101 new cases in China, up from 68
SHANGHAI • China reported 101 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Tuesday, up from 68 cases a day earlier, the health commission said yesterday.
Of the new infections, 89 were in the far western region of Xinjiang and one in Beijing, while three were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission.
China reported 27 new asymptomatic patients, down from 34 a day earlier.
As of Tuesday, mainland China had 84,060 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The Covid-19 death toll remained at 4,634.
REUTERS
US records 1,592 new deaths in 24 hours
WASHINGTON • The United States on Tuesday recorded 1,592 new Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, the highest number of daily fatalities in 21/2 months, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally.
A half-dozen American states in the South and West contributed to the surge in fatalities by posting one-day records for coronavirus deaths.
The country also notched more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases in one day, the Baltimore-based university showed at 8.30pm local time as the number of cases in Texas passed the 400,000 mark.
Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas each reported record spikes in fatalities.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Thailand extends state of emergency
BANGKOK • Thailand's Cabinet extended the country's state of emergency for a fourth time, by one month through Aug 31, an expected decision aimed at keeping the country's Covid-19 count to one of the lowest in Asia, according to a government spokesman.
The country has not detected any new coronavirus cases from local transmission for about two months.
Overall, it has reported 3,298 cases and 58 deaths, but officials said they are wary as new outbreaks have occurred in other places, including in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Critics of the government say the extension targets anti-government protests, which Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said was not the case.
BLOOMBERG
Japan avoids surge in overall fatalities
TOKYO • Japan avoided a surge in overall fatalities during its deadliest month of the pandemic, suggesting that the government's testing methods are not resulting in a large number of uncounted deaths linked to Covid-19.
Mortality across the nation dropped by 3.5 per cent in May from a year earlier, with Japan recording a total of 108,380 deaths from any cause, data released on Tuesday by the nation's Health Ministry show.
The month, during which much of the country was under a state of emergency, saw the most confirmed deaths so far from Covid-19.
Japan officially recorded 468 coronavirus-related fatalities in May, almost half its total to date of 1,001.
BLOOMBERG
