Coronavirus USA: live news summary for Thursday 2 July
Coronavirus live: US latest news - 2 July 2020
US coronavirus latest: 15:30 PT / 17:30 ET on Thursday 2 July (23:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by John Hopkins University, 10,780,980 cases have been detected worldwide, with 518,121 deaths and 5,528,887 people recovered.
In the USA, there have been 2,724,640 confirmed cases and 128,574 deaths, with 729,994 people recovered from the virus.
Latinx community hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic
Latinx people are among those who are being hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinx people in the U.S. are hospitalized from the virus at four times the rate of white people.
According to Dr. Joseph Betancourt, Latinx people being more likely to have preexisting conditions such as diabetes to having less access to care to a hesitation to engage with the health care system.
Pence says he supports Florida governor's efforts to slow coronavirus spread
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday he fully supports the Florida governor's efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak, even as the state earlier reported the biggest one-day increase in cases since the pandemic started.
"We fully support your prudent steps in working to slow the spread and the rising cases that are impacting Florida today," Pence said at a media briefing in Tampa, Florida, with the state's governor, Ron DeSantis.
Texas governor orders public use of face masks
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a statewide order that face masks must be worn in public in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases, according to a written statement released by the governor's office.
Abbott also gave local authorities the power to limit gatherings to no more than 10 people in Texas, where coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been spiking. The governor has resisted calls from local leaders for more than two months to force everyone in Texas to wear masks.
New York latest
According to Governor Cuomo's office New York state saw an additional 875 cases of coronavirus and 10 new deaths since yesterday. In total nearly 400,000 people have been infected with Covid-19 in the state, while 24,877 have died.
Positive Covid-19 cases in the NBA up to 25
In the first eight days of the testing, 25 players have tested positive for the coronavirus, the NBA announced on Thursday.
"In tests conducted of 344 NBA players between June 24-29, an additional nine players have tested positive for the coronavirus. Twenty-five of 351 players have tested positive since testing began on June 23," the league said in a release. "In tests conducted of 884 team staff between June 23-29, 10 have tested positive for the coronavirus."
Teams are scheduled to travel to Orlando on July 7 for the start of formal training camp. The NBA is scheduled to restart the 2019-20 regular season with 22 teams at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
"Very little risk" that pets can infect owners with Covid-19
There is "very little risk" that pets can infect their owners with Covid-19, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told a Geneva news conference that felines, ferrets and "even tigers" have been infected with the disease. "There is very little risk from domestic animals because there was some concern about domestic animals becoming a source of infection," she said.
Trump says three coronavirus vaccine candidates looking positive
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism that the United States would soon come up with a workable vaccine for coronavirus, saying three vaccine candidates were looking particularly good. "Three are really, really looking good," Trump said at an event at the White House, without providing details. "We think we're going to have it soon."
Coronavirus: US unemployment falls to 11.1% as June sees 4.8m new jobs
Unemployment drops in US: full report
Here's the full story on the news that unemployment in the United States dropped to 11.1% in June, with 4.8 million new jobs created:
Unemployment falls to 11.1% in the US
The United States’ economy gained 4.8 million jobs in June as unemployment fell to 11.1%, figures released on Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics have revealed. The jobs gain is the largest in a single month in US history.
The employment numbers, which were published a day early because of the 4th of July holiday, have exceeded economists’ expectations, with NBC reporting that three million new jobs and an overall jobless rate of 12.3% had been anticipated.
June’s drop in unemployment follows May’s unexpected fall from 14.7% to 13.3%, as the US added 2.5 million jobs and showed signs of recovery from a disastrous April that had brought the loss of 21 million positions.
Second Stimulus Check: Trump keen to increase the amount of payments
ICYMI: Trump keen to increase the amount of payments
Speaking to Fox News, the US president says he wants people to get the money as quick as possible and is anxious that the amount of the second stimulus check is bigger.
Full details:
US delays diplomats' return to China
The United States has postponed flights for dozens of American diplomats who had planned to return to China later this month, after failing to reach agreement with Beijing over issues including Covid-19 testing and quarantine.
Five months after the coronavirus epidemic forced the evacuation of some 1,300 U.S. diplomats and family members from China, Washington and Beijing remain locked in negotiations over conditions for their return, according to more than a dozen internal State Department emails seen by Reuters and people familiar with the matter.
The impasse comes as the pandemic intensifies in many parts of the world, including the United States, with the global tally this week topping 10 million cases and half a million deaths.
It also comes as relations between the world's two largest economies have sunk to their lowest in decades over issues including China's handling of the pandemic, bilateral trade and a new security law for Hong Kong. (Reuters)
Macy's 4th of July fireworks spread out over six nights
People watch as fireworks are launched in Times Square on Wednesday, as part of the annual Macy's 4th of July fireworks. This was the third of six nights of firework displays in locations around New York City, which are being kept secret in an attempt to minimize crowds gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images/AFP)
Coronavirus: California closes beaches, indoor businesses amid record spike
California closes beaches and indoor businesses amid record spike
California Governor Gavin Newsom has decided to take drastic measures as Covid-19 cases increase, closing down some sectors of the state's economy.
Full story:
US risks "even greater outbreak", says Fauci
Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease expert, has told the BBC that the country risks “an even greater outbreak” if it does not bring the major spikes seen in certain states under control.
Speaking after the US registered another record daily case count on Wednesday - 52,982 - Dr Fauci said: “[In Europe] they’ve had big spikes and then brought it down almost to, and even to, baseline in some countries. They will be having additional infections, but at least they got it down to a reasonable baseline.
"The situation in the United States has been more problematic. We got hit very badly, worse than any country […]. The problem we’re facing now is that in an attempt to so-called reopen, or open, government and get it back to some form of normality, we’re seeing some very disturbing spikes in different individual states in the United States, particularly most recently Florida, Arizona, Texas and California […].
“What we’ve seen over the last several days is a spike in cases well beyond the worse spikes that we’ve seen. That is not good news - we’ve got to get that under control or we risk an even greater outbreak in the United States."
Oil price falls in USA
Due to the increase in coronavirus infections in the USA, the price of oil has been affected with a considerable decrease.
USA records high employment numbers in June
Despite the crisis in the USA due to the coronavirus, reports report that 3 million new jobs were reached in June.
Donald Trump says he wants bigger second stimulus check
Trump says he supports giving more money than even the Democrats are recommending.
Joe Biden criticises Trump's handling of coronavirus pandemic
Biden reminded Donald Trump that he said he was a war-time president and Biden suggested he had finally "surrendered".
NBA 'bubble' rules: Lillard worried players won't follow it
The NBA's ability to complete the season in its Walt Disney World Resort 'bubble' depends on participants following the rules to keep everyone inside free from the coronavirus.
Actually achieving that goal might not be easy, according to Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers' All-Star guard said Wednesday regarding strict adherence to isolating protocols, "My confidence ain't great because you're telling me you're gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don't follow all the rules.
"I don't have much confidence, but hopefully it'll be handled to a point where we're not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position."
Related news
Scroll through some of our recent stories related to the pandemic.
Covid-19 catch up
Here are some of the stories that have been making the headlines over the last 24 hours...
- US House of Representatives has approved an extension of a $660 billion lending program in an effort to help small businesses
- The NBA are still planning on resuming the season in Orlando later this month
- California shut down bars and indoor dining for most residents and New York City has paused restaurant reopening
- FC Dallas stops training after three players test positive for Covid-19
- People have been reacting to the news that the US has secured 100% of Gilead’s projected production of the drug remdesivir for July
US coronavirus latest: 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET on Wednesday 1 July (01:00 CEST Thursday 2 July)
According to the latest figures published by John Hopkins University, 10,577,263 cases have been detected worldwide, with 513,441 deaths and 5,406,703 people recovered.
In the USA, there have been 2,677,168 confirmed cases and 127,970 deaths, with 729,994 people recovered from the virus.
Hello and welcome to our live, rolling coverage of the coronavirus in the United States
Over 10.5 million people globally have contracted the disease according to official figures, and half a million have lost their lives to the virus since it started to spread at the beginning of the year.
In the US, the first wave was believed to be over but that is obviously not the case. Texas, Florida, Arizona and California have seen a resurgence in new cases reaffirming fears that a second wave is a very real possibility.