Birx says don't wait for vaccine to 'do the right thing'

As the United States nears 6 million Covid-19 cases, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus response urged Americans not to wait for a vaccine to stop community spread of the virus.

"Do the right thing today," Dr. Deborah Birx said. "Because if we do the right thing today, we go into the fall with much fewer cases."

As researchers race to develop a vaccine to get control of the virus that has infected more than 5.9 million people and killed at least 183,069 in the US, health experts and officials continue to say preventative measures, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowds can keep infections low and economies open in the interim. But as the pandemic drags on, experts worry that the public has become fatigued or complacent in those measures.

She urged vigilance, noting that crowds gathered at concert venues can spread the virus, but so too can people gathered in a backyard.

Read the full story:

Lady Gaga asked viewers to mask up while speaking at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, and she led by example.

During her multiple appearances during the show, Gaga displayed an impressive collection of masks, but it's fair to assume she didn't pick these up at GAP or have them mailed to her by her auntie who can sew.

These masks were 100% what one would expect from Gaga, the woman who once made charcuterie into a fashion statement.

Read here to see her best masks:

At least 64,469 people have now died after contracting Covid-19 in India since the pandemic began, more than any other country except the United States and Brazil.

Mexico had identified more novel coronavirus related-deaths than India until Sunday, when Indian authorities identified another 971 fatalities. Mexico's death toll stood at 64,158 as of Sunday.

Cases have been skyrocketing in India in recent weeks, though that may be partially due to the high numbers of people being tested.

Indian authorities confirmed 78,512 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday -- the fifth consecutive day the country has recorded more than 75,000 daily new cases, according to the Health Ministry.  More than 3.6 million people have contracted the virus in India since the pandemic began.

As of Saturday, the country has tested more than 41.4 million people.

New Delhi surge: Authorities in the Indian capital recorded more than 2,000 positive Covid-19 tests on Sunday -- the highest since July 10, authorities said.

CNN is tracking global coronavirus cases here:

A nurse and doctor exit a changing room during a coronavirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstration test on July 14, in Tokyo, Japan. Carl Court/Getty Images

Another 603 cases of Covid-19 and 15 virus-related deaths were confirmed in Japan on Sunday, the country's Health Ministry said.

To date, 68,577 novel coronavirus patients have been confirmed in the country since the pandemic began, killing at least 1,297 people. As of Sunday, 234 Covid-19 patients were in critical condition.

Tokyo authorities recorded 148 cases on Sunday, down from 247 on Saturday.

A total of 20,717 people in the Japanese capital have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

South Africa is slowly emerging from one of the world's strictest Covid-19 lockdowns. As the threat of the pandemic loomed in March its government sealed national borders, restricted public transport use and -- in a particularly controversial move -- banned the sale of alcohol for several weeks

Government officials believe the drinking restrictions significantly reduced pressure on the country's hospitals and have hailed the results as a policy success.

Yet the long-term impact of such strict measures is unclear. Elsewhere, the country's alcohol trade bodies say the industry has been devastated by the ban. Many workers in the sector took to the streets to protest the ban in July.

Temporary drinking restrictions are back in vogue worldwide, thanks to coronavirus. Social distancing has also dramatically altered alcohol consumption habits, though researchers believe it's too early to say whether the impact will be permanent.

South Africa isn't alone in imposing restrictions; Thailand and India both introduced similar bans earlier in the year, while Kenya banned the sale of liquor in restaurants for 30 days this summer. Restrictions on outdoor drinking are in place in Spain's Catalonia region and in the UK, the city of Manchester banned outdoor drinking over the holiday weekend from August 29-31.

Read the full story:

Workers get ready to disinfect an alley to prevent the coronavirus spread on August 29, in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

An additional 248 cases of Covid-19 and one virus-related death were identified in South Korea on Sunday, according to the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the pandemic began, 19,947 cases have been recorded and 324 people have died in the country. Some 14,973 have recovered so far, while 4,650 are in active quarantine and 79 are in critical condition.

Rising cases: Experts have credited South Korea with employing one of the world's most efficient and successful anti-epidemic strategies.

However, infections have been on the rise in recent weeks. Many of the cases have been transmitted locally -- all but 10 of those identified on Sunday were classified as such -- in South Korea's bustling capital, Seoul. South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned last week that the current wave constitutes a more "severe emergency" than earlier outbreaks.

Citing criticism of government agencies and increasing public distrust of vaccines, several prominent physicians and experts are calling for the creation of an independent commission to review data from coronavirus vaccine trials before a vaccine is allowed on the market.

The United States Food and Drug Administration regulates vaccines, and its OK is all that's needed to put one on the market. The physicians fear, however, that after several government blunders during the pandemic, a layer of review independent from the government is needed to give Americans confidence that the shot is safe and effective.

Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said she thought of the idea of an independent panel to increase trust in the vaccine after several colleagues told her they did not want to get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available.

Separately from Stephenson, bioethicist Arthur Caplan arrived at the same conclusion.

Read more:

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a person to test for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on July 29, in Bogota, Colombia. Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images

Colombia recorded 8,024 new Covid-19 infections and 300 virus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the country’s Ministry of Health reported Sunday. 

That brings the national total to at least 607,938 cases, including 19,364 fatalities, since the pandemic began, according to the ministry’s data.

Colombia surpassed Mexico on Thursday, August 27, to become the country with the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America, trailing only Brazil and Peru, according to data compiled by CNN and Johns Hopkins University. 

A couple visit the graves of family members who died of Covid-19, at the San Miguel Xico cemetery on August 5, in Mexico. Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 4,129 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 595,841.

The ministry also reported 339 new deaths for a total of 64,158.

Mexico has recorded the fourth-highest number of total coronavirus cases in Latin America, behind Brazil, Peru and Colombia, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.