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What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Nearly 25,000 U.S. deaths this month
U.S. coronavirus deaths rose by almost 25,000 in July and cases doubled in at least 18 states during the month, according to a Reuters tally, dealing a crushing blow to hopes of quickly reopening the economy.

The United States has recorded nearly 1.8 million new cases in July out of its total 4.5 million infections, an increase of 66% with many states yet to report on Friday.

Deaths in July rose at least 19% to a total of more than 152,000.

The biggest increases were in Florida, with more than 300,000 new cases in July, followed by California and Texas with about 250,000 each. Those three states also saw cases double in June.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, will testify on Friday before a coronavirus subcommittee in Congress, weeks after President Donald Trump's administration first refused to let him address the panel.

First virus death in Vietnam
Vietnam recorded its first death from COVID-19 on Friday after winning plaudits worldwide for one of the most successful pandemic responses to containing the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The country of 96 million had gone 100 days without infection before an unexpected cluster of new cases surfaced in the central and popular resort city of Danang a week ago.

Second wave?
Britain imposed a tougher lockdown in swathes of northern England after a rise in the rate of novel coronavirus transmission, raising concerns that a second wave of the deadly virus could sow yet more turmoil.

Britain reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in more than a month on Thursday, as ministers warned more quarantine restrictions were possible.

Economic recovery looks shaky
The world economic outlook has dimmed again, with still-rising coronavirus infections and the risk of renewed lockdowns increasing the chances that any rebound will reverse course, according to Reuters polls of more than 500 economists globally.

From Breakingviews: Corona Capital - Nokia, Hong Kong, UK digital bank
Read concise views on the pandemic’s financial fallout from Breakingviews columnists across the globe.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Top News

The U.S. election is getting ugly - and investors are getting nervous. Investors are increasingly preparing for the risk of a contested U.S. presidential election come the fall, worried that an ugly political situation will create volatility across markets.

A key risk is that Republican President Donald Trump is already questioning the legitimacy of the election, analysts said.

His Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, currently has a 9 percentage point advantage among likely voters and a significant advantage among voters who are undecided, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Friday that elections for the city legislature will be postponed from Sept. 6 due to a spike in coronavirus cases, dealing a major blow to the city’s pro-democracy opposition.

On June 30 China imposed new national security legislation on Hong Kong.

A government source familiar with Beijing’s thinking said the law may have shocked many people but it had spelt out China’s limits on what is tolerable and not: a political reality people must accept.

“It’s no longer the old era,” the government source said.

Documents about dealings between Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were publicly released on Thursday by a U.S. court, where the British socialite faces criminal charges she aided the late financier’s sexual abuse of girls.

Among the materials released were email correspondence between the pair in early 2015, including an email in which Epstein told Maxwell she had “done nothing wrong.”

Emerging from Lockdown

Muslims across Asia, taking precautions against the novel coronavirus such as wearing face masks and temperature checks, performed prayers on Friday to mark the festival of Eid al-Adha in mosques with reduced capacity as well as on the streets.

Indonesia's religious ministry asked mosques to shorten ceremonies this year, while many mosques canceled the ritual of slaughtering livestock and distributing meat to the community.

Pandemic at the disco: the COVID outbreak that began in a French bar. The outbreak at the Hacienda Bar in Quiberon is an example of a phenomenon that is being repeated across Europe.

After COVID-19 infection rates were driven down by months of strict lockdown, hotspots of infection are starting to emerge.

Several of the clusters - from Barcelona to northern France and Germany - were in vacation spots favored by young people letting their hair down for the summer.