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 U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 190,000
Coronavirus deaths in the United States were approaching 190,000 on
Wednesday along with a spike in new cases in the U.S. Midwest, with
states such as Iowa and South Dakota emerging as the new hotspots in
the past few weeks.
Iowa currently has one of the highest rates of infection in the
nation, with 15% of tests last week coming back positive. Nearby
South Dakota has a positive test rate of 19% and North Dakota is at
18%, according to a Reuters analysis.
The surge in Iowa and South Dakota is being linked to colleges
reopening in Iowa and an annual motorcycle rally last month in
Sturgis, South Dakota.
Kansas, Idaho and Missouri are also among the top 10 states for
positive test rates. [nL1N2G303V
AstraZeneca pauses vaccine trial
AstraZeneca has paused global trials of its experimental coronavirus
vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant, a move seen
as dimming prospects for an early rollout.
On Tuesday, the British drugmaker said it voluntarily paused trials,
including late-stage ones, to allow an independent committee to
review safety data, and it was working to expedite the review to
minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline.
The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of
Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization as
probably the world's leading candidate and the most advanced in
terms of development.
Low positive test rate in Sweden
Sweden carried out a record number of new coronavirus tests last
week with only 1.2% coming back positive, the health agency said on
Tuesday. That is the lowest rate since the pandemic began, and it
comes at a time when other European countries are seeing surges in
infections.
Sweden avoided a lockdown and instead emphasized personal
responsibility, social distancing and good hygiene in a bid to slow
rather than eradicate a disease deemed here to stay. The strategy
drew fierce criticism home and abroad as deaths shot up during the
spring but has also been lauded by WHO officials as a sustainable
model.
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More than 5,800 people with the disease have died, many times higher per capita
than in neighbouring Nordic countries but lower than Italy, Spain and the United
Kingdom.
Gatherings of more than six to be banned in England
Tough new lockdown restrictions on social gatherings across the whole of England
are to be announced on Wednesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to
control a spike in COVID-19 infections.
From Sept. 14, groups of more than six people will be banned from meeting and
fined if they fail to comply, Johnson will say.
The number of cases in Britain has begun to rise sharply again in recent days.
Although testing is more widespread and the number of people in hospital is well
below the peak of the outbreak, ministers fear it is beginning to slip out of
control.
The previous limit on the number of people who could socialise together was 30.
Mystery case in Thailand
Thailand said it had tested nearly 600 people potentially exposed to the
country's first domestic coronavirus case in over three months, but has so far
found no new infections.
The man, 37, had worked as a nightclub DJ at three different venues in the
capital Bangkok in the two weeks before he tested positive on arrival in prison
following a conviction for a drugs-related offence.
How the man became infected remains a mystery, with all of Thailand's recent
cases, typically less than a handful each day, detected in state quarantine
among people returning from abroad.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Peter Graff)
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