Brazil's president again tests positive for coronavirus

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro looks on in front of Alvorada Palace in Brasília, Brazil, on July 18. Bruna Prado/Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil on Wednesday that he had tested positive again for Covid-19, just over two weeks after his initial test came back positive.

Bolsonaro, who spoke to a CNN Brasil reporter on the phone, has been working in semi-isolation from the presidential residence since July 7, when he first announced he had tested positive.

He initially said he had a low-grade fever, but he didn’t come down with any serious symptoms. A long-time proponent of the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, Bolsonaro announced he was taking it and has repeatedly said he believes the drug has helped him.

The Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases, in a report published last week, urged medical professionals to stop using hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus, because it has been proved ineffective and can cause collateral damage.

Bolsonaro, who spent months downplaying the virus, often strolls out on the grounds of the presidential palace to greet supporters, and has continued to do so since his positive diagnosis earlier this month.

On Tuesday, he told the crowd gathered there that he hoped his latest test, the third since becoming infected, would come back negative so he could get back to work.

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A person at San Francisco International Airport in California uses a kiosk to check-in at a United Airlines counter on July 1. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

United Airlines is expanding its mask requirements for passengers, requiring that its fliers wear a face covering in all 360 airports United serves, at every step from check-in to baggage claim. Since May, the airline had only been requiring that passengers wear a mask while on board a flight.

Now passengers who believe they have “extraordinary circumstances” preventing them from wearing a mask must get permission from the airline not to wear one. United says passengers who do not comply with updated rules could be kept from boarding a flight or banned from flying again. 

The policy goes into effect on Friday.

The move comes as the airline announced a $1.6 billion loss in the second quarter of the year — the worst loss in its nearly hundred-year history. The airline reports that it is still burning $40 million in cash each day as the coronavirus pandemic has cratered revenues by 80 percent.

Where other airlines stand: Delta Air Lines, which also require passengers wear masks starting at check-in, updated its mask policy on Monday. It is now telling customers who have a health condition preventing them from wearing a face covering to maybe reconsider flying. Those who do still want to fly will need to submit to a health consultation at the airport with a doctor provided by the airline.

Southwest requires a mask at all times. American requires a mask during the boarding process.

Nurses work on July 21 at a drive-thru Covid-19 testing site in El Paso, Texas. Cengiz Yar/Getty Images

At least 1,000 American deaths linked to coronavirus were reported Tuesday, and the spread shows no sign of slowing down.

The harrowing death toll comes as states across the country report record-breaking numbers of new cases. More governors are making masks a requirement as overwhelmed testing labs and hospitals are raising alarm. And officials are debating whether to send children back to school.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, a quarter of all days this year have seen a US death toll exceeding 1,000.

Experts say the virus is now running rampant within American communities, and new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also show infections could be more than 10 times higher than the number of reported cases in some parts of the US. At least 27 states have hit the pause button on their reopening plans or set new restrictions to help curb the spread of the virus.

But President Donald Trump said Tuesday the pandemic is likely to "unfortunately get worse before it gets better," a prediction that's been echoed by other experts who have shared a bleak outlook on the next few months in the country.

Last week, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said the fall and winter will likely be "one of the most difficult times that we experienced in American public health."

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Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp looks on prior to a Premier League match at Anfield stadium in England on June 24. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Manager Jurgen Klopp has likened it to the eager anticipation of opening presents on Christmas Day, but Liverpool fans have been urged to stay at home ahead of the team's trophy presentation at Anfield on Wednesday.

Contrary to government guidelines, fans gathered outside the stadium as Chelsea defeated Manchester City last month and Liverpool's 30-year wait to be crowned English champion came to an end.

Flares and fireworks were set off as supporters congregated outside Anfield, and now authorities have warned the public to avoid the stadium during Liverpool's game against Chelsea, which will be followed by the official trophy presentation.

"On this occasion, the best seat in the house is in your living room," said assistant chief constable Natalie Perischine from Merseyside Police.

"There is simply no benefit to going to the ground and we as a city cannot afford for people to gather in large numbers.

Matt Ashton, director of public health at Liverpool City Council, said that the threat of a second lockdown is "very real" in the city, while Peter Moore, CEO of the football club, emphasized that "nothing is happening outside of the stadium" during Wednesday's game.

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Health care workers check results at a Covid-19 testing center in New Delhi on July 20. T. Narayan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Nearly one in four residents in the Indian capital of New Delhi may have been infected with the novel coronavirus, antibody tests on a random sample of people have shown.

The study, conducted by India's National Center for Disease Control two weeks ago, suggests actual infections in the city are much more widespread than the number of confirmed cases reflects.

As of Wednesday, Delhi has recorded a total of 125,096 cases, accounting for less than 1% of its population of 16.78 million, according to the last census carried out in 2011.

The result of the study, however, suggests that around 4 million Delhi residents could have been infected with the virus by the first week of July.

What's happening: Delhi is the worst-hit city in India, with the highest number of coronavirus cases as well as the most cases per capita.

The coronavirus is still fast spreading in the country, with 37,724 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to more than 1.19 million cases -- the third highest in the world after the United States and Brazil.

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President Donald Trump holds a coronavirus briefing at the White House on July 21. Evan Vucci/AP

President Donald Trump's return to coronavirus briefings delivered exactly the strong public health message America needed to hear -- four months ago.

Trump, coaxed back to the White House briefing room by his tumbling poll numbers and plummeting public confidence in his handling of the pandemic, mostly stuck to an unusually disciplined, scripted message on Tuesday.

He finally endorsed, without reservation, the wearing of masks, weeks after many state, city and local leaders had pleaded with their constituents to adopt the practice to slow the out-of-control spread of the novel coronavirus.

And hours before the daily US Covid-19 death toll topped 1,000 for the first time in two weeks, the President warned in an unusually somber and honest assessment that the crisis was likely to get worse before it got better.

But deep into a crisis that has seen nearly 4 million US infections and tens of thousands dead, Trump offered no clear plan to reverse his administration's mistakes or any comprehensive new approach to lead the country out of its worsening viral nightmare -- or even much comprehension of why things got so bad.

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Pedestrians wearing face masks walk on a Light Rail Transit platform on July 21, in Hong Kong, China. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Hong Kong will require all individuals to wear a face mask in all public indoor areas as it battles the third wave of Covid-19, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said Wednesday.

While masks are currently required in public transport, the requirement will be extended to all public indoor areas, bus interchange and terminal stations, she said.

The new regulations will take effect on Thursday, and offenders may face a maximum penalty of US$645 (HK$5,000).

In addition, the city will require air travelers from nine high-risk countries -- including the United States and Kazakhstan -- to show negative results in nucleic acid tests within 72 hours of their flight, she added.

Chan said the additional measures are needed as the city has reported 605 locally transmitted cases in the past 14 days. She said the coming two weeks will be critical.

According to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases, there were 64,534 new cases and 1,082 reported deaths reported in the United States in the past 24 hours.

It is the highest number of daily coronavirus deaths in the US in at least two weeks.

To date, there have been at least 3,899,211 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US. The country's death toll currently stands at 141,995.

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

For the latest US figures, follow CNN’s map which is refreshed every 15 mins:

A relative seeks apology from the body of a man who died of the coronavirus (COVID-19), before cremating him on July 21, in New Delhi, India.  Yawar Nazir/Getty Images

India has recorded 37,724 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said.

The total number of cases across the country has now reached 1,192,915, the third-highest in the world.

The country also reported 684 new deaths Monday, raising the death toll to 28,732. India has conducted a total of 14,724,546 Covid-19 tests as of Monday, according to the health ministry.

As of Wednesday, India has recorded over 600,000 Covid-19 cases in July alone, which is more than the total number of infections reported up to June 30, the ministry added.