function themselves – and ventilators, Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said in a briefing Monday.

New cases: South Korea recorded 109 Covid-19 infections on Sunday, of which 98 were locally transmitted. Some 81 of the local cases were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to data from the ministry. Five new deaths were also reported on Sunday.

The country’s total caseload stands at 22,285, including 363 deaths.

The race for a coronavirus vaccine shows no signs of slowing as more companies move their vaccine candidates through clinical trials, growing closer to determining which will be considered safe and effective. 

One such candidate is in development by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which announced along with its German partner BioNTech on Saturday they proposed expanding Phase 3 clinical trials to include 44,000 participants and more diverse patient populations, including people as young as 16. 

That’s up from the initial plan of 30,000 participants, a benchmark they plan to meet next week, according to a news release. 

Diversity matters: The proposal, which would need approval by the Food and Drug Administration, would allow the companies to collect more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine candidate while diversifying the pool of participants.

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Related article Pfizer proposes expanding Covid-19 vaccine trial to include more diversity as race for a vaccine continues

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives to speak at the Business NZ Election Conference on September 11, in Auckland, New Zealand.

New Zealand will extend its current coronavirus restrictions for another week as the country reported one new case on Monday.

If that change was agreed, the new measures would come into effect on September 23, according to Ardern.

“As we know more cases will emerge from this cluster’s tail, these cases can still continue to pose risks,” she warned.

Under the extended restrictions in Auckland, social gatherings are limited to 10 people while businesses can open as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. 

Ardern said the cabinet had agreed “in principle” that the rest of New Zealand outside of Auckland will move to level 1 restrictions at 11:59 p.m. on September 21, as long as cases continue to “track as they are and maintaining the containment we have seen.”

She also praised New Zealand’s testing efforts. “Over 100,000 tests have taken place nationwide that have not shown any spread of the virus to date in other parts of New Zealand, despite the resumption of inter-regional travel,” she said.

So far, New Zealand has reported a total of 1,447 coronavirus infections and 24 deaths.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks during a news conference on September 14, in Melbourne, Australia.

Australia’s Victoria state recorded 35 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, according to Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services.

This is the state’s lowest daily increase in infections since June 26, according to statistics from the department.

The total number of cases confirmed in Victoria now stands at 19,870. Seven deaths were also recorded on Sunday, bringing the total death toll in the state to 730.

Protests: Over the weekend, anti-lockdown protests were held in Melbourne, leading to the arrest of at least 88 people. Video of the demonstrations showed police in riot gear arresting protesters in the streets while onlookers chanted “freedom.”

On Sunday night, Victoria also began slowly lifting certain coronavirus lockdown restrictions, according to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. In Melbourne, playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment have been reopened, while those living alone or single parents are allowed to have one other person in their home.

CEO of Pfizer Inc. Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D. attends the 2019 Forbes Healthcare Summit at the Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 5, 2019 in New York.  

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said there is “quite a good chance” the team testing his company’s vaccine candidate for Covid-19 will know whether it works by the end of October. 

When asked whether people would have to wait until 2021 to receive the vaccine, Bourla said that he didn’t know how long it would take for regulators to approve the drug.

“We have a good chance that we will know if the product works by the end of October. Then, of course, it is (the) regulator’s job to issue (a) license or not,” he said.

Pfizer has started manufacturing the vaccine and Bourla said hundreds of thousands of doses have already been made. 

More details: Bourla said vaccine distribution will be a problem. Shipping medicines is complex, particularly when they need special storage conditions. But he said Pfizer already knows how to do it very well. 

As for who gets the vaccine, Bourla said that is something the authorities should decide, for example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The World Health Organization received reports of 307,930 new Covid-19 cases worldwide in the past 24 hours – the highest single-day increase in global infections since the pandemic began.

The previous daily high was set on September 6, when 306,857 cases were reported.

The total number of cases that have been reported to the WHO from around the globe now stands at 28,637,952.

There were also 5,537 new coronavirus deaths reported to the WHO over the past 24 hours, bringing the global death toll to at least 917,417.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

Israel approved a second general lockdown on Sunday evening as coronavirus cases surge across the country. The lockdown, which is expected to start Friday afternoon, will see the country return to many of the same severe restrictions of the first lockdown back in April. 

Schools, restaurants (except delivery), and entertainment venues will all close, as well as other businesses, for an initial period of three weeks. The public sector will operate with a limited workforce, while private sector businesses can operate as long as non-employees do not enter the workspace. 

People will be required to stay within 500 meters of their home. Emergency services, pharmacies and food stores will remain open. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 20 people, while indoor gatherings will be limited to 10. 

Restrictions will be eased once Israel records a sharp decline in infection rates, though no number has been put on what might constitute such a decline. 

At a cabinet meeting earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country’s coronavirus czar had raised “a red flag regarding the ability of the health system to handle the challenges that are upon us, and (thus) the need to take the necessary steps as a result.”  

By the numbers: Netanyahu announced the lockdown after coronavirus cases surged last week, hitting a new daily high of 4,217 cases in 24 hours on Thursday, the third straight day with more than 4,000 new cases recorded.

The number of patients in serious condition has also steadily climbed, reaching a high of 513 serious cases and 138 on ventilators as of Saturday.