Coronavirus USA summary: cases, deaths and news - 3 July
Coronavirus live: USA latest news - 3 July 2020
US coronavirus latest: 14:55 PT / 17:55 ET on Friday 3 July (23:55 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by John Hopkins University, 10,982,099 cases have been detected worldwide, with 523,562 deaths and 5,816,375 people recovered.
In the USA, there have been 2,786,178 confirmed cases and 129,275 deaths, with 790,404 people recovered from the virus.
How to celebrate July 4th during Covid-19?
Celebrate July 4th with safety in mind
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many of us celebrate so we need to consider the alternatives to ensure Independence Day fun doesn't pass unnoticed.
11 million cases reached, say Reuters
Global coronavirus cases exceeded 11 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.
The number of cases is more than double the figure for severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization. Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available.
Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern into 2021. The United States reported more than 55,400 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, a new daily global record as infections rose in a majority of states.
Too late to avoiding the perceived 'second wave'
Rather than doing everything to reduce cases and subsequent deaths and then fight off a second wave, the US has made battling the first wave even harder.
MLB All-Star game cancelled
This year's Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Los Angeles Dodgers will instead stage the Midsummer Classic in 2022, organisers said Friday. Dodger Stadium had been set to host the game for the first time since 1980.
'Once it became clear we were unable to hold this year’s All-Star festivities, we wanted to award the Dodgers with the next available All-Star Game, which is 2022,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “I want to thank the Dodgers organization and the city of Los Angeles for being collaborative partners in the early stages of All-Star preparation and for being patient and understanding in navigating the uncertainty created by the pandemic.'
It marks the first time since World War II that the All-Star Game will not be played after the event in 1945 was cancelled due to travel restrictions. MLB and its players' association agreed to a shortened, 60-game 2020 campaign last week with no fans in attendance and each team's first game on 23 July or 24 July, after weeks of negotiations cast doubt on whether the season would open at all.
Further mask promotion
After Donald Trump softened his stance on mask wearing, the US Surgeon General has also moved.
Does a mask make a difference?
Some countries have taken to wearing face coverings more than others, and this image may encourage those who don't see the benefit to change.
Dr Fauci calls for responsible Americans
The task force lead also warns that the coronavirus may be mutating to become more infectious.
Stimulus focus was misguided, believes Stiglitz
Although surely we're all getting a little tired of the expert opinions from Nobel Prize-winning economists on the economy.
More 'wear a mask advice'
With President Trump now backing mask wearing to beat the spread of Covid-19, there's more advice to keep your mask on, this time from US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams.
In answering questions on whether people should gather at the 4 July weekend, he said: "The most important thing I would say to people is if you do go out to a gathering or in public, please, wear a face covering."
Dangerous behaviour from Donald Trump Jr.
President Trump has finally come round to the reality that masks can safe lives, but his son, Donald Trump Jr., continues to spread nonsense about wearing them. Here CNN pulls apart the latest anti-mask meme he shared. Would be great to be able to find out if he truly believes these things, or simply feels that wildly inaccurate political posturing like this is what he needs to do. Another possibility is that he actually enjoys the outrage...
US not among countries exempted from quarantine in England
The United States will not be included on a list of 50 countries whose travelers will no longer face a quarantine period on arrival in England.
From 10 July, people arriving from nations such as Spain, Italy and France will be exempt from having to self-isolate for 14 days, but the US remains a high-risk country, UK transport minister Grant Shapps said.
People in England will also be advised not to visit the US, which this week registered over 50,000 new cases in a single day for the first time, and is the world’s worst-affected country with nearly 2.74 million infections.
"The US, from a very early stage, banned flights from the UK and from Europe so there isn’t a reciprocal arrangement in place in any case there," Shapps told BBC Radio 4 on Friday. "They have got very high numbers of infections, which is why they are not on the list today."
What is remdesivir and how does the drug treat coronavirus?
What is remdesivir and how does the drug treat coronavirus?
Health officials in the US have announced that the Trump administration has bought almost the entire world’s stock of the drug.
Full story:
No regrets over reopening - Mnuchin
The US treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, said on Thursday that the Trump administration has no regrets over its drive to reopen the country's economy, as states such as Texas reimpose restrictions amid surging coronavirus figures.
"No absolutely not," Mnuchin said when asked if the US government regretted pushing states to reopen so quickly, adding. "I think we've had a very careful plan".
Mexican state seeks tighter Arizona border controls
The Mexican state of Sonora is to ask its country’s federal government to tighten controls on the border it shares with US state Arizona, as both regions suffer from surging coronavirus rates.
"It's so important to implement the necessary measures to protect the health of Sonorans," Enrique Clausen, Sonora’s health minister, said. "And one of them, at this moment, has to be reducing the border crossings from the United States towards Mexico."
Texas struggles with spike in cases
Medical staff communicate through an air-tight curtain in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, on Thursday.
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have spiked since Texas reopened, pushing intensive-care wards to full capacity and sparking concerns about a surge in fatalities as the virus spreads.
(Photo: Go Nakamura/Getty Images/AFP)
California in a worrying situation
Health experts believe that California is in a precarious situation due to multiple infections by coronavirus.
Alert in four US states
Arizona, California, Florida and Texas together added 25,000 new cases of coronavirus in the last hours.
Trump says the USA can stop the coronavirus
Despite the high number of infections in the United States, President Donald Trump has assured that his government is controlling the coronavirus.
US oil price worries
The price of oil falls as more cases of coronavirus infections occur in the United States and in the world.
Washington state halts reopening
Washington state is hitting the pause button on its plans to reopen, with applications from counties halted. All counties will stay in their current phase for the next two weeks.
US government hoping to dramatically expand Covid-19 testing
The Trump administration is eyeing the use of a new strategy that would allow states to dramatically expand their testing capabilities as several areas seek to get coronavirus outbreaks under control.
Public health officials have in recent days discussed the benefits of pool testing, an approach that allows several samples to be tested at once to reduce the time and resources needed to test large groups. Such a strategy could prove helpful to allowing schools to reopen, experts said, and could preserve supplies as states like Texas, Florida and Arizona attempt to rein in spiking case numbers.
US Coronavirus cases rise by 50,000 in one day
New U.S. Covid-19 cases rose by over 50,000 on Thursday, setting a record for a third consecutive day, according to a Reuters tally. New infections rose in 37 out of 50 U.S. states in the past 14 days compared with the two weeks prior in early June, according to a Reuters analysis.
Florida reported the biggest increase of any state so far on Thursday, recording over 10,000 new cases in a single day. Florida, with 21 million residents, has reported more new daily coronavirus cases than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks.
In the first week of June, the United States was adding about 22,000 new Covid-19 cases each day. As the month progressed, hotspots began to emerge across the Sun Belt and began accelerating at an alarming rate.
The rise in cases is not just the result of more testing. Hospitalizations are also skyrocketing, along with a rise in the percentage of people testing positive for the virus. Nationally, 7% of coronavirus diagnostic tests came back positive last week, up from 5% the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis. Arizona's positivity test rate was 24% last week, Florida's was 16%. Nevada, South Carolina and Texas were all at 15%, the analysis found.
Florida registers 10,000 positive cases of Covid in one day
Beaches in Florida to close ahead of 4 July celebrations. A total of 10,109 new cases of Covid-19 infection was reported on Thursday - exactly one month ago, just 617 cases were registered.
Miami-Dade County mayor issues countywide curfew
The mayor of Miami-Dade County in Florida is issuing a countywide curfew to control the spread of Covid-19.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez will sign the order tonight, which will take effect on Friday until further notice, the statement said. The curfew will go from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. daily. Essential workers, first responders, hospital workers, food delivery services and media will be exempted from the curfew.
BPS urges half its students to attend summer school
Boston Public Schools (BPS) has urged half its students to attend summer school. The Boston Public Schools are strongly encouraging about half of the city's students to attend online summer schools when they start next week — more than double the number who've attended summer school in recent years, The Boston Globe reports.
Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Florida and Texas
Florida and Texas have both seen around 44,000 to 50,000 new Covid-19 infections during the past week - greater than the combined total reported in all 27 countries within the European Union.
Florida saw a total of 50,000 new cases from June 25 to July 1, while Texas reported 44,300 new cases within the same period.
Texas governor Abbott orders wearing of masks in public
Texas Governor Greg Abbott decreed that face masks must be worn in all counties with over 20 coronavirus cases, billing the measure as a requirement to avoid another economic shutdown. Wearing face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus is unpopular among Abbott's conservative Republican base in Texas, but he said in a video released on Thursday that the action was now absolutely necessary.
"In the past few weeks, there has been a swift and substantial spike in coronavirus cases,£ Abbott said. "We need to refocus on slowing the spread. But this time, we want to do it without closing down Texas again."
Face masks must be used in all public buildings and outside when social distancing of at least six feet (2 meters) cannot be maintained, the governor said. Those violating the order will be given one warning. After that, they can be issued a fine of up to $250. Nobody can be jailed for defying the order, he said. About a third of the 254 counties in Texas have reported fewer than 20 coronavirus cases - making them exempt from the order.
The governor also gave local authorities the ability to ban outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. On Sunday, a far-right anti-mask rally was held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol attended by about 150 people. "We must do more to slow the spread without locking Texas back down," Abbott explained. "We are now at a point where the virus is spreading so fast, there is little margin for error."
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
All you need to know about the Coronavirus pandemic
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Hello and welcome to our live, rolling coverage of the coronavirus in the United States
Almost 11 million people globally have contracted the disease according to official figures, and over half a million have lost their lives to the virus since it started to spread globally 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.