BitGou: Monday Morning Briefing: Coronavirus cases rising in 22 U.S. states

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Cases rising in 22 U.S. states
Coronavirus cases are rising in 22 of the 50 U.S. states, according to a Reuters analysis, a worrying trend on a Labor Day holiday weekend traditionally filled with family gatherings and parties to mark the end of summer.

As little as three weeks ago, cases were increasing in only three states, Hawaii, Illinois and South Dakota, according to an analysis comparing cases for the two-week period of Aug. 8-22 with the past two weeks.

Most of the 22 states where cases are rising are in the less-populated parts of the Midwest and South. On a percentage basis, South Dakota had the biggest increase over the past two weeks at 126%, reporting over 3,700 new cases.

Track the spread of the virus with this state-by-state and county map.

Surging infections in India
India’s coronavirus infections surged past 4.2 million on Monday as it overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases. India, with a daily record 90,802 cases on Monday, also has the fastest-growing case load. The United States, with more than 6 million cases, remains the worst-affected country. Deaths in India have been relatively low, but it has posted more than 1,000 for each of the last five days. On Monday, India’s health ministry said 1,016 people died of COVID-19, taking total deaths to 71,642.

Malaysia sees sharpest spike in new cases in three months
Malaysia’s health authorities reported 62 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the sharpest spike since early June, just as the government began barring long-term immigration pass holders from countries with high infection numbers. From Monday, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy imposed a ban on pass holders from 23 countries that have reported more than 150,000 COVID-19 cases, in a bid to clamp down on imported cases. Countries on the ban list include the United States, Britain and France.

Sinovac employees and families administered vaccine
About 90% of Sinovac Biotech employees and their families have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the country’s emergency use program, its chief executive said. The extent of inoculations under the emergency program, which China launched in July but has released few details about, points to how actively it is using experimental vaccines in the hopes of protecting essential workers against a potential COVID-19 resurgence, even as trials are still underway.

Australian firm announces vaccine manufacturing plans
Australian biotech giant CSL said it would manufacture two different COVID-19 vaccine candidates, with the earliest doses due to reach the market early next year, sending its shares nearly 3% higher. CSL said it expects to supply 30 million doses of a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University to the Australian government if trials prove successful, with the first doses to be available in early 2021.

From Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Office return, Primark, FirstGroup.
Wealth makes for greater health as companies are paying employees to avoid crowded buses on their way back to office. Plus: A deadly virus is no match for the might of the British consumer, at least that’s what Primark's numbers suggest. Catch up with today’s Breakingviews pandemic-related insights.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

We need your help to tell these stories. Our news organization wants to capture the full scope of what’s happening and how we got here by drawing on a wide variety of sources.

Are you a government employee or contractor involved in coronavirus testing or the wider public health response? Are you a doctor, nurse or health worker caring for patients? Have you worked on similar outbreaks in the past? Has the disease known as COVID-19 personally affected you or your family? Are you aware of new problems that are about to emerge, such as critical supply shortages?

We need your tips, firsthand accounts, relevant documents or expert knowledge. Please contact us at coronavirus@reuters.com.

We prefer tips from named sources, but if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can submit a confidential news tip. Here’s how.

U.S.

Police arrested another 15 people in Portland after protests were held overnight on Sunday near a police precinct as the Oregon city has crossed 100 days of demonstrations that have at times turned violent. Protesters set fire on some mattresses that were put out eventually by firefighters, Portland police said in a statement.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is headed to the crucial electoral state of Pennsylvania, where he plans to mark the Labor Day holiday by speaking with union workers as the presidential campaign enters its homestretch. The trip kicks off another flurry of travel to battleground states this week by both Biden and President Donald Trump.

Europe

Exclusive: The European Union aims to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarus officials including the country’s interior minister by mid-September, three EU diplomats said, in response to an Aug. 9 election that the West says was rigged.

Britain’s tortuous divorce from the European Union veered into fresh crisis after London threatened to undermine the exit agreement unless free trade terms are agreed by next month. The European Commission said it was determined to quickly reach a deal with Britain on a future economic and trade relationship, but underlined it would have to ensure fair competition. Here are details of the saga.

Business

Fed's strategy shift to bind big central banks from Frankfurt to Tokyo

The Federal Reserve’s landmark shift to a more tolerant stance on inflation will be a drag on the dollar for years and will raise hard questions about the role of central banking, challenging policymakers from Frankfurt to Tokyo.

6 min read

The fund managers, the sleuths and the mystery of the missing ESG

If fund managers are serious about clean investments, they need to get their hands dirty. That’s the view of Sasja Beslik, head of sustainable finance at Swiss bank J. Safra Sarasin, as demand surges for companies that perform well on environmental, social and governance issues.

9 min read

Cheap seats give Chinese airlines a much-needed passenger bounce

Looking to travel from Beijing to Hangzhou in eastern China? A flight can be had for as low as $26 - one of a slew of deals fueling a robust recovery in Chinese passenger levels and which could provide a model for a beleaguered industry globally.

5 min read