Coronavirus USA news summary: Monday 7 August

NHL: No positive tests for sixth straight week

The NHL had no positive Covid-19 tests for the sixth straight week, the league announced Monday. A total of 2,534 tests were administered from Aug. 30-Sept. 5, with all 52 members of each club's traveling parties, including players, tested daily.

The number of tests administered dropped from 4,644 two weeks ago as teams were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs and left the bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto. Just four teams -- the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders -- remain in the Stanley Cup playoffs, all of them now housed in Edmonton as the season nears its end. (Reuters/Field Level Media)

French soccer star Mbappé tests positive for Covid-19 - French media

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus and will miss this week's Nations League international against Croatia, the France Football website and RMC Sport reported. Mbappé, a star of France's 2018 World Cup victory, scored the only goal on Saturday as France beat Sweden 1-0. 

Trump: US has "turned corner" on coronavirus crisis

Donald Trump has said that the US has "turned a corner" on the coronavirus crisis, despite the fact that the country is still recording tens of thousands of new cases each day and as deaths approach 190,000.

Trump claimed the US will next "return to unprecedented prosperity through our pro-America policies", announcing he would pass substantial tax cuts and continue with a "historic regulatory reduction".

"We had tremendous growth until we got hit with the China virus," he added. 

French COVID cases and death toll creeps up

The number of new, confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France has risen by 4,203 compared with the previous day to stand at a total of 328,980, the French health ministry said on Monday.

The number of deaths also rose by 25 over the last 24 hours to stand at 30,726. France has the seventh-highest Covid-19 death toll in the world. 

Coronavirus vaccine: Trump says people "could be in for a big surprise"

Speaking at a press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump said Americans"could be in a for a big surprise" when discussing a vaccine for Covid-19.

Trump is understood to be pushing hard to get a vaccine approved before the US elections, although leading US frugmakers have signed a pact saying they would bow to policitical pressure and rush the process. 

CDC tells states to prep for Covid-19 vaccine distribution soon as late October

(Reuters) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October, according to documents published by the agency.

The timing has taken on political importance as US President Donald Trump seeks re-election on Nov. 3, after committing billions of federal dollars to develop vaccines against Covid-19, which has killed more than 185,000 people in the United States.

Pfizer Inc said on Thursday it should know by the end of October whether a Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with German partner BioNTech SE is safe and effective. The US drugmaker said it will seek approval immediately if trial results are positive. It has already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses.

Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said on Thursday having a vaccine ready by the end of October is possible, but he was not counting on it.

"These are all guesstimates," Fauci told CNN, when asked about Pfizer's comments, adding that most experts project a vaccine will be ready by November or December. "It is conceivable that you can have it by October, though I don't think that that's likely."

With US big tech on holiday, world shares inch higher

World shares inched higher led by Europe on Monday, after last week's rout in U.S. technology stocks that saw $2.3 trillion in value wiped off in two days with investors taking note of lofty valuations when the global economy is still in a recession.

Market activity was likely to remain subdued for the rest of the day with the U.S. closed for the Labor Day holiday, though Nasdaq futures fell a further 1%.

Colts to have up to 2,500 fans at home opener this week

The Indianapolis Colts have confirmed that they will allow a maximum of 2,500 spectators at their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

That attendance figure was determined after discussions with the Marion County (Ind.) Public Health Department and is in accordance with local, NFL and CDC guidelines to help limit the spread of Covid-19, the team said.

"Our top priority always will be the health and safety of fans, players and staff, so we must take the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe, which include s a reduced stadium capacity on gameday," Colts COO Pete Ward said in a statement

Trump: "The vaccines are coming... and fast...."

The US President had a busy Monday morning tweeting and was happy to indulge in some back slapping as the US deals with the pandemic or China Virus as Trump would rather call it...

"Jobs number, and the Economic comeback, are looking GREAT."

President Donald Trump on Monday said via Twitter he will hold a news conference at the White House during the Labor Day holiday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

CORONAVIRUS

Second stimulus check: possible second IRS payment due dates?

Second stimulus check: possible second IRS payment due dates?

The US Congress is set to return on tomorrow (September 8) following summer recess with hopes that an agreement can be soon reached on a new coronavirus relief package.

CORONAVIRUS

Second stimulus check in US: further financial aid "imperative"

Second stimulus check: further financial aid "imperative"

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, economists at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth say Americans must get financial relief such as a second stimulus check.

Full story:

No pandemic pause in IKEA's U.S. shopping mall plans

IKEA's shopping centres business hopes to open the doors of its first mall in the United States, in the centre of San Francisco, within a year, pushing ahead with its expansion plans while many retailers are reeling from the coronavirus crisis.

Ingka Centres, one of the world's biggest mall owners, told Reuters in May that it was looking to enter the United States, with a focus initially on locations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

General manager Gerard Groener said on Monday the pandemic had not changed Ingka Centres' expansion plans: "Modern physical retail needs to be built around local community needs, a complementary mix of uses, digitalisation and sustainability."

"Whatever the ‘new normal’ looks like demand for meeting, shopping and leisure outside the home will remain, and this is demonstrated by the high level of footfall we have seen at our meeting places that have reopened following COVID-19 restrictions," Groener added.

Research highlights difference in deadliness between Covid-19 and flu

Research carried out at a hospital in Boston has offered an insight into how much deadlier Covid-19 is than the flu, in a study that belies suggestions early in the pandemic that the illnesses were comparable in severity.

Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that, in March and April alone, there were around four times as many deaths from Covid-19 as there were over a full five flu seasons.

"We identified 119 deaths from Covid-19 in two months, compared to 34 deaths from influenza over five seasons, or 40 months," lead researcher Dr. Michael Donnino said, per WBUR. "The ratio of those numbers is just astonishing."

After 'Sputnik V', Russia to complete early-stage trials on second vaccine on Sept. 30

Russia will complete early-stage trials on a second potential Covid-19 vaccine produced by the Vector Institute on Sept. 30, the RIA news agency cited Russia's consumer health safety watchdog as saying on Monday.

Covid-19 cases rising in 22 US states - Reuters analysis

According to analysis by Reuters, coronavirus cases are rising in 22 of the 50 states in the US, having been on the up in just three states - Hawaii, Illinois and South Dakota - three weeks ago.

A comparison of the last fortnight with the two-week period between 8 and 22 August found that South Dakota had registered the largest increase, with cases rising by 126%.

'One vaccine isn't enough' as US neighbour Mexico aims for its own coronavirus fix

Mexico is working to produce its own Covid-19 vaccines and could have one ready by next spring, according to a researcher coordinating local efforts amid a global race to tame a disease that has infected over 26.75 million people worldwide.

Esther Orozco, coordinator of the scientific group that represents Mexico at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said research based on a virus that transmits the avian Newcastle disease is the most viable candidate to produce the first vaccine in Mexico.

Orozco said the vaccine, developed by the private firm Laboratorio Avimex with researchers from Mexico's main public university, UNAM, and the Mexican Social Security Institute, is ready to start the first phase of testing with humans.

Pre Covid comparisons 'unfair' as Tenet takes in $20 million in US over opening weekend

After months of delays, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic “Tenet” finally arrived in US theatres and generated $20.2 million over Labor Day weekend.

Ticket sales, though difficult to dissect given the uncharted waters of the coronavirus era, are roughly in line with expectations for a new release during a pandemic.

The espionage thriller is already nearing the $150 million mark globally, thanks to a stronger showing at the international box office. Overseas, “Tenet” earned another $78.3 million this weekend, bringing its worldwide haul to $146.2 million.

Many Americans fear 2020 vaccine would be rushed

Only 21% of voters in a CBS News poll say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one became available free of charge in 2020, with many Americans seemingly of the opinion that it would have been produced too quickly to be trustworthy.

65% of those who took part in the survey said their reaction would be that a vaccine had been "rushed through" if it were rolled out before the end of this year.

Global coronavirus cases pass 27 million

The total number of worldwide coronavirus cases has passed the 27 million mark, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

It has taken just four days for another million infections to be added to the global infections count, notes CNN - compared to the 72 days that it took to register the first million cases at the beginning of the pandemic.

Tribute to frontline workers in Times Square

In Times Square, New York, tribute is paid to the efforts of frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

(Photo: Brazil Photo Press / SplashNews / GTRES)

India case count now second only to US

India displaced Brazil on Monday to take second place after the United States in terms of coronavirus infections, with 90,082 new cases whose numbers are expected to grow, while some cities re-opened underground train services shuttered for months.

With its nationwide tally of 4.2 million exceeded only by the US figure of 6.2 million, India is adding more cases each day than any other country this year since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Experts say there is no sign of a peak as cases surge in the world's second most populous country, both in major cities, such as New Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai, and rural areas that have limited access to health services.

(Text: Reuters)

Coronavirus live US updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, US-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which as of 03:00 ET on Monday had registered 27.1m cases worldwide, leading to just over 883,500 deaths.

In the United States, which has been the globe's worst-affected country, there have been nearly 6.3m cases, with a death a toll that is closing in on the 190,000 mark.