coronavirus Archives - Page 6 of 9

Coronavirus Update: Week 14

Coronavirus continues to spread through the US like wildfire, with cases now topping 4 million. Some states, like California, are still seeing a large rise in case numbers, and death tolls in other states are rising everyday. Although these numbers continue to soar, many districts are planning to reopen schools for in-person learning in the fall. The CDC has said that children are less likely than adults to get the virus and so should be able to begin in-person learning. President Trump agrees with the CDC’s assessment and has offered aid to those districts that open schools for in-person learning. Amid all of this virus spread and confusion over reopening schools, there is a glimmer of hope: the government has reached an agreement with Pfizer to produce hundreds of millions of doses of a covid-19 vaccine, which they hope to get out to the public by late fall.

US Surpasses 4 Million Coronavirus Cases

On Thursday, July 23, the US officially recorded 4,032,430 cases of coronavirus, with a quarter of that number coming in within the last 15 days. So far there have been at least 144,167 deaths.

“We’ve rolled back essentially two months’ worth of progress with what we’re seeing in number of cases … in the United States,” Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health, told CNN on Thursday.

California Sets Record With Most Daily Coronavirus Deaths

The death toll topped 8,027 in California, with the state’s average daily number of deaths reaching 157. On July 23, the state saw 12,040 new Coronavirus infections, which was slightly below the previous day’s total of 12,807. California is currently recording the highest numbers of new daily cases in the nation.

The Health Director of Los Angeles said on Wednesday, July 23 that “COVID-19 appears to be on track to claim more lives in L.A. County than any other disease other than coronary heart disease.”

Georgia Passes 150,000 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

Georgia’s Department of Public Health reported 3,314 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, July 22. This brings the total number of cases in the state to a minimum of 152,302. The total death toll for the state is 3,335 so far; the state saw 81 deaths on July 22, which was their second highest daily number of deaths.

New CDC Guidelines Now In Favor of Opening Schools

Last week the CDC issued strict guidelines for the reopening of schools, with which President Trump expressed strong disagreement. Now they have changed their guidelines to favor reopening schools, stating that children aren’t as likely to suffer from coronavirus as adults and are also less likely to spread the disease to adults. The guidelines recommend that local officials should close schools if the virus cannot be controlled in that area.

caucasian child with red hair sitting at a desk with a mask on — *“Children appear to be at lower risk for contracting Covid-19 compared to adults.”*

“The best available evidence indicates that Covid-19 poses relatively low risks to school-aged children,” an unsigned statement said. “Children appear to be at lower risk for contracting Covid-19 compared to adults. To put this in perspective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of July 17, 2020, the United States reported that children and adolescents under 18 years old account for under 7 percent of Covid-19 cases and less than 0.1 percent of Covid-19-related deaths.”

“CDC does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools,” the guidelines read. “Parents or caregivers should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for signs of infectious illness every day,” they add. “Students who are sick should not attend school in-person.”

Trump On Reopening Schools

At a news conference on Thursday, July 24, Trump talked more about his plan for school reopenings. He announced the new CDC guidelines and said that the White House is recommending that the Senate include $105 billion in aid money for schools- but only if schools reopen in-person. If a district chooses not to reopen schools for in-person learning, then he believes that the money should go to parents who are homeschooling, private schools, and religious schools.

Some Schools Require Corona Waiver Before Returning

Some school districts are requiring that parents sign Covid-19 waivers before their children can go to school in-person. So far California, Florida, Missouri, and South Carolina have introduced these waivers. These waivers basically state that if a child gets sick or dies from coronavirus, the school will not be held accountable.

Trump Administration & Pfizer Create Deal to Produce 100 Million Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccine

Pfizer has reached a $1.95 billion agreement with the government to produce 100 million doses of its covid-19 vaccine, which they hope to get to the public by the fall. The vaccine would be completely free to Americans, as long as it is given by healthcare providers.

Pfizer is working on the vaccine with German company BioNTech. They began clinical trials in April, and Pfizer has so far been reporting positive results. “If the ongoing studies are successful, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be ready to seek Emergency Use Authorization or some form of regulatory approval as early as October 2020,” the company said in a statement.

Second Stimulus Check Underway

Senate and White House negotiators said on Wednesday, July 22 that they have reached a deal on a piece of their stimulus package. The stimulus package is still being worked on, and is to hopefully be released by next week. So far, we know it will include a $1,200 stimulus check; however, it is still in the works as to who will qualify for the money. United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the proposal might only allow those who make $40,000 or less to receive a check.

“The president’s preference is to make sure that we send out direct payments quickly so that in August people get more money. There is no question this worked before,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Thursday.

Coronavirus Update: Week 13

Over the past few weeks, coronavirus has been surging in almost every state, forcing two states to order refrigerated trucks for storing bodies, many states to shut back down, and some to begin considering a new stay-at-home order. Almost all states’ governors have issued mask mandates to try and reduce the number of cases, and some large chain stores have also announced mandatory mask policies. Even amid this resurgence of the virus, the White House is urging schools to reopen in a few short weeks, and many districts are planning to do so.

39 US States Report An Increase In New Cases

The United States reported more than 77,255 new cases on Thursday, July 16. This is the largest number of cases in a single day since the pandemic began. Thursday’s record numbers included:

More than 5,000 cases in Bexar County, Texas, which contains San Antonio, where numbers spiked in part because of a backlog in test reporting.
13.965 cases reported in Florida
8,544 new cases reported in California; Los Angeles County reported 4,592 new cases
3,441 cases reported in Georgia

The following states recorded their highest single-day death tolls on Thursday, July 16:

semi-truck on the road — *Cases are on the rise in all states, but especially in Texas & Arizona, where they are in need or refrigerated trucks to store dead bodies.*

Texas reported 174 Covid-19-related deaths
South Carolina reported 69 Covid-19-related deaths
Florida reported 156 deaths

Texas & Arizona Bring In Refrigerated Trucks

As the coronavirus surges, Texas and Arizona are bringing refrigerated trucks into their hardest hit areas to store hundreds of bodies. Texas funeral home directors are facing up to 93 deaths per day, so the Federal Emergency Management Agency has ordered 14 refrigerated trucks to support the state’s current 8 trucks that were ordered in April. Arizona’s Maricopa county ordered 14 coolers to hold up to 280 bodies.

No Cruises Until Late September

In March, the CDC announced on its website that cruise ship travel was to be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. In their “No Sail Order and Suspension of Further Embarkation,” the CDC had first suspended cruise ship travel until July 24; the CDC has now extended the order until September 30.

Mask Mandates Continue in Many States

States around the country have issued mandates requiring that masks be worn in public, especially indoor public spaces. Studies have shown that wearing masks when going out can help reduce the number of cases. Combining mask wearing with avoidance of crowded places like bars and restaurants could help keep counties from having to shut down again.

“In the hot zones, we really need like almost 90% of people to be wearing masks out in the public when they’re interacting with other people,” Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said at an HHS briefing. He continued, “We know that 50 to 60 to 70% in some areas are traced to a single bar, and then the secondary spread from that. Being indoors in close quarters over a long period of time is just a recipe for spread.”

Stores Requiring Masks

Some U.S. retailers have announced that they will require customers to wear masks inside their stores. The stores that are implementing masking policies include:

Starbucks is requiring everyone to wear masks as of July 15.

Target– starting August 1st

Kroger– policy began July 22
CVS- policy began July 20
Walmart– policy began July 20
Kohl’s– policy began July 20
Starbucks– policy began July 15
Best Buy- policy began July 16
Costco– policy began in May

Miami Mayor Close To Issuing Stay-At-Home Order

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has said that he is very close to issuing a new stay-at-home order for his city. “There is very little, if any of federal and state guidance on how and what metric we need to use to close,” Suarez told Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room.” “So we’re developing all of that on our own. And we’re faced with making these tough decisions in the next few days if things don’t improve radically.”

“The situation is dire,” Suarez said. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it or I don’t want to downplay it in any way. Our hospitalizations are at the highest level. Our ICUs are double what they were back then and our vents have surpassed the high point. The death rate will continue to go up if we don’t take any more dramatic measures.”

He said that he will most likely issue the new order in the next few days or within the next week.

White House Demands Schools Reopen

At a press briefing, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made clear that President Trump is in support of opening schools fully without any kind of remote learning. “When he says open, he means open in in full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school,” McEnany told reporters. “The science should not stand in the way of this.”

“We encourage localities and states to just simply follow the science, open our schools. It’s very damaging to our children,” she said. “There’s a lack of reporting of abuse, there’s mental depression that is not addressed, suicidal ideations that are not addressed when students are not in school.”

Many are not worried that the kids themselves will get sick, but that they will spread it around the community. So despite Trump’s push for in-school learning, many districts announced they will not return for in-person learning, and some will try a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.

PA Governor Considering Pulling The Plug On Reopening Schools

Despite push from the White House to open schools, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said he is willing to “pull the plug” on reopening schools if the surge continues in his state. He attributed the new outbreak to interstate travel, and he is worried that cases will continue to spike once students are back in school. He also believes that he may not have to pull the plug, because teachers and students will most likely choose not to return to schools in the fall.

Russian Hackers Try To Hack Into Vaccine Research

Russian intelligence has been targeting health care organizations in order to try and steal vaccine research data. According to the National Security Agency, APT29, or Cozy Bear, a hacking group that is associated with Russian intelligence, has been taking advantage of the chaos of the pandemic to hack into our systems using malware and spear-phishing.

“APT29 has a long history of targeting governmental, diplomatic, think-tank, health care and energy organizations for intelligence gain so we encourage everyone to take this threat seriously and apply the mitigations issued in the advisory,” said Anne Neuberger, the NSA’s cybersecurity director.

“We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” said Paul Chichester, the director of operations for Britain’s National Cyber Security Center.

How Schools Around the Country Are Planning to Reopen

The coronavirus hit America hard, forcing much of the country to shut down in mid-March. Schools closed their doors for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, and children were forced to continue their education online. Now, as the first day of the school year approaches, school districts across the country are facing the difficult decision of how – and whether – to reopen. The CDC has set safety guidelines for schools to follow, and many states and counties have written out their own plans for reopening based on these guidelines.

Pushing Back Start Dates

The majority of school districts in the country have announced plans to reopen in the fall, but some states are debating pushing back the start of the school year. Two states that have already decided to delay the start of the school year due to spikes in coronavirus cases are Arizona and West Virginia. The governor of Arizona has announced that in-person classes will be delayed until at least August 17th, with schools beginning remote courses before that date. In West Virginia, the governor has indicated that schools won’t reopen in his state until September 8th at the earliest. Some school districts in Georgia and Alabama have also announced that they plan to push back the start of school by one week.

The Blended Approach

Local Boards of Education will determine whether schools are going to fully reopen for in-person classes or whether they will continue with a remote learning model. Some districts are considering the “blended” approach, which would allow students to be physically in the classroom some days and to learn remotely at home other days. As of now, the following districts are planning to implement variations of this approach:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to reopen the nation’s largest school district this fall using a mix of schedules. Most children will be learning in classrooms for 1 to 3 days a week and remotely other days. Classes will likely have no more than 12 people present at a time including teachers and aides. Everyone will be required to wear masks, which will be provided for free.
Montgomery County, Maryland plans on cutting capacity at schools to 25%. Students will line up outside 6 feet apart, and once they are inside the school, classrooms will only have 12 to 15 students. A more concrete plan will be set by the end of July.
Columbus City Schools in Ohio will have students in Kindergarten through 8th grade return to school using a blended learning model. Children will attend school two days a week, and spend the other three days engaged in online learning at home. High school students will learn remotely from home full-time for the first half of the school year.
Illinois school reopening plans consist of different districts creating their own safety plans, as long as they follow certain guidelines. The guidelines require teachers, staff, and students to wear face coverings, prohibit more than 50 people in one space and require social distancing, screening for symptoms, and temperature checks. Buildings will have to be regularly cleaned and disinfected. Schools will have to stagger arrival and dismissal times in order to maintain social distancing. The state will provide free cloth face masks to each staff member and student.
Florida schools are hoping to reduce their capacity to 25%, in order to give students more space for social distancing in their classroom.
Virginia schools are monitoring the number of cases before deciding what the fall semester will look like, but they have indicated that they will most likely do the blended format of in-person and online learning.
Minnesota’s schools might reopen in the fall with strict social distancing guidelines.
North Carolina has proposed variations that range from students spending half a day at school to students being in school on alternating days or weeks. The governor has said that school districts can reopen with remote-only instruction if they determine that’s what’s best for their community. He has also made clear that if coronavirus cases spike, then the state may switch to requiring all schools to use remote learning.
States like California, and some districts in Georgia and Texas will have school virtually for the first couple of weeks.
California has seen new infections surge in recent weeks, causing a debate on whether school should reopen in the fall. Its two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, will not open for any in-person schooling; students will learn remotely full-time in the fall.
Atlanta public schools in Georgia will have students attend the first nine weeks of the school year virtually.
Houston Independent School District in Texas will begin the school year on September 8th completely remotely, and will begin in-person instruction on October 19.
Texas Public Schools have not officially released any public health guidelines, but as of now, the plan is to have all students return to their school buildings, even as cases continue to spike. Education officials released final guidelines saying that districts can choose to provide live virtual schooling or schooling that is not delivered in real time, including pre-recorded video lessons or paper assignments. The state will not penalize school districts for major decreases in student attendance for the first 12 weeks of the school year.
Public schools in Tennessee are not returning to in-person learning on their opening day of August 4. Instead they will only offer remote learning until at least Labor Day.
Pennsylvania Philadelphia Independent School District plans to reopen schools in September with a hybrid of in-person and online learning. Other counties in Pennsylvania have adapted this plan as well, with most students physically attending school at least 2 days per week. Some school districts are giving parents the option of whether they want their children to go to school physically or to learn remotely full-time.

Northampton School District’s superintendent presented a plan in which Kindergarten would be half-day, elementary school students would have four days of in-person school, and secondary students would have some in-person instruction daily. High school students would be divided into two groups, each of which would spend part of the day at school, overlapping for several hours.

East Penn School District will have middle and high school students on a hybrid schedule of 2 days in class and 3 days at home. Elementary students will return full-time but masks will be required, class sizes will be reduced, and children will be required to be 3-6 feet apart.

Seattle schools in Washington are currently planning for a minimum of two days of in-person instruction per week for all Kindergarten through 12th grade students. The Seattle public school board is also offering a 100% remote plan for families who are not comfortable sending their children back to school.
Classrooms will be disinfected daily.
New Jersey’s governor has said that each district in his state will develop a plan that best fits the district’s local needs. The following guidelines will apply to all schools: faculty and staff will wear face coverings and students will also be encouraged to wear face coverings and practice social distancing. The schools will be sanitized daily and temperature checks will be required. School buses will seat one student per row skipping a row between each child if possible. Cafeteria meal times will be staggered. If there is not enough room to keep students six feet apart in classrooms, districts are encouraged to install physical barriers between desks and make sure all desks face the same direction.
New Hampshire’s governor announced that he will let schools make the decision to reopen for themselves. The guidance put out by the state encourages schools to develop plans for both in-person and remote learning for those who choose not to return for health reasons.
South Carolina’s governor announced that public schools must be available for in-person instruction this fall, but virtual learning will be an option for parents that do not feel comfortable sending their kids to school. He said parents should be able to decide for themselves whether to send students to school or to keep them at home.
Mississippi will follow a hybrid model, as well, with a combination of online and face-to-face instruction. Some counties like Canton will have children be physically present 2 days per week (either Monday & Thursday or Wednesday & Friday) and learn from home virtually three days a week. The first day of school will remain August 10th. Some private schools are planning to have children return to in-person schooling full-time.
Connecticut’s governor has said that students will return to their classrooms 5 days a week this fall. Connecticut has had one of the lowest infection and hospitalization rates in the nation. Because of this, schools will be open this fall with social distancing between student work spaces “when feasible.” Class sizes will be smaller to accommodate social distancing guidelines, and masks will be required for all students and staff.

In order to come up with these plans, many counties sent surveys home to parents asking what they were comfortable with in regards to school reopenings. The list above is by no means exhaustive: some counties are still drafting plans to be submitted to their states. In addition, in most cases, these guidelines only apply to public schools. As of now, many private schools plan to have students attend school full- time in the fall.

The coronavirus has turned everything upside down for schools, parents, and children. Decisions about how to return safely to school can be especially difficult for working parents who want the best for their children, but who also can’t stay at home to teach their children remotely. No matter what the reopening plan is for each state or school district, it will be a tough adjustment for both parents and children.

Coronavirus Update: Week 12

America is reopening and everyone is adjusting to the “new normal.” This new normal consists of businesses being open, but with people still being required to follow social distancing rules and wear masks. Unfortunately, some Southern and Western states have experienced skyrocketing case numbers, forcing their governors to require that people wear face masks in public, with the exception of Florida. Because cases are spiking in these states, many are concerned about a possible resurgence of the virus. Just as worrying, the CDC director says that a second wave this winter could be even worse than the first wave if the coronavirus has a resurgence during flu season. Nevertheless, government officials say that the U.S. needs to continue to move forward with reopening.

California, Arizona, Florida Hit Record Highs

So far more than 116,000 people have died from the coronavirus. Record high case numbers were recorded across Southern and Western states this week. On the morning of June 18, Arizona announced 2,519 new cases, Florida announced 3,207, and California announced 4,084. Los Angeles County alone reported 2,115 new cases.

Hospitalizations in Arizona have doubled since Memorial Day. Florida announced 43 new deaths, and new records in case numbers for 11 straight days. On 10 of the 11 days, there were more than 1,000 confirmed cases a day.

Californians Now Required To Cover Faces

With numbers topping 4,000 cases in a day in California, the governor is now mandating that people wear masks in public. As of Thursday, June 17, California will require its residents to cover their faces in “most settings outside the home.” The state health department says that everyone must wear face coverings when working, when inside any indoor public space, or outdoors in public spaces where it is hard to for people to stay 6 feet away from each other.

Texas and Arizona have also put out guidelines requesting that the public wear masks when they go out.

an empty outside playground — *Playgrounds will be opening up in NY’s Phase 2.*

New York To Enter Phase 2 Of Reopening

New York City will begin entering phase 2 of reopening on Monday, June 22, as long as there is no spike in cases before then. Under the state’s plan, outdoor dining, hair salons, barbershops, some in-store shopping, and some offices will be allowed to reopen as long as social distancing rules and restrictions on capacity are observed. Playgrounds will also reopen, leaving many to wonder how to get children to practice social distancing.

CDC Predicts Tough Winter

The director of the CDC, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, warned that the coming winter will have both the seasonal flu and coronavirus. He tweeted, “We must gear up for an additional potential challenge— both flu and #COVID19 could peak simultaneously and place a tremendous burden on local health care systems. Getting a #flu vaccine will be more important this year than ever!”

WHO Ends Hydroxychloroquine Trials

On Wednesday, June 17, the WHO said that they were ending testing of the malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, on coronavirus patients. The trial will end based on a recommendation from the agency’s Data Safety and Monitoring Committee. They found no benefits of the drug when used to treat Covid-19.

European Study Links Genes & Blood Type With Risk Of Coronavirus

European scientists have found two genetic variations that may determine who is more likely to get sick and die from the coronavirus. They found that people with Type A blood have a 45% higher risk of catching the virus, and of developing severe symptoms. On the other hand, those with Type O blood seem to have a lower risk of catching the virus.

“Our genetic data confirm that blood group O is associated with a risk of acquiring Covid-19 that was lower than that in non-O blood groups, whereas blood group A was associated with a higher risk than non-A blood groups,” the researchers wrote in their report.

Researchers cannot say if blood type is directly causing the difference in how susceptible a person is. “It might be that the genetic changes that affect someone’s risk also just happen to be linked with blood type,” they said.

Brazil reports 32,188 New Cases In A Day

As of Wednesday, June 17, Brazil’s health ministry reported 32,188 new cases, bringing the country’s total to 955,377. Brazil has the second highest number of cases and deaths, behind only the U.S. Out of desperation to treat children and pregnant women, the health authorities are recommending hydroxychloroquine as an early treatment.

FDA Sends Warning Letters To Companies Selling Covid-19 Tests

The U.S. FDA sent warning letters to 3 companies selling Covid-19 tests because they were “inappropriately” marked, and “potentially placing public health at risk.”

The letters went to Medakit Ltd. of Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; Antibodiescheck.com and Yama Group; and Dr. Jason Korkus, DDS and Sonrisa Family Dental d/b/a My COVID19 Club of Chicago, Illinois. The FDA asked these companies to stop selling these products immediately.

Coronavirus Update: Week 11

Businesses in some parts of the country are finally up and running again, but things aren’t going smoothly. Some states are seeing the beginning of a second wave of the coronavirus, and the U.S. has officially passed 2 million confirmed cases. Many are still unsure how to balance the needs of the economy with public safety concerns. The treasury secretary is warning that we cannot face another shutdown without dire consequences, and the White House task force has scheduled a meeting to try and find a way to reduce the spread while keeping the economy open.

Harvard Doctor Warns of 200,000 Coronavirus Deaths By Fall

Because the number of cases continues to rise in many states, Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, fears that the number of deaths from the virus will reach 200,000 in the next few months.

According to Jha, “sometime in September, we’re going to cross 200,000, and we still won’t be done. This pandemic is going to be with us until next spring or summer when we have a vaccine. This is not faded.” The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in the U.S. is currently more than 113,000.

U.S. Has Passed 2 Million Confirmed Cases

The U.S. has reached 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, June 10. Infections are rising in at least 20 states that have lifted their restrictions. A trusted model is projecting an increase in cases in the fall, so the White House coronavirus task force will meet on June 11 to discuss actions to reduce the numbers.

Meanwhile the Treasury Secretary has made it clear that the US economy will not be shut down again, even as cases rise. “We can’t shut down the economy again. I think we’ve learned that if you shut down the economy, you’re going to create more damage, and not just economic damage, but there are other areas,” Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC, calling President Trump’s initial decision “very prudent” but saying “we’ve learned a lot” since then.

A Second Wave Of Coronavirus In Some States

green wave — Some states have seen a second wave of the Coronavirus since reopening.

Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas are seeing spikes in cases leading to hospitalizations. California’s hospitalizations are at their highest in almost a month. Other states have not seen such spikes yet, but it is still too soon to see what will happen following widespread reopening. Texas reported its highest number of new cases in a 24-hour period, 5,504, on Wednesday, June 10.

Florida reported that coronavirus cases are up to 82,719 in total, with 3,018 deaths so far. This past week they saw back to back days of over 2,000 confirmed cases each day. Employees in restaurants and bars were confirmed with the virus, so businesses began to shut back down for safety despite the state remaining open.

NYC Gives $3 Million To Assist Businesses

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said 36 people died from the virus on Wednesday, June 10, which is “close to its lowest point.” Because the number of cases is decreasing, the state continues to reopen. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city is going to make available $3 million dollars to help “mom and pop” restaurants and small businesses. The funds will be part of the city’s “Restaurant Revitalization Program,” which will provide grants of up to $30,000 to 100 selected restaurants.

New Unemployment Claims Rise As Stocks Drops

The U.S. had seen a temporary drop in unemployment claims as businesses began reopening, but claims have now gone up again. More than 1.5 million people filed for unemployment for the first time last week.The stock market, which had been relatively strong, also dropped. The DOW fell 1.308 points, the S&P dropped 3.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.5%.

U.S. Army Lab Selects Lead Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate

The U.S. Army lab has selected a lead vaccine candidate, as well as 2 backup vaccine candidates to advance to the next stage of research. “The candidates were narrowed down from more than two dozen prototypes in order to determine the candidates that elicited the most promising antibody response in preclinical studies,” a statement from the lab said.

Coronavirus Update: Week 10

States all over the country have begun transitioning to the yellow phase, allowing businesses to reopen. With businesses opening people are finally able to return to work resulting in a drop in unemployment claims. While this is something many have been waiting for, it also raises the risks of people spreading the virus once again. Hospitalizations correlated with the coronavirus are on the rise, and as of now the U.S. has seen a total of over 110,000 deaths. Businesses opening back up pose a risk of spreading coronavirus, and paired with the nations recent rise in protests experts say there is a real risk of another spike in cases. Protests across the nation have caused several testing sites to close down so it is impossible to accurately know how these conditions are affecting case numbers until they reopen.

Unemployment Claims Drop

In the last week of May, unemployment claims dropped to 1.9 million. This is the lowest number of claims since the coronavirus pandemic started in March.

More than 40 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since the pandemic started, and roughly 21.5 million are continuing to receive them.

The job market is “crawling out of the hole now,” said Torsten Slok, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities. “We do have the worst behind us,” he said.

Civil Unrest Forces Testing Sites To Close

Due to the recent protests, at least 70 coronavirus testing sites across the U.S. have been forced to close. Many of these sites were in private pharmacies in what are deemed “socially vulnerable” neighborhoods. While some worry that the protests will cause a spike in cases, the closures will make it harder to identify outbreaks and actual numbers of cases among protesters.

U.S. Hospitalizations On The Rise

According to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA chief, coronavirus hospitalizations are on the rise around the country as states push to reopen. He fears that this could become a big problem when flu season begins in the fall. If there are outbreaks of both viruses at once, health systems will become strained and hospitals will not have enough resources or room to treat everyone.

New York City is on track to begin phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8.

NYC On Track To Reopen Monday, June 8

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city is seeing its lowest number of people testing positive for the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. This news means that the city is on track to begin phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8. The mayor also said that the city will distribute 2 million free face masks to businesses in order to help protect employees.

“Phase one is going to go on, and we will build from there,” de Blasio said. He also stated that phase 2 could begin as early as July.

Las Vegas Casinos Reopen With Safety Measures

Las Vegas has reopened many casinos, beginning with The D and Golden Gate, who opened their doors just after midnight on June 4. Casinos claim they are opening safely, taking preventative measures such as requiring dealers to wear face masks, and checking the temperatures of both guests and workers.

“We have, interestingly, the largest book of conventions in our history for the next 12 months, they start right now. And toward the end of August, we are hopeful that in some way we can start bringing conventions back to town,” said Steve Hill, president and COO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Record Numbers In Brazil & Mexico

Over the past two weeks, other countries besides the U.S. have also reported a rise in new coronavirus cases. Brazil and Mexico reported their highest one-day virus-related death tolls on June 3. Mexico is the 14th country to surpass 100,000 confirmed cases.