FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide coronavirus spread

* The U.S. State Department urged citizens not to travel to Mexico, despite easing a global travel ban. ASIA-PACIFIC * Russia has offered to supply a coronavirus vaccine to the Philippines, or team up with a local firm to mass produce it, as infections in the Southeast Asian nation surge. * India's total number of cases has climbed above 2 million.


Reuters | Updated: 08-08-2020 03:11 IST | Created: 08-08-2020 03:07 IST
FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide coronavirus spread
Representative Image Image Credit: Pixabay

More than 160,000 people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, nearly a quarter of the global total, according to a Reuters tally on Friday, as the country debates whether schools are ready to reopen in coming weeks.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

* For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE * The number of new infections in France rose by 2,288, a new post-lockdown high, the health ministry said.

* Norway urged its citizens to avoid all travel abroad, even to countries with few cases. * Switzerland signed an agreement with Moderna to secure early access to the vaccine under development.

AMERICAS * Congressional Democrats offered to reduce a proposed coronavirus aid package by $1 trillion if Republicans would add a trillion to their counter-offer, but President Donald Trump's negotiators turned them down as more talks ended without a deal.

* Mexico's energy secretary, Rocio Nahle, said she was quarantining for two weeks because she had been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. * The U.S. State Department urged citizens not to travel to Mexico, despite easing a global travel ban.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Russia has offered to supply a coronavirus vaccine to the Philippines, or team up with a local firm to mass produce it, as infections in the Southeast Asian nation surge.

* India's total number of cases has climbed above 2 million. * Hong Kong will offer free voluntary testing for residents, as it races to contain a resurgence of the virus.

* Japan will buy 120 million doses of AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine from early next year. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Uganda has recorded a 10% increase in the number of people in jail since March, a prison official told Reuters, with thousands jailed for alleged violations of coronavirus lockdown rules. * Africa's confirmed cases have surpassed 1 million, a Reuters tally showed.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * An approved coronavirus vaccine could end up being effective only 50-60% of the time, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, said.

* Pfizer Inc signed a multiyear agreement to make COVID-19 treatment remdesivir for developer Gilead Sciences Inc . * The United States will need to have independent experts review COVID-19 vaccine candidates before approval, the country's top drug regulator said.

* Takeda Pharmaceutical will manufacture and sell up to 250 million doses of Novavax Inc's vaccine candidate in Japan every year. * India's Serum Institute will get $150 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI vaccines alliance to make 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other emerging economies as early as 2021.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * U.S. employment growth slowed considerably in July, underscoring an urgent need for additional government aid.

* Extending Britain's furlough scheme would leave some workers trapped in false hope that they could return to their jobs after the pandemic, finance minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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