Coronavirus USA summary: news, cases, deaths - 24 August

Reporting discrepancies

GOP CONVENTION

RNC 2020 live online GOP from Charlotte: Republican delegates nominates Trump for reelection

Republican National Convention 2020

If you want to watch it live, it is now underway

Coronavirus USA | Stimulus Checks

Second stimulus check: what's the difference between HEALS ACT and HEROES ACT?

As we await a decision on a second round of stimulus checks, it's worth noting how the proposals pushed by both Republicans and Democrats differ on the Economic Impact Payments.

Full details:

GOP CONVENTION

RNC 2020 live online GOP from Charlotte: Republican delegates nominates Trump for reelection

Republican National Convention: Day 1

You may have not heard but there is a presidential election in the offing.

Last week the Democrats put forward their ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and now it's four days for the Republicans to push Donald Trump's reelection.

There's no doubt that the pandemic will be discussed, although maybe with a particular spin...

Follow all the fun from Day 1 live:

US CDC reports 176,223 deaths from coronavirus

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday said the number of deaths due to the coronavirus had risen by 572 to 176,223 and reported 5,682,491 cases, an increase of 38,679 from its previous count.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as Covid-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 16:00 ET on 23 August versus its previous report released on Sunday.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.

US big banks positive over Covid-19 treatment hopes

Shares of big US banks rose on the back of recent Covid-19 treatment news. JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup, Wells Fargo , Bank of America and Morgan Stanley are up over 1.5%, while Goldman Sachs is up 0.7%.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday that it had approved emergency use of blood plasma for treatment of Covid-19, with President Trump calling a news conference to confirm. The FDA said that early evidence suggests blood plasma from recovered patients can decrease mortality rate.

Good financial news for some people then...

US NEWS

Who is Jacob Blake, the black man shot seven times by police in Kenosha?

New protests after black man shot by police

As measures continue to be enforced or encouraged across the country to slow the spread of coronavirus, we have seen how large protests have worked against them.

But when videos like this are captured and shared, it is easy to see why they erupt. Caution advised if watching video contained within the story.

You can help document the US healthcare workers who die fighting coronavirus

Lost on the frontline is a project by the Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the life of every healthcare worker in the US who dies from Covid-19 during the pandemic.

From doctors to hospital cleaners, and from nursing home aides to paramedics, this project will capture the diverse range of frontline health workers risking their lives to help others in this fight. You can read more about the project here .

A man checks the time at a largely empty Grand Central Terminal commuter rail terminal as the light from 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide windows shines through in New York. New York City's economy is being crippled by the coronavirus outbreak (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

TikTok takes Trump to task

In a press release, TikTok says it is suing the United States government, "filing a complaint in federal court challenging the Administration's efforts to ban" the Chinese social video app

Coronavirus

President Trump press conference: Emergency Use Authorisation for Covid-19 convalescent plasma

In a press conference held on Sunday evening, alongside Alex Azar, Secretary for US Health and Human Services, and Stephan Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, President Donald Trump announced that the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for convalescent plasma to treat patients who are sick with Covid-19. 

Full story: 

WHO cautious on Covid-19 plasma as US issues emergency authorization

(Reuters) The World Health Organization on Monday was cautious about endorsing the use of recovered Covid-19 patients' plasma to treat those who are ill, saying evidence it works remains "low quality" even as the United States issued emergency authorization for such therapies.

So-called convalescent plasma, which has long been used to treat diseases, has emerged as the latest political flashpoint in the race to find therapies for Covid-19.

The US Food & Drug Administration on Sunday authorized its use after President Donald Trump blamed the agency for impeding the roll-out of vaccines and therapeutics for political reasons.

The technique involves taking antibody-rich plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19 and giving it to those who are suffering from severe active infections in hopes they will recover more quickly.

Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, said only a few clinical trials of convalescent plasma have produced results, and the evidence, at least so far, has not been convincing enough to endorse it beyond use as an experimental therapy.

While a few trials have showed some benefit, she said, they have been small and their data, so far, inconclusive. "At the moment, it's still very low-quality evidence," Swaminathan told a news conference. "So we recommend that convalescent plasma is still an experimental therapy, it should continue to be evaluated in well-designed randomised clinical trials."

US politics

Why is Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway leaving the White House?

Donald Trump's 2016 campaign manager has announced she will be leaving the White House at the end of the month for personal reasons.

Republican ex-lawmakers back Biden on first day of Trump convention

(Reuters) More than two-dozen former Republican US lawmakers, including former Senator Jeff Flake, endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president on Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention, in the latest rebuke of President Donald Trump by members of his own party.

The 27 former members of Congress joined a "Republicans for Biden" initiative organized by the Biden campaign to encourage Republican support for the Democrat, the Biden campaign said.

They cited Trump's "corruption, destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency, and urgent need to get the country back on course" as reasons for the move, according to a Biden campaign statement.

North Korea

Kim Jong-un in a coma, says South Korean diplomat

Fresh speculation about the North Korean leader's health has been stirred after Chang Song-min suggested Kim is in a coma with his sister poised to take power.

Teddy Saguilla and members of the Houston Fire Department practice drills as Houston sees a surge in cases of the coronavirus disease in Houston, Texas. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Trump seeks to reboot struggling campaign with a 'hopeful' convention

(Reuters) Republicans will make their case this week that the United States' economic and political future depends on the re-election of Donald Trump at a party convention designed to highlight his pre-pandemic record as president and sow doubt about opponent Joe Biden.

Against the backdrop of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 175,000 Americans, and an ensuing recession that has seen the loss of millions of jobs and Trump's erosion in the polls,

Republicans plan a partly virtual, partly in-person extravaganza studded with Trump family members that features the president speaking every night.

The four-day convention will focus on the highlights of Trump's first term and a promise to do more in a second, said White House and party officials, who did not provide details about his policy plans.

Mexico reports 3,948 new coronavirus cases, 226 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry on Sunday reported 3,948 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 226 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 560,164 cases and 60,480 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. (Reuters).

The rise of coronavirus conspiracies

A CNBC report on the rise of coronavirus conspiracies. "COVID-19 misinformation is everywhere, and companies are trying to control it. In April, 47% of Republicans believed that the coronavirus has been made a bigger deal than it really is. By June, it grew to 63%. Among Democrats, it went from 14% to 18%."

China reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, 8th day without local infections

China reported 16 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland for 23 August , all of which were imported infections involving travellers from overseas, the country's health authority said on Monday.

This compared with 12 new COVID-19 cases reported a day earlier, all imported too, and marked the eighth consecutive day of no locally transmitted cases.

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 84,967, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634. The National Health Commission said in a statement that 27 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases - patients who are infected with the coronavirus but not exhibiting any symptoms - compared with 15 such cases reported a day earlier. 

Convalescent plasma authorisation a "milestone" for Trump, says Health Secretary

Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, has issued a series of tweets in relation to the FDA's authorisation:

"The @US_FDA’s emergency authorization for convalescent plasma is a milestone achievement in President Trump’s efforts to save lives from COVID-19."

"The Trump Administration recognized the potential of convalescent plasma early on. Months ago, the @US_FDA, @BARDA, and private partners began work on making this product available across the country while continuing to evaluate data through clinical trials."

"The Trump Administration recognized the potential of convalescent plasma early on. Months ago, the @US_FDA, @BARDA, and private partners began work on making this product available across the country while continuing to evaluate data through clinical trials."

"Our work on convalescent plasma has delivered broader access to the product than is available in any other country and reached more than 70,000 American patients so far."

"We are deeply grateful to Americans who have already donated and encourage individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating convalescent plasma."

FDA commissioner speaks on convalescent plasma approval

“I am committed to releasing safe and potentially helpful treatments for COVID-19 as quickly as possible in order to save lives. We’re encouraged by the early promising data that we’ve seen about convalescent plasma,” said FDA commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn.

"The data from studies conducted this year shows that plasma from patients who’ve recovered from COVID-19 has the potential to help treat those who are suffering from the effects of getting this terrible virus"

“At the same time, we will continue to work with researchers to continue randomized clinical trials to study the safety and effectiveness of convalescent plasma in treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus.”

Trump's convalescent plasma 'miracle' questioned

It has been clarified that the 'emergency use authorisation' is not an approval and the 'promising efficacy' is not the same as the president's 'very effective' claims.

Handy announcement ahead of the Republican National Convention tomorrow.

White House asks for plasma donations as FDA approves convalescent plasma treatment

If you have fully recovered from COVID-19, you may be able to help patients currently fighting the infection by donating your plasma. You can find out about how to donate plasma in the link below. 

Mexico has won back nearly 67,000 jobs in August, president says

Mexico has in August recovered nearly 67,000 formal jobs so far from the economic hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday.

In an address on YouTube, Lopez Obrador said the country had created 66,734 jobs this month, as the economy gradually recovers from a slump that led to a contraction of more than 17% in gross domestic product (GDP) during the second quarter.

Mexico lost more than one million formal jobs in the period between March and July, the government said. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump announces FDA decision to approve Emergency Use Authorisation for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19

In a press conference held on Sunday evening, alongside Alex Azar, Secretary for US Health and Human Services, and Stephan Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, President Donald Trump announced that the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for convalescent plasma to treat patients who are sick with Covid-19. 

The idea behind the treatment is to take blood plasma from a patient who has recovered from Covid-19 and inject it into a patient suffering from the disease in the hope that antibodies from the recovered patient can help the ill patient recover. It is a treatment that has been used for over 100 years, and had some success in the treatment of two other deadly coronaviruses, SARS and MERS. 

The EUA comes on the back of observational studies carried out as part of the US's Operation Warp Speed to find vaccines and therapies to fight Covid-19. In the convalescent plasma programme over 60,000 people were treated with the plasma. 

The FDA says that they saw sufficient evidence to show the treatment is safe and that it shows "promise" in treating patients suffering from Covid-19, with what they claim is a 35% drop in mortality (for patients under 80 and who were not on a respirator). These figures have not been peer reviewed, nor was the study of sufficient scientific quality to prove that convalescent plasma actually works as effectively as theorised. Further studies will be required to prove the efficacy of the treatment. The FDA said the early evidence shows that plasma can reduce mortality and improve patients' health if administered in the first three days of hospitalisation. 

The announcement comes on the eve of the Republican National Convention, where Trump will be nominated for the Presidential Elections in November. On Saturday, Trump tagged FDA Commissioner, Stephen Hahn, in a tweet and said "The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics." "Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!"  Hahn said Trump had not spoken to him or the agency and did not play a role in its decision to make the announcement on Sunday.