COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 10 August

Aug 10, 2020

People maintain social distance as they queue to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a pop-up testing centre, as the state of New South Wales grapples with an outbreak of new cases, in Sydney, Australia, July 30, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott - RC2E3I93E1WW

This pop-up testing centre has a view of Sydney's iconic harbour. Image: REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Joe Myers

Writer, Forum Agenda

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COVID-19

This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
Top stories: Australia reports deadliest day; global confirmed cases near 20 million; and New Zealand reaches milestone.

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1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now reached more than 19.8 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 730,000.

Brazil has recorded more than 3 million cases of COVID-19, with more than 100,000 confirmed deaths. Its outbreak is the world's second worst, after the US.

Economic activity in France was 7% below normal levels in July – up slightly on June. The French economy contracted nearly 14% across the same period.

New Zealand has recorded 100 days without a domestic transmission, but is warning against complacency as countries like Australia have seen cases increase.

China reported 49 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on 9 August, up 23 on a day earlier. Thirty-five of these new infections were imported cases, said the National Health Commission.

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What is the World Economic Forum doing to manage emerging risks from COVID-19?

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders – communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forum’s annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies’ risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forum’s work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

2. Australia reports record single-day rise

Australia has reported its deadliest day since the pandemic began, with the largest single-day rise in COVID-19 deaths.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that internal border closures were unlikely to be lifted before Christmas. The federal political system has given rise to the internal closures, with states and territories taking different measures.

But there was some brighter news, with hard-hit Victoria reporting a drop in daily new infections. Melbourne, the state capital, has been in lockdown since early July.

Cases have risen in Australia after plateauing. Image: Our World in Data

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