October 19, 2020

• Daily new coronavirus infections in the U.S. surged to their highest level since late July, approaching numbers seen during the outbreak’s midsummer peak. The increase comes after the U.S. government on Friday gave some of the first specific information about how it will handle vaccine distribution, targeting vulnerable populations under long-term care.

October 16, 2020

• Ohio set a new record high for coronavirus cases Thursday, marking the second day in a row the state hit a new high and the third time in less than a week. Another 2,178 Ohioans tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 175,843, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The previous daily case record, set Wednesday, was 2,039. Before Wednesday, Ohio's record was 1,840 new cases and was set last Friday.
• U.S. colleges are seeing sharp declines in enrollment of new students this semester in another sign of the economic toll that Covid-19 is having on higher education. The number of first-year undergraduate students enrolled fell 16%, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center said in a report Thursday. Total undergraduate enrollment slid 4% from last year at this time, led by international students. Empty seats are inflicting financial damage on colleges already reeling from the pandemic. Earlier this year, when the virus began spreading, many schools cleared their campuses of students and refunded housing costs. With enrollment waning, revenue from tuition, dormitories and dining halls is being hurt at a time when some institutions are posting low endowment returns.
• Don't bet on the U.S.-Canadian border reopening after the closure agreement expires Oct. 21. In an interview Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country is committed to keeping the border closed until the United States gets control of COVID-19. "The U.S. is not in a place where we would feel comfortable reopening those borders," he told the hosts of "Smart Start," which airs on Canada's Global Television Network. “We will continue to make sure that Canadian safety is top of mind when we move forward. We see the cases in the United States and elsewhere around the world, and we need to continue to keep these border controls in place."

October 15, 2020

• Deaths directly or indirectly attributable to the first wave of Covid-19 infections across 21 wealthy nations earlier this year exceeded government tallies by 20 percent on average, according to a study published Wednesday. Looking at the period from mid-February through May 2020, researchers reported 206,000 more deaths than would have been expected without the pandemic. But only 167,148 were officially traced to the coronavirus that has swept the globe since the start of the year, infecting tens of millions. Many of the roughly 40,000 unaccounted-for deaths were due to Covid-19 but not listed as such, especially early in the pandemic when overwhelmed hospitals in some nations were unable to systematically test patients.
• The sprint to find medical breakthroughs to contain Covid-19 stumbled this week, as a pair of pharmaceutical giants working to develop treatments and vaccines suffered setbacks in the clinic. On Tuesday, Eli Lilly & Co. said that enrollment in a government-sponsored clinical trial of its antibody therapy had been paused out of safety concerns. That came less than 24 hours after Johnson & Johnson said research on its experimental vaccine was paused after a study volunteer fell ill. The developments are likely to heighten worry that the pursuit of products to prevent and treat infections is moving too quickly. Regulators and drugmakers have faced questions about whether political pressure was overwhelming scientific rigor ahead of the presidential election on Nov. 3.
• A 45-YEAR-OLD man has become the first in the world to go permanently deaf from the coronavirus, doctors have warned. The case is the first in the UK and experts have said sudden, permanent loss of hearing is linked to Covid-19 infections in some people. The case in the UK comes after experts at the University of Manchester said people who have recovered from the virus have reported a deterioration in their hearing as well as conditions such as tinnitus.
• A surge of coronavirus cases in Europe has left two of its biggest cities scrambling to enforce new rules, curfews and lockdowns in a bid to curb the spread. Both London and Paris have seen an influx in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, prompting leaders to step in with new measures meant to keep people socially distant and in their homes as much as possible. A curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. will hit France starting Friday night, affecting around 20 million people in Paris and eight other cities, including Lyon, Toulouse and Aix-Marseille, CNN reported. These cities have also seen the closure of bars, gyms and swimming pools, and violators will face a 135 euro fine (about $158) for a first offense, according to CNN and the Associated Press.

October 14, 2020

• The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus: COVID-19 antibodies last at least three months, COVID-19 symptoms linger for months for many, Remdesivir cut COVID-19 recovery time by 5 days, and Coronavirus rarely travels from mother to newborn.
• An otherwise healthy 25-year-old Nevada man is the first American confirmed to have caught COVID-19 twice, with the second infection worse than the first.
  He has recovered, but his case raises questions about how long people are protected after being infected with the coronavirus that causes the disease, and potentially how protective a vaccine might be.
• Eli Lilly's phase three trial of its ACTIV-3 monoclonal antibody treatment for the coronavirus has been paused due to potential safety concerns. The ACTIV-3 trial is designed to test a monoclonal antibody developed by Eli Lilly in combination with remdesivir, an antiviral with emergency use authorization for the virus. It's one of several ongoing trials, as part of the National Institute of Health's "Activ" program, designed to accelerate the development of vaccine treatments in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry.

October 13, 2020

• The virus that causes COVID-19 can survive far longer than previously thought — remaining infectious on surfaces such as bank notes, glass, phone screens and stainless steel for 28 days, according to a new study. By comparison, the flu virus has been shown to survive on surfaces for 17 days.
• The number of new COVID-19 cases rose 11% in the United States last week compared to the previous seven days, with infections spreading rapidly in the Midwest, which reported some of the highest positive test rates, according to a Reuters analysis. Deaths fell 3% to about 4,800 people for the week ended Oct. 11, according to the analysis of state and county reports. Since the pandemic started, nearly 215,000 people have died in the United States and over 7.7 million have become infected with the novel coronavirus.
• A COVID-19 outbreak that infected 11 people across four states ― including Illinois ― began with a 13-year-old girl who transmitted the virus during a three-week family vacation over the summer, according to a Centers for Disease Control report. Several family members involved in the case were from suburban Cook County, local public health officials confirmed, but would not give any more information about the individuals due to privacy concerns. A Cook County Department of Public Health spokeswoman added that the community is not currently at risk from this particular outbreak, which occurred months ago. But the case highlights that kids and teens can contract and spread the virus, public health experts say. It also serves as a cautionary tale before the holiday season, a traditional time for many large family get-togethers.

October 7, 2020

• The New York City mayor warned that there are dark days ahead as a new outbreak of the coronavirus affects the city. "We have a couple of tough weeks ahead," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Wednesday morning.  "We have to all work together." He made the assessment as he announced closures of non-essential businesses for "at least 14 days" in areas of the city starting on Thursday.  The rules affect hundreds of thousands of residents. The closures and new rules will be in designated 'red zones" in Brooklyn and Queens.  He has also set up "orange zones" with other rules in communities that surround the red zones. De Blasio also announced increased fines for non-compliance of COVID-19 rules. Fines for mass gatherings in the affected areas will be up to $15,000.  The fines for not social distancing or refusing to wear a mask will be up to $1,000.
• As COVID-19 cases spread through the White House and ruffle the Senate, cases among front-line workers on Capitol Hill continue to rise in the center of American government, which to this day lacks a comprehensive testing regimen for all workers. There are now 123 Legislative Branch employees or contractors who have tested positive — or are presumed positive — for COVID-19, according to Ashley Phelps, a Republican spokeswoman for the House Administration Committee. This total has increased by 20 since Aug. 28. The count includes 46 Capitol Police employees, 42 Architect of the Capitol employees and 35 contractors working on the Cannon Building renovation project. These numbers reflect total cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Billionaire wealth reached record high levels amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a report by UBS and PwC found, as a rally in stock prices and gains in technology and healthcare helped the wealth of the world's richest break the $10 trillion mark. The report, covering over 2,000 billionaires representing some 98% of the cohort's total wealth, found billionaire wealth grew by more than a quarter during the early months of the pandemic to reach $10.2 trillion in July, breaking the previous record of $8.9 trillion at the end of 2019. The figure represents a five- to ten-fold rise over the past 25 years, the span covered by the UBS and PwC database, when billionaire wealth stood at just over $1 trillion.

October 5, 2020

• The tally of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose past 50,000 to hit the highest level since mid-August, as more people close to President Trump tested positive for the virus and the president received treatment after being diagnosed with Covid-19. More than 54,000 new U.S. cases were reported Friday, the most since Aug. 14, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
• Gov. Cuomo on Monday ordered a swift shutdown of schools in nine Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that have seen troubling spikes in COVID-19 infection rates, though restaurants, houses of worship and other nonessential businesses in the hotspots can stay open for now. Mayor de Blasio asked Cuomo for permission on Sunday to shutter all schools and nonessential businesses in the nine zip codes with coronavirus resurgences starting Wednesday. But Cuomo, in a briefing from his Midtown office, overruled de Blasio and moved up the schools closure to Tuesday.

October 2, 2020

• High fever, body aches, headaches and exhaustion are some of the symptoms participants in Moderna and Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trials say they felt after receiving the shots. While the symptoms were uncomfortable, and at times intense, they often went away after a day, sometimes less. The phase three trials are a critical last step needed to get the vaccines cleared for distribution.
• President Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus. The president was experiencing mild symptoms, according to reports. Trump’s diagnosis of Covid-19 came two days after his first debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Top Trump aide Hope Hicks tested positive shortly before Trump and the first lady.
• A US woman who underwent a COVID-19 nasal swab test got her brain's lining punctured, doctors reported in a medical journal. The 40-year-old US woman suffered this life-thretening infection as the test conducted on her may not have been carried properly, the medical experts claimed. She also had an undiagnosed rare condition. However, doctors have used this case as a warning to the healthcare workers all around the world. Jarrett Walsh, senior author of the paper that appeared in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, said her case showed health care professionals should take care to follow testing protocols closely. The people who suffer from extensive sinus and and/or have been through skull-base surgery should exercise caution and request oral testing instead of nasal swab, Walsh added.

September 30, 2020

• Disney to lay off 28,000 employees as coronavirus slams its theme park business. The company blamed prolonged closures and capacity limits at open parks for the layoffs. While Disney’s theme parks in Florida, Paris, Shanghai, Japan and Hong Kong have been able to reopen with limited capacity, both California theme parks have remained shuttered.
• A test to detect Covid-19 that can be done at the point of care and gives results in 15 minutes has been given the greenlight in Europe, maker Becton Dickinson said. The test should be commercially available in Europe by the end of October. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization in July.
• Moderna will not be the company to fulfill President Donald Trump's wish for a coronavirus vaccine by Election Day, the firm's CEO said Wednesday. Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times that his firm would not have enough data from its late-stage trials to submit to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until November 25, at the earliest. Bancel had previously said Moderna would likely have enough data from its coronavirus vaccine trials to know whether or not the shot works by November, but said there was a slim possibility it could know if the shot worked by October.

September 29, 2020

• New York City officials are threatening to impose a sweeping lockdown starting Tuesday on neighborhoods with soaring COVID-19 infection rates. City Hall higher-ups were huddling Monday to review which potential restrictions could be imposed on areas that now have rates up to four times the statewide and Big Apple averages, sources told The Post. The clampdown — which would represent the first time the city rolled back its reopening efforts — could include shutting down all non-essential businesses in the areas again, banning gatherings of more than 10 people, closing private schools and day care centers if they don’t meet city Department of Education safety standards and issuing fines for refusing to wear masks, the city said.
• The Covid-19 global death toll marked yet another a grim milestone, taking more than 1 million lives. CNBC has pulled together a package of stories looking back at how the coronavirus has changed society over the last nine months. Roughly half of the world’s total Covid-19 fatalities have been reported in only four countries — the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.

September 28, 2020

• Over half of small businesses worry social distancing will hurt their chances of survival. Small business owners around the U.S. indicate slightly improved sales conditions since the spring, according to a new survey from Verizon Business. Still, over half on Main Street remain worried that social distancing measures decrease their survival chances.
• Apple is known for its sleek, innovative designs and game-changing products. So it’s fitting that Apple has developed its own version of a product that people around the world use daily: face masks. The custom face masks are intended for retail and corporate Apple employees to use to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Apple confirmed to Bloomberg on Sept. 9.
• While Dr. Anthony Fauci admits most “so-called immune boosting” supplements being marketed amid Covid-19 mostly do “nothing,” he does believe in the benefits of vitamin D. “If you are deficient in vitamin D, that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. So I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself taking vitamin D supplements,” Fauci, 79, said during an Instagram Live on Sept. 10. But figuring out whether you are vitamin D deficient and how much of the supplement you need to take is complicated. In fact, medical professionals have been debating the efficacy of routine vitamin D screenings and supplementation recommendations for years.

September 25, 2020

• Annrene Rowe was getting ready to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary this summer when she noticed a bald spot on her scalp. In the following days, her thick, shoulder-length hair started falling out in clumps, bunching up in the shower drain. “I was crying hysterically,” said Rowe, 67, of Anna Maria, Florida. Rowe, who was hospitalized for 12 days in April with symptoms of the coronavirus, soon found strikingly similar stories in online groups of COVID-19 survivors. Many said that several months after contracting the virus, they began shedding startling amounts of hair. Doctors say they too are seeing many more patients with hair loss, a phenomenon they believe is indeed related to the coronavirus pandemic, affecting both people who had the virus and those who never became sick.

September 24, 2020

• Dogs that are trained to sniff out the coronavirus are being deployed at Helsinki Airport. The hope is that their sensitive noses can speed up the process of identifying potential carriers of the virus. The director of Finland’s Helsinki-Vantaa airport, which is run by Finavia, said it was one of the first airports to pilot the project.
• Coronavirus pandemic fuels affordability crisis for homebuyers. The median home prices of single-family homes and condos in the third quarter are less affordable than historical averages in 63% of U.S. counties, up from 54% a year ago, according to Attom Data Solutions, a property data-base. Of the largest counties analyzed, the least affordable included Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Miami.
• When will children get a COVID-19 vaccine? It's going to be a while. Children are not included in the ongoing trials for a COVID-19 vaccine, so it's likely to be well into next year or beyond before they'll be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus that causes the disease. Some say that's not a problem because the vast majority of children don't get severely ill from COVID-19. Others argue that kids can still pass on the virus – to teachers, parents, grandparents – and that we won't be able to truly end the pandemic without vaccinating children.
• Some parents in Wisconsin’s suburban Washington and Ozaukee counties have sent their children to school knowing they had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, state health officials said. “Something that happened and continued to happen … which I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would happen, is people sent their known positive kids to school,” Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department Officer Kirsten Johnson told WISN. Johnson said there have been at least three instances where students tested positive and came to class anyways, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In one case, a student was so ill that they went to the nurse’s office. The nurse discovered that the student was on a list of those who had recently tested positive and should not have been in school.

September 23, 2020

• Counties that excel in health aren’t immune to the pandemic, but preparation and public health strategies have helped them fight back. Anticipating the coronavirus pandemic that smashed into New York City would crash over his suburban New Jersey community, John Bonanni, a county administrator, believed he'd prepared for the worst. But in early spring, as infections surged and hospital bedspace and ventilators ran short, Bonanni worried the worst might have been an underestimate. Half a continent away, as Wyoming's ski season wound down, Jodie Pond's plan to fight the oncoming contagion ramped up. The health director for a county that includes Jackson Hole, an international tourist destination, Pond and her colleagues decided the area must go on lockdown, even if resort and business owners didn't like it. Meanwhile, in the Centennial State, Colorado communities were emerging as coronavirus hot zones, with Denver an epicenter. And as infections mounted, a patchwork of responses led to uneven results in fighting COVID-19.
• In one Michigan county, almost half the COVID-19 cases are tied to farm outbreaks. Health department emails show that some farms resisted COVID-19 testing and workers claimed farms didn't take steps to keep them safe.
• JPMorgan traders complain that bank doesn’t inform all staff of coronavirus cases at headquarters. Some JPMorgan Chase traders are upset that they only learned about a coronavirus case in their building last week from press reports, CNBC has learned. JPMorgan’s global markets head, Troy Rohrbaugh, was asked about the matter during a virtual town hall meeting last Thursday, said the people. His response: The bank’s policy is to inform only those who had been on the floor or who may have had contact with a sick person. Goldman Sachs also discloses coronavirus cases only to workers who had meetings with or who worked on the same floor as somebody who has fallen ill, according to a person with knowledge of the bank’s policy.

September 21, 2020

• Researchers are finding growing evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic’s deadly reach is stretching far beyond people who died from coronavirus infections. From Alzheimer’s disease deaths to fatal heart attacks, federal data show deaths in 2020 have exceeded those of previous years in numerous categories. Doctors and health researchers say the fatalities reflect the ways the pandemic has amplified stress and financial strain while causing many people to avoid hospitals for fear of infections.
• The Ohio State University College of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have been awarded a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term, longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on first responders, healthcare workers and the general population. The funding will help researchers learn more about exposure risks, transmission, immune responses, disease severity, protection, and barriers to testing and vaccination. Researchers say they hope the data will improve population health and clinical outcomes in the face of COVID-19.

September 18, 2020

• Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, warned Friday that the coronavirus is “not going away,” noting that it’s still killing about 50,000 people a week. WHO officials said they are beginning to see “worrying trends” in the number of Covid-19 cases, ICU admissions and hospitalizations in the Northern Hemisphere as it enters its colder seasons. Seroepidemiology studies that examine the extent of coronavirus infection in different populations indicate that a majority of the world’s population is susceptible to infection from this virus, they said.

September 17, 2020

• Eli Lilly reports a reduced rate of hospitalization for coronavirus patients using its antibody treatment. The U.S. drugmaker said the experimental treatment helped patients rid their systems of the coronavirus sooner, potentially preventing them from hospitalization. The monoclonal antibody, developed by Eli Lilly and AbCeller, was identified from a blood sample taken from one of the first U.S. patients who recovered from Covid-19. Eli Lilly is one of several companies developing antibody drugs as a potential bridge to a vaccine, alongside GlaxoSmithKline and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
• The White House says a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump visited Philadelphia. However, officials say the person was “not associated with” and did not affect the president’s trip. When asked about a report that staff members tested positive earlier Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, “I’m not here to give people’s personal identities” and that “close contacts” with a person who has since tested positive would be notified, according to Bloomberg.

September 15, 2020

• Americans are raiding retirement savings during coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 3 in 10 Americans have decreased or stopped their retirement savings due to the economic fallout of Covid-19, one survey found. Savers, especially those who lost their jobs or work hours, may have no other option.
• Doctors are concerned about a widespread and infrequently discussed side effect of COVID-19: Mental illness. A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity found that more than half of people who survive COVID-19 later develop a mental health condition such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. In the first study of its kind, researchers interviewed 402 people who had previously been hospitalized for COVID-19. They were asked to complete a questionnaire one month after their hospital treatment. The results indicated that 28% of respondents qualified as having PTSD, while 42% had anxiety, 31% had depression, 20% exhibited symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 40% reported insomnia.
• At least 70 percent of coronavirus patients in a new study were still suffering from lung trouble months after leaving the hospital. Researchers in Henan Province, China, looked at 55 patients who had since recovered and been cleared to go to work, according to the findings published in the journal EClinicalMedicine. Only four of the cases had been considered severe, though none required a ventilator, the study says. But three months after being discharged, many of the patients were still experiencing lingering symptoms. Nearly two-thirds complained of problems that included shortness of breath, cough, gastrointestinal issues and headaches. And though none had pre-existing lung problems, the majority were now plagued with respiratory issues.

September 14, 2020

• Remote education for kids at home versus in-person teaching at school isn't just inconvenient for many parents, it could cost them their jobs if they can't nail down affordable childcare. Research from hedge fund Brevan Howard found that more than 4 million U.S. workers who can't do their jobs from home could end up having to leave the workforce this fall, the Wall Street Journal recently reported. The firm calculated that 5.3 million parents have jobs that require their physical presence and children under the age of 14, too young to be left at home on their own. Researchers also estimated that 81% of children will be educated remotely this fall, based on the 100 largest school districts' reopening plans, according to the report. That suggests 4.3 million workers could have to quit their jobs unless they can come up with a suitable alternative to childcare.
• The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil, according to the agency's website. Deaths rose by 5,537 to a total of 917,417. India reported 94,372 new cases, followed by the United States with 45,523 new infections and Brazil with 43,718. Both the United States and India each reported over 1,000 new deaths and Brazil reported 874 lives lost in the past 24 hours. The previous WHO record for new cases was 306,857 on Sept. 6. The agency reported a record 12,430 deaths on April 17. India leads the world in new cases reported each day and set a global record last week with 97,570 cases reported in a single day, according to a Reuters tally.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced a new countrywide lockdown will be imposed amid a stubborn surge in coronavirus cases, with schools and parts of the economy expected to shut down in a bid to bring down infection rates. Beginning Friday, the start of the Jewish High Holiday season, schools, restaurants, malls and hotels will shut down, among other businesses, and Israelis will face restrictions on movement and on gatherings.

September 10, 2020

• A South Carolina third grade teacher who was last in her classroom less than two weeks ago has died from COVID-19, officials at the Richland 2 School District said Wednesday. Demetria “Demi” Bannister, 28, was diagnosed with the virus on Friday and died Monday, school district spokeswoman Libby Roof said in a news release. Bannister was a third grade teacher starting her fifth year of teaching at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia, officials said. She was at the school on Aug. 28, during a week of teacher workdays before the school year began. She started teaching the following week from home, officials said. The district said it is tracing anyone who had close contact with Bannister and instructed custodians to deeply clean the school.
• Ten million daily Covid tests will be dished out to get Brits back to the footie, theatre and their mate’s house under new Government plans costing £100billion. The entire population of the UK could be tested in a week under Downing Street’s ambitious Operation Moonshot programme. Boris Johnson vowed to roll out new tests which can deliver results in just 15 minutes. He said a negative result would give Brits a “freedom pass” — allowing people to mingle like they did before Covid.

September 9, 2020

• California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died, the school announced Tuesday. Stephens, a senior defensive lineman, was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens. Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Stephens played, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the disease. Stephens played in 32 games for California University in his first three seasons. The school was not playing football this fall with COVID-19 health concerns forcing sports to be halted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
• AstraZeneca PLC said Tuesday it paused clinical trials of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine after a participant in a U.K. study had an unexplained illness. The company, which licensed the vaccine from developers at the University of Oxford, said the voluntary pause was a routine action that would allow an independent committee to review safety data. The halt is a setback for the vaccine effort, which has long been touted as one of the world’s most advanced candidates. The shot had quickly progressed to late-stage studies in various countries, with AstraZeneca already signing contracts that could result in the delivery of initial doses this fall.

September 8, 2020

• The heads of nine biopharmaceutical companies issued a letter early Tuesday pledging to fully vet their COVID-19 candidate vaccines before asking for federal approval to market them. "We, the undersigned biopharmaceutical companies, want to make clear our on-going commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for COVID-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles," the statement said. The statement comes amid increasing concern among public health officials, scientists and doctors that the White House might bring significant political pressure to bear on the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before the Nov. 3 presidential election. All nine companies are individually or jointly developing a candidate COVID-19 vaccine supported at least in part with federal dollars, which so far amounts to more than $10 billion.
• Coronavirus lingering on chilled salmon may be infectious for more than a week, according to researchers in China, where imported fish have been investigated as a potential source of infections. Researchers at the South China Agricultural University and Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Guangzhou found SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, collected from salmon samples could survive for eight days at 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s roughly the temperature at which the fish are transported. The research was released Sunday in a report ahead of publication and peer review. Chinese authorities have been investigating imported meat, packaging and containers as a potential source of Covid-19 since June after repeatedly finding traces of the pathogen on packaging and food.

September 7, 2020

• The World Health Organization said Friday it did not expect widespread immunisation against the novel coronavirus until mid-2021, tempering hopes just as research revealed encouraging early results from a Russian vaccine. Across the world, governments are hoping to announce a vaccine as soon as possible against the virus, which has infected well over 26 million people, upended millions of lives and wreaked havoc on the global economy.

September 4, 2020

• Cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, appear to be prevalent among Big Ten athletes, said Penn State's director of athletic medicine, impacting roughly one-third of all athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Wayne Sebastianelli, who is also the team doctor for Penn State football, said Monday during a meeting of the State College Area School District board of directors that cardiac scans of Big Ten athletes who contracted COVID-19 showed "30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles" indicated symptoms of myocarditis. "And we really just don’t know what to do with it right now," he said. "It’s still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten’s decision to sort of put a hiatus on what’s happening." Myocarditis, which can be fatal, was a driver behind the Big Ten's decision to postpone the coming season with the possibility to return this winter or spring.
• Millions of Americans count on a COVID-19 vaccine to curb the pandemic and return life to normal. Though one or more options could be available toward the end of this year or early next, the path to delivering vaccines to 330 million people remains unclear for the health officials expected to carry out the work. In a four-page memo this summer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by Oct. 1 “to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.” Health departments that have been underfunded for decades said they lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses. Nor do they know when, or if, they’ll get federal aid to do that.

September 3, 2020

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified public health officials in all 50 states and five large cities to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine to health care workers and other high-risk groups as soon as late October or early November. The new C.D.C. guidance is the latest sign of an accelerating race for a vaccine to ease a pandemic that has killed more than 184,000 Americans. The documents were sent out on the same day that President Trump told the nation in his speech to the Republican National Convention that a vaccine might arrive before the end of the year.
• Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sent a letter last week to the nation’s governors with an urgent request. The Trump administration wanted them to do everything in their power to eliminate hurdles for vaccine distribution sites to be fully operational by Nov. 1.
  The Aug. 27 letter, obtained by McClatchy, asked governors to fast-track permits and licenses for new distribution sites.

September 2, 2020

• Apple and Google teamed up to develop push notifications that let iOS and Android users know if they might have been exposed to COVID-19. The companies announced the news on Tuesday and the effort is called Exposure Notifications Express. It's an opt-in based system that lets your local public health agency alert you to potential coronavirus exposure via a notice on your smartphone. It'll also allow the agency to guide residents on actions to take if they've been exposed, according to Apple and Google. The development picks up where the company's other collaborative effort left off.
• Cars have famously served as a makeshift bedroom for young or illicit lovers seeking private time together. But since the proliferation of the coronavirus pandemic, cars are taking on even more functions, proving they're not just for transporting people from point A to point B. Two separate surveys showed that many people are increasingly using their cars to get away from the people they live with, get a change of scenery, take a nap, make a personal or business call, get some "me" time or just to feel normal again.
• The Transportation Security Administration is installing full-height plastic barriers at 37 airports nationwide to protect security screeners and passengers from the spread of coronavirus. The agency completed installing them at San Diego International Airport on Thursday, and will install more than 1,200 by the time the project will be completed in early fall. "As long as this virus remains a threat, TSA will continue to implement the measures necessary for containment, including acrylic barriers as well as technologies that reduce or eliminate physical contact," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske in a statement in early August. The barriers are more substantial than the countertop shields that have been put in place at security checkpoints the past several months. They also supplement the use of gloves, face masks and disinfecting solutions.
• Coronavirus live updates: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on Tuesday but failed to forge a breakthrough on the fifth congressional coronavirus relief package. Cheap, readily available steroid drugs that were used to treat people hospitalized with Covid-19 cut the risk of death by one-third, according to an analysis encompassing seven different clinical trials, STAT news publication reported.

August 31, 2020

• Canada to purchase 76 million doses of Novavax coronavirus vaccine, company says. Novavax said it expects to finalize an agreement that would see it begin to supply Canada with doses “as early as the second quarter of 2021,” the company said. The company’s vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, is currently in phase two trials. Novavax has previously said it could begin late-stage trials as early as October.
• Coronavirus live updates: Just three weeks after surpassing 5 million confirmed coronavirus infections, the U.S. on Monday quietly rolled past 6 million cases.
  Global cases surpassed 25 million on Sunday. With the pressure on to alleviate the crisis, FDA chief Stephen Hahn says his agency could authorize use of a vaccine before completion of Phase Three trials now being conducted by multiple drug companies. New Jersey announced Monday that it will allow indoor restaurant dining for the first time in more than five months. A few miles away in Flushing Meadows, New York, the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament kicked off, albeit without fans.

August 28, 2020

• For life to return to "normal," a coronavirus vaccine will need to have at least 80 percent efficiency, a computer model has found. By simulating different vaccine scenarios in a population, researchers from the U.S. looked at how effective a vaccine would need to be if it were to stop the pandemic alone. The team, led by Bruce Y. Lee from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, found that if 75 percent of the population got the vaccine, 80 percent effectiveness would stop an ongoing epidemic. If only 60 percent got the vaccine, it would need to have 100 percent efficiency to extinguish the epidemic. Their findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
• And you thought snakes in a toilet was a nightmare. Scientists now say that the coronavirus may be able to spread throughout buildings, via toilets and drain pipes — an especially alarming prospect for apartment dwellers with suspect plumbing. The discovery was made in China, after researchers swabbed the “long vacant” apartment directly below a family of five who tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the fact that no one was living in the apartment below, the researchers found traces of the virus on the sink, faucet and shower handle. This suggested the virus particles potentially wafted from the infected family down the pipes into the vacant apartment, according to the researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which published their findings this month in the journal Environment International.

August 26, 2020

• At least 531 students, faculty, and staff on the University of Alabama's main campus in Tuscaloosa have been infected with the virus, officials reported. As a result, the mayor of Tuscaloosa announced Monday that the city is closing bars for the next two weeks after University of Alabama officials described an “unacceptable” rise in COVID-19 cases that could derail plans to continue the semester on campus. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced the closures along with the end of bar service at restaurants during a news conference with campus officials. Maddox said university officials requested the action. Maddox said an unchecked spread of the virus threatens both the health care system and the local economy if students are sent home for the semester to do remote learning.
• The Great Depression permanently altered many people’s behavior. Could COVID-19 do the same? During the past five months, many prognosticators have prognosticated about how the coronavirus pandemic will transform politics, work, travel, education, and other domains. Less sweepingly, but just as powerfully, it will also transform the people who are living through it, rearranging the furniture of their inner life. When this is all over—and perhaps even long after that—how will we be different? For one thing, we’ll better understand the importance of washing our hands. Others foresaw themselves avoiding many activities that are currently risky, possibly for the rest of their life. But even if our behaviors do fade, perhaps our mental landscapes will remain changed. Some people said that the pandemic had infiltrated their dreams, possibly lastingly.
• A healthy, 33-year-old man has provided researchers in Hong Kong with some of the first definitive evidence that people can get the novel coronavirus twice. "This is the world's first documentation of a patient who recovered from COVID-19 but got another episode of COVID-19, afterwards," researchers from Hong Kong University said in a press release on Monday, as they announced their reinfection study has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. This case isn't reason for the general public to panic, though. Instead, it shows how previous infections can provide people with some decent protection from another coronavirus illness. Because while the man in this study had some of the most worrisome symptoms of COVID-19 when he first got sick back in March, he had no coronavirus symptoms on his second time around. Many epidemiologists have anticipated coronavirus reinfections just like his could be possible.
• The CDC has quietly revised its guidance on coronavirus testing to say that people without symptoms who were exposed to an infected person might not need to be tested. The agency previously recommended testing for anyone with a “recent known or suspected exposure” to the virus even if they did not have symptoms. The CDC’s previous guidance cited “the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission” as a reason why people without symptoms who were exposed to the virus be “quickly identified and tested.”

August 25, 2020

• The NFL went through one of its biggest COVID-19 scares of training camp after there were 77 positive tests that came about on Saturday. Upon further examination for this spike, however, it was revealed that these were false-positives as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that all of the original tests were rerun on Sunday night and each of them came back negative for the coronavirus. Those 77 individuals also underwent additional testing and all of those tests came back negative as well. On Monday, Jon R. Cohen, M.D., the Executive Chairman of BioReference Laboratories, the testing partner of the NFL, released a statement explaining that these false-positives were due to an isolated contamination in the New Jersey lab.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday dropped its recommendation for travelers to quarantine for 14 days upon returning from trips overseas or out of state during the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC updated its guidelines on its website. Though the two-week recommendation was changed, the federal agency did caution travelers that they can still contract the novel coronavirus while traveling. The CDC recommends travelers wear masks indoors, wash hands, maintain social distancing guidelines, and monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19.
• White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned members of Congress in late June that the U.S. might report more than 100,000 daily new cases of the virus “if this does not turn around.” But months later, Fauci’s worst fears have not come to pass as daily new cases have steadily fallen across much of the U.S. over the past month. Epidemiologists say more unified health messaging, public compliance and closures of businesses are largely to thank for the drop.
• More than half of all storefronts in San Francisco are no longer in business due to COVID-19, according to the survey by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “The survey showed only 46 percent of storefront businesses in San Francisco that were open at the beginning of the pandemic are still operating,” said Jay Cheng, spokesman of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. That means 1200 stores are still open, while about 1300 have closed, Cheng said. “There’s a lot of reasons for that. If you’re a fitness studio, you can’t open because of the pandemic. If you’re a retail space, you could open, but you might have decided that there isn’t enough foot traffic or enough customer base to make that worthwhile to reopen. So it’s become a very difficult situation,” Cheng said.

August 24, 2020

• Christian Baran has been thinking about the value his college tuition is supposed to be buying since the spring. Baran, 21, was a sophomore at Cornell University when the school, like most others, rushed students home and into online classrooms in March as the reality of the pandemic began to set in. Baran thought his family might get some sort of tuition refund, given that the experience was so different from what he thought his tuition was buying. “But we didn’t get anything,” Baran said. Like almost every college in the country, Cornell didn’t give back any tuition money, but the school did provide rebates for housing and dining contracts. Now, as the start of the fall semester at the school approaches, the school is moving forward with a planned tuition increase of 3.6% that was approved in January before the pandemic. Cornell, which is planning to bring students back to Ithaca and offer some in-person classes, is expecting to increase the amount of financial aid it awards, and will be drawing more than typical from its endowment in fiscal year 2021 to generate an additional $15 million.
• Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he would shut down the economy to stop the spread of the coronavirus, if that was the course of action scientists recommended to him. In his first joint interview with his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden said that the Trump White House’s “fundamental flaw” during the pandemic was not to get it completely under control. Fed officials have said the future health of the economy depends on the course the virus takes.

August 20, 2020

• Sports columnist Bill Plaschke writes about his bout with the novel coronavirus. Yes, he says, it’s really as bad as you’ve heard. Yeah, I’ve got the ‘Rona. Who’d have guessed? After I spent four months writing about how this nasty incurable coronavirus should shut down the sports world, it laughingly shut me down too. It didn’t care that I respected it. It didn’t matter that I used noted scientists to warn sports fans of its perils. It was as if my ominous words were lifted from the page and injected directly into my veins. In an instant, my fears for others became prayers for myself.

August 19, 2020

• A growing number of COVID survivors are reporting experiencing symptoms long after their CDC-recommended two-week self-isolation period passes. Recently Survivor Corps—a Facebook group that connects COVID-19 survivors with medical, scientific, and academic research communities—and Natalie Lambert, MD, surveyed 1,567 long-haulers (people with long-term COVID symptoms) about the symptoms they have experienced. The report notes that the symptoms featured on the survey list were based on research but the survey was made "open" so participants could add symptoms as needed. Ranked from least common to most common, these are all 98 of the long-term COVID symptoms reported by the long-haulers.
• Scientists warn it may be years before students can return to school without masks, social distancing. It’s unclear how soon the clinical trials needed to vaccinate children against Covid-19 will be completed. Until now, most drugmakers working on a potential vaccine have tested only healthy adults. Pregnant women and children are often the last to get tested.
• The University of Notre Dame abruptly paused in-person learning for undergraduate students for at least two weeks after more than 100 students tested positive for Covid-19 just over a week into classes. The announcement comes after the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier this week reversed its decision to hold undergraduate in-person classes for the semester due to a rise in cases on its campus.

August 18, 2020

• The WHO warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is now being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who don’t know they are infected. Most of the young people either never developed symptoms or had mild symptoms, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, WHO’s regional director for the Western Pacific, said during a news briefing. “This increases the risk of spillovers to the most vulnerable: the elderly, the sick, people in long-term care, people who live in densely populated urban areas” and rural areas with limited health care. Kasai said world leaders and the public must “redouble efforts” to stop the virus from moving into vulnerable communities.

August 17, 2020

• The coronavirus pandemic has led to a marked deterioration in Americans’ mental health, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study made public on Thursday. That study, which surveyed 5,412 Americans, found that “40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition.” According to the new study, 31 percent of respondents were suffering from symptoms of anxiety or depression; 26 percent experienced symptoms of traumatic disorder; 13 percent were using drugs or alcohol more heavily, or for the first time, to cope with the pandemic; and 11 percent had seriously contemplated suicide.
• Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are choosing neck gaiters as their go-to face covering. The ease with which they can slide up and down the face makes them a favorite among runners and hikers. Now, however, a new study suggests this lightweight, breathable fabric may be worse at blocking the coronavirus than wearing no face mask at all. The best masks are N95 masks without valves. These types of masks are commonly used by healthcare workers and in medical facilities. Researchers say surgical or polypropylene face coverings and fabric (cotton) masks also work relatively well.
  In contrast, bandanas and neck gaiters do not block fluid droplets well at all. Study authors explain that neck gaiters cause larger fluid droplets to break up into smaller particles. This increases droplet counts and could allow particles to hang around in the air for longer periods of time. This, in turn, could raise the likelihood that someone wearing a neck gaiter transmits COVID-19 to others nearby.

August 14, 2020

• The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus illness COVID-19 world-wide rose above 20.7 million on Thursday and the U.S. suffered its biggest death toll since May with almost 1,500 fatalities counted in a single day. The U.S. has averaged more than 1,000 deaths a day for two weeks, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. Wednesday’s deaths were mostly concentrated in Sun Belt states that saw the worst case spikes in June and July, the New York Times reported. A Times analysis of data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that at least 200,000 more Americans than usual have died since March, or about 60,000 more than the official data is linking to COVID-19. The findings were in line with a report published by “The Conversation.”
• The United States needs to get control of Covid-19 and carefully reopen the country, or the consequences could be devastating, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. "To think that you can ignore the biologic and get the economy back, it's not gonna happen," Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, told actor Matthew McConaughey in an interview on Instagram. "It's just not gonna happen. You gotta do both. You gotta get control of the biologic as you carefully open the country." Fauci emphasized the importance of acting in a measured, prudent way. He noted that Americans have seen the consequences of jumping over the guideposts that have been established for safe reopening.
• The coronavirus is at least as deadly as the 1918 flu pandemic and the death toll could even be worse if world leaders and public health officials fail to adequately contain it, researchers warned in a study published Thursday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. “What we want people to know is that this has 1918 potential,” lead author Dr. Jeremy Faust said in an interview, adding that the outbreak in New York was at least 70% as bad as the one in 1918 when doctors didn’t have ventilators or other advances to help save lives like they do today. “This is not something to just shrug off like the flu.” Researchers compared excess deaths in New York City during the peak of the 1918 pandemic with those during the first few months of the Covid-19 outbreak. They used public data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct their analysis.
• With so much Covid-19 infection asymptomatic, many see surveillance testing as key to keeping employees safe. One biotech CEO put together a system for 50 companies that returns results in a median of 12 hours. The testing enabled researchers to get back to labs safely since clinical research can’t be done from home.

August 13, 2020

• It’s hard to know what’s worse — the dying or the lying. More than 32,000 New Yorkers have died from the coronavirus, a toll higher than any other state. New York also ranks second to the worst out of all 50 states, in deaths per million residents. Only New Jersey did worse. Cuomo is doing everything he can to coverup the errors. He’s stonewalling bipartisan efforts in Albany to investigate the deaths of thousands of elderly in nursing homes ravaged by the virus.
• As the United States reported its highest number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in a single day since mid-May, President Trump on Wednesday continued to press for the nation’s schools to bring children into classrooms, for businesses to open and for athletes to fill stadiums. The country has now seen its seven-day average of newly reported deaths remain above 1,000 for 17 consecutive days.
• The World Health Organization said Thursday there is “no evidence” the coronavirus is being transmitted through food. Researchers in China are studying the issue, and the international agency is tracking their findings, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s emergencies program, said during a press conference at the agency’s Geneva headquarters. But right now “there is no evidence that food or the food chain is participating in the transmission of this virus,” he said. “People should not fear food, or food packaging or processing or delivery of food. Food is very important. And I would hate to think that we would create an impression that there’s a problem with our food or there’s a problem with our food chain. We’re under enough pressure as it is,” he said.
• In a study that was published Tuesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers offered data that showed a relationship between e-cigarette use and a higher risk of getting the novel coronavirus in young adults. Stanford University researchers recruited more than 4,300 U.S. individuals, ages 13 to 24, to complete an online survey in May about their e-cigarette use, as well as whether they had experienced symptoms of COVID-19, had been tested for the virus or were diagnosed with the disease from a positive test. Data collected from the survey showed that e-cigarette users were five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, and those who used both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with respiratory illness, compared to those who did not use e-cigarettes or traditional cigarettes at all.

August 12, 2020

• As students head back to school, parents and teachers are increasingly concerned about how the coronavirus could spread — especially in buildings with inadequate ventilation. John Lednicky studies viruses at the University of Florida. "There was a lot of controversy about SARS-CoV-2 being transmitted or not being transmitted through airborne routes," Lednicky told CBS News. Analyzing air samples in a hospital room, Lednicky's team found infectious virus can spread through the air — up to 16 feet away from an infected patient — through tiny droplets called aerosols.
• The United States has entered an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to acquire 100 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine for around $1.5 billion, the company and White House said on Tuesday. The United States in recent weeks has made deals to acquire hundreds of millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines from several companies as part of its Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to deliver a vaccine in the country by the end of the year. Moderna’s price per dose comes to around $30.50 per person for a two-dose regimen.

August 11, 2020

• It’s a horrifying thought, not being able to see your loved one before they pass away. The sad truth of 2020 is that’s what’s happening all over the United States. A recent study finds a dramatic shift in where Americans are spending their final moments. Patients with COVID-19 this year are 12 times more likely to die in a medical facility than patients dying of any cause in 2018. Researchers add that many of these patients are tragically dying alone.
• A rare heart condition that could be linked with the coronavirus is fueling concern among Power 5 conference administrators about the viability of college sports this fall. Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among several other athletes in other conferences, according to two sources with knowledge of athletes' medical care. The condition is usually caused by a viral infection, including those that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza or mononucleosis. Left undiagnosed and untreated, it can cause heart damage and sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal. It is a rare condition, but the COVID-19 virus has been linked with myocarditis with a higher frequency than other viruses, based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence since the start of the pandemic.
• Millions may have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean the bills have stopped coming. Indeed, paying off bills are an unavoidable part of life, even during a pandemic. Unfortunately, a new survey of 2,000 Americans finds that one in four (24%) have already missed at least one payment since the pandemic began. A new survey shows that Americans are cutting costs or even adopting a ‘minimalistic’ lifestyle to make ends meet.

August 10, 2020

• Could the coronavirus lead to chronic illness? While lung scarring, heart and kidney damage may result from COVID-19, doctors and researchers are starting to clock the potential long-term impact of the virus on the brain also. Younger COVID-19 patients who were otherwise healthy are suffering blood clots and strokes. And many “long-haulers,” or COVID-19 patients who have continued showing symptoms for months after the initial infection passed, report neurological problems such as confusion and difficulty concentrating (or brain fog), as well as headaches, extreme fatigue, mood changes, insomnia and loss of taste and/or smell. Now a study of 60 COVID-19 patients published in Lancet this week finds that 55% of them were still displaying such neurological symptoms during follow-up visits three months later.
• New Zealand on Sunday marked 100 days since it was able to effectively eliminate the spread of coronavirus. The South Pacific nation suppressed the spread of the virus by implementing a strict lockdown — that closed the borders to foreign nationals — after only 100 people tested positive in late March. During the past three months, the only new cases that have cropped up were among returning travelers who were quarantined at the border of the country, which is home to 5 million.

August 7, 2020

• The Apple-Google coronavirus exposure notification tool, which the companies are offering to public health authorities to help build their Bluetooth-based Covid-19 contact tracing apps, was announced in April and debuted in May. Now it’s August, and we finally have one US state — Virginia — that has launched a contact tracing app that uses the technology. Outside of the US, several countries have launched or are developing apps that use the Apple-Google tool, with varying degrees of success. But it has yet to achieve anything close to widespread global usage.
• The United States has recorded more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, the highest number of daily fatalities in three months, Johns Hopkins University's real-time tally showed Thursday. The country, which has seen a major resurgence in coronavirus since the end of June, added 2,060 deaths in one day as well as more than 58,000 new cases, the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday). The last time the US recorded more than 2,000 deaths in 24 hours was on May 7.
• Alameda County in California has launched a new program to help patients stay home once they’ve been diagnosed with coronavirus. County officials hope to slow the spread of COVID-19 by helping families that face a sudden financial crisis when a test comes back positive. Schwab-Galindo has watched the pandemic land squarely on her community of working class neighborhoods, primarily people of color. That is exactly who Alameda County plans to help with a $1,250 stipend program for people who have to self-isolate after a positive test. The stipend is for those who do not receive unemployment benefits or sick leave, and requires a referral from one of five approved clinics.
• Don’t drink hand sanitizer. While using the alcohol-based gels and liquids has become an integral part of hand hygiene during the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a worrisome report showing some adults are suffering seizures, losing their vision and even dying from consuming hand sanitizer laced with methanol. The warning comes on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) expanding list of recalled hand sanitizer products that it says contain methanol, which is a toxic substance that could cause death if too much is absorbed into the skin or it is consumed. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer should only contain ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol), which are safe to use. But some products imported into the U.S. have been found to contain methanol -— despite claiming to have ethanol. Now the FDA’s “do not touch” list of toxic hand sanitizer brands has spilled over to 75 products, including brands such as Blumen and Hello Kitty by Sanrio.

August 6, 2020

• Bloomberg Virus Update: California had its second-deadliest day in the pandemic and Florida’s case count topped 500,000. Texas’s test positivity rate reached a three-week high. New York City is setting up checkpoints at key entry areas to enforce state quarantine rules for travelers. Joe Biden will accept the Democratic Party’s nomination from Delaware rather than risk traveling to Milwaukee. Chicago, the country’s third-largest school district, will have remote learning for public schools when classes resume next month. Johnson & Johnson will supply 100 million doses of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine to the U.S. The U.K. agreed to invest $18 million in a Scottish vaccine-manufacturing plant, while Moderna Inc. said it has received $400 million of deposits for its potential Covid-19 shot.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious disease, on Wednesday was unequivocal that the US coronavirus outbreak is the worst in the world. His words directly undercut the misleading and rosy picture President Donald Trump has sought to paint around the COVID-19 outbreak in the US, which is part of a broader effort to downplay his administration's failures in responding to the pandemic.
• Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington, has been trying to make sense of this summer's COVID-19 surge. He says he can theorize only in a general way about why the virus spread and what to do about it. "Yes, the new cases appear to be mainly young people," he said. "Yes, they may be letting down their guard. Yes, it might make sense to close the bars." But as a global health expert at the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, he says he should be able provide much more nuanced answers. State and local health officials say providing better data isn't so simple. Meager budgets, stodgy technology and disjointed state and local reporting systems make standardizing data an arduous undertaking.

August 4, 2020

• 'We're in for a bad and rocky ride:' Ex-WHO doctor who helped eradicate smallpox predicts COVID-19 turmoil for years.
• The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting not just Ohio’s major metropolitan areas but is ballooning throughout the state’s rural counties, weekly White House reports provided to state health officials show. Maps in those reports show that during the past month, the positivity rate in testing has crept upward in many counties that previously didn’t have enough positive tests for the coronavirus to even register on its scale. Those maps, obtained through a Dispatch public records request, show that in early June, 50 counties had too few cases to even calculate a positivity rate in the two weeks. But by mid-July, that had dropped to 18 counties.

August 3, 2020

• Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday said the US is in a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the deadly virus is more widespread than when it first took hold in the US earlier this year.
• In the public imagination, the arrival of a coronavirus vaccine looms large: It’s the neat Hollywood ending to the grim and agonizing uncertainty of everyday life in a pandemic. But public health experts are discussing among themselves a new worry: that hopes for a vaccine may be soaring too high. The confident depiction by politicians and companies that a vaccine is imminent and inevitable may give people unrealistic beliefs about how soon the world can return to normal and could lead to resistance to simple strategies that can tamp down transmission and save lives in the short term.
• Last week we warned readers to be cautious about new COVID-19 vaccines, highlighting how key parts of the clinical trials are being skipped as big pharma will not be held accountable for adverse side effects for administering the experimental drugs. A senior executive from AstraZeneca, Britain's second-largest drugmaker, told Reuters that his company was just granted protection from all legal action if the company's vaccine led to damaging side effects.
• Those coronavirus vaccines leading the race? Don't ditch the masks quite yet. Nearly $6 billion has been allocated. Clinical trials are entering a crucial third phase, and Operation Warp Speed is getting closer to the goal of delivering 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January. But when Americans line up for their immunizations, the vaccine they receive might not be what they expect. The popular notion of a vaccine — a shot in the arm that prevents diseases such as measles, polio or shingles for years or a lifetime — may not apply. Under recently released federal guidelines, a COVID-19 vaccine can be authorized for use if it is safe and proves effective in as few as 50% of those who receive it. And "effective" doesn't necessarily mean stopping people from getting sick from COVID-19. It means minimizing its most serious symptoms, experts say.
• U.S. cases have increased 0.9%. California and Arizona reported positive trends on new cases after battling a surge in infections last month. New Jersey, concerned about recent violations of social-distancing rules among young revelers, reduced crowd limits for indoor parties. Eli Lilly & Co. will begin testing its Covid-19 antibody drug in nursing homes, a treatment with potential to protect vulnerable groups that vaccines may not cover. Global coronavirus cases surpassed 18 million, with the pandemic now adding a million infections every four days.

July 29, 2020

• A Franklin County judge has granted a temporary restraining order against the enforcement of an ordinance forcing Columbus bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. Judge Mark Serrott granted the restraining order requested by several bars, including Pins Mechanical Co., 16-Bit Bar + Arcade, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Odfellows, and more. The case will come up for a full hearing in 14 days. The order takes effect immediately, so long as a $1,000 bond is paid by the plaintiffs. Judge Serrott said the situation could change if the state passes its own restrictions on bars and restaurants. Columbus City Council passed the ordinance Monday night at the request of Mayor Andrew Ginther and Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
• Ten states hit record-high average daily new Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, as determined by a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. California, Florida and Texas all reported record-high averages, according to CNBC’s analysis. California reported 185 new Covid-19 deaths, pushing the seven-day average to 113, up almost 24% compared with a week ago. Florida reported 186 new deaths, with the state averaging about 130 new deaths per day over the past seven days, up 14.3% compared with a week ago. Texas reported 200 new deaths on Tuesday.
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not bring up a coronavirus aid bill in the Senate which does not include liability protections. “We’re not negotiating over liability protection,” he said as Republicans and Democrats try to strike an agreement on pandemic relief. Democrats have generally opposed legal immunity for businesses.
• GM swings to an $800 million loss as coronavirus shuttered factories and devastated sales in the second quarter. GM burned through billions of dollars in the second quarter but managed to beat Wall Street expectations. GM’s second-quarter U.S. vehicle sales fell 34% from a year ago. Investors are watching to see how much cash GM burned in the quarter as well as any guidance for the remainder of the year.

July 27, 2020

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday that Republican senators will be introducing a coronavirus aid proposal, titled the HEALS Act, and hope to work with Democrats this week to quickly pass the legislation.
• Mexico has reported 46,273 new coronavirus cases in the past seven days alone, according to a CNN tally of data from the Mexican health ministry. The country also reported 4,506 related deaths in the same week. Mexico has now recorded a total of 390,516 cases and 43,680 deaths. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said that the high numbers are due to "increased testing and a delay of the information," though Mexico has one of the lowest testing rates of any large country worldwide.

July 22, 2020

• The U.S. reported more than 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday for the first time since May 29, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project. Deaths from COVID-19 had slowed after months of lockdowns, but they're starting to tick back up again as new infections and hospitalizations continue to surge across the country.
• Six months into the pandemic, researchers are homing in on an answer to one of the basic questions about the virus: How deadly is it? Researchers, initially analyzing data from outbreaks on cruise ships and more recently from surveys of thousands of people in virus hot spots, have now conducted dozens of studies to calculate the infection fatality rate of Covid-19. Research suggests the new coronavirus kills about five to 10 people for every 1,000 that it infects, though rate varies based on age and access to health care.
• South Korean epidemiologists have found that people were more likely to contract the new coronavirus from members of their own households than from contacts outside the home. A study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 16 looked in detail at 5,706 "index patients" who had tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 59,000 people who came into contact with them. The findings showed that less than 2% of patients' non-household contacts had caught the virus, while nearly 12% of patients' household contacts had contracted the disease. By age group, the infection rate within the household was higher when the first confirmed cases were teenagers or people in their 60s and 70s.

July 20, 2020

• Eighty-five infants under age 1 have tested positive for coronavirus in one Texas county. And local officials are imploring residents to help stop its spread as the state becomes one of the newest hotspots.
• Florida reported 12,523 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day the hot-spot state reported more than 10,000 cases, according to the state’s health department. The state has reported more than 11,865 new infections on average over the past seven days, up 29% from a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. “The residents here are terrified and I’m terrified, for the first time in my career because there’s a lack of leadership,” said Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla.
• Barcelona's streets were largely empty on Saturday, with millions of people instructed to stay at home as new coronavirus restrictions came into effect following a spike in the number of infections in the region over the past week. "It's a disaster," wails Maria Quintana, looking at her empty bar terrace by the Sagrada Familia in Spain's second city where the number of new cases has tripled to 800 in a week. In an announcement on Friday, the Catalan regional government urged nearly four million residents of metropolitan Barcelona to stay home unless absolutely necessary, banning gatherings of over 10 people and shutting cinemas, theatres and nightclubs.
• Golf legend Jack Nicklaus announced Sunday he and his wife, Barbara, both tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in March. The 80-year-old, who is hosting this week's Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, told CBS' Jim Nantz on Sunday that he dealt with a sore throat and cough and that his wife was asymptomatic. "It didn't last very long, and we were very, very fortunate, very lucky. Barbara and I are both of the age that is an at-risk age," the 18-time major champion said.
  Nicklaus said he and his wife tested positive on March 13 and stayed at their home in North Palm Beach, Florida, until they recovered on April 20. Nicklaus tested positive for the virus four times and his wife tested positive three times, but both have since tested negative for the virus and positive for the antibodies.

July 16, 2020

• Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday night, which outright banned cities and counties in the state from issuing mask orders to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The move, despite neighboring states like Alabama requiring masks in public, voided mask mandates in 15 local jurisdictions in the Peach State where they had been implemented. While outlawing mask mandates, Kemp's executive order "strongly" encourages all residents and visitors in Georgia to "wear face coverings as practicable while outside their homes or place of residence, except when editing, drinking or exercising outdoors."
• Hopes are dimming that "herd immunity" can help stamp out the tenacious global pandemic amid growing concerns that people can be reinfected with COVID-19. Experts agree that claims of recurring infections require more study since we are only months into the health crisis and evidence has been anecdotal. But if it's proved that recovered patients can "catch" the virus a second time, it would affect their own immunity while also complicating efforts to obtain the Holy Grail of current medical research – effective vaccines. Recovery from the disease provides antibodies to fight off the infection. The shelf life of those antibodies, however, may be insufficient to protect a patient for very long or promote long-term immunity across populations.
• Ordinarily, your blood type makes very little difference in your daily life except if you need to have a blood transfusion. However, some studies have people wondering if blood type affects coronavirus risk. One, for instance, suggests that people with Type A may have a higher risk of catching Covid-19 and of developing severe symptoms while people with Type O blood may have a lower risk.
• The United States shattered its daily record for coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting more than 77,000 new cases as the number of deaths in a 24-hour period rose by nearly 1,000, according to a Reuters tally. The loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10, with Florida, South Carolina and Texas all reporting their biggest one-day spikes on Thursday. More than 138,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, a toll that experts warn will likely surge following recent record spikes in case numbers and an alarming rise in hospitalizations in many states. 

July 15, 2020

• Moderna Inc.’s efforts to come up with a Covid-19 vaccine moved forward, with a report in the New England Journal of Medicine saying it was able to produce antibodies to the coronavirus in all patients in an early trial. The neutralizing antibody levels produced were equivalent to the upper half of what’s seen in patients who get infected with the virus and recover, according to the results published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Moderna vaccine is one of the farthest along for Covid-19.
• CDC says U.S. could get coronavirus under control in one to two months if everyone wears a mask. Both the CDC and the World Health Organization now recommend that people wear masks as a way to slow the spread of the virus. Scientists say the virus can spread through respiratory droplets that pass when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Not all states in the U.S. have issued mask mandates, and some with surging outbreaks, including Florida, have left it up to local cities and counties.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 9% of workers at meat and poultry processing facilities across 14 states have been diagnosed with Covid-19. As of May 31, 86 worker deaths across 23 states can be tied to Covid-19, the CDC said. Nearly 240 meat processing facilities had at least one confirmed case among its workers.

July 14, 2020

• The U.S. for the first time surpassed more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, based on an average of new cases per day over the previous seven days, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than a third of U.S. states reported record highs in daily new cases Monday, based on an average over the previous seven days. On Monday, 14 states also reached record highs average hospitalization numbers, including Texas, California and Arizona.
• Amid one of the worst public-health crises in history, a record number of Americans are without health insurance. More than 5.4 million people who were laid off from their jobs are uninsured, according to a new study by Families USA, an advocacy group. For comparison, 3.9 million people became uninsured in the Great Recession between 2008 and 2009. Here’s what you can do to get covered.
• Doctors in France have reported the first known confirmed case of an unborn baby contracting COVID-19 from their mother while still in the womb. The case was published on Tuesday in Nature Communications journal. The authors said the baby's brain bore evidence of inflammation caused by the coronavirus. They also said they found sufficient evidence that it had crossed into the baby through the placenta. Several previous studies indicated that placental or cervical transmission was possible, but the case study from the Antoine Béclère hospital in Paris now serves as proof. But it is very rare. The paper's lead author said "pregnant women should be reassured" because "in most cases there will be no damage to the baby."

July 13, 2020

• Two experimental coronavirus vaccines jointly developed by German biotech firm BioNTech and U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer have received ‘fast track’ designation from the U.S. drug regulator, the companies said on Monday. The candidates, BNT162b1 and BNT162b2, are the most advanced of at least four vaccines being assessed by the companies in ongoing trials in the United States and Germany. If the ongoing studies are successful, and the vaccine candidate receives regulatory approval, the companies said they expect to make up to 100 million doses by the end of this year and potentially more than 1.2 billion doses by 2021-end.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered all counties in the state to close all bars and the indoor operations of businesses including restaurants, movie theaters and museums, as Covid-19 cases continue to climb. The businesses will be allowed to operate outdoors, if possible, except for bars, he said. In addition to the statewide order, Newsom said he would also close indoor operations for fitness centers, worship services, personal care services, malls, offices, hair salons and barbershops for 30 counties on California’s monitoring list, which represent 80% of the state’s population.
• Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Monday he wants to see if existing restaurant restrictions, an ongoing 10 p.m. curfew and a countywide mask order help stabilize the county’s alarming COVID numbers before forcing more businesses to close. Gimenez is under pressure on both sides, with cities and restaurant groups criticizing last week’s ban on indoor dining and Miami-Dade seeing much more coronavirus spread and hospitalizations than when the county mayor ordered all nonessential businesses to close in March.

July 12, 2020

• New cases of COVID-19 rose by over 69,000 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, setting a record for the third consecutive day as Walt Disney Co stuck to its plans to reopen its flagship theme park in hard-hit Florida. A total of nine U.S. states - Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin - also reached records for single-day infections.
• Elliot Truslow went to a CVS drugstore on June 15 in Tucson, Arizona, to get tested for the coronavirus. The drive-thru nasal swab test took less than 15 minutes.
  More than 22 days later, the University of Arizona graduate student was still waiting for results. CVS told Truslow to expect results in two to four days, but 22 days later, still nothing. Truslow was initially told it would take two to four days. Then CVS said five or six days. On the sixth day, the pharmacy estimated it would take 10 days. Truslow’s experience is an extreme example of the growing and often excruciating waits for COVID-19 test results in the United States.
• The Florida Department of Health has reported at least 15,299 new Covid-19 cases, the highest number of new cases in a single day by any state since the coronavirus pandemic began. The record-setting number from Saturday was reported by the state Sunday morning. But it's not just the number of new cases that's concerning. The test positivity rate -- which can indicate how rampantly the virus is spreading -- reached 19.6% as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Across the country, more than half the states are dealing with increased rates of new cases compared to last week. And more than half the states have paused or rolled back their reopening plans in hopes of getting coronavirus under control. Now, some state and local leaders are at odds over what to do next.

July 9, 2020

• Researchers from the University of Houston designed an air filter that can trap the virus responsible for COVID-19, killing it instantly.
• Layoffs associated with the coronavirus pandemic have hit lower-income workers much more than those at the highest end of the pay scale, but their compensation while off the job can double their typical wages.
• States with rapidly expanding coronavirus outbreaks should seriously consider “shutting down” like the country did when the virus first hit the U.S. in March, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday.

July 8, 2020

• Texas reported more than 10,000 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday, a record-breaking daily surge as the state responds to a growing outbreak and rising hospitalizations.
• The director-general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak is "accelerating, and we have clearly not reached the peak of the pandemic."
• Model projects 200K US Covid-19 deaths if masks aren't worn.
• Experts claim the coronavirus can linger in the air, but the WHO believes the science isn't definitive. It is expected to release a brief within the coming days.
• The 2020 coronavirus and 1918 Spanish influenza pandemics share many similarities, but they also diverge on one key point. “A major difference between Spanish flu and COVID-19 is the age distribution of fatalities,” according to Deutsche Bank DB, +0.91%. “For COVID-19, the elderly have been overwhelmingly the worst hit. For the Spanish flu of 1918, the young working-age population were severely affected too. In fact, the death rate from pneumonia and influenza that year among 25-34-year-olds in the United States was more than 50% higher than that for 65-74-year-olds. A remarkable difference to Covid-19.”
• Now, a new study from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the U.K. shows why it's particularly important to get frequently tested: 78 percent of people who tested positive for COVID-19 showed no symptoms when they got swabbed.

July 6, 2020

• The United States reported more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday July 2nd, a new daily global record for the coronavirus pandemic, as infections rose in a majority of states.
• The number of coronavirus cases increased in the vast majority of states over the last week, and decreased in only two states plus the District of Columbia.
• The US notched 57,683 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Friday, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed, the third consecutive day with record numbers of new infections.
• Some scientists now say their findings show that the coronavirus is airborne. This means particles can linger in the air and indoor spaces while infecting others when these particles are inhaled.
• The "donation haircut after social distancing" may be one of the first beauty trends to happen as a result of COVID-19. Search #hairdonations on Instagram or Twitter and you’ll be flooded with images of people, many of them in salons in masks, proudly showing off their before and after shots, often holding the lobbed off ponytails and braids that will be sent off to charity organizations.

July 2, 2020

• The United States and South Africa have both reported record new daily coronavirus infections, with U.S. figures surpassing 50,000 cases a day for the first time, underlining the challenges still ahead as nations press to reopen their virus-devastated economies.

July 1, 2020

• Some high-end Manhattan hotels aren’t thoroughly cleaning rooms between guests amid the coronavirus pandemic, a new report found. Three different Midtown hotels didn’t even bother to change pillowcases or wipe down commonly used surfaces, according to an investigation by Inside Edition set to air Monday night.
• It doesn’t matter if you feel sick or you feel like a million bucks. Even asymptomatic COVID-19 patients can not only infect others directly, but also contaminate the surrounding environment. That’s the conclusion drawn from a new study using Chinese data. The study’s authors say their findings emphasize the importance of hospitals properly cleaning all areas touched or inhabited by all COVID-19 patients. “Placement of COVID-19 patients in rooms with negative pressure may bring a false feeling of safety and rigorous environment cleaning should be emphasized,” writes lead study author Zhiyong Zong, from the Department of Infection Control at West China Hospital.
• Only a few weeks ago, thousands of Southern Californians were flocking to beaches, Disneyland was announcing it would soon reopen and Whoopi Goldberg was lauding Gov. Gavin Newsom on “The View” for the state’s progress in combating the coronavirus. The worst, many in California thought, was behind them. In fact, an alarming surge in cases up and down the state was only just beginning. Over the past week California’s case count has exploded, surpassing 200,000 known infections, and forcing Mr. Newsom to roll back the state’s reopening in some counties. On Monday, he said the number of people hospitalized in California had risen 43 percent over the past two weeks.

June 30, 2020

• The COVID-19 pandemic is not even close to being over, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing on Monday. Tedros noted that, six months after China first alerted the WHO to a novel respiratory infection, the grim milestones of 10 million confirmed infections and 500,000 deaths had been reached. "Most people remain susceptible, the virus still has a lot of room to move," he said. "We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is that this is not even close to being over. Although many countries have made some progress globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up."
• At least 16 states have paused or rolled back their reopening plans as the United States sees a surge in coronavirus cases across the country. With July 4 celebrations approaching, officials are trying not to repeat scenes from Memorial Day, when thousands flocked to beaches, bars and parties while experts cautioned that crowds could lead to spikes in cases down the road. In Texas and parts of California, bars were directed to close back down, while beaches in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach were ordered off-limits to the public during the upcoming holiday weekend. In Florida, on-premises alcohol consumption was suspended in bars statewide. The risk of keeping bars and restaurants open is exemplified by a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, where 85 people contracted Covid-19 after visiting early this month.

June 29, 2020

• Only two US states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases compared to last week: Connecticut and Rhode Island. A rise was reported in a staggering 36 states, including Florida, which some experts have cautioned could be the next epicenter for infections. Officials there and across the US are also warning of an increase in cases among younger people.
• Gilead Sciences Inc. detailed its pricing plans for Covid-19 drug remdesivir, saying it will charge U.S. hospitals $3,120 for a typical patient. The drugmaker on Monday disclosed its pricing plans as it prepares to begin charging for the drug in July. The U.S. has been distributing remdesivir donated by Gilead since the drug was authorized for emergency use in May.
• New York malls will need high quality air systems that can filter out the coronavirus before they will be allowed to reopen, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday. High efficiency particle air filters, or HEPA filters, have been shown to help reduce the presence of Covid-19 in the air, according to a presentation from Cuomo. He said the state recommends all businesses and offices “explore the potential for their air conditioning air filtration system.”
• The Business Roundtable, a trade group representing the CEOs of the country’s biggest companies, released its second-quarter report on Monday. Most of the CEOs said they expect the business impact from the coronavirus lingering until at least the end of 2021. But nearly a third expect the recovery to stretch beyond 2021.

June 27, 2020

• The virus that ravaged Northeastern U.S. cities is surging through Southern and Western states. It’s different this time. Younger people are getting sick with Covid-19. States that had brief coronavirus lockdowns are struggling to encourage social distancing and mask-wearing. Many people appear to have embraced their usual summer rituals. Health officials are sounding alarms about a surge in cases racing not through nursing homes, but bars and house parties. Hospitals are filling with medically-vulnerable elderly.
• Congestion or runny nose, nausea and diarrhea were added to the wide range of possible COVID-19 symptoms listed on the federal agency's website. The added symptoms come as almost 125,000 Americans have died of coronavirus, the highest known death toll from the highly infectious disease in the world. It appears the official change to the list of symptoms were secretly added to the CDC website on May 13, according to OurCommunityNow.
• Florida’s Department of Health on Saturday confirmed 9,585 new cases of COVID-19, surpassing Friday’s record-breaking 8,942 cases. The new cases brings the state total of confirmed cases to 132, 545. There were also 24 new deaths announced Saturday, bringing the statewide death toll to 3,390. In just over a week, Florida has reported nearly 40,000 new cases, which accounts for about a third of all the confirmed cases in the state since the pandemic began.
• Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced late Friday night he plans to shut down Miami-area beaches during the upcoming July 4 holiday weekend and possibly longer in response to the recent surge in coronavirus cases. "After consulting with our county's public health experts, I will be signing an emergency order on Saturday to close all beaches in Miami-Dade County starting Friday, July 3, and ending Tuesday, July 7," the mayor said in a statement released Friday night. Florida state officials have ordered all consumption of on-premises alcohol suspended at bars statewide.

June 26, 2020

• Around 80 percent of people who contract coronavirus are asymptomatic, according to the World Health Organization. And while showing no symptoms is a better outcome than having severe symptoms that require hospitalization, there is a downside to being an asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier as well. According to new research, it may actually mean that you're more likely to get the coronavirus again.
• Texas pauses reopening plan and elective surgeries as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise. Businesses that were permitted to open under the previous phases can continue to operate at the designated occupancy outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services, according to statement from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office. Earlier Thursday, Abbott ordered all licensed hospitals in hard-hit Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties to postpone elective procedures in order to protect hospital capacity for Covid-19 patients. Those counties include the state’s largest cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin.
• The European Union will bar most travelers from the United States, Russia and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak, EU officials said Friday. By contrast, travelers from more than a dozen countries that are not overwhelmed by the coronavirus will be welcomed when the bloc reopens after months of lockdown Wednesday. The acceptable countries also include China — but only if China allows EU travelers to visit as well, the officials said. The list of safe countries was completed by EU senior diplomats in Brussels after tortuous negotiations on how to reopen the 27-member bloc to commerce and tourism under a common set of standards after months of lockdown.

June 25, 2020

• New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will impose a quarantine on travelers from any state where infections pass a certain level. The order currently applies to eight states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Texas. The 14-day self-quarantine order mirrors similar orders other states imposed on New Yorkers earlier in the crisis. The order, which went into effect at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, does not block people from traveling. But it does make clear that if you've been in a state that meets the guidelines -- like taking a vacation to Florida and then coming home, or visiting New York from Texas on business -- you will have to quarantine for 14 days on arriving. Airports and highways will have reminder signs, and hotels will be asked to inform guests as well.
• The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday painted a bleak portrait of the global economy, saying the coronavirus pandemic has caused more widespread damage than expected and will be followed by a sluggish recovery. The global economy will shrink this year by 4.9 percent, worse than the 3 percent decline predicted in April, the IMF said. No major economy is escaping the pandemic. The U.S. economy, the world’s largest, is expected to shrink this year by 8 percent. Countries that use the single European currency are headed for a decline of more than 10 percent while Japanese output will fall by 5.8 percent, the IMF said.
• The U.S. saw a record number of new coronavirus cases in a single day, with 45,557 diagnoses reported Wednesday, according to a tally by NBC News.
  Wednesday’s cases top the previous highest daily count from April 26 — during the first peak of the pandemic in the U.S. — by more than 9,000 cases, according to NBC News’ tracking data. The World Health Organization reported its single-day record on Sunday, with more than 183,000 new cases worldwide. Health experts said Monday that the resurgence in cases in Southern and Western states can be traced to Memorial Day, when many officials began loosening lockdowns and reopening businesses.

June 24, 2020

• As several states start to see a surge in COVID-19 cases since reopening, Ohio has not. Ohio has gradually lifted its stay-at-home order over the past six weeks. The result: a plateau in newly reported cases and a decline in hospitalizations, both reported and estimates of people currently hospitalized.
• Employers cannot require coronavirus antibody testing for employees returning to work, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in guidance issued Wednesday. Employers can test workers for COVID-19 under the Americans With Disabilities Act. They can require workers to wear masks and have their temperatures checked without violating federal law, according to the EEOC, which polices workplace discrimination.
• Are you worried about getting coronavirus if you dine out or order in? Here’s some good news: The risk of getting the disease from consuming food is “thought to be very low,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Coronaviruses, like the one that causes COVID-19, are thought to spread mostly person-to-person through respiratory droplets when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks,” the CDC said Monday. That news comes as more than 3,000 New York City restaurants reopened for outdoor dining on Monday as part of the state’s Phase 2 reopening policy.

June 23, 2020

• The U.S reported more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday and Saturday, the highest daily totals since May 1, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New cases across the country are surging faster than ever, especially in states in the South, West and Midwest. Seven states hit record cases on Saturday, including Florida and South Carolina, which had their third consecutive day breaking single-day records. Missouri, Nevada, Montana, Utah and Arizona also hit records.
• China suspends imports of poultry from Tyson plant over coronavirus concerns. The General Administration of Customs said on its website it had decided on the suspension after the company confirmed a cluster of coronavirus cases at the plant, which is located in Springdale, Arkansas. China has stepped up its oversight of imported foods after a new cluster of coronavirus cases were linked to a sprawling wholesale food market in the capital just over a week ago. On Friday, customs asked food exporters to sign a declaration that their produce is not contaminated by the novel coronavirus.

June 22, 2020

• The news in the US has been dominated by anti-racism protests for the past couple of weeks, but coronavirus is now back in the headlines. Several states have seen a record number of cases in recent days, leading to fears that the country is experiencing a second wave of infections. But Vice-President Mike Pence said those fears were "overblown" and accused the media of using "grim predictions" to scare the American people. So what is going on in the US?
• Officials in states across the South are warning that more young people are testing positive for coronavirus. The shifts in demographics have been recorded in parts of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and other states -- many of which were some of the first to reopen. And while some officials have pointed to more widespread testing being done, others say the new cases stem from Americans failing to social distance.
• The World Health Organization on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours. The UN health agency said Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the U.S. next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in in India. Experts said rising case counts can reflect multiple factors including more widespread testing as well as broader infection. Overall in the pandemic, WHO reported 8,708,008 cases — 183,020 in the last 24 hours — with 461,715 deaths worldwide, with a daily increase of 4,743.

June 19, 2020

• China has found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing’s wholesale food market to be severely contaminated with the new coronavirus and suspects the area’s low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors, officials said on Thursday. Their preliminary report comes as the country’s capital tackles a resurgence of COVID-19 cases over the past week linked to the massive Xinfadi food center, which houses warehouses and trading halls in an area the size of nearly 160 soccer pitches.
• California on Thursday started requiring people throughout the state to wear masks in most indoor settings and outdoors when distancing isn't possible. The order came as California broadly reopens its economy. In most counties, people can now shop, dine in at restaurants, get their hair done and go to church, among other things.
• The coronavirus was present in Milan and Turin’s sewage systems as early as December, two months before the first Covid-19 cases were detected in Italy, a new study shows. “Traces of SARS-Cov-2 have been found in samples of waste water taken in Milan and Turin on Dec. 18 and in Bologna on Jan. 29,” said Giuseppina La Rosa, who led the research for a coming study from the country’s ISS National Health Institute. “More traces were detected in other test samples through January and February.”

June 18, 2020

• Scientists hail dexamethasone as ‘major breakthrough’ in treating coronavirus. Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among Covid-19 patients in what scientists hailed as a “major breakthrough”. Results of trials announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases, reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital.
• Bank of England adds another £100 billion to bond-buying program to combat coronavirus slowdown. The Bank resisted taking interest rates into negative territory, a decision being closely watched by investors, instead opting to hold its main lending rate steady at 0.1%. Rates have been reduced twice from 0.75% since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
• As of 2 a.m. Thursday, Gila River Hotels & Casinos shuttered all three of its properties for two weeks amid a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Arizona. Leaders at Gila River Hotels & Casinos declined The Arizona Republic's repeated requests to confirm the number of employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, saying that they will not disclose the information to "protect the privacy" of their workers. The announcement comes a week after a security guard at Lone Butte Casino died of complications related to COVID-19, according to his family. This is the second closure for the casinos. Like other tribal casinos across Arizona, Gila River's three casinos shut down because of COVID-19 in mid-March. The Gila River casinos initially reopened May 15, the same day Gov. Doug Ducey lifted Arizona’s stay-at-home order.
• Early coronavirus testing data from a handful of U.S. cities and states suggest that recent protests against racial injustices haven't yet led to a marked uptick in new cases. Public-health officials warn that the data is still preliminary, however, and protest-related cases could still rise.

June 17, 2020

• Brazil ignored the warnings. Now, while other countries fret over a second coronavirus wave, it can’t get past its first.
• As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it has become clear that asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are cause for concern. A study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that almost half of the cases studied were infected by someone who did not show symptoms. Asymptomatic cases are especially dangerous because the coronavirus carrier does not know they have the virus, which means they are still living life normally, which can potentially contribute to more transmissions. That's why identifying asymptomatic individuals and ensuring they self-isolate could be integral to mitigating the spread of COVID-19. As it turns out, one age group in particular has an overwhelmingly high number of asymptomatic cases.
• A coronavirus model once used by the White House now projects more than 200,000 Americans could die of COVID-19 by October 1. The prediction went up by more than 30,000 since last week. As of Tuesday, more than 116,000 people in the U.S. have died of the coronavirus, and the death toll is still growing by hundreds per day. Infection rates and hospitalizations are rising in numerous states as businesses open up and people drop precautions.
• African-Americans and Latinos are vastly overrepresented when it comes to coronavirus infections, according to an analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday morning. The findings provide additional confirmation that, as the CDC’s own report says, black and brown communities have been “disproportionately affected” by the pandemic. The new data, the first from the federal government to fully describe the pandemic’s racial impact, comes amid continuing protests against police killings of black men. Those protests have highlighted broader inequalities in American society, including those pertaining to how widely different communities can access proper health care.
• A woman in Dallas is fighting her second battle against the coronavirus. Meredith McKee first tested positive for the potentially deadly virus in February, diagnosed after feeling "clear and obvious" symptoms, she told NBC 5. "I had a dry cough like you would not believe. It would not stop,” McKee recalled, explaining that she managed to fight off the first bout of the virus from home. She even donated some of her plasma after testing positive for antibodies. However, last week, McKee shared a tearful photo of herself from a hospital bed at Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas. After admitting herself with high blood pressure and a headache on Friday, she found out she was one again positive for COVID-19 four months after her initial diagnosis.

June 16, 2020

• Coronavirus may sway regulators to allow casinos to say good-bye to cash. No states currently allow cashless payments on casino floors. The CDC recommends mobile payments to limit the handling of cash, and therefore, risk of Covid-19 exposure. More than half of casino customers say they are less likely to use cash in their everyday lives because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association.
• Authorities in Beijing have described the city’s coronavirus outbreak as “extremely severe” as dozens more cases emerged and travel from the city was curtailed.
  Additional neighborhoods were fenced off on Tuesday, with security checkpoints set up at residential compounds, and high-risk people – such as close contacts of people who test positive – prevented from leaving the city. The outbreak is the most significant in China since February, prompting fears of a second wave and questions over how the virus was able to spread given severe quarantine measures taken by authorities. The outbreak is potentially embarrassing for Beijing, which had declared victory over the virus and ordered citizens back to work.
• Researchers on Tuesday announced the first drug shown to save lives among severely ill coronavirus patients, offering hope even as infection rates rose in Africa and Asia, and there were worrisome upticks of contagion in countries that had largely contained the virus. The cheap, widely available steroid, called dexamethasone, reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen, the researches said in England. It did not appear to help less ill patients.
• Coronavirus infections continued to rise in many parts of a divided nation on Monday, with public health recommendations under attack from communities tired of staying home and officials eager to restart local economies. Even as the number of infections rose and hospital beds filled in some places, voices clamored for an end to mandatory mask-wearing. And relaxation of restrictions designed to curb the novel coronavirus continued.
• One in five people worldwide is at risk of developing ‘severe’ cases of Covid-19, scientists claim. Since the beginning of the outbreak, health authorities around the world have agreed that people with chronic illnesses are most prone to developing severe or fatal symptoms of the coronavirus. In a study published on Monday in the Lancet medical journal, researchers from the U.K., China and the U.S. calculated how many people worldwide had pre-existing health conditions that increased their risk of being severely impacted by the virus. According to the paper, 1.7 billion people around the world — or 22% of the global population — are at “increased risk” of developing severe symptoms if infected with Covid-19.

June 15, 2020

• We classify coronavirus cases as one of three categories—mild, moderate, or severe—and at face value, these designations may seem simple enough. Yet according to a new study out of Emory University School of Medicine, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, many patients with milder cases of coronavirus have experienced enduring symptoms. Though these patients were able to avoid the hospital and other serious medical intervention, over 40 percent reported one lingering problem three weeks after their symptoms first appeared: they still had a persistent cough.
• Italy, the first major European country to roll out a smartphone app to trace COVID-19 infections that does not rely on a centralised database, has already seen 2.2 million downloads in 10 days, a sign Italians are setting aside privacy concerns. The government, like those of other European countries hit by the virus, is touting the software as a vital tool to help avoid a second wave of infections. Germany launches its own version next week.
• It's an outcome no one wants, but could become a "harsh reality": a second wave of shutdowns. Weeks after lifting stay-at-home orders, some states are seeing record numbers of hospitalizations from Covid-19 as thousands more Americans get infected every day. "We're going to have to face the harsh reality in some states that we may need to shut down again," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine. And the second wave of state shutdowns could be more damaging than the first.
• If Covid-19 cases keep rising in the weeks to come, city and state leaders might reimpose a strict lockdown. They should bear in mind who’d be harmed most by the ensuing economic destruction. From February to April, the number of active black business owners fell 41%, according to an analysis last week from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

June 12, 2020

• How New York’s Coronavirus Response Made the Pandemic Worse: New York leaders faced an unanticipated crisis as the new coronavirus overwhelmed the nation’s largest city. Their response was marred by missed warning signs and policies that many health-care workers say put residents at greater risk and led to unnecessary deaths. In the first few days of March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio assured New Yorkers things were under control. On March 2, Mr. de Blasio tweeted that people should go see a movie.
• A second wave of coronavirus cases is emerging in the U.S., raising alarms as new infections push the overall count past 2 million Americans. Texas on Wednesday reported 2,504 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day total since the pandemic emerged. A month into its reopening, Florida this week reported 8,553 new cases -- the most of any seven-day period. California’s hospitalizations are at their highest since May 13 and have risen in nine of the past 10 days.

June 11, 2020

• Coronavirus cases across the US are spiking up again after states eagerly reopened and as protesters demonstrated George Floyd’s death in large gatherings throughout the country. In 21 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, and Utah, cases are rising again after the states reopened local businesses amid the outbreak.
• As Ohio struggles to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying bad economic times, new projections of the tax collections underlying the 2020-21 state budget are downright grim. State tax collections are expected to fall $2.292 billion, or 9.4%, amid the fiscal fallout from the virus crisis, the Office of Budget and Management announced Wednesday. Sales-tax revenue is forecast to drop 13%, accompanied by a 7.2% decrease in income-tax take and a 9.9% reduction in the commercial activity taxes paid by businesses in the budget year beginning July 1. After accounting for losses in investment earnings and other funds, the state projects there will be a $2.43 billion hole in what’s needed to fully fund the $35 billion general revenue fund. To put that number in context, it’s only $374 million less than annual state spending on higher education.
• The WHO’s remark that transmission of the coronavirus by people who never developed symptoms was rare “was not correct,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said. The organization “walked that back because there’s no evidence to indicate that’s the case,” he said. The WHO said its comment was a “misunderstanding” and “we don’t actually have that answer yet.”
• The federal government plans to fund and conduct the decisive studies of three experimental coronavirus vaccines starting this summer, according to a lead government vaccine researcher. These phase 3 trials are expected to involve tens of thousands of subjects at dozens of sites around the U.S., John Mascola, director of the vaccine research center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. Meant to determine a vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, they would mark the final stage of testing.

June 10, 2020

• As the number of new coronavirus cases continues to increase worldwide, and more than a dozen states and Puerto Rico are recording their highest averages of new cases since the pandemic began, hospitalizations in at least nine states have been on the rise since Memorial Day. In Texas, North and South Carolina, California, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah and Arizona, there are an increasing number of patients under supervised care since the holiday weekend because of covid-19 infections. The spikes generally began in the past couple weeks and in most states, are trending higher.
• Texas has reported two consecutive days of record-breaking Covid-19 hospitalizations as the state continues to open businesses and resume activities that were temporarily shuttered due to the coronavirus. There are currently 2,056 patients sickened with Covid-19 in hospitals across the state as of early Tuesday afternoon, up from a record 1,935 patients Monday, according to updated data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas was among the first states to relax its statewide stay-at-home order, allowing it to expire April 30 and some businesses to resume operations May 1.
• Cases and hospitalizations are going up again in parts of California, causing the state to place nine counties on a watchlist, according to Reuters. Entertainment venues, including movie theaters, can reopen on Friday in California, according to guidance released by Gov. Gavin Newsom. California is currently in the second stage of its four-phase reopening plan, which focuses on reopening lower-risk workplaces. However, entertainment venues are classified as higher-risk businesses, which weren’t set to open until the third stage of the state’s reopening.

June 9, 2020

• There are currently 1,935 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the state of Texas, topping the previous hospitalization record of 1,888 patients on May 5, according to new data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas was among the first states to relax its statewide stay-at-home order, allowing it to expire April 30 and some businesses to resume operations May 1. The coronavirus has infected more than 75,400 people in Texas, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
• Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, the World Health Organization said. Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated the virus could spread even if people didn’t have symptoms. But the WHO says that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is “very rare.”
• Santa Clara County health officer Dr. Sara Cody said in a Board of Supervisors meeting Monday that a small rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations is "likely" related to the county's reopening measures in May.
• On Monday, the former epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States began the first phase of its reopening. With New York City finally beginning to ease out of lockdown, it’s tempting to think that the virus is behind us. Indeed, millions of Americans seem to be behaving as if it is. But in some states, the data is discouraging. It’s not just that the number of positive cases is continuing to rise; that was expected with the availability of widespread testing. In some places, hospitalizations are increasing. This is all taking place amid the backdrop of civil unrest in some American cities, which is bringing people into uncomfortably close contact with one another, and the loosening of restrictions meant to slow the virus’s spread. More than 100 days after the first coronavirus case in the U.S., here are the states where things are still getting worse.

June 8, 2020

• Brazil faces criticism over coronavirus data. Over the weekend, the country’s health ministry took down months of coronavirus data from its website and stopped releasing total numbers for reported infections and deaths, according to the news agency. The health ministry explained the move on Monday, saying it had to correct mistakes in the data from two states, the report said. It also said that cumulative infections in Brazil reached 707,412 in the last day, while the death toll rose to 37,134, Reuters said. The Brazilian government has faced mounting criticism over the transparency and credibility of its data. 
  Exports out of Germany plunged by 31.1% in April compared to the same month a year ago — the steepest decline since the data was first published in 1950, according to the country’s statistics office. 
• Coronavirus outbreaks at U.S. meatpacking plants continue to soar as the beleaguered industry ramps up production, scales back plant closures and tries to return to normal in the weeks after President Donald Trump declared it an essential operation.
• Understandably, people are nervous about leaving their homes for groceries or for a stroll, let alone traveling and staying in a hotel. But as confinement restrictions ease, many are itching to have a getaway. And, after the unprecedented global spring shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic left millions of hotel rooms empty, the hotel industry is making all efforts to gain public trust and rebuild business. Certainly, hotel cleaning protocols top that list and will be highly visible. Hoteliers want guests to see their efforts and feel confident and are promising deep cleaning,  enhanced cleaning, and retraining staff on proper cleaning techniques – even down to disinfecting key cards.
• Memory loss, gnarled fingers, panic attacks: COVID-19 didn't kill these Americans, but many might never be the same. Many of the 1.7 million Americans who've contracted coronavirus deal with lingering symptoms and a life unrecognizable from the one they had before.

June 4, 2020

• 'Best day ever': Gamblers flock to downtown Las Vegas on first night of casino reopenings.
• The large crowds of people at the Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend have not led to any more reported cases of COVID-19, Missouri’s top health official health department said Wednesday. “The answer, to our knowledge, is no,” Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, said when asked whether more cases have come from the gatherings, photos of which showed throngs of people close together without wearing masks.

June 3, 2020

• Could you have had COVID-19 and not even realized it? Possibly. "The majority of people who contract the coronavirus will experience mild symptoms, the most common being a high temperature and a new, dry and continuous cough. A smaller percentage of people will experience more severe symptoms," explains Dr. Daniel Atkinson, GP Clinical Lead at Treated.com. However, because the coronavirus actually has a spectrum of symptoms—some so mild they are barely noticeable or easily confused with something else—it can go unnoticed or undiagnosed. Read on to discover the 17 subtle signs you've already had coronavirus.
• Retirees across the United States were already overwhelmed and underprepared for their futures before the coronavirus, but uncertainties about the health-care system and economy are making it harder to plan ahead. There may be some relief in sight. The good news: COVID-19 could spark numerous outcomes that improve retirement security, according to a paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Health insurance and pensions may be disassociated from employers, so that people aren’t at risk of losing their insurance or cutting their retirement savings in the event of a job loss, said Olivia Mitchell the researcher behind the paper and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

May 28, 2020

• Global ad spend is set to fall by almost $50 billion this year as businesses in all sectors cancel or postpone media buys. The ad market will reduce by 8.1%, or $49.6 billion, according to data from the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) published Thursday, compared to a previously forecast growth of 7.1%. This means that overall global ad spend is forecast to reach $563 billion this year, down from a previously projected $612.6 billion.

May 27, 2020

• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, exercise regimen, and diet is difficult in the best of times, and it’s become that much harder in the wake of COVID-19. With gyms shut down, many Americans have turned to junk food and late night snacks to calm their viral nerves over the past few months. While college students have long fought to keep off the infamous “freshman 15,” adults of all ages are now swearing off the newly-dubbed “COVID-15.” In fact, according to a new survey of 2,000 U.S. citizens, one in two (49%) are afraid they’ll never get their pre-quarantine body back.
• Ford is ready to bring the heat to the coronavirus fight. The automaker has developed a software update for some of its Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility patrol vehicles that allows them to use the climate control system to raise the cabin temperature to 133 degrees for 15 minutes to help kill any coronavirus inside. Research conducted in conjunction with The Ohio State University found that the cycle could reduce concentrations of the virus present by up to 99 percent.
• As the U.S. continues to battle the novel coronavirus outbreak, fears over a second wave of cases have been looming over the country. While there is no doubt that more cases will continue to emerge in the months ahead, it's not too late for America to prevent a second wave of COVID-19, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and member of the White House COVID-19 task force.

May 26, 2020

• As more places across the US offer people a chance to shop or dine inside, the issue of whether to wear a mask has again become a flashpoint. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public when it is hard to stay socially distant. But some Americans have resisted wearing a face covering, arguing that adhering to mask wearing rules feels like a forfeiture of their freedoms.
•  “No mask, No service” signs are popping up at all kinds of businesses as the country begins to slowly reopen after the coronavirus pandemic shutdown that began in March. Some retail chains, like Costco Wholesale, have already started to require masks for all customers and employees. The move follows a flood of videos on social media showing shoppers who refuse to wear face masks being confronted by store employees (and other shoppers, in some cases) who explain that customers are required to wear masks. But can store owners legally enforce that policy? The short answer is yes, as long as they don’t discriminate against anyone on the basis of “protected classes” such as gender, race, age, disability, national origin and religion.
• There have been over 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 94,000 deaths as of May 21, but the rate of spread of the coronavirus appears to be slowing in some parts of the country. The U.S. has not had a day with over 30,000 new infections since May 2. While infections are trending down nationwide, not every state has seen the worst of the pandemic yet. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation which provides estimated peak COVID-19 dates in every state, both in terms of the total number of estimated active infections and the total number of hospital beds needed to treat COVID-19 patients. Unlike frequently cited confirmed infections data, the IMHE active infection estimate takes into account people who are asymptomatic or untested.

May 25, 2020

• Countries where coronavirus infections are declining could still face an “immediate second peak” if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The world is still in the middle of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, WHO emergencies head Dr Mike Ryan told an online briefing, noting that while cases are declining in many countries they are still increasing in Central and South America, South Asia and Africa. Ryan said epidemics often come in waves, which means that outbreaks could come back later this year in places where the first wave has subsided. There was also a chance that infection rates could rise again more quickly if measures to halt the first wave were lifted too soon.
• The Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. meant big crowds at beaches and warnings from authorities Sunday about people disregarding the coronavirus social-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans. Sheriff’s deputies and beach patrols tried to make sure people kept their distance from others as they soaked up the rays on the sand and at parks and other recreation sites around the country. On the Sunday talk shows, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “very concerned” about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend.

May 24, 2020

• The U.S. COVID-19 death toll has nearly surpassed 100,000, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The total number of confirmed cases in the country stands at just over 1.6 million with more than 361,200 of those being patients that have recovered. The worst-hit state is New York with more than 29,000 fatalities, followed by New Jersey and Massachusetts with over 11,000 and 6,300 COVID-19 deaths respectively.
• President Donald Trump said he completed his course of treatment with hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug he’s promoted as a therapy for coronavirus despite an outcry from medical professionals about its unproven efficacy and potential side effects.

May 22, 2020

• In new guidance for mathematical modelers and public health officials, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is estimating that about a third of coronavirus infections are asymptomatic. The CDC also says its "best estimate" is that 0.4% of people who show symptoms and have Covid-19 will die, and the agency estimates that 40% of coronavirus transmission is occurring before people feel sick. The agency cautions that those numbers are subject to change as more is learned about Covid-19, and it warns that the information is intended for planning purposes. Still, the agency says its estimates are based on real data collected by the agency before April 29.

May 20, 2020

• Chinese doctors are seeing the coronavirus manifest differently among patients in its new cluster of cases in the northeast region compared to the original outbreak in Wuhan, suggesting that the pathogen may be changing in unknown ways and complicating efforts to stamp it out.

May 19, 2020

• The US government on Tuesday extended for another month restrictions on non-essential travel across the borders with Canada and Mexico to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The US Department of Homeland Security said the closure, first ordered on March 20 and due to expire Wednesday, will be extended until June 22 and reviewed every 30 days.
• Passengers boarding a United Airlines flight will receive a packet containing a face mask and hand sanitizer wipes, the airline said. United now joins a list of other U.S. carriers ramping up sanitization habits to show potential customers that it's safe to fly again.
• Under coronavirus lockdowns, countries around the world have restricted travel and closed businesses. Flights were grounded and highways deserted. The major slowdown of movement has led to an "extreme" decline in carbon dioxide emissions — with daily levels 17% lower compared to averages from last year.  According to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Climate Change, daily emissions in early April, when most of the world was under strict lockdown measures, fell to levels last seen in 2006. Lockdowns could lead to an annual carbon emissions decline of up to 7% — the biggest drop since World War II, the researchers say.

May 18, 2020

• Fewer Americans are calling their mortgage servicers to ask for relief from mortgage payments, but the housing industry isn’t out of the woods yet. More than 4.1 million homeowners are in forbearance plans now, according to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. While mortgage servicers are still facing stress because of the record deluge of requests for payment relief, signs suggest that homeowners’ prospects have improved as parts of the country have begun to emerge from coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
• Some 108 million people in China’s northeast region are being plunged back under lockdown conditions as a new and growing cluster of infections causes a backslide in the nation’s return to normal. In an abrupt reversal of the re-opening taking place across the nation, cities in Jilin province have cut off trains and buses, shut schools and quarantined tens of thousands of people. The strict measures have dismayed many residents who had thought the worst of the nation’s epidemic was over. While the cluster of 34 infections isn’t growing as quickly the outbreak in Wuhan which started the global pandemic last December, China’s swift and powerful reaction reflects its fear of a second wave after it curbed the virus’s spread at great economic and social cost. It’s also a sign of how fragile the re-opening process will be in China and elsewhere as even the slightest hint of a resurgence of infections could prompt a return to strict lockdown.

May 17, 2020

• If Oxford's coronavirus vaccine works, officials say UK will get it first. The U.K. government made a deal to get 30 million doses by September.
• Where coronavirus isn't: What's kept cases officially at zero in these 200 counties? Limited testing may create undercounts, but isolation also seems to play a role in keeping the dwindling list of American places virus-free.
• Four months into the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, tests for the virus finally are becoming widely available, a crucial step toward lifting stay-at-home orders and safely returning to normal life. But while many states no longer report crippling supply shortages, a new problem has emerged: too few people lining up to get tested.

May 15, 2020

• U.S. officials are preparing to begin checking passengers’ temperatures at roughly a dozen airports as soon as next week, as the coronavirus pandemic has heightened travel anxieties, according to people familiar with the matter.

May 13, 2020

• A viral video from Japan aims to show how easily germs and viruses can spread in restaurants when just one person is infected. The experiment simulates the atmosphere at a buffet restaurant or on a cruise ship. It was conducted by the public broadcasting organization NHK in conjunction with health experts. The video shows 10 people coming into the restaurant, with one singled out as the "infected" person. Each participant goes about the buffet as they normally would, not considering a potential contamination. At the end of the video, the participants are cast under black lights illuminating where the "infection" has spread. The substance, used to signify the germs, can be seen on food, serving utensils and platters, and even on the faces of some of the participants.
• The FBI said it had seen hacking attempts on US groups researching vaccines, treatments and testing. The US has long accused the Chinese government of cyber-espionage, something Beijing denies. The pandemic has worsened tensions between the two countries, which have both accused each other of failing to contain the outbreak.
• Scientists race to find a cure or vaccine for the coronavirus. There are no proven, knockout treatments and U.S. health officials say a vaccine could take at least a year to 18 months.
• The novel coronavirus has brought the shared scooter and bike business to the brink of financial collapse. Demand has evaporated — an analysis of credit card data by The New York Times found that spending on scooter rentals had fallen the most of all transportation modes, by nearly 100 percent — companies are laying off employees en masse, and their previously sky-high valuations have been almost wiped out. Rather than basking in the sun and delighting in the reduced car traffic, the scooter industry is looking at end times.

May 12, 2020

• There’s one big reason the U.S. economy can’t reopen. The country faces the same problem today that it did two months ago: there are not enough tests to contain the virus.
• A high-profile infectious disease researcher warns COVID-19 is in the early stages of attacking the world, which makes it difficult to relax stay-at-home orders without putting most Americans at risk. Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said the initial wave of outbreaks in cities such as New York City, where one in five people have been infected, represent a fraction of the illness and death yet to come.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that the number of new daily Covid-19 hospitalizations had returned to the level it was at when he issued a statewide closure of nonessential businesses nearly two months ago. Cuomo said that 521 people were hospitalized with the disease on Saturday and 207 died of it. The hospitalization figure, he said, “takes us right back to where we started this hellish journey.” “Where we are today is basically, with the number of new cases, is basically right where we were when we started. It has been a painful period of time between March 20 to May 9,” Cuomo said.
• U.S. grocery costs jump the most in 46 years, led by rising prices for meat and eggs.

May 11, 2020

• Abbott plans to ship nearly 30 million tests this month and will have the capacity to ship 60 million tests in June. The tests can indicate whether a person has had Covid-19 and was either asymptomatic or recovered.
• Many consumers are going to think twice about venturing to the mall to try on clothes in a fitting room because of the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers are scrambling to figure out how to work around this. Solutions range from reserving sanitized fitting rooms to window shopping.
• You get what you pay for — usually. But as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many parents find themselves at home with their kids 24/7, while still paying child-care bills.
• Several vaccines will likely be needed to combat the coronavirus and immunize groups of people in America and abroad, U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said in an interview. Collins, 70, is a physician and geneticist who leads the agency overseeing the U.S. research response to the pandemic. He discussed efforts to develop and manufacture a vaccine, potential mutations and what they mean for immunity, and how inoculations would be tested.
• One idea for speeding a Coronavirus vaccine: deliberately infecting people. Debate is rising among scientists about whether a so-called human challenge trial is worth the risk.

May 10, 2020

• China on Sunday reported the first case of coronavirus in over a month in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak first started in December last year.
• Men's blood has higher levels than women's of a key enzyme used by the new coronavirus to infect cells, the results of a big European study showed on Monday -- a finding which may help explain why men are more vulnerable to infection with COVID-19. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, also found that widely-prescribed drugs called ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) did not lead to higher ACE2 concentrations and should therefore not increase the COVID-19 risk for people taking them.
• It’s no surprise that news outlets are in demand with a story that directly affects so many people, whether they’ve gotten sick, lost jobs or are locked down at home. A Pew Research Center survey taken the third week of April found that 88 percent of Americans said they were following coronavirus news either very or fairly closely. Yet that takes a toll. Pew also found that 71 percent of Americans said that they need to take breaks from the news. To watch something else. To do something else. To breathe a little.
• The real unemployment rate, which includes people who are not looking for work or are underemployed, already stands at 22.8%. Mnuchin acknowledged that the jobless rate may be even higher and stand at 25%. “The reported numbers are probably going to get worse before they get better,” he said.
• In places like China, robots and drones are being used to spray disinfectant in public spaces. Airlines and companies like Amazon have been using disinfectant fogging as a sanitation technique to keep their facilities clean. But there is another solution. Ultraviolet light is an effective tool that has been in use for decades in hospitals and operating rooms. The global UV disinfection equipment market was valued at $1.1 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $3.4 billion by 2026, according to Allied Market Research. Technological breakthroughs in UV light could become a key piece in returning to normal in a world with the looming threat of Covid-19.

May 9, 2020

• The debt of the federal government topped $25 trillion for the first time on Tuesday, when it climbed from $24,948,983,700,916.84 to $25,057,924,023,406.80, according to data released by the Treasury Department. On Wednesday, it continued to climb, reaching $25,058,528,802,142.42 by the close of business that day. The federal debt had topped $24 trillion for the first time on April 7, when it rose from $23,917,212,663,857.59 to $24,011,523,316,653.36. Thus, the federal debt increased by more than $1 trillion in just 28 days.

May 7, 2020

• Early look at data from 100 New York hospitals shows that 66% of new admissions related to the virus are people who were at home, Cuomo said. He also said a majority of the cases in New York City are minorities, with nearly half being African American or Hispanic.
• The White House is seeking revisions to a document drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that offers detailed advice to local leaders on how to reopen public places after determining that it was “overly specific,” according to a coronavirus task force official. The official responded to an Associated Press report that the 17-page document had been shelved by the administration. Meanwhile, a U.S. military member who works on the White House campus has tested positive for the coronavirus, though both President Trump and Vice President Pence have since tested negative.

May 6, 2020

• The coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, has mutated and the new, dominant strain spreading across the U.S. appears to be even more contagious, according to a new study. The new strain began spreading in Europe in early February before migrating to other parts of the world, including the U.S., becoming the dominant form of the virus across the globe by the end of March, researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory wrote. If the coronavirus doesn’t subside in the summer like the seasonal flu, it could mutate further and potentially limit the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines being developed by scientists, the researchers warned.

May 5, 2020

• While cities like New York have seen a hopeful drop in cases, upticks in other major cities and smaller communities have offset those decreases.
• More than half of workers at some American meat plants tested positive for coronavirus. Employees are still out sick, keeping production slow even as some facilities reopen, and grocers from Kroger Co. to Costco Wholesale Corp. are rationing supplies. Even Wendy’s Co. dropped burgers from some menus. Prices for wholesale beef and pork have jumped more than 20% since President Donald Trump’s historic executive order to keep plants running during the pandemic. The supply shortfalls and soaring prices underscore the challenges of quickly fixing America’s broken meat supply chain.
• States facing sudden drops in tax revenue amid the pandemic are announcing deep cuts to their Medicaid programs just as millions of newly jobless Americans are surging onto the rolls. And state officials are worried that they’ll have to slash benefits for patients and payments to health providers in the safety net insurance program for the poor unless they get more federal aid.

May 4, 2020

• A Trump administration projection and a public model predict rising death tolls. More states are allowing certain businesses to open, even as cases grow. The White House will restrict coronavirus officials from testifying before Congress. The Supreme Court heard the first arguments via phone. California readies plans for some stores to reopen on Friday. World leaders pledge $8 billion for a vaccine, but the U.S. declines to participate. As daily deaths fall in New York, Cuomo outlines criteria for reopening.
• They politely took turns speaking. Not a child, spouse or dog could be heard in the background. The conference call went long, but not by that much. And with that, the Supreme Court made history Monday, hearing arguments by telephone and allowing the world to listen in live, both for the first time. The arguments were essentially a high-profile phone discussion with the nine justices and two arguing lawyers. The session went remarkably smoothly, notable for a high court that prizes tradition and only reluctantly changes the way it operates.
• Another threat from the lung virus that causes Covid-19 has emerged that may cause swift, sometimes fatal damage: blood clots. Doctors around the world are noting a raft of clotting-related disorders -- from benign skin lesions on the feet sometimes called “Covid toe” to life-threatening strokes and blood-vessel blockages. Ominously, if dangerous clots go untreated, they may manifest days to months after respiratory symptoms have resolved.

May 3, 2020

• The US just reported its deadliest day for coronavirus patients as states reopen, according to WHO. The U.S. saw 2,909 people die of Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the data, which was collected as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday. That’s the highest daily death toll in the U.S. yet based on a CNBC analysis of the WHO’s daily Covid-19 situation reports. The country’s deadliest day comes as state officials weigh reopening parts of the economy and easing stay-at-home orders.
• U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak — and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show. Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that China was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.
• COVID-19 meat shortages could last for months. Experts warn that shoppers should prepare for meat to be more expensive, less varied and harder to find over the coming weeks and even months. Here's what you need to know before your next grocery shopping trip.

April 30, 2020

• President Donald Trump has speculated that China could have unleashed the coronavirus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake,” and his intelligence agencies said they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab. Trump even suggested Thursday that the release could have been intentional. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies, said it had ruled out the virus being man-made but was still investigating the precise source of the global pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 people worldwide.
• With coronavirus cases beginning to level off, states are looking to jump-start economies hard hit by the virus. And with jobless claims totaling 30.3 million in six weeks, Americans are clamoring to get back to work. Governors have taken vastly different tactics in developing plans to reopen business in their states and remove social-distancing restrictions. Here’s a complete, state-by-state listing, which will be periodically updated.
• America’s meat processing-plants are hard-hit by COVID-19. Speculation runs that the immigrant laborers are less aware of health precautions given in English and that their living situations and the “elbow-to-elbow” nature of work at these industrial butchers and packers make them especially vulnerable. Tyson’s CEO warned that closure of plants mean that “millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain.” Millions of animals that are raised for slaughter may simply be plowed under and buried alive.

April 28, 2020

• The U.S. National Archives says that 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975. Covid-19 has now claimed more lives in the U.S. since it officially arrived in the country in January, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Nearly half of the country’s deaths are concentrated in New York state, which is home to the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, New York City.
• The coronavirus has now infected more than 1 million people in the United States as the nation grapples with roughly a third of all global cases — making it the worst outbreak in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. A large portion of U.S. Covid-19 cases remain in New York state, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently testing about 20,000 people a day for the virus and is working with President Donald Trump to double that number.
• As New York prepares to let businesses reopen with the easing of the coronavirus pandemic, the state will have measures in place that will signal another outbreak of the disease and the need to curb activity once again, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. In particular, Mr. Cuomo said that if either the hospital system in an area of the state hits 70% of capacity or if the rate of transmission reaches 1.1—meaning for every person who has the virus, another 1.1 are infected—that would constitute what he called a “circuit breaker.”

April 27, 2020

• America's food supply chain is in trouble because of coronavirus outbreaks in rural meatpacking plant communities. For consumers, this means less meat at the grocery store. For many farmers, this means the prospect of financial ruin. For many animals, this means euthanasia instead of slaughter. Plants in more than a dozen states have closed in recent weeks, spanning beef, pork, poultry and fish.
• JetBlue was one of the first U.S. airlines to mandate crew to wear masks while working. And now, it’s the first to require the same from passengers. This new policy, which goes into effect on May 4, 2020, will be applied throughout all steps of the passenger journey — from check-in all the way through deplaning. JetBlue plans to remind passengers of this policy both before their flight and in the airport terminals.
• In the last week alone, there has been a 43% jump in the number of reported COVID-19 cases in Africa, and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the continent of 1.3 billion people is poised to potentially become the next epicenter of the highly infectious and deadly disease.
• UPS plans to use drones for deliveries of prescription medicines from a CVS pharmacy to The Villages retirement community in Florida. The Sandy Springs-based shipping giant said the service by its drone-subsidiary UPS Flight Forward will support social-distancing efforts and allow faster same-day delivery of medicines as an alternative to visiting a pharmacy.

April 26, 2020

• The World Health Organization is warning that people who have had Covid-19 are not necessarily immune by the presence of antibodies from getting the virus again. It cautions against governments that are considering issuing so-called "immunity passports" to people who have had Covid-19, assuming they are safe to resume normal life.
• As the United States struggles to track coronavirus fatalities amid spotty testing, delayed lab results and inconsistent reporting standards, a more insidious problem could thwart the country's quest for an accurate death toll. Between 20 and 30 percent of death certificates nationwide were wrong before COVID-19, Bob Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch at the National Center for Health Statistics, said in an interview with the USA TODAY Network.

April 24, 2020

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tripled the number of coronavirus symptoms it lists on its website. The federal organization previously listed fever, cough and shortness of breath as symptoms of COVID-19. The CDC has added six additional symptoms as people “have had a wide range of symptoms reported,” it says on its website.
• The economy will shrink at an annualized rate of 39.6 percent in the second quarter, according to the latest projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), its first to take into account the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The CBO projects that things will rebound somewhat in the third quarter, with 23.5 percent annualized growth, followed by a projection of 10.5 percent growth in the final quarter of the year.
• The millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in recent weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic will have a devastating effects on the economy going forward as workers are left without pay. Losses in April alone could push the unemployment rate to 16%, according to James Knightley, chief international economist at ING. If another 10 million Americans file jobless claims in May, that would push the unemployment rate to 22%, he said.

April 23, 2020

• The US economy has wiped out all the job gains since the Great Recession. The Labor Department reported that the number of Americans applying for state unemployment benefits totaled 4.427 million last week. Combined with the prior four jobless claims reports, the number of Americans who have filed for unemployment over the last five weeks is 26.45 million. That number far exceeds the 22.442 million jobs added to payrolls since November 2009, when the U.S. economy began to add jobs back after the recession.
• The U.S. agency that enforces civil rights laws against disability discrimination said on Thursday that companies can test employees for COVID-19 before permitting them to enter the workplace as long as the tests are accurate and reliable. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last month said employers may take workers’ temperatures without violating the the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but Thursday’s guidance appears to authorize a broader array of testing options.
• More evidence is emerging that far more New Yorkers have had the coronavirus than the number confirmed by lab tests, officials said Thursday, offering insight that could help authorities decide how and how quickly to let people stop isolating from friends and return to work. Blood samples collected from about 3,000 people indicated that nearly 14% had developed antibodies to fight a coronavirus infection, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. In New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., 21% of the people tested had antibodies.

April 22, 2020

• State and local governments are warning of a wave of layoffs and pay cuts after getting left out of the federal coronavirus relief package expected to pass Congress this week. In many places, such as Detroit and Los Angeles, those painful reductions are already taking shape. State and local governments received aid under the $2.2 trillion CARES Act signed late last month, but they are pleading for new relief as Congress prepares to pass a bill to help small businesses and hospitals.
• Governors in 17 states have committed to regional coordination to reopen their economies during the coronavirus outbreak — but none are in the South, where leaders are going it alone, just as they did in imposing restrictions. As questions about when and how to ease virus-control measures becomes increasingly politically charged, governors in the Deep South have resisted any appearance of synchronization, instead driving home their message that each state must make its own decision.
• A second wave of the coronavirus is expected to hit the United States next winter and could strike much harder than the first because it would likely arrive at the start of influenza season, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday. As the current outbreak continues to taper off, as shown by a recent decline in hospitalization rates and other indicators, authorities need to prepare for a probable resurgence in the months ahead.

April 21, 2020

• Reopening the U.S. economy is complicated by some troubling scientific questions about the new coronavirus that go beyond the logistics of whether enough tests are available.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that all available evidence suggests that the novel coronavirus originated in bats in China late last year and it was not manipulated or constructed in a laboratory. "All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed virus in a lab or somewhere else," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva news briefing. "It is probable, likely that the virus is of animal origin." It was not clear how the virus had jumped the species barrier to humans but there had "certainly" been an intermediate animal host, she added.
• Can colleges survive coronavirus? The math is not pretty. Most campuses in the United States are sitting empty. Courses are online, students are at home. And administrators are trying to figure out how to make the finances of that work.

April 20, 2020

• After weeks of sheltering in place, Americans are asking how soon we can return to a more normal life outside our homes. Much of the answer might be in a test. The first phase of testing has been about determining who has COVID-19. The next phase will be about who had it – or may still be fighting it. Instead of looking in our throats for the coronavirus itself, health care workers will look for signs in our blood that we developed antibodies to fight the virus.
• Not since the Great Depression have so many in this country faced the prospect of being unable to put food on their table. And it's not just families trying to feed themselves, farmers, processing plants and supermarkets have all experienced disruptions. Late Friday, President Trump directed $19 billion in relief for farmers and ranchers to maintain the integrity of our food supply chain and to aid local food banks.
• A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. While that’s clearly good news, it also means it’s impossible to know who around you may be contagious. That complicates decisions about returning to work, school and normal life.

April 17, 2020

• The Chinese city at the origin of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, revised up its death toll by 50 percent on Friday, as global criticism mounted over China's handling of the deadly pandemic and as the U.S. plots re-opening.
• Some of America’s largest food companies are finally feeling the pinch with restaurants across the U.S. remaining closed for weeks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. After weeks of consumer hoarding, panic buying is abating and the lack of demand from shuttered restaurants, schools and coffee shops is starting to set in.
• China acknowledged Friday that the coronavirus death toll in the one-time epicenter city of Wuhan was nearly 50% higher than reported, underscoring just how seriously the official numbers of infections and deaths around the world may be understating the dimensions of the disaster. In Italy, Spain, Britain, the United States and elsewhere, similar doubts emerged as governments revised their death tolls or openly questioned the accuracy of them.
• A Chicago hospital treating severe Covid-19 patients with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medicine remdesivir in a closely watched clinical trial is seeing rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms, with nearly all patients discharged in less than a week.

April 16, 2020

• A dozen Ford Motor Co. workers are experimenting with wearable social-distancing devices that could be deployed more widely once the carmaker reopens idled manufacturing plants.
• Thanks to COVID-19, Social Security's day of reckoning may be even closer than we thought. A lot less money is coming in, and pretty soon, more will be going out.
• 5 million more people filed jobless claims last week, bringing total to almost 22 million in one month. "The labor market is showing us what I think we all know, that the economy is falling off a cliff at an unprecedented rate," said one economist.
   

   

   

April 15, 2020

• Hydroxychloroquine, the 65-year-old malaria drug that President Donald Trump has praised, appeared not to help patients get rid of the pathogen in a small study.
• Coronavirus is making touch-free shopping a necessity. Amazon Go stores, delivery drones and contactless terminals will play a big role for consumers.
• A team of government officials - led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - has created a public health strategy to combat the coronavirus and reopen parts of the country.
• U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his government is trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated from a lab in Wuhan, China, and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said Beijing “needs to come clean” on what they know.

April 14, 2020

• Those $1,200 federal payments to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis have started arriving in some people's bank accounts via direct deposit. But many people will have to wait longer — and there could be pitfalls, such as debt collectors grabbing the money before you do.
• The U.S. Treasury Department is holding firm on the terms of a $25 billion offer for government aid to airlines to help them meet payroll during the coronavirus downturn, officials said on Monday. Under Treasury’s terms, Reuters calculates that the government could end up with about 3% of American, which has the most employees of the U.S. carriers and has said it was seeking about $6 billion in payroll support.

April 13, 2020

• More than 41,000 people in America have recovered from the coronavirus that has prompted states nationwide to close businesses and restrict social gatherings. As the United States looks toward the end of President Donald Trump's 30-day plan to slow the spread of the outbreak, recovered patients could be key to reopening the country. Based on how previous viruses have behaved, officials believe those who have recovered will have at least some immunity, meaning their return to daily life may be less likely to fuel an outbreak.
• South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States on Tuesday in the first such shipment following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump, a Seoul official told Reuters on Monday.

April 12, 2020

• Americans spent a glum Easter Sunday largely confined to their homes by the still-raging coronavirus pandemic as the U.S. death toll neared 22,000, with more than half a million confirmed cases nationwide.

April 8, 2020

• The researchers behind the new study tested the virus' life span in a 71-degree-Fahrenheit room at 65% relative humidity. After three hours, the virus had disappeared from printing and tissue paper. It took two days for it to leave wood and cloth fabric. After four days, it was no longer detectable on glass or paper money. It lasted the longest, seven days, on stainless steel and plastic.  Strikingly, the authors wrote, the coronavirus was still present on the outward-facing side of a surgical mask on day seven of the investigation. That's the longest duration of all the materials they tested.

• France has recorded the world's highest daily coronavirus death toll after 1,417 victims died in the past 24 hours. The leap makes the country the fourth in the world to surpass 10,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

• Survivors of Coronavirus Face an Uncertain Road Back to Normal.  Guidelines vary widely for when recovered Covid-19 patients can safely return to their pre-coronavirus lives.

April 6, 2020

• Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the current unemployment rate could be 13% while economic growth is down 30% or more. Yellen expressed some doubt as to whether the U.S. recovery will signal a quick recovery shaped like a “V′ and told CNBC the current situation is a “huge, unprecedented, devastating hit” though it is not in the same category as the Great Depression.

• U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned Sunday amid the coronavirus pandemic that the week ahead would be the “hardest and the saddest” of “most Americans’ lives.” He added, however, that there "is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days."

• WHO says the coronavirus can spread one to three days before symptoms start. Whether the person is symptomatic or presymptomatic, the disease is still spread in the same way — through droplets from the nose and mouth, said the official, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s team lead on the coronavirus.

• What happens if you’re seriously ill and it’s not from Covid-19? At a world-renowned cancer center in Houston, a woman was told her lung-cancer surgery, booked weeks ago, could be canceled last-minute. In New York City, none of the doctors’ offices at a major hospital system are doing procedures. In Toronto, operating rooms sat empty at a hospital specializing in organ transplants and cardiac care, and surgeons rested at home as wards were cleared in preparation for what’s to come.

April 2, 2020

• US weekly jobless claims double to 6.6 million. Initial jobless claims surged to more 6.6 million last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That brings the two-week total to about 10 million due to the coronavirus-induced economic shutdown.

• Antibody tests key to ending COVID-19 lockdowns. It's the key that opens to door from total lockdown: serologic testing, which will show definitively who has contracted COVID-19 and is in theory safe to return to work.

• What to watch: Key data points as US nears 1 in 1,000 infected. Even with a lack of available testing and delays in getting test results back, about 1 in every 1,500 people in the U.S. have a confirmed case of coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Census Bureau. The daily case count has been rising, but even if it levels off, the U.S. may still get to a point where 1 in 1,000 nationally have it in the next week or so.

• Disaster in motion: 3.4 million travelers poured into US as coronavirus pandemic erupted. With the advent of COVID-19, the world has officially entered a dangerous new phase where a surge in international travel in recent decades served as the springboard -- jet fuel, really -- for an infectious disease potentially to kill hundreds of thousands in the U.S. and infect the global economy at breathtaking speed.

March 31, 2020

• Cuomo says coronavirus is ‘more dangerous’ than expected as New York cases jump 14% overnight to 75,795.

• Study shows middle-age COVID-19 mortality risk. They found that age was a key determining factor in serious infections, with nearly one in five over-80s requiring hospitalization, compared to around 1 percent among people under 30.

March 26, 2020

• Jobless claims soar past 3 million to record high. Claims had been expected to hit a record 1.5 million for the week, according to economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

• U.S. to Take Stakes in Airlines in Exchange for Grants, Mnuchin Says. Plan emerged during last-minute negotiations over $2 trillion economic rescue package to address coronavirus crisis. 

• One map shows how many coronavirus tests each US state has done so far.

March 24, 2020

• Traces of new coronavirus were found on surfaces in cruise-ship cabins for as many as 17 days after passengers left, researchers said, though it wasn’t possible to determine whether they caused any infections.

• A key modelling study from Singapore has found that putting multiple social lockdowns in place - including school closures - will have the biggest impact on curbing COVID-19.

• A California police department is planning on using drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to monitor a coronavirus shutdown.

March 23, 2020

• This was the fastest 30% sell-off ever, exceeding the pace of declines during the Great Depression.

• Why this Nobel laureate predicts a quicker coronavirus recovery: 'We're going to be fine'. Michael Levitt, a Nobel laureate and Stanford biophysicist, began analyzing the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide in January and correctly calculated that China would get through the worst of its coronavirus outbreak long before many health experts had predicted. Now he foresees a similar outcome in the United States and the rest of the world.

• U.S. Jobless Rate May Soar to 30%, Fed’s Bullard Says.  Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard predicted the U.S. unemployment rate may hit 30% in the second quarter because of shutdowns to combat the coronavirus, with an unprecedented 50% drop in gross domestic product.

• Lost sense of smell could be a peculiar clue to coronavirus infection. Several patients who have had symptoms consistent with coronavirus, but who have not been tested or are still awaiting results, described losing senses of smell and taste, even though their noses were clear and not congested. The loss occurred regardless of how sick they got, or whether they were congested. Using nasal drops or sprays did not help.

March 19, 2020

• On March 17, 2020, the Federal Reserve announced that it is establishing a Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF) to provide liquidity to credit markets. Many of the largest corporations in the world, including Apple, Caterpillar, and JP Morgan, use commercial paper to fund their daily operations. By supporting the commercial paper market, the Federal Reserve is assuring that high-quality corporations do not run into funding issues because of the coronavirus and its impact on financial markets.

•  White House officials are working with congressional Republicans on an emergency stimulus package that could send two $1,000 checks to many Americans and also devote $300 billion towards helping small businesses avoid mass layoffs, according to two senior administration officials. The current $1 trillion Trump plan would seek to spend $500 billion towards the cash payments to individual Americans, though some people wouldn't qualify if their income is over a certain level.

• The UCLA Anderson School of Business predicted Monday that the economic recession caused by the tightening government restrictions would cost 2 million jobs and raise the national unemployment rate to 5% over the next few months — up from 3.5% in February. Administration officials have warned Congress the unemployment rate could quickly soar into double digits.