The Latest: England hospitals warn of virus test shortages

LONDON — The group that represents hospitals in England says a shortage of COVID-19 testing is jeopardizing efforts to restore medical services and prepare for a potential surge in coronavirus cases this winter.

NHS Providers said Tuesday that inadequate testing is leading to increased absences in the National Health Service as staff members are forced to self-isolate while they and their family members wait for test results after possible exposure to the virus.

CEO Chris Hopson said that last weekend hospital leaders in Bristol, London and Leeds all raised concerns about the lack of testing.

He said hospitals “are working in the dark – they don’t know why these shortages are occurring, how long they are likely to last, how geographically widespread they are likely to be and what priority will be given to healthcare workers and their families in accessing scarce tests.’’

Home Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC it was “unacceptable” that some people were struggling to get tests, and “much more work needs to be undertaken with Public Health England.”

She says more testing slots and home testing kits were being made available as demand had risen.

___

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

— Trump defies virus rules as “peaceful protest” rallies grow

— A family struggle as pandemic worsens food insecurity

— Wildfires during pandemic intensify economic pain in American West

___

Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

___

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that medical authorities in Denmark “are warning that we stand on the brink of something that could develop into another wave.”

“Right now, we are dancing with the corona. And there is no indication that it will be easy,” she said on Facebook. “The (overall) infection numbers are at a high level. The number of people being admitted has increased.”

Her comments come as Copenhagen has seen a recent spike and her government is expected to present new measures for the Danish capital that “will include a special look at the nightlife” but also is likely to make face masks in crowded places like supermarkets mandatory.

Denmark has reported 20,237 cases including 633 deaths.

___

LISBON, Portugal — Portugal is adopting new nationwide restrictions to contain a rising number of COVID-19 infections.

From Tuesday, social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people. Drinking alcohol in the street — which young people have done in groups because bars are closed — is banned.

Health authorities said Monday that 51% of the 613 new infections over the previous 24 hours were in people between 20 and 49 years old, with just 10% among people over 70.

Under the new rules, rapid response teams are on standby to attend outbreaks at nursing homes, while sports events are still not allowed to have spectators.

The daily number of new cases in Portugal dropped below 100 at the end of May, following a lockdown, but has risen significantly this month.

___

BERLIN — Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates expects a coronavirus vaccine to get regulatory approval by early next year.

In a series of interviews with German media published Tuesday, the Microsoft co-founder suggested several vaccines might be available in 2021, but cautioned that the pandemic may not be over until 2022.

Gates, whose foundation supports vaccine development efforts, told the weekly Der Spiegel that he sees a slim chance that drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna might get enough data by the end of October to apply for emergency approval for their COVID-19 vaccines.

But he expressed confidence that of the vaccines being developed by the two companies and rivals AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and Sanofi, “three or four” would get emergency regulatory approval by the beginning of 2021.

___

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s virus hot spot, Victoria state, says it will relax pandemic restrictions in most areas from Wednesday night.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Tuesday that people who live outside the state capital, Melbourne, would have no restrictions on leaving their homes and all shops will be able to reopen.

Andrews also urged Melbourne residents not to get discouraged about staying in lockdown as the rest of the state opens up.

People are not allowed to leave Australia’s second-largest city without approved reasons and police would tighten checkpoints on routes from Melbourne as the rest of the state opens up.

Australia on Tuesday recorded its first day without a single reported COVID-19 death since July 13.

___

ISLAMABAD — Millions of Pakistani schoolchildren have returned to their classrooms as education institutions reopen after a closure of about six months to fight COVID-19.

Students in wearing masks were seen entering school buildings Tuesday, greeting each other from a reasonable distance instead of shaking hands or hugging.

The government has asked teachers, school staff and students to wear masks and regularly use sanitizers.

Pakistan closed schools in March when the government enforced a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities lifted curbs on most businesses in May, but schools remained closed across the country.

On Tuesday, Pakistan reported six new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, one of the lowest number tolls in more than five months. Pakistan has reported 302,424 infections and 6,389 deaths since the pandemic began.

___

NEW DELHI — India has reported its lowest daily jump in new coronavirus infections in a week, logging another 83,809 infections in the past 24 hours.

The Health Ministry on Tuesday also reported 1,054 deaths, driving total fatalities up to 80,776 since the pandemic began.

With 4.93 million confirmed infections, India has reported the second most cases in the world behind the United States. India also has the highest number of recovered patients in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country’s recovery rate stands at 77.8% and nearly 3.8 million people have recovered from the virus so far, according to the Health Ministry.

Maharashtra state with more than 1 million cases remains the worst affected region in India, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

___

BEIJING — China has reported eight new coronavirus cases after going a month without reporting any new domestic infections of people displaying symptoms of the illness.

As of Tuesday there were just 142 people in treatment for COVID-19, while another 363 people were under observation in isolation for being suspected cases or for testing positive for the virus without displaying any symptoms.

Among recent cases were two Myanmar nationals who had crossed the land border at the Chinese city of Ruili, the National Health Commission reported on Monday. It said one of them was previously diagnosed as testing positive without showing symptoms.

Those who had been in close contact with the two had been placed under quarantine.

China has reported 4,634 deaths among 85,202 reported cases of COVID-19 since the virus that set off the global pandemic was first detected in Wuhan late last year.

___

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s daily tally of new coronavirus infections has stayed in the low 100s for a third consecutive day, maintaining a downward trajectory.

The 106 cases added Tuesday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency brought the country’s total reported cases to 22,391 with 367 deaths since the pandemic began.

South Korea’s daily increase has remained in triple digits for more than a month, but the number has gone down recently in the wake of stringent social distancing rules.

The government on Monday relaxed physical distancing guidelines in the greater Seoul area, the heart of a recent viral resurgence. A ban on a late-night dining at restaurants has been lifted, while cafes and bakeries can have customers eat and drink inside their shops, and indoor gyms and after-school academics reopened.

___

MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Madison have decided to eliminate spring break next semester in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The university’s Faculty Senate voted 140-7 on Monday to erase the nine-day break from the 2021 spring calendar. Officials said the move is designed to discourage students and staff from traveling long distances and bringing the virus that causes COVID-19 back to campus, officials said.

Provost John Karl Scholz said: “I realize the slog of going through a full 15 week semester with no break would be challenging, but given the vagaries of the pandemic, particularly in cold weather when people are indoors and the like. … I’m enthusiastically supportive.”

___

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada health officials say they expect to see an uptick in new coronavirus cases after President Donald Trump held rallies in the state over the weekend.

Thousands of mostly maskless supporters attended the rallies in Minden on Saturday and Henderson on Sunday, which violated Nevada directives capping at 50 the number of people who can attend public gatherings.

The rally in Henderson was the first indoor event Trump has held since a mid-June arena event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Nevada has reported more than 73,800 coronavirus cases and nearly 1,460 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

___

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil’s Supreme Court says its chief justice as contracted COVID-19 and is feeling well.

On the top court since 2011, Luiz Fux assumed its top position five days ago from José Dias Toffoli. The 67-year-old will remain in the post for the next two years.

The Supreme Court said in a statement Monday that Fux will remain in isolation for 10 days. Brazil’s top court is meeting online due to the pandemic and, while the chief justice normally presides over hearings from the court’s main chamber, Fux is expected to chair Wednesday’s session from home.