By David Hall

The U.S. reported more than 34,000 new coronavirus cases, higher than the daily totals of the past few days when testing slowed around the holiday weekend.

For Tuesday, the U.S. had 584,412 new tests, according to the Covid Tracking Project, comparing with 508,706 Monday. Both days were substantially lower than Sept. 3, when the number topped 900,000.

"If there is a Labor Day bump in cases, we probably will not be able to detect it until late September," said Christine Ekenga, assistant professor of public health at Washington University in St. Louis.

California: Gov. Gavin Newsom said that, by one estimate, a "jaw dropping" 44% of small businesses in the state believed they might be forced to close because of the pandemic. He signed three bills Wednesday aimed at helping them, including one that will give up to $100 million in tax credits for small businesses that hire or rehire employees in the next three months.

New York City: Indoor dining at restaurants will restart -- with limited capacity -- in the city at the end of September, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday, lifting a nearly six-month ban. Restaurants must cap capacity at 25% and abide by other restrictions.

West Virginia: Gov. Jim Justice said that while the state hasn't seen many deaths compared with others, new data was concerning. "We are absolutely getting worse by the day, and this situation right now is very critical," he said, citing the daily positivity rate of 7.78%. The reproduction rate is at 1.35, he said. "It's the worst in the nation," he said. "We have got to do any and everything we can to do better."

Cases and deaths: The U.S. reported 34,256 new cases for Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, up from 26,387 for Tuesday. The death toll rose by more than 1,200 to nearly 191,000. The global death toll surpassed 903,000.

Vaccines: An independent committee is reviewing the potential safety concern that led to a pause in AstraZeneca PLC's clinical trials of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine was on track to be approved for use before year-end if it worked safely in late-stage testing. Now, the timetable is uncertain, though AstraZeneca expressed confidence the trials could resume.

World

India: The country reported a record single-day surge in both cases and fatalities, with 95,735 new infections and 1,172 deaths, according to data from the Health Ministry. India's total number of confirmed cases surpassed 4.46 million, the second-highest level behind the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins, while the death toll topped 75,000. Medical experts have said the easing of most virus-related restrictions, along with lax adherence to social-distancing rules, has likely contributed to the rise in infections.

Guam: Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero extended a stay-at-home order for the island until Sept. 18. The U.S. territory reported 45 new cases. Guam also launched a phone app to improve contact tracing.

Japan: The Japan Sumo Association reported 18 new cases Thursday at a sumo stable after a wrestler tested positive a few days earlier. Several sumo wrestlers have been infected with the virus over the course of the pandemic. A 28-year-old wrestler died from Covid-19 in May. Nationwide, Japan reported 510 new cases and 13 deaths, in line with recent levels.

South Korea: The country reported 155 new cases, the eighth day in a row that infections remained below 200. The latest numbers show improvement after cases surged in mid-August due to an outbreak largely tied to churches. Tightened social-distancing measures are set to remain in place until at least Sept. 20.

Australia: Victoria state reported 51 new cases and seven deaths, pushing the state total death toll above 700, while nationally there have been 788 fatalities. New South Wales, home to Sydney, recorded seven new cases, including two linked a growing cluster tied to emergency rooms at two hospitals.

U.K.: The British government prohibited gatherings of more than six people in England from next Monday. It is the latest country in Europe to reimpose restrictions on daily life amid a surge in cases. Newly detected infections appear overwhelmingly mild: Hospitalizations and deaths have remained more or less stable at low levels in most countries. But the worry is that without firm action now, the infection could percolate by winter to higher-risk groups including the sick and the elderly.

Austria: Austria joined the ranks of European countries seeing a surge in infections, reporting 664 new cases Thursday, 387 of them in Vienna. It was the highest increase since late March.

Indonesia: The country reported a record 3,861 new infections, increasing its total caseload to over 207,000, with 120 new deaths. Total fatalities stood at 8,456, the highest in Southeast Asia, where the Philippines also saw an uptick in new cases, reporting 3,821 Thursday, the highest in 11 days.

Write to David Hall at david.hall@wsj.com