Health News at Your Fingertips

Homebuilding in the US increased by the most in nearly four years amid reports of rising demand for housing in suburbs and rural areas as companies allow employees flexibility to work from home during the pandemic.

Housing starts increased 17.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.186m units last month, the commerce department said on Friday. The percentage increase was the largest since October 2016. Data for May was revised up to a 1.011m-unit pace from the previously reported 974,000.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast starts increasing to a rate of 1.169m units.

Permits for future homebuilding rose 2.1% to a rate of 1.241m units last month. Single-family building permits increased 11.8% to a rate of 834,000 units last month. But permits for multi-family units dropped 13.4% to a rate of 407,000 units.

Builders reported increased demand for single-family homes in lower density markets, including small metro areas, rural markets and large metro suburbs. The public health crisis has shifted office work from commercial business districts to homes, a trend that economists predict could become permanent.

India has become the third country to record more than 1m coronavirus infections, following the US and Brazil, as it reported 34,956 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national total to 1,003,832, Peter Beaumont reports.

Amid evidence that the disease was taking hold in poorer, rural areas less well-served by public healthcare, the latest tally prompted renewed concerns about the country’s ability to cope with rising infections.

The figures have been released after a week in which authorities in India were forced to impose new lockdowns, including fresh restrictions on 128 million people in the state of Bihar, which came into force on Thursday.

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Covid-19 cases in the France’s Brittany region, which is popular with tourists, have risen sharply in less than a week, according to government data. This is the latest indication that the virus is again gaining momentum in France.

According to data released on today, the disease’s reproduction rate, known as the R0, in Brittany had risen from 0.92 to 2.62 between July 10 and July 14, Reuters reports. The number is one of several indicators authorities are watching when deciding on whether to reimpose tougher restrictions after ending the country’s lockdown in May.

A reproduction rate of 2.62 means that each Covid-19 infected person is, on average, passing the disease on to between two and three other people. A rate of less than one is needed to gradually contain the disease.

The government on Thursday accelerated plans to make it compulsory to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces amid concerns about renewed spikes of Covid-19, especially in areas in western and southern France that had been relatively spared during the height of the outbreak between March and May.

Barcelona residents were urged to stay at home and to not gather in groups of more than 10 as regional authorities aim to curb a rise in coronavirus cases, without imposing a mandatory lockdown.

Catalonia’s health chief Alba Verges said:

We recommend that people don’t move around if it’s not absolutely necessary.”

It is very important to respect these measures now, it’s the best way to avoid a lockdown.”

Residents were urged to shop online and cultural and sports events will also be limited, Reuters reports.

Barcelona, which is Spain’s second largest city with a population of 1.6 million people, has seen its number of coronavirus cases increase from last week.
Spain reported the steepest daily jump in coronavirus infections in over two months on Thursday, with 580 new cases registered.

Spain has been one of Europe’s hardest hit countries with more than 28,000 deaths in the pandemic. It emerged from a strict national lockdown on 21 June but since then more than 170 clusters have appeared, prompting regional authorities to impose a patchwork of local restrictions.

Authorities in the Czech Republic have tightened restrictions in the north-east of the country after a spike in cases. Compulsory face coverings, limited restaurant opening hours and ordering checks on cross-border commuters have been reinstated.

There have been 335 Covid-19 related deaths in the country but it has seen a new spike in infections in the past three weeks, mostly concentrated in the industrial Moravia-Silesia region bordering Poland and Slovakia.

The area, which includes the city of Ostrava, is home to about 11% of the country’s 10.7 million population.

The Czech Republic has reported more than 100 new cases in seven out of the past 10 days, with a large number from the north-east following an outbreak in the state-owned OKD coalmines, Reuters reports.

The national tally of new positive cases hit 305 on 28 June when the mine outbreak peaked. The mine suspended most operations earlier this month after criticism that it had acted too slowly.

Health minister Adam Vojtěch tweeted that from today the local hygienic station will extend the currently valid measures in the Karviná region to the entire region. In the region, the obligation to wear veils indoors and on public transport is being introduced.

Urumqi, the capital of China’s far western region of Xinjiang, reported five new coronavirus cases on Friday, after the report of an earlier case, its first in months. The new cases has led to hundreds of flights being cancelled.

The city also reported eight new asymptomatic cases, the regional health commission said, taking Xinjiang’s tally to six infections and 11 asymptomatic patients.

Reuters reports epidemic control measures led to the cancellation of more than 600 scheduled flights at Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, or more than 80% of the day’s total, figures from aviation data firm Variflight showed.

Subway services have also been suspended in Urumqi on Thursday.

On Thursday, health authorities in Urumqi said a 24-year-old woman with symptoms such as a sore throat, fever and headaches, tested positive for the virus. Three people with whom she had close contact tested positive but did not show symptoms.

Also on Thursday, the eastern province of Zhejiang reported an asymptomatic case involving a traveller from Xinjiang.

The tally of mainland China’s confirmed infections was 83,622 by the end of Thursday, with the number of deaths remaining at 4,634. Another 104 asymptomatic patients were under observation.

Beijing reported no new cases for an 11th consecutive day.

Belgium may be at the start of a second wave of coronavirus infections after reporting a 32% increase in weekly cases, Reuters reports. However the resurgence appears more localised than the initial outbreak.

Belgium reported zero new Covid-19 related deaths in 24 hours on 14 July for the first time since 10 March. But the national public health institute Sciensano said today that new infections have been increasing. From 7-13 July, the country recorded an average of 114.7 confirmed new COVID-19 cases per day, a 32% increase from the previous week.

This was still significantly below the 1,600 daily new cases the country logged at the peak of the pandemic.

Virologist Marc Van Ranst told Belgium’s Radio 1:

With the latest numbers and the recent increases of confirmed cases, you can clearly see that we are at the start of a second wave”

However, Yves van Laethem, a spokesman for the Belgian health ministry, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF that the prospect of a second wave appeared to be localised to particular provinces for now. Speaking to Le Soir newspaper, virologist Marius Gilbert echoed this, adding that transmission rates remain relatively low.

Health Minister Maggie de Block today called on Belgians to respect social distancing rules.

Boris Johnson has unveiled the next steps in England’s coronavirus response, Simon Murphy reports.

At a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister highlighted that local authorities will have new powers in their areas to enable the closure of specific premises, shut outdoor spaces and cancel events.

In addition, new regulations will allow the government to intervene in local areas. He said: “Action for local councils will not always be sufficient, so next week we will publish draft regulations which clearly set out how central government can intervene more effectively at a local level.

“Where justified by the evidence, ministers will be able to close whole sectors, or types of premises in an area or introduce local stay-at-home orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce the maximum size of gatherings beyond national rules or restrict transport systems serving local areas.”

Johnson also said during the press conference he hopes for a “return to normality, possibly in time for Christmas”.