German Infection Rate Rises; Iran to Mandate Masks: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s coronavirus infection rate rose for the first time in four days after outbreaks in the meat industry and at refugee centers.

Beijing reported another 22 infections while the Australian state of Victoria moved to tighten restrictions after cases rose to the highest in two months.

California, Florida and Arizona set one-day records and Texas outpaced its seven-day average, fueling concern the spread is worsening in the U.S. Sun Belt.

Brazil topped 1 million infections, trailing only the U.S., after reporting record new cases. The World Health Organization chief warned of “a new and dangerous phase.”

Key Developments:

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Iran to Mandate Masks in Some Areas (3:29 p.m. HK)

Iran plans to make wearing masks mandatory in areas with high rates of infection amid a sharp rise in the country’s fatalities and new cases, President Hassan Rouhani said on state TV without giving details. A regulation making face masks mandatory for subway and bus riders in Tehran has proved unsuccessful in the absence of adequate enforcement. Iran had more than 200,000 confirmed cases as of Friday.

South Africa Gets $1 Billion Loan (3:06 p.m. HK)

The New Development Bank approved a $1 billion emergency loan for South Africa. The money will address the nation’s urgent health needs and help mitigate the impact of the virus on the most vulnerable people, Xian Zhu, NDB vice president and chief operations officer, said in an emailed statement on Saturday.

Croatia Tightens Border Restrictions (2:55 p.m. HK)

Croatia is tightening restrictions for visitors from its eastern neighbors Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, where cases are on the rise again, Hina news agency quoted Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic as saying.

German Rate Rises on Meat Industry Outbreak (2:24 p.m. HK)

There were 482 new infections in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, bringing the total to 190,299 according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

A German meatpacking plant was ordered to shut Friday after hundreds of workers became infected, adding to a string of outbreaks at slaughterhouses across Europe.

Australian State Reduces Home Visitor Numbers (1:38 p.m. HK)

Victoria will reduce the number of visitors to homes to five from Monday after cases began rising.

“Around half of our cases since the end of April have come from transmission inside someone’s home,” state premier Daniel Andrews said. “The numbers are being driven by families – families having big get-togethers and not following the advice around distancing and hygiene.”

Myanmar Has Biggest One-Day Increase (12:58 p.m. HK)

Myanmar announced 23 new cases Friday, the Southeast Asian nation’s biggest one-day increase. All were Myanmar nationals who returned from Thailand and Malaysia. That brings the country’s total to 286.

Malaysia Says No Airline Bailouts (12:24 p.m. HK)

Malaysia won’t inject cash or offer so-called soft loans to any airlines based in the country even as travel demand craters and planes are grounded. The government will instead focus on helping the travel industry as a whole to weather the slowdown, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz told The Edge newspaper.

South Korea Confirms 67 Additional Cases (9:28 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported 67 more coronavirus cases in 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 12,373, data from Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention show. Seoul had 13 new cases while 10 were in Gyeonggi province.

China Reports 27 More Cases (9:04 a.m. HK)

China reported 27 additional cases, with 22 of those in the nation’s capital Beijing. The other five were in Guangdong, Shanghai and Hebei.

U.S. to Release PPP Loan Details (7:10 a.m. HK)

The Trump administration said it will disclose details about companies that got loans of more than $150,000 from a small-business relief program, following a backlash for refusing to reveal details about billions of dollars in government aid.

Names, addresses and other details from businesses that got Paycheck Protection Program loans will be disclosed in ranges starting with loans worth $150,000 to $350,000 and up to $5 million to $10 million, the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration said.

Hawaii Has Biggest One-Day Jump (6:45 a.m. HK)

Hawaii reported 27 new cases, its biggest one-day increase in more than two months, raising the total to 789, the third-fewest in the U.S. behind Alaska and Montana. The state has reported 17 deaths.

The majority of new cases are associated with community clusters in large households with crowded conditions, adult care and long-term nursing facilities, and with a church group, state officials said.

Novartis Stops Hydroxychloroquine Trial (6:10 a.m. HK)

Novartis AG will stop a clinical trial using the anti-malaria drug touted by President Donald Trump to treat Covid-19 patients, citing in a statement slow enrollment for the tests.

The recruiting challenge made it unlikely the team could collect meaningful data about hydroxychloroquine in a reasonable timeframe, Novartis said. No safety issues were reported or efficacy conclusions reached.

The Food and Drug Administration revoked emergency-use authorization for two malaria drugs after finding they were unlikely to work against the virus and could have dangerous side effects.

Tyson Says 13% of Staff Test Positive (6:05 p.m. HK)

Tyson Foods Inc. said 481 out of 3,748 workers at its facilities in northwest Arkansas tested positive for Covid-19. The total is in addition to 212 cases identified by the Department of Health or when employees sought care through their health-care providers. Tyson said 95% of the workers who tested positive were asymptomatic.

Task Force’s Public Role Ends (5:30 p.m. NY)

Public briefings by the White House Coronavirus Task Force are over, although the panel that includes infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and epidemiologist Deborah Birx will review data and speak with the governors, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.

McEnany said as the U.S. presses ahead with reopening its economy, she will relay any further information about the outbreak.

The task force’s profile has diminished since McEnany’s arrival in May. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, hasn’t spoken publicly at the White House in more than seven weeks.

Brazil Passes 1 Million Cases (5:05 p.m. NY)

Brazil exceeded 1 million coronavirus infections, the second nation to reach the mark, as the disease shows no sign of slowing in Latin America’s largest nation months after the first cases were recorded.

The country registered a record 54,771 cases on Friday, bringing the total to 1,032,913. The data compiled by Brazilian states also showed 1,206 fatalities, raising the toll to 48,954. In both counts, Brazil trails only the U.S., which had 2,206,333 on Friday, according to John Hopkins University data.

The surge in daily cases -- almost 20,000 more than the previous record -- was caused in part by a technical issue in the reporting system of some states, the Health Ministry said late Friday.

Brazil’s response, plagued by political infighting and mismatched quarantine orders, has made it harder for experts to pinpoint when the disease will peak in the nation of 210 million.

Texas Cases Outpace Average (4:40 p.m. NY)

Texas cases rose 3.5% to 103,305, outpacing the previous seven-day average of 2.9%. Hospitalizations rose for the eighth straight day to 3,148, up 6.8% from the day before. As of Friday, the state has reported 2,140 deaths.

While Texas Governor Greg Abbott has avoided issuing mask requirements, he’s begun letting local governments order businesses to require face coverings for patrons and employees.

U.S. Cases Rise 1.4%, Topping 7-Day Average (4 p.m. NY)

U.S. cases rose by 31,489 from the same time Thursday, to 2.21 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The 1.4% increase was faster than the average daily increase of 1.1% for the past week, and the biggest percentage rise in six days. Deaths inched up 0.6% to 118,798.

Daily U.S. cases have increased by 20,000-25,000 a day for the past week.

• Cases in Arizona rose 7.5% to 46,706, according to the data from Johns Hopkins and Bloomberg News.
• Florida reported 89,748 cases, up 4.4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 3.2% in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 3,104, an increase of 1.4%.
• South Carolina cases rose 5% and topped 1,000 for the first time. Total cases reached 22,608.
• California cases rose 2.7% to 165,416 while deaths increased 1.3% to 5,360, according to the state’s website.

South Africa Cases Pass China (3:45 p.m. NY)

South Africa reported new cases rose 4.6% on Friday, bringing the total to 87,715. The country now has more infections than China, where the disease emerged six months ago. The death death toll remains relatively low, at 1,831, and 55% of those who were infected have recovered, the Ministry of Health said.

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