At least 39 US states are reporting an increase in new cases from the week before. In California, Florida, Arizona and Texas, surging coronavirus cases have led to a shortage of hospital beds.
Target, CVS and Kroger are the latest US stores to require customers wear face masks while shopping.
The Department of Health and Human Services directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to put public hospital data back on its website hours after it had been removed. Earlier this week, the Trump administration decided to reroute some information first to the White House.
Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.
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The CDC delays release of additional documents on reopening schools
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is delaying the release of new reference documents on safely reopening schools, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
The CDC was expected to release the information by the end of this week, but the spokesperson said, “They’re not ready to come out this week.”
The spokesperson said he doesn’t have a “clear picture at this point” on when the agency might release the documents but indicated the information would “likely” be available by the end of the month.
Some context: The CDC said last week it was releasing new documents on school reopening after US President Donald Trump complained that the agency’s current guidance is “very tough” and “expensive.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly called for schools to reopen, even as cases surged across parts of the country, and has slammed the CDC’s existing guidelines.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has warned that the country has to control the pandemic in order to safely get children back in school this fall.
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The US reported more than 71,000 new cases today -- the highest jump so far
The United States reported 71,135 new cases on Thursday – the highest single-day jump since the pandemic began.
The number may continue to rise through the end of the day.
The new figures raise the country’s total to at least 3,570,037cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Follow our live tracker of US cases here:
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Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles County hit new record high
From CNN's Alexandra Meeks
A nurse seals a specimen bag containing a Covid-19 test swab at a mobile clinic on July 15 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Los Angeles County reported 4,592 new Covid-19 cases today, the largest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic, according to county health data.
There have been 7,350 new cases in the county in the last 48 hours, county data showed. The number of new cases today surpasses the previous highest record of 4,244 new cases reported on July 14.
Los Angeles had added 59 additional deaths today, bringing the county’s cumulative deaths to 3,988.
Hospitalizations are also up among younger people between the ages of 18 and 40. They comprise of 20% of 2,173 confirmed patients with Covid-19 currently hospitalized, according to the data.
In a matter of weeks, the nearly 4,600 positive cases Los Angeles County reported today could lead to over 18,000 infected people in a few weeks, Ferrer added.
“Without aggressive action on the part of every person, we will not get back to slowing the spread,” Ferrer said.
To notes: These figures were released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and may not line up exactly with CNN’s data from Johns Hopkins University.
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How to safely have a barbecue during the pandemic
CNN
As the summer months march on and the coronavirus pandemic continues to heat up, Dr. Sanjay Gupta had a couple of ideas on how to host a barbecue while protecting yourself and guests.
One of the first things people should do is limit the number of people invited and make sure everyone is socially distanced, Gupta said during CNN’s global coronavirus town hall tonight.
Gupta also suggested that people avoid having any bowls of chips out because it “could potentially be a way that the virus is transmitted.”
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Coronavirus vaccine participant recounts his experience after suffering side effects
Ian Haydon
CNN/FILE
Ian Haydon, a coronavirus vaccine trial participant, suffered some serious side effects after receiving a high dose of the vaccine.
The effects included a high fever and nausea after receiving a 250 microgram dose as part of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine trial, Haydon told CNN during its global coronavirus town hall Thursday night.
Some background: CNN reported this week that a Covid-19 vaccine developed by the biotechnology company Moderna in partnership with the National Institutes of Health has been found to induce immune responses in all of the volunteers who received it in a Phase 1 study.
These early results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Tuesday, showed that the vaccine worked to trigger an immune response with mild side effects — fatigue, chills, headache, muscle pain, pain at the injection site — becoming the first US vaccine candidate to publish results in a peer-reviewed medical journal
The vaccine is expected to begin later this month a large Phase 3 trial — the final trial stage before regulators consider whether to make the vaccine available.
CNN’s Jacqueline Howard and John Bonifield contributed to this report.
Fauci: The racial disparities seen during the pandemic are a "very disturbing phenomenon"
From CNN's Andrea Kane
The racial disparities that have opened up during the pandemic, notably higher infection and death rates among minority communities, are a “very disturbing phenomenon that is a reality,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Thursday.
“There are things that we can do about it immediately, but [also] things that are going to take decades for us to correct,” Fauci told Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a live chat.
He said that African-Americans, Latinx, Native Americans and Alaskan Americans tend to have jobs that don’t allow them to work remotely, putting them at greater risk of getting infected. “Once they do get infected, as a group, if you look at the underlying conditions that lead to a higher likelihood of a bad outcome, those demographic minority groups have a much higher incidence of that,” Fauci added.
“And I’m talking about, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, other types of chronic lung disease, diabetes — those are the things that put you at a higher risk.”
Fauci said there are short-term solutions to address part of the problem.
“What you do is you put resources where you have a demographic concentration of individuals, so they can get tested easily, contact traced easily, have access to care — get under the care of a health care provider — quickly to try and mitigate the advancement of disease,” he said. He added this can be done “right away” by getting resources to particularly hard-hit areas.
But that only tackles part of the problem, he said.
“But let’s at least do the things that we can fix now — and we can fix access to care, we can fix ease of testing. We could do that now,” he said.
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These Indiana mayors have closed beaches in their cities as Covid-19 cases rise
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
As Indiana continues to see increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases, the mayors of Whiting and Michigan City have closed their respective beaches.
Michigan City Mayor Duane Parry issued an executive order today, closing all city beaches after recent spikes in Covid-19 cases, deaths, and “the huge influx of out of state visitors to Washington Park,” according to a statement from his office. The closure will take effect Friday and go through midnight on July 23.
“This closure will undoubtedly cause inconveniences and disruptions to those who visit, utilize our beachfront, zoo, and park however the City is committed under these trying conditions to take precautionary and necessary measures intended to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus locally,” the statement said.
Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura closed Whihala Beach this week after it became “difficult for patrons to comply with the COVID-19 social distancing requirements and other CDC guidelines,” a statement from the city said.
Stahura said he regretted being forced to take this action, but felt it was in the best interest of the city.
“We’ve witnessed an alarming disregard of all Covid-19 protocol and park supervision in recent weeks. We no longer feel confident that we can provide a reasonably safe ‘health’ environment for our patrons,” he said.
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Former CDC director says "the virus isn't going to stop until we stop it"
Former CDC director Tom Frieden
CNN
Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called the US a “laggard” when it comes to handling Covid-19.
Frieden’s rebuke of how the US is handling the pandemic followed remarks about how American children need to get back to school, a sentiment echoed earlier today by the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Earlier today: The unintended, downstream consequences of keeping children out of school can be profound and that’s why we’ve got to try to get children to return to the classroom, Fauci said Thursday.
“There are a lot of unintended negative consequences,” Fauci told Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a live chat. “Having said that, with the thought that the default should be to try and get kids to school, you’ve got to look at where you are, location-wise, because as I’ve said often, the United States is a large country geographically and demographically quite different and varied.”
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More than 138,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US
There are at least 3,560,364 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 138,201 people have died from the virus in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.
So far on Thursday, Johns Hopkins recorded 61,462 new cases and 786 reported deaths.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
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Dallas County to delay in-person instruction until September 8
From CNN's Raja Razek
The health director in Dallas County, Texas, announced today that he will be issuing an order to delay in-person instruction for all local public and private schools until September 8.
“This order goes until September 8 because, given the data and where we are now, we don’t feel that it is safe until that time,” he added.
Huang went on to say that an advisory group will make further recommendations.
“This only goes until September 8, but as we talk with the superintendents, it is recognizing, you know that things may change, and we will also get this added input form these advisory groups.”
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Lab group urges more federal leadership on coronavirus testing
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
The US federal government needs to provide clear coronavirus testing guidelines as US diagnostic laboratories strain under the pressure of increased testing amid a surge in the coronavirus pandemic, the head of a laboratory industry group said Thursday.
Labs are struggling to get enough supplies and guidance on how to speed up the testing process, perhaps by pooling test samples, said Julie Khani, the head of the American Clinical Laboratory Association.
States and testing companies have been reporting major delays in Covid-19 test results – some as long as a week or more.
Labs are also still struggling with a shortage of supplies needed for testing, Khani said.
“What we have consistently heard from members is that reagents, test kits, pipettes and platforms are all in high demand,” said Khani, whose group represents the country’s major commercial labs.
Some experts have suggested specimen pooling or batch testing where a number of Covid-19 samples could be tested all at once, cutting down on needed supplies and maximizing test availability.
But Khani said labs have not received any guidance on pool testing from the US Food and Drug Administration or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plus, she noted there are limitations to pooling.
“For instance, pooling tests from populations of high prevalence would actually increase costs, because nearly every test pool could return positive results, requiring retesting of too many samples,” she said.
Such limitations are an example of why FDA or CDC guidance is sorely needed.
Just this week: Quest Diagnostics, one of the nation’s leading commercial laboratories, announced soaring demand for Covid-19 tests is “slowing the time” the company can provide test results, even after rapidly scaling up its capacity.
Other labs are facing the same problems, in addition to supply shortages.
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How Starbucks trains employees to deal with mask-less customers
From CNN's Cristina Alesci
Starbucks is training its employees to handle customers who enter its stores without a mask, according to an internal document obtained by CNN.
The document outlines three scenarios for employees:
Unhappy customers who question the policy in the absence of a government mandate
Unhappy customers who refuse, citing their rights as Americans
Customers with medical conditions
In all scenarios, employees are encouraged to provide alternatives like drive-thru or curbside ordering.
Employees should ask customers with medical conditions without a mask to wait in a designated area, which could be curbside, for their orders, according to the material.
The training guide tells employees to always assume positive intent but that if the customer refuses and doesn’t have a medical condition, employees can refuse to serve the customers. When the customer returns with a mask, the employee can provide a beverage free of charge.
If the situation escalates further, the training material urges employees to avoid proximity to items or fixtures that can be used as weapons.
It also recommends certain steps to deescalate, including urging employees to never turn their backs on customers.
If necessary, employees may need to call 911 but shouldn’t inform customers they’re doing so.
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Colombia tops 173,000 coronavirus cases and 6,000 deaths
From CNNE's Abel Alvarado in Atlanta
Colombian soldiers patrol the streets in Usme neighborhood, in Bogota, on July 15.
Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images
Authorities in Colombia reported 8,037 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and 251 deaths.
The new numbers bring the total number of cases for the country to 173,206 and the number of deaths to 6,029.
More than 76,000 people have so far recovered from the virus, according to government data.
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Our default should be to try to get children back to school safely, Fauci says
From CNN’s Andrea Kane
The unintended, downstream consequences of keeping children out of school can be profound and that’s why we’ve got to try to get children to return to the classroom, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Thursday.
“There are a lot of unintended negative consequences,” Fauci told Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a live chat.
“Having said that, with the thought that the default should be to try and get kids to school, you’ve got to look at where you are, location-wise, because as I’ve said often, the United States is a large country geographically and demographically quite different and varied,” he said.
Fauci said that ultimately the safety of the children and the health of the teachers is paramount to driving that decision.
“If you can’t do it in a natural way, do a modification. Some of the school principals and the superintendents have very creative ways of doing that, of modifying the class structure, outdoors maybe a little bit more, protecting the vulnerable, it can be done. It can be done,” he said.
His advice to parents: “Listen to the recommendations; the CDC has guidelines. The health officials locally will make a decision – hopefully, and I cannot imagine they won’t – based on a concern for the safety at the same time as the need to get the children back to school.”
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Young people should not feel like they are immune to serious infection, Fauci warns
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
From Facebook
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the younger generation is driving the new surge of coronavirus infections across the nation.
“Young people are intimately and heavily involved in what’s going on now with this pandemic,” he said in an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“You look at what’s going on with the new infections – the age range of the infection. The median age is about a decade and a half younger today than it was a few months ago,” Fauci said.
While the data shows that young people are less likely than older people to become seriously ill, Fauci said he has seen ample evidence of young people being “knocked out on their back and brought to their knees pretty quick,” by Covid-19. “I’ve never seen an infection with this broad range of manifestations,” he added.
He cautioned against young people assuming they are immune to serious infection.
“There are many, many young people who get infected. They get sick. They feel horrible for weeks and weeks,” Fauci said, adding that he has noticed young people experiencing something similar to chronic fatigue syndrome after recovering from the virus.
Fauci directly urged young people to consider their societal responsibility.
“You’re going to get back to normal, and you’ll be able to freely have fun, go to the bars, go with the crowds, but not now,” said Fauci. “Now’s not the time to do that.”
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Boston mayor says Covid-19 testing is an "essential weapon"
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Boston City TV
Boston has reported 21 new cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the city’s total to 13,793, according to Mayor Marty Walsh.
The city also reported one new coronavirus-related death, for a total of 716, he added.
Walsh emphasized during a news briefing today that testing remains one of Boston’s most essential weapons in the fight against Covid-19.
Walsh encouraged residents to get tested.
“I want to urge everyone, don’t hesitate to get tested — certainly if you are having any symptoms; and also if you have been out and about more, or a household member has been out, and you have any concern at all about your exposure,” the mayor added.
To note: These figures were released by the city’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Quick testing is needed for effective contact tracing, research finds
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
Physician assistant Calvin Tran works at a COVID-19 drive-through testing site set up at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, Thursday, July 16.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Quick testing and quick reporting of results are needed for contact tracing to be most effective, new research finds.
Testing that takes five days or longer is of little use, researchers from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands reported Thursday in the journal Lancet Public Health.
Contact tracing is considered the gold standard for fighting an epidemic of infectious disease, but it requires testing all people who may be infected, isolating those who are, and then tracking down other people they may have infected and testing and isolating or quarantining them.
For these efforts to actually reduce the spread of the virus, three things needed to happen, the researchers said. First, testing must be done on the day a person develops symptoms. Second, contacts must be traced starting the day test results come back. And third, there needs to be 100% tracing coverage.
With a testing delay of more than three days, not even perfect contact tracing could keep the spread of the virus from accelerating.
The researchers considered both conventional and app-based contact tracing methods. Because of their speed, app-based tracing methods were more effective than conventional methods, even with lower contact coverage, they found.
In fact, app technology could keep the viral spread from accelerating even with a delay of up to two days, as long as there was 80% testing and tracing coverage.
Once the testing delay goes over to five or more days, app tracing “adds little effectiveness to conventional contact tracing or just isolation of symptomatic cases,” the researchers wrote.
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NCAA president says data is pointing in the wrong direction for fall college sports
From CNN’s Jacob Lev
NCAA President Mark Emmert
Mark J. Terrill/AP/FILE
NCAA president Mark Emmert offered a sobering statement on the state of fall sports saying, “Today, sadly, the data point in the wrong direction. If there is to be college sports in the fall, we need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.”
Emmert’s comments came within a set of guidelines released on Thursday by the NCAA Sports Science Institute.
The guidelines include daily self-health checks, face-covering and social distancing during training, competition and outside of athletics, and testing within 72 hours of competition.
“When we made the extremely difficult decision to cancel last spring’s championships it was because there was simply no way to conduct them safely,” Emmert said in the NCAA’s news release. “This document lays out the advice of health care professionals as to how to resume college sports if we can achieve an environment where COVID-19 rates are manageable.”
Some background: Last week, the Big Ten announced that if the conference is able to participate in fall sports (men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball) based on medical advice, it will move to conference-only schedules in those sports.
The Pac-12 announced that the fall season for several Pac-12 sports, including football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, would schedule conference-only games.
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Miami mayor says he's "very close" to issuing a new stay-at-home order
From CNN's Leinz Vales
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
CNN
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Thursday that he is “very, very close” to issuing a new stay-at-home order as coronavirus cases rise in Florida.
Suarez told reporters at a news briefing that Miami hospitals have reached 95% capacity because of the growing Covid-19 pandemic.
The Miami mayor insisted that he is taking a variety of measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in his city. His administration will be monitoring whether those measures will have an affect on controlling the virus.
“The situation is dire,” Suarez said. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it or I don’t want to downplay it in any way. Our hospitalizations are at the highest level. Our ICUs are double what they were back then and our vents has surpassed the high point. The death rate will continue to go up if we don’t take any more dramatic measures.”
Blitzer pressed Suarez on why he won’t issue a stay-at-home order now if the situation is so dire.
“We are potentially going to be doing that soon if things are not going to dramatically improve,” Suarez said. “We are talking about somewhere in the next few days, potentially within the next week.”
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Peru reports nearly 4,000 new coronavirus cases
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Peru’s Ministry of Health reported at least 3,862 new coronavirus cases on Thursday – bringing the total number of cases in the country to at least 341,586.
The ministry also reported 198 additional, bringing the country’s total to at least 12,615.
The Lima metropolitan area continues to be the area with the highest number of infections, with approximately 170,793 positive cases as of Thursday, the ministry said.
Peru has been the second hardest-hit country by the novel coronavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean after Brazil.
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Georgia governor sues Atlanta mayor over city's mask mandate
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Gov. Brian Kemp
Mike Stewart/AP
The governor of Georgia is suing Atlanta’s mayor over the city’s mask mandate, which he said violates his own emergency orders.
Some context: The lawsuit against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council comes one day after Kemp extended his statewide emergency order, adding language that specifically prohibits local governments from adding mask mandates.
The lawsuit asks a judge to declare that Bottoms exceeded her authority and cannot enforce the local mask rules.
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Public health measures are the vehicle to reopening the country, not the obstacle, Fauci says
From CNN's Andrea Kane
From Facebook
Americans have gotten into an “unfortunate mindset” of thinking that public health measures are the enemy of getting the economy going again, the nation’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said today.
These measures are not the enemy, Fauci told Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg Thursday during a live chat.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also stressed the importance of following the phases for reopening.
“Because if you’re in a situation where you should not have jumped over one of the checkpoints, you’ve got to think about pulling back, starting all over again, and doing the gradual entry into, quote, normality in a way that’s in accordance with the guidelines,” he said.
Fauci also said the public needs to understand the importance of abiding by these guidelines.
“I would recommend as strong as you possibly can to get people to wear masks, to avoid crowds, to keep distances, outdoors always better than indoors,” he added.
Done right, mask use and social distancing can help turn back the recent resurgence in cases in many states, Fauci said.
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Brazil tops 2 million coronavirus cases as outbreak worsens
From Márcia Reverdosa and Taylor Barnes
Brazil’s health ministry reported 45,403 new cases of novel coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the nationwide total to 2,012,151.
The ministry also reported 1,322 new Covid-19 fatalities, bringing the national death toll to 76,688.
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Point-of-care tests will be key to helping nursing homes get back to some kind of normal, official says
From CNN's Jen Christensen
Point-of-care coronavirus testing will be essential at every nursing home in the country, Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said Thursday.
The US Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it is providing a point-of-care tests to all 15,400 nursing homes in the country. The tests will start shipping next week first to the hundreds of homes that are on the list of homes most vulnerable to infection.
Verma said at a HHS news conference that the department is recommending nursing homes test staff on a weekly basis. The department also wants every nursing home resident tested.
Verma said asymptomatic carriers have been a problem for the industry.
Each home will get a test reader, Verma said. The instrument should be able to read about 20 tests per hour, each with a 15-minute turnaround time. The federal government will supply the homes with enough assays to test every resident and all employees once a week for about four weeks. The homes will have to buy the tests after that, Verma said.
Point-of-care tests with a quick turnaround time will allow the nursing home to take quick infection control action, she said.
“It’s also important for people to appreciate that the coronavirus isn’t just a threat to the lives of people in nursing homes, but it’s also been a long drawn out nightmare for them in terms of the quality of their lives,” Verma said. “It’s kept them apart from their loved ones and kept them held inside their homes with diminished group activities to boot,” she added.
Verma said she believes the point of care tests will be key to helping nursing homes get back to some kind of normal. She envisions the tests may even be used on some visitors so that residents could be reunited with family members.
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NASA delays launch of telescope due to coronavirus and technical challenges
From CNN's Dave Alsup
NASA has delayed the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope until Halloween 2021.
NASA said it is now “targeting Oct. 31, 2021, for the launch of the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope from French Guiana, due to impacts from the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as technical challenges,” the agency tweeted.
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Repeated coronavirus tests are not necessary, top HHS official says
From CNN's Jen Christensen
People don’t need repeated tests for coronavirus once they have tested positive one time,Assistant Health SecretaryAdmiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Thursday.
“This is a remnant of very early on when we had cruise ships and people were in quarantine,” Giroir said Thursday at a briefing at the US Health and Human Services Department.
With cruise ship passengers, a negative test was required to get out of isolation. The current guidelines say people can leave isolation if they have been free of symptoms for three days and it has been at least 10 days since the onset of symptoms. Guidelines also say people may leave isolation if they receive two negative tests in 24 hours. But Giroir said that two-test standard is no longer needed for most patients.
“We know that if you’re 10 days since the onset of your symptoms, and at least three days … asymptomatic, you are no longer contagious. You do not need to be retested,” Giroir said.
Some people can test positive after they are no longer infectious because remnants of the virus remain in their bodies.
The exception, he said, is if a person is very ill and in the hospital. The virus can linger longer in those patients, as well as in people with immunosuppression or some immune deficiency.
He said that guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be coming out about this issue “very soon.”
“The great majority of people who are diagnosed who are just sick at home do not need to be retested it’s clogging up the system,” Giroir said. “And quite honestly, it does a disservice to them, because they can be quote positive for a much longer time than they are infected and it keeps them out of work, school, all those other things.”
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Alabama's largest school district will begin with online-only learning
From CNN’s Andy Rose
The largest public school district in Alabama will be teaching remotely for at least the first nine weeks of the school year, the Mobile County superintendent announced Thursday.
Superintendent Chresal Threadgill called the move the right decision for students and teachers, saying, “I cannot, with strong reservation, put their health and even their lives in jeopardy.”
The district includes the city of Mobile and has more than 53,000 students. In addition to keep children out of school buildings, the beginning of the school year is being pushed back from August 10 to September 1.
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South Carolina records its highest single-day Covid-19 death toll
The Department of Health and Environmental Control noted that these deaths occurred over the past few weeks and that the lag time in reporting is related to ensuring the deaths are related to Covid-19.
This often involves waiting for a medical certifier or coroner’s report and can be delayed if the person experienced multiple medical issues.
The state also reported 1,842 new Covid-19 cases — almost identical to Wednesday’s count — bringing the total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina to 63,880 and the total number of confirmed deaths to 1,053.
To note: The figures above were released by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Mid-American Conference delays start of fall sports season
From CNN's Jill Martin
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced Thursday that out of caution for the health and well-being of athletes, coaches and others involved, it will postpone the start of field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country until September 3.
According to a news release, this decision applies to exhibition and non-conference games and will align with the start of football season, allowing all fall competition to begin at the same time.
“The decision will provide additional time to prepare for the safe return to competition on an adjusted timeline,” a statement said.
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What NFL players know and don't know about the upcoming season
From CNN's Homero De La Fuente
Houston Texans star J.J. Watt tweeted Thursday a list of things that players and the National Football League Players Association know and don’t know regarding the upcoming NFL season.
In the list, Watt reiterates that players do want to play, but want to do it in the safest way possible.
He mentions that players still have yet to receive a valid Infections Disease Emergency response from any team or league or how often the league will test players for Covid-19 throughout the season, or how a positive test would affect things like contracts and roster spots.
As for the season’s training camp and games, Watt said players haven’t been told whether there will be any preseason games and that nothing has been agreed upon regarding what training camp will actually look like and how the “ramp up” period will work.
Training camp start dates are still being negotiated between the NFL and NFLPA. According to Watt, Texans rookies are scheduled to report on Saturday.
The Texans are scheduled to open the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 10.
Read the tweet:
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Chile hopes to start Covid-19 vaccine trials in early August
From CNN's Tatiana Arias
Healthcare workers conduct rapid COVID-19 tests at a testing site geared for garbage collectors street-sweepers and street vendors, at a sports center in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, July 15.
Esteban Felix/AP
Chile hopes to begin Covid-19 vaccine trials in early August, Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris announced during a Thursday briefing.
“Right now, we have three possibilities [of vaccines] that are very advanced, because they are in Phase III of the study. Phase III means that tests can be done in humans,” said Paris.
Among the vaccines the Chilean government is considering are SinoVac, CanSino and also a “vaccine done by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford,” Paris said.
The health minister and Chilean President Sebastian Piñera met with a group of experts to evaluate which vaccine will be used to conduct the trials.
About 3,000 participants are needed for the study, Paris said.
On reporting: Paris also announced changes to how Chile will gather data on Covid-19 deaths.
Starting on Friday, Chile’s daily report of new Covid-19 deaths will now be based on the health ministry’s Statistics and Information Department (DEIS) and will no longer come from the Civil Registry as it has been done since June 10.
According to Paris, DEIS did not have the capacity to compute the data, “but now they do.”
On Thursday, health authorities reported at least 2,475 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the country’s total to approximately 323,698. The country also reported at least 104 new virus-related deaths, bringing the total to approximately 7,290.
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Johnson & Johnson in discussions to move up Covid-19 vaccine trial timeline
From CNN's Wes Bruer
Johnson & Johnson is moving forward with its vaccine trials.
The company will begin a Phase 1/2a trial for its vaccine candidate on July 22 in Belgium and the following week in the United States, Dr. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer, said during an investor call on Thursday.
Stoffels said that Johnson & Johnson is also “in discussion with the National Institutes of Health with the objective to start Phase 3 clinical trials ahead of its original schedule, potentially in late September.”
The Phase 1/2a trials will include more than 1,000 healthy adults ages 18 to 55, as well as those 65 and older. The study will test the efficacy and safety of a single dose of the vaccine candidate, as well as a booster dose.
The results from the final study on the vaccine candidate in non-human primates is expected to be published “in a major scientific journal in the next coming weeks,” Stoffels added.
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New study finds no effect of blood type on coronavirus severity
From CNN's Maggie Fox
A new study finds no evidence that blood type affects whether someone develops severe symptoms from a coronavirus infection.
People should not worry that having a certain blood type places them at higher risk of either infection or severe illness, the team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston said.
Some researchers had found evidence that blood type might affect a person’s risk from coronavirus, so the team took a look back at records from all adult patients who tested positive for coronavirus at five hospitals in March and April.
“In this large, multi-institutional, retrospective review, there was no association noted between ABO blood type and COVID-19 disease severity defined as intubation or death,” they wrote in the journal Annals of Hematology.
The team did find evidence that people with blood types B and AB who were Rh+ were more likely to test positive for coronavirus, and that people with blood type O were less likely to test positive – even if they had symptoms.
“These findings need to be further explored to determine if there is something inherent in these blood types that might potentially confer protection or induce risk in individuals,” Dua said in a statement.
“A final element worthy of discussion is that there is certainly a racial element to ABO blood typing,” the researchers wrote.
It’s also becoming clear that Black and other ethnic minorities are more likely to have severe coronavirus disease symptoms. “However, the full effects of ethnicity on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity warrant further investigation,” the researchers wrote.
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There are roughly 140 Miami Police Department employees self-quarantining
From CNN’s Dan Shepherd
Wilfredo Lee/AP/FILE
The Miami Police Department currently has 140 of its employees, which includes officers and civilian employees, self-quarantined at home, or “isolated in a safe place” due to possible exposures to Covid-19, according to two spokespeople from the department.
Of those 140 employees, 68 of them are police officers who tested positive for Covid-19.
Officer Kiara Delva told CNN that none of the 140 employees are currently hospitalized and that the Miami Police Department has about 1,315 officers on their force.
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The fight against Covid-19 is likely to get harder, Arkansas governor says
From CNN’s Janine Mack
Office of Asa Hutchinson
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the fight against Covid-19 is “likely to get harder and not easier” ahead of a statewide mask mandate on June 20.
“We have to meet the challenge together, and everyone must do their part,” Hutchinson said during a news conference on Thursday.
The latest numbers: The Arkansas Department of Health is reporting at least 31,114 total positive cases of coronavirus and approximately 341 deaths since the pandemic began.
That’s an increase of at least 817 new cases and six more deaths since yesterday, according to the Health Department.
Hutchinson said after resisting for months, the face mask mandate was needed in Arkansas, because of the number of cases hospitalizations and deaths.
The governor said he listened to doctors and nurses, who asked the public to do more to stay safe. He said he heard from legislators, who according to the governor said, even though they don’t like it, they will do whatever it takes to stop coronavirus.
Hutchinson said he considered the mandate for children and grandchildren, who will be going back to school and with most schools will require the wearing of masks, adults must help them get ready.
The latest numbers: The Arkansas Department of Health is reporting at least 31,114 total positive cases of coronavirus and approximately 341 deaths since the pandemic began.
That’s an increase of at least 817 new cases and six more deaths since yesterday, according to the Health Department.
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Connecticut reports 114 new cases of Covid-19
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
Connecticut reported 114 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced in a news conference.
The current statewide total now stands at 47,750 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. The state reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total to 4,389, Lamont said.
For the first time: The governor provided a breakdown of the age range of newly reported cases in Connecticut over the last week.
For the period of July 5 through July 11, the largest percentage of new cases were in people ages 20 to 29, followed by 30 to 39-year-olds.
Lamont said that worried him, particularly since other states are experiencing spikes in cases right now.
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Texas records highest single-day Covid-19 death toll
From CNN's Raja Razek
Texas reported 129 new Covid-19-related deaths today, a record single-day high, according to the Texas Health and Human Services.
The previous record, 110 deaths in a single day, was recorded on Wednesday.
The total number of Covid-19-related deaths in the state stands at 3,561.
Texas reported 10,291 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number to 292,656.
To note: These figures were released by the Texas Health and Human Services and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Utah governor announces a surge in Covid-19 cases while schools remain poised to reopen
From CNN’s Nakia McNabb
Gov. Gary Herbert
Pool
Gov. Gary Herbert discussed on Thursday Utah’s surge in Covid-19 cases and revealed that hospitals are nearing capacity.
Utah state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn reported that 246 new Covid-19 cases were diagnosed this week, bringing the state’s total positive cases to 31,845.
Herbert pleaded with the residents of Utah to wear masks but stopped short of making it a requirement.
The governor also confirmed plans to reopen Utah public schools statewide and discussed an order that requires mask wearing for students, teachers, staff and visitors to any public education system, charter school or private school in Utah.
Herbert is also requiring all 41 school districts to have a Covid-19 plan in place by August 1.
“It’s imperative I think that we open our schools. We cannot afford to have schools closed. This generation needs to have education and training and skills development, hopefully to get them on to higher education opportunities,” the governor said.
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There will be no cruises until late September, CDC says
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its “No Sail Order and Suspension of Further Embarkation” for cruise ships until September 30, according to the agency’s website. The website was updated with the extension on Thursday.
The order remains in effect until September 30, or until the expiration of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ declaration that Covid-19 constitutes a public health emergency, or the director of the CDC rescinds or modifies the order.
In March, the CDC announced on its website, “The CDC Director has reason to believe that cruise ship travel may continue to introduce, transmit, or spread COVID-19. As such, the CDC Director issued a No Sail Order for cruise ships.”
The CDC previously extended its original order until July 24 before now extending it again.
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Louisiana governor says mask mandate remains in effect
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Louisiana Governor's Office
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said everyone in his state is still expected to wear a mask in indoor public spaces even after the attorney general said the rule is likely unconstitutional.
Attorney General Jeff Landry released an opinion Wednesday saying the mask mandate and closure of bars was unnecessary and too vague to be constitutional.
Edwards reminded citizens that the opinion was advisory and does not strike down his orders.
“The order that I issued on Monday is in effect. It is binding. It is mandatory,” Edwards said.
Landry posted on Facebook Wednesday in response to the governor’s initial criticism of his decision.
“Governor, it’s important to keep people healthy; it’s also important to keep them free,” he wrote.
The governor said it’s not legally required nor wise to wait until the state’s intensive care unit hospital beds are full before putting restrictions into place.
“If you wait until the numbers show that you’re imminent in terms of overrunning your capacity to deliver health care, you’ve waited too late,” Edwards added.
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Savannah mayor in response to suspension of local mask mandates: "Our order still stands"
Mayor Van Johnson
CNN
Savannah, Georgia, Mayor Van Johnson said he was “furious” and “at a loss for words” when he heard Gov. Brian Kemp was suspending all local government mask mandates despite the rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state.
“Not only are we fighting coronavirus on one hand, it appears as if we’re fighting our state on the other hand. It made absolutely no sense to me,” Johnson told CNN on Thursday.
Some context: Kemp’s executive order voids masks mandates imposed by some local governments. It also extended the state’s public emergency and said face coverings are “strongly encouraged,” but not required.
Savannah was the first city in Georgia to mandate masks, Johnson said.
He said he will continue to enforce the mask mandate in the city saying, “our order still stands.”
He said he has heard from business owners that they appreciate the mask mandate because it provides them with legal cover to refuse service to someone who won’t wear a mask.
But, Johnson said the most important reason why masks are so important, is because they are a proven way to stop the spread of the virus.
“We’re going to do all we can to make sure we protect our citizens. This is what this is all about. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about protecting our folks,” he said.
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Masks, closing indoor bars and other measures can avert more shutdowns, HHS official says
From CNN's Jen Christensen
Widespread mask use and staying out of crowded bars and restaurants can help avert the need to close down communities again to stop the spread of coronavirus, a senior Health and Human Services Department official said Thursday.
Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said communities can act when cases of the virus start to spike.
Giroir added that areas with a high number of new cases also need to close indoor bars and limit restaurant dining capacity to 25%.
“We know that 50 to 60 to 70% in some areas are traced to a single bar, and then the secondary spread from that. Being indoors in close quarters over a long period of time is just a recipe for spread,” Giroir said.
Outdoor seating with appropriate distancing is “probably safe,” even when cases are spiking in areas. Staying out of crowds is essential, he said.
“If we have that degree of compliance with these simple measures, our models say that’s really as good as shutting it down,” Giroir said. “These simple facts can really shut down the outbreak without completely shutting down your local area.”
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The US is better equipped to deal with Covid-19 now, HHS official says
From CNN’s Jen Christensen
Admiral Brett Giroir
Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP/FILE
Admiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Thursday that even with a giant surge in coronavirus cases, the US is better equipped to handle outbreaks than when the pandemic first started.
Better testing and better treatments have both improved the outlook, Giroir said at a briefing hosted by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Giroir said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teams are on the ground in every state and HHS has sent special Covid response assistance teams to hotspots to help with testing and mitigation.
On testing: He said the country also now has enough testing in place that can quickly show when there is a new outbreak so that public health staff and local leaders can intervene. Parts of the country have reported long lines and several days delays in people getting test results, but Giroir characterized those problems as an “outlier.”
Commercial labs have said they are backed up, with results often taking as long as seven days to turn around.
“I’m never going to say that I’m happy with any turnaround time, Giroir said. “We’ll continue to work to improve that as we move forward,” he later added.
Giroir added that tests alone cannot stop the pandemic.
“You cannot test your way out of this, no matter where you are. Testing is important, but you’ve got to close the bars in a hot zone, limit restaurant seating, please wear a mask in public, avoid public gatherings of greater than 10 or 25 or whatever it is in your local area without appropriate protections,” Giroir said. “The way to fix the “testing problem” is by fixing the virus problem. These go hand-in-hand.”
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New Hampshire to give $25 million in Covid-19 aid to state universities and community colleges
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
Gov. Chris Sununu
Pool
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced $25 million in additional aid for state universities and community colleges in the state in response to Covid-19 on Thursday.
Sununu said state universities will receive $19 million to help universities support their coronavirus response as students return to campus in the fall. The funding will be used for costs associated with testing, personal protective equipment and additional supplies needed to respond to the health crisis.
The university system already outlined their anticipated costs and requested funding from the state, Sununu said.
New Hampshire will also give $6 million to community colleges to help with tuition support for new and existing students whose ability to attend may have been impacted by Covid-19, the governor said.
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Pennsylvania releases new guidance for school reopenings
From CNN's Evan Simko-Bednarski
When schools in Pennsylvania reopen, face coverings will be mandatory, but the extent of in-person instruction in the state will be dependent on Covid-19 data, Health Secretary Rachel Levine and Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said during a joint call on Thursday.
While reopening plans are being developed on the municipal level, the state is set to release guidelines for reopening on Thursday. Those guidelines will include a heavy emphasis on face coverings, as well as guidance on hygiene, distancing, considerations for staff or students with chronic conditions, and the monitoring of potential Covid-19 symptoms, Levine said.
When asked if the state could overrule any municipal decision to reopen, neither Levine nor Rivera answered directly.
Levine said that the state would “do everything we need to do to protect the public health.” Rivera said data would drive any future decisions.
Levine said that taking steps now to limit the spread of the disease would make for the safest environment in which to reopen schools in the fall.
“There are things that people can do right now to actually help our kids get back to the classroom,” she said.
The state’s guidelines include a requirement that parents screen students for symptoms at the start of each school day, open school bus windows when the weather allows, staggered class times, one-way hallway travel, and six feet of distance between students whenever possible.
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Experts say reopening schools safely will be hard, but that should not be a deterrent
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
Des Moines Public Schools custodian Cynthia Adams cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School, Wednesday, July 8, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall/AP/FILE
Implementing necessary safety measures to reopen schools will be hard but necessary, a panel of public health experts said Thursday.
Nuzzo stressed the importance of physical spacing in the classroom, even potentially using outdoor classrooms for as long as weather will allow, noting that countries that are colder than the US have implemented this strategy.
The senior scholar said promoting hygiene will be key – supplying students and staff with soap and hand sanitizer and encouraging them to use it often. She said students should be checked for symptoms daily, and schools should have extra masks on hand for students who do not bring their own.
Anita Cicero, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said creative approaches, such as using toys as physical distancing markers or making fun masks, could help younger children adhere to important safety measures.
Grouping young children and those with underlying health conditions in “bubbles” to limit interaction upon their return to school, Cicero and Nuzzo suggested during the briefing, hosted by Johns Hopkins.
Nuzzo said that transportation may require some creative solutions such as carpooling within designated bubbles, using vans or implementing staggered start times.
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Georgia reports more than 3,400 new Covid cases and 13 deaths today
From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher and Jason Morris
The Georgia Department of Public Health reports at least 3,441 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state on Thursday.
The Health Department also reports 13 new coronavirus deaths today, as well as at least 244 additional hospitalizations – a drop from the approximately 417 hospitalizations reported on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Georgia has reported a total of at least 131,275 confirmed Covid-19 cases and approximately 3,104 Covid-19-related deaths.
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Only 2 US states have reported no Covid-19 deaths in the past week
From CNN’s Brandon Miller and Haley Brink
The only two states in the US that did not record a death in the past week are Vermont and Alaska, according to CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.
Vermont has recorded 56 deaths attributed to coronavirus, the last of which was recorded on June 18. A majority of Vermont’s total deaths, 33, occurred in the month of April.
Alaska has recorded a total of 17 deaths, the last of which was recorded on July 7.
During the last seven days, the states with the most recorded deaths are California with 657 deaths and Florida with 632 deaths.
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Georgia governor avoids questions about order stopping local mask mandates
From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher and Jason Morris
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs House Bill 521 at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Thursday, July 16, in Marietta, Georgia.
The governor’s office said Kemp would be talking about the executive order, as well as other Covid-19-related topics, at an 8 a.m. news conference tomorrow.
Kemp’s press secretary Cody Hall did tell CNN this in a text:
Some background: Kemp yesterday suspended all local government mask mandates despite the rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in his state.
Under the executive order the Republican governor extended the state’s public emergency and said face coverings are “strongly encouraged,” but not required. The executive order voids masks mandates imposed by some local governments as Covid-19 cases tick up in cities across the state, already claiming over 3,000 lives.
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White House press secretary argues science is on the side of opening schools
From CNN's Sarah Westwood
Pool
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany reiterated that President Trump supports opening schools fully, without any kind of remote learning in the fall, and she argued “science should not stand in the way” of that goal.
“The science is on our side here,” she added.
McEnany cited a Journal of the American Medical Association pediatric study of 46 hospitals that she said showed the risk to children posed by Covid-19 is less than that posed by the seasonal flu.
“We encourage for localities and states to just simply follow the science, open our schools. It’s very damaging to our children,” she said. “There’s a lack of reporting of abuse, there’s mental depressions that are not addressed, suicidal ideations that are not address when students are not in school.”
Remember: Many experts worry about returning to classrooms not necessarily because of the risk to the students themselves, but because of the risk that children could worsen the spread of coronavirus by bringing it home to older relatives and because teachers and school employees would also be put at risk for serious illness.
Despite Trump’s aggressive push for school reopenings, a number of the nation’s largest school districts have announced they will not return for in-person learning at the start of the school year in the fall.
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White House says new Covid data reporting is about "getting more data out there, not less"
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The White House insists new rules for reporting Covid data from hospitals are about “getting more data out there, not less data,” made available to health experts and the public, after pushback from some researchers.
The administration ordered hospitals to send data on coronavirus patients to the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington rather than to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, prompting some experts to say the move undermined the CDC and created confusion.
“The intent is that we need to make sure there is daily data that is being given to Dr. [Deborah] Birx and others who are running point on a lot of our actions with remdesivir and identifying hot spots,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing Thursday afternoon.
McEnany said there are two methods of data collection.
The second method, she said, is the “the teletracker database and this is an HHS system, and this was initially used for purposes of provider relieve funding, and we asked hospitals to tell us about their Covid admissions so we could identify possible hot spots and as it turns out, this data ended up being more complete, more up to date with information, and so ensuring that hospitals are reporting it to this system where we’re getting more complete data.”
She said the information gathered “is completely open source data, available to the CDC.”
“No one is taking access or data away from the CDC and that data is routinely published so that the American people are fully informed,” she told reporters. “The CDC database is the public data that’s been out there. It will continue to be public, it should be public.”
“This is all about getting more data out there, not less data, and insuring that in particular that our doctors get that daily data,” McEnany claimed.
Some background:CNN previously reported former CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser on Wednesday said rerouting hospital data is a “step backwards” for the country’s coronavirus response.
“It’s another example of CDC being sidelined. Not only should the data be coming to CDC, but CDC should be talking to the public through the media every day,” Besser told CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in an interview.
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Brazil nears 2 million Covid-19 cases
Cemetery workers in protective suits bury a victim of coronavirus at the Vila Formosa cemetery on Thursday, July 16, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images
As Brazil nears 2 million Covid-19 cases, and its death toll has surpassed 75,000, the country’s health ministry continues to be run by an active duty military man with no public health experience, appointed as interim minister two months ago.
Army General Eduardo Pazuello was installed after the country lost two previous health ministers in the space of one month. One was sacked, and the second one resigned. Both differed with Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his handling of the pandemic.
Some context: On May 16, the general’s first day in office, Brazil had roughly 230,000 Covid-19 cases and 15,633 deaths, in the two months since, those numbers have dramatically risen, with Brazil accounting for the world’s second highest number of cases, after the US.
Under Pazuello, there has been little central coordination from the health ministry on a country-wide strategy to combat the pandemic, with states and municipalities left to decide what measure to take to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Internal borders remained open, allowing the epidemic to move from the main cities with high infection rates, to smaller ones with fewer resources and health infrastructure to fight the virus on their own. Health safety measures, such as the use of masks, have been politicized.
A recent poll in Brazil conducted by the Vox Populi Institute, released on July 14, showed that 82% of Brazilians believe appointing Pazuello as interim minister of health was a bad decision by their president.
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Nearly 60% of Ohio will be required to wear masks starting tomorrow
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
The Ohio Channel
As Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s mask mandate for all Red Alert Level 3 counties goes into effect Friday, nearly 60% of the state – 19 counties – will now be required to wear masks in public.
The governor said some of Ohio’s counties seemed to be understanding the seriousness of the spread of the virus in their communities.
When asked what he would do if cases continue to increase, DeWine said, “as governor of the state of Ohio, I will do what I have to do, to protect the people of Ohio.”
The latest numbers: The state today announced at least 1,290 new coronavirus cases and 115 new hospitalizations in the last 24 hours. The state also reports 28 new Covid-19-related deaths since yesterday – which is higher than the state’s 21-day average.
Note: These numbers were released by the state’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Colorado mandates masks in public indoor spaces
From CNN's Shawn Nottingham
KMGH
Colorado will now require residents to wear masks when they are visiting public indoor spaces and not able to social distance, Gov. Jared Polis said at an afternoon news conference.
The order takes effect at midnight today. Colorado now becomes the 39th state to require face coverings in public.
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New Jersey governor unveils plan to help students with distance learning this fall
From CNN's Annie Grayer
Pool
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced his roughly $115 million plan Thursday to close the digital divide for all students in the state as remote learning remains part of the experience for students in the fall due to the pandemic.
This effort will include providing devices and increasing connectivity for all public school students.
New Jersey will need to raise approximately $54 million. The remainder will be paid through the federal money from Congress through the Cares Act and Title One federal funding awards.
More details: In order to raise the money within the state, Murphy announced all philanthropy avenues will be exhausted, the Department of Education will offer a one-time $10 million formula grant, and his administration will redirect Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) funds to close any remaining gap.
Murphy and New Jersey Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet had previously announced the state’s plans to reopen schools for in-person instruction at the beginning of the school year, absent a change to the current public health data statewide.
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Publix will require customers to wear face coverings
From CNN's Kate Trafecante
A customer checks out at a Publix store on April 1.
Grocery store chain Publix will require all customers to wear face coverings when entering any of their stores throughout the United States beginning July 21.
“With the number of coronavirus cases continuing to grow and current CDC guidance indicating face coverings can help slow the spread of COVID-19, we believe requiring face coverings in our stores is another way we can do our part to help protect our communities,” said Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous.
More on this: Publix is the latest US store to require customers wear face masks while shopping. CVS, Kohl’s, Kroger, Target and Walmart will also require customers wear face coverings.
The National Retail Federation, the main lobbying group for the industry, also called on retailers to require masks for customers.
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New York City reports more than 23,000 confirmed and probable Covid-19 deaths
The New York City Health Department defines probable deaths as people who did not have a positive Covid-19 laboratory test, but their death certificate lists as the cause of death “Covid-19” or an equivalent.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus deaths and probable coronavirus deaths in New York City is 23,371.
More data: There has been 217,230 coronavirus cases in the city and 55,589 people have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic, according to the city.
The data is from the New York City Health Department and was updated on July 16 at 1 p.m. ET, according to the website.
Note: These figures may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Experts say other countries reopened schools because the pandemic "was under control"
From CNN's Amanda Watts
Students sit in a classroom at a primary school in Eichenau, Germany, on June 16.
Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
Countries that reopened schools were able to do so because they first got their coronavirus cases under control, experts said Thursday.
Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway have been able to open their schools, panelists told the briefing.
Nuzzo said these countries have been “taking measures to maximize safety in the school setting.
“[T]he key is, they have all started from a place of having low transmission and low level of illness in the surrounding communities,” Nuzzo said.
Simply put, “each of these countries had their epidemic under control,” Nuzzo added.
More insight: Annette Anderson, an assistant professor of education at Johns Hopkins, said one of the most important factors in getting kids back into face-to-face learning is to build trust with the parents and caregivers.
“Schools must convince parents and teachers that they are ready and safe to reopen,” she said.
Anderson said schools and districts should have parents come in and see what in-person learning will look like in the fall.
“Having parents come in to physically see what those plans look like in action, so that it’s not just something ephemeral,” she said. “Parents can see what it would look like to be in a socially distanced classroom, to see what it would be like to be in a socially distanced gym class, to see what it would be like to be in a socially distanced cafeteria.”
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Arkansas will require face coverings in public
From CNN's Shawn Nottingham
Arkansas will now require face coverings in public, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced at an afternoon news conference.
Hutchinson said the new order, which will take effect on Monday, will require masks to be worn when people are in the presence of non-household members and aren’t able to social distance. Children under the age of 10 are exempt from the order.
The mask order, he said, is enforceable and offenders can be cited and fined.
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Florida governor says labs are responsible for backlogged data, not health department
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
WFTS
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that commercial labs are responsible for backlogged test results and not the Florida Department of Health.
The governor said that labs are responsible for entering the test results into the state and sometimes don’t enter each test each day.
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California reports 118 new coronavirus-related deaths
From CNN's Sarah Moon
Workers direct cars as they wait in line for coronavirus testing at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 14, in Los Angeles.
Mark J. Terrill/AP
California reported 8,544 new cases of coronavirus and 118 additional deaths on Thursday, according to new data from the state’s Department of Public Health.
The new cases represent a 2.5% increase and the deaths reflect a 1.6% increase from Wednesday’s data.
Hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions have slightly decreased from Wednesday with nine less patients hospitalized and 10 less patients in the ICU.
There are a total of 6,777 Covid-19 positive hospital patients and 1,897 ICU patients in the state.
The positivity rate in California over a two-week period is now 7.2%.
As of Thursday, California had a total of 356,178 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 7,345 deaths due to the virus.
To note: These figures were released by California Department of Public Health and may not match up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Hydroxychloroquine doesn't help Covid-19 patients who aren't hospitalized, new study finds
From CNN's Jen Christensen
A pharmacy tech pours out hydroxychloroquine pills in May.
George Frey/AFP/Getty Images
The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine did not benefit non-hospitalized patients with mild symptoms from Covid-19 who were treated early in their infection, according to a study to be published Thursday in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Scientists from University of Minnesota launched the trial March 22 to see if the drug could decrease the severity of symptoms and prevent hospitalization. This was the first randomized clinical trial to study hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 patients who weren’t hospitalized.
It was tested in 491 adults in the United States and Canada. Half the patients received a five-day hydroxychloroquine treatment and half the patients received five days of a placebo. The adults were enrolled within the first four days of reporting symptoms, and 56% were enrolled in the trial the first day they reported any symptoms. Doctors monitored symptoms for two weeks.
What the study found: At the end of two weeks, the study found that there was no advantage to taking the drug. About 24% of the hydroxychloroquine group had symptoms that persisted over 14 days, compared to the 30% who took the placebo. But hospitalizations were nearly the same — 2% of those in the hydroxychloroquine group were hospitalized, compared to the 3% taking the placebo. The death rate was identical for both groups, at 0.4%.
And, 43% of those who took hydroxychloroquine had side effects, compared to the 22% that took a placebo. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most commonly reported side effect.
The study also found there was no benefit seen among people who took zinc or vitamin C along with the placebo or hydroxychloroquine.
The University of Minnesota researchers’ first randomized trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June, looked at the drug as a possible post-exposure prophylaxis for adults who had been recently exposed to someone who was positive for Covid-19. It showed hydroxychloroquine did not prevent illness.
President Trump has called hydroxychloroquine a “game-changer” for treating patients with Covid-19, and said he took it himself to prevent infection, but several studies have found no benefits to treating Covid-19 patients with the antimalarial drug.
The US Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization for both hydroxychloroquine and a related drug, chloroquine, for the treatment of Covid-19, saying the drugs are unlikely to be effective in treating the virus based on the latest scientific evidence. The National Institutes of Health announced last month it was halting its clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients.
One study published this month by researchers at Henry Ford Health System in Southeast Michigan found hydroxychloroquine increased hospitalized patients’ chances of survival. However, researchers not involved with the study were critical of it, saying it wasn’t of the same quality of the previous studies that showed hydroxychloroquine did not help patients.
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Governor tightens Covid-19 enforcement penalties for New York City bars and restaurants
From CNN’s Sonia Moghe
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will start enforcing a “three strikes and you’re closed” policy for New York City restaurants and bars that serve alcohol and fail to comply with social distancing regulations put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Cuomo said if New York City restaurants and bars fail to comply with regulations three times, they will be closed, and that egregious violations can result in immediate loss of liquor licenses.
He said the new regulations will also prevent restaurants and bars across the state from only serving liquor to patrons. Drinks must only be served if patrons are ordering food.
The reason for this, Cuomo said, was that social distancing in restaurants outdoor seating can be better enforced if patrons are sitting in smaller groups at tables that are kept apart.
Walk-up bar service would also no longer be allowed across the state.
Cuomo said the state is seeing “significant” evidence of restaurants and bars failing to comply with Covid-19 social distancing regulations. He estimated at least 5,000 establishments in downstate New York were failing to comply with the regulations. He said his office has received thousands of complaints and videos showing restaurants and bars with improper social distancing.
“This is a question of public health,” Cuomo said. “New Yorkers have paid a dear price for Covid.”
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Database reveals 72 NFL players have tested positive for Covid-19
From CNN's Homero De La Fuente
The National Football League Players Association’s database reveals that 72 NFL players had tested positive for Covid-19 as of July 10.
Although the database is inconclusive on how many total players were tested, it’s meant to keep players and personnel up to date with the latest information on the spread of coronavirus around the league and the country.
Asked about the context of 72 players testing positive for the virus, a NFLPA spokesperson would only reveal that protocols call for the league and the players union to share confirmed cases and that an update may happen on Friday.
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Some restrictions will be relaxed in this locked down UK city
From CNN's Lindsay Isaac
Restrictions have been in place in Leicester, England, since June 29.
Joe Giddens/PA Images/Getty Images)
Some coronavirus restrictions in a locked down city in England will be relaxed, UK Minister of Health Matt Hancock said Thursday.
Leicester went into a local lockdown on June 29 after a spike in Covid-19 cases. Speaking in Parliament, Hancock said restrictions on schools and early years child care will be removed as of July 24.
Hancock said a “more targeted approach” will be taken towards nonessential shops, with local authorities deciding on closures if necessary.
Remember: All pubs, bars and restaurants will remain closed. Restrictions on travel remain in place and social gatherings are still limited to six people.
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Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference suspends fall sports season due to Covid-19 pandemic
From CNN's Jabari Jackson
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will suspend all fall sports competition amid the country’s ongoing battle with the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement released by the conference on Thursday, the league revealed the decision was influenced by the “rapid escalation” of Covid-19 cases along the East Coast and the virus’ impact on minority communities.
The conference intends to proceed with the current winter sports schedule “unless health and medical professionals advise otherwise.” A decision surrounding fall sports moving to the 2021 spring semester has yet to be determined.
The MEAC is comprised of all historically Black colleges and universities with members from Florida to Delaware.
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US Health Department directs CDC to add hospital data back to its website
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
The Department of Health and Human Services directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to re-establish on their website public hospital data after they were criticized because some of it was removed Wednesday.
As of now, the previously removed dashboard modules were back online. The CDC has also added language to their page announcing that they will not be updating this data past July 14.
What this is about: Last night, some data was no longer available on the CDC.gov website after the Trump administration’s decision to reroute coronavirus hospital data first to the administration instead of sending it directly to the CDC.
As of this morning, raw inpatient and intensive care occupancy data up to July 7 was available for download from the site.
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Most Covid-19 patients surveyed had either a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, new CDC study finds
From CNN's Jen Christensen
Covid-19 can cause a wide variety of symptoms, but a new analysis of records by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most patients seemed to share at least one of three symptoms: fever, cough or shortness of breath.
The report published Thursday covered 164 people with lab confirmed cases of Covid-19. The patients all had symptoms, and all were sick between January 14 and April 4.
Since Covid-19 was a new disease and since information about symptoms was limited, especially among patients that hadn’t been hospitalized, the CDC sent a further survey to patients identified by local health leaders. The patients were asked to report on a wide variety of symptoms and also asked to report on any additional symptoms that were not widely recognized.
Among these patients, nearly all — 96% — had had either a fever, cough, or shortness of breath and about 45% experienced all three.
Cough was the most common symptom: 84% of surveyed patients said they had a cough, the team of CDC and state health officials found. Fever was the next most common symptom, with 80% of patients reporting they had a fever. Shortness of breath was more commonly associated with people who were hospitalized.
Patients also experienced a wide variety of other symptoms including muscle pain, chills, fatigue and headache. At least one stomach issue, most commonly diarrhea, was each reported by half of the patients. Some patients also reported GI symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
A higher percentage of people who did not have to go to the hospital lost their sense of taste or smell.
Remember: These results are not generalizable, since testing was restricted to certain patients during this time period and hospitalized patients are likely overrepresented in the sample of people surveyed, but the data does give doctors a better sense of who might need to be tested or even isolated to slow the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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US travel bans came too late for New York City, CDC study finds
From CNN’s Jen Christensen
People visit an international terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on March 13. That was the day the United States restricted travel from Europe.
Kathy Willens/AP
Travel bans meant to stop coronavirus from getting to the US from China came too late,according to a new analysis of cases from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The US restricted travel from China on February 2 and from Europe March 13, but by March 8, Covid-19 was already circulating among the community in New York City, and by March 15, community transmission was already widespread, the analysis found.
What was circulating most closely matched the strain of the virus circulating in Europe, not China.
This study looked at data collected by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene between March 1-20. It was early in the pandemic. It was only on March 8 that the department had announced that there was sustained community transmission.
The department examined specimens taken from people who went to the emergency room with flu-like symptoms. Of the 544 specimens tested, 36, or 6.6%, were positive for novel coronavirus.
Doing additional genetic sequencing of the samples, the strain of the virus more closely resembled the one circulating in Europe, rather than the one circulating in China. That means that the novel coronavirus was likely introduced to New York through Europe or by travelers from other US locations, the report said.
By the time the Trump administration had placed travel restrictions on Europe the importation of the virus and the community spread of the disease had already started in New York City, according to the report. Testing was limited at the start of the epidemic in New York City and that added to a number of cases going undetected that added to the spread of Covid-19.
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These Texan counties are bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues reach capacity
From CNN's Kay Jones, Jeremy Grisham, Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy
Refrigerated trailers arrive in San Antonio.
City of San Antonio
With skyrocketing coronavirus hospitalizations in Texas, hard-hit counties are bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues fill up.
The city of San Antonio and Bexar County has secured several refrigerated trailers to store bodies until they can be released to area funeral homes.
He said that they currently have two in operation with another three that will be operational by the end of the week. He also said that several local hospital systems have also placed order for and secured trailers.
“This is a morbid topic and it’s not one we enjoy talking about but it really does underscore the severity of Covid-19 in our community,” Martinez said.
Meanwhile, the Dallas County morgue had to use an external refrigerated truck this week due to the increased caseload, the Medical Examiner’s office told CNN.
“We have had to go to the external refrigerated truck once this week due to increased caseload, but today we are back with all cases inside,” Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, the Dallas County Medical Examiner, said in a statement. “I anticipate that we will at some point have to use the truck again based on continuing increased volume.”
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 485 total fatalities since the pandemic began, with 59 of those deaths occurring over the past week. There are 36,969 total cases throughout the county.
CNN reported earlier that the counties of Cameron and Hidalgo are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues.
Note: The latest Dallas figures were released by Dallas County Health and Human Services, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Spain records highest number of new Covid-19 cases since May 10
From CNN's Laura Pérez Maestro
Health-care workers have a briefing at a temporary testing center in Getaria, Spain, on Wednesday.
Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images
Spain recorded 580 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since May 10, the Spanish health ministry’s data showed on Thursday. The total number of cases in Spain has now reached 258,855.
Fernando Simon, director of the Center for Health Emergencies, admitted at a news conference Thursday that there is a “slight upward trend, mainly due to the outbreaks in Aragon and Catalonia.”
The data shows that more than 70% of those new cases were registered in Catalonia and Aragon.
Simon confirmed that there are 158 outbreaks still active in Spain, “most of them under control.” He highlighted that only “10% of those outbreaks are linked to seasonal workers but that they account for 40% of the cases.”
Simon also explained that the average age among the new cases “has gone down to 46 years old for men and 50 years old for women. In comparison with the 62-year-old average during the hight of the pandemic.”
The Covid-19 death toll in the country rose by three in the last 24 hours and nine in the last seven days, in line with the past few weeks. A total of 28,416 people have died from coronavirus in Spain to date.
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New York state helps set up Covid-19 testing sites in Houston
From CNN’s Sonia Moghe
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday thanked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his state for sending teams to help set up Covid-19 testing sites in Houston.
Speaking during a press call with Cuomo, Turner said there were long waits for testing in the Houston area.
“Testing is a big issue,” the mayor said. “This virus is having a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low income communities where even more testing is needed.”
The two new testing sites are up and running in the northwest and southwest parts of Houston.
Cuomo tweeted photos of the testing sites:
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Florida reports new single-day record of Covid-19 deaths
From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Dan Shepherd in Miami
A health care worker tests a person for COVID-19 at the test site located in the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot on July 15 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Florida is reporting at least 315,775 positive coronavirus cases across the state, showing an increase of at least 13,965 cases from the previous day, according to new numbers released by the Florida Department of Health.
At least 8,626 people are currently hospitalized across the state.
Total number of deaths in the state increased by 156, breaking a previous daily record of 132 that was set on Tuesday. During the pandemic, there have been a total of 4,677 coronavirus deaths in the state.
The 13.965 new coronavirus Covid-19 reported today marks the second highest daily total during the state’s pandemic. Sunday’s daily record of 15,299 still holds.
Note: These numbers were released by the state of Florida and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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There are not enough contact tracers in California to handle onslaught of Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Stephanie Elam
Lucia Abascal interviews patients from her home while working as a contract tracer in San Francisco on June 25.
Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)
To combat the rise in coronavirus cases in California, there needs to be enough contact tracing staff in regions where Covid-19 infections are increasing, the principal investigator for the state’s contact tracing program told CNN, but not all regions require an equal number of tracers.
Health officials, he said, cannot forecast how much contact tracing is needed in a region until public health departments are alerted to positive results, but the teams are scalable. “We can call in extra people if there’s a surge,” Rutherford said.
With 58 counties in the state, the number of contact tracers working in each county should be driven by the number of confirmed cases, not the county’s total population, he said.
“If you’re in Modoc County, with zero cases, you don’t need a big contact tracing team,” he said, adding that a regional approach in some parts of the state may be sufficient to cover areas without a lot of cases. “Six people could cover, you know, seven or eight counties.”
UCSF, with the assistance of the University of California, Los Angeles, operates a Virtual Training Academy for contract tracers and is working with the state to bolster its personnel who can follow up with people who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.
Of the army of 10,000 contact tracers California has assembled in response to the pandemic, the academy has trained 6,700 people so far, he said. As potential tracers are identified by the state, they are quickly processed and begin training, which takes about a week.
And as the number of confirmed cases rises, so perhaps does the need for more contact tracers, who are making phone calls to reach those infected with the virus.
“Last weekend with its rush of cases in San Francisco, people were working overtime,” he said. “It was a major sweat to get it all covered, but we got it covered.”
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McConnell on Kentucky mask mandate battle: "I'm not in that fight, but, I'm here to tell you, put it on"
From CNN's Ali Zaslav
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the media in Leitchfield, Kentucky, on Thursday.
WAVE
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, made clear Thursday he is not getting involved with the state Gov. Andy Beshear’s battle to mandate mask-wearing.
“I’m not in that fight,” McConnell said Thursday at a press event in Leitchfield, Kentucky. At the same time, McConnell still urged Kentuckians to wear a mask.
“I want to encourage everybody regardless of who has the authority to require it or not require it, do it,” McConnell added.
“It’s the right thing to do,” he continued, pointing to how Kentucky is “having something of a surge” in coronavirus cases.
What this is about: Last week, CNN reported Beshear’s executive order was temporary blocked the same day he requested it.
McConnell again argued Thursday that masks should not be a political issue.
“How this ended up becoming a factor in American politics is a little astonishing to me,” he said. “The coronavirus is not involved in American politics, at all.”
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You'll have to wear a mask if you shop in these US stores
A woman walks outside a Walmart store in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
A number of US retailers have announced plans to require customers to wear masks while inside their stores.
Here’s a look at some of the US chains who are implementing mask requirements:
Target: The retailer announced today that it will require its customers to wear masks or face coverings in all of their stores starting on Aug. 1. People with underlying medical conditions and young children are exempt.
CVS: Starting Monday, pharmacy chain CVS will require all customers to wear face covering when entering any of their stores throughout the US.
Walmart: The nation’s largest retailer will require customers at all of its US stores to wear masks beginning next week. Walmart said it will enforce the new policy by stationing“health ambassadors” near the entrance to remind shoppers of the requirement.
Kroger: Staring Wednesday, Kroger stores will require all customers in all locations to wear a face covering when shopping. The chain said customers who can not wear masks are encouraged “to consider an alternative option like a face shield or facial covering.” Those who can’t wear a mask or an alternative design, are encouraged to use pickup or delivery services.
Kohl’s: Retail chain, Kohl’s, announced yesterday that all customers will be required to wear face masks beginning on Monday.
Starbucks: The coffee chain last week said that it will require customers to wear facial coverings or masks in all 9,000 of its company-owned US stores. That policy began yesterday.
Best Buy: The retaileralso announced this week that it will also require all shoppers coming into its approximately 1,000 stores to wear face masks.
Costco: The company was one of the first retailers to require shoppers to wear masks, enacting their policy back in May.
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Pelosi to Trump on Covid-19 response: "You've gone down the wrong path. Ask for directions."
From CNN's Clare Foran, Haley Byrd and Manu Raju
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday.
Susan Walsh/AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went after President Trump on Thursday over his response to the pandemic.
“Mr. President, admit it. You’ve gone down the wrong path. Ask for directions,” she added later. “Ask for directions from our scientists who know better.”
Pelosi also reiterated Democrats’ call for Trump to fully implement the Defense Production Act for testing, PPE and other items needed to deal with the pandemic.
“There is not enough equipment, but we could have it, if the President executed the Defense Production Act,” she said. “This is such a massive dereliction of duty — people are dying.”
Asked if she is speaking with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows or anybody else in the administration about the next stimulus bill, Pelosi said she has had conversations on individual items.
She added that Senate Republicans’ suggested price tag of $1.3 trillion for the next bill is not enough. “We should have trillions of dollars to prop up workers,” she said.
She said an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard to protect employees during the pandemic is “absolutely essential for us to have” in the next package, as well as a rent moratorium and extension of unemployment insurance.
“We know that it will happen. They have to do unemployment insurance,” she said of Republicans, who have so far been skeptical about extending the expanded benefits, which are set to expire at the end of the month.
She said not passing another ambitious stimulus package now will hurt the country further down the road.
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Target stores will require customers to wear face masks starting next month
From CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Target will require its customers to wear masks or face coverings in all of their stores starting on Aug. 1.
Individuals with underlying medical conditions and young children are exempt from the announced policy.
Target joins other major US companies that have made similar announcements, including CVS, Walmart, Starbucks and Best Buy.
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Miami Dolphins will have no fans during preseason games
From CNN's Jabari Jackson
Mark Brown/Getty Images
The National Football League’s Miami Dolphins will not allow fans at training camp and preseason games in 2020 due to Covid-19 health and safety concerns.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Dolphins revealed plans to help “create a safe environment in 2020,” which also includes no tailgating for the entire season.
Capacity for Hard Rock Stadium for games will be announced at a later date as the team seeks guidance from health and government officials.
Miami will host their first preseason game on Sept. 20, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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About 3.3 million US seniors live with school-age children, new analysis finds
From CNN's Health Gisela Crespo
As the nation debates how to safely reopen schools – and one of the main concerns being that children may become infected at school and carry the virus back home – new data released by the Kaiser Family Foundation on Thursday found that about 3.3 million older adults in the US live in a household with a school-age child.
About 7% of children, or 4.1 million, between the ages of 5 and 18 live in a household with adults 65 and older – a population that is more vulnerable to the virus.
Older people of color are more likely to live in a house with a school-age child compared to their White counterparts, according to the analysis.
Around 19% of seniors who are Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander live with a child that goes to school, as do 17% of older Hispanic adults.
About 13% of American Indian seniors and 11% of Black seniors live with a school-age child.
Covid-19 has disproportionately affected communities of colors, and if schools become a source of infection, older people of color would be at “increased risk of exposure through school-age children,” the analysis said.
California, Texas, and Florida – states that are currently dealing with large increases in Covid-19 cases – have relatively large numbers of seniors living with a school-age child.
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These are the 4 hotspot states we're watching today
A health-care worker collects paperwork at a drive-thru testing site in Tucson, Arizona, on Monday.
Cheney Orr/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Coronavirus cases are rising across the US, and at least 39 states have reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before.
Here’s what you need to know about the US’s hardest-hit hotspots:
Arizona
Morgues are filling up: In Maricopa County, which has the most Covid-19 cases in the state, the medical examiner’s office has ordered four portable coolers as morgues begin to fill up, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesperson.
Out-of-state help needed: State health officials have also announced they’re bringing nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help as they enhance their internal surge plans to fill staffing gaps.
California
New records: The country’s most populous state set two more records yesterday with highs for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
New lockdowns possible: In Los Angeles County, the public health director warned another stay-at-home order is likely: “We can’t take anything off the table — there’s absolutely no certainty of what exactly is going to happen next,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.
Florida
Out of ICU beds: As of yesterday, more than 50 hospitals have reached intensive care unit capacity and show zero beds available, according to according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). In Miami, hospitals have reached 95% capacity, Mayor Francis Suarez, told reporters Thursday.
Another day of soaring cases: The state reported nearly 14,000 new coronavirus cases today, brining the total number of cases during the pandemic to more than 315,000. The state’s record-high for new coronavirus cases in a single day came last weekend, when officials reported more than 15,000.
Texas
Trucks for bodies: Two counties in Texas — Cameron and Hidalgo — are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they’re requesting refrigerated trucks.
Hospitals in one city are full: In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full andthe federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility.
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CVS will require customers wear face coverings starting next week
From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph
Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
Beginning on Monday, pharmacy chain CVS will require all customers to wear face covering when entering any of their stores throughout the US.
“To be clear, we’re not asking our store employees to play the role of enforcer. What we are asking is that customers help protect themselves and those around them by listening to the experts and heeding the call to wear a face covering,” Roberts added.
CVS joins other major companies that have announced similar moves, including Walmart, Starbucks and Best Buy.
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Florida teacher on school reopenings: No yearbook "should include a memorial page" for Covid-19 deaths
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Dave Galloway, a sixth-grade science teacher in Florida, said he is setting up his will and thinking of pushing up his retirement because of coronavirus concerns.
Galloway, 64, who has been teaching for 14 years, is an Army veteran who has type 2 diabetes. His wife is a breast cancer survivor.
The state is unprepared to properly plan for school reopenings, he said, and schools shouldn’t be open if the governor’s office isn’t even open for visitors and teachers still need to meet virtually.
“Right now, we have been given yet another mandate, a demand to perform, if you will, with … what I consider zero leadership from Tallahassee and zero funding to accomplish what it is they want us to do,” he said.
Part of his school prep this year has been setting up a will, he said, and he’s not the only one facing these concerns.
“They are putting an assumed level of risk on teachers and students — and our most vulnerable students — that quite frankly, I find untenable,” Galloway added.
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Atlanta mayor's office says masks are still required after governor suspends local mask mandates
From CNN’s Jason Morris
People stand in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a free walk-up testing site on July 11 in Atlanta.
Some background: Yesterday, Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order that included language indicating that local governments are prohibited from implementing rules requiring people to wear masks and face coverings in public places.
Under the executive order, the Republican governor extended the state’s public emergency and said face coverings are “strongly encouraged,” but not required.
Kemp’s executive order voids masks mandates already imposed by some local governments as Covid-19 cases tick up in cities across the state.
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Coronavirus hospital data removed from CDC website following Trump plan to reroute information
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Following the Trump administration’s decision to reroute coronavirus hospital data first to the administration, instead of sending it to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some data is no longer available on the CDC.gov website.
The information removed from the website is the hospital data that was reported to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network, according to CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund.
The data includes…
the current inpatient and intensive care unit bed occupancy
Health care worker staffing
Personal protective equipment supply status and availability
The information appeared on the National Healthcare Safety Network Covid-19 module page and the CDC’s Covid-19 data tracker.
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Here are some of the latest Covid-19 numbers from New York City
From CNN’s Lauren del Valle
People ride bikes as they visit Governors Island on July 15 in New York City.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
There were 65 new suspected Covid-19 hospitalizations across New York City yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference this morning, adding the city’s latest test positivity rate was 2%.
The latest city data shows there are at least 332 patients being treated for the virus in ICUs.
Remember: These numbers were released by the city and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database, which is drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Miami's hospitals are at 95% capacity due to Covid-19 pandemic, mayor says
From CNN's Pierre Meilhan
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaks during a roundtable discussion on July 14 in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP
Miami hospitals have reached 95% capacity due to the growing Covid-19 pandemic, the city’s mayor, Francis Suarez, told reporters Thursday.
The percentage of positive cases is growing at a smaller rate, Suarez said.
The highest category of people who are getting infected are people between the ages of 18 and 34, who represent 27% of the population, Suarez said.
“They are going back to the home and infecting everybody in the household,” according to Suarez.
From the surveys received by the city “33.7% are reporting they are getting infected by a family member,” Suarez said, emphasizing the importance of sanitizing measures at home.
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Trump and Dr. Fauci spoke yesterday after more than a month of silence
From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Jim Acosta and Kaitlan Collins
One official described the conversation as “good,” but other officials declined to characterize the discussion.
Last week, Fauci told the Financial Times that he last saw Trump on June 2 at the White House, and hasn’t personally briefed him in at least two months. CNN has reported that Trump hasn’t attended a coronavirus task force meeting in months and has turned instead to economic and political advisers as the pandemic continues to rage.
Their conversation yesterday came as White House officials and Trump himself were attempting to distance themselves from an op-ed written by trade adviser Peter Navarro trashing Fauci.
About the piece: Trump said Navarro shouldn’t have written it and White House aides said Navarro broke protocol by submitting it for publication. But the article reflected the same sentiment Trump and White House officials have been expressing publicly questioning Fauci’s record.
“Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public, but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on,” Navarro wrote in the USA Today op-ed.
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Argentina's Covid-19 death toll surpasses 2,000
From CNN’s Claudia Rebaza and Claudia Dominguez
Dr. Adriana Coronel attends to a COVID-19 patient at the Eurnekian Ezeiza Hospital on the outskirts of Buenos Aires on July 14.
Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Argentina’s death toll due to Covid-19 has reached 2,072, with 22 new deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday morning.
The total number of coronavirus cases stands at 111,160, with 4,250 new cases, a record daily increase.
During the ministry’s morning briefing, Carla Vizzotti, Health Access Secretary, highlighted that 93% of the new cases belong to the Buenos Aires metro region (AMBA).
At least 49,120 people have recovered from the virus since the pandemic started, according to health officials.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández is expected to meet different health experts and officials on Thursday in order to decide new lockdown measures in the capital and surrounding areas that would start on Saturday, Argentina’s state news agency Telam reported.
Fernández reimposed a lockdown in the metro area of Buenos Aires until Friday due to the spread of the virus.
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Tulsa mayor signs face mask ordinance
From CNN's Kay Jones
Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mayor G.T. Bynum signed a new mask ordinance while wearing a mask himself this morning, according to a post on his Facebook page.
The city of Tulsa has posted more information for residents on its website, including the letters of support from various organizations and the full text of the ordinance.
The Tulsa City Council announced yesterday that it approved face-covering ordinance by a 7-2 vote.
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Russia "has nothing to do" with hacking attacks on vaccine developers, Kremlin says
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia “has nothing to do” with the hacking attacks targeting organizations involved in coronavirus vaccine development, according to state-run news agency TASS.
What this is about: An advisory published by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) details activity by a Russian hacking group called APT29, which also goes by the name “the Dukes” or “Cozy Bear,” and explicitly calls out efforts to target US, UK and Canadian vaccine research and development organizations.
“APT29’s campaign of malicious activity is ongoing, predominantly against government, diplomatic, think tank, healthcare and energy targets to steal valuable intellectual property,” a press release on the advisory said.
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Tokyo hits highest number of daily infections with 286 confirmed coronavirus cases
From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki and Junko Ogura
People walk at a pedestrian crossing on July 16 in Tokyo.
Eugene Hoshiko/AP
Tokyo recorded 286 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which is the highest number of daily infections in the capital since the pandemic began, the capital’s metropolitan government said. This surpasses its last daily record of 243 cases on July 10.
Japan saw 453 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced Thursday, bringing the total number of cases for the country to 23,602 (22,890 on land and 712 on Diamond Princess cruise ship).
The total death toll stands at 998 (985 on land and 13 on the cruise ship.)
Two prefectures have also recorded their highest number of daily infections since lifting the state of emergency on May 25. Osaka, the second biggest city in Japan, confirmed 66 cases on Thursday, while Kanagawa prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, recorded 48 cases on Thursday.
Tokyo raised the alert level for coronavirus infections in the capital to the highest of four levels Wednesday.
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What it's like in some of the US's hardest-hit coronavirus hotspots
From CNN's Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy
Cars are seen in line as the drivers wait to be tested for COVID-19 at the COVID test site located at the Miami Beach Convention Center on July 13 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Coronavirus cases are rising across the US, and at least 39 states have reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before.
Here’s what you need to know about the US’s hardest-hit hotspots:
Arizona
Morgues are filling up: In Maricopa County, which has the most Covid-19 cases in the state, the medical examiner’s office has ordered four portable coolers as morgues begin to fill up, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesperson.
Out-of-state help needed: State health officials have also announced they’re bringing nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help as they enhance their internal surge plans to fill staffing gaps.
California
New records: The country’s most populous state set two more records yesterday with highs for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
New lockdowns possible: In Los Angeles County, the public health director warned another stay-at-home order is likely: “We can’t take anything off the table — there’s absolutely no certainty of what exactly is going to happen next,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.
Florida
Out of ICU beds: As of yesterday, more than 50 hospitals have reached intensive care unit capacity and show zero beds available, according to according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Hit harder than most countries: Since the start of the pandemic, the state has reported more than 301,000 positive cases of coronavirus. If Florida was its own country, only eight other countries would have a higher case count, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Texas
Trucks for bodies: Two counties in Texas — Cameron and Hidalgo — are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they’re requesting refrigerated trucks.
Hospitals in one city are full: In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full andthe federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility.
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More than 100 scientists call for Covid-19 vaccine "human challenge trials"
From CNN's Wes Bruer and Emma Reynolds
More than 100 scientists signed an open letter to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, calling for the use of “human challenge trials” they believe will speed the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.
More than 2,000 challenge trial volunteers also signed the letter, which was published by 1Day Sooner, an organization advocating on their behalf.
What this kind of trial means: So-called human challenge trials would intentionally expose healthy participants to the Covid-19 virus to determine a vaccine’s efficacy, as opposed to conventional clinical trials, where volunteers receive an experimental vaccine or a placebo and are tracked over a period of time to see whether they become infected.
The letter urged the US government and international groups to “undertake immediate preparations for human challenge trials, including supporting safe and reliable production of the virus and any biocontainment facilities necessary to house participants.”
Earlier this month, members of the NIH’s Accelerating Covid-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) Vaccines Working Group said that challenge trials would not speed up vaccine development.
“A single death or severe illness in an otherwise healthy volunteer would be unconscionable and would halt progress,” they wrote in a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
They wrote that large, randomized controlled trials of Covid-19 vaccines are “the most efficient, generalizable, and scientifically robust path to establishing vaccine efficacy.”
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Here's the latest from Florida's Miami-Dade County, the state's virus epicenter
From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Dan Shepherd
An entrance at Jackson Memorial Hospital is shown on July 9 in Miami.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
As the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations surge in Miami-Dade County, considered the epicenter of the pandemic, CNN has learned that the county has run out of ICU beds.
Miami-Dade County has 405 ICU beds available and at last check there were 431 patients in the ICU, according to FIU Infectious Disease expert, Dr. Aileen Marty. Marty advises Miami-Dade County on Covid-19 related matters.
In the past 13 days, the county has seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients being hospitalized (48%), in the number of ICU beds being used (53%) and in the use of ventilators (75%), according to the latest data released by the county’s government. Officials reported a 29% Covid-19 positivity rate on Wednesday,
Marty said that some patients have been transported to converted ICUs. A converted ICU, she explained, does not mean lesser care. Marty said it would involve adapting or converting a room to treat the patient and adding equipment like a negative pressure machine.
According to Marty, the number of ICU beds is a fluid situation and the number of patients in converted ICUs can change at any point in time.
According to data released by Miami-Dade County today, the county does indeed have 405 ICU beds available and 431 patients.
According to the Miami-Dade Mayor’s office, there are more than 400 hospital beds that can be converted into ICU beds
“If it wasn’t clear before… our situation is extremely serious. There is no doubt about it,” Marty said. “We now have the highest number of people on ventilators that we’ve had, ever.”
Jackson Health confirmed that the health system has increased ICU beds by converting regular beds into ICU level of care.
In a statement to CNN, Jackson Health said in part: “Jackson Health System has continued increasing ICU capacity by converting beds and equipment and deploying staff, ensuring that all patients receive the appropriate level of care at all times.”
CNN has contacted Miami-Dade County for comment and has not heard back.
WATCH:
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Bank of America's profit plunges 52% as it braces for virus-related bad loans
From CNN's Matt Egan
Pedestrians walk past a Bank of America Corporation branch in New York City on July 12.
Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Economic fears and extremely low interest rates drove Bank of America’s profit down by 52% in the second quarter.
Bank of America’s earnings were hit by credit costs of $5.1 billion. The bank said it set aside another $4 billion in reserves to guard against loans that go bad because of the “weaker economic outlook related to Covid-19.”
Like other lenders, Bank of America continues to struggle with extremely low interest rates. The bank reported an 11% drop in net interest income.
Still, Bank of America’s per-share profit of 37 cents beat expectations.
Bank of America’s trading business performed well, with fixed income revenue surging 50% and equities revenue rising 7%.
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Africa should expect more Covid-19 cases as lockdowns ease in some countries, WHO says
From CNN's Gisela Crespo
People make their way along a street in downtown Kampala, Uganda, on June 23.
Esther Ruth Mbabazi/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Africa has surpassed 640,000 Covid-19 cases and 14,000 deaths, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization regional director for Africa, said on Thursday.
During a news conference, Moeti said some countries should expect a rise in cases as their governments ease lockdown measures “that have been put in place and bought some time in scaling up the public health capacities.”
Displaced people living in refugee camps and settlements are the most vulnerable population in Africa during the pandemic, where basic preventive measures against coronavirus such as physical distancing and frequent hand washing represent a challenge, Moeti explained.
Moeti said the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Équateur province — which now tops 56 case s– is a reminder that countries in the region have to deal with other health emergencies at the same time they are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
Moeti added the outbreak in the Équateur province “is of great concern, particularly as it is now surpassing the previous outbreak in this area which was closed off and controlled at a total of 54 cases.”
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Russian cyber attackers are targeting Covid-19 research centers, UK security officials say
From CNN’s Luke McGee in London
Russian cyber actors are targeting organizations involved in coronavirus vaccine development, according to UK security officials.
A UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advisory published Thursday details activity of a group known as APT29, also named “the Dukes” or “Cozy Bear”.
It said known targets of APT29 include UK, US and Canadian vaccine research and development organizations.
The NCSC, which is the UK’s lead technical authority on cyber security and part of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), assessed that APT29 “almost certainly operate as part of Russian Intelligence Services”.
This assessment is also supported by partners at the Canadian Communication Security Establishment (CSE), the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA), the NCSC said.
“APT29’s campaign of malicious activity is ongoing, predominantly against government, diplomatic, think-tank, healthcare and energy targets to steal valuable intellectual property,” according to a news release.
“We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” NCSC Director of Operations, Paul Chichester, said in a statement.
The press release said the NCSC has previously warned that APT (Advanced Persistent Threats) groups have been targeting organizations involved in both national and international Covid-19 responses.
APT29 uses a variety of tools and techniques, including spear-phishing and custom malware known as “WellMess” and “WellMail”, according to the NCSC.
The report concluded that: “APT29 is likely to continue to target organisations involved in COVID-19 vaccine research and development, as they seek to answer additional intelligence questions relating to the pandemic.”
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Another 1.3 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week
From CNN's Tami Luhby
People wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Nebraska on July 15.
Nati Harnik/AP
Another 1.3 million people filed first-time jobless claims last week in the US, according to the Department of Labor. That’s down 10,000 from the prior week’s revised level.
Weekly first-time unemployment applications have been on the decline for more than three months since their peak in the last week of March.
Continued claims, which count workers who have filed claims for at least two weeks in a row, stood at 17.3 million for the week ending July 4, down 422,000 from the prior week. These claims peaked in May at nearly 25 million.
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At least 39 US states are reporting increasing coronavirus cases
At least 39 states reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before.
Just two states — Delaware and Maine — are reporting a decrease in cases. The other nine states are seeing steady week-to-week cases.
Here’s a look at where cases are rising and falling across the US:
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Some horse racing canceled in San Diego after 15 jockeys test positive for Covid-19
From CNN's Stella Chan
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is pictured in Del Mar, California, on July 4.
Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty Images
This weekend’s races at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) in California’s San Diego County have been called off after 15 jockeys tested positive for coronavirus.
The jockeys were asymptomatic and all but one had recently rode at the Los Alamitos meet in Orange County earlier this month.
The club ordered testing for jockeys and personnel after two riders, Flavien Prat and Victor Espinoza, tested positive, according to the DMTC.
“Racing will return on July 24,” Joe Harper, Del Mar’s CEO, said. “Canceling this weekend’s races will give us additional time to monitor the situation and give the individuals who tested positive additional time to recover.”
What happens next: The club will only allow California-based jockeys to ride at the club. Del Mar is also expanding the jockey’s quarters and creating more space for various race functions.
The current summer meet is held without spectators, the first time in its 81-year history. The summer meet began on July 10 and continues through Labor Day and many of the races scheduled for this weekend are postponed one week.
San Diego County currently reports at least 21,446 cases including 448 deaths.
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Two Texas counties are sharing a refrigerated trailer to store bodies because morgues are full
From CNN's Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy
With skyrocketing coronavirus hospitalizations in several states, hard-hit counties in Arizona and Texas are preparing for the worst by bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues fill up.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, which has the most Covid-19 cases in the state, the medical examiner’s office has ordered four portable coolers with additional ones expected in the coming days, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesperson.
The medical examiner’s office morgue had a total of 156 deceased people — with a surge capacity of just over 200, Moseley said Wednesday.
Two counties in Texas — Cameron and Hidalgo — are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they’re requesting refrigerated trucks.
“I’m pleading with everybody in our neck of the woods, help us do your part, people’s lives are at stake — not just the people getting sick, but doctors, nurses working to the bone, EMS personnel, transporting people,” Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. told CNN affiliate KVEO.
If you’re just reading in, here’s what you need to know to start the day:
US hotspots preparing for the worst: Hard-hit counties in Arizona and Texas are bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues fill up. In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full andthe federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility. There are hospital bed shortages in Arizona, California and Florida, too.
Masks on while shopping: Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, will start requiring customers to wear masks next week. Costco, Best Buy and Starbucks previously announced customer mask mandates.
Trump: The White House said President Trump followed guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during his trip to Atlanta after the city’s mayor accused him of breaking the law by not wearing a mask at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Around the world: India has reported its highest one-day jump in cases since the pandemic began. The country now has more than 960,000 cases of Covid-19. Cases are also spiking in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 33 countries have reported a total more than 3.5 million cases.
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France makes wearing masks mandatory for people in indoor public spaces
From CNN's Barbara Wojazer
French Prime Minister Jean Castex wears a protective face mask at the French Senate in Paris, on Thursday, July 16.
Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images
Wearing masks in indoor public spaces in France will be mandatory from next week, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told the country’s Senate on Thursday.
The government was considering implementing the new rule on August 1, but Castex said he had “heard and understood that this deadline seemed too late.”
The PM added that wearing masks was an “efficient protective measure” against coronavirus.
The government has joined other European nations in changing its stance on wearing protective masks.
In March, the government said that “wearing a mask [was] not recommended for people without symptoms.” But by May, Director for National Health Agency Jérôme Salomon said officials were “adapting our position.”
“We are re-evaluating our knowledge,” Salomon said at the time.
Encouraging the public to wear masks has since become part of the government’s coronavirus strategy. Wearing masks is already mandatory for people using public transport in France.
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Hong Kong records over 60 locally transmitted cases
From CNN's Vanesse Chan
Pedestrians pass a view of the Hong Kong skyline on July 16.
Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
Hong Kong’s health officials are grappling with new cases of Covid-19 after a surge in local transmissions.
The city had been praised for its quick and effective response to the pandemic during its first wave of cases.
Sixty-seven new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the city on Thursday, 63 of which were locally transmitted and four were imported, health officials said Thursday.
Thirty-five of the cases came from unknown sources.
Two deaths were reported Wednesday, bringing the death toll for the city to 10 and total case numbers to 1,655.
Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, from the Center for Health Protection, said staff and customers at restaurants were among the confirmed cases, a pattern that officials believed was “compatible” with the nature of the virus.
Although Hong Kong recorded the highest number of confirmed cases Thursday since the start of its so-called “third wave,” Chuang warned the city has not yet seen the peak.
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England cricketer Jofra Archer dropped from Test match after breaching bio-secure protocols
From CNN's Aleks Klosok
Cricketer Jofra Archer trains in Southampton, England, on July 12.
Adrian Dennis/Pool/AP
England cricketer Jofra Archer has been “excluded” from playing in the second Test Match against the West Indies following a breach of his team’s bio-secure protocols, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.
The fast bowler had been named in the 13-man squad on Wednesday, for the match that begins in Manchester on Thursday.
The England team’s three-match Test series against West Indies is being played behind closed doors in a so-called bio-secure “bubble,” meaning players are restricted to living in the hotels of the two grounds being used – Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. The cricketers are also subject to regular Covid-19 tests.
The ECB did not specify the nature of Archer’s breach.
The cricketer will now have to isolate for five days, during which he will take two Covid-19 tests, both of which must be negative before he can return to the England squad.
The West Indies team said they were “satisfied with the measures that have been imposed.”
Archer, 25, has taken 33 wickets in eight Test matches for England, which trails the three-Test Match series 1-0.
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South Africa records more than 300,000 cases. But the country's death toll remains low
From CNN's David McKenzie
A man is tested for coronavirus in Vrededorp, Johannesburg, on June 5.
Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
South Africa crossed 300,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases late Wednesday, with the largest number concentrated in and around Johannesburg, the country’s commercial hub, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.
Despite the spike in cases, the death toll across the country remains low, the NICD said.
That high number of cases and low death rate is mirrored in countries across the African continent, Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) said at a press conference Thursday in Addis Ababa.
Nkengasong said the rise in cases recorded across the continent was driven by the situation in South Africa and a handful of other countries.
Nkengasong said there had been a 23% increase in new cases across Africa, largely driven by outbreaks in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria.
Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC), speaks during a press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 10.
Michael Tewelde/AFP/Getty Images
He said it was understandable that African countries were reopening their economies but also called for increased testing.
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Spain honors Covid-19 victims with state ceremony
From CNN's Al Goodman
A flame burns on a cauldron surrounded by white roses during a state ceremony to honor Spanish victims of the coronavirus crisis, as well as public servants, at the Royal Palace in Madrid, on Thursday, July 16.
Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images
Many Spaniards know someone who has had coronavirus and even died from it. One of the fatalities was a friend, the veteran journalist and writer José María Calleja.
On March 4, he presented his latest book at a Madrid bookstore. About a week later, the Spanish government declared a nationwide lockdown due to the rapid spread of Covid-19. The virus caught José María, too, and he died on April 21. His friends couldn’t even say goodbye.
Now, nearly three months later, at Spain’s state ceremony to honor the victims of Covid-19, there was a chance to do so.
Calleja’s brother, representing relatives of the more than 28,000 Spaniards who’ve died from Covid-19, spoke at the nationally-televised ceremony at Madrid’s Royal Palace.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, center, arrives at the ceremony in Madrid flanked by Catalan nurse Aroa Lopez, left, and Hernando Calleja, the brother of Spanish journalist José María Calleja, who died of Covid-19.
Zipi/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Four hundred invited guests sat in a grand socially-distanced circle, around a large flame for the victims. Flowers were laid at the site and top leaders from the European Union and the World Health Organization were in attendance. Spain’s King, Prime Minister and senior officials were also present. Calleja’s brother asked that the victims “remain in everyone’s memory, in the memory of Spain.”
The tribute ceremony to the victims of the coronavirus takes place at the Royal Palace in Madrid on Thursday.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
From our CNN position overlooking the event, we were there to report on this. It was a time to also be touched by the ceremony personally.
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White House says Trump followed guidance after Atlanta mayor accuses him of breaking mask law
From CNN's Jason Hoffman, Jasmine Wright and Paul LeBlanc
President Donald Trump arrives at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, July 15.
Evan Vucci/AP
The White House said Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump followed guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during his trip to Atlanta, after the city’s mayor accused him of breaking the law by not wearing a mask at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Trump was spotted not wearing a mask during his visit to Atlanta on Wednesday, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” that Trump broke the law. Hartsfield-Jackson airport is owned and operated by the city of Atlanta and thus included in her executive order requiring masks, Bottoms said.
When asked for a response, the White House did not directly address Bottoms’ accusation and said Trump was instead following CDC guidance.
“The President takes the health and safety of everyone traveling in support of himself and all White House operations very seriously,” deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement to CNN.
“When preparing for and carrying out any travel, White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office, to ensure plans incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible.”
China reports only one new confirmed case in the past 24 hours
From Vanesse Chan and Shanshan Wang
Medical workers check samples at a Beijing hospital testing station on July 14.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Hopes that China has successfully contained the pandemic continue to rise after the country reported just one new confirmed Covid-19 case and two asymptomatic ones in 24 hours.
The country’s National Health Commission (NHC) said Thursday that the new confirmed case was an imported one, registered in Shanghai.
The NHC reports “confirmed” and “asymptomatic” cases separately. The organization said 104 asymptomatic patients were still under medical observation in the country.
No new deaths from the virus were recorded.
The last time China recorded just one new confirmed case in a 24-hour period was on June 3, with Beijing implementing stringent measures to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.
Movie theaters in the country’s “low-risk areas” will reopen from July 20 if they implement various social distancing measures, the China Film Administration announced Thursday.
Audiences at screenings will be capped at 30% of room capacity, all movie tickets will be sold online and theaters are banned from selling food and drinks.
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A hospital owner allegedly scammed patients out of $350,000 using fake Covid-19 tests
From CNN's Abir Mahmud and Joshua Berlinger
Mohammad Shahed (center), accused of distributing fake Covid-19 coronavirus certificates, is pictured following his arrest in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
AFP/Getty Images
A hospital owner in Bangladesh was arrested Thursday on charges of fraud, after allegedly issuing thousands of fake Covid-19 test results to deceive patients out of an estimated $350,000, in a wide-ranging scam that has shaken confidence in the country’s medical establishment.
Authorities in Bangladesh say Mohammad Shahed, 43, who had evaded authorities for nine days, was caught trying to cross a river into neighboring India while wearing a burqa.
Shahed is accused of providing patients with fake negative test results for the novel coronavirus, said Col. Ashique Billah, a spokesman for the country’s Rapid Action Battalion, an elite security force.
Shahed is also accused of charging people for virus treatments and documents certifying they had not contracted the coronavirus, after agreeing with the government that he would provide those services free of charge.
Billah said two medical facilities owned by Shahed conducted some 4,000 genuine coronavirus tests, but faked the results of another 6,500.
A court Thursday granted police the opportunity to keep Shahed in custody for 10 days for questioning. CNN is attempting to locate a lawyer who represents Shahed for comment.
California doesn't have enough contact tracers to handle onslaught of coronavirus cases
From CNN’s Sarah Moon and Jon Passantino
Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, speaks during a news conference at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, California on February 27.
Patrick Mouzawak/Bloomberg/Getty Images
California met its goal of having 10,000 contact tracers statewide by July 1 – but it’s not enough to handle the current onslaught of coronavirus cases, said Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.
“We did not build the first contact tracing program on this level of transmission,” Ghaly said in a video briefing on Tuesday. “Local and states across the nation have recognized the need to be targeted with some of our contact tracing at this moment in time.”
He added that the state is working aggressively to bring down transmission rates so that the contact tracing workforce is sufficient to address the need.
Statewide efforts: California has more than 10,600 contact tracers actively deployed to local public health departments across the state, and additional contact tracers are being trained each week, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The state initially set a standard of 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents – but some counties, like Alameda, reported far fewer, with just 8.5 per 100,000. San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Contra Costa, Fresno, and others also did not meet the state’s standard.
Nearly 8,000 people are testing positive for the coronavirus every day in California. As of Wednesday, there are a total of 347,634 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,227 deaths in California.
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As Trump refuses to lead, America tries to save itself
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
President Donald Trump walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on July 15.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Donald Trump isn’t leading America much as its pandemic worsens. But that’s not stopping Walmart – along with Kroger, Kohl’s, and city and state leaders and officials – from making the tough decisions that the President has shirked.
Given Trump’s approach, if the country is to exit the building disaster without many more thousands dead, it will fall to governors, mayors, college presidents and school principals, teachers and grocery store managers to execute plans balancing public health with the need for life to go on.
There were growing indications Wednesday that such centers of authority across the country are no longer waiting for cues from an indifferent President whose aggressive opening strategy has been discredited by a tsunami of infections and whose poll numbers are crashing as a result.
Local authorities take action: More school districts – in Houston and San Francisco, for example – are defying the President’s demand for all kids to go back to class in the fall.
Alabama, perhaps the most pro-Trump state in the nation, introduced mask-wearing requirements for public places on Wednesday.
After five months, more than 137,000 US deaths and some 3.5 million infections, the country is at another turning point in the most severe national challenge since World War II. More and more states and local leaders, after seeing the result of premature openings that ignored scientific advice, appear to be moving toward the painful steps needed to get the virus under control.
India reports highest daily jump in new cases so far
From CNN’s Swati Gupta in New Delhi
A medic collects a sample from a patient for Covid-19 at Gardiner Hospital in Patna, India on July 15.
Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times/Getty Images
India reported 32,695 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry announced on Thursday – the highest one-day jump in cases since the pandemic began.
The ministry also reported 606 new deaths from the virus.
The new figures raise the national total to 968,876 infections, with 24,915 deaths. Of the total cases, more than 612,000 people have recovered.
More than 12.7 million samples have so far been tested for Covid-19 since the pandemic began, with over 326,00 samples tested Wednesday alone, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
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Two more cases confirmed at US military base in Okinawa, Japan
From Junko Ogura and Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo
U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan in Japan's southern island prefecture of Okinawa on June 22, 2020, a day before the 60th anniversary of the enforcement of the revised Japan-U.S. security treaty. (Photo by Kyodo News/Sipa USA)
Kyodo News/Sipa USA
Two more coronavirus cases were confirmed at the US Marine Corps’ Futenma base in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki announced Thursday.
With the new cases, a total of 138 US military personnel and their families have so far been diagnosed with Covid-19 across six US military facilities in Japan since early July.
A Japanese national in Okinawa has also tested positive for the virus – the first local case reported since July 8th. The patient is a taxi driver who used to give rides to US military personnel in and off the bases, said Tamaki.
The governor called on Okinawa residents who have had close contact with US military personnel to get tested for the virus as soon as possible.
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Hong Kong's third wave of cases linked to relaxed restrictions, as experts identify virus mutation
From CNN’s Will Ripley and Anna Kam in Hong Kong, and Sophie Jeong in Seoul
Commuters wear face masks on a metro train in Hong Kong on July 15.
Anthony Wa
Hong Kong is facing a “third wave” of coronavirus infections, which experts say is linked to the easing of social distancing measures – and potentially a mutation which could make it more infectious.
For weeks, Hong Kong’s case numbers have stayed low in the single digits every day – even zero sometimes. People had just begun to let down their guard and resume daily activities, with businesses and public spaces reopening, when the third wave hit – sending case numbers up to several dozen a day.
Eased restrictions: A high number of local cases don’t have epidemiological links to other cases – meaning “we don’t know how these particular cases have acquired the infection,” said Professor Leo Poon, the head of the Division of Public Health Laboratory Science of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
This suggests that the outbreak was caused by the easing of social distancing measures, Poon said.
The danger is especially high in restaurants when people take off their masks and risk cross-infection, said Ivan Hung, chief of HKU’s Infectious Diseases Division.
The virus has mutated: The new mutation means that the virus now multiplies at a higher rate, said Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine faculty at the HKU, in an radio interview Sunday.
A previous study about the mutation found it’s more transmissible, but does not appear to make patients any sicker.
We shouldn’t panic: There’s still a lot we don’t know, saidJohn Nicholls, a clinical professor in pathology at HKU.
For instance, we know the mutation has increased replication in cells by 30% – but it doesn’t necessarily mean the virus is 30% more transmissible. “We need to be cautious about this and do more sequencing to see if the virus in Hong Kong is this ‘mutated’ virus,” Nicholls told CNN.
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The US reported more than 66,000 cases today
The United States reported 66,273 new coronavirus cases and 941 related deaths today, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
That raises the national total to 3,497,847 cases and 137,407 deaths.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
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Fauci says he’s "walking a tightrope" as people try to pit him against the president
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC on June 30.
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The public battle between President Donald Trump’s economic and medical advisers has commanded national attention all week, with attempts from the administration to discredit top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
But Fauci, who has become the lead scientific face of the fight against the pandemic, said he doesn’t like conflict, and doesn’t “like to be pitted against the president.”
“I’m an apolitical person,” Fauci told CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell in an interview published Wednesday on InStyle.com.
Attacks on Fauci: Unnamed staffers released so-called “opposition research” on the doctor to reporters on Monday, listing perceived errors in Fauci’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Then top white house trade adviser Peter Navarro openly attacked Fauci Tuesday in an op-ed in USA Today, claiming Fauci “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
“It’s very stressful,” Fauci said in the wide-ranging and revealing interview that included his wife bioethicist Dr. Christine Grady.
Relationship with Trump: President Donald Trump has said he has “a very good” relationship with Fauci, who has not met with the president in more than a month.
Fauci, for the most part, agreed with that assessment.
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Texas governor on potential shutdown: "The answer is no"
From CNN's Ashley Killough
Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas on May 18.
Lynda M. Gonzalez/Pool/Getty Images
Texas Governor Greg Abbott rejected any idea of reimposing shutdowns on Wednesday, even as coronavirus continues spreading rapidly across the Lone Star State.
This comes after the state reported its highest daily jump in new cases and deaths. Abbott pointed to recent comments by the CDC director saying the virus could get under control if everyone wore masks for four weeks.
Abbott also pushed a message of adaptability, saying “we’re only a few months away” from getting medical treatments and then a “few months after that” for vaccines.
“This is a very short period of time,” he said, arguing people will get to back to normal soon if they can push through the next several months.
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Arizona will bring in nearly 600 nurses from out of state to help with the outbreak
From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) will bring in nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help in Arizona hospitals, according to an ADHS press release.
Hospitals that need support with critical staffing may receive the nurses for free for up to six weeks from ADHS while they fill their gaps in staffing. Hospitals will be prioritized based on a variety of criteria.
The release added that federal partners had already sent nearly 100 National Disaster Medical System personnel to Arizona on a two-week deployment at the request of state and local public health and hospitals.
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China's economy is growing again. That's good news for the rest of the world
From CNN's Laura He
Vendors prepare for the start of the morning retail shift at the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, on July 14.
The world’s second-largest economy grew 3.2% in the April-to-June period compared a year ago, according to government statistics released on Thursday. That’s better than the 2.5% growth that analysts polled by Refinitiv were expecting.
It also means that China averted recession. In the first quarter, the $14 trillion economy shrank 6.8%, the worst plunge for a single quarter on record since China started publishing those figures in 1992. That was also the first time China reported an economic contraction since 1976.
The rebound had been widely expected by analysts. China – the early epicenter of the outbreak and the first in the world to impose draconian measures to quell the virus – was also the first major economy to reopen.
Australia’s Victoria state registers its worst day since the pandemic began
From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews briefs the media on conditions concerning the Covid-19 situation in Melbourne, Australia, on July 6.
Andy Brownbill/AP
The Australian state of Victoria has suffered its worst day since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, with 317 new cases reported within 24 hours, said state officials on Thursday.
Two men in their 80s died due to Covid-19 in the past day, said Premier Daniel Andrews. That brings Victoria’s death toll to 29, and the national toll to 111.
Of the 317 new cases, only 28 were linked to known outbreaks. The remaining 289 cases are still under investigation.
The number of coronavirus-related patients in Victoria hospitals has risen to 109, with 29 in ICU, Andrews said.
Meanwhile, the neighboring state of New South Wales recorded 10 new Covid-19 cases, its Health Department announced Thursday. The NSW outbreak has been linked to the Victoria outbreak, with a man having traveled from Melbourne to Sydney in June, then meeting with friends at a pub in July.
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Latin America and the Caribbean top 3.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths
A nurse plays the violin for patients infected with Covid-19 at a hospital in Santiago, Chile, on July 9.
Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images
Latin American and Caribbean countries have now recorded more than 3.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths, according data from Johns Hopkins University.
The 33 countries in the region have reported a total 3,524,908cases and 150,973deaths.
The following 33 countries are included in this region:
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Mexico reports more than 550 new Covid-19 deaths
From Karol Suarez in Mexico City
Crematorium workers enter the body of a person who died from Covid-19 into the oven to be cremated at the San Isidro Crematorium in Azcapotzalco on July 15, in Mexico City.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Mexico’s health ministry recorded 6,149 newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to 317,635.
The ministry also reported 579 new deaths from the virus, bringing Mexico’s death toll to 36,906.
Some context: On Wednesday, Latin American and Caribbean countries surpassed more than 3.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths, according to a CNN tally based on data from Johns Hopkins University.
