COVID-19 media surveillance - 24 September 2020

This media surveillance collects articles reported through publicly available web sites.

It is created with the Europe Media Monitor (EMM).

The selection and placement of stories are determined automatically by a computer program.

Headlines

• US: As 21 states report a rise in new cases, CDC director Redfield said that more than 90% of Americans remain susceptible; the virus is continuing to mutate according to largest genetic study in the US
• Brazil totals 4.6 million cases and 138,900 deaths from Covid-19
• Spain reports 11,289 new cases with Madrid being most affected
• France tightens restrictions and unveils new 'danger zones' map
• Italy reports 1,786 new cases amid a rise in deaths in Lombardy region; Italian president Mattarella rebuts Johnson's over restrictions after PM’s suggestion UK’s Covid-19 infection rate was worse than Italy because Britons loved their freedom more
• Belgium eases restrictions despite surging cases
• The Netherlands surpassed 100,000 cases but no decision has been taken about new measures yet
• Luxembourg was added to Belgium’s “red list” with travel restrictions starting on Friday
• Poland reports record daily rise after easing restrictions
• Austrian Alps to open for skiing with ban on après-ski parties
• UK reports highest ever number of new daily cases with 6,634 new cases and 40 deaths
• Russia to register second COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 15 according to consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor
• Israel tightens coronavirus lockdown as cases continue surge toward ‘edge of abyss’
• India has begun to report more coronavirus recoveries each day than new patients, with active cases below 1 million
• South Africa reported 1,906 new cases and 88 deaths
• Australia’s state of Victoria will ease lockdown restrictions due to decreasing number of new cases
• New Zealand reports three new cases in managed isolation
• South Korea sees triple-digit gains in daily COVID-19 cases for second day
• China lifts pandemic bar on entry by foreigners
• Japan: the Tokyo Games could take place next year even without a coronavirus vaccine, pointing to the success of the Tour de France

Twitter

The following news were found among the most mentioned/retweeted items:

• "Pentagon reportedly spent $1 billion meant for coronavirus on body armor and jet engines" (complex)
• "Massive genetic study shows coronavirus mutating and potentially evolving amid rapid U.S. spread" (washingtonpost)
• "200,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US. That's more than the US battle deaths from 5 wars combined" (cnn)
• "CDC reverses itself and says guidelines it posted on coronavirus airborne transmission were wrong" (washingtonpost)
• "Dogs deployed at Helsinki Airport to sniff out virus. Helsinki Airport is trialling the scheme after a study suggests trained dogs can detect COVID-19 with close to 100% certainty." (sky)
• EU leaders' summit postponed as security guard tests positive for Covid-19. European Council President Charles Michel has to quarantine, as he and the guard were "in close contact early last week" (Spokesman Barend Leyts)
• Ursula von der Leyen’s first task? Get member states to cooperate on the issues we citizens care about. Sixty-three per cent of Europeans want to see more cooperation as a result of Covid-19 (independent)
• Israeli rapid COVID-19 test to be used in major European airports (jerusalempost)

The most mentioned English sources were US CDC, the Washington Post, CNN, the New York Times, People and the Independent.

RT (Spanish Version), El País, Infobae, El Diario and Libre Mercado, and Le Monde and Le Parisien were among the most mentioned Spanish and French sources, respectively.

Fact Check

• Fact checkers debunk the claim that the epidemic is over, reporting that the data such claim is based upon is not up-to-date (lemondelesdecodeurs).
• Fact checkers debunk claims that a product containing chlorine dioxide, the main ingredient of industrial bleach, is a “miracle cure” for COVID-19, reporting that chlorine dioxide is an excellent tool against the disease when it is used on infected surfaces - once consumed, on the other hand, the disinfectant compound will lead to poisoning, irreversible bodily harm, and, eventually, death (misbar).
• Fact checkers declare a Polish senator’s claim that “30 per cent of people in Poland say that they will take a COVID-19 vaccine” false, reporting that, according to a survey conducted in late July and early August, 56 per cent of people in Poland are willingness to be vaccinated against the coronavirus (demagog).
• Fact checkers debunk claims circulating on social media that the US CDC is encouraging patients to take an untested [COVID-19] flu shot, explaining that COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses and that no vaccine is available against COVID-19 yet (healthfeedback).
• Fact checkers debunk Dr. Li-Meng Yan’s statement that the coronavirus is a man-made virus created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, reporting that public health authorities have repeatedly said the coronavirus was not derived from a lab (politifact).
• Fact checkers debunk claims that the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games contained a symbolic ritual predicting the coronavirus pandemic, reporting that the performance was meant to pay homage to the NHS (maldita).

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