#	Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
	World	22,297,350	+253,842	783,516
1	USA	5,655,974	+43,999	175,074
2	Brazil	3,411,872	+48,637	110,019
3	India	2,766,626	+65,022	53,014
4	Russia	932,493	+4,748	15,872
5	South Africa	592,144	+2,258	12,264
6	Peru	549,321	+7,828	26,658
7	Mexico	525,733	+3,571	57,023
8	Colombia	489,122	+12,462	15,619
9	Chile	388,855	+1,353	10,546
10	Spain	384,270	+2,128	28,670
11	Iran	347,835	+2,385	19,972
12	UK	320,286	+1,089	41,381
13	Argentina	305,966	+6,840	6,048
14	Saudi Arabia	301,323	+1,409	3,470
15	Pakistan	289,832	+617	6,190
16	Bangladesh	282,344	+3,200	3,740
17	Italy	254,636	+401	35,405
18	Turkey	251,805	+1,263	6,016
19	Germany	228,105	+1,419	9,305
20	France	221,267	+2,238	30,451
21	Iraq	184,709	+4,576	6,036
22	Philippines	169,213	+4,836	2,687
23	Indonesia	143,043	+1,673	6,277
24	Canada	123,154	+282	9,045
25	Qatar	115,661	+293	193
26	Kazakhstan	103,300	+267	1,415
27	Ecuador	102,941	+1,190	6,105
28	Bolivia	101,223	+879	4,123
29	Egypt	96,753	+163	5,184
30	Israel	96,409	+1,658	708
31	Ukraine	94,436	+1,616	2,116
32	Dominican Republic	87,123	+386	1,489
33	Sweden	85,219	+174	5,790
34	China	84,871	+22	4,634
35	Oman	83,418	+192	597
36	Panama	82,790	+247	1,809
37	Belgium	78,534	+211	9,944
38	Kuwait	77,470	+643	505
39	Romania	72,208	+1,014	3,074
40	Belarus	69,673	+84	617
41	UAE	64,906	+365	366
42	Netherlands	63,973	+489	6,175
43	Guatemala	63,847	+903	2,419
44	Poland	57,876	+597	1,896
45	Japan	56,685	+1,018	1,115
46	Singapore	55,938	+100	27
47	Portugal	54,448	+214	1,784
48	Honduras	50,995	+493	1,583
49	Nigeria	49,895	+410	981
50	Bahrain	47,581	+396	175
51	Morocco	44,803	+1,245	714
52	Ghana	42,993	+340	248
53	Kyrgyzstan	42,146	+155	1,498
54	Armenia	41,846	+145	832
55	Algeria	39,444	+419	1,391
56	Switzerland	38,449	+197	1,992
57	Afghanistan	37,599	+0	1,375
58	Uzbekistan	36,352	+650	242
59	Venezuela	35,697	+895	297
60	Azerbaijan	34,474	+131	509
61	Ethiopia	32,722	+1,386	572
62	Moldova	30,789	+412	908
63	Kenya	30,636	+271	487
64	Serbia	29,890	+108	681
65	Costa Rica	29,643	+559	314
66	Nepal	28,257	+1,016	114
67	Ireland	27,499	+186	1,775
68	Austria	23,829	+295	729
69	Australia	23,773	+214	438
70	El Salvador	23,462	+269	625
71	Czechia	20,483	+281	401
72	Cameroon	18,599	+17	406
73	Palestine	17,306	+462	113
74	Ivory Coast	17,150	+43	110
75	Bosnia and Herzegovina	16,351	+240	495
76	Denmark	15,855	+115	621
77	S. Korea	15,761	+246	306
78	Bulgaria	14,669	+169	519
79	Madagascar	14,009	+123	173
80	North Macedonia	12,970	+130	549
81	Sudan	12,485	+75	805
82	Senegal	12,305	+68	256
83	Paraguay	10,606	+471	161
84	Norway	10,111	+51	262
85	Zambia	9,981	+142	264
86	Lebanon	9,758	+421	107
87	DRC	9,721	+15	243
88	Malaysia	9,219	+7	125
89	Libya	9,068	+489	164
90	Guinea	8,715	+95	52
91	French Guiana	8,657	+35	53
92	Gabon	8,270		53
93	Tajikistan	8,131	+32	65
94	Haiti	7,921	+24	196
95	Finland	7,776	+24	334
96	Albania	7,654	+155	232
97	Luxembourg	7,499	+30	124
98	Greece	7,472	+250	232
99	Croatia	6,855	+199	166
100	Mauritania	6,789	+27	157
101	Maldives	6,079	+170	24
102	Zimbabwe	5,378	+70	141
103	Djibouti	5,374	+2	59
104	Malawi	5,193	+68	163
105	Hungary	4,970	+24	609
106	Equatorial Guinea	4,821		83
107	CAR	4,679	+12	61
108	Hong Kong	4,561	+36	70
109	Namibia	4,464	+120	37
110	Nicaragua	4,311	+196	133
111	Montenegro	4,132	+47	80
112	Eswatini	3,989	+95	76
113	Congo	3,831		76
114	Cuba	3,408	+44	88
115	Thailand	3,381	+3	58
116	Somalia	3,257		93
117	Cabo Verde	3,253	+50	36
118	Suriname	3,216	+139	54
119	Mayotte	3,160		39
120	Mozambique	2,991	+77	19

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

1. Australia signs deal with AstraZeneca for potential coronavirus vaccine

From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney

 

Australia has secured a deal with the UK-based drug company AstraZeneca for access to a potential Covid-19 vaccine should trials prove successful.

AstraZeneca is currently developing a vaccine in partnership with Oxford University, and has already reached agreements with several governments -- including the US and UK -- to produce at least 2 billion doses, with the first deliveries starting as early as September.

Under the deal, Australians would receive the vaccine for free, an Australian government statement said on Tuesday.

“If this vaccine proves successful we will manufacture and supply vaccines straight away under our own steam and make it free for 25 million Australians,” wrote Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the statement.

“However there is no guarantee that this, or any other, vaccine will be successful, which is why we are continuing our discussions with many parties around the world while backing our own researchers at the same time to find a vaccine." 

Speaking Wednesday, Morrison acknowledged that there were "big hurdles" in producing a successful vaccine but said the AstraZeneca-Oxford University project is "one of the best prospects in the world today."

There is no stated cost of the Australian government’s deal with AstraZeneca; however the Australian government has indicated that it will spend billions of dollars on its vaccine strategy.

The strategy includes the purchase of 100 million needles, syringes and other consumables from US company Becton Dickinson, with an order already placed worth 24.7 million Australian dollars ( $17.9 million).

 

 

1. Brazil reports nearly 50,000 new coronavirus cases in one day From journalist Rodrigo Pedroso in São Paulo

 

Brazilian soldiers disinfect the area around the Christ the Redeemer statue Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

Brazil has reported 47,784 new Covid-19 cases and 1,352 deaths in the past 24 hours, the country’s Health Ministry reported Tuesday. 

At least 109,888 people have died from coronavirus in the country, according to the Ministry’s data. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases now stands at least 3,407,354.

Brazil continues to trail only the United States in terms of the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the world.

 

 

1. Around 110 Chinese construction workers in Israel have contracted coronavirus 

From Amir Tal in Jerusalem and Philip Wang

 

Around 110 Chinese construction workers living in a crowded compound in Petach Tikva, Israel’s fourth largest city, have tested positive for coronavirus, the local authority said.

The Petach Tikva’s Municipality said it received a report on Aug. 13 that 20 Chinese workers were infected, all of whom had lived in a compound with about 300 other Chinese workers at an industrial area on the outskirts of the city.

Mayor Rami Greenberg announced a series of quarantine measures, including the closure of the buildings, and evacuation and testing the residents. Since then, the health ministry has confirmed about 90 more cases.

The buildings are now emptied and will remain closed, the local authority said. The municipality told CNN on Tuesday the compound was in “inhumane sanitary conditions” and “not suitable for human residence.”

So far, local health authorities have tested 267 workers. Mayor Greenberg said those who were confirmed positive were transferred to quarantined motels and to hospitals. The rest were taken to various accommodations in Israel, where they will stay in quarantine for 14 days.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Israel confirmed the situation, adding the infected workers are “all in light or asymptomatic conditions.”

The Chinese Embassy also urged its citizens to cooperate with quarantine measures and to stay alert.

“For those who have lived in related area or been in close contact with infected workers, please do not hide the contact history or your own illness for the sake of other people’s health and safety,” the embassy said. “Contact [the] Health Ministry immediately for a test,” it added.

 

 

1. Ireland tightens coronavirus restrictions

From CNN's Lauren Kent in Winston-Salem

 

Medical staff members work at a Covid-19 testing center in Newbridge, Ireland, on Monday. Niall Carson/PA Images/Getty Images

Ireland "significantly" tightened coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday in an effort to enable schools to reopen in the coming weeks, the Irish prime minister said in a news conference.

The government is limiting outdoor gatherings, encouraging businesses to continue working remotely, and urging citizens to restrict visitors to their homes and avoid public transit.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the county is tightening restrictions because "the spread of the virus is increasing across a wide range of settings, these restrictions will impact on most of us."

More on this: The announcement follows a spike in coronavirus cases that led to Ireland's first local lockdowns last week in the counties of Kildare, Laois, and Offaly. Ireland has reported at least 27,499 confirmed coronavirus cases and approximately 1,775 deaths, according to the latest Department of Health figures published Tuesday. 

Martin said the government is advising that all businesses should continue to facilitate remote working where possible and that public transport should be avoided. He also said sports events and matches will revert to being held behind closed doors.

Martin added that all visits to homes will now be limited to six people from outside the home and from no more than three households for both indoor and outdoor gatherings. Additionally, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 15 people. Restaurants and cafes can remain open, but with a mandatory closing time of 11:30 p.m. local. 

He also urged citizens over 70 years old to exercise greater caution, to limit their social interactions to a small network, and to only visit shops during designated hours.

In a video on Twitter Tuesday night, Martin added, "At the same time, the government is very conscious of the economic and social damage and the need to keep our economy working to keep society open. and in particular, to enable our schools to open fully in the coming weeks and to also enable the resumption of non-Covid elements of medicine and health."

 

 

1. Seoul to seek damages from church at center of fresh coronavirus outbreak

From CNN's Jake Kwon in Seoul

 

Public officials disinfect as a precaution against the coronavirus near the Sarang-jeil church in Seoul, South Korea on August 16. Park Dong-joo/Yonhap/AP

The South Korean capital Seoul will seek damages from the church at the center of its current Covid-19 outbreak, Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said today.

In a briefing, Seo said the city government is reviewing the legal basis for the civil suit against the Sarang-jeil church and its Reverend, Jun Kwang-hoon.

Seo alleged that Jun and his church had wasted the city’s administrative resources and budget and complicated contact tracing efforts by "avoidance, falsehood, and noncompliance during the testing and epidemiological investigation."

Church cluster: On Monday, Seoul reported a cluster of cases related to the church in the city. A total of 568 people linked to the Sarang-jeil church have since tested positive for the virus, authorities said. 

Tuesday saw 283 local and 14 imported cases in South Korea, marking the country's sixth consecutive day of triple-digit new cases. 

Some 89% of the new cases were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip.

“If Seoul’s disease prevention net falls, the nation’s prevention net falls too,” Seo said.

Church's denial: At a news conference Monday, Sarang-jeil church's legal team denied the allegations of wrongdoing levied against the church and Rev. Jun. The church's representatives said that they had fully cooperated with the authorities and said they would be suing the government for defamation.

 

Retrieved from:  https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-08-19-20-intl/index.html

 

 

 

Britain to bring in mass testing to curb spread of COVID-19

Sarah Young, Kate Holton

 

Britain plans to bring in regular, population-wide testing for COVID-19 so it can suppress the spread of the virus and limit restrictions that have crippled one of the worst hit countries in the world.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was trialing a range of new, faster tests that can give instant results and hoped to roll them out towards the end of the year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been heavily criticised for its handling of the pandemic, with critics saying it was too slow to go into lockdown and too slow to roll out testing to know how far the virus had spread.

It now has the highest death toll in Europe and the deepest economic contraction of a major advanced economy.

“The mass testing, population testing, where we make it the norm that people get tested regularly, allowing us therefore to allow some of the freedoms back, is a huge project in government right now,” Hancock told BBC Radio.

He said the country’s research laboratories at Porton Down were trialing new saliva tests that do not need to go to a laboratory, so they can deliver faster results.

“There are new technologies coming on track which we are buying and testing now,” he said. “We’ll ramp it up certainly over the remainder of this year.”

The government has been criticised during the pandemic for promising new developments which then take much longer to arrive, such as the arrival of protective clothing for health workers or a comprehensive track and trace system.

The government says it currently has a testing capacity of more than 335,000. Cases in Britain have started to rise again in recent weeks with more than 1,000 positive results on eight of the last 10 days.

The government also said on Wednesday it would expand a testing study being run by the Office for National Statistics from 28,000 people now to 150,000 by October and ultimately to 400,000 to help establish a better national picture of the pandemic and spot local outbreaks.

 

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-testing/britain-to-bring-in-mass-testing-to-curb-spread-of-covid-19-idUKKCN25F0KL