August 28 coronavirus news

By Adam Renton, Steve George, Tara John and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 8:11 a.m. ET, August 29, 2020

5 Posts

Sort by

10:26 p.m. ET, August 27, 2020

CDC forecast now projects more than 200,000 US coronavirus deaths by September 19

From CNN Health’s Jamie Gumbrecht

An ensemble forecast published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects more than 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the US by September 19.

The new projections, published Thursday, forecast 200,292 deaths by September 19, with a possible range of 195,824 to 207,269 deaths.

“State- and territory-level ensemble forecasts predict that the number of reported new deaths per week may decrease in 18 jurisdictions. Trends in numbers of future reported deaths are uncertain or predicted to remain stable in the other jurisdictions,” the CDC says on its forecasting website.

Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections about a month into the future. The previous ensemble forecast, published August 20, projected roughly 195,000 coronavirus deaths by September 12.

At least 180,590 people have already died from Covid-19 in the US, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

CNN is tracking US Covid-19 cases and deaths here:

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

1:08 a.m. ET, August 28, 2020

Cuba's capital city imposes a curfew as coronavirus cases surge again

From CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Havana

A pedestrian wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic uses a parasol in Havana, Cuba, on Monday, August 10. Ismael Francisco/AP

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit Cuba, Havana residents will be subjected to a nightly curfew and not be allowed to travel to other provinces in the country, Havana Governor Reinaldo Garcia Zapata announced Thursday.

Cuba’s ruling Communist Party has struggled to control a second wave of Covid-19 in Havana, just weeks after declaring the country was closing in on the tail end of the pandemic.

The curfew from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. will begin on September 1 and last for at least 15 days, Zapata said.

Zapata said penalties for people not wearing a mask would be increased and the consumption of alcohol in public would be banned.

Cuba, with a population of 11 million, has so far registered 3,806 coronavirus cases and 92 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

10:27 p.m. ET, August 27, 2020

Brazil records more than 44,000 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Marcia Reverdosa

Brazil reported 44,235 new coronavirus cases and 984 deaths in the past 24 hours, its Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The country has recorded more than 3.76 million Covid-19 cases, with a total of 118,649 deaths so far, according to the ministry.

Brazil continues to be second only to the United States in the highest total number of coronavirus cases and deaths globally.

10:19 p.m. ET, August 27, 2020

White House announces purchase of 150 million rapid Covid-19 tests

From CNN's Matthew Hoye

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced the purchase of 150 million rapid Covid-19 tests on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

“This is a major development that will help our country to remain open, get Americans back to work, and kids back to school!” McEnany tweeted.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the deal with Abbott Laboratories is worth $750 million.

Some background: Abbott Labs received emergency approval yesterday from the US Food and Drug Administration for its rapid antigen test, which can detect a Covid-19 infection in 15 minutes.

The FDA's emergency use authorization is for Abbott's BinaxNOW Covid-19 Ag Card. The size of a credit card, BinaxNOW will cost $5 and will come with a free mobile app that will let people who test negative display a temporary, date-stamped health pass that is renewed each time a new test is taken.

The antigen test, which involves a nasal swab, uses the same type of technology as a flu test. Abbott says it anticipates producing 50 million BinaxNOW tests a month by October.

"The massive scale of this test and app will allow tens of millions of people to have access to rapid and reliable testing," said Joseph Petrosino, a professor of virology at Baylor College of Medicine, in a statement released by Abbott.

With reporting from CNN's David Goldman, Andrea Kane and Nadia Kounang.

10:18 p.m. ET, August 27, 2020

UK records highest daily virus cases since mid-June, and extends travel restrictions

From CNN's Lauren Kent

The United Kingdom reported its highest number of new daily Covid-19 cases since June 12, with 1,522 new infections on Thursday, according to government data.

The number of new confirmed cases on Thursday is an increase from 1,048 new cases reported Wednesday and 1,184 new cases reported Tuesday.

The cumulative total of coronavirus cases has risen to 330,368, according to government data. A further 12 deaths have been recorded, bringing the UK's official death toll to 41,477.

Meanwhile, the country removed the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from its list of "travel corridor" countries, meaning people arriving from those nations will now be required to quarantine for 14 days, transport secretary Grant Shapps said in a series of Thursday tweets.

The UK has also added Cuba to the list of countries exempt from the 14-day quarantine.

The new restrictions will go into effect for people arriving after 4 a.m. local time on Saturday (11 p.m. ET Friday).