Updates
New Covid-19 Cases Are Declining in Arizona, Once a Hot Spot. Here's How the State is Turning Things Around-CNN
In late June, Arizona was confronting a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases, forcing officials to reimpose a slew of coronavirus restrictions about two months after the state started reopening its economy. Today, that decision appears to have paid off. A CNN analysis of Covid-19 data from Johns Hopkins University shows that on July 8, Arizona averaged about 3,501 daily new cases over a seven-day period. That average has been steadily declining week-over-week, and on Wednesday, the state averaged … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
‘It’s just madness’: Bikers Throng South Dakota Town Despite Covid Threat-The Guardian
At least 100,000 people are expected to attend the 10-day annual Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills from Friday, as opportunities for the local economy have overridden concerns it could become a coronavirus super spreading event. The Guardian, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Virus Keeps Spreading As Schools Begin To Open, Frightening Parents And Alarming Public Health Officials-The Washington Post
Even before President Trump admonished his top coronavirus adviser for saying the country was entering a "new phase" of widespread infection, patients at Mississippi's only Level 1 trauma hospital were already on a wait for ICU beds. The Washington Post, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Asymptomatic Cases 'Carry Same Amount Of Virus'-BBC News
People with symptomless Covid-19 can carry as much of the virus as those with symptoms, a South Korean study has suggested. South Korea was able to identify and isolate asymptomatic cases through mass testing as early as the start of March. There is mounting evidence these cases represent a considerable proportion of coronavirus infections. BBC News, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
US Adds 1.8 Million Jobs In A Sign That Hiring Has Weakened-The Associated Press
The United States added 1.8 million jobs in July, a pullback from the gains of May and June and evidence that the resurgent coronavirus is weakening hiring and the economic rebound. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
U.S. Travel Warning Puts Virus-Battered Mexico On Par With War-Torn Nations-Reuters
The U.S. State Department urged citizens on Thursday not to travel to Mexico, despite easing a global travel ban, and warned of the rapid spread of coronavirus in the neighboring nation, in addition to rampant crime and kidnapping. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Coronavirus Cases Are Surging. The Contact Tracing Workforce Is Not-NPR
The country needs as many as 100,000 contact tracers to fight the pandemic, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Congress in June. We need billions of dollars to fund them, public health leaders pleaded in April. But in August, with coronavirus cases increasing in more than half of states, America has neither the staff nor the resources to be able to trace the contacts of every new case — a key step in the COVID-19 public health response. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Twitter, Facebook Remove Trump Post Over False Claim About Children And COVID-19-NPR
Both Twitter and Facebook have removed a post shared by President Trump for breaking their rules against spreading coronavirus misinformation. Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump election campaign account from tweeting until it removed a post with a video clip from a Fox News interview from Wednesday morning, in which the president urged schools to reopen, falsely claiming that children are "almost immune from this disease." NPR, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Southeast L.A. Already Faced Many Ills. Now It’s the Epicenter Of Coronavirus-Los Angeles Times
Southeast Los Angeles County has become the epicenter for the resurgence of the coronavirus, according to a Times analysis of county health data that found infections skyrocketing in its mostly working-class Latino communities. The sharp increase since the economy reopened around Memorial Day shows the virus is spreading rapidly through factories, stores, and other workplaces and into communities with higher rates of poverty, more crowding, and many essential workers who make the economy tick. … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Government Health Experts Warn U.S. Cities Of 'Trouble Ahead'-Reuters
White House health experts are warning of an uptick in the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago and Washington, urging local leaders to maintain health safety measures to avoid a surge. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
1.2 Million Seek Jobless Aid After $600 Federal Check Ends-The Associated Press
Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The government’s report Thursday did offer a smidgen of hopeful news: The number of jobless claims declined by 249,000 from the previous week, after rising for two straight weeks, and it was the lowest total since mid-March. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
This California Company Has A Better Version Of A Simpler, Faster Covid-19 Test-STAT
In some parts of the U.S. right now, it can take weeks to get results for a simple Covid-19 test, a delay that renders the results largely useless. So a handful of city governments and schools are turning to an entirely different type of Covid-19 test that they say is simpler, easier, and most importantly faster — and therefore more meaningful. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
How Safe Is Your School's Reopening Plan? Here's What To Look For-NPR
As schools across the country grapple with bringing kids back into the classroom, parents — and teachers — are worried about safety. We asked pediatricians, infectious disease specialists and education experts for help evaluating school district plans. What we learned: There's no such thing as zero risk, but certain practices can lower the risk of an outbreak at school and keep kids, teachers and families safer. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
A Growing Side Effect Of The Pandemic: Permanent Job Loss-Politico
Tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the coronavirus recession, but for many of them the news is getting even worse: Their positions are going away forever. Politico, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Moderna Says Discussing Supply Deals With Countries For COVID-19 Vaccine-Reuters
Moderna Inc is in talks with several countries for supply agreements for its experimental coronavirus vaccine, the company said on Wednesday, adding that it had already received about $400 million in deposits for potential supply. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Districts Go Round And Round On School Bus Reopening Plans-The Associated Press
School districts nationwide puzzling over how to safely educate children during a pandemic have a more immediate challenge — getting 26 million bus-riding students there in the first place. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Designer Antibodies Could Battle COVID-19 Before Vaccines Arrive-Science Magazine
While the world is transfixed by the high-stakes race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, an equally crucial competition is heating up to produce targeted antibodies that could provide an instant immunity boost against the virus. Clinical trials of these monoclonal antibodies, which could both prevent and treat the disease, are already underway and could produce signs of efficacy in the next few months, perhaps ahead of vaccine trials. Science Magazine, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Americans Back Trump On Immigration — But Only To Stop COVID-19, Poll Finds-NPR
Most Americans support Trump administration efforts to stop immigrants from coming to the United States as long as it's done in the name of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Scientists Are Testing Pricey Rare-Disease Drugs As Covid-19 Treatments. What If One Works?-STAT
Some of the existing drugs scientists are testing as Covid-19 treatments have a special status for rare disease treatments, and the price tags to match — prompting early warnings from academics and drug pricing reform advocates that if one is effective, access could be an issue. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Coronavirus Surge Slowing in California, but Don’t Expect a Repeat of Reopening Fever-LA Times
There are growing glimmers of hope that California’s surge in coronavirus cases could be peaking — but don’t expect the pandemic-shattered economy to share much of this progress in the short term. A Los Angeles Times analysis found that California has now experienced its first weekly reduction in new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time in 12 weeks. For the seven-day period that ended Sunday, California reported 59,697 new coronavirus cases, a drop of 9% from the previous week of … Continue Reading