Brazil cases pass 4m
Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 43,773 new cases and 834 deaths from the disease caused by the virus reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Brazil has registered 4,041,638 cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 124,614, according to ministry data, in the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak outside the United States.
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Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest news from around the world for the next few hours.
Get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
Israel announced Thursday a new lockdown affecting 30 areas as it grapples with one of the world’s highest detected per capita infection rates and a death toll nearing 1,000.
From Monday, travel from 30 areas classified as “red” will be limited and non-essential businesses shut down, said Professor Ronni Gamzu, who is coordinating Israel’s battle against Covid-19.
The Jewish state detected over 3,000 new infections on Wednesday alone, the highest number of confirmed infections in a single day.
Meanwhile Brazil’s infections have passed 4 million, with 43,773 new cases and 834 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Here are the other key developments from the last few hours:
- France counts more than 7,000 new infections for second day. France registered more than 7,000 new coronavirus infections over 24 hours for the second time in two days, the health ministry said on Thursday, while hospitalisations for the virus also rose again.
- Robert Pattinson tests positive for Covid-19, halting Batman production. The actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for Covid-19, pausing production in the UK of Warner Bros movie The Batman, US media reports.
- US public health officials prepare for October vaccine rollout. Federal public health officials in the US have asked their state counterparts to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk individuals as early as late October.
- Tracing apps may stem Covid-19 spread even when only a few use them – study. Contact tracing apps can sharply reduce the spread of Covid-19 even when only a few people use them, a study published on Thursday by researchers at Google and Oxford University showed. An app used by 15% of the population together with a well-staffed contact-tracing workforce can lead to a 15% drop in infection rates and an 11% drop in Covid-19 deaths, according to statistical modelling.
- Mexico leads the world in healthcare worker deaths from Covid-19. Mexico leads the world in coronavirus deaths among its healthcare workers, Amnesty International has said in a new report. The report said Mexico has reported 1,320 confirmed deaths among health workers from Covid-19 so far, surpassing the United States at 1,077, the United Kingdom at 649, and Brazil at 634.
- Thailand reports first locally transmitted case in 100 days. Thailand has reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus case in 100 days, after a prison inmate was confirmed to have Covid-19. Dozens of contacts are now being tested, including his family members, people he met in court and other inmates. He had been arrested for drug offences on 26 August.
- Greece and Portugal stay on England’s list of quarantine-free travel. English tourists in Greece and Portugal have been spared the cost and chaos of rushing back to the UK after the British government defied expectations and maintained quarantine-free travel from both countries for the time being.