With 90,000 infections a day, India tops Brazil as 2nd worst-hit country

India, the world’s new Covid-19 epicenter, surpassed Brazil as the second-worst-hit country. The country’s virus curve is showing no signs of flattening out, reporting more than 90,000 cases for a second day, as the pandemic threatens to overwhelm an already-overworked health-care system.

Health experts predict India will ultimately surpass the US as the worst outbreak globally. Unlike the US and Brazil, India’s case growth is still accelerating seven months after the reporting of its first infection on Jan. 30. The pathogen has only just penetrated the vast rural hinterland where the bulk of its 1.3 billion population lives, after racing through its dense mega-cities.

The US, India and Brazil account for more than half the world’s coronavirus cases, which have now topped 27 million.

The US added 44,737 cases on Saturday, a 0.7 percent increase that matches the average daily rise over the previous seven days, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Deaths in the US climbed to 188,535.

Brazil cases, deaths slow

Brazil reported 14,521 new cases, fewer than the 31,199 reported the previous day, for a total of 4,137,521. another 447 people died, down from 701 the day before. Total deaths hit 126,650 in the nation with the third worst outbreak after the US and India.

South Korea sees fewest cases in 3 weeks

SOUTH Korea added 119 more cases in 24 hours, down from 167 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The new cases are the fewest in three weeks, as infections remained below 200 for a fifth day.

The pace of new cases is slowing, helped by social-distancing steps, Yoon Tae-ho, health ministry official, said in a briefing. authorities are not yet considering a travel ban over the Chuseok holidays that begin later this month.

Singapore finds new clusters in worker dorms

Singapore identified three new clusters of foreign-worker dormitories that are linked to earlier Covid-19 cases, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. That brings to 12 the number of clusters found in the last week in dormitories previously declared clear of the virus, the Straits Times reported. Dorms housing the low-paid foreign workers that underpin Singapore’s construction and services sectors have made up the vast majority of the Southeast asian country’s cases.

Australia: Economic recovery will be slow

australia’s government warned of mounting economic pain as Victoria state announced only a gradual easing of its coronavirus lockdown that will see retail, hospitality, tourism and entertainment under tight controls across Melbourne until at least the end of october.

The 5 million residents of the state capital will face restrictions on when they can leave home until october 26, or until there are fewer than 5 new Covid-19 cases a day. office staff will be told to work from home until at least nov. 23, under the roadmap announced by state Premier Daniel andrews.

Ireland cases surge

Ireland recorded another 138 new cases, with about half the new infections in Dublin, according to health authorities. That pushed the weekend total to almost 370, the worst weekend figure since early May.

France spread ‘worrying’

France reported 7,071 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, showing the pandemic is continuing to progress at a “worrying” pace, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The death toll rose by just 3 to 30,701 since the start of the outbreak.

“The virus circulation is particularly active among young adults,” probably for lack of respect of health measures, the ministry said. Those aged over 65, who are more at risk, are much better abiding by rules, which could explain the weaker virus circulation, it said.

The number of new cases has multiplied by 12 since early July, while testing has more than doubled in the period, the ministry said. Some 4.9 percent of the tests carried out in the past week were positive.

Mexico registers 59 percent more excess deaths

Mexico reported excess deaths of 122,765 from March to august, a 59 percent increase from what was expected, as the coronavirus put the country fourth on the global list of Covid-19 fatalities.

The data from the national Center for Preventive Programs and Disease Control, or Cenaprece, takes into account the total number of deaths, regardless of the cause, general director ruy lopez said at a press conference Saturday night, according to national newspaper reforma. Mexico has registered more than 67,000 virus-related fatalities.

Virus fatigue is risk, EX-FDA head says

“PANDEMIC fatigue” is an additional risk as the US heads into the fall and winter, when infectious diseases traditionally spread more readily, former Food and Drug administration head Scott gottlieb said.

a vaccine is unlikely to be available for widespread use this year, and more than 20 percent of the US population could be infected with Covid-19 by year-end based on current spread rates, gottlieb said on CBS’S “Face the nation” on Sunday.

“People are exhausted,” he said. “People have been social distancing and wearing masks and staying home for a long period of time right now. Small businesses are hurting.”

UK cases jump

new infections in the UK rose by 2,988, health authorities reported on Sunday. That’s a 64 percent jump from the previous day and the biggest daily increase since late May, when the country was under lockdown. Two more people died after testing positive, bringing the total number of fatalities to 41,551 out of 347,152 cases. The new surge in cases is coinciding with millions of children going back to school and a government effort to convince people to return to work.

Israeli death toll tops 1,000

Israel’s Covid-19 death toll passed 1,000 and the government is considering locking down places with the highest infection rates, chiefly ultra-orthodox Jewish and arab towns. The religious Jewish political parties, which form a significant part of Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu’s coalition, are putting pressure on the government to come up with less restrictive measures, local media reported.