Coronavirus USA news summary: cases and deaths - 18 July
Coronavirus live USA: latest news - 19 July
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NFL players take to Twitter to express Covid-19 concerns
Some of National Football League's biggest names took to social media on Sunday to express their concerns and anger over the lack of Covid-19 safety protocols in place as teams prepare to open training camps this week.
Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson along with Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt were among those expressing their frustration at the NFL ignoring advice from its own medical experts. "We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL," tweeted Brees.
Wilson's main concern centered around his wife's pregnancy and how the NFL plans to protect family members. "I am concerned. My wife is pregnant. @NFL Training camp is about to start... And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones," he tweeted.
Watt, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, also took to Twitter to highlight a list of issues that need to be addressed before camps open on Tuesday. Some of those outstanding issues include information about how often players will be tested and what will happen if someone does test positive for the coronavirus. Watt also noted that an opt-out clause "for those at higher risk or those with family members at higher risk" had still not been agreed upon.
There is also a debate over the number of pre-season games teams will play, with the league planning for two and the NFL Players Association wanting none.
Florida reports over 10,000 new COVID cases for fifth day in a row
Florida reported over 12,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fifth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections.
The virus has claimed over 140,000 lives total since the pandemic started, and Florida, California, Texas and other southern and western states shatter records every day.
Florida reported 89 new deaths on Sunday. Deaths in the state have risen by over 500, or 78%, during the last two weeks compared with the prior two weeks, according to a Reuters analysis.
U.S. coronavirus deaths surpass 140,000 as outbreak worsens
(Reuters) U.S. deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 140,000 on Saturday as cases continued to rise in 42 out of 50 states over the past two weeks, according to a Reuters tally.
Since late June, the United States has seen a resurgence in new cases and now, six weeks later, deaths have also begun rising, according to a weekly Reuters analysis of state and county data.
America is losing about 5,000 people to the virus every week. By contrast, neighboring Canada has reported total deaths of 8,800 since the pandemic started. In just one week, the United States records about as many deaths as the 5,600 lives Sweden has lost since the pandemic began earlier this year.
Coronavirus USA: can young children test positive for Covid-19?
Studies have shown that while the vast majority of children show no or very mild symptoms after contracting Covid-19, infants are the highest risk group.
US faces high Covid-19 numbers for next year "if we don’t change our ways", says expert
Dr Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, has warned that high coronavirus figures are likely to continue in the United States for a long time “if we don’t change our ways”.
"Put it in perspective […]," he told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. "We’ve probably infected between 7 and 8% of the US population - that’s it. For all the pain, suffering, death [and] economic disruption, that’s it. As we’ve talked about on this very show, this virus won’t slow down, let alone stop, until we get to 50 or 60%. To put that into some kind of perspective, if we had 65,000 or 70,000 cases a day for the next 365 days, it would just begin to get us to that level.
"So we have a lot of human wood to burn in this coronavirus forest fire, and we may see ups and downs in communities where people do take more concern for a moment because of the severe problems, but I think it’s not only likely we’re going to see much more than 100,000 [cases per day], but I don’t think people understand that if we don’t change our ways, we are in for the next year of those very kinds of numbers."
"It doesn't end with you": Dr Fauci's message to young people
Dr Anthony Fauci, the US’ top infectious disease expert, has told an interview with WebMD’s Dr John Whyte that the fresh surge in coronavirus cases in the country is in large part down to young people "not caring" if they get infected and then passing the virus on to others.
"They're not going to get very sick - hey know that,” Fauci said. “So what I think is happening is that, understandably, innocently, but not correctly, the younger individuals are saying, 'Well, if I get infected, the chances of it is that I won't even have any symptoms, so who cares?' That's a big mistake.
"Because by allowing yourself to getting infected or not caring if you do get infected, you are propagating a pandemic. Because it doesn't end with you. You get infected and have no symptoms. The chances are you're going to infect someone else, who will then infect someone else."
Trump seeks to block funding for testing and tracing
The Trump administration is trying to stop billions of dollars of funding for testing and contact tracing from being included in the next coronavirus relief bill, according to this report in the Washington Post.
Citing officials involved in discussions over the stimulus package, the Post says US President Donald Trump is against proposals for the allocation of around $25 billion dollars to states to better test and trace coronavirus infections.
“Senate Republicans have asked for funding to help states purchase test kits in bulk,” Sam Hammond of the Niskanen Center think tank is quoted as saying. “As it currently stands, the main bottleneck to a big ramp-up in testing is less technical than the White House’s own intransigence.”
Trump is also attempting to prevent billions of dollars from being allocated to the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Post adds.
Second stimulus check: $40,000 income cap not expected
Income cap on second stimulus check expected to be higher than $40,000
Bloomberg reports that a second round of coronavirus Economic Impact Payments is not likely to include an income limit as low as $40,000.
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Miami Beach imposes curfew as cases surge in Florida
Beginning on Saturday, the city of Miami Beach, Florida, has established an 8pm-6am curfew in the South Beach Entertainment District to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Florida reported over 10,000 new infections on Saturday, taking the state's total case count to more than 337,500.
(Photo: EFE/EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH)
Record daily global surge in cases
The World Health Organization said on Saturday that the number of worldwide coronavirus cases had risen by over 250,000 in 24 hours, in what is the largest single-day spike recorded since the pandemic began. It is the first time that the daily global case count has surpassed the quarter-of-a-million mark. The WHO also reported a record 7,360 new fatalities.
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Atlanta Braves baseball player Freddie Freeman provided his learning about the coronavirus and this was his message to citizens
Global Covid-19 related deaths pass 600,000 mark
More than 600,000 people have lost their lives to the virus around the world according to the latest figures released by Johns Hopkins University.
Deaths have been averaging 4,800 a day in July, up slightly from an average of 4,600 a day in June.
The US is by far the worst-affected country worldwide in terms of cases and deaths, with 139,960 fatalities. Brazil, with the next-worst toll, has 78,772 deaths with the UK having the highest European figure with over 45,000.
Don't buy these hand sanitizers, FDA warns
The Food and Drug Administration has added to its list of hand sanitizers to avoid because they may contain methanol, a toxic substance when absorbed through skin or ingested.
The FDA's updated chart now includes 75 varieties of hand sanitizer that should be avoided, some which have already been recalled, and other products being recommended for recalls as they may contain the potentially fatal ingredient.
Covid-19 infection can cause long-term health problems
Research into how Covid-19 infection affects the human body and its organs continues with concerns of the long-term affects of the virus.
Second stimulus check: Second round plan could be presented next week
Second stimulus check: Second round plan could be presented next week
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"In the southern states, something happened between 12-16 June "
As part of The Economist's ' How can America regain control of the coronavirus? podcast, Dr Robert Redfield explained, "This is the most serious public health crisis that we have collectively faced in the world in more than a century. Clearly, this outbreak in the United States has come under relatively good control in the north east - after having a very significant impact there. But in the middle of June, all of a sudden we saw a marked increase in cases in the south east and south west. With this new surge, it shifted as patients are about a decade and a half younger, it's impact in terms of mortality has changed substantially. So it's a different situation and we are not entirely sure why".
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Everything you need to know about the Covid-19 pandemic
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Catch up...
We freshen up each day with a new blog so if you want to have a look back at what has been happening over the previous 24 hours then check out yesterday's feed.
Hello and welcome to our rolling news coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States.
The number of cases across the States continues to rise steeply, with 39 states reporting an increase in new cases from last week. California, Arizona, Texas and Florida are seeing hospital bed shortages due to the surging rise in sick patients.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US stands at 3.6 million while the death toll is now close to 140,000.