Coronavirus USA updates on September 12th: cases, deaths and stimulus checks, latest news
Coronavirus updates USA live: 12 September
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Tropical storm nineteen could reach hurricane strength by Monday warn NHC
Tropical storm nineteen could reach hurricane strength by Monday warn NHC
A weather disturbance off the tip of Florida could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday, bringing wind, heavy seas and flash flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Trump heads to Nevada on campaign trip to woo supporters, raise cash
(Reuters) Republican President Donald Trump on Saturday headed to Nevada, trying to drum up more support in a state where polls show Democratic rival Joe Biden leading, and to raise money for a campaign that is facing a possible cash crunch.
Trump is trailing Biden, a former vice president, in national polls and in Nevada, which the former real estate developer and reality television star lost narrowly to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Trump plans to attend campaign events in Nevada and Arizona during a three-day Western swing that will also include a stop in California on Monday to be briefed about devastating fires that are ravaging the West Coast.
The president is ramping up fundraising, too, amid concerns that his campaign is dealing with a cash shortage, leading it to pull back television advertising in crucial states.
A Republican official said some $18 million would be raised over the weekend through events in Washington and Nevada. Trump will hold a rally in Reno on Saturday evening, a "Latinos for Trump" event and another rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, followed by a campaign event in Phoenix on Monday.
Trump's Covid measures see 8,800 unaccompanied children deported from US
Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz said more than eight thousand unaccompanied children have been deported at the United States border due to Covid-19 rules introduced by the Trump administration.
Second stimulus check: New possible date to approve the second relief package
While Republicans and Democrats have already resumed work in the Senate, the House is expected to return next week and start discussing the fifth stimulus relief package amid the coronavirus pandemic in the USA.
Canada reports zero Covid-19 deaths for first time since March
(Reuters) Canada reported zero Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for the first time since March 15, according to public health agency data released late on Friday.
Canada's death toll from the pandemic stood at 9,163 as of 11 September, the same as the number of the deaths reported on 10 September, government data showed. The number of positive cases rose by 702 to 135,626 on 11 September from the previous day, the data showed.
With most provinces easing lockdown restrictions and as schools reopen for in-person classes, Canada's infections have seen a mild pick-up in recent days. Authorities have been on high alert to avoid fresh outbreaks, and provinces including British Columbia have imposed new curbs to tackle the spread of the virus.
Trump to visit California for briefing on wildfires on Monday - spokesman
U.S. President Donald Trump will visit California on Monday to be briefed on wildfires sweeping the western United States that have killed at least 25 people, White House spokesman Judd Deere said on Twitter.
The firestorms, some of the largest on record in California and Oregon, were driven by high winds that howled across the region for days in the midst of record-breaking heat.
Trump will visit California after traveling to Nevada for a fund-raiser and a pair of rallies for his re-election campaign.
He has been sharply critical of California in the past for allowing conditions that he says permit wildfires. "Maybe we’re just going to have to make them pay for it because they don’t listen to us," Trump said during a rally last month.
Astrazeneca says trials of Covid vaccine resuming: updated
British clinical trials for the AstraZeneca and Oxford University coronavirus vaccine have resumed following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so, the company said on Saturday.
The late-stage trials of the experimental vaccine, one of the most advanced in development, were suspended this week after an illness in a study subject in Britain.
"The standard review process triggered a voluntary pause to vaccination across all global trials to allow review of safety data by independent committees, and international regulators,"
AstraZeneca said. "The UK committee has concluded its investigations and recommended to the MHRA that trials in the UK are safe to resume."
MLB postpones two Padres-Giants games after positive Covid-19 test
Two games between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants at Petco Park have been postponed after a member of the Giants organization tested positive for Covid-19, Major League Baseball (MLB) said on Friday.
The two teams had lined up for the national anthem ahead of Friday night's game but neither took to the field, following which the Padres announced that the game had been postponed.
"Following a positive test for Covid-19 in the San Francisco Giants' organization, tonight's and tomorrow's scheduled games have been postponed out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing," MLB said in a statement.
The league said it would provide updates as and when necessary.
Pfizer, BioNTech propose expanding Covid-19 vaccine trial to 44,000 volunteers
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have proposed to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the enrollment of their Phase 3 pivotal Covid-19 vaccine trial to up to about 44,000 participants, the companies said on Saturday.
The initial target figure for the trial was up to 30,000 participants, which the companies said they expect to reach by next week.
The proposed expansion would allow the companies to enroll people as young as 16 and people with chronic, stable HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. "As stated previously, based on current infection rates, the companies continue to expect that a conclusive readout on efficacy is likely by the end of October," the companies added in a joint statement.
Schools reopen in China
As schools have reopened in China, many teachers say they are already exhausted from doubling as as medical workers -- as this NYT report highlights...
Pfizer subimt proposal for late phase three trial of vaccine
Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech have submitted a proposal to the FDA to expand phase three trials of their covid-19 vaccine to include up to 44,000 participants, up from the previous target of 30,000.
"The proposed expansion would allow the companies to further increase trial population diversity, and include adolescents as young as 16 years of age and people with chronic, stable HIV (human immunodeficiency viruses), Hepatitis C, or Hepatitis B infection, as well as provide additional safety and efficacy data,” the companies said (via CNBC).
US sees largest daily case increase in a week
The US registered 47,643 cases of coronavirus on Friday, the highest daily increase in a week as the impact of Labor Day weekend festivities begin to take their toll.
Oxford vaccine trials resume after volunteer falls ill
British clinical trials for the AstraZeneca and Oxford University coronavirus vaccine have resumed following short suspension after a volunteer falling seriously ill.
AstraZeneca said was a “routine action” that will be investigated to ensure the “integrity of the trials” is maintained.
The UK's Medicines Health Regulatory Authority gave the go ahead for trials to recommence.
This graph compares the situation between New York and Madrid, who started in similar positions at the beginning of the panemic. NY has kept cased down as Madrid has seen them rise significantly in the past few weeks...
Hong Kong commissioner tells US to look after its own affairs
The office of the commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong has told the US to focus on its own domestic issues and stop meddling in Chinese/Hong Kong affairs.
"The United States has its own economic and social problems, frequent racial conflicts, and the high number of new coronavirus infections and deaths. It should focus on handling its own domestic affairs," the statement said (via RTHK News).
"However, individual politicians in the United States are not doing their jobs properly, showing unusual 'concern' about the internal affairs of other countries and interfering indiscriminately, but they turn a blind eye to serious problems in their own countries and pretend to be deaf."
US economy could face $15 trillion losses due to school closures
School closures due to the coronavirus pandemic could result in $15 trillion losses for the US economy, as reported by CNBC...
Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Salesforce giving time off to parent employees
As Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Salesforce move to give extra time off to parents to allow them to take care of their kids, some colleagues have been complaining it's unfair, as this CNBC report highlights...
Fauci warns coronavirus could disrupt life well into New Year
In an interview on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, said he remains confident that a vaccine will be vailable by the end of this year or early 2021, but warned that the Covid-19 virus will disrupt life well into the New Year.
"But by the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccine and get a majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen until the end of 2021," he said. "If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality prior to COVID, it’s going to be well into 2021, towards the end of 2021."
Spanish princess quarantined after classmate diagnosed with Covid-19
Princess Leonor, the heir to the Spanish throne, has gone into quarantine after a classmate at her school tested positive for Covid-19, the royal household said on Saturday. The 14-year-old daughter of King Felipe will be tested for coronavirus like other pupils in her class at the Santa María de los Rosales school in Madrid.
The king and Queen Letizia will continue their royal duties for the moment, a spokesman for the royal household said, as Spain struggles to control a surge in coronavirus cases.
Eight million Spanish children returned to school last week but some have closed or classes been sent home after pupils tested positive for Covid-19, while authorities in Galicia delayed the start of term by a week for pupils aged 14 to 18. Spain reported 4,708 new coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing its cumulative total to 566,326, the highest in western Europe, as its total COVID-19 death toll rose to 29,747.
US elections 2020: what has Trump proposed regarding a second stimulus check?
What has Trump proposed regarding a second stimulus check?
Six days before the new Republican’s skinny bill was rejected and with no breakthrough insight, President Trump did suggest a way to send out a second round of stimulus payments that would not need to be done under a second coronavirus relief bill. Read more...
Classes go online after 120 university students test positive for Covid-19
Northern Illinois University is switching to remote learning for all undergraduates after more than 120 students tested positive for Covid-19 - many of whom had attended parties where people were not wearing masks or observing social distancing.
NIU president Lisa C. Freeman wrote "“Through contact tracing, we have determined that the vast majority of student cases involve those who live off-campus or who attended off-campus gatherings where masks were not worn and physical distancing was not respected. These careless and unacceptable activities have led to a substantial increase in the overall positivity rate for DeKalb County and put our entire community at risk”.
California wildfires have merged
California is experiencing the largest wildfire in its history: the August Complex Fire. It merged this week with the Elkhorn Fire, becoming the largest wildfire in California history, officials with the U.S. Forest Service said.
More than 3.1 million acres, twice the size of Delaware, have burned in California and 12 people have died as a result of the wildfires ravaging the state, according to a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) news release.
Two dozen pupils test positive for Covid-19 at Chicago school
Two dozen students from Oak Park and River Forest High School tested positive for Covid-19 between 15 August and 9 September, according to the school's Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams. A significant number of the infections are have been linked to a large indoor gathering. OPRF was one of the first Chicago-area districts to announce all remote learning for its 3,400 students, which began 19 August.
Florida boy dies after contracting brain-eating amoeba
Parents of 13-year-old Tanner Lake Wall told News4Jax that their son contracted the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, when he was swimming at a campground in North Florida near Tallahassee. Tanner’s parents said the boy was a healthy and active teenager but began to complain of bad headaches two days after swimming, which was followed by nausea and vomiting. He died a few days later.
Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled amoeba that can cause a rare fatal infection that destroys brain tissue. The amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwaters such as lakes, ponds, canals and rivers.
Coronavirus data for Florida schools could arrive on Monday
Reports showing which of Florida's public schools have Covid-19 cases could be available early next week, according to a group of attorneys working to secure the information. Florida Health has yet to confirm the details directly but attorneys with the Tampa-based law firm Thomas & LoCicero PL said Florida Department of Health officials had told them to expect publishing of the outbreak reports on Monday.
Miami-Dade and Broward prepare to move into Phase 2 unwinding
Miami-Dade and Broward counties will move to Phase 2 of reopening on Monday 14 September, Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed on Friday. “Today I’m announcing that effective Monday, both Broward and Miami Dade counties will moved into Phase 2 and of course the most significant aspect of that is that it clears the pathway for in-person instruction to resume, of course, at the parents discretion and we want to continue to offer parents the ability to do remote learning if that’s what they want to do,” DeSantis said. “This is really, really important. We’ve had a very difficult six months but it’s been very difficult for kids”.
Louis Vuitton designer face shield - yours for $1,000
Louis Vuitton is launching a designer face shield as part of his autumn collection. The plastic shield is priced at $961, features an elastic monogrammed strap, transition lens technology so it can go from clear to dark depending on the level of sunlight.as well as blocking aerosolized coronavirus droplets. It will go on sale on 30 October as part of the '2021 Cruise Collection'.
Life won't return to normal until mid-to-late 2021 - Fauci
The White House coronavirus taskforce public health expert Anthony Fauci warned that it would probably take another year before life returns to some kind of normality in the United States - even if a successful Covid-19 vaccine is licensed before the New Year.
Fauci told MSNBC, “If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality, which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it’s gonna be well into 2021. Maybe even towards the end of 2021”.
Miami movie theaters set to reopen
Movie theaters could reopen following Govenor Ron DeSantis’s decision to move all of South Florida into Phase 2 of the state’s Covid unwinding plan. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he is ready to consider reopening movie theaters, bowling alleys, playhouses and other entertainment venues, with new operating rules coming as early as Monday, when Phase 2 gets underway.
DuPage County on Covid-19 warning list
Health officials announced 2,145 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 across Chicago on Friday while 32 deaths were reported - the biggest single-day figure this month. Six of those deaths were in DuPage County which has been put on a “warning level” status. Thirty of the state’s 102 counties have been flagged “warning level” status - mostly outside the Chicago area.
San Diego Padres games postponed after positive Covid-19 results
Friday night’s meeting between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres was postponed just minutes before it was due to start after it was announced that an employee had tested positive for Covid-19.
Major League Baseball confirmed that Saturday's game was also postponed to allow for further testing and contact tracing. So far, 45 MLB games have been postponed this season because of coronavirus-related issues.
Kudlow says relief package would have been "great start"
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow says he doesn't understand why Democrats didn't support the GOP-backed economic relief plan. Kudlow argued that it could have been a great help for many struggling American families.
"$500 billion, it would be a great start. With key areas like small-business assistance, back to school money, vaccine money, Covid liability restrictions, child care, things of that sort, why not? How could that be bad? You can't just have everything you want in life," he said.
Second stimulus check: Pelosi voices optimism about passing coronavirus aid bill
Pelosi voices optimism about passing coronavirus aid bill
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said she was optimistic about Congress passing coronavirus relief legislation before the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Coronavirus live US updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live, United States-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which as of 02: ET on Saturday had registered nearly 28.5 million cases and just over 915,000 deaths worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In the US, the globe's worst-hit country, there have been almost 6.5 million cases and more than 193,000 deaths.