Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Central Team to Visit Kashmir as Covid-19 Cases Surge; Turkey's New Cases Reach Highest Since Mid-June

Could US Regulators Authorize a COVID-19 Vaccine Before the Election? U.S. President Donald Trump has said a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be available before the November 3 presidential election, sooner than most experts anticipate. A COVID-19 vaccine as early as October could become a reality if drugmakers deliver on optimistic timelines for completing large, late-stage clinical trials and regulators allow for its use prior to a full review and approval. READ MORE

UPDATE | The German economy contracted by a record 9.7% in the second quarter, the sharpest decline since Germany began to record quarterly GDP calculations in 1970. The statistics office said it came as consumer spending (10.9% down), company investments (19.6% down) and exports (20.3% down) all collapsed at the height of the pandemic.

Number of Americans Newly Diagnosed with Coronavirus is Falling |  About 43,000 new cases are being reported daily across the country, down 21% from early August, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Experts credit the development at least partly to increased wearing of masks, even as the outbreak continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the US each day.

Cambridge to Start Clinical Trials of Possible COVID-19 Vaccine | The University of Cambridge is aiming to start clinical trials of its possible coronavirus vaccine in the autumn after it received £1.9m (US$2.5m) in funding from the British government, the university said. The scientists behind the vaccine said their approach, which uses genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses to hone the immune response, could help avoid the adverse effects of a hyper-inflammatory immune response.

Hong Kong Man Re-Infected With COVID-19 After Fully Recovering: Researchers

Faulty Tests in Sweden Give 3,700 False Positive Infections | Sweden’s Public Health Agency says a faulty test kit had returned some 3,700 false positive results, an error discovered by two laboratories during routine quality controls. The agency said the PCR kits, which test for an ongoing Covid-19 infection, were made in China by the company BGI Genomics and had been distributed worldwide.

The scientific community is divided on whether plasma should have received an emergency use approval. Early research suggests it may be helpful and safe but no clinical trials -- considered the gold…

Transmission Easing in Many Parts of the World, Says WHO | The World Health Organisation has suggested the pace of Covid-19 transmission is easing in many parts of the world. Governments have been ramping up efforts to contain the disease, which has claimed the lives of almost 814,000 people and infected at least 23 million since late last year.

WHO data said fatality and infection rates were easing in most regions, notably in the hard-hit Americas, except Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.

South Korea Calls Doctors Back to Work Amid Protests | South Korea has ordered doctors in Seoul to return to work on Wednesday as they began a three-day strike in protest of several government proposals, including one to boost the number of doctors to deal with health crises like the coronavirus. Trainee doctors have been staging ongoing walkouts, and thousands of additional doctors were due to stage a three-day strike starting on Wednesday.

Melbourne Remains Under Severe Lockdown As Cases Continue to Rise | Victoria, in southern Australia, is the site of that country’s most serious outbreak. The city of Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest, remains under a severe lockdown, including a citywide curfew and a five kilometre limit on any essential travel. A parliamentary inquiry in that state has heard more than 50 inmates and corrections staff have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

#COVID19VicData for 26 August, 2020.
149 new cases detected in Victoria yesterday. Sadly we report 24 lives lost - condolences to all those affected.
More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/xSrk67Q1AP

— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 25, 2020

People make purchases at a crowded market in Patna, amid pandemic, flouting social distancing norms.

Turkey's New COVID-19 Cases Reach Highest Since Mid-June | Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped to their highest level since mid-June at 1,502, according to Health Ministry data, prompting the government to impose measures to combat the spread of the pandemic. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 24 more people died from COVID-19, bringing the country's death toll to 6,163.

Mexico Reports Over 4,000 Cases | Mexico’s health ministry has reported 4,916 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, and 650 additional fatalities. The new figures bring the total in the country to 568,621 confirmed cases and 61,450 deaths. But the government has consistently said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Yogi Asks Officials to Take Necessary Precautions for Upcoming Festivals | Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed police and administration officials to take all necessary security measures for upcoming festivals such as Ganesh Utsav, Anant Chaturdashi and Muharram. He said that religious and cultural events and programs are not allowed in public places in view of the COVID-19.

On the augmentation of the testing capacity, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said gradually the capacity was increased and on August 21 it finally reached the landmark of testing one million…

14 new COVI-19 cases reported in Mizoram taking the total cases in the state to 967, including 464 cured/discharged. Active cases stand at 503, stated the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram

Central Team to Visit Kashmir Amid Rising Cases | Central team of Dr VK Paul and NCDC director are going to Kashmir tomorrow because of the rapid increase of COVID19 cases. Authorities will visit Srinagar Baramulla and Pulwama districts.