While lockdowns around the globe persist as the coronavirus case count continues to rise through the multi-millions, people in various countries are now taking to the streets to demand they come to an end.
Deciding whether or not to keep beaches open for Labor Day weekend wasn't an easy decision for cities to make. Adam Del Rosso explains what some cities decided.
Here are the latest updates, listed in eastern time, and the most important things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of American adults living with their parents is the highest number since the Great Depression, likely due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdowns, according to a new analysis. The number of young adults living with parents increased from 2.6 million in February to 26.6 million in July, a new report by the Pew Research Center found. The majority of young adults, ages 18 to 29, lived with one or both of their parents in July. Pew's analysis of monthly Census Bureau data notes that this is higher than any previous measurement, CNN reported. "Before 2020, the highest measured value was in the 1940 census at the end of the Great Depression, when 48% of young adults lived with their parents," says the report, published Friday. "The peak may have been higher during the worst of the Great Depression in the 1930s, but there is no data for that period."
Portable air cleaners may be an effective option in preventing the transmission of the coronavirus in your own home. Because the virus can be transmitted through small airborne particles, some doctors and engineers say portable air cleaners could be effective in preventing the transmission of the virus. A portable cleaner could cleanse the air up to six times an hour, compared to a home without an air cleanser that only experiences a full change of air after two hours. Joseph Gardner Allen, an associate professor of exposure assessment science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, bought one for himself in March, according to NPR. "It's a relatively easy way to get clean air in a place where people are in close contact," Allen said. "It's a simple plug and play solution in that area."
A model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) suggests that the coronavirus death toll in the U.S. could double by January, resulting in 400,000 deaths in the country related to the virus. The virus is already responsible for over 188,000 known deaths in the country, and 876,000 deaths across the globe. Currently, the U.S. has the highest death toll out of any country, followed by Brazil with more than 125,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. "The worst is yet to come. I don't think perhaps that's a surprise, although I think there's a natural tendency as we're a little bit in the Northern hemisphere summer, to think maybe the epidemic is going away," Christopher Murray, director of IHME, said, according to CNBC.
The coronavirus is continuing to spread across the United States due to the absence of a mask mandate, one doctor says. Dr. Andre Campbell, a trauma surgeon at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told Yahoo Finance that a universal mask mandate could save up to 70,000 lives according to current data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The model from IHME suggests that if 95% of Americans wore a mask any time they left the house the number of projected deaths by December would drop 49%. “It is going through the country because there's no mask mandate,” Campbell said. “And there should be, in my opinion, a universal mask mandate.”
Anti-lockdown protests are underway in Australia, Rome and Nepal. Hundreds of people marched in defiance of tough measures that have been in place for a month in Melbourne, Australia. More protests took place in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, according to the BBC. Protesters in Melbourne chanted "freedom" and "human rights matter" amid a heavy police presence. "In the absence of a vaccine, we may have to live this way for years," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Police were criticized earlier for the arrest of a pregnant woman in her home for promoting the protest online. Protesters also gathered during an anti-government and anti-COVID-19 restrictions protest in Rome on Saturday. Nepalese protesters also defied government coronavirus lockdowns to take part in a religious festival in Lalitpur, Nepal.
Activists gather during an anti-government and anti-COVID-19 restrictions protest in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Americans who tried to escape coronavirus orders by buying a boat experienced limited choices, waiting lists, non-negotiable prices and bigger deposits with no certain delivery date. Demand surpassed supply while manufacturers had sick workers and dealt wit difficulties obtaining materials, according to UPI. Nowadays by the time a customer decides to purchase, "someone else has made an offer and the boat is sold," said yacht broker Barin Cardenas, founder and chief executive at Yacht Creators in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "As soon as boats hit the floor, they're sold," said Matt Lodder, president of Memphis-based Marine Sales Group. "Lately, customers are putting down deposits on any boat, even before it arrives, just so they know they will get something. I tell them the wait can be 30 days."
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
Confirmed cases: 26,651,696
Fatalities: 875,168
Recoveries: 17,748,841
The NFL is limiting the number of staffers each team can take while traveling in an effort to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, according to NBC Sports. Teams will not be allowed to bring more than 70 staff members, including coaches, the medical staff and everyone in contact with the team, Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer reported. Previously, the teams could each bring up to 110 staffers. Those who don’t fly with the team aren’t allowed access to the official traveling group.
Madrid has become the coronavirus capitol of Europe as second waves of the virus sweep over the continent. In response to the growing number of cases in the city, officials are instating new social distancing regulations starting on Monday, The Associated Press reported. The AP reports that the outbreak in the city is focused in culturally diverse neighborhoods, such as San Diego, with smaller apartments and narrow streets while the residents continued to commute to work at manual labor-related jobs. Jorge Nacarino, president of the local neighbors’ association in San Diego, points to poverty and a history of inadequate investments for the neighborhood as the reasonings behind the growth in cases. “We need a serious plan of public investment in the area, from health centers and sports facilities to social programs,” he said. “It’s been through decades of neglect that San Diego has fallen behind the development seen in surrounding areas.”
U.S. and Mexico hold the most instances of front-line workers dying due to COVID-19 out of all nations. Worldwide, a report by Amnesty International says at least 7,000 healthcare workers have died due to the virus, with about 1,300 coming from Mexico and 1,100 from the United States. According to the organization, the reason for so many deaths is because hospital cleaners do not have the same access to protective gear that medical professionals do. However the Mexican government has denied this claim. In the U.S. and Mexico, cases among healthcare workers make up one in seven of all cases in the countries. ”For over seven thousand people to die while trying to save others is a crisis on a staggering scale," Amnesty International Head of Economic and Social Justice Steve Cockburn said, according to UPI. "Every health worker has the right to be safe at work, and it is a scandal that so many are paying the ultimate price."
South Dakota is continuing to host large-scale events, despite warnings from experts who say not to. The South Dakota State Fair, which kicked off on Thursday, reported 205,000 people in attendance last year. This year, it is set to run through Labor Day weekend with increased measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, such as additional hand-washing stations and an encouragement to wear masks, although they fair does not require they be worn. South Dakota has already drawn headlines this year for for holding the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Sioux Empire Fair amid the pandemic. According to USA Today, South Dakota became a coronavirus hotspot for new infections following the two previous events.
Early results from Russia's potential coronavirus vaccine show no major negative side effects, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. The trials consisted of "two open, non randomized phase 1/2 studies at two hospitals in Russia conducted on 76 healthy volunteers aged 18-60," according to the study. It also said the vaccine formulations were safe and well tolerated. Both 42-day trials did not find any serious adverse effects among participants and confirmed the vaccine elicits an antibody response, the study stated. The vaccine, dubbed "Sputnik V," is the world's first to be registered after being approved by the Russian health regulators last month. The vaccine went through a rapid Phase 1 and 2 clinical trial with no data being published from the trials. Chief of Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, told CNBC that the vaccine is on track to be exported by November.
After the mayor of Clanton, Alabama, died of the coronavirus in July, officials in the small town have been rethinking how they should handle the coronavirus. Driver was often deemed as the best-known person in the town and the death of the former mayor has stunned residents and has become a wake-up call to many. Resident Sammy Wyatt told The Associated Press, "People had gotten lax on trying to protect everyone else. They weren’t wearing their masks like they ought to.” Clanton is located halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery and is home to about 8,800 people and is marked by a water tower shaped like a giant peach. Driver has worked for the community since he was 18 years old and was elected to the Clanton City Council for 12 years, he then became mayor on his first attempt in 1984 and never lost re-election. How Driver contracted the infection is still unknown, but the former mayor began feeling ill around Father's Day weekend.
The main lobby for commercial airlines in the United States, Airlines for America, warned that air travel may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, according to Reuters. Amid continuing concerns over the coronavirus, CEO Nicholas Calio of Airlines for America said on Thursday that many are hoping for a second round of government aid to help the industry from further suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus started in the United States back in January when airlines began screening passengers arriving from Wuhan. In the months following, several additional restrictions and bans have been put into place for international travel, causing drastic losses for airlines in the country. Calio said in a virtual media briefing that nobody will be confident about the recovery until there is a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19.
The 146th running of the Kentucky Derby is set to take place at 7:01 p.m. on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race, which is usually the first leg of the Triple Crown, was postponed in May due to the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, organizers were going to allow a limited number of spectators into Churchill Downs to watch, but that plan was recently scrapped and no fans will be in attendance. Although wet conditions have been an issue for some of the workouts this week ahead of the race, the weather looks to be near perfect for jockeys and horses on race day. A high temperature of 82 is forecast at Churchill Downs on Saturday. According to the AccuWeather forecast, it will be a "sunny and delightful" day there. By race time at 7, the temperature will drop a few degrees to 79 with an AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature of 77. For most Americans who watch the Derby, little else will be different apart from not seeing spectators on hand and wearing extravagant hats. Folks at home can tune in on TV or online and mix up a few mint juleps at home and enjoy the fastest two minutes in sports.
Kentucky Derby entry NY Traffic runs during an early-morning workout at Churchill Downs, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5th. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
According to a report by Vanity Fair, filming of The Batman has been shutdown's after the film's star, Robert Pattinson, tested positive for the coronavirus. Vanity Fair cited "a highly placed source" with revealing the news of the movie star's infection, which led to the production of the film to be abruptly stopped, but Pattinson's representatives had yet to confirm the test result. Variety also reported that Pattinson tested positive, and Warner Bros. in a statement to Variety, said, “A member of ‘The Batman’ production has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating in accordance with established protocols." Filming on the highly-anticipated superhero movie had just been restarted in recent days outside of London.
Statistics released by the Department of Labor Friday showed that the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in August to 8.4% after hitting 10.2% in July. The number of new jobs in August also dropped month over month, with about 1.4 million new jobs added in August after the economy added 1.7 million jobs in July. According to The Associated Press, since the outset of the pandemic in March, the U.S. has recovered close to half of the 22 million jobs lost over the last six months. Nationwide, the economic recovery is inconsistent, the AP reported, with some places seeing better results than others due to a host of different factors.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
Confirmed cases: 26,331,492
Fatalities: 869,290
Recoveries: 17,541,744
Brazil became only the second country to reach 4 million cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, and health officials in the country said there were signs that the virus was slowing. Brazil and the United States are the only countries to top 4 million cases so far, but that will likely change soon. With a total of 3,936,747, India will soon join the 4 million case club.
Children across Canada are returning to school despite a rocky start, with dozens of students already in isolation amid COVID-19. Quebec has reported numerous cases of the virus across its schools since class resumed last week, according to Reuters. Many schools are reopening around the country for the first time since March. Chief medical officer of Canada warned that cases at schools are inevitable but that the pandemic was "under manageable control" in Canada. There have been 129,425 reported cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 9,132 deaths as of Sept. 1, but daily new cases have been rising in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. Sudden changes to back-to-school plans have also caused delays in plans. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario has recently filed a complaint to the labor board to try and create a standard physical distancing measures, cohort sizes, ventilation and busing in the province. Canadian officials have recommended masks for all students who are 10 years or older despite not all provinces requiring masks for school.
The largest singe-day increase in deaths from COVID-19 was reported in Arkansas on Wednesday, while top health officials continue to urge college students to discontinue large parties amid rising campus cases. Arkansas' Department of Health reported 27 new deaths related to COVID-19 which is the most the state has ever had in a single day since the pandemic began, according to KY3. The state department did note that 13 of the deaths were late reports with one dating back to May. It was also reported that 615 new cases of the coronavirus were reported which brings the state total to over 62,000. The University of Arkansas has reported 222 active cases .
Temple University announced that most classes will move to online learning through the end of the fall semester after a rising number of cases from students on campus. In an email sent out on Thursday, the university expressed that in-person classes were tried due to the overwhelming preference from students to come back to campus. However, after the university talked to officials at the city Health Department, a decision was made to move 95% of classes online, according to the Associated Press. Those that live on campus are able to move out by Sept. 13 and receive a full refund on housing and meal plans. This comes amid colleges around the country closing and seeing surges of new cases. University of South Carolina reported 1,026 cases of the coronavirus in the past week and a 26.3 percent positive testing rate, according to NBC News. University president Bob Caslen attributed the rise in cases partly due to "some student behavior off campus (that) is both disappointing and unacceptable." The university has sent several Greek houses into quarantine and suspended several over their role in organizing parties.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state will now monitor wastewater in an effort to contain coronavirus outbreaks. According to the Ohio Department of Health and research conducted in various countries including the U.S., non-infectious RNA from COVID-19 can be found in the feces of infected people, regardless of their symptoms. According to WKBN News, the RNA can be detected in wastewater anywhere between three to seven days before the infections spread to others, leading to higher case counts and hospitalizations. “The system will give us an earlier warning sign of possible COVID-19 case increases in any given community and allow decision-makers to more quickly plan prevention and response efforts,” DeWine said.
Plasma treatments should not be used as a default coronavirus treatment, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel said. The panel has said there is no evidence that convalescent plasma is an effective way to treat the coronavirus, and because of that, doctors should not use the treatments as a standard until more studies have been conducted that prove it as an effective method. "There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19,” the panel said in a statement on Tuesday, CNN reported. Despite the stance the NIH panel has taken, the Trump Administration has previously called plasma treatments “historic” and “a major advance.” The FDA has also granted the treatment an emergency use authorization. Later, the NIH released an additional statement stating they did not intend their statement to criticize the decisions of the FDA. "To clarify, the Panel does not contradict the EUA as it does not make a recommendation against the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19," the panel said on Wednesday.
France announced on Thursday “France Reboot,” a recovery plan for the economy that would cost $118 billion USD. Prime Minister Jean Castex said he plans to create 160,000 jobs next year and hopes by 2022 the country is able to restore the economic growth levels of 2019, according to The Associated Press. The plan also allots money toward renovating buildings and boosting the use of railways. The same day the plan was revealed, France reported more than 7,000 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily rate throughout Europe.
Filings for unemployment in the United States came out better than expected as jobless claims totaled 881,000 last week, which is nearly 100,000 less than expected. In a survey conducted by Dow Jones, economists were estimating about 950,000 would file for unemployment last week. An improving labor market and changes to the methodology from the Labor Department to address seasonal factors are reflected in the numbers, according to CNBC. The drop in jobless claims in recent weeks was not revised which make it difficult to compare. The department noted that claims for the week ending Aug. 29 did represent a decline from the prior week.Insured unemployment also fell by 0.8 percent in the latest report. A sharp rise was seen in claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program which saw an increase of 151,674 last week. Florida had the largest decline of any state while California had the biggest gain.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds defended the decision made by Iowa State University to host 25,000 fans at football games this fall despite climbing coronavirus cases in the state, according to CNBC. Reynolds said in a press briefing that, “If you have underlying conditions and you’re part of a vulnerable population, maybe I wouldn’t go to the Iowa State football game...Don't go if you don't think it's safe." But despite the support from the Governor, director of athletics at Iowa State University, Jamie Pollard, reversed the decision after feedback from the community and will no longer allow fans for the season opener. Story County, the location of Iowa State University, had 27% positive tests last week and 78% of the new cases were among those aged 19 to 24.
On Thursday, Indonesia posted another day of record-high coronavirus cases, with 3,622 new infections. The country also reported 134 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 7,750 from a total of 184,268 cases. However, experts say the total number of cases is likely to be higher, given Indonesia’s low testing rates. “We haven’t managed to control transmission and remember the COVID-19 pandemic is not spreading randomly, but in distributed clusters in very large areas,” said Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, according to Reuters. “We have to change strategy,” Riono said that the country should improve its basic measures, which include conducting more testing and contact-tracing.
A new saliva test is being tested in the U.K. that could give results in 20 minutes. If the trials are successful and the new testing method is implemented, not only would it provide results significantly quicker than the swab tests, but it would also help relieve the strain on the U.K.’s testing demand. The country says that 350,000 tests can be processed every day, but only 180,000 are actually being processed, Fox News said. As of Sept. 3, the U.K. reported around 341,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with around 1,500 new cases every day, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University.
The Trump administration has contacted states across the U.S. to prepare to distribute vaccines for the coronavirus before Nov. 1. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities," said Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Several vaccines are still being developed and are in clinical trials, but the administration wants facilities to be ready once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a vaccine, AFP said. "Vaccine and ancillary supplies will be procured and distributed by the federal government at no cost to enrolled Covid-19 vaccination providers," the CDC said in a document that was sent to the states.
People sit at tables at San Diego State University Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in San Diego. San Diego State University on Wednesday halted in-person classes for a month after dozens of students were infected with the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
On Wednesday, Dwayne Johnson confirmed that he and his family have tested positive for the virus. On an Instagram post, the actor shared that he, along with his wife and two daughters, are now recovering after being sick with the virus for nearly three weeks. “I wanted to give you guys a little helpful update on things that have been going on on my end for the past two-and-a-half to three weeks. So the update is this: my wife Lauren as well as my two baby girls and myself, we have all tested positive for COVID-19,” Johnson said on a video shared on his Instagram account, according to People. “I could tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me, too, personally as well.” Johnson then added that he and his family contracted the virus through family friends and that he and his wife “had a rough go at it,” while his two daughters, ages 4 and 2, “bounced back” from the virus pretty quickly. The actor ended his video by asking everyone to be safe, to limit social gatherings and to wear masks every day. “Use me as your example. Remember these takeaways that I shared with you and stay healthy, my friends, and I’ll see you down the road,” Johnson said.
Hair salons and barbershops are allowed to immediately reopen with limited 25% indoor capacity, Los Angeles County health officials announced on Tuesday. Salons were forced to close in March under Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order. To reopen, they must be in compliance with health protocols which include the use of face masks. The daily new coronavirus case rate in Los Angeles County has been reduced to 10 per 100,000, health officials said, according to CNN. In order for the county to advance to the second tier, it must reduce the infection rate to no more than seven daily new cases per 100,000.
Tyson Foods announced plans to open medical clinics at several of its U.S. meat plants to help protect its workers from the coronavirus. The Arkansas-based company, which processes about 20% of all meat products in the country, said that the plan to open clinics at the plants was already in the works even before the coronavirus pandemic struck this year. The company plans on setting up clinics near seven of its plants, including Storm Lake, Iowa, and Holcomb, Kansas, The Associated Press said. The clinics will open in early 2021 and will provide primary care to Tyson workers and their families. “Some of our frontline team members aren’t using their health plan benefits, and others don’t seek care until there’s a crisis,” Johanna Söderström, Tyson’s chief human resources officer, told The Associated Press. “We want to change that by providing access to care that can help detect health conditions early and promote healthy habits.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Americans to make sure they abide by coronavirus rules as Labor Day weekend approaches. “The issue that we're facing right now is we're entering in a day or two right now into the Labor Day weekend and we know from prior experience that when you get into holiday weekends — the Fourth of July, Memorial Day — there's a tendency of people to be careless, somewhat, with regard to the public health measures that we keep recommending over and over again,” Fauci said in an interview with MSNBC. "So I really want to use this opportunity almost to have a plea to the people in this country to realize that we really still need to get our arms around this and to suppress these types of surges that we've seen. We can do it." Fauci noted that the U.S. is still seeing around 40,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily, but it needs to bring that number of new infections below 10,000. "We’re around 40,000 cases. That’s an unacceptably high baseline," he said. "We’ve got to get it down to, I’d like to see 10,000 or less.”
Following the best month in decades for stocks, investors seem to be hopeful that support from the Federal Reserve and rising optimism for a COVID-19 vaccine may backstop economic growth, and a new stimulus package will keep the rally going, according to Yahoo Finance. On Wednesday stocks rose sharply as a strong start to September for the market continued. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs, with the Nasdaq topping 12,000 for the first time. The Dow also posted its biggest one-day move since July 14. The S&P 500 had its best day since July 6. Historically, September tends to be a weak month for stocks. In fact, September has been the worst-performing for markets, on average, since 1950, according to LPL Financial.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
Confirmed cases: 26,056,777
Fatalities: 863,577
Recoveries: 17,306,848
At 3,997,865 cases, Brazil is likely to surpass the 4 million case threshold by Friday, becoming the second country to do so. The country has consistently been seeing about 45,000 new cases per day, among the highest rate in the world. Shortly behind Brazil is India, which has seen the third-most cases in the world and could top 4 million cases by the end of this week as well. On Wednesday, India posted over 83,000 new cases, its second time topping the 80,000 new case mark.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says that almost 570,000 health care workers in the Americas have tested positive for coronavirus, stating that health care workers in the U.S. and Mexico make up one-in-seven of all cases reported in those countries. “We have the highest number of health care workers infected in the world,” PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said during a press conference today. “Our data shows that nearly 570,000 health workers across our region have fallen ill and more than 2,500 have succumbed to the virus.” More than 140,000 workers in the healthcare sector in the US had become sick with COVID-19 — of whom 660 had died, Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said at PAHO's weekly briefing. In Brazil almost 270,000 workers in health care had tested positive for COVID-19. “No other group has felt this more acutely than the very men and women who make up our health workforce,” Etienne said.
Officials in Malawi, Africa, said the coronavirus outbreak on top of dealing with weather-related hazards would leave 15% of the population in need of food aid this season, Reuters reports. More than 2.6 million people in the southern African country of 17.7 million would not be able to meet their food requirements during the 2020/21 consumption season, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, a grouping of government, food experts and aid agencies, found. The overall vulnerable population had increased 39% from last season due to the inclusion of people affected in urban areas, Winford Masanjala, secretary for economic planning and development, said according to Reuters. “The increase in the affected population has been a result of weather-related hazards, ranging from flooding, dry spells, early cessation of rains and Army Fall worms which affected crop production during the 2019/20 farming season,” Masanjala said. “In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted income levels of the urban poor.”
According to a recent study published on Wednesday by JAMA, the corticosteroid dexamethasone can reduce the need for ventilator support on patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The data collected in the study shows that patients treated with the drug while hospitalized needed mechanical ventilators to help them breathe for up to three days less, on average than patients who did not receive it. “It is relatively rare in medicine that you find drugs where the evidence of their effectiveness in saving lives is so consistent,” Dr. Derek Angus, who was part of the study, said in a statement, according to UPI. “People on ventilators or oxygen and under intensive care should definitely be given corticosteroids.” Based on the positive results of the study, the World Health Organization issued new guidance on Wednesday recommending the use of corticosteroids for “patients with severe and critical COVID-19” only. The WHO also added that the drugs are “readily available globally at a low cost.”
North Korea is seeking to strengthen its “emergency quarantine measures” even though no confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported by the country's health ministry. On Wednesday, Korean Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun announced that the state is calling for a nationwide emergency quarantine operation. “The citizens do not slow down their preparedness and further awaken and exert themselves is the key to whether the emergency quarantine is a success or failure,” Rodong said, according to UPI. The Rodong also asked, “all members of society to be deeply aware of their civic duty” and to obey regulations, including the use of face masks in public spaces. Back in July, a lockdown was enforced in the southern city of Kaesong after a surge of infections was reported. However, the lockdown has since been lifted.
The Maldives’ foreign ministry announced stricter entry requirements for tourists after more than a dozen resorts reported a spike in coronavirus cases, according to AFP. The archipelago’s luxury resort islets were re-opened in mid-July after a month of lockdown. Upon the re-opening, visitors were not required to get tested or carry virus-free certificates when entering the country. Since then, 29 local staff at resorts and 16 foreigners have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of cases in the Maldives to 8,003. To control the spread of the virus, tourists will now be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result once they enter the country.
The worst economic quarter in recorded history has plagued Australia as the country struggles to contain the spread of infections with lockdown orders. In Victoria, the second-most populous state, continued lockdowns are expected to weight “heavily” on the next quarter as well, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, according to Reuters. The economic plunge has come on the heels of an incredible run of 28 straight years the country enjoyed economic growth. In response to the struggles, the Australian government has approved a stimulus of over A$300 billion. Even with those efforts, a rebound to previous economic successes may be years, not months, away. “Growth in the September quarter will be weighed down by the lockdown in Victoria,” Sarah Hunter, chief economist for BIS Oxford Economics said according to Reuters. “Beyond this continued health concerns, ongoing restrictions and the dialing back of income support will all weigh on the economy. We expect it to take until early 2022 for activity to return to pre-pandemic levels.”
A new executive order from President Donald Trump has given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the authority to prevent landlords from evicting tenants, in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19. One official told NBC News that preventing evictions is necessary in order for more Americans to have a place to quarantine and isolate. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said “I want to make it unmistakably clear that I’m protecting people from evictions.” White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern added the order has also made funds available to help alleviate economic impacts dealt to landlords and property owners. “Today’s announcement means that people struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus will not have to worry about being evicted and risk further spreading, spreading of, or exposure to the disease due to economic hardship,” Morgenstern said on Tuesday.
After nearly six months without visitors, residents at nursing homes in Florida will now be allowed to have family members come visit. The move was made by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday following a recommendation from a nursing home task force, according to The Associated Press. The new order will allow up to two family members, wearing masks, to visit elderly residents at a time. In order to allow visitors, a facility will need to have gone at least 14 days without any new cases of COVID-19. In making the announcement, Gov. DeSantis feared that his restrictions since March may have caused more pain than it saved. “Many of the folks understand that they have loved ones who are in the last stage of their life,” DeSantis said. “They’re not demanding a medical miracle. They’re not having unrealistic expectations. They just would like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody.”
Following a huge rush to order additional ventilators during the peak of the pandemic in the spring, the Trump Administration is now canceling some of its remaining orders, The Associated Press reports. The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement on Tuesday that the national stockpile had reached its capacity for ventilators and there were nearly 120,000 available for deployment to states around the country, the HHS said, according to The AP. Earlier this week, GM said it had completed making all 30,000 ventilators as part of its $489 million contract. Ford had also completed 50,000 ventilators as part of a government contract worth $336 million, according to The AP.
In this July 6, 2020, file photo, a ventilator helps a COVID-19 patient breath inside the Coronavirus Unit in a Houston hospital. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
The first film festival of the COVID-19 era opened on Wednesday in Venice, Italy. According to The Associated Press, the 77th edition of the film festival looks much different than in past years, with the public being restricted from the red carpet, masks being required indoors and a much smaller number of Hollywood stars. Festival organizers are also enforcing reserved seats that are spaced apart and require masks to be worn during screenings that are held outdoors. “Clearly we have to abide by anti-COVID measures,” said Paola Mar, Venice's tourism councilor. “Each of us has a personal responsibility. And if all of us do our jobs, we can limit the harm,” she told The AP.
The festival, which goes until Sept. 12, is sending a message about the importance of cinema, according to Italian director Andrea Segre who told The AP that "we need theaters for cinema." “It’s like if you say to a painter that he can show his painting, or his fresco, only through the web,” Segre said. “It’s exactly the same for us: Without the theater, our art has a handicap, it has a big handicap.” Other international film festivals this year were either canceled or moved online, The AP said. One of the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic in its early stages, Italy has largely managed to get the virus mostly under control. The country has more than 270,000 cases and more than 35,000 deaths.
Jury president Cate Blanchett poses for photographers at the jury photo call during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
Confirmed cases: 25,781,343
Fatalities: 857,767
Recoveries: 17,093,676
Russia became the fourth country to surpass the 1 million case threshold on Tuesday, joining the United States, Brazil and India. Russia is about three months removed from its peak, which came back in late May and early June. The country hasn't recorded a day with more than 6,000 new infections since July 19.
Florida’s ban on visiting nursing homes that has cut off vulnerable seniors from family since mid-March will be lifted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor’s new order that follows recommendations from a nursing home task force will allow family members to visit their loved ones no more than two at a time while wearing protective gear including masks, The Associated Press reported. Facilities would need to go 14 days without any new cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents to allow the visits. “Part of having a healthy society is understanding that human beings seek affection,” DeSantis said. “Many of the folks understand that they have loved ones who are in the last stage of their life. They’re not demanding a medical miracle. They’re not having unrealistic expectations. They just would like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody,” DeSantis wondered aloud if his orders might have contributed to suffering in Florida. South Carolina took similar actions as Gov. Henry McMaster announced visitations at nursing homes could resume after nearly six months, but only outdoors and with no hugs or kisses. “As expected, the months of separation and isolation have caused loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety among the residents. I worry about them, like you do, every day,” McMaster said in Columbia.
Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks’ arena that is home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA and Milwaukee Brewers of MLB, will serve as an early voting site for the 2020 general election. “We are excited that Fiserv Forum will be designated an early vote site,” said Milwaukee Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry. “The pandemic has added another barrier to voting for vulnerable communities, so this will help us make sure that everyone in Milwaukee has a safe and convenient way to exercise their right to vote. By converting Fiserv Forum into a voting location, we can make sure everyone’s voice can be heard in a safe and responsible way.” The Bucks’ Fiserv Forum will serve as an early voting site, and the Brewers’ Miller Park will be used as an early drive-thru voting location. “We are now fortunate to announce that not only have we found one, but we have found two locations that are absolutely fabulous for allowing more people to exercise their right to vote,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “Nationally, Milwaukee has become the leader by providing both Fiserv Forum and Miller Park for early voting. I don’t know of another city in this nation that is using a major league ballpark and an NBA arena for early voting— that’s how committed we are to making sure that people’s voices are heard.”
Passengers who have refused to wear face coverings during an Uber ride will be required to take a "mask selfie" before they can even request a car, Uber announced on Tuesday. When passengers with past violations attempt to request a ride, they will be required by the app to take a selfie with a mask on -- and the software can even detect whether or not the rider's mask is worn correctly or not, Uber said. The company has required both riders and drivers to wear masks since May, but executives say not everyone has complied. "If we do have people who are still violating the policy, we want to be able to verify them with an extra step," Uber's senior director of product management, Sachin Kansal, told ABC News. "And if they're not wearing a mask, they will not be able to take a ride." Uber started the face detection technology in May for its drivers. The software in the app can determine whether a driver is wearing a face-covering based on the photo. If a face covering is not detected, the driver cannot go online.
A man was caught on video yelling at Walmart employees, as he was being kicked out of the store after he refused to wear a mask. The incident, which happened at a Walmart in Anchorage on Aug. 27, has since been viewed 11 million times after it was recorded and posted on Twitter by another customer. In the video, the man is telling a female worker to “get back on your highway to hell and get out of a godly man’s face” as she is telling him he has to leave the store. As the worker continues to politely ask the man to leave the store and to have a good day, the man responds by saying that they are not respecting his “rights” as a customer. In a statement released after the incident, Walmart said that “it’s unfortunate that this individual chose to express their displeasure in such an inappropriate manner, but we’re proud our associate displayed patience and professionalism as they navigated this challenging situation.” Watch the video here.
In an effort to try and recover international air travel that declined due to the coronavirus, Air Canada and Toronto Airport have started a trial program to ease international travel restrictions. International travel has remained extremely difficult due to the restrictions in place by many countries. Canada has one of the most restrictive measures of any country among the Group of Eight, maintaining all measures put in place since March until at least the end of September. Despite the extension of Canada's travel ban, Reuters has reported that Air Canada will start a voluntary passenger test trial on Sept. 7 in order to try and ease the restrictions put in place by the Canadian government.
Currently, only Canadian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to enter the country and must quarantine for 14 days. Many Canadian airlines have continued to fight to loosen the travel restrictions in order to try and make up for lost revenue. The trial conducted by Air Canada will cooperate with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and will be used in hopes for the government to take "a more science-based approach to the 14 day quarantine," Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth told Reuters. It is not known how the testing will be done or how often, but it is known that some will be done at home by travelers between five and 10 days after travel. A recent survey showed that 83% of passengers would decline travel if subject to a quarantine period upon return.
In an effort to help better build contact tracing, Apple and Google have announced plans to include a COVID-19 notification system in the newest version of iOS and Android phone operating systems, CNBC reports. Using Bluetooth signals, the exposure notifications are able to determine how closely, and how long, someone has come into contact with a person who may have coronavirus. The app is able to do so without collecting location or identity information about users. If a phone's user tests positive for COVID-19, the system will automatically send push notifications to other phone users that may have been exposed. In order for the system to operate, users had to opt-in and download the app from the app store. Now, the newest versions of iOS and Android will come with the app preinstalled, but users still have to opt-in to use it. A new study from Christophe Fraser at Oxford University estimated that if 15% of people participate in using the app, in addition to contact tracing, it could help reduce COVID-19 infections by as much as 15%, CNBC said.
Video conferencing service Zoom has seen its business skyrocket during the pandemic, as more companies and schools worldwide turn to the platform. On Monday, the company reported that revenue has quadrupled during the May-July period compared to the same quarter as last year, according to The Associated Press. This comes as more users are switching to the paid version of Zoom. The second fiscal quarter finished with 370,200 customers having at least 10 employees paying for the paid service, which is a gain from 105,000 seen at the end of April. One year ago, the number was a small 66,300. Investors have also started taking interest in the platform as the stock continues to soar and is poised to climb higher. The report given by the company on Monday lifted the shares for Zoom by nearly 23%. Many major employers have continued to close offices for the rest of the year and some even until next summer to help curb the coronavirus, forcing many to turn to Zoom to conduct meetings and other daily tasks.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the school year for the city will be delayed after the threat of a teacher strike due to the coronavirus. Schools were originally scheduled to begin with remote and in-person components starting on Sept. 10, according to ABC7 in New York. However, De Blasio announced on Tuesday that remote learning will now begin Sept. 16 and in-person learning would not begin until Sept. 21 for all New York City public schools. School staff members will report the day after Labor Day and start preparing classrooms on Sept. 10. Teachers will also now get nine professional development days at the beginning of the school year as opposed to the usual two. Once the in-person learning begins, mandatory and robust systems of repeated COVID testing will be conducted for adults and students in order to try and prevent outbreaks. One COVID-19 case will cause the entire class to move to remote learning and the entire school will go to remote until contact tracing is complete.
France recorded its highest monthly tally in new COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the outbreak earlier this year, as it experienced a 50% increase in infections during August. Over the past 24 hours, the country’s health authorities reported 3,082 new cases, which is a decrease from the previous two days, as the seven-day average of new cases for the past week stood at 5,167, Reuters reported. The new cases have brought France’s total number of infections to 281,025, which is a substantial increase from the 187,919 cases that were reported at the end of July. The surge of new cases has also led authorities to re-enforce safety measures, which include the use of face masks at all public places in the country’s main cities. Despite the increase in cases, the number of COVID-19 patients at hospitals decreased by 14% in August versus July, as the virus is now spreading among young people, according to Reuters.
The coronavirus outbreak is expected to peak in Indonesia this month, according to President Joko Widodo. Widodo said he was very confident in access to a safe and effective vaccine by the end of the year for the country, which has been home to one of the world's lowest per-capita testing rates. A record amount of new daily cases were reported for three consecutive days last week. So far, over 7,500 deaths have occurred due to the virus in Indonesia. Widodo remained confident that positive growth financially would occur for the country in the final quarter and that the country's economy would approach normal next year. The country's capital, Jakarta, and tourist island Bali, have both been hit significantly by the virus due to a drastic decrease in tourism travel. Indonesia has also been known for its strict protocols and punishments for those who don't follow mask mandates. On certain occasions, security officials have made residents found not wearing masks stop and perform push-ups, as the photo below shows.
Public Order Agency officers penalize people with push-ups after they were caught violating city regulations requiring people to wear face mask in public places to curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Public tours of the White House will resume later this month although the number of guests allowed will be fewer than before. Social distancing and masks will also be required, according to the office of first lady Melania Trump, NBC News reported. Tours will resume starting Sept. 12 and will only take place on Fridays and Saturday during a three-hour window from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. “In order to ensure the safety and health of all visitors, there have been new policies implemented that align with the guidance issued by Federal, State, and local officials,” the first lady’s office said, according to NBC News.
The Olympic flame is now on display in Tokyo, only a few minutes away from the new National Stadium where it was supposed to be burning back in July during the summer Olympics. The flame, which was transported all the way from Greece in March, had been tucked away after the cancellation of the Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, on Monday, it was finally unveiled during a small ceremony hosted by Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee and Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. “In this situation during COVID-19, I think athletes aiming for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are training hard each day – with great anxiety,” Yamashita said, according to The Associated Press. “I am convinced that the torch displayed today will support the hearts of those athletes.” For the next two months, visitors will be able to see the torch at the museum, as it will be displayed for a limited time.
General view, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 : Public Display of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Yohei Osada/AFLO SPORT)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday afternoon that he has extended the state’s COVID-19 emergency declaration for five more months. This gives him the power to close businesses and schools, restrict gathering sizes and mandate post-travel quarantines until February 2021, the Hartford Courant reported. “What [the extension] means over the next five months is that we’ll have the ability to react quickly if situations change, just like [what] happened in April and May,” Lamont said at his Monday press briefing. “I’d like to think that we’re not going to be in that situation, we can be a little more methodical and cautious in terms of those [emergency orders].” Later on Monday afternoon, the state's Senate Republican leader Len Fasano issued a statement that said Republican leaders are worried about the way the governor has gone about the extension. “We have serious concerns about expanding any emergency powers without also implementing a plan to give the public a voice in the process which they have been entirely shut out of thus far,” Fasano said. “The governor is basically operating as a dictator,” House Republican leader Themis Klarides said. “The executive powers have to be limited.”
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