The NFL is limiting the number of staffers each team can take while traveling in an effort to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, according to NBC Sports. Teams will not be allowed to bring more than 70 staff members, including coaches, the medical staff and everyone in contact with the team, Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer reported. Previously, the teams could each bring up to 110 staffers. Those who don’t fly with the team aren’t allowed access to the official traveling group.
Madrid has become the coronavirus capitol of Europe as second waves of the virus sweep over the continent. In response to the growing number of cases in the city, officials are instating new social distancing regulations starting on Monday, The Associated Press reported. The AP reports that the outbreak in the city is focused in culturally diverse neighborhoods, such as San Diego, with smaller apartments and narrow streets while the residents continued to commute to work at manual labor-related jobs. Jorge Nacarino, president of the local neighbors’ association in San Diego, points to poverty and a history of inadequate investments for the neighborhood as the reasonings behind the growth in cases. “We need a serious plan of public investment in the area, from health centers and sports facilities to social programs,” he said. “It’s been through decades of neglect that San Diego has fallen behind the development seen in surrounding areas.”
U.S. and Mexico hold the most instances of front-line workers dying due to COVID-19 out of all nations. Worldwide, a report by Amnesty International says at least 7,000 healthcare workers have died due to the virus, with about 1,300 coming from Mexico and 1,100 from the United States. According to the organization, the reason for so many deaths is because hospital cleaners do not have the same access to protective gear that medical professionals do. However the Mexican government has denied this claim. In the U.S. and Mexico, cases among healthcare workers make up one in seven of all cases in the countries. ”For over seven thousand people to die while trying to save others is a crisis on a staggering scale," Amnesty International Head of Economic and Social Justice Steve Cockburn said, according to UPI. "Every health worker has the right to be safe at work, and it is a scandal that so many are paying the ultimate price."
South Dakota is continuing to host large-scale events, despite warnings from experts who say not to. The South Dakota State Fair, which kicked off on Thursday, reported 205,000 people in attendance last year. This year, it is set to run through Labor Day weekend with increased measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, such as additional hand-washing stations and an encouragement to wear masks, although they fair does not require they be worn. South Dakota has already drawn headlines this year for for holding the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Sioux Empire Fair amid the pandemic. According to USA Today, South Dakota became a coronavirus hotspot for new infections following the two previous events.
Early results from Russia's potential coronavirus vaccine show no major negative side effects, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. The trials consisted of "two open, non randomized phase 1/2 studies at two hospitals in Russia conducted on 76 healthy volunteers aged 18-60," according to the study. It also said the vaccine formulations were safe and well tolerated. Both 42-day trials did not find any serious adverse effects among participants and confirmed the vaccine elicits an antibody response, the study stated. The vaccine, dubbed "Sputnik V," is the world's first to be registered after being approved by the Russian health regulators last month. The vaccine went through a rapid Phase 1 and 2 clinical trial with no data being published from the trials. Chief of Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, told CNBC that the vaccine is on track to be exported by November.
After the mayor of Clanton, Alabama, died of the coronavirus in July, officials in the small town have been rethinking how they should handle the coronavirus. Driver was often deemed as the best-known person in the town and the death of the former mayor has stunned residents and has become a wake-up call to many. Resident Sammy Wyatt told The Associated Press, "People had gotten lax on trying to protect everyone else. They weren’t wearing their masks like they ought to.” Clanton is located halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery and is home to about 8,800 people and is marked by a water tower shaped like a giant peach. Driver has worked for the community since he was 18 years old and was elected to the Clanton City Council for 12 years, he then became mayor on his first attempt in 1984 and never lost re-election. How Driver contracted the infection is still unknown, but the former mayor began feeling ill around Father's Day weekend.
The main lobby for commercial airlines in the United States, Airlines for America, warned that air travel may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, according to Reuters. Amid continuing concerns over the coronavirus, CEO Nicholas Calio of Airlines for America said on Thursday that many are hoping for a second round of government aid to help the industry from further suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus started in the United States back in January when airlines began screening passengers arriving from Wuhan. In the months following, several additional restrictions and bans have been put into place for international travel, causing drastic losses for airlines in the country. Calio said in a virtual media briefing that nobody will be confident about the recovery until there is a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19.
The 146th running of the Kentucky Derby is set to take place at 7:01 p.m. on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race, which is usually the first leg of the Triple Crown, was postponed in May due to the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, organizers were going to allow a limited number of spectators into Churchill Downs to watch, but that plan was recently scrapped and no fans will be in attendance. Although wet conditions have been an issue for some of the workouts this week ahead of the race, the weather looks to be near perfect for jockeys and horses on race day. A high temperature of 82 is forecast at Churchill Downs on Saturday. According to the AccuWeather forecast, it will be a "sunny and delightful" day there. By race time at 7, the temperature will drop a few degrees to 79 with an AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature of 77. For most Americans who watch the Derby, little else will be different apart from not seeing spectators on hand and wearing extravagant hats. Folks at home can tune in on TV or online and mix up a few mint juleps at home and enjoy the fastest two minutes in sports.
Kentucky Derby entry NY Traffic runs during an early-morning workout at Churchill Downs, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5th. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
According to a report by Vanity Fair, filming of The Batman has been shutdown's after the film's star, Robert Pattinson, tested positive for the coronavirus. Vanity Fair cited "a highly placed source" with revealing the news of the movie star's infection, which led to the production of the film to be abruptly stopped, but Pattinson's representatives had yet to confirm the test result. Variety also reported that Pattinson tested positive, and Warner Bros. in a statement to Variety, said, “A member of ‘The Batman’ production has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating in accordance with established protocols." Filming on the highly-anticipated superhero movie had just been restarted in recent days outside of London.
Statistics released by the Department of Labor Friday showed that the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in August to 8.4% after hitting 10.2% in July. The number of new jobs in August also dropped month over month, with about 1.4 million new jobs added in August after the economy added 1.7 million jobs in July. According to The Associated Press, since the outset of the pandemic in March, the U.S. has recovered close to half of the 22 million jobs lost over the last six months. Nationwide, the economic recovery is inconsistent, the AP reported, with some places seeing better results than others due to a host of different factors.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 26,331,492
-
Fatalities: 869,290
-
Recoveries: 17,541,744
Brazil became only the second country to reach 4 million cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, and health officials in the country said there were signs that the virus was slowing. Brazil and the United States are the only countries to top 4 million cases so far, but that will likely change soon. With a total of 3,936,747, India will soon join the 4 million case club.
Children across Canada are returning to school despite a rocky start, with dozens of students already in isolation amid COVID-19. Quebec has reported numerous cases of the virus across its schools since class resumed last week, according to Reuters. Many schools are reopening around the country for the first time since March. Chief medical officer of Canada warned that cases at schools are inevitable but that the pandemic was "under manageable control" in Canada. There have been 129,425 reported cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 9,132 deaths as of Sept. 1, but daily new cases have been rising in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. Sudden changes to back-to-school plans have also caused delays in plans. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario has recently filed a complaint to the labor board to try and create a standard physical distancing measures, cohort sizes, ventilation and busing in the province. Canadian officials have recommended masks for all students who are 10 years or older despite not all provinces requiring masks for school.
The largest singe-day increase in deaths from COVID-19 was reported in Arkansas on Wednesday, while top health officials continue to urge college students to discontinue large parties amid rising campus cases. Arkansas' Department of Health reported 27 new deaths related to COVID-19 which is the most the state has ever had in a single day since the pandemic began, according to KY3. The state department did note that 13 of the deaths were late reports with one dating back to May. It was also reported that 615 new cases of the coronavirus were reported which brings the state total to over 62,000. The University of Arkansas has reported 222 active cases .
Temple University announced that most classes will move to online learning through the end of the fall semester after a rising number of cases from students on campus. In an email sent out on Thursday, the university expressed that in-person classes were tried due to the overwhelming preference from students to come back to campus. However, after the university talked to officials at the city Health Department, a decision was made to move 95% of classes online, according to the Associated Press. Those that live on campus are able to move out by Sept. 13 and receive a full refund on housing and meal plans. This comes amid colleges around the country closing and seeing surges of new cases. University of South Carolina reported 1,026 cases of the coronavirus in the past week and a 26.3 percent positive testing rate, according to NBC News. University president Bob Caslen attributed the rise in cases partly due to "some student behavior off campus (that) is both disappointing and unacceptable." The university has sent several Greek houses into quarantine and suspended several over their role in organizing parties.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state will now monitor wastewater in an effort to contain coronavirus outbreaks. According to the Ohio Department of Health and research conducted in various countries including the U.S., non-infectious RNA from COVID-19 can be found in the feces of infected people, regardless of their symptoms. According to WKBN News, the RNA can be detected in wastewater anywhere between three to seven days before the infections spread to others, leading to higher case counts and hospitalizations. “The system will give us an earlier warning sign of possible COVID-19 case increases in any given community and allow decision-makers to more quickly plan prevention and response efforts,” DeWine said.
Plasma treatments should not be used as a default coronavirus treatment, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel said. The panel has said there is no evidence that convalescent plasma is an effective way to treat the coronavirus, and because of that, doctors should not use the treatments as a standard until more studies have been conducted that prove it as an effective method. "There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19,” the panel said in a statement on Tuesday, CNN reported. Despite the stance the NIH panel has taken, the Trump Administration has previously called plasma treatments “historic” and “a major advance.” The FDA has also granted the treatment an emergency use authorization. Later, the NIH released an additional statement stating they did not intend their statement to criticize the decisions of the FDA. "To clarify, the Panel does not contradict the EUA as it does not make a recommendation against the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19," the panel said on Wednesday.
France announced on Thursday “France Reboot,” a recovery plan for the economy that would cost $118 billion USD. Prime Minister Jean Castex said he plans to create 160,000 jobs next year and hopes by 2022 the country is able to restore the economic growth levels of 2019, according to The Associated Press. The plan also allots money toward renovating buildings and boosting the use of railways. The same day the plan was revealed, France reported more than 7,000 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily rate throughout Europe.
Filings for unemployment in the United States came out better than expected as jobless claims totaled 881,000 last week, which is nearly 100,000 less than expected. In a survey conducted by Dow Jones, economists were estimating about 950,000 would file for unemployment last week. An improving labor market and changes to the methodology from the Labor Department to address seasonal factors are reflected in the numbers, according to CNBC. The drop in jobless claims in recent weeks was not revised which make it difficult to compare. The department noted that claims for the week ending Aug. 29 did represent a decline from the prior week.Insured unemployment also fell by 0.8 percent in the latest report. A sharp rise was seen in claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program which saw an increase of 151,674 last week. Florida had the largest decline of any state while California had the biggest gain.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds defended the decision made by Iowa State University to host 25,000 fans at football games this fall despite climbing coronavirus cases in the state, according to CNBC. Reynolds said in a press briefing that, “If you have underlying conditions and you’re part of a vulnerable population, maybe I wouldn’t go to the Iowa State football game...Don't go if you don't think it's safe." But despite the support from the Governor, director of athletics at Iowa State University, Jamie Pollard, reversed the decision after feedback from the community and will no longer allow fans for the season opener. Story County, the location of Iowa State University, had 27% positive tests last week and 78% of the new cases were among those aged 19 to 24.
On Thursday, Indonesia posted another day of record-high coronavirus cases, with 3,622 new infections. The country also reported 134 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 7,750 from a total of 184,268 cases. However, experts say the total number of cases is likely to be higher, given Indonesia’s low testing rates. “We haven’t managed to control transmission and remember the COVID-19 pandemic is not spreading randomly, but in distributed clusters in very large areas,” said Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, according to Reuters. “We have to change strategy,” Riono said that the country should improve its basic measures, which include conducting more testing and contact-tracing.
A new saliva test is being tested in the U.K. that could give results in 20 minutes. If the trials are successful and the new testing method is implemented, not only would it provide results significantly quicker than the swab tests, but it would also help relieve the strain on the U.K.’s testing demand. The country says that 350,000 tests can be processed every day, but only 180,000 are actually being processed, Fox News said. As of Sept. 3, the U.K. reported around 341,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with around 1,500 new cases every day, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University.
The Trump administration has contacted states across the U.S. to prepare to distribute vaccines for the coronavirus before Nov. 1. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities," said Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Several vaccines are still being developed and are in clinical trials, but the administration wants facilities to be ready once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a vaccine, AFP said. "Vaccine and ancillary supplies will be procured and distributed by the federal government at no cost to enrolled Covid-19 vaccination providers," the CDC said in a document that was sent to the states.
People sit at tables at San Diego State University Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in San Diego. San Diego State University on Wednesday halted in-person classes for a month after dozens of students were infected with the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
On Wednesday, Dwayne Johnson confirmed that he and his family have tested positive for the virus. On an Instagram post, the actor shared that he, along with his wife and two daughters, are now recovering after being sick with the virus for nearly three weeks. “I wanted to give you guys a little helpful update on things that have been going on on my end for the past two-and-a-half to three weeks. So the update is this: my wife Lauren as well as my two baby girls and myself, we have all tested positive for COVID-19,” Johnson said on a video shared on his Instagram account, according to People. “I could tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me, too, personally as well.” Johnson then added that he and his family contracted the virus through family friends and that he and his wife “had a rough go at it,” while his two daughters, ages 4 and 2, “bounced back” from the virus pretty quickly. The actor ended his video by asking everyone to be safe, to limit social gatherings and to wear masks every day. “Use me as your example. Remember these takeaways that I shared with you and stay healthy, my friends, and I’ll see you down the road,” Johnson said.
Hair salons and barbershops are allowed to immediately reopen with limited 25% indoor capacity, Los Angeles County health officials announced on Tuesday. Salons were forced to close in March under Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order. To reopen, they must be in compliance with health protocols which include the use of face masks. The daily new coronavirus case rate in Los Angeles County has been reduced to 10 per 100,000, health officials said, according to CNN. In order for the county to advance to the second tier, it must reduce the infection rate to no more than seven daily new cases per 100,000.
Tyson Foods announced plans to open medical clinics at several of its U.S. meat plants to help protect its workers from the coronavirus. The Arkansas-based company, which processes about 20% of all meat products in the country, said that the plan to open clinics at the plants was already in the works even before the coronavirus pandemic struck this year. The company plans on setting up clinics near seven of its plants, including Storm Lake, Iowa, and Holcomb, Kansas, The Associated Press said. The clinics will open in early 2021 and will provide primary care to Tyson workers and their families. “Some of our frontline team members aren’t using their health plan benefits, and others don’t seek care until there’s a crisis,” Johanna Söderström, Tyson’s chief human resources officer, told The Associated Press. “We want to change that by providing access to care that can help detect health conditions early and promote healthy habits.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Americans to make sure they abide by coronavirus rules as Labor Day weekend approaches. “The issue that we're facing right now is we're entering in a day or two right now into the Labor Day weekend and we know from prior experience that when you get into holiday weekends — the Fourth of July, Memorial Day — there's a tendency of people to be careless, somewhat, with regard to the public health measures that we keep recommending over and over again,” Fauci said in an interview with MSNBC. "So I really want to use this opportunity almost to have a plea to the people in this country to realize that we really still need to get our arms around this and to suppress these types of surges that we've seen. We can do it." Fauci noted that the U.S. is still seeing around 40,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily, but it needs to bring that number of new infections below 10,000. "We’re around 40,000 cases. That’s an unacceptably high baseline," he said. "We’ve got to get it down to, I’d like to see 10,000 or less.”
Following the best month in decades for stocks, investors seem to be hopeful that support from the Federal Reserve and rising optimism for a COVID-19 vaccine may backstop economic growth, and a new stimulus package will keep the rally going, according to Yahoo Finance. On Wednesday stocks rose sharply as a strong start to September for the market continued. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs, with the Nasdaq topping 12,000 for the first time. The Dow also posted its biggest one-day move since July 14. The S&P 500 had its best day since July 6. Historically, September tends to be a weak month for stocks. In fact, September has been the worst-performing for markets, on average, since 1950, according to LPL Financial.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 26,056,777
-
Fatalities: 863,577
-
Recoveries: 17,306,848
At 3,997,865 cases, Brazil is likely to surpass the 4 million case threshold by Friday, becoming the second country to do so. The country has consistently been seeing about 45,000 new cases per day, among the highest rate in the world. Shortly behind Brazil is India, which has seen the third-most cases in the world and could top 4 million cases by the end of this week as well. On Wednesday, India posted over 83,000 new cases, its second time topping the 80,000 new case mark.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says that almost 570,000 health care workers in the Americas have tested positive for coronavirus, stating that health care workers in the U.S. and Mexico make up one-in-seven of all cases reported in those countries. “We have the highest number of health care workers infected in the world,” PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said during a press conference today. “Our data shows that nearly 570,000 health workers across our region have fallen ill and more than 2,500 have succumbed to the virus.” More than 140,000 workers in the healthcare sector in the US had become sick with COVID-19 — of whom 660 had died, Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said at PAHO's weekly briefing. In Brazil almost 270,000 workers in health care had tested positive for COVID-19. “No other group has felt this more acutely than the very men and women who make up our health workforce,” Etienne said.
Officials in Malawi, Africa, said the coronavirus outbreak on top of dealing with weather-related hazards would leave 15% of the population in need of food aid this season, Reuters reports. More than 2.6 million people in the southern African country of 17.7 million would not be able to meet their food requirements during the 2020/21 consumption season, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, a grouping of government, food experts and aid agencies, found. The overall vulnerable population had increased 39% from last season due to the inclusion of people affected in urban areas, Winford Masanjala, secretary for economic planning and development, said according to Reuters. “The increase in the affected population has been a result of weather-related hazards, ranging from flooding, dry spells, early cessation of rains and Army Fall worms which affected crop production during the 2019/20 farming season,” Masanjala said. “In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted income levels of the urban poor.”
According to a recent study published on Wednesday by JAMA, the corticosteroid dexamethasone can reduce the need for ventilator support on patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The data collected in the study shows that patients treated with the drug while hospitalized needed mechanical ventilators to help them breathe for up to three days less, on average than patients who did not receive it. “It is relatively rare in medicine that you find drugs where the evidence of their effectiveness in saving lives is so consistent,” Dr. Derek Angus, who was part of the study, said in a statement, according to UPI. “People on ventilators or oxygen and under intensive care should definitely be given corticosteroids.” Based on the positive results of the study, the World Health Organization issued new guidance on Wednesday recommending the use of corticosteroids for “patients with severe and critical COVID-19” only. The WHO also added that the drugs are “readily available globally at a low cost.”
North Korea is seeking to strengthen its “emergency quarantine measures” even though no confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported by the country's health ministry. On Wednesday, Korean Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun announced that the state is calling for a nationwide emergency quarantine operation. “The citizens do not slow down their preparedness and further awaken and exert themselves is the key to whether the emergency quarantine is a success or failure,” Rodong said, according to UPI. The Rodong also asked, “all members of society to be deeply aware of their civic duty” and to obey regulations, including the use of face masks in public spaces. Back in July, a lockdown was enforced in the southern city of Kaesong after a surge of infections was reported. However, the lockdown has since been lifted.
The Maldives’ foreign ministry announced stricter entry requirements for tourists after more than a dozen resorts reported a spike in coronavirus cases, according to AFP. The archipelago’s luxury resort islets were re-opened in mid-July after a month of lockdown. Upon the re-opening, visitors were not required to get tested or carry virus-free certificates when entering the country. Since then, 29 local staff at resorts and 16 foreigners have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of cases in the Maldives to 8,003. To control the spread of the virus, tourists will now be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result once they enter the country.
The worst economic quarter in recorded history has plagued Australia as the country struggles to contain the spread of infections with lockdown orders. In Victoria, the second-most populous state, continued lockdowns are expected to weight “heavily” on the next quarter as well, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, according to Reuters. The economic plunge has come on the heels of an incredible run of 28 straight years the country enjoyed economic growth. In response to the struggles, the Australian government has approved a stimulus of over A$300 billion. Even with those efforts, a rebound to previous economic successes may be years, not months, away. “Growth in the September quarter will be weighed down by the lockdown in Victoria,” Sarah Hunter, chief economist for BIS Oxford Economics said according to Reuters. “Beyond this continued health concerns, ongoing restrictions and the dialing back of income support will all weigh on the economy. We expect it to take until early 2022 for activity to return to pre-pandemic levels.”
A new executive order from President Donald Trump has given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the authority to prevent landlords from evicting tenants, in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19. One official told NBC News that preventing evictions is necessary in order for more Americans to have a place to quarantine and isolate. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said “I want to make it unmistakably clear that I’m protecting people from evictions.” White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern added the order has also made funds available to help alleviate economic impacts dealt to landlords and property owners. “Today’s announcement means that people struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus will not have to worry about being evicted and risk further spreading, spreading of, or exposure to the disease due to economic hardship,” Morgenstern said on Tuesday.
After nearly six months without visitors, residents at nursing homes in Florida will now be allowed to have family members come visit. The move was made by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday following a recommendation from a nursing home task force, according to The Associated Press. The new order will allow up to two family members, wearing masks, to visit elderly residents at a time. In order to allow visitors, a facility will need to have gone at least 14 days without any new cases of COVID-19. In making the announcement, Gov. DeSantis feared that his restrictions since March may have caused more pain than it saved. “Many of the folks understand that they have loved ones who are in the last stage of their life,” DeSantis said. “They’re not demanding a medical miracle. They’re not having unrealistic expectations. They just would like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody.”
Following a huge rush to order additional ventilators during the peak of the pandemic in the spring, the Trump Administration is now canceling some of its remaining orders, The Associated Press reports. The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement on Tuesday that the national stockpile had reached its capacity for ventilators and there were nearly 120,000 available for deployment to states around the country, the HHS said, according to The AP. Earlier this week, GM said it had completed making all 30,000 ventilators as part of its $489 million contract. Ford had also completed 50,000 ventilators as part of a government contract worth $336 million, according to The AP.
In this July 6, 2020, file photo, a ventilator helps a COVID-19 patient breath inside the Coronavirus Unit in a Houston hospital. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
The first film festival of the COVID-19 era opened on Wednesday in Venice, Italy. According to The Associated Press, the 77th edition of the film festival looks much different than in past years, with the public being restricted from the red carpet, masks being required indoors and a much smaller number of Hollywood stars. Festival organizers are also enforcing reserved seats that are spaced apart and require masks to be worn during screenings that are held outdoors. “Clearly we have to abide by anti-COVID measures,” said Paola Mar, Venice's tourism councilor. “Each of us has a personal responsibility. And if all of us do our jobs, we can limit the harm,” she told The AP.
The festival, which goes until Sept. 12, is sending a message about the importance of cinema, according to Italian director Andrea Segre who told The AP that "we need theaters for cinema." “It’s like if you say to a painter that he can show his painting, or his fresco, only through the web,” Segre said. “It’s exactly the same for us: Without the theater, our art has a handicap, it has a big handicap.” Other international film festivals this year were either canceled or moved online, The AP said. One of the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic in its early stages, Italy has largely managed to get the virus mostly under control. The country has more than 270,000 cases and more than 35,000 deaths.
Jury president Cate Blanchett poses for photographers at the jury photo call during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 25,781,343
-
Fatalities: 857,767
-
Recoveries: 17,093,676
Russia became the fourth country to surpass the 1 million case threshold on Tuesday, joining the United States, Brazil and India. Russia is about three months removed from its peak, which came back in late May and early June. The country hasn't recorded a day with more than 6,000 new infections since July 19.
Florida’s ban on visiting nursing homes that has cut off vulnerable seniors from family since mid-March will be lifted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor’s new order that follows recommendations from a nursing home task force will allow family members to visit their loved ones no more than two at a time while wearing protective gear including masks, The Associated Press reported. Facilities would need to go 14 days without any new cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents to allow the visits. “Part of having a healthy society is understanding that human beings seek affection,” DeSantis said. “Many of the folks understand that they have loved ones who are in the last stage of their life. They’re not demanding a medical miracle. They’re not having unrealistic expectations. They just would like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody,” DeSantis wondered aloud if his orders might have contributed to suffering in Florida. South Carolina took similar actions as Gov. Henry McMaster announced visitations at nursing homes could resume after nearly six months, but only outdoors and with no hugs or kisses. “As expected, the months of separation and isolation have caused loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety among the residents. I worry about them, like you do, every day,” McMaster said in Columbia.
Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks’ arena that is home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA and Milwaukee Brewers of MLB, will serve as an early voting site for the 2020 general election. “We are excited that Fiserv Forum will be designated an early vote site,” said Milwaukee Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry. “The pandemic has added another barrier to voting for vulnerable communities, so this will help us make sure that everyone in Milwaukee has a safe and convenient way to exercise their right to vote. By converting Fiserv Forum into a voting location, we can make sure everyone’s voice can be heard in a safe and responsible way.” The Bucks’ Fiserv Forum will serve as an early voting site, and the Brewers’ Miller Park will be used as an early drive-thru voting location. “We are now fortunate to announce that not only have we found one, but we have found two locations that are absolutely fabulous for allowing more people to exercise their right to vote,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “Nationally, Milwaukee has become the leader by providing both Fiserv Forum and Miller Park for early voting. I don’t know of another city in this nation that is using a major league ballpark and an NBA arena for early voting— that’s how committed we are to making sure that people’s voices are heard.”
Passengers who have refused to wear face coverings during an Uber ride will be required to take a "mask selfie" before they can even request a car, Uber announced on Tuesday. When passengers with past violations attempt to request a ride, they will be required by the app to take a selfie with a mask on -- and the software can even detect whether or not the rider's mask is worn correctly or not, Uber said. The company has required both riders and drivers to wear masks since May, but executives say not everyone has complied. "If we do have people who are still violating the policy, we want to be able to verify them with an extra step," Uber's senior director of product management, Sachin Kansal, told ABC News. "And if they're not wearing a mask, they will not be able to take a ride." Uber started the face detection technology in May for its drivers. The software in the app can determine whether a driver is wearing a face-covering based on the photo. If a face covering is not detected, the driver cannot go online.
A man was caught on video yelling at Walmart employees, as he was being kicked out of the store after he refused to wear a mask. The incident, which happened at a Walmart in Anchorage on Aug. 27, has since been viewed 11 million times after it was recorded and posted on Twitter by another customer. In the video, the man is telling a female worker to “get back on your highway to hell and get out of a godly man’s face” as she is telling him he has to leave the store. As the worker continues to politely ask the man to leave the store and to have a good day, the man responds by saying that they are not respecting his “rights” as a customer. In a statement released after the incident, Walmart said that “it’s unfortunate that this individual chose to express their displeasure in such an inappropriate manner, but we’re proud our associate displayed patience and professionalism as they navigated this challenging situation.” Watch the video here.
In an effort to try and recover international air travel that declined due to the coronavirus, Air Canada and Toronto Airport have started a trial program to ease international travel restrictions. International travel has remained extremely difficult due to the restrictions in place by many countries. Canada has one of the most restrictive measures of any country among the Group of Eight, maintaining all measures put in place since March until at least the end of September. Despite the extension of Canada's travel ban, Reuters has reported that Air Canada will start a voluntary passenger test trial on Sept. 7 in order to try and ease the restrictions put in place by the Canadian government.
Currently, only Canadian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to enter the country and must quarantine for 14 days. Many Canadian airlines have continued to fight to loosen the travel restrictions in order to try and make up for lost revenue. The trial conducted by Air Canada will cooperate with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and will be used in hopes for the government to take "a more science-based approach to the 14 day quarantine," Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth told Reuters. It is not known how the testing will be done or how often, but it is known that some will be done at home by travelers between five and 10 days after travel. A recent survey showed that 83% of passengers would decline travel if subject to a quarantine period upon return.
In an effort to help better build contact tracing, Apple and Google have announced plans to include a COVID-19 notification system in the newest version of iOS and Android phone operating systems, CNBC reports. Using Bluetooth signals, the exposure notifications are able to determine how closely, and how long, someone has come into contact with a person who may have coronavirus. The app is able to do so without collecting location or identity information about users. If a phone's user tests positive for COVID-19, the system will automatically send push notifications to other phone users that may have been exposed. In order for the system to operate, users had to opt-in and download the app from the app store. Now, the newest versions of iOS and Android will come with the app preinstalled, but users still have to opt-in to use it. A new study from Christophe Fraser at Oxford University estimated that if 15% of people participate in using the app, in addition to contact tracing, it could help reduce COVID-19 infections by as much as 15%, CNBC said.
Video conferencing service Zoom has seen its business skyrocket during the pandemic, as more companies and schools worldwide turn to the platform. On Monday, the company reported that revenue has quadrupled during the May-July period compared to the same quarter as last year, according to The Associated Press. This comes as more users are switching to the paid version of Zoom. The second fiscal quarter finished with 370,200 customers having at least 10 employees paying for the paid service, which is a gain from 105,000 seen at the end of April. One year ago, the number was a small 66,300. Investors have also started taking interest in the platform as the stock continues to soar and is poised to climb higher. The report given by the company on Monday lifted the shares for Zoom by nearly 23%. Many major employers have continued to close offices for the rest of the year and some even until next summer to help curb the coronavirus, forcing many to turn to Zoom to conduct meetings and other daily tasks.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the school year for the city will be delayed after the threat of a teacher strike due to the coronavirus. Schools were originally scheduled to begin with remote and in-person components starting on Sept. 10, according to ABC7 in New York. However, De Blasio announced on Tuesday that remote learning will now begin Sept. 16 and in-person learning would not begin until Sept. 21 for all New York City public schools. School staff members will report the day after Labor Day and start preparing classrooms on Sept. 10. Teachers will also now get nine professional development days at the beginning of the school year as opposed to the usual two. Once the in-person learning begins, mandatory and robust systems of repeated COVID testing will be conducted for adults and students in order to try and prevent outbreaks. One COVID-19 case will cause the entire class to move to remote learning and the entire school will go to remote until contact tracing is complete.
France recorded its highest monthly tally in new COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the outbreak earlier this year, as it experienced a 50% increase in infections during August. Over the past 24 hours, the country’s health authorities reported 3,082 new cases, which is a decrease from the previous two days, as the seven-day average of new cases for the past week stood at 5,167, Reuters reported. The new cases have brought France’s total number of infections to 281,025, which is a substantial increase from the 187,919 cases that were reported at the end of July. The surge of new cases has also led authorities to re-enforce safety measures, which include the use of face masks at all public places in the country’s main cities. Despite the increase in cases, the number of COVID-19 patients at hospitals decreased by 14% in August versus July, as the virus is now spreading among young people, according to Reuters.
The coronavirus outbreak is expected to peak in Indonesia this month, according to President Joko Widodo. Widodo said he was very confident in access to a safe and effective vaccine by the end of the year for the country, which has been home to one of the world's lowest per-capita testing rates. A record amount of new daily cases were reported for three consecutive days last week. So far, over 7,500 deaths have occurred due to the virus in Indonesia. Widodo remained confident that positive growth financially would occur for the country in the final quarter and that the country's economy would approach normal next year. The country's capital, Jakarta, and tourist island Bali, have both been hit significantly by the virus due to a drastic decrease in tourism travel. Indonesia has also been known for its strict protocols and punishments for those who don't follow mask mandates. On certain occasions, security officials have made residents found not wearing masks stop and perform push-ups, as the photo below shows.
Public Order Agency officers penalize people with push-ups after they were caught violating city regulations requiring people to wear face mask in public places to curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Public tours of the White House will resume later this month although the number of guests allowed will be fewer than before. Social distancing and masks will also be required, according to the office of first lady Melania Trump, NBC News reported. Tours will resume starting Sept. 12 and will only take place on Fridays and Saturday during a three-hour window from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. “In order to ensure the safety and health of all visitors, there have been new policies implemented that align with the guidance issued by Federal, State, and local officials,” the first lady’s office said, according to NBC News.
The Olympic flame is now on display in Tokyo, only a few minutes away from the new National Stadium where it was supposed to be burning back in July during the summer Olympics. The flame, which was transported all the way from Greece in March, had been tucked away after the cancellation of the Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, on Monday, it was finally unveiled during a small ceremony hosted by Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee and Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. “In this situation during COVID-19, I think athletes aiming for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are training hard each day – with great anxiety,” Yamashita said, according to The Associated Press. “I am convinced that the torch displayed today will support the hearts of those athletes.” For the next two months, visitors will be able to see the torch at the museum, as it will be displayed for a limited time.
General view, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 : Public Display of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Yohei Osada/AFLO SPORT)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday afternoon that he has extended the state’s COVID-19 emergency declaration for five more months. This gives him the power to close businesses and schools, restrict gathering sizes and mandate post-travel quarantines until February 2021, the Hartford Courant reported. “What [the extension] means over the next five months is that we’ll have the ability to react quickly if situations change, just like [what] happened in April and May,” Lamont said at his Monday press briefing. “I’d like to think that we’re not going to be in that situation, we can be a little more methodical and cautious in terms of those [emergency orders].” Later on Monday afternoon, the state's Senate Republican leader Len Fasano issued a statement that said Republican leaders are worried about the way the governor has gone about the extension. “We have serious concerns about expanding any emergency powers without also implementing a plan to give the public a voice in the process which they have been entirely shut out of thus far,” Fasano said. “The governor is basically operating as a dictator,” House Republican leader Themis Klarides said. “The executive powers have to be limited.”
Sanofi is halting clinical trials of its Kevzara drug after clinical tests proved inconclusive, AFP reported. According to a statement released by the French pharmaceutical company, the Phase 3 test “did not meet the primary or secondary evaluation criteria compared with a placebo, and in both cases, compared with established hospital care.” Sanofi global research head Dr. John Reed added that even if Kevzara “did not give us the results we were hoping for, we are proud of the work done by our team.” As efforts to develop a vaccine for the virus that has claimed more than 800,000 lives worldwide continue, scientists say that one may be available by the end of the year.
Correction: This post previously said that Sanofi had halted a vaccine trial. The trial that was halted was for a drug that is being tested to treat serious cases of COVID-19.
Russia became the fourth country to surpass 1 million cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The Associated Press reported that officials reported 4,729 new cases on Tuesday. Over 815,000 have recovered from the illness while more than 17,000 have died over the duration of the pandemic, The AP said. The country has lifted most lockdown restrictions and last month officials there announced approval of the first ever COVID-19 vaccine. However, that vaccine news has been met with skepticism from elsewhere around the world as it had not been tested on many people, according to The AP.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp extended statewide orders limiting public gatherings for two more weeks as cases fall. The new order announced Monday continues to ban public gatherings of 50 or more people unless they can maintain six feet of social distancing. The governor’s office says the state is making progress in fighting coronavirus, despite the two week extension. “Currently, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Georgia are at their lowest since July 6,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “Cases reported yesterday were at their lowest point since June 22.” The governor also extended the state’s general state of emergency through Oct. 10.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 25,500,870
-
Fatalities: 851,095
-
Recoveries: 16,840,395
On the day the United States became the first country to top 6 million positive COVID-19 cases, the country also posted its lowest one-day case increase since June 22. The U.S. recorded 33,888 new infections on Monday, its first time under 34,000 since June.
As a result of lockdown orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Italian economy shrank during the second quarter, official figures showed. The national statistics bureau ISTAT said the Italian economy is 17.7% smaller than it was in the same period last year. Italy imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, The Associated Press said. The restrictions against travel between towns, then between regions and the shutdown of many types of businesses, only started easing up in the last weeks of the second quarter, The Associated Press reported. ISTAT said the severe downturn was a result of the “the economic effects of the health emergency and of the (government) adopted containment measures.”
On Monday, Florida reported 1,885 new coronavirus cases, marking the lowest single day infections since June 15, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health. On June 15, the state recorded 1,758 coronavirus cases. Thus far, Florida has had more than 622,000 confirmed cases.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, clean energy was one of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy, however, the industry has not yet been able to bounce back. In July, only 3,200 jobs returned to the sector, UPI reported. More than 500,000 workers in the sector are still out of a job in energy efficiency, solar and wind energy and clean vehicles. Between 2015 and 2019, the clean energy sector grew 70% faster than the rest of the U.S. economy, and the past few months of lockdown have worked to reverse the growth. Industry leaders told UPI that it will take 15 years to replace all the lost jobs due to the pandemic. "When you have a situation where buildings are suddenly off-limits, whether they're skyscrapers in Manhattan or single-family homes in Kansas, it's hard for those energy efficiency workers to get back on the job,” Bob Keefe, executive director of the non-partisan advocacy group Environmental Entrepreneurs, said. "People aren't very interested in having solar workers come to their houses ... and having construction workers come in at a time of COVID and quarantines.”
New Delhi, India, officials have distributed $13 oxygen monitors, also known as pulse oximeters, to more than 32,000 people for free to isolate most asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic coronavirus patients in their homes. "When we didn't have this, we wouldn't know about their oxygen levels," New Delhi health worker Kamal Kumari said. "Now we can find out in time and safely refer patients to the hospital." The program started in May, when COVID-19 cases started surging in the densely populated city of 20 million. “If we hadn’t done this, there would’ve been no room to even stand in our hospitals,” Delhi’s health minister, Satyendar Jain, told Reuters.
As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the current partial restrictions will be kept for another month starting Sept. 1. Duterte announced the decision on Monday as the health ministry reported another 2,446 new cases of the coronavirus and 38 new fatalities, bringing the total number of cases to 220,819 with 3,558 deaths. To help accommodate patients infected with the virus, Carlito Galvez, former military chief in charge of the national coronavirus task force, said that the government is working on boosting hospital capacity by adding 1,000 beds in Manila and in nearby provinces. “We need to strengthen treatment facilities, especially ICU, given the possibility of an increase in severe cases once we further open the economy,” Galvez said, according to Reuters.
Belle Isle Park in Detroit has transformed into a memorial garden for city residents who died from COVID-19. The memorial featured hundreds of photos of those who died from the virus, and cars were able to drive through slowly to see the entire memorial, The Associated Press reported. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan declared Monday to be Detroit Memorial Day in honor of the over 1,500 city residents who died from the virus. Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture Rochelle Riley said the memorial was created “to bring some peace to families whose loved ones didn’t have the funerals they deserved. But it may also force us to work harder to limit the number of COVID-19 deaths we’ll endure in the coming months.” Despite only making up 7% of the state's population, Detroit accounted for 23% of the deaths statewide. “The virus exposed deep inequities, from basic lack of access to health care or transportation or protections in the workplace,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “These inequities hit people of color in vulnerable communities the hardest.”
Just about three weeks after reaching 5 million cases, the U.S. topped the 6 million plateau on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. remains the clear global leader in cases as Brazil and India are the only other countries over 3 million. The U.S. topped 1 million back on April 28 and reported its first case of COVID-19 in early February. The total cases have grown steadily as the U.S. continues to increase its testing capacity. California is currently the leader in the U.S. with over 700,000 confirmed cases over the duration of the pandemic.
Monday was the deadliest day yet of the pandemic for Australia. According to The Associated Press, 41 deaths and 73 infections were reported over a 24-hour span in the state of Victoria. However, it was also the lowest number of new cases since 67 were reported on June 30, The AP said. At least 33 of the new fatalities occurred in aged care homes during late July but were not reported until Sunday. The current epicenter is the Victorian capital city of Melbourne, and a six-week lockdown for the city is scheduled to end on Sept. 13.
Late last week, the White House announced a deal with Abbott Laboratories to help produce a vast number of coronavirus test kits that will deliver speedy results. According to WSB Radio in Atlanta, the test kits will be able to tell a person within 15 minutes if they have SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The test is said to cost $5 and will only be about the size of a credit card. Abbott said the the test can accurately detect 97% of COVID-19 positive cases, according to the report. Tens of millions of tests are expected to be produced in September with another 50 million expected in October, WSB said. In total, about 150 million are expected as part of the deal.
It's been months since restaurants in the Garden State have been allowed to welcome patrons into dining rooms for a meal. But that's all about to change, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday, though restaurateurs will have to abide by some strict social distancing guidelines. The changes go into effect on Sept. 4. "Restaurants statewide will be able to open for indoor dining beginning this FRIDAY at 25% capacity and with social distancing between tables," Murphy said in a post on Twitter. Murphy added that responsible reopening will help the struggling economy and help maintain the progress the state has made in slowing the spread of COVID-19. New Jersey was one of the hardest-hit states in the earliest days of the pandemic, but in recent months has significantly reduced the number of new cases and deaths. As of Sunday, the state has reported more than 191,000 total cases and more than 14,00 fatalities.
In this July 1, 2020 file photo, diners enjoy eating their meals outside at a restaurant in Montclair, N.J. Indoor dining in New Jersey will resume Friday, Sept. 4 with limited capacity, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday, Aug. 31. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, FIle )
After a summer that was marked in a widespread resurgence of COVID-19 cases across many parts of the U.S., the latest data compiled by researchers at The COVID Tracking Project for the week ending Aug. 30 shows the seven-day averages for key data points have come down from their highs over the summer. Hospitalizations have reached a low point not seen since June 30. The number of fatalities per day is down as well to an average of 475 a day last week after spiking in late July and early August. Daily cases have also trended down and so have the number of tests given each day, though those numbers -- an average of more than 726,000 per day -- are significantly higher than the number of tests that were being given in June.
The U.S. Open got underway Monday in New York City, but at least one player has dropped out of the field for the second major tennis championship of the year due to COVID-19. According to The Associated Press, Benoit Paire, of France, had tested positive but was reportedly asymptomatic. Paire, 31, was scheduled to Kamil Majchrzak of Poland during Tuesday's first round, The AP said. Paire's result was only the second to come back positive out of more than 7,000 administered so far by the U.S. Tennis Association. The tournament, which will take place without fans, is slated to run until Sept. 13, when the men's finals are held. Matches that are held outside of the domed stadiums at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center should not encounter much disruptive weather this week, according to the latest AccuWeather forecast. Showers will hang around the city on Tuesday and there could be a thunderstorm in spots on Thursday.
The AccuWeather forecast for the next week in Flushing, New York. (Images/AccuWeather)
India reported a total of 78,761 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a new world record for cases in a single day. According to the BBC, this amount topped the previous record of 77,299 reported by the U.S. on July 17. A large factor behind the big jump in numbers is the lifting of restrictions as the government tries to boost an economy that lost millions of jobs. Rural areas are also seeing a spike in cases. "It is the largest one-day surge in cases worldwide and the reason behind this - because the pandemic is spreading in the rural areas," Manoj Kumar, a cardiology doctor, told Reuters, the BBC reported. India has reported more than 3.6 million cases and more than 64,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic, and ranks third worldwide in both of those categories. Watch the video below for more.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 25,245,930
-
Fatalities: 846,851
-
Recoveries: 16,633,200
The United States and Russia are both set to surpass noteworthy thresholds, as the U.S. stands at 5,997,163 cases and will move past the 6 million mark today and Russia is at 992,402 cases and will likely move past the 1 million case mark in the coming days. Both countries rank in the top four for most positive cases in the world since the beginning of the outbreak but have seen a decrease in positive cases over recent weeks. Since its spike in early May, Russia hasn't seen a day with more than 8,000 new cases since June 16.
People may need to receive two doses of a coronavirus vaccine in order for it to be effective -- and some experts are concerned about how this could complicate things. According to CNN, concerns are arising that some people may not show up for one dose, let alone two, as well as issues with supply chain that could prevent everyone from having access to two doses. "There's no question that this is going to be the most complicated, largest vaccination program in human history, and that's going to take a level of effort, a level of sophistication, that we've never tried before," Dr. Kelly Moore, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University, said.
FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. The vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc., generated antibodies similar to those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19 in a study of volunteers who were given either a low or medium dose. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
A wedding in Maine that led to a coronavirus outbreak is now linked to 123 new cases and one death. The indoor wedding was held on Aug. 7 and had about 65 people in attendance, which violated the state health limit of 50 people. Officials are investigating Big Moose Inn Cabins and Campgrounds, the venue in which the wedding was held. to determine if it followed state health guidelines. "If you fail to comply with the governor's executive orders and the DECD checklist, then the department will immediately re-instate the temporary suspension of your license, which may lead to court action seeking a longer suspension or full revocation of your license, potential fines and payment of attorney fees incurred by the department," Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services wrote to the inn, The Hill reported.
A large protest was shut down by police in Berlin, Germany hours after it started due to thousands of unmasked protesters ignoring social distancing guidelines. The protest was held against the government-mandated coronavirus restrictions in the country. Police present estimated there were around 18,000 people in attendance, CBS News reported. Officers claimed they had warned the protesters several times that they needed to abide by coronavirus prevention guidelines, which include a mandate that requires people remain five feet apart and wear masks in public areas. Public events involving over 1,000 people are also not allowed until Sept. 1. "We approached the leader of the demonstration and informed him that his meeting would be dissolved by the police," they wrote. "All previous measures have not led to compliance with the requirements."
The FDA is willing to fast track a coronavirus vaccine by bypassing the full federal approval process, according to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. According to CNBC, Hahn said the benefits of approving an emergency use authorization may be worth the risks of not completing phase three clinical trials. "It is up to the [vaccine developer] to apply for authorization or approval, and we make an adjudication of their application," Hahn said. "If they do that before the end of phase three, we may find that appropriate. We may find that inappropriate, we will make a determination." One week prior to Hahn's statement, the FDA approved of an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma treatments on hospitalized coronavirus patients. "Our emergency use authorization is not the same as a full approval," Hahn said. "The legal, medical and scientific standard for that is that the benefit outweighs the risk in a public health emergency."
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 25,051,178
-
Fatalities: 843,641
-
Recoveries: 16,468,737
The latest unexpected feature of the coronavirus has started showing up at U.S. doctors’ offices and its called “COVID toes.” As health officials continuously update what we know about the virus, one of the more unusual symptoms has surfaced and it happens to be a painful red rash that spreads across the toes. The condition seems to affect younger people more than older ones, and it often appears when there are no other symptoms of COVID-19 present. COVID toes closely resemble an inflammatory condition called pernio, where one or more toes turn red, swell up, and sometimes blister, Healthline reports. Over the course of several days, the redness may darken to a purplish color. Fingers may also be affected with the same swelling, discoloration, and blistering.
After more than five months without being allowed to see family while beating coronavirus, Marie Jean-Pierre was released from the hospital on Saturday, her family told CNN. Jean-Pierre, 73, was admitted to the hospital on March 21 with a low-grade fever and difficulty breathing. After testing positive for coronavirus, she was intubated and later placed on a ventilator, and at some point, she received a tracheotomy, according to her daughter. "She was fighting every step of the way. She was fighting the doctors, she was fighting the nurses," her daughter Marie Delus said. "She didn't want to be on the ventilator." Jean-Pierre was "out of it," remembering little of almost three months in the hospital, she told CNN.
In Colorado, a Girl Scout troop used money from their cookie sales to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for a local elementary school. Fifth-grader Emma Bangerter told CNN that the struggles associated with reopening schools amid a pandemic inspired her troop. "My Girl Scout troop and I came up with the idea for this project out of the need ... to ease the tension of going back to school for staff and students," Bangerter told CNN. "So using our troop's cookie money, we bought the material to make the sneeze guards, reusable masks and mask lanyards." Bangerter explained most students at her school attend school in-person for two days a week and learn virtually the other days.
Here are the latest global coronavirus numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
confirmed cases: 24,894,589
-
fatalities: 840,382
-
recoveries: 16,313,605
After just one to two weeks back in school, six open universities in Pennsylvania have a combined 250 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with more tests pending. On Monday, Temple University in Philadelphia reported 10 cases on the first day of classes. By Friday, 58 tests had come back positive, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. This is with only one third of the normal amount of students on campus. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Public Health Department said they are “actively working with the university to respond to this increase,” in new cases. Six universities in the state have already strayed from their original plans after school already began and altered course instruction to adjust to the pandemic. On Friday, the statewide number of newly-confirmed cases hit its peak in two weeks. A professor at Kutztown University also received backlash after telling students to go bars and infect each other to build immunity. “I was being rhetorical and flippant when I made the comments, I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself to have made them,” business professor Victor J. Massad told the Inquirer. “It was a complete lapse of professional judgment on my part.”
Victoria, Australia, reported its lowest rise in new coronavirus cases in almost two months on Saturday, and officials aren’t about to lift the social distancing restrictions that helped the state arrive at those low numbers, Reuters reported. Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, has spent four weeks under lockdown following a second wave of infections in Australia’s second largest city. The lockdown is planned to last for an additional two weeks. Saturday, state officials reported 94 new COVID-19 infections and 18 deaths — making for the first time the new daily case numbers fell below 100 in eight weeks. The lockdown restricted most people in Melbourne to one hour of outdoor activity per day, and even if current measures are eased after the following two weeks, a few restrictions are expected to remain. “Every day we see the strategy working is a good day but we just need a bit more time to be able to be confident that we are, in fact, defeating this and that we can open up, gradually, steadily, safely,” Victoria Premiere Daniel Andrews said in a televised news briefing.
A 25-year-old man from Nevada may be the first documented case of COVID-19 reinfection in the United States, a Nevada State Public Health Lab-led team found. The man had first contracted the coronavirus in April, having seemingly recovered after he tested negative for the virus twice. Toward the end of May, he began experiencing symptoms again, was hospitalized and required ongoing oxygen support, CNN reports. After being tested again, his results returned as positive for the virus. “If reinfection is possible on such a short timeline, there may be implications for the efficacy of vaccines developed to fight the disease. It may also have implications for herd immunity,” Mark Pandori, a member of the team at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine and Nevada State Public Health Laboratory that studied the case, said. “It is important to note, that this is a singular finding. It does not provide any information to us with regard to the generalizability of this phenomenon.”
At least three other cases of reinfection have been reported across the world — one in Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands, respectively. Pandori stressed that while researchers and scientists continue their work, the hard work of fighting the pandemic continues through using facial coverings, hand-washing, social-distancing and wide-scale testing, contact tracing and isolating new cases. “This is a novel disease. We still have a steep learning curve a head and lots of work to do, especially as inconvenient truths arise,” Pandori said.
Penny Brown, 2, is held by her mother, Heather Brown, as her nose is lightly swabbed during a test for COVID-19 at a new walk-up testing site at Chief Sealth High School, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Seattle. The child's daycare facility requires testing for the virus. The coronavirus testing site is the fourth now open by the city and is free. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The United Kingdom is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it’s fully licensed so long as it meets the required safety and quality standards, ABC News reports. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government released in a statement on Friday that it was adopting “reinforced safeguards” for the country’s medicines regulatory agency to grant temporary authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, provided it meets safety and quality standards. This temporary authorization would allow for the vaccines that meet the requirements to receive emergency approval for people to use the vaccine while it undergoes the licensing process — which can take up to several months. “If we develop effective vaccines, it’s important we make them available to patients as quickly as possible, but only once strict safety standards have been met,” Jonathan Van-Tam, Britain’s deputy chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Berlin police told an estimated 18,000 demonstrators, who complained of too much government interference, to go home on Saturday morning. Thousands signed up to attend a rally on Saturday in the German capital of Berlin against coronavirus restrictions before it was banned by city authorities due to health concerns. The ban was later overturned by the city administrative court, which allowed the protest under the condition that protesters would social distance. Police said protesters failed to abide by court-mandated health safety rules. "Unfortunately, we have no other option," Berlin police wrote on Twitter. "We've approached the leader of the demonstration and informed him that his assembly will be dissolved by the police. All the measures taken so far have not led to compliance with the conditions."
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 24,772,926
-
Fatalities: 837,879
-
Recoveries: 16,216,391
India has seen another record-high daily rise in coronavirus cases with over 77,000 new cases in one day — the highest one-day count any country has seen so far. The total count for the country is nearly 3.4 million, as the country has the third-most confirmed cases in the world, following the U.S. and Brazil. The Washington Post reported that it took over five months for India to report one million cases, however it only took 21 days for that number to then reach two million. “Scorecards are transient,” Jacob John, an epidemiologist and community health physician in the state of Tamil Nadu, said. “What is worrying is the human tragedy in all of this. . . . Thousands of people are dying.”
Several U.S. states will not be following the federal health officials' new plan to reduce testing of those exposed to the coronavirus. New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested that testing asymptomatic people may no longer be necessary. Despite this, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey and New York may continue to test asymptomatic people who may have been exposed to the virus, according to Reuters. This week, the CDC make a statement saying people who are exposed to the virus but do not appear to be symptomatic may not need to be tested, shocking doctors and politicians and causing blame that the new guidelines may be politically motivated. Testing around the U.S. has dropped, even before the guidelines went into effect. In late July, the U.S. tested over 800,000 people a day. Last week, only 675,000 people were tested a day. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo assured that his state would not be abiding by the guidance. CNN and The New York Times both reported that U.S. public health officials were ordered by high-level members of the Trump administration to put the change into effect. The World Health Organization and many countries around the globe have advocated that early testing must be done.
"After the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted its profits in the second quarter, Coca-Cola announced the company is cutting 4,000 North American jobs. In the April to June period, the company’s net income sunk 32% to $1.3 billion. The company, which began suffering as sports, theaters and other entertainment venues were shut down, announced it is restructuring from 17 business units to nine. "In order to minimize the impact from these structural changes, the company today announced a voluntary separation program that will give employees the option of taking a separation package, if eligible," Coca-Cola said in a statement. "The program will provide enhanced benefits and will first be offered to approximately 4,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.” Coca-Cola will also offer deals like this one in other countries later on in order to continue to prevent involuntary layoffs, AFP reported.
Approximately 14 people were exposed to COVID-19 at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte last weekend after two attendees and two event support staff members tested positive. According to Mecklenburg County officials, all individuals who tested positive isolated immediately. A spokesperson for the county told WBTV News that the attendees who tested positive were given “specific instructions” on isolating and were allowed to drive home. The 14 people who were potentially exposed to the virus were advised to quarantine at home as well. “There were a few that came in that tested I think positive, that left happily. But other than that, I think it was safe, I felt really, felt that we were somewhat in a bubble like the NBA and the Carolina Panthers,” South Carolina Republican delegate Glenn McCall said. “We felt safe. We had all been tested multiple times. And there were a number of people who wanted to be tested. I think Novant maybe tested a couple of times. And that was offered. If you felt you wanted a second test, you could.”
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris, however, released a statement on Monday regarding the convention, and expressed concern over the lack of mask-wearing and social distancing among delegates. “I have been assured that they are working hard to address these issues. All attendees agreed to comply with the requirements prior to attending and were informed that these requirements would be enforced,” Harris said.
With the outbreak surging again in Poland, officials are preparing to clamp down once more. Beginning on Sept. 2, Poland will not allow flights from 46 nations to enter the country, according to a report from Reuters. France and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries, both of which are also experiencing a new wave of infections, are reportedly on the list. The impending move mirrors restrictions officials enacted back in March when the country shut down its borders and blocked flights from entering. "Due to the threat of spreading SARS CoV-2 virus infections, it is necessary to exercise the right to introduce air traffic bans," the order said, according to a copy obtained by Reuters. Other countries on the list include the United States, Israel, Mexico and Brazil. Poland has reported more than 2,000 COVID-19 fatalities and close to 65,000 cases.
The Big Ten football conference has discussed a Thanksgiving weekend start for its football season, according to ESPN. Several options are currently being considered as the conference looks for ways to start the season. One of the options being considered is an early January start with an eight- or nine-game schedule that would take place at indoor venues. On Aug. 11, the Big Ten became the first Power 5 conference to postpone its fall season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Pac-12 quickly followed suit. Since then, criticism has mounted from coaches, administration, players, and families. Multiple Nebraska players filed a lawsuit against the conference saying the postponement was invalid. A return-to-play task force was created on Aug. 19 that will examine options for fall sports across the conference. A winter season instead of a spring season is said to be the focus for the Big Ten at this time.
With a resurgence in cases hitting South Korea, eateries in the country's capital have been restricted in a bid to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The government has also been increasing efforts to end a strike conducted by thousands of doctors. A back-to-work order has been extended by the Health Ministry and also filed a complaint against at least 10 doctors who did not abide the order, according to Reuters. The increasing tensions between doctors and the country come at a time where new cases continue to increase. A total of 371 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday which brought the country's total to over 19,000. Since August 21, about 16,000 intern and resident doctors have been on strike due to the government's plans to boost the number of doctors in the country. Teaching hospital doctors, trainee and private practice physicians began a three-day strike on Wednesday to show solidarity with the intern and resident doctors.
Meanwhile in the country's capital, coffee shops have been identified as some hotspots for the outbreak and have been restricted to takeout and delivery only. Restaurants, snack bars and bakeries are restricted to no on-site dining between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Churches, nightclubs, and most schools are also to remain closed.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a dire warning on Friday that the pandemic will worsen for the country in the coming months and that life would not return to normal until a vaccine has been developed. Merkel, Western Europe's longest-serving leader, is preparing to step down before the next national election in October 2021. She expects the coronavirus pandemic to define her last year in office, according to Reuters. Citizens are urged to not lose their guard against the virus despite daily infections increasing. Merkel continued to urge how important it is to continue taking it seriously. The government has been working to protect the most vulnerable groups from the virus such as children, the elderly and low-income families who've been affected. The European Commission recently secured at least 300 million doses of British drug maker AstraZeneca's potential treatment. Currently, no vaccine has passed through Phase III trials yet.
Clemson University will reduce the capacity to 19,000 fans and will require masks at all home football games this season in order to meet coronavirus safety precautions. The team's athletic department said in an announcement on Thursday that the South Carolina Department of Commerce approved the reduced capacity to welcome fans. The capacity set was based on six feet social distancing measures among seating pods, according to UPI. The normal capacity for the stadium is 81,500. Face masks will be required at all times unless drinking or eating. Designated gates of entry will be used for fans and tailgating will be prohibited. The Clemson Tigers first home game is scheduled for Sept. 19th.
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris appeared on NBC's Today show on Friday and discussed an idea she proposed earlier about imposing a national mask mandate as a coronavirus safety measure. The California senator, who is Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, said, "Nobody likes to wear a mask. This is a universal feeling. Right?" But when pressed on how a national mask mandate would be enforced, she admitted there isn't a real way to enforce it. “It’s really a standard. I mean, nobody’s gonna be punished. Come on,” she told NBC's Craig Melvin. "The point is this is what we, as responsible people who love our neighbors, we have to just do that right now. God willing, it won't be forever." Though government officials' positions on mask-wearing has shifted over time, the majority of health experts say that wearing is a mask can help protect others from contracting the virus. And there is growing evidence that the mask protects the wearer as well. Watch a clip from Harris' interview below.
The 2020 Tour de France is just one day away from beginning, yet its cancelation somehow feels even closer. The Alpes-Maritimes region, where the starting line in the town of Nice is located, was recently placed on red alert due to the recently wide spread of COVID-19 in the area. According to health authorities, the number of newly-confirmed cases in the past week has reached 97 infections per 100,000 residents. French Prime Minister Jean Castex confirmed that Nice was one of 19 regions in the country to be in the red alert and added that “France must do everything to prevent a new lockdown,” according to The Guardian. Race director Christian Prudhomme and France Education Minister Jean-Michael Blanquer have both been strong proponents of the races continuation, saying that holding the race would be a sign of resiliency. France has seen the third-most cases of any European nation and has seen a recent resurgence in cases, pushing the country’s total cases to 297,485 since the beginning of the outbreak, according to Johns Hopkins University. Even if the race does take place, thunderstorms could pose another problem for competitors.
The death toll from COVID-19 since the outset of the pandemic surged past 180,000 in the U.S. late Thursday, the most fatalities recorded by any nation in the world. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. recorded 931 deaths on Thursday, to push the total past the 180,000 mark. Total cases in the country are nearing 6 million, though the U.S. has seen a decline in new cases over the last couple of weeks. More than 2.1 million Americans have recovered from the illness.
Here are the latest global coronavirus numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
-
Confirmed cases: 24,487,569
-
Fatalities: 832,158
-
Recoveries: 16,012,641
In the world's second-most populated country and third-most infected nation, India, the curve has only been getting steeper. On Wednesday, the country posted over 80,000 cases and on Thursday another 77,266 cases. Both days mark the two worst days for any country since the beginning of the outbreak. Both Brazil and the United States, the only two nations that have seen more cases than India, have never topped those totals, although the U.S. did see 77,255 new cases on July 16. Prior to Wednesday's addition of 85,687 new positive cases, India had never seen a single day with more than 70,000 new cases.
Prior wording in this entry incorrectly said the global total was nearing a quarter billion rather than 25 million.
For previous updates on the coronavirus pandemic from Aug. 23-27, click here.
For previous updates on the coronavirus pandemic from Aug. 14-22, click here.
For previous updates on the coronavirus pandemic from Aug. 5 to Aug. 13, click here.
For previous updates on the coronavirus pandemic from July 24 to Aug. 4, click here.
