510 cases in South Korea linked to last month's anti-government protests

4 years ago 287
2 hr 49 min ago

510 cases in South Korea have been linked to last month's anti-government protests

From CNN's Yoonjung Seo

Police prevent protesters from marching to the Presidential palace (Cheong Wa Dae) during a rally against the government on August 15, in Seoul, South Korea. Police prevent protesters from marching to the Presidential palace (Cheong Wa Dae) during a rally against the government on August 15, in Seoul, South Korea. Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images

South Korea recorded 168 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Friday, of which 10 were imported, said the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Saturday.

That brings the national total to 21,010 cases, said KCDC Vice Director Kwon Joon-wook in a briefing. There are 159 patients still in critical or serious condition.

The country's coronavirus death toll stands at 333.

Clusters in Seoul: So far, 1,156 confirmed cases have been linked to Seoul’s Sarang-jeil Church, and 510 cases are linked to Seoul’s anti-government rallies on August 15, Kwon said. 

Kwon added that Level 3 social distancing restriction measures, the highest national restriction level, must be a last resort, and urged the citizens to continue taking precautions like avoiding social gatherings.

3 hr 7 min ago

Adrian Mannarino says his US Open match was delayed after concerns from health officials

From CNN's Jill Martin

Adrian Mannarino of France was set to play in his third-round US Open match against Alex Zverev of Germany on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

But as time went by, there was no sign of the players on the court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the New York borough of Queens.

Mannarino -- who previously had been in contact with another player who had tested positive for coronavirus -- said he was told as he was warming up that the New York State Department of Health had said that he would not be allowed to play Friday and that he should be quarantined in his hotel room and unable to go on a tennis court.

Ultimately, Friday's match was pushed back by a couple of hours, and Mannarino said he found out around 4:30 p.m. that he would be allowed to play. The match started after 5 p.m., with Mannarino going on to lose to Zverev in four sets.

Zverev told ESPN after his win: "I was told there was very little chance that we were going to play."

Read more here:

Adrian Mannarino says his US Open match was delayed for hours after concerns from health officials

3 hr 55 min ago

The US recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday

The United States reported 50,502 new Covid-19 cases and 965 virus-related deaths on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

That raises the national total to at least 6,200,518 cases and 187,755 deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Follow CNN's live tracker of US cases and deaths here:

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

4 hr 40 min ago

Germany's virus response won plaudits. But protests show it's a victim of its own success

From CNN's Tara John and Frederik Pleitgen

It was a woman with blonde dreadlocks who capped off one of the biggest anti-coronavirus demonstrations in Europe on Saturday, which saw tens of thousands of anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists and the far-right march through the German capital, Berlin.

Speaking on a stage by Germany's parliament, the Reichstag, she egged the crowd on to occupy the building. "Trump is in Berlin," the woman falsely said, according to a video posted of her speech on social media. "Go up there and sit peaceably on [the] stairs and show President Trump ... that we want world peace and that we are sick of it."

CNN has attempted to reach the woman, identified as Tamara K. in German media, for comment.

The gathering turned into a mob, which pushed past barricades and made its way towards the Reichstag's steps in scenes that horrified politicians, bringing back memories of darker times in the country's history. Protesters held up imperial banners, a flag now deployed by the far right as the swastika is banned in Germany.

Among them were QAnon supporters toting the US conspiracy group's insignia, as well as a symbol rarely associated with German anti-government protests: the US Stars and Stripes.

Germany has been lauded for its pandemic response, thanks to wide-scale testing and a fast response to the outbreak which has helped keep its Covid-19 mortality rate low -- despite a high number of reported cases. Yet the events at the Reichstag have worried experts that the country has become a victim of its own success, allowing for the spread of coronavirus scepticism.

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Germany's virus response won plaudits. But protests over vaccines and masks show it's a victim of its own success

5 hr 42 min ago

India surges past 4 million cases after recording highest single-day rise in infections

From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi

A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a patient for COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing, on Friday, September 4, in New Delhi, India. A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a patient for COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing, on Friday, September 4, in New Delhi, India. Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto/Getty Images

India recorded 86,432 new coronavirus cases on Friday, marking the country's highest single-day jump in infections since the pandemic began, its health ministry said Saturday. 

Friday's figure pushed India's total number of cases past 4 million. The total now stands at 4,023,179 infections -- of which more than 3.1 million have recovered and 846,395 are still active. 

The country's virus-related death toll stands at 69,561.

This is the third consecutive day India has recorded more than 80,000 new cases. Globally, it is the third worst-affected country after the United States and Brazil, which have 6.2 million and 4.09 million cases respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

5 hr 59 min ago

Nine sororities and fraternities are quarantining at University of Wisconsin-Madison due to Covid-19 

From CNN's Raja Razek 

Bascom Hall, the main administrative building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin Madison.  Bascom Hall, the main administrative building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin Madison.   Shutterstock

Nine fraternities and sororities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been placed under quarantine for at least 14 days due to confirmed cases of Covid-19.

"The nine chapters have about 420 members. As of Sept. 2, 38 of them had tested positive. There are approximately 1,500 students living in recognized fraternity and sorority chapter houses out of a total community of 5,000 members," the university said in a press release on Friday. 

Jake Baggott, executive director of University Health Services, said campus authorities wanted to stop any further spread of the virus among the students and the broader community.

Those who violate the isolation or quarantine orders could face a court order and/or fine of up to $10,000, as well as university sanctions against the student, the release added.

All residents in the other 38 Greek life chapters with live-in houses are also required to be tested for the virus.

6 hr 40 min ago

The major Phase 3 vaccine trials are still not enrolling enough minorities, latest data shows

From CNN's Elizabeth Cohen and John Bonifield

Moderna Inc. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 25. Moderna Inc. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 25. Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Moderna and Pfizer, the two major pharmaceutical companies developing coronavirus vaccines, are still not enrolling enough minorities in their clinical trials, according to their trial updates.

The recommendation: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that Phase 3 clinical trials should aim to include minorities at levels that are at least double their representation in the population to better reflect the population most affected by Covid-19. 

That would mean 37% of the study participants would be Latino, and 27% would be Black. 

The reality: As of this week, 16% of Moderna’s study subjects were Latino, and 10% were Black.

And as of August 31, 11% of Pfizer's study subjects were Latino and 8% were Black. 

That doesn’t square with Fauci’s recommendation to aim to enroll those minorities at levels at least double their numbers in the Census. 

Why this matters: Minority enrollment in the trials is important for two reasons:

The vaccine might work differently in people of color than in White people, and those effects need to be studied. To find out if the vaccine works, a sufficient number of people need to get infected and sick with Covid-19. That means researchers need to vaccinate enough high-risk people – and Covid-19 has hit Blacks and Latinos particularly hard. 
6 hr 54 min ago

Former Cook Islands prime minister dies in second fatality linked to New Zealand's Auckland cluster

Dr. Joseph WilliamsDr. Joseph Williams Pasifika Medical Association

New Zealand has reported a second Covid-19 death linked to a cluster in Auckland.

"The Ministry can confirm that the former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Dr Joseph Williams QSO passed away last night in Auckland City Hospital," the country's Ministry of Health said in a press release on Saturday.

"Dr Williams, who was in his 80s, was also a widely regarded member of health services in both New Zealand and the Cook Islands."

The release said Williams had been admitted to hospital on August 13, and passed away Friday evening.

Two deaths in two days: Only yesterday, the country reported its first Covid-19 death in more than three months -- a man in his 50s, who was linked to the Auckland cluster.

The country's coronavirus death toll now stands at 24.

"Today’s sad news again reinforces the importance of our shared vigilance against COVID-19, the very serious consequences the virus can carry with it, and the measures we all need to take to stop the spread, break any chain of transmission and prevent deaths," the ministry said in Saturday's release.
6 hr 38 min ago

US states should be ready to distribute a vaccine by November "just in case," says Surgeon General

From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas

A nurse administers a Covid-19 vaccination as part of a vaccine study at Research Centers of America on August 7 in Hollywood, Florida. A nurse administers a Covid-19 vaccination as part of a vaccine study at Research Centers of America on August 7 in Hollywood, Florida.  Joe Raedle/Getty Images

US states should be ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1 “just in case” one is ready, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said in an ABC News interview Friday.

“We've always said that we are hopeful for a vaccine by the end of this year or beginning of next year,” Adams said. “That said, it's not just about having a vaccine that is safe and effective -- it's about being ready to distribute it.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October or early November. 

Adams said the guidance is “just in case” a vaccine is approved by that time -- reiterating comments by public health officials that such an event is possible but not probable.

He added that data from Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials has been positive, and independent safety boards ensure the vaccine only moves forward if "there is good evidence" of its efficacy.

“The most telling thing I can say to people is that when there is a Covid vaccine available, I and my family will be in line to get it,” Adams said. “I think it will be safe, I think it will be effective and I think it will help us end this outbreak.”

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