Tag Archives: pandemic

ABC News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new round of lockdown measures Wednesday, ordering 19 counties to close all indoor operations for several industries, including restaurants, as the state grapples with a resurgence of coronavirus cases. In addition to bars being forced to shut down temporarily, restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment venues, zoos, museums and cardrooms must …

Politico reports: Brett Giroir, the coronavirus testing czar, said Wednesday that the United States’ coronavirus testing capacity is at risk of being overwhelmed in some states by a surge in new infections and increased surveillance efforts in nursing homes and jails. “It is absolutely correct that some labs across the country are reaching or near capacity,” Giroir said. “Recent data …

The Christian Post reports: A Louisiana pastor is drawing criticism online for calling out his members by name during his sermon Sunday for skipping in-person church services despite ongoing fears about the new coronavirus. Pastor Tim Deason of Sugartown United Pentecostal Church in Sugartown, Louisiana, told his congregants Sunday that he doesn’t mind if people go on vacations. He just …

Newsweek reports: With novel coronavirus cases in Texas approaching nearly 161,900, hospitals in Houston, the county seat of Harris County, are moving patients to facilities outside the city in a bid to cope with the surge in COVID-19-related cases and lack of beds. Harris Health System, which operates Houston’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and Ben Taub Hospital, has transferred patients …

Phoenix’s NBC News affiliate reports: Coronavirus cases in Arizona continue to skyrocket, and the state set another new record for daily cases on Wednesday with 4,878 new cases reported. The state also reported a new high of 88 deaths on Wednesday. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the state has reported a total of 84,092 cases and …

Scientific American reports: As scientists have learned more about COVID-19, it has become clear that so-called superspreader incidents—in which one person infects a disproportionate number of other individuals—have played an oversized role in the transmission of the virus that causes the disease. A Boston conference and the funeral in Georgia were among several superspreader events that played “a notable role …

The New York Times reports: More than 47,000 coronavirus cases were announced across the United States on Tuesday, the most of any day of the pandemic. Officials in eight states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas — also announced single-day highs. Tuesday was the fourth time in a week that the United States posted a …

Arizona Central reports: Arizona’s state health director on Monday declared that hospitals could activate “crisis care standards” that guide the allocation of scarce resources to patients based on factors such as their likelihood for survival. The announcement by Dr. Cara Christ, the Arizona Department of Health Services director, immediately was met with criticism by advocates for people with disabilities who …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Medical Association on Tuesday called on the Republican Party of Texas to cancel its in-person July convention scheduled to take place in Houston, one of the country’s coronavirus hot spots. The latest development comes one day after The Texas Tribune reported on the Texas Medical Association’s sponsorship of the convention, an indoor gathering that …

Forbes reports: In a Tuesday hearing with the Senate Help Committee on the state of the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he is “very concerned” about rise in coronavirus cases across the U.S. as the nation sees 40,000 new cases per day. “The numbers speak for themselves,” said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. …

Click Orlando reports: On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 6,093 new cases of COVID-19, approximately the same number as the day before, as well as 58 new deaths and 226 new hospitalizations. These new statistics bring the total number of coronavirus infections to 152,434 since the virus was first detected in the state on March 1, as well …

Agence France-Presse reports: Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses “all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to …

The New York Daily News reports: With more than 500,000 people killed by coronavirus in the six months since it first emerged, the World Health Organization has warned the COVID-19 crisis is actually speeding up and that the “worst is yet to come.” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, during a virtual briefing on Monday acknowledged some …

The Wichita Eagle reports: Gov. Laura Kelly said late Monday she is ordering Kansans to wear face masks in public spaces beginning July 3, as coronavirus cases surge upwards across the state and nation. The order, effective Friday, is almost certain to spark a backlash in the conservative state. Local leaders will confront a tough choice over whether they will …

The Associated Press reports: A group of Texas bar owners filed lawsuits Monday seeking to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that closed their businesses to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in Texas. Abbott has pinpointed the re-opening of bars last month as one of the sources behind a dramatic spike in new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and …

Phoenix’s ABC News affiliate reports: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered bars, gyms, movie theaters, water parks, and tubing to close for at least 30 days on Monday, following weeks of steady increases in positive COVID-19 test results in the state. The order goes into effect Monday at 8 p.m., he said. Restaurant dining rooms, some bars, nightclubs, attractions, and movie …

New Jersey Online reports: New Jersey will not reopen indoor dining this week as planned in the first major reversal of the state’s Phase 2 coronavirus reopening plan, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. Indoor dining was scheduled to resume Thursday along with several other big reopening steps including Atlantic City casinos, amusement parks, boardwalk rides and arcades ahead of the …

The New York Daily News reports: Cirque du Soleil announced Monday it was filing for bankruptcy protection, blaming “immense disruption and forced show closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Montreal-based entertainment company also said it was entering a “stalking horse” agreement with some of its existing stakeholders, TPG, Fosun and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, …

NBC New York reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo hinted Monday he may slow the Phase III reopening process for New York City, which would mark a reversal of course for a governor who has consistently said all state regions are subject to the same reopening rules. Phase III, which Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the five boroughs are on track …

Axios reports: People have suddenly stopped using money — of the bill-and-coin variety — for fear it may spread the virus. Some worried shopkeepers have stopped accepting it, too. The coronavirus may have changed our buying and payment habits forever. Online shopping is through the roof, and consumers are rushing to get “contactless” credit and debit cards, which are tapped …