COVID-19 transmissions flatten out or slow down in 107 countries

Hot spots US and Brazil confirm fewer new cases but India struggles against virus

Where masks are worn, the infection rate is going down. Where vacations are underway, transmissions are going up. And in Japan, a professor at a medical university wonders whether "people might be gaining immunity against the coronavirus by catching a cold and gaining cross-immunity." (Source photo by AP)

YUMIKO OSHIMA, RINTARO HOSOKAWA and KENJI ASADA, Nikkei staff writers

August 31, 2020 17:38 JST

NEW YORK/GENEVA/TOKYO -- The spread of the novel coronavirus appears to be slowing, with the number of daily new infections either staying the same or decreasing in 107 countries and regions.

The decrease, as measured by the number of new infections per 100,000 people, is even taking place in the hot spots of the U.S. and Brazil. Experts point out that wearing masks and maintaining social distance have worked in preventing the virus's spread.