Coronavirus USA news updates for Tuesday 30 June 2020
Coronavirus live: USA latest news - 30 June 2020
US coronavirus latest: 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET on Tuesday 30 June (22:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by John Hopkins University, 10,375,897 cases have been detected worldwide, with 507,373 deaths and 5,292,383 people recovered.
In the USA, there have been 2,618,480 confirmed cases and 126,645 deaths, with 705,203 people recovered from the virus.
Fauci says no guarantee US will have an effective Covid-19 vaccine
The United States cannot count on the availability of a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, the government's top infectious diseases expert said on Tuesday, and he warned that the daily surge in cases could more than double if Americans fail to take steps to get the virus under control.
California, Texas and many other states have reported record increases in new cases of the sometimes deadly illness caused by the novel coronavirus, leading to a sobering reassessment of U.S. efforts to contain the pandemic. "It's extremely important to have safe and effective vaccines available for everyone in this country," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate committee.
Scores of vaccine candidates using a variety of approaches are being developed and tested at unprecedented speed. Fauci, however, cautioned that "there is no guarantee ... we'll have a safe and effective vaccine," and he urged Americans to come together to contain the virus.
Fauci warned that the daily increase of new cases in the United States, currently around 40,000, could reach 100,000 if people do not adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear masks. 'I am very concerned because it could get very bad,' he said.
Inovio Covid-19 vaccine candidates showing promise in early trial
An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc showed promise and was found to be safe in an early-stage human trial, the company said on Tuesday.
The vaccine, one of 17 being tested in humans and part of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed program, induced immune responses in 34 of the 36 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 50 years, Inovio said. The company, however, did not disclose more details on the exact response the vaccine induced, saying the full data will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal later.
Shares of the company fell 10.1% to $28.49 as Wall Street analysts said the initial data provided only a limited look into the vaccine's effects. Immune responses in the study were measured by the vaccine's ability to generate binding antibodies, or virus-neutralizing antibodies, and T-cell responses, two metrics considered vital for a successful vaccine. "We'd like to see data on these measures separately and broken out by dose before drawing too many conclusions," Piper Sandler analyst Christopher Raymond said.
Inovio said it is planning to begin a mid-to-late stage study in the summer to measure the vaccine's efficacy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that for a coronavirus vaccine to be effective it would have to prevent or decrease the severity of the disease in at least 50% of people who are vaccinated.
Biden to attack Trump's handling of COVID-19 as U.S. cases continue to rise
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday will launch a fresh attack on President Donald Trump's "historic mismanagement" of the coronavirus pandemic as the number of confirmed cases in many states rises.
Speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the former vice president will argue that earlier action by Trump would have reduced the number who fell ill and the economic impact of the virus, said an aide who previewed his speech and who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Biden will accuse Trump of "outright ignoring the crisis" as cases rise again, the aide said.
"Biden will walk through the timeline of Trump's inaction and failures, and highlight the common-sense actions that Trump refused to take to get the virus under control," the aide said.
Coronavirus USA: Dr. Fauci's recommendations to stop the Covid-19 crisis
Dr. Fauci's recommendations to stop the Covid-19 crisis
The pandemic "is not even close to being over," World Health chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing as cases in the US continue to surge.
EU agrees 'safe' list of 14 countries for travel resumption with US excluded
European Union governments have agreed an initial "safe list" of 14 countries from which they will allow non-essential travel from July, with the United States among the most notable of absences.
The "safe" countries are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay, the European Council said on Tuesday.
In addition, China would be included if it reciprocated by allowing in EU travellers.
After pandemic, U.S. senators want review of drug supply chain
Republican and Democratic U.S. senators called for a government analysis of foreign influence in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain on Tuesday, saying the coronavirus pandemic has exposed an over-reliance on China and other countries for the production of essential drugs.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren will introduce the U.S. Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act on Tuesday.
The bill would require the government to study the effects of relying on foreign companies and foreign investment for the production of pharmaceuticals for the U.S. market, and provide a report within one year, according to a copy of the legislation.
"To defeat the current COVID-19 crisis and better equip the United States against future pandemics, we must take control of our supply chain and rely less on foreign countries for our critical drugs," Warren said in a statement.
US stocks-Virus fears lead futures lower after strong quarterly rebound
U.S. index futures dipped on the last trading day of the second quarter on Tuesday as coronavirus-related worries and simmering U.S.-China tensions weighed on sentiment at the end of what is expected to be the S&P 500's best quarter since 1998.
The benchmark index has rebounded about 18% since April on a raft of fiscal and monetary stimulus and the easing of restrictions, but is still down about 5% on the year as a resurgence in coronavirus cases raises fears of another round of lockdowns.
With California and Texas marking a record spike in cases on Monday, investors are counting on more stimulus to shore up the domestic economy.
Nets' Jordan out after tests positive for Covid-19
The Brooklyn Nets will be without center DeAndre Jordan when the NBA season resumes.
George Clooney calls for coronavirus vaccines to be available for all
Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu and actor George Clooney are among more than 100 people who have signed an appeal for COVID-19 vaccines to be declared a global common good and made widely available.
The appeal is led by the founder of the microcredit movement Muhammad Yunus, also a Nobel peace prize winner, who said some pharmaceutical companies had declared vaccines would be provided to rich countries in Europe and the United States first.
"What happens to the rest of the world? It's as if the rest of the world will be forgotten," said the founder of the Yunus Centre, set up more than a decade ago to fight poverty.
"This is a vaccine that is needed by 8 billion people. What happens to poor people? What happens to poor countries who cannot afford to pay the prices that they'll be charging in the rich countries?"
Arizona orders bars, gyms, theaters to reclose to slow virus surge
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on Monday ordered the closure of bars, nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters and water parks, joining other sun belt states like Florida and Texas in reversing reopenings after a surge in coronavirus cases.
Ducey also delayed the start of public schools until Aug. 17 after many school districts planned to start their new year in July or early August.
The orders, effective 8 p.m. local time, came after Arizona set a single-day record for new coronavirus cases on Sunday after hitting a new high for COVID-19 hospitalizations the previous day.
"The time for additional action is upon us," Ducey told a press briefing. "We're not going back to normal any time soon."
Pandemic lockdown boosts Amazon billions
Amazon has maintained its position as the world’s most valuable brand, increasing its worth by almost a third to $415.9 billion compared to last year, according to a ranking by consultancy Kantar published on Tuesday.
A changing attitude in Trump's administration
Over the weekend, Pence stepped up his urgency. Other Trump officials and allies issued stark new warnings as case counts soared in some of the nation’s largest states. And the machinery that had lined up behind President Donald Trump’s mission-accomplished message suddenly started to fade away.
Pandemic lockdown has seen growth of green fingers
The coronavirus lockdown has inspired a surge in gardening not seen since the second world war. Seed firms have struggled to keep up.
Obama slams Trump's "kung flu" language
"I don't want a country in which the president of the United States is actively trying to promote anti-Asian sentiment and thinks it's funny. I don't want that. That still shocks and pisses me off," the former president reportedly said.
Comparing Covid-19 to other killers
Stephanie Haney provides a thread looking at the tragic situation the US finds itself facing, and how some early predictions were far off the mark.
A reminder that children are not immune
At least 285 U.S. children have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus and while most recovered, the potential for long-term or permanent damage is unknown, two new studies suggest.
Coronavirus pandemic sees increase in nursing school admissions
Since the Covid-19 outbreak took hold in the U.S., the number of inquiries and applications from prospective students has increased significantly at some nursing schools.
UK PM looks to FDR's "New Deal" programme
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to spend the British economy out of its coronavirus-induced crisis, with a speech on Tuesday promising to fast-track 5 billion pounds ($6.15 billion) of infrastructure investment.
Britain shut down swathes of its economy for nearly three months when Covid-19 threatened to run out of control, forcing the government to borrow tens of billions of pounds to keep companies afloat and limit job losses.
"This is a government that is wholly committed not just to defeating coronavirus but to using this crisis finally to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges of the last three decades," Johnson will say in a speech.
He will draw comparisons between his ambition and Former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" programme of the 1930s, which included a raft of job-creating public works projects to help the United States recover from the Great Depression.
“Colin in Black & White” will examine Kaepernick’s high school years to illuminate the experiences that shaped his advocacy, Netflix said Monday.
“They are more than likely pushing this trial to a different venue if they (public officials) continue to do so,” Cahill told lead prosecutor Matthew Frank.
Broadway to remain closed until 2021
A view of the Richard Rodgers Theatre on in New York City. Broadway theatres will remain closed until at least January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced on Monday.
"The Broadway experience can be deeply personal but it is also, crucially, communal," said Thomas Schumacher, chairman of the board of the Broadway League, which represents theatre owner and producers.
"The alchemy of 1,000 strangers bonding into a single audience fueling each performer on stage and behind the scenes will be possible again when Broadway theatres can safely host full houses.
"The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it’s safe to do so."
(Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images/AFP)
Second stimulus check update: is another payment on the way?
Second stimulus check update: is another payment on the way?
Amid the coronavirus crisis, Americans are waiting to find out whether there will be a second round of stimulus checks.
Full details:
Coronavirus: in which US states is wearing a face mask mandatory?
Many states are bringing in new measures but the problem is that many of these states don't implement the law properly and people go about their business without them.
Kansas will make mask-wearing mandatory as they have counted over 13,000 cases yesterday. They are not the only state to panic with California and Texas. “We need to understand, that COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Sunday.
Hello and welcome to our live, rolling coverage of the coronavirus in the United States
Over 128,000 people have lost their lives to the virus since it started to spread at the beginning of the year. They first wave was believed to be over but that is obviously not the case. America saw north of 40,000 new positives yesterday as they continue to count huge numbers of cases.