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Coronavirus in USA

Florida reported over 12,000 new cases of COVID-19, the fifth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections.
 
U.S. CDC reports 67,574 new coronavirus cases, total now 3,698,161

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 67,574 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 3,698,161.

It said the number of deaths had risen by 877 to 139,659.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, compared to a day earlier. (bit.ly/2ZFRrAy)

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

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...us-cases-total-now-3698161-idUKKCN24K0W5?il=0
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH: President Trump on the current state of the virus. <br>"When you talk about mortality rates, I think it's the opposite. I think we have one of the lowest mortality rates in the world."<br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FoxNewsSunday?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FoxNewsSunday</a> <a href="https://t.co/WZ5d3OqklB">pic.twitter.com/WZ5d3OqklB</a></p>— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNewsSunday/status/1284851479157891074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump wrongly claims US has lowest mortality rate

US President Donald Trump has said in an interview that the US has had the lowest mortality rate during the pandemic, a claim that is not true.

The country's more than 140,000 deaths linked to Covid-19 put it among the top 10 highest mortality rates, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

Trump made the statements in a contentious interview on Fox News, where he also claimed that his country was "the envy of the world" on testing.

Over the past day, the US recorded almost 64,000 new infections. It now has 3,768,056 confirmed cases, by far the highest number worldwide.
 
Florida COVID-19 cases soar again, California sees surge stabilize

The mayor of Chicago shut down indoor service at bars on Monday and Florida reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth day in a row, as the coronavirus pandemic raged across the United States.

The grim news was offset by an apparent stabilization of the outbreak in California and the fewest hospitalizations in four months in New York state, allowing New York City to enter a new phase of reopening.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the number of cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions were all still rising in the nation’s most populous state but not nearly as much or as fast as in recent weeks.

“We are seeing a reduction in the rate of growth but a rate of growth nonetheless,” Newsom, a Democrat, said at a briefing in Sacramento.

“Hospitalizations and ICU (admissions) continue to be cause of concern in this state. That’s why we want everybody to double down on what we’ve been doing,” the governor said.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, has threatened to impose a new “stay-at-home” order in America’s second-largest city if trends are not reversed. California’s high school sports authority postponed athletic competitions, including football, altering a rite of passage for many Americans.

New York, which has recorded far more deaths than any other U.S. state, recorded only eight fatalities on Sunday. The total number of people hospitalized in New York for the disease fell to 716, the fewest since March 18, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Restrictions eased slightly with zoos and the Statue of Liberty reopening as well as professional sports without fans.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced new restrictions due to take effect on Friday, including a ban on indoor service at bars and shutdown of personal services such as shaves and facials that require the removal of masks.

“While we aren’t near the peak of the pandemic from earlier this year, none of us wants to go back there,” Lightfoot said in a statement.

TEACHERS SUE IN FLORIDA
Metrics nationwide show a continued surge in the pandemic, with 32 states reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases in July and 15 states reporting record increases in deaths.

The illness has killed 140,000 people in the United States and infected some 3.7 million, both figures leading the world.

Florida reported 10,347 new infections on Monday, the sixth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new cases. Another 92 people died in Florida, increasing the state’s death toll to 5,183.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been sharply criticized for his handling of the crisis, said over the weekend that positivity rates and COVID-19-related emergency room visits have been trending lower in recent weeks.

The state’s teachers’ union sued DeSantis and other officials on Monday, seeking to halt the resumption of in-class instruction.

With school due to resume in August or September, many districts across the country are offering only remote learning or limited in-class instruction. Florida is allowing local school districts to establish their own rules on reopening.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for schools to reopen.

The Republican president, who had pushed back on mask requirements by state and local officials, posted a black and white photo of himself wearing one on Twitter.

“We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!”, Trump said in a tweet.

The president said in a Fox News interview on Sunday that he opposes a national mask mandate.

Trump, whose handling of the pandemic has been criticized by Democrats and some health experts, also said he would resume holding regular COVID-19 news briefings on Tuesday after a lengthy hiatus.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...ornia-sees-surge-stabilize-idUKKCN24L24O?il=0
 
Trump pushes masks as California sees record rise

The US continues to see rising cases across many states. On Monday, California recorded a daily rise of more than 11,800 new infections according to a Reuters tally.

That would make it the highest daily number the state has seen so far and if California was its own country, it would now rank fifth in the world after the US, Brazil, India and Russia.

Meanwhile, President Trump has tweeted a photograph of himself with a face mask - a rare occurrence as he has often refused to be seen wearing one.

In the accompanying text, he says many people believe it is a patriotic duty to wear a mask if they can't socially distance. Health experts in the US have long urged both the public and the president to wear face masks to get the pandemic under control.

The US has more than 3.7 million infections and 14,500 deaths have been linked to Covid-19.
 
New York adds 10 more US states to quarantine list

More than half of America's 50 states are now on a quarantine list that's been introduced in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Under the rules, anyone travelling from a state on the list must self-isolate for 14 days to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that 10 new states have been added to the list, and another removed, bringing the total to 31. Newcomers include Alaska, Virginia and Washington.

New York was once at the epicentre of America's coronavirus outbreak, and continues to report the highest number of deaths and cases. But infection rates are rising rapidly in other states including California, Florida and Texas, and more than 3.8 million cases have been confirmed nationwide.

Governor Cuomo told reporters that it's inevitable that a second wave of infections will hit New York as infection rise in other states.

"Yesterday, we had our lowest death toll since the pandemic began - and with no fatalities in New York City. While today's numbers are encouraging, we must remain vigilant," he added.
 
President Donald Trump has warned the US pandemic may "get worse before it gets better", as he revived his virus briefings with a more scripted tone.

Mr Trump also asked all Americans to wear face coverings, saying "they'll have an effect" and show "patriotism".

The president, who was not wearing a mask at the briefing, has previously disparaged them as unsanitary.

His aides have reportedly pressed him to adopt a more measured approach as virus caseloads spike across the US.

The daily White House news conferences ended soon after Mr Trump suggested in April during freewheeling remarks from the podium that the virus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into people.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53494766
 
California has overtaken New York as the worst-hit US state for cases of coronavirus.

The US' most populous state reported 12,807 new cases on Wednesday in its biggest single-day increase since the pandemic began.

In total, it has now recorded more than 413,000 cases, surpassing New York, which was the original epicentre of the outbreak in the US.

California also reported a record one-day rise in fatalities, along with Alabama, Nevada and Texas, Reuters news agency reports.

New York's death toll remains the highest in the US, at more than 32,000. However, the state has seen a big decline in numbers of new cases and deaths in the last two months.
 
The United States is expected to pass 4 million cases of coronavirus on Thursday, amid a surge in cases, predominantly in southern and western states.
 
US deaths top 1,000 for third day in a row

The US recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday, marking the third straight day the nation passed that grim milestone as the pandemic escalates in southern and western states.

Nationwide 1,014 deaths were recorded, with not all states reporting. There were 1,135 deaths on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday.

Even though deaths are rising for a second week in a row, they remain well below levels seen in April, when 2,000 people a day on average died from the virus.
 
US records 1,000 deaths for fourth day

The US recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the fourth straight day on Friday. But a top White House adviser on the pandemic said she saw signs that the worst could be past in hard-hit southern and western states.

At least 1,019 deaths due to COVID-19 were confirmed nationwide on Friday, following 1,140 on Thursday, 1,135 on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases across the US rose by at least 70,000 to more than 4.1 million, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

The numbers have been driven in large part by a surge in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

"We're already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states that have really suffered under the last four weeks, so Texas, California, Arizona and Florida, those major metros and throughout their counties," Dr Deborah Birx told NBC News in an interview.US records 1,000 deaths for fourth day
The US recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the fourth straight day on Friday. But a top White House adviser on the pandemic said she saw signs that the worst could be past in hard-hit southern and western states.

At least 1,019 deaths due to COVID-19 were confirmed nationwide on Friday, following 1,140 on Thursday, 1,135 on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases across the US rose by at least 70,000 to more than 4.1 million, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

The numbers have been driven in large part by a surge in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

"We're already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states that have really suffered under the last four weeks, so Texas, California, Arizona and Florida, those major metros and throughout their counties," Dr Deborah Birx told NBC News in an interview.

A Jazeera
 
Fauci: Normality not before next year

America's top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, has said that "we could start talking about real normality again" in 2021. Although a coronavirus vaccine could be determined "safe and effective" by the end of the year, he doesn't expect it to be widely available in the US until "several months" into 2021.

"I think we will likely know whether a vaccine is safe and effective given the number of phase three trials that are starting literally next week - and there are some in other countries that are already ongoing - that we should know by the end of December of this year, the beginning of next year," he told the Washington Post.

"I think as we get into 2021, several months in, that you would have a vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States

<a href="https://freeimage.host/"><img src="https://iili.io/dItRGR.jpg" alt="dItRGR.jpg" border="0"></a>
 
U.S. CDC reports 4,099,310 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 4,099,310 cases of the coronavirus, an increase of 74,818 cases from its previous daily count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,145 to 145,013.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on July 24 versus its previous report a day earlier.

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

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-h...ports-4099310-coronavirus-cases-idUKKCN24Q0UR
 
Covid-19 hospitalisations in New York are at the lowest level since the pandemic began, as the state reported 10 further coronavirus deaths during the past 24 hours.
 
<a href="https://freeimage.host/"><img src="https://iili.io/dTwBhg.jpg" alt="dTwBhg.jpg" border="0"></a>
 
Florida overtakes New York in coronavirus cases

Florida has overtaken New York in the number of coronavirus cases, according to the latest figures from the state's health department on Sunday.

The Sunshine State has reported 423,855 total cases, up 12,180 in the last 24 hours. New York, once the epicentre of the US outbreak has 411,200 total, seeing just hundreds of daily new infections.

California, with a population of nearly 40 million, about twice Florida's, is now the worst hit state, nearing 450,000 cases.
 
Trump wears mask, voices hope on coronavirus vaccine in North Carolina

President Donald Trump wore a mask and talked up the possibility of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year on Monday as he looked to show voters in the battleground state of North Carolina that he is responding to the pandemic.

Trump, whose job approval ratings have dropped as many Americans believe he has handled the virus badly, sought for the second week to look in command after setting aside his hands-off approach.

“I trust all Americans to do the right thing but we strongly advise everyone to especially, especially focus on maintaining a social distance, maintain a rigorous hygiene, avoid crowded gatherings and indoor bars and wear masks when appropriate,” Trump said.

The Republican president spoke during a visit to a Fujifilm plant in Morrisville, North Carolina, where work on a vaccine is being performed. During a tour of the facility, he wore a mask publicly for a second time, the first being on a trip to Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington earlier this month.

“I heard very positive things, but by the end of the year, we think we’re in very good shape to be doing that,” Trump said of a potential vaccine.

He expressed confidence in the economic recovery and said: “A lot of governors should be opening up states that they’re not opening.”

Infection rates have climbed since June in the United States, which leads the world in the total number of deaths and cases. National security adviser Robert O’Brien became the most senior official in Trump’s inner circle to test positive for the coronavirus, the White House said on Monday.

Trump, who is seeking re-election on Nov. 3, has his work cut out for him in North Carolina, a state he won narrowly in 2016 and where he had originally hoped to accept his nomination for a second term.

A new NBC News/Marist poll said Democrat Joe Biden led Trump by 7 points in North Carolina. It said respondents by a 2-to-1 margin favored Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s opposition to a large Republican nominating convention event in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August.

Cooper’s opposition prompted Trump to try to arrange a big event in Jacksonville, Florida, but that plan fell apart last week and now it is unclear where Trump will give his acceptance speech.

Republican delegates are still to meet in Charlotte in late August to conduct some convention business.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-h...virus-vaccine-in-north-carolina-idUKKCN24S2NG
 
Trump security adviser Robert O'Brien tests positive for coronavirus

U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien has become the highest ranking official in President Donald Trump’s inner circle to test positive for the coronavirus.

Announcing the infection on Monday, the White House said in a statement there was no risk of exposure to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.

The White House statement said that O’Brien’s symptoms were mild, that he was self-isolating and that he was working from a secure location off site. It said the work of the National Security Council would continue uninterrupted.

The announcement caught some White House staff off guard, as there had not been an internal memo about it, one source said. Because of the regular testing regimen, White House officials do not reliably wear masks while working in the West Wing.

Asked about O’Brien, Trump told reporters he had not seen the adviser lately and did not know when he had tested positive.

An administration official said O’Brien, 54, had not had contact with the president in several days. Another said he had last been at the White House last week.

Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters it was apparently a light case, adding “I believe his daughter had caught it before him.”

O’Brien, who took over as national security adviser from John Bolton last September, had traveled to Paris in mid-July to represent the United States at Bastille Day ceremonies. He met French President Emmanuel Macron while there.

O’Brien was joined on the trip by deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, among other aides and a small group of reporters, an administration official said.

A U.S. military member who works as a presidential valet at the White House tested positive for coronavirus in May as did Pence’s press secretary.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...s-positive-for-coronavirus-idUKKCN24S1LG?il=0
 
US Senate Republicans have proposed spending an additional $1tn (£776bn) to address the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan includes $100bn for schools and issuing stimulus payments of up to $1,200 to most Americans.

Under the plan, the payment would replace a $600 boost to unemployment benefits during the pandemic.

The proposal sets the stage for negotiations with Democrats who have called it "totally inadequate".

The US has already spent more than $2.4tn on virus relief measures, sending billions of dollars in aid to businesses and individual households. But economists have warned since the spring that more would be necessary.

Senator Mitch McConnell said Republicans wanted to see how existing programmes were working, but had now produced a "tailored and targeted draft" to address the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The proposal would reduce the $600 weekly unemployment benefit supplement to $200 until states can set up a more targeted system that replaces 70% of a person's previous wage.

The reduction reflects worries that the current benefits discourage workers from returning to work, since an estimated two thirds of recipients are getting more from unemployment than they did working.

Mr McConnell said Republicans "want to continue" the unemployment supplement, which expires this week. "But we have to do it in a way that does not slow down reopening."

As well as money for direct payments to families and to help schools, Republicans said they want to put in place legislation to shield businesses from workers' coronavirus health claims.

What else do Democrats want?
Senator Chuck Schumer, who leads Democrats in the Senate, said the proposal was "too little, too late".

The US has lost roughly 15 million jobs since February and the recovery remains on shaky ground as virus cases rise and some places reimpose restrictions.

Nearly one in five US workers is collecting unemployment benefits and more than half of adults live in households that have seen a drop in income, according to a survey by the US census.

"This is a serious, serious crisis," Mr Schumer said. "We're running out of time."

He said the Republican plan amounted to a "30% pay cut" at a time when most workers do not have jobs to return to and switching to a new system will be near "impossible" for states to execute. He pointed to problems that have plagued the programme so far.

"It will delay benefits for weeks, if not months, as we slide into a greater degree of recession," he said.

Democrats, who have put forward their own $3tn plan, want funding for local governments, which are facing budget shortfalls due to the decline in economic activity. Many object to the unemployment benefit cut, which they want to see extended through to the end of the year.

They have also rejected the proposal to shield businesses from liability.

"What we will not support is what they're saying to essential workers: 'You have to go to work because you're essential, we place no responsibility on your employer to make that workplace safe and if you get sick you have no recourse because we've given your employer protection,'" Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said in a recent television interview.

What happens now?

Some Republicans had proposed fast-tracking some pieces of the legislation - an idea rejected by Democrats, who see that strategy as an effort to avoid including their priorities.

Mr McConnell said on Friday he expected the negotiations to take "a few weeks". The senator will also need to persuade members of his own party, who are worried about rising levels of government debt and opposed to further spending.

"The answer to these challenges will not simply be shovelling cash out of Washington. The answer to these challenges will be getting people back to work," Republican Senator Ted Cruz said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53558608
 
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Six southern and western US states registered record numbers of new coronavirus infections on Tuesday - California, Arkansas, Florida, Montana, Oregon, and Texas.

Texas joined California and New York to register more than 400,000 cases.

President Donald Trump, who has come under widespread criticism for his handling of the crisis, insisted that large parts of the US were virus-free, even though federal data shows just one state, Vermont, doing well.

The US now has more than 4.3 million reported cases of Covid-19, and more than 149,000 deaths.
 
US coronavirus deaths top 150,000, among highest in deaths per capita globally

US deaths from the novel coronavirus surpassed 150,000, a number higher than in any other country and nearly a quarter of the world's total, according to a Reuters tally.

Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth in deaths per capita, at 4.5 fatalities per 10,000 people.

Only the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile have a higher per capita rate, the tally shows, with US deaths making up nearly 23 percent of the global total of 660,997.

The increase of 10,000 deaths in 11 days is the fastest in the United States since early June.
 
US coronavirus deaths top 150,000, among highest in deaths per capita globally

US deaths from the novel coronavirus surpassed 150,000, a number higher than in any other country and nearly a quarter of the world's total, according to a Reuters tally.

Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth in deaths per capita, at 4.5 fatalities per 10,000 people.

Only the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile have a higher per capita rate, the tally shows, with US deaths making up nearly 23 percent of the global total of 660,997.

The increase of 10,000 deaths in 11 days is the fastest in the United States since early June.
 
scary thing is that out of american total cases 4,535,577 nearly half off these cases are deemed as active cases 2,166,050- basically 49% cases are active cases.

Compare this with 2nd place brazil they have total cases 2,498,668- active cases 688,316-thats around 24%

India - total cases 1,584,384, active cases 527,770 - thats around 33%
 
Mask-shunning US congressman tests positive for COVID-19

United States Congressman Louie Gohmert, who had resisted wearing a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, raising concerns that other members of Congress may also have been exposed.

Attorney General William Barr, who testified to a committee hearing on Tuesday that Gohmert took part in, will be tested for coronavirus as a result, a Justice Department spokesman said.

A US representative from Texas, where coronavirus cases have surged since the state reopened, Gohmert said he tested positive in a pre-screening at the White House and would self-quarantine for 10 days.

"Now, I need to self-quarantine," Gohmert said in an interview with Texas broadcaster KETK-TV. "It's really ironic, because a lot of people have made a big deal out of my not wearing a mask a lot. But in the last week or two, I have worn a mask more than I have in the whole last four months."

Masks, which health experts say help to prevent the transmission of the highly contagious virus, have become a symbol of the US's bitter political divide, with some Republicans including Gohmert shunning them after President Donald Trump long refused to wear one in public.

During Tuesday's hearing with Barr, Committee Chairman Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat, scolded several Republicans including ranking member Jim Jordan for failing to wear masks. Gohmert said he wore a mask during the proceedings.

In a Twitter posting on Wednesday, Nadler wished Gohmert a "full and speedy recovery".

Democratic House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would consider having all House members tested as a result of Gohmert's testing positive.

Nearly 150,000 people in the US have died of coronavirus, and almost 4.4 million have tested positive, according to a tally by the Reuters News Agency. Infection rates have begun to soar in recent weeks as states lifted restrictions on social gatherings and travel intended to slow the virus' spread.

Several members of Congress have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and all have recovered.

Republican Rand Paul in March became the first senator to contract the disease, and faced criticism from his colleagues after spending time walking maskless around the Capitol, even using its gym, while waiting for test results. After recovering, Paul, a physician, shunned a mask, arguing that he is now immune. Other medical professionals have said it is unclear whether a person can contract COVID-19 a second time.

Gohmert said he would now wear a mask, but when asked about mask policies, said, "If somebody feels strongly that everybody should wear a mask then they shouldn't be around people that don't wear masks."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-tests-positive-covid-19-200729180726495.html
 
More than 150,000 people have died from the new coronavirus in the United States, far exceeding the toll in any other pandemic-hit nation, as the states of California, Florida and Texas all set one-day records for COVID-19 deaths.

The US recorded 1,461 deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to Reuters news agency. This means, one person in the country died about every minute from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

California had 185 fatalities, Florida reported 217 and Texas had at least 311 deaths with some counties yet to report.

The three states together account for one-quarter of the total US population.

Deaths from COVID-19 are rising at their fastest rate in two months, increasing by 10,000 in the past 11 days, but new infections do not appear to be rising at the same pace.

Amid the spike in deaths, Florida's Miami-Dade school district delayed the return of students to classrooms when the academic year begins on August 31.

The county has more than 350,000 students, making it the country's fourth-largest school district.

"In light of viral surge in our community, it's in the best interest of students and employees to commence the 20-21 school year at a distance," Miami-Dade County Public Schools said on Twitter.

With the scheduled reopening of schools days away in some states, President Donald Trump has pushed for students to return to class while teacher unions and local officials have called for them to stay home.

Commercial pilot Rob Koreman of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said he was stunned by the climbing numbers.

"I'm a pilot and hit so many cities, so many people on board, I have to be aware," Koreman told Reuters. "Basically, none of this should have happened. We needed state coordination, if not flat-out a federal mandate."

The pace of coronavirus infections has accelerated since late May and the epicentre has moved to South and West from the previous hotspot of New York, which still has by far the highest number of deaths of any US state at more than 32,000.

The surge has hampered efforts to recover from an economic crisis brought on by stay-at-home orders and business closures that have thrown millions of people out of work.

"We have seen some signs in recent weeks that the increase in virus cases and the renewed measures to control it are starting to weigh on economic activity," the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, said at a news conference following the release of the US central bank's latest policy statement.

Many health experts say the outbreak could be brought under greater control if guidelines to maintain social distancing and wear masks in public were enforced nationwide.

Trump has rejected a federal mask order and while he was initially reluctant to be seen wearing one he has recently come round to the idea.

Mandatory masks

Representative Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas who has at times refused to wear a mask, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising concerns that other members of Congress may have been exposed and prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to require face masks in the House of Representatives.

The House sergeant at arms said in a statement later on Wednesday that "all persons entering the House Office Buildings" should be wearing a face cover, with some exceptions including when a person is "eating, drinking or legally smoking".

Officials in the state of New Jersey, which has the country's second-highest death toll, again pleaded with young people to avoid large gatherings.

"Coronavirus is more easily transmitted indoors. Crowded indoor house parties are not smart or safe," Governor Phil Murphy wrote on Twitter.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicted in March that the pandemic could kill more than 81,000 people in the US by July.

In its latest statement on July 14, the IHME said its model now projects the US death toll at more than 224,000 by November 1; it said many deaths could be avoided by preventive measures such as masks and physical distancing.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-minute-toll-tops-150000-200730034507419.html
 
New York, which was for months the outbreak epicenter in the US, has been overtaken by Texas.

Texas is now counting over 418,000 total cases, compared to New York’s more than 413,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

With almost 485,000 cases, California is still leading in total cases. In fact, if California was its own country rather than a US state, it would have the fifth highest case count in the world, ahead of South Africa.

Overall, the US has recorded over 4.4 million cases and 150,716 deaths.
 
Herman Cain, the Republican pizza chain CEO who ran for president in 2012, has died after contracting Covid-19.

Mr Cain, 74, was hospitalised after being diagnosed with the disease earlier this month.

"Herman Cain - our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us - has passed away," a message posted on his official website said.

He was a supporter of President Trump and is one of the most high-profile Americans to die with the virus.

His social media accounts had been providing regular updates on his condition. On 7 July, a post from his Twitter account said "doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right".

"This is a tough virus," it said. "Please continue praying."
 
US epicentre of pandemic shifts towards Midwest

Coronavirus infections appear to be picking up in the Midwestern United States, the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said, as the state of Ohio reported a record day of cases and Wisconsin's governor mandated the use of masks.

The coronavirus outbreak is "moving up" into Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska from the south "because of vacations and other reasons of travel", Deborah Birx told Fox News.
 
U.S. records nearly 25,000 coronavirus deaths in July

(Reuters) - U.S. coronavirus deaths rose by almost 25,000 in July and cases doubled in at least 18 states during the month, according to a Reuters tally, dealing a crushing blow to hopes of quickly reopening the economy.

The United States has recorded nearly 1.8 million new cases in July out of its total 4.5 million infections, an increase of 66% with many states yet to report on Friday. Deaths in July rose at least 19% to over 152,000 total.

The biggest increases were in Florida, with over 300,000 new cases in July, followed by California and Texas with about 250,000 each. Those three states also saw cases double in June.

Cases also more than doubled in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the tally.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York had the lowest increases, with cases rising 7% or less.

The United States shattered single day global records in July by reporting over 77,000 new cases on July 16. During the month, 33 out of 50 states had one-day record increases in cases and 19 set records for how much deaths rose in 24 hours, according to a Reuters tally.

After a rapid acceleration in cases, the outbreak appears to be stabilizing in Arizona, Florida and Texas. Health officials are now concerned the outbreak has migrated to the Midwest from summer travel. (Open tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser for a Reuters interactive graphic)

The news that more states could be hard hit by the virus comes a day after the U.S. gross domestic product collapsed at a 32.9% annualized rate last quarter, the nation’s worst economic performance since the Great Depression.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-h...5000-coronavirus-deaths-in-july-idUKKCN24W1G1
 
Fauci testifies before coronavirus panel

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, will testfy before a coronavirus subcommittee in Congress, weeks after President Donald Trump's administration first refused to let him address the panel.

Fauci's testimony comes at the end of a week when the pandemic's tragic toll on the country has become far clearer.

The United States on Wednesday experienced its 150,000th death from the disease - more than any other country - and data on Thursday showing a deep economic plunge.

Democrats said the Trump administration initially prevented Fauci from testifying to the panel by saying he was unavailable for the entire month of July and relented only after House Majority Whip James Clyburn wrote to Vice President Mike Pence.
 
Unemployment benefits end for millions of Americans

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on the global economy, with many people and businesses needing financial support.

In the US, a coronavirus aid bill has given millions of hard-up Americans an essential lifeline to weather the worst of the Covid-19 storm.

But on Friday night, unemployment benefits that were part of that aid expired, as the US Congress was unable to reach consensus on a new relief package.

That means payments of $600 (£458) a week to millions of people have ended overnight.

US President Donald Trump has blamed the Democrats for the impasse. Democratic leaders, meanwhile, said a White House proposal to extend the pay-out for seven days was worthless.

Republicans want a smaller relief plan than one passed by the Democrat-controlled House. Talks are set to continue on Saturday, so we’ll bring you the latest when we know more.
 
Here's a look at some of the latest developments in the US:

The top Democrats in Congress are set to meet today with senior aides to President Donald Trump for talks on a new coronavirus relief bill

It comes as a $600 (£459) jobless benefit paid weekly to tens of millions of unemployed Americans expired overnight after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on its extension

The US has now reported more than 4.5m cases of coronavirus, while more than 153,000 people have died, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University

Cases in 19 US states doubled during the month of July, a tally by Reuters news agency found
 
Florida reaches 7,000 deaths from coronavirus

Florida health officials have reported 179 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the state’s total to more than 7,000.

The latest numbers came as Hurricane Isaias threatened Florida’s eastern coast, but no evacuations were immediately announced. The National Hurricane Center’s latest prediction had the storm scraping past Florida but not making landfall.
 
U.S. CDC reports 4,542,579 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 4,542,579 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 68,605 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,371 to 152,870.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of COVID-19, an illness caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on July 31, versus its previous report a day earlier.

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

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...-4542579-coronavirus-cases-idUKKBN24X3Z4?il=0
 
Fauci ‘wrong’ on Covid-19 surge, Trump says

America’s top infectious diseases expert was “wrong” to suggest the US has seen a rise in coronavirus infections because its lockdown was not strict enough, President Donald Trump has said.

Dr Anthony Fauci told US Congress that the disparity between the outbreak in the US and those of European countries can be attributed to the extent lockdown measures were introduced.

Fauci said most European countries shut their economies down by 95%, while the US only closed its economy by half.

President Trump disagreed, tweeting: “We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed the US has the highest number of cases in the world - more than 4.6 million as it stands - because of its testing regime.

The US has carried out more than 56 million coronavirus tests to date, according to the latest data.

That is more than any other western country, but health experts say the increase in positive cases in recent weeks cannot be attributed to the rise in testing alone.
 
Pelosi says she has no confidence in White House coronavirus adviser Birx

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she does not have confidence in White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, linking her to disinformation about the virus spread by President Donald Trump.

"I think the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee so, I don't have confidence there, no," Speaker Pelosi told ABC's "This Week" when asked is she has confidence in Birx.
 
US registers more than 45,000 new COVID-19 cases, 420 deaths

The United States has registered at least 45,688 new cases as of the end of Sunday, raising the total to 4.68 million from the previous day of 4.64 million, according to the latest Reuters tally on Monday.

Reuters also reported at least 420 new deaths during the same 24-hour period, raising the total to 155,343, compared to 154,923 the previous day.
 
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at one of his top medical advisers who warned on Sunday that the US was entering a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Deborah Birx told CNN the disease was "extraordinarily widespread" across the country and a greater threat than when the outbreak first began.

But on Twitter, Mr Trump described her interview as "pathetic".

He said Dr Birx had fallen into a trap set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has accused Mr Trump of spreading disinformation about the virus and Dr Birx of doing little to counter it.

The president's outburst comes two days after he described as "wrong" an interview given by his other coronavirus expert, Dr Anthony Fauci. Dr Fauci had said the high rate of infection in the US stemmed from an inadequate response by the authorities.
 
Florida surpassed its record for most Covid-19 deaths in a single week on Sunday, with 1,230 fatalities reported in the past seven days.

The Sunshine State broke the previous record - set one week earlier - after reporting 257 deaths on Friday, its highest single-day tally so far.

Florida is among the states leading the US in terms of total Covid-19 infections, second only to California, which has double the population.

Its soaring coronavirus hospitalisations and infections are happening alongside Tropical Storm Isaias, moving along the state's east coast. Thousands of power cuts have already been reported and Governor Ron De Santis has told residents to stockpile a week's supply of food, water and medicine.
 
California governor says cases, hospitalisations, trending down

The governor of California has said that rates of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and intensive care unit admissions were all trending down in the state, according to the latest analysis.

Governor Gavin Newsom said in a briefing that the state’s Central Valley agricultural hub was still being hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic.
 
US adds more the 48,000 new COVID-19 cases, 582 deaths

The United States has added 48,395 new coronavirus cases pushing the total number to 4.73 million, according to a Reuters news agency tally.

Reuters also reported another 582 deaths, adding to the total of almost 156,000.
 
Fauci: US must get daily cases down to 10,000 by September

The US top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, has warned of a "really bad situation" if the country does not bring its daily coronavirus case count down to 10,000 by September.

The US is currently recording roughly 50,000 to 60,000 cases each day, Dr Fauci said to NBC News, suggesting the country is "right in the middle of the first wave".

"If we don't get them down, then we're going to have a really bad situation in the fall," Dr Fauci said.

Getting the virus under control will be complicated by the onset of colder temperatures and the typical flu season, he said.

There have been more than 4.7 million cases recorded in the US so far, with 155,515 deaths. While some former hot spots have begun to curb infection rates, case numbers continue to surge throughout the country.
 
Trump on US coronavirus deaths: 'It is what it is'

United States President Donald Trump, in a wide-ranging interview, has contended the coronavirus outbreak in the country was under control, downplaying the legacy of recently deceased congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, and again calling into question the use of mail-in voting in the upcoming election.

In the interview, which aired on the show Axios on HBO on Monday, Trump sought to downplay the coronavirus outbreak in the US, saying it was "under control".

When pushed on that characterisation, Trump responded: "They're dying it's true. It is what it is, but that doesn't' mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as much as you can control it."

"Those people that really understand it, that really understand it, they said it's incredible the job that we've done," Trump added.

Trump and reporter Jonathan Swan also sparred over the metrics used to measure the country's battle against the coronavirus.

While the US has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths of any country in the world, Trump contended that the number of fatalities was not as significant when looked at deaths against confirmed cases in the country, not the overall population.

To date, the US, a country of about 328 million, has recorded more than 4.7 million cases and 155,000 deaths amid a new surge in western and southern states.

"You have to go by the cases. The cases," Trump said.

When Swan asked "it's surely a relevant statistic to say the US has X population and X percentage of death of that population", Trump responded: "No, because you have to go by the cases."

Comments on John Lewis

Trump also defended his decision not to pay his respects following the recent death of Lewis, a US Congress representative and civil rights activist who played an instrumental role in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

When asked about Lewis's legacy and how he will be remembered, the president instead focused on the congressman's decision not to attend Trump's 2017 inauguration.

"I really don't know ... I don't know John Lewis. He chose not to come to my inauguration," he said. "I never met John Lewis, actually, I don't believe."

The president did not attend a memorial on July 28, in which Lewis, who died of pancreatic cancer, laid in state in the US Capitol. Vice President Mike Pence, who had served in the House of Representatives with Lewis, did attend.

When Swan asked if Trump found Lewis "impressive", the president again demurred.

"I can't say one way or the other. I find a lot of people impressive, I find a lot of people not impressive," Trump said. "He didn't come to my inauguration, he didn't come to my State of the Union speeches - and that's ok, that's his right."

When pushed, Trump added, "He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights, but there were many others also."

During the at times contentious interview, which comes amid weeks of unrest following the custodial death of George Floyd in Minnesota in May, Trump also asserted that "no one has done more for Black Americans than I have".

Mail-in ballots

The president also continued to raise scepticism over large-scale mail-in ballots for the November presidential election, saying "this election could be decided two months later" due to related delays.

"Lots of things that can happen during that time, especially when you have tight margins," he said.

The president again reiterated the claim, which is not supported by evidence, that mail-in voting leads to widespread voter fraud.

"Somebody got a ballot for a dog. Somebody got a ballot for something else. You got millions of ballots going. Nobody even knows where they're going," he said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/trump-coronavirus-deaths-200804141740353.html
 
US fraud losses near $100m

US losses from coronavirus-related fraud and identity theft have reached nearly $100m since the pandemic emerged in March, while complaints of COVID-19 scams have at least doubled in most states, a consumer protection group has said.

A report from the Socialcatfish.com, based on government data, highlighted the vast scope of a fast-growing criminal cottage industry - from phoney stimulus-check offers to shopping scams and fake cures - preying on people already distressed by the pandemic and its economic fallout.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the study found California, Florida, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania - the most populous of the 50 US states - to be the five most targeted by coronavirus scams in the country.

Together, they accounted for about a third of more than 150,000 instances of COVID-related fraud reported nationally by the Federal Trade Commission from mid-March, when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, through July, the report published on Tuesday showed.
 
US adds 1,242 COVID-19 deaths

The US reported 1,262 more COVID-19 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to data by the Johns Hopkins University, figures that take its total death toll to 157,930.

It also added 53,158 new infections and remained the worst-hit country in the world, with a total caseload of 4,818,328.

President Trump nonetheless remained optimistic, saying "This thing's going away. It will go away, like things go away, and my view is that schools should be open."
 
US deaths cross 160,000

The United States coronavirus death toll surpassed 160,000, with more than 4.8 million confirmed cases reported across the country.

The pandemic has killed at least 712,315 people worldwide with the US recording the most deaths, followed by Brazil with nearly 100,000.

Globally, 40 percent of all cases have been recorded in the two countries.
 
Last-ditch negotiations at the US Congress to forge another stimulus package for the coronavirus-ravaged economy have collapsed in stalemate.

Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over everything from unemployment benefits to financial aid for schools to cash injections for states' coffers.

The US unemployment rate stands at 10.2%, above any level during the 2008 financial crisis.

Jobless benefits have expired, as did a federal moratorium on evictions.

On Friday, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful elected Democrat, held a meeting in her Capitol Hill office with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Mrs Pelosi said in a news conference that she was willing to offer a compromise.

"We'll go down one trillion, you go up one trillion," she told reporters as she staked out her position, adding: "We have a moral responsibility to find common ground."

In May, her Democratic-controlled chamber passed a $3.5tn (£2.7tn) stimulus bill. But it was rejected by President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans who hold sway in the Senate.

As he entered Mrs Pelosi's office on Friday, Mr Mnuchin called her proposal "a non-starter".

Republicans prefer a package closer to $1tn total and want any deal to include legal protections for employers against virus-related health claims from workers.

They are also pushing to reduce the $600 a week unemployment benefits, which expired last month, and want far less aid to local governments than Democrats are seeking.

In a surprise press conference on Friday evening from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is spending the weekend, President Trump blamed Democratic congressional leaders for the impasse.

"Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer continue to insist on radical left-wing policies that have nothing to do with the China virus," he said.

He added: "If Democrats continue to hold this critical relief hostage I will act under my authority as president to get Americans the relief they need."

Mr Trump said he may seek to defer the payroll tax, unemployment benefits and defer student loan interest until the end of the year, as well as extend the eviction moratorium.

The White House has previously suggested the president would take unilateral action through executive order. But it is unclear how much he can change by fiat, given that Congress controls federal spending.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53702762
 
America passes 5m Covid-19 cases

The US has now passed 5m Covid-19 cases according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The figure was passed a short while ago, and America leads the world by quite some way in cases of the deadly virus. Brazil, the country with the next highest number of cases, has just over 3m in total. India, in third, has recorded just over 2.1m. New Zealand, meanwhile, has gone 100 days without a local transmission.

The US also has the highest number of deaths in the world from the virus. Johns Hopkins has the count at 162,000, although others have the figure higher. Brazil has just over 100,000 deaths from Covid-19.
 
US President Donald Trump has taken executive action to provide economic aid to millions of Americans hit by the pandemic, saying he was forced to do so after talks at Congress broke down.

The directives include measures to support the unemployed, suspend payroll tax and extend student loans.

Some of them are likely to face legal challenges given that Congress controls federal spending, not the president.

Democratic rival Joe Biden said they were "a series of half-baked measures".

It is not known whether the move will mean the end of talks between senior government officials and top Democrats for a stimulus package. Negotiations broke down on Friday after two weeks.

Mr Trump said the measures would provide up to $400 (£306) per week in supplemental unemployment benefits to tens of millions of jobless Americans. This is less than the $600 people had been receiving until 31 July, when the benefit expired.

The president also said states would cover 25% of the new payments - the previous benefit was fully funded by the federal government. He is seeking to divert money from a previously approved disaster aid to states.

Mr Trump said it would be up to the states, which already face huge budget shortfalls due to the pandemic, to determine how much to be used from that fund to pay for the benefit. This means that the extra payment may end up amounting only to $300 a week.

"This is the money they need, this is the money they want, this gives them an incentive to go back to work," President Trump said of the lower payments during a news conference on Saturday from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The measures also included a suspension of the collection of payroll taxes - which pay for Social Security and other federal programmes - through to the end of this year, a suspension of federal student loan payments, and efforts to minimise evictions but not a moratorium.
 
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US warned coronavirus deaths could reach 300,000

As the US recorded more than five million coronavirus infections, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration Dr Scott Gottlieb has issued a warning about the rising death toll.

"We're definitely going to be somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000. Whether we're closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do and how this evolves," Gottlieb said in an interview with CBS Face The Nation.

"The concern now is that this has become so pervasive across the country that it could start to infect more rural communities that have largely been untouched to date and probably are a little bit more complacent because they have been untouched, but are still very vulnerable because the infection hasn't been there."

According to reports, one out of every 66 residents in the US are now infected with COVID-19. As of Monday, the US has reported almost 163,000 deaths.
 
Whether United States President Donald Trump has the constitutional authority to extend federal unemployment benefits by executive order remains unclear. Equally up in the air is whether states, which are necessary partners in Trump's plan to bypass Congress, will sign on.

Trump announced an executive order Saturday that extends additional unemployment payments of $400 a week to help cushion the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Congress had approved payments of $600 a week at the outset of the outbreak, but those benefits expired August 1 and Congress has been unable to agree on an extension. Many Republicans have expressed concern that a $600 weekly benefit, on top of existing state benefits, gives people an incentive to stay unemployed.

But under Trump's plan, the $400 a week requires a state to commit to providing $100.

Many states are already facing budget crunches caused by the pandemic. Asked at a news conference how many governors had signed on to participate, Trump answered: "If they don't, they don't. That's up to them."

Trump expressed a different view on Sunday night, following a day of state officials questioning how they could afford even $100 per person in additional weekly payments. He told reporters as he returned to Washington that states could make applications to have the federal government provide all or part of the $400 payments. Decisions would be made state by state, he said.

Several state officials questioned how Trump's initial proposal would work and often expressed doubt that they could afford to participate at the level Trump initially set without using federal funds.
 
Trump weighs blocking US citizens coming home if coronavirus infection feared

The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering a measure to block US citizens and permanent residents from returning home if they are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, according to the New York Times and Reuters News Agency.

The draft regulation would give the government authorisation to block individuals who could "reasonably" be believed to have contracted COVID-19 or other diseases.

Trump has instituted a series of sweeping immigration restrictions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, suspending some legal immigration and allowing US border authorities to rapidly deport migrants caught at the border without standard legal processes.
 
Despite passing the five million cases mark on Monday, there are signs that the pace of the pandemic could be slowing there. New cases dropped by 11.5% and deaths by 7% in the last week compared to the previous week, according to a memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency seen by ABC News.

President Donald Trump is considering rules that would allow border officials to block entry to US citizens or residents suspected of being infected with coronavirus, reports the New York Times. It is currently unclear when it might be approved or announced.

Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida will reduce their opening hours from September, following lower than expected visitor numbers after re-opening in July.

College football stars are campaigning to be able to compete in Autumn, as universities threaten to cancel the season. Trump added his voice to the #WeWantToPlay hashtag on social media, tweeting "the student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled." University directors are worried about athletes contracting coronavirus and potentially later developing heart conditions, CBS News reports.

And in Wisconsin, employees of the Department of Natural Resources have been advised to wear masks indoors including on video conferences, in order to set a good example to others.
 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 5,064,171 cases of coronavirus. That is an increase of 40,522 cases from its previous count. The CDC said the number of deaths in the country had risen by 565 to 162,407.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of Covid-19 as of 4pm ET on 10 August versus its previous report a day earlier.

The figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
 
The US state of Texas reported over 8,900 new virus cases on Tuesday, pushing the state's total over 500,000 since the start of the pandemic.

The state's average number of new daily cases is now higher than it was last week, which saw about 6,900 new cases each day.

The positive case rate - the proportion of those tested for coronavirus that are actually positive - is another indicator of the spread. It is currently at 24% in Texas. For context, the World Health Organization advised governments to avoid reopening societies until positivity rates were at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.

Critics said Texan leaders allowed the state to reopen too soon, which led to the spike earlier this summer. Officials say the numbers are now better than what they were but they are urging residents to practise social distancing and mask-wearing.

Many of the US's county-level hotspots remain in hard-hit Texas and Florida, though Florida is overall seeing a decline in its new cases. California, the most populous state, continues to grapple with rising Covid-19 cases - with 12,500 reported on Tuesday.
 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 5,119,711 cases of coronavirus. That is an increase of 55,540 cases from its previous count. The CDC said the number of deaths in the United States had risen by 1,244 to 163,651.

The CDC reported its tally of Covid-19 as of 4pm ET on 11 August versus its previous report a day earlier.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
 
US jobless claims fall below 1 million for first time since March

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped below one million last week for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, likely as the expiration of a $600 weekly jobless supplement discouraged some from filing claims.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totalled a seasonally adjusted 963,000 for the week ended August 8, compared to 1.191 million in the previous week, the US Labor Department said on Thursday.

That was the lowest level since mid-March when authorities started shutting down non-essential businesses to slow the spread of coronavirus. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 1.12 million applications in the latest week.
 
U.S. CDC reports 5,285,546 coronavirus cases

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 5,285,546 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 56,729 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,229 to 167,546.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 14 versus its previous report a day earlier. (bit.ly/2UkMHx9)

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

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-h...ports-5285546-coronavirus-cases-idUKKCN25B0VS
 
U.S. CDC reports 5,340,232 coronavirus cases

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 5,340,232 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 54,686 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,150 to 168,696.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 15 versus its previous report a day earlier. (bit.ly/2UkMHx9)

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

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-h...ports-5340232-coronavirus-cases-idUKKCN25C0SG
 
Task force to tackle rising New York anti-Asian violence

The New York Police Department has launched a task force to tackle a rise in racist violence against Asian Americans during the pandemic.

The Asian Hate Crime Task Force comes amid a rise in hate crimes against Asians in the US, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said on Tuesday.

Since March 21, there have been 21 reported anti-Asian hate crimes that have resulted in 17 arrests, he said.

“This increase was cultivated due to the anti-Asian rhetoric about the virus that was publicised and individuals began to attack Asian New Yorkers - either verbal attack or physical assault. We saw a spike in every borough throughout the city," Harrison added.

“Asian New Yorkers were attacked on trains, buses, restaurants and walking in their own neighbourhoods,” he said, as he stood next to some of the 25 detectives on the team.

President Donald Trump has been accused of stoking anti-Chinese sentiment during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has referred to it as the "Chinese virus".
 
COVID-19 vaccine won't be mandatory in US, says Fauci

Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious diseases official, said the government wouldn't make any future COVID-19 vaccine obligatory for the general public - though local jurisdictions could make it mandatory for some groups, like children.

"You don't want to mandate and try and force anyone to take a vaccine. We've never done that," said Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, during a video talk organied by George Washington University.

"You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you can't" he added, citing the example of the National Institutes of Health, where health workers can't treat patients without a flu shot.
 
US jobless claims rise back above one million

US claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose above one million last week, official figures show.

The Labor Department said claims rose to 1.1 million, ahead of economists forecasts of 925,000.

Figures for the week before of 971,000 were the first time since March that claims dipped below a million.

Coronavirus inflections continue to spread across the US, forcing local authorities to shut down or curb businesses.

First-time claims peaked at 6.97 million in March.

"Today's rise in initial jobless will disappoint the market, especially following last week's promising data," said Richard Flynn, UK managing director at stock broker Charles Schwab.

"While hard-hit industries brought workers back in July, the level of weakness remains unprecedented, and the impact of virus-related rolling shutdowns could continue to reverse some of that improvement."

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53852315
 
Biden says his top priority is to 'get control of virus'

Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, said his "first step" if elected president of the United States would be to "get control of the virus that has ruined so many lives".

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Biden said: "We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids back in schools, we will never have our lives back until we deal with this virus."

His plan to contain the pandemic included developing and deploying rapid tests, bolstering the supply of protective gear and instituting a national mandate for masks.
 
US deaths could reach 205,000 by mid-September

As we've already reported, the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the number of coronavirus deaths in the country looks set to fall in the coming weeks.

But the CDC's new forecast shows that the US could pass 200,000 deaths in the next four weeks.

The new figures, based on modelling from 33 groups, suggest that between 187,000 and 205,000 deaths could be reported by 12 September.

The number of fatalities is expected to increase in Minnesota, while states including Arizona, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina are likely to see a decrease.

Almost 175,000 Americans have died and 5.5 million have been infected with coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
 
Deaths 'may drop' next week, and other US stories

US coronavirus deaths could begin to slow in the next week, the head of the nation's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.

Dr Robert Redfield said the effects of increased adherence to social distancing and other preventative measures would begin to show soon.

“Interventions are going to have a lag of three or four weeks,” he told the Journal of the American Medical Association. “You and I are going to see the cases continue to drop. And then hopefully this week and next week, you’re going to start seeing the death rate really start to drop again.”

Other stories making the headlines in the US today:

Several hospital workers and their union have filed a lawsuit against the country's largest health-care chain, alleging the company and one of its Southern California hospitals failed to protect employees and patients from Covid-19

Hawaii is mulling changes to help rescue the key tourism industry. Under a proclamation from the state's governor, quarantining travellers would be allowed to visit the beach during their 14-day isolation period - as long as they agreed to have their movements tracked electronically - with details to be decided by local counties
 
US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has said that if he were elected in November he would be willing to shut down the country again to control the spread of the virus, if scientists recommended it.

Biden made the comments in an interview with US broadcaster ABC alongside his running mate Kamala Harris, which is airing tonight at 20:00 ET (01:00 BST).

"I would shut it down, I would listen to the scientists," he said, adding that he would "be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives, because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus".

President Donald Trump - his rival for the 3 November election - responded by tweeting that Biden "has no clue!"

Although the US never had a full nationwide lockdown of the kind seen in other countries, many states enforced tough coronavirus restrictions.
 
Cases are still falling in the US

The number of new cases being recorded in the US is continuing to fall - and while experts say it's partly down to more people wearing masks, they also point to a fall in the numbers of tests being carried out.

The US still has the highest number of confirmed cases of coronavirus and the highest total death toll in the world. It has had more than 5.7 million confirmed infections, and a death toll of more than 178,000.

To illustrate how the US outbreak has peaked and troughed since the start of the pandemic, we've put together these graphs.
 
The US has bought 150 million rapid coronavirus tests as part of a $750m deal with Abbott Laboratories.

Earlier this week the country's Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval for the firm's rapid test, which the company says costs $5 (£3.80) and gives results in 15 minutes.

White House communications director Alyssa Farah described it as a "major development".

The deal comes as new cases continue to fall in the US - a trend that experts caution is at least partly due to a fall in the number of tests being carried out.

This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also came under fire for quietly changing its guidance on testing - saying that, now, people don't necessarily need to be tested even if they come into contact with someone confirmed as having the virus.
 
Trump willing to sign a $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill: Meadows

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is willing to sign a $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, a top Trump aide said on Friday, marking a $300 billion increase from an initial $1 trillion offer from the White House and Senate Republicans.

Three weeks to the day after talks on Capitol Hill broke down without a deal on legislation to help Americans suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Trump was “right now willing to sign something at $1.3 trillion.”

But the new White House amount is still $900 billion less than the $2.2 trillion that House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demanded that the Trump administration accept before negotiations can resume.

The $1.3 trillion has been offered in private, Meadows said. Negotiations have involved Pelosi, Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Meadows and Pelosi spoke by phone for 25 minutes on Thursday without a breakthrough, and afterward the Democrat said the conversation showed that the White House “continues to disregard the needs of the American people.”

Pelosi told reporters that Democrats could not go lower than $2.2 trillion, saying the figure would allow both sides to “meet in the middle.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...avirus-relief-bill-meadows-idUSKBN25O2QZ?il=0
 
Most US states reject Trump administration's new testing guidance

A majority of states in the United States have rejected new guidance on COVID-19 testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Reuters news agency reported, in a move public health experts said showed deepening distrust of the handling of the pandemic by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

At least 33 states continue to recommend testing people who have been exposed to COVID-19 and have no symptoms, spurning guidance published by the CDC this week that said testing may be unnecessary.

Reuters said 16 states did not immediately respond to requests for comment and North Dakota said it had not made a decision.

Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, told the agency: "This is states almost all-out rebelling against the new guidelines."
 
More than six million coronavirus cases have now been recorded in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers at the university have been tracking global cases since the start of the pandemic.
 
MenInG said:
More than six million coronavirus cases have now been recorded in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers at the university have been tracking global cases since the start of the pandemic.
Click to expand...

US passes six million Covid-19 cases

The US has now surpassed six million cases of Covid-19 - almost a quarter of the world's total, according to America's Johns Hopkins University.

It said the country added one million new infections in less than a month. More than 183,000 people have now died.

In the UK, France and Spain, the infection rate dropped compared with Sunday's figures - but the tallies may be readjusted later on.

It comes as children across Europe prepare to return to schools this week.

Global infection cases have now surpassed 25 million, with more than 846,000 Covid-19 related deaths.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the emergency authorisation of vaccines required a "great deal of seriousness and reflection".

The UN body's chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said every country had the right to approve drugs without full trial, but it was "not something that you do lightly".

The WHO says that 33 potential vaccines are currently up for clinical trials, and a further 143 are in pre-clinical evaluation.

Read more:

What's the latest from the US?

On Monday, Johns Hopkins reported that there were now more than six million coronavirus cases across the US.

The university - which has been collecting US and global coronavirus data since the outbreak began late last year in China - reported the first infection in America on 21 January.

The country reached its one-million mark in 99 days, on 28 April, and 43 days after that the number of infections doubled.

Three million cases were confirmed within the next 28 days, rising to four million on 23 July, after only 15 additional days.

The five-million mark was surpassed in another 17 days and it took the US 22 more days to top six million infections.

Although the number of new daily cases has been declining in recent weeks, the US remains by far the world's worst-hit nation.

President Donald Trump's administration has been repeatedly criticised over its handling of the outbreak.

But White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the US was coping well with the pandemic.

"We are encouraged to see a drop in cases, deaths, hospitalisations," she told reporters at Monday's news briefing.

Ms McEnany said America had "one of the lowest case fatality rates in the world", adding that "our therapeutics are working and saving lives".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53976793
 
There is some good news on the jobs front as new figures showed the unemployment rate fell below 10% in August for the first time since the pandemic began. Some forecasters fear the recovery is not sustainable

A further 1,070 deaths due to Covid-19 have been recorded in the last day alone, with a rise of 36,506 new cases. This brings the total confirmed cases to 6,151,523 and deaths to 186,806

And the death toll may rise dramatically in the coming months if projections by the University of Washington are correct. Scientists there estimate the toll will reach 410,000 by 1 January, but more than half of those lives could be saved if face masks are made mandatory

Joe Biden's decision to wear his face mask regularly was mocked by President Trump at a rally on Thursday. He said: "It gives him a feeling of security... if I was a psychiatrist, I'd say this guy has some big issues."

The Trump administration may have told state health officials to prepare for distributing a vaccine by the end of October, but a key scientific adviser in that effort, Dr Moncef Slaoui, has cautioned "there is a very, very low chance" that an effective vaccine will be ready by then
 
U.S. coronavirus deaths projected to more than double to 410,000 by January

(Reuters) - U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will reach 410,000 by the end of the year, more than double the current death toll, and deaths could soar to 3,000 per day in December, the University of Washington’s health institute forecast on Friday.

Deaths could be reduced by 30% if more Americans wore face masks as epidemiologists have advised, but mask-wearing is declining, the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said.

The U.S. death rate projected by the IHME model, which has been cited by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, would more than triple the current death rate of some 850 per day.

“We expect the daily death rate in the United States, because of seasonality and declining vigilance of the public, to reach nearly 3,000 a day in December,” the institute, which bills itself as an independent research center, said in an update of its periodic forecasts.

“Cumulative deaths expected by January 1 are 410,000; this is 225,000 deaths from now until the end of the year,” the institute said.

It previously projected 317,697 deaths by Dec. 1.

The model’s outlook for the world was even more dire, with deaths projected to triple to 2.8 million by Jan. 1, 2021.

The United States, which has the world’s third largest population, leads the planet with more than 186,000 COVID-19 deaths and 6.1 million coronavirus infections.

The institute made waves earlier this year when its aggressive forecasts contrasted with President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that the coronavirus would disappear. But deaths have surpassed some of the institute’s dire predictions, which have been frequently updated to reflect new data, revised assumptions and more sophisticated information sources.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues forecasts only four weeks in advance, and its latest estimate is for 200,000 to 211,000 dead by Sept. 26.

But the institute said with so many Americans still refusing to wear masks, there remains “an extraordinary opportunity” to save lives.

“Increasing mask use to the levels seen in Singapore would decrease the cumulative death toll to 288,000, or 122,000 lives saved compared to the reference scenario,” it said.

“Mask use continues to decline from a peak in early August. Declines are notable throughout the Midwest, including in some states such as Illinois and Iowa with increasing case numbers,” the report said.

Although U.S. infections have declined to around 45,000 per day from a peak of around 70,000 per day in July, COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death, the institute said. That would place it behind only heart disease, having surpassed cancer as a cause of death in the United States.

Infection rates have recently fallen in large states such as Texas, Florida and California, leading to the national decline in cases.

But 10 states, many of them in the Midwest, still average more than one secondary case per infected person, an indication of rapid spreading, the report said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...han-double-to-410000-by-january-idUSKBN25V2A7
 
US cases could be three to 20 times higher than publicly confirmed

A study published in Nature says the US has a "substantial underestimation" of coronavirus cases because of its restrictions on testing, and the actual figure could be three to 20 times higher.

The US mainly tests people with moderate to severe symptoms so those with mild or no symptoms are rarely tested, noted the researchers, led by Sean Wu of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley.

The team analysed testing rates in each state between February and April and corrected for incomplete and inaccurate tests. They found discrepancies between states, with higher rates of testing in the northwest and northeast, and lower levels in the south and Midwest.
 
US CDC reports 195,053 deaths from coronavirus

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 6,571,867 cases of the virus, an increase of 34,240 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 961 to 195,053.

The CDC's tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, was of September 15 versus its previous report a day earlier.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
 
Fed vows prolonged economic support for US

The US central bank has pledged to continue its support for the US economy for several years, as households and businesses slowly recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most Federal Reserve leaders said they expected to keep interest rates near zero for at least the next three years.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said officials did not expect to change course until the recovery was "very far" along.

He also warned the rebound could be at risk without more government spending.

Following the bank's September meeting, Mr Powell said government aid for businesses and workers hurt by coronavirus had been "critical" to a better-than-expected recovery so far.

Outlook change
Projections released on Wednesday showed bank leaders expect the US economy to shrink by 3.5% this year - less than the 6.5% decline feared in June.

They also said they expected the unemployment rate to fall to about 7.6% by the end of the year, lower than previously anticipated.

But Mr Powell warned the recovery could falter, unless politicians approve additional aid.

"The real question is when and how much and what will be the content and no one has any certainty around that," he said. "If we don't have that, then there would certainly be downside risks."

Trump call for stimulus
Mr Powell's comments came as lawmakers in Washington remain at an impasse over further spending, with Democrats calling for more aggressive action than many Republicans support.

In a tweet, President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged his party to back "much higher numbers" for aid.

However, he has largely dismissed economic warnings, saying the US is doing "unbelievably well" and seizing on signs of recovery to make his case as he campaigns for re-election in November.

Polls show a majority of Americans still approve of the president's handling of the economy, but views of the economy have soured sharply since the pandemic.

Output in the US shrank by more than 9% between April and June.

While not as severe a decline as in many other countries - in the UK, the economy contracted by more than 20% - last month's jobless rate of 8.4% remained more than double the February level. Nearly 30 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits.

Fed response to pandemic
The Federal Reserve has taken what Mr Powell described as "forceful" steps in response, including dropping interest rates near zero and buying roughly $2tn in US government debt.

Last month, the bank also said it was relaxing its approach to managing inflation, targeting potentially higher price increases to try to stimulate growth and bolster employment.

On Wednesday, the bank confirmed that shift, saying it expected to leave interest rates near zero until inflation was "on track to moderately exceed" its 2% target "for some time".

Mr Powell on Wednesday said he hoped the bank's "highly accommodative" stance - keeping interest rates low and supporting borrowing with ongoing securities purchases - would serve as a "powerful tool" to spur economic activity over time.

"This is the kind of guidance that will provide support for the economy over time," he said.

But he has repeatedly said the bank's powers to address the current crisis are limited and urged Congress to approve further aid.

Dr Kerstin Braun, president of Stenn International, a UK-based trade finance provider, said Mr Powell "has done what he can to stop economic freefall".

"The US economy is crying out for fiscal stimulus given how uneven the pandemic's impact has been across a whole range of sectors - the economic rebound simply cannot be wholly organic," she said.

The Fed is operating "in the dark" amid so much political and economic uncertainty, said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com.

"All the Fed can really do is continue to stress its willingness to do whatever it takes and its willingness to overlook overshoots on inflation should they emerge," he said.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54183079.
 
Memo shows jump in US coronavirus deaths - ABC News

The US has seen a 17% increase in confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in one week, according to a leaked memo reported by ABC News.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency memo showed that 5,906 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded during 9-15 September, a 16.6% increase compared with theprevious seven days. But confirmed cases slightly decreased - by 0.7% - according to ABC's reporting.
 
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