September 6 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton and Amy Woodyatt, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, September 7, 2020
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7:29 a.m. ET, September 6, 2020

At least 188,538 dead, and 6.2 million cases in the US

There are at least 6,244,970 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 188,538 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States.

On Saturday, Johns Hopkins University reported 44,452 new cases and 783 new deaths. 

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

CNN is tracking coronavirus cases in the US here:

5:23 a.m. ET, September 6, 2020

The Labor Day gatherings health experts warned against during the coronavirus pandemic are popping up all over the US

From CNN's Madeline Holcombe

People enjoy the beach on September 5, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
People enjoy the beach on September 5, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Labor Day weekend celebrations are in full swing -- and many include the large crowds health experts feared.

Covid-19 doesn't have to stop Labor Day celebrations, health experts said this week. But with more than 6.2 million Americans infected with the virus and 188,538 killed by it, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the festivities should look a lot different this year. To avoid outbreaks, experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said people should continue to distance, wear masks and avoid groups as they enjoy the weekend.

"We don't want to see a repeat of the surges that we have seen following other holiday weekends," Fauci said, referring to the outbreaks that followed Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

We don't want to see a surge under any circumstances, but particularly as we go on the other side of Labor Day and enter into the fall."

Still, many gathered in large groups Saturday. Throngs of people are expected at Tybee Island beaches in Georgia over the weekend, CNN affiliate WTOC reported. And images from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, show umbrellas lined up side by side down the beach.

In Pennsylvania, the amusement park Kennywood is expected to have its busiest weekend of the season, CNN affiliate KDKA reported.

And in Atlanta, many weekend Labor Day parties are on the schedule including "The Biggest Labor Day Weekend Party in the City" hosted by rapper Gucci Mane and a "Sunday Funday" rooftop party advertised with an image of people standing close together, some without masks.

Read the full story.

4:51 a.m. ET, September 6, 2020

Putin's vaccine meets opposition from frontline workers in Russia

From CNN's Zahra Ullah and Anna Chernova, CNN

Vladimir Putin revealed the vaccine must be safe as one of his daughters has already taken it.
Vladimir Putin revealed the vaccine must be safe as one of his daughters has already taken it. Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik via AP

Vladimir Putin announced the approval of Russia's Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine on August 11 amid much fanfare, saying it works "quite effectively" in forming a stable immunity.

How would he know this? Because the Russian President revealed one of his daughters had already taken it.

Speaking on Russian state TV at the time, Putin said his daughter had a slightly higher temperature after each dose of the two-stage coronavirus vaccine, but that "Now she feels well.

Russian authorities have singled out teachers -- as well as doctors -- as key workers who will get access to the vaccine first, even before crucial phase 3 human trials have finished.

But that's not gone down well with some sections of these frontline workers who don't buy Putin's claims of the efficacy of the vaccine and are reluctant to be used as human guinea pigs.

Schools opening, but not all teachers want the vaccine: On September 1, Russian classrooms reopened for the first time since March amid the Covid-19 pandemic -- the same day the country surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases. Teachers were meant to be among the first to benefit from Russia's new coronavirus vaccine, especially given the close contact with hundreds of children that they are exposed to on a daily basis. But CNN is learning that few -- if any -- have so far taken up the offer to be vaccinated.

Russia's claim of victory at being the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine in a worldwide pandemic was initially met with widespread concern and unanswered questions over its safety and effectiveness, and not just from outside the country.

Read the full story here.

3:56 a.m. ET, September 6, 2020

54 arrested in India for attending a pool party during Covid-19 restrictions, police say

From CNN's Rishabh Pratap in New Delhi

Police have arrested 54 people for flouting coronavirus guidelines in the north Indian state of Punjab.

A pool party was organized at a restaurant in Ludhiana amid the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday, Sameer Verma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police told CNN.

A raid was conducted at the restaurant after police received an initial tip-off, said Verma.

Police also seized alcohol from the venue, he added.

Punjab has reported a total of 15,731 coronavirus cases including 1739 deaths until Sunday morning.

India is on track to become the country with the second highest number of coronavirus cases. On Saturday, Brazil's Health Ministry reported 4,123,000 total cases, just 9,189 more than India.

According to Health Ministry data, India currently has 862,320 active cases of coronavirus while 3,180,865 patients have recovered after undergoing medical supervision.

12:47 a.m. ET, September 6, 2020

India records more than 90,000 new Covid-19 cases in highest single-day spike

From journalist Rishabh Pratap in New Delhi

A health worker collects a swab sample at a coronavirus testing center, in Baljeet Nagar, on September 5.
A health worker collects a swab sample at a coronavirus testing center, in Baljeet Nagar, on September 5. Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

India reported 90,632 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday -- the highest single-day rise in infections since the pandemic hit the country.

The country’s total number of recorded cases now stands at 4,113,811, including 70,626 deaths, according to India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India is on track to become the country with the second highest number of coronavirus cases. On Saturday, Brazil's Health Ministry reported 4,123,000 total cases, just 9,189 more than India.

According to Health Ministry data, India currently has 862,320 active cases of coronavirus while 3,180,865 patients have recovered after undergoing medical supervision.

In India, not all patients require a test to be considered recovered. Patients with mild and moderate symptoms are considered no longer active after 10 days of symptom onset if they meet certain conditions, and a test to confirm that they no longer have the virus is not required. However, severe cases can only be discharged after one negative coronavirus test.

India has tested 48,831,145 samples for coronavirus until Saturday, the ministry says.

11:09 p.m. ET, September 5, 2020

Melbourne to remain in hard lockdown despite drop in Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media during a news conference on September 6, in Melbourne, Australia.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media during a news conference on September 6, in Melbourne, Australia. Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The Australian city of Melbourne will remain on a strict "Stage 4" lockdown until at least September 28, despite the daily average number of new Covid-19 cases dropping into double-digits.

Stage 4 restrictions were due to expire on September 14, however the government of Premier Daniel Andrews said today that the city would not be in a safe enough position to do so.

Melbourne has suffered through the toughest restrictions felt by Australians through the Covid-19 pandemic, as the city has felt the brunt of a brutal second wave of coronavirus.

The cases: At least 19,542 cases and 666 deaths have been recorded in the state of Victoria, the vast majority coming from the capital Melbourne in July and August. New South Wales, the next worst-hit Australian state, has recorded 4,114 cases and 52 deaths, mostly in April. 

What the Stage 4 restrictions mean: They include the closure of all non-essential businesses, a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time each day and restrictions on who may go outside and for how long.

Some minor changes will come into effect as of Sunday, September 13: The curfew will be pushed back to 9 p.m. and outdoor socializing with one other person will be allowed, Andrews said.

What to watch for: Further restrictions will be removed gradually from September 28 should the 14-day average for new cases per day be between 30 and 50. That includes public gatherings increased to a maximum of five people, some businesses reopened and some students allowed back to class.

If the 14-day average in new daily cases is below five as of October 26, the curfew will be lifted and residents will not need a valid reason to leave their home. 

“If we go too far too soon, the modelling also tells us we’d be on track for a third wave by mid-November,” Andrews wrote in a news release Sunday.

Saturday saw 63 new cases of Covid-19 in Victoria and five deaths added to the total.

8:58 p.m. ET, September 5, 2020

US surgeon general tells states to be ready for Covid-19 vaccine by November "just in case"

From CNN's Susannah Cullinane and Lauren Mascarenhas

US states should be prepared to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1 "just in case" one is ready, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said.

"We've always said that we are hopeful for a vaccine by the end of this year or beginning of next year," Adams said in an ABC News interview Friday.
"That said, it's not just about having a vaccine that is safe and effective -- it's about being ready to distribute it."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked public health officials in the states to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October or early November.

More than 6.2 million people have been infected in the US since the pandemic began, and 188,501 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Adams said the guidance is "just in case" a vaccine is approved by that time, reiterating comments by public health officials that such an event is possible but not probable.

Read more:

9:07 p.m. ET, September 5, 2020

Fauci unsure what Trump means by saying the country is "rounding the corner on the virus"

From CNN's Caroline Kelly and Jen Christensen

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that he's not sure what President Donald Trump meant when he said earlier that evening that the United States is "rounding the corner" on the coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm not sure what he means," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jim Acosta on "The Situation Room."

"There are certain states that are actually doing well in the sense of that the case numbers are coming down." However, Fauci continued, experts remain concerned by a number of states, including Montana, Michigan, Minnesota and the Dakotas, that are starting to see an uptick in the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive -- an indication of spread of the virus.

The exchange marked another example of a top scientist and a member of the White House coronavirus task force publicly disputing the President's claims about the virus, a dynamic that has played out nearly since the start of the pandemic.

"By the way, we are rounding the corner," Trump said during a news briefing at the White House. "We are rounding the corner on the virus."

Read more:

9:50 p.m. ET, September 5, 2020

South Korea reports lowest daily total in three weeks

From CNN’s Yoonjung Seo in Seoul

A medical worker screens for Covid-19 at a testing facility on August 26, in Seoul, South Korea.
A medical worker screens for Covid-19 at a testing facility on August 26, in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

South Korea reported 168 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, its lowest number since August 15, according to the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The country recorded a surge in infections last month, partly driven by a cluster from Seoul’s Sarang-jeil Church, which was linked to 1,156 confirmed cases. Another 510 cases were linked to Seoul’s anti-government rallies, which were held on August 15.

The spike in new cases was especially high in the greater Seoul area. Last week, South Korea reported a peak of over 400 daily cases.

On August 28 the government announced stricter social distancing measures for the greater Seoul area, which took effect from August 30. 

The measures include permitting only takeout services from franchise cafes, banning eat-in services between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time at all restaurants and bakeries, and shuttering gyms and indoor sporting facilities. 

On Friday, the strict social distancing measures for the greater Seoul area were extended until September 13.

South Korea's national tally of confirmed cases stands at 21,010, and the death toll increased to 333 as two new deaths were added, according to a news release by the KCDC Saturday.