DEATH TOLL NEARS 1 MILION; NO LETUP IN U.S. VIRUS CASES

The official death toll from Covid- 19 neared 1 million, though exper ts say the real tally may be almost double that. India’s infections are set to top 6 million, while Russia is seeing a resurgence of cases.

US virus cases increased by 45,444 on Saturday to 7.08 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The 0.7 percent rise was in line with the average daily increase over the previous seven days. An additional 740 deaths nationwide were reported on the day, matching the average increase over the previous week.

Utah reported more than 1,000 cases for the fourth consecutive day, ending the state’s worst week since the start of the pandemic, according to state health department data.

New infections in Utah surged to record levels this month amid an outbreak in the Midwest and Mountain regions, reaching a peak of 1,411 new cases on Thursday.

The state reported a cumulative 70,615 cases and 453 deaths on Sunday.

New York City health officials said they’re alarmed at a continuing spike in Covid- 19 virus transmission in sections of south Brooklyn and Queens with large Orthodox Jewish communities, on the eve of the Yom Kippur holiday.

Seven of the eight neighborhoods saw increases from the previous report on Saturday, based on preliminar y data, the city health department said in a statement.

Mask- wearing compliance in the neighborhoods has been much lower than elsewhere in the city and cases have outpaced the citywide average “at an alarming rate”— more than threefold— over the past 14 days, according to the department.

Key developments:

Vaccine likely to be ‘partially protective’: Gottlieb

Corona virus vaccines now in development are likely to be “partially protective” but won’t prevent everyone who’s inoculated from becoming infected, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.

“The expectation is that this vaccine is going to be partially protective, a lot like the flu vaccine, where for certain people it will provide full immunity, but for other people it’s not going to provide as much protection,” Gottlieb said on CBS’S “Face the Nation.”

G-20 Leaders Summit to be held ‘virtually’

The G- 20 Leaders’ Summit, which had been planned for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will now be held “virtually,” according to a statement posted to the G- 20 web site.

The G- 20 summit gathers leaders of the world’s largest country together for a multi- day summit meeting. The agenda this year “will focus on protecting lives and restoring growth, by addressing vulnerabilities uncovered during the pandemic and by laying down the foundations for a better future,” according to the statement.

Morrison pleads for lockdown end in Australia hot spot

The leader of Australia’s second- largest state has announced the end of a nightly curfew in Melbourne sooner than originally expected as the pace of new coronavirus infections in the city slows.

That’s not enough for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is urgently seeking to reboot the stalled national economy and is pleading for Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews to quickly remove more lockdown curbs implemented almost two months ago.

Beijing urges halt to some frozen food imports

Beijing ’ s city government is requiring companies to stop importing frozen food from countries with serious coronavirus outbreaks, according to a statement on the local commerce bureau’s web site. The statement didn’t name any nations.

The city’s move is the latest restriction on imports in China. The nation has been investigating imported meat, seafood, packaging and containers as a potential source of Covid- 19 since June.

Brazil cases, deaths slow

Bra zil reported 14,318 cases, after a week in which the nation had the lowest number of infections since June, according to Health Ministry data. Total cases, in the country with the world’s third- highest number of infections, are now 4,732,309. Another 335 people died, for a total 141,741 fatalities.

Ireland cases rise

Ireland recorded 43 O new infection son Sunday, the most in five months, with Dublin accounting for around half the cases. The government has re introduced restrictions in the Irish capital, as well as in a region along the border, to tr y and curb the spread of the virus.

France cases slow

F ranc e repor ted a third daily decline in new cases, falling to 11,123 on Sunday from 14,412 on Saturday. The seven- day average remained above 12,000 for the third day. France repor ted 27 additional deaths, taking the total to 31,727.

Myanmar tightens restrictions

Myanmar has seen a spike in cases this month, prompting the government to order the construction of treatment and quarantine centers in Yangon and Mandalay.

Some 743 new Covid- 19 cases were confirmed on Sunday, boosting the Southeast Asian nation’s total to 10,734, the Ministry of Health and Sports said. Fatalities increased by 28 to 226. All but six of the deaths were reported this month.

The government on Monday will fur ther tighten curbs to minimize the movement of people in Yangon Region from one township to another.