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No cause for "concern" over Berlusconi health after positive Covid-19 result
From CNN's Valentina DiDonato in Rome
A view of the San Raffaele hospital where former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi is admitted, in Milan, Italy, on Friday, September 4. Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via APThere is no cause for “concern” over the health of Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, his representatives told CNN.
Berlusconi was admitted to hospital Thursday with mild coronavirus symptoms and subsequently tested positive.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images“Berlusconi, after the appearance of some symptoms, was admitted to the San Raffale hospital in Milan as a precaution. The clinical picture does not cause concern,” Berlusconi’s press office told CNN.
South Korea extends strict social distancing measures for another week in the greater Seoul area
From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul
Customers wearing face masks collect their orders as chairs and tables are stacked together as part of social distancing efforts inside a cafe in Seoul, on August 31. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty ImagesSouth Korea is extending its strict social distancing measures for the greater Seoul Metropolitan area for one more week until September 13, the country's Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a briefing today.
"The government feels it's necessary to extend these measures until the new daily numbers visibly drop so that our epidemiological investigation and medical system capacity can handle the situation," Park explained.
The current restrictions were due to expire this Sunday.
All kindergartens and schools except some high school classes in the greater Seoul Metropolitan area will continue to hold online classes for two more weeks until September 20, the Education Ministry's Vice Minister Park Baek-beom said in a separate briefing.
All restaurants and bakeries will continue to stop eat-in services between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time, and gyms and indoor sporting facilities will be closed for one more week due to this decision.
The rest of South Korea, where level-two social distancing measures are implemented, will maintain the restrictions for two more weeks from September 9 until September 20, Park said. However, local authorities can adjust the duration of restrictions.
What level-two social distancing means: Indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 100. Churches nationwide will be strongly advised to hold online services by local authorities, Park added.
South Korea reported 198 new coronavirus cases from Thursday, of which 189 are local cases, and nine are imported, according to the press release by the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Friday. South Korea currently has 20,842 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 331 deaths from the virus.
It's the worst disaster of the pandemic. But WHO chief says our lack of concern shows "moral bankruptcy"
From CNN's Emma Reynolds
They are among the greatest victims of coronavirus, yet elderly people continue to be dismissed, despite growing evidence of the devastating effects the pandemic has had on them.
Earlier this week, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had heard people describing high Covid-19 death rates among older people as "fine."
No, when the elderly are dying it's not fine. It's a moral bankruptcy," he told a news conference. "Every life, whether it's young or old, is precious and we have to do everything to save it."
WHO figures from last week show that almost 88% of all deaths in Europe were among people aged 65 and over. And almost half of all deaths linked to Covid-19 globally have taken place in care homes, according to the Long-Term Care Covid (LTCcovid) network at the London School of Economics.
But despite vast numbers of elderly people dying of coronavirus -- and a significant drop in the quality of life of many of those forced to self-isolate -- the global response to the risks they face in the era of Covid-19 has often been chilling.
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US lawmakers want e-cigarettes banned from college campuses this fall due to coronavirus
From CNN's Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy
United States lawmakers are reiterating a call for universities and college campuses to prohibit tobacco use this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Democratic lawmakers urged the federal health agency to review its Covid-19 guidelines and recommend no smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco in schools.
The letter cites a study suggesting that young people who've used e-cigarettes can be five times more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19. Stanford University researchers published the report last month in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
With the public health risk posed by coronavirus, they said, the CDC should "act quickly and forcefully."
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New Zealand reports first Covid-19 death in more than three months
From CNN's Chandler Thornton and Julia Hollingsworth
This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)New Zealand reported its first Covid-19 death in more than three months on Friday, according to its health ministry.
The ministry reported the man in his 50s was linked to the August Auckland cluster.
New Zealand's last reported death from the virus was on May 28. The country's death toll from Covid-19 now stands at 23.
"It’s with a very heavy heart we acknowledge that COVID-19 has taken the life of someone in our community. Our thoughts are with this person’s family and whānau," the NZ government tweeted.
US reports more than 36,500 new coronavirus cases
From CNN's Joe Sutton
The United States reported 6,506 new Covid-19 cases and 1,070 deaths on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
There are at least 6,150,016 cases of the virus in the US and at least 186,790 people have died, JHU said.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
CNN's map is tracking the US cases:
India reports more than 83,000 cases for second consecutive day
From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi
Relatives wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) as a precaution lower the body of a COVID-19 victim for burial at a graveyard in New Delhi, India. Manish Rajput/SOPA Images/Sipa/APIndia reported 83,341 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, another highest daily increase for the country, according to the Indian Health Ministry.
It follows 83,337 Covid-19 cases reported on Thursday.
The nation's caseload now stands at 3,936,747, with least 3,037,151 of those making recoveries, according to the health ministry.
India also recorded 1,096 new coronavirus-related fatalities on Friday, bringing the confirmed nationwide death toll to 68,472.
New Zealand to remain at Alert Level 2 until September 16
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looks on at the Manukau Institute of Technology on September 3, in Auckland, New Zealand. Hannah Peters/Getty Images Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesNew Zealand will remain at Alert Level 2 until September 16 to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in a press conference Friday.
"There's still a chance of spread outside of Auckland. If that does happen. Level Two ceilings lessen the impact of any spread. That means we avoid further fall out," Ardern said.
What is Alert Level 2: Face coverings are mandatory on public transportation and no more than 100 people are allowed at gatherings.
Auckland remains at Level 2.5, allowing for no more than 10 people at gatherings, after the city was linked to a Covid-19 cluster in August.
"At this stage, the Auckland cluster remains contained and there is no indication at this stage that Auckland needs, for instance, to move back to level three," Ardern said.
The government will reevaluate alert levels on September 14, the Prime Minister added.
New Zealand has 1,413 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus after reporting five new cases Friday. Of the new cases, two were imported and under the age of nine years old, the government said.
Black Americans, hit hardest by the pandemic, feel they're hurt by both the virus and inequities tied to race
From CNN's Laura Dolan and Jason Carroll
Keith Gambrell feels minorities are getting blamed for dying from coronavirus.
"They say, 'Oh, it's because of the way you guys eat. It's the way you guys are living," he said. "I guess it's a blame game for everything that the minorities do. Like, how do you blame someone for dying at home?"
Gambrell, 33, lost his father to Covid-19 and says he had to fight to get treatment for his mother. He is himself still suffering from the effects of the virus that also struck his brothers.
This family is just one example of how hard coronavirus has hit minorities in the United States, and Black people in particular.
Blacks are dying at a rate 2.4 times higher than Whites, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Native Americans and Latinos are also dying at about 1.5 times the rate of that of Whites and Asian Americans, the data shows.
In Michigan, nearly 40% of all deaths in the state were Blacks -- including Gambrell's father, Gary Fowler -- even though they make up only 22% of the cases, the Covid Tracking Project data shows.
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