August 27 2020 (Reuters) - Global COVID-19 cases topped 24 million, as per a Reuters tally, with India reporting a record daily jump of more than 75,000 infections. Even as the United States continues to report the biggest caseload, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people that were exposed to the virus but showed no symptoms may not need to be tested. FILE PHOTO: Catholic nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, the global order of nuns founded by Saint Mother Teresa, wear protective face shields as they prepare to distribute free snacks and tea among the poor after offering prayers to mark her 110th birth anniversary, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kolkata, India, August 26, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and summary of news. ASIA-PACIFIC * South Korea was investigating a new outbreak among roughly 28 people in an apartment block in Seoul, as it reported the biggest daily rise in infections since March. * A Chinese government offer to test all Hong Kong residents is meeting scepticism from the city’s medical community and public. * India reported a record daily jump of 75,760 infections, taking its total caseload to 3.31 million. Deaths rose by 1,023, pushing the toll to 60,472. * Australia’s Victoria state — epicentre of the nation’s second wave of COVID-19 infections — reported its lowest one-day rise in new cases in nearly two months. EUROPE * Germany may extend a ban on major events until at least the end of the year, a draft document showed. * The French prime minister said the government must move fast to head off a deadly new wave, while a presentation by the health minister suggested new vaccines could be available from the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. * Phil Hogan quit as the EU’s Trade Commissioner after days of pressure over allegations he breached COVID-19 guidelines during a trip to his native Ireland. AMERICAS * Republicans in the U.S. Congress are working on a narrow coronavirus stimulus bill that could be circulated to rank-and-file lawmakers as soon as this week, according to a CNBC report. * China said that the end to a partnership on a vaccine between Chinese firm CanSino Biologics and Canada is unrelated to diplomatic relations between the countries. * Argentina posted a record daily rise of 10,550 confirmed COVID-19 cases, taking the total caseload to 370,188. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Gaza will remain in lockdown at least until Sunday, health officials said after reporting two deaths and 26 COVID-19 cases in the first public outbreak of the disease in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. * Doctors employed by Kenya’s Nairobi County government resumed work following a six-day strike over delayed salaries and a lack of protective equipment when handling patients who may have COVID-19, a union official said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Clinical diagnostics company Novacyt,, one of many healthcare companies whose shares have surged during the pandemic, launched a test to differentiate between COVID-19 and common winter diseases. * Abbott Laboratories said it won U.S. marketing authorization for a coronavirus portable antigen test that can deliver results within 15 minutes and will sell for $5. ADVERTISEMENT ECONOMIC IMPACT * Switzerland’s economy shrank by 8.2% in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year, as the pandemic triggered the worst quarterly downturn in 40 years. * Japan’s government upgraded its view on exports and output in August for the second straight month as global demand slowly improves, but authorities cautioned conditions were still severe. * Mexico’s economy in the second quarter contracted the most since the Great Depression, despite a partial recovery in June.

Compiled by Sarah Morland, Linda Pasquini, Vinay Dwivedi and Uttaresh.V; Edited by Hugh Lawson, Shounak Dasgupta and Tomasz Janowski