July 16 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 12:24 AM ET, Fri July 17, 2020
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11:25 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Coronavirus hospital data removed from CDC website following Trump plan to reroute information

From CNN's Maggie Fox

Following the Trump administration’s decision to reroute coronavirus hospital data first to the administration, instead of sending it to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some data is no longer available on the CDC.gov website. 

The information removed from the website is the hospital data that was reported to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network, according to CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund.

The data includes...

  • the current inpatient and intensive care unit bed occupancy
  • Health care worker staffing
  • Personal protective equipment supply status and availability

The information appeared on the National Healthcare Safety Network Covid-19 module page and the CDC’s Covid-19 data tracker.

11:21 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Here are some of the latest Covid-19 numbers from New York City

From CNN’s Lauren del Valle

People ride bikes as they visit Governors Island on July 15 in New York City.
People ride bikes as they visit Governors Island on July 15 in New York City. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

There were 65 new suspected Covid-19 hospitalizations across New York City yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference this morning, adding the city’s latest test positivity rate was 2%.

The latest city data shows there are at least 332 patients being treated for the virus in ICUs. 

Remember: These numbers were released by the city and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database, which is drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

11:02 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Miami's hospitals are at 95% capacity due to Covid-19 pandemic, mayor says

From CNN's Pierre Meilhan

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaks during a roundtable discussion on July 14 in Miami.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaks during a roundtable discussion on July 14 in Miami. Lynne Sladky/AP

Miami hospitals have reached 95% capacity due to the growing Covid-19 pandemic, the city’s mayor, Francis Suarez, told reporters Thursday.

The percentage of positive cases is growing at a smaller rate, Suarez said.

The highest category of people who are getting infected are people between the ages of 18 and 34, who represent 27% of the population, Suarez said.

“They are going back to the home and infecting everybody in the household,” according to Suarez.

From the surveys received by the city “33.7% are reporting they are getting infected by a family member,” Suarez said, emphasizing the importance of sanitizing measures at home.

 

10:50 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Trump and Dr. Fauci spoke yesterday after more than a month of silence

From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Jim Acosta and Kaitlan Collins

AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

After going more than a month without speaking, President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke by phone Wednesday despite persistent tensions between the White House and the administration's public health experts. 

One official described the conversation as "good," but other officials declined to characterize the discussion.

Last week, Fauci told the Financial Times that he last saw Trump on June 2 at the White House, and hasn't personally briefed him in at least two months. CNN has reported that Trump hasn't attended a coronavirus task force meeting in months and has turned instead to economic and political advisers as the pandemic continues to rage.

Their conversation yesterday came as White House officials and Trump himself were attempting to distance themselves from an op-ed written by trade adviser Peter Navarro trashing Fauci.

About the piece: Trump said Navarro shouldn't have written it and White House aides said Navarro broke protocol by submitting it for publication. But the article reflected the same sentiment Trump and White House officials have been expressing publicly questioning Fauci's record.

"Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public, but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on," Navarro wrote in the USA Today op-ed.

10:40 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Argentina's Covid-19 death toll surpasses 2,000

From CNN’s Claudia Rebaza and Claudia Dominguez

Dr. Adriana Coronel attends to a COVID-19 patient at the Eurnekian Ezeiza Hospital on the outskirts of Buenos Aires on July 14.
Dr. Adriana Coronel attends to a COVID-19 patient at the Eurnekian Ezeiza Hospital on the outskirts of Buenos Aires on July 14. Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Argentina’s death toll due to Covid-19 has reached 2,072, with 22 new deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday morning. 

The total number of coronavirus cases stands at 111,160, with 4,250 new cases, a record daily increase.

During the ministry’s morning briefing, Carla Vizzotti, Health Access Secretary, highlighted that 93% of the new cases belong to the Buenos Aires metro region (AMBA).

At least 49,120 people have recovered from the virus since the pandemic started, according to health officials. 

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández is expected to meet different health experts and officials on Thursday in order to decide new lockdown measures in the capital and surrounding areas that would start on Saturday, Argentina’s state news agency Telam reported. 

Fernández reimposed a lockdown in the metro area of Buenos Aires until Friday due to the spread of the virus. 

12:58 p.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Tulsa mayor signs face mask ordinance

From CNN's Kay Jones

Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mayor G.T. Bynum signed a new mask ordinance while wearing a mask himself this morning, according to a post on his Facebook page.

"We do this at the request of our hospitals, our doctors and nurses, our school leaders, and so many more who want to protect the ability of local health care systems to serve Tulsans in need," he wrote on Facebook.

The city of Tulsa has posted more information for residents on its website, including the letters of support from various organizations and the full text of the ordinance.

The Tulsa City Council announced yesterday that it approved face-covering ordinance by a 7-2 vote. 

10:31 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Russia "has nothing to do" with hacking attacks on vaccine developers, Kremlin says

From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia “has nothing to do” with the hacking attacks targeting organizations involved in coronavirus vaccine development, according to state-run news agency TASS. 

"We do not have information regarding who could have hacked pharmaceutical companies and research centers in the UK,” Peskov said. "We can say one thing — Russia has nothing to do with these attempts and we do not accept such accusations just like we don’t accept yet another set of unfounded accusations of interference in the 2019 elections.”

What this is about: An advisory published by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) details activity by a Russian hacking group called APT29, which also goes by the name "the Dukes" or "Cozy Bear," and explicitly calls out efforts to target US, UK and Canadian vaccine research and development organizations.

"APT29's campaign of malicious activity is ongoing, predominantly against government, diplomatic, think tank, healthcare and energy targets to steal valuable intellectual property," a press release on the advisory said.

9:57 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

Tokyo hits highest number of daily infections with 286 confirmed coronavirus cases

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki and Junko Ogura

People walk at a pedestrian crossing on July 16 in Tokyo.
People walk at a pedestrian crossing on July 16 in Tokyo. Eugene Hoshiko/AP

Tokyo recorded 286 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which is the highest number of daily infections in the capital since the pandemic began, the capital’s metropolitan government said. This surpasses its last daily record of 243 cases on July 10.

Japan saw 453 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced Thursday, bringing the total number of cases for the country to 23,602 (22,890 on land and 712 on Diamond Princess cruise ship).

The total death toll stands at 998 (985 on land and 13 on the cruise ship.)

Two prefectures have also recorded their highest number of daily infections since lifting the state of emergency on May 25. Osaka, the second biggest city in Japan, confirmed 66 cases on Thursday, while Kanagawa prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, recorded 48 cases on Thursday. 

Tokyo raised the alert level for coronavirus infections in the capital to the highest of four levels Wednesday.

9:54 a.m. ET, July 16, 2020

What it's like in some of the US's hardest-hit coronavirus hotspots

From CNN's Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy

Cars are seen in line as the drivers wait to be tested for COVID-19 at the COVID test site located at the Miami Beach Convention Center on July 13 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Cars are seen in line as the drivers wait to be tested for COVID-19 at the COVID test site located at the Miami Beach Convention Center on July 13 in Miami Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Coronavirus cases are rising across the US, and at least 39 states have reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before.

We're keeping an eye on several hotspots today, where the spiking numbers of cases have created hospital bed shortages and prompted officials to prepare for the worst.

Here's what you need to know about the US's hardest-hit hotspots:

Arizona

  • Morgues are filling up: In Maricopa County, which has the most Covid-19 cases in the state, the medical examiner's office has ordered four portable coolers as morgues begin to fill up, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesperson.
  • Out-of-state help needed: State health officials have also announced they're bringing nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help as they enhance their internal surge plans to fill staffing gaps.

California

  • New records: The country's most populous state set two more records yesterday with highs for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
  • New lockdowns possible: In Los Angeles County, the public health director warned another stay-at-home order is likely: "We can't take anything off the table — there's absolutely no certainty of what exactly is going to happen next," Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.

Florida

  • Out of ICU beds: As of yesterday, more than 50 hospitals have reached intensive care unit capacity and show zero beds available, according to according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
  • Hit harder than most countries: Since the start of the pandemic, the state has reported more than 301,000 positive cases of coronavirus. If Florida was its own country, only eight other countries would have a higher case count, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Texas

  • Trucks for bodies: Two counties in Texas — Cameron and Hidalgo — are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they're requesting refrigerated trucks.
  • Hospitals in one city are full: In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full and the federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility.