Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 31.57 million, death toll over 968,500

At least 31,577,550 people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 968,599 people have died, a Reuters tally showed.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

The World Health Organization referred to the outbreak as a pandemic on March 11.

Britain re-imposed some lockdown measures as the second wave of coronavirus infections swept across Europe, while the death toll in the United States crossed 200,000, with a report saying the US drug regulator would tighten COVID-19 vaccine authorisation standards.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

At least 6,917,263 cases of the highly contagious novel coronavirus have been reported in the United States and its territories while at least 200,878 people have died, according to a Reuters tally of state and local government sources as of September 23, 2020, 1:16 pm. The US diagnosed its first COVID-19 case in Washington state on January 20.  

Likewise, India follows the US with a total of 5,646,010 coronavirus cases with 90,020 death, according to Reuters’ interactive graphic tracking the global spread 

Likewise, Brazil has the third-highest 4,558,068 coronavirus cases while 137,272 people have died. 

ASIA-PACIFIC

— Australia's coronavirus hot spot of Victoria is considering easing curbs sooner than previously flagged, the state's premier said, as the two-week average of new infections in Melbourne dropped below 30.

— India's infections surged again on Wednesday, a day after hitting their lowest in almost a month.

— Japan is considering allowing more foreigners into the country for longer stays starting as early as next month, while keeping the COVID-19 entry curbs in place for tourists, the Asahi newspaper reported.

EUROPE

— The British government defended its new, stricter measures against criticism that they did not got far enough, saying it was trying to balance supporting the economy while protecting health.

— The French government is expected to unveil tighter coronavirus restrictions for Paris on Wednesday following a cabinet meeting, BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper said.

— A consumer rights group said it had filed civil lawsuits against the Austrian government over an outbreak at the ski resort of Ischgl last winter, but it held off on a class-action suit for the time being.

— Travel restrictions around Europe aimed at curbing contagion ravaged Spain's tourism industry during the crucial month of August, depriving it of millions of tourists.

AMERICAS

— Mexico's confirmed cases rose to 705,263 on Tuesday, according to updated data from the health ministry, along with a reported death toll of 74,348.

— Wisconsin Governfor Tony Evers declared a new public health emergency and extended a face mask mandate into November to fight a coronavirus flareup in his state.

— Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil on Wednesday what he says is a far-reaching plan to help the economy recover from the pandemic while ensuring efforts to fight the outbreak do not falter.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

— Saudi Arabia will allow pilgrims residing inside the country to undertake the umrah pilgrimage beginning on October 4, after a seven-month pause due, state news agency SPA reported.

— Ethiopia has agreed to buy 1.5 million testing kits that will be made at a factory there that has been newly built by China's BGI Group, China's state media agency Xinhua said late on Tuesday.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

— The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to soon announce new, more stringent standards for an emergency authorisation of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Washington Post reported.

— Fujifilm Holdings Corp said its Avigan drug reduced viral loads and symptoms of COVID-19 patients, paving the way for regulatory approval in Japan after months of delays.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

— Euro zone business growth ground to a halt this month as the service industry slammed into reverse, knocked by a resurgence in cases that pushed governments to reintroduce restrictions and citizens to stay at home, a survey showed.

— World shares stabilised and the dollar rose on Wednesday with overnight gains of stay-at-home Wall Street tech champions helped balance concerns that new restrictions to counter resurging infections will hurt economic recovery.

— Business sentiment among Asian firms rebounded in the third quarter as easing restrictions lifted sales, but lingering uncertainty over the pandemic thwarted a return to business-as-usual, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.