COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 14 September

Sep 14, 2020

A participant in a traditional costume wearing a face mask attends a rehearsal for Garba, a folk dance, ahead of Navratri, a festival during which devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga and youths dance in traditional costumes, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ahmedabad, India, September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Amit Dave TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2UWI9DC85L

The WHO has reported a record single-day rise in cases. Image: REUTERS/Amit Dave

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 pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
Top stories: The impact of COVID-19 on energy consumption; WHO reports record case rise; pandemic preparedness criticized.

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1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 29 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 924,000.

India has recorded 92,071 new cases of COVID-19, according to the federal health ministry. It brings total cases to 4.85 million, with 79,722 deaths.

Coronavirus restrictions will be lifted across New Zealand on 21 September, except in Auckland. Physical distancing requirements are also being eased on planes.

New COVID-19 cases have broken out in migrant-worker dormitories in Singapore that had previously been given the all-clear. “It points out just the difficulty in smothering this virus,” said Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota, who tracked Singapore’s campaign.

Victoria, Australia has reported its lowest single-day rise in nearly 3 months. Melbourne, the state capital, was placed under lockdown in early August.

Fossil fuel consumption is set to shrink for the first time in modern history, according to the BP forecast. Coronavirus is set to have a lasting impact on global energy demand, with some "scarring effects" - such as working from home - leading to slower growth in energy consumption.

BP oil gas fossil fuels energy economic activity

The lasting impacting of COVID-19. Image: BP via Reuters

French authorities have reported a 7,183 new COVID-19 infections, down from a record 10,561 on Saturday.

Indonesia has reported more than 3,000 new COVID-19 infections for six straight days, as capital Jakarta prepares to reimpose physical distancing measures.

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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. WHO reports record rise

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record one-day increase in global COVID-19 cases yesterday. The total rose by 307,930 in just 24 hours.

The biggest rises were in India, the United States and Brazil, with 94,372, 45,523 and 43,718 cases respectively.

Deaths rose by 5,537, with India and the United States both reporting over 1,000 new deaths.

3. Lack of pandemic preparedness criticized in new report

A report on international pandemic preparedness has criticized global leaders for failing to heed warnings and prepare for an infectious disease pandemic.

“Financial and political investments in preparedness have been insufficient, and we are all paying the price,” said the report by The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB).

“It is not as if the world has lacked the opportunity to take these steps,” it added. “There have been numerous calls for action... over the last decade, yet none has generated the changes needed.”

Indeed, the GPMB's own 2019 report warned of the risks of "rapidly spreading pandemic due to a lethal respiratory pathogen".

The report also says we're failing to learn the lessons from COVID-19 and act on them - increasing the risks posed by future pandemics.

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