World coronavirus dispatch: When Brazilian chicken tested positive in China

Sending experts back to the study table, two Chinese patients who had recovered months earlier have tested positive again

A sample of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen from Brazil had tested positive for coronavirus, the city government said. Local disease control centres tested a surface sample taken from the chicken wings as part of routine screenings carried out on meat and seafood imports since June, when a new outbreak in Beijing was linked to the city’s Xinfadi seafood market. Read more here.

Let’s look at the global statistics:

Total confirmed cases: 20,621,949

Change over yesterday: 329,094

Total deaths: 749,372

Total recovered: 12,828,195

Nations hit with most cases: The US (51,97,147), Brazil (31,64,785), India (23,96,637), Russia (9,00,745) and South Africa (5,68,919).

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Cisco forecast raises spectre of broad IT spending decline: In its quarterly results, Cisco indicated that its July-October might produce an even bigger drop-off in sales than it experienced during the sharp contraction of the three preceding months. The downbeat prediction added to growing unease on Wall Street about a broad downturn in IT spending in the second half of this year. Read more here.

Just Eat Takeaway.com sales surge 44%: UK Food delivery group Just Eat Takeaway.com recorded revenues of 1 billion euros in the first half of 2020, with a 44 per cent year-on-year increase driven by the cravings of consumers unable to dine out. The group predicted strong order growth throughout the rest of the year, despite the post-lockdown reopening of restaurants in markets such as the UK. Read more here.

Germany optimistic it will have a vaccine in coming months: “I’m optimistic that in the next months, and certainly in the next year, there can be a vaccine,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Thursday. He declined to give a specific month and said it was not yet possible to say how often people would need to be vaccinated. Read more here

Two Chinese patients test positive months after virus recovery: A 68-year-old woman in Hubei, where the novel coronavirus first surfaced, tested positive on Sunday, six months after she was diagnosed and recovered. Another man found to have contracted the disease in April tested positive in Shanghai on Monday. None of the patients’ close contacts has tested positive for the virus. Read more here

French jobless numbers conceal size of shock to labour market: The plunge in French unemployment to 7.1 per cent – the lowest rate since 1983 – conceals the start of what is set to be a prolonged labour market crisis. A measure of people who wish to work but are not counted as unemployed because they were unable to look for a job in confinement – the so-called halo around unemployment – rose to a record of more than 2.5 million. Read more here.

ABN Amro to slash size of investment bank: Dutch bank ABN Amro said it would slash the size of its corporate and investment banking business after a series of high-profile losses highlighted excessive risk-taking in the division and exacerbated the impact of coronavirus. The state-backed bank said it would wind down all of its non-European corporate banking operations and stop providing trade and commodity finance. Read more here.

Specials

Thai scientists catch bats to trace virus origins: Thai researchers hiked up a hill in Sai Yok National Park in the western province of Kanchanaburi to set up nets to trap some 200 bats from three different caves. The team from the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases-Health Science Center took saliva, blood and stool samples from the bats before releasing them. Initial research has already pointed to bats as the source of the virus. The closest match to the coronavirus has been found in horseshoe bats in Yunnan in southern China. Read more here.

World reaction to Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine: Israel said it would examine the Russian vaccine and enter negotiations to buy it if it is found to be a “serious product”. Philippine scientists were set to meet representatives of the Russian research facility that developed the vaccine on Wednesday. The World Health Organization and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO prequalification, a WHO spokesman said on Tuesday. European health experts said with no full trial data, the vaccine would be hard to trust. Read more here

How to help your pet with post-quarantine separation anxiety: Experts define separation anxiety as a pet’s distress caused by the absence of the owner. Signs may include chewing on doors, excessive howling or pacing, inappropriate marking or scratching and obsessive grooming. Now is the time to train your pet to understand that you’ll eventually be back. Start by taking a 15-minute walk without your pet. If quarantine restrictions have been lifted in your area, consider hiring a pet professional to give your pet someone to interact with while you’re away. And lastly, investing in quality pet accessories can also ensure a peaceful transition. Read more here