August 11 coronavirus news

Russia has approved a coronavirus vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute for use, President Vladimir Putin said on Russian state TV on Tuesday.

Speaking in a live teleconference with his cabinet ministers, Putin said the vaccine had gone through all the necessary checks.

The Russian President revealed that one of his daughters has taken the vaccine; he said she had a slightly higher temperature following the injections, but that she now feels better.

Reports about Russia's vaccine have come amid concerns about its safety, effectiveness and allegations that the country has cut essential corners in its development. 

Russian officials told CNN previously that crucial Phase 3 trials would take place after state registration of the vaccine. 

Russia has released no scientific data on its vaccine testing and CNN is unable to verify its claimed safety or effectiveness.  

Critics say the country's push for a vaccine comes amid political pressure from the Kremlin, which is keen to portray Russia as a global scientific force.

Bars and restaurants around the world are having to rethink the way they interact with customers during the pandemic. In the Italian city of Florence, some are looking to the past: using centuries-old wine windows to dole out food and drinks.

Rising just above ground level, blink and you might miss these tiny openings, called "buchette del vino," (literally "little wine holes") in Italian. The small windows were used to sell wine-to-go during the Renaissance period, and were intended to be cheaper, direct-to-consumer alternatives to taverns and other drinking dens -- not to mention a discreet way for merchants to avoid paying taxes on the alcoholic libations they were peddling.

Those merchants were Florence's elites, many of whom had the foot-tall windows built into street-facing walls of their palatial residences, usually next to the main entrance. Back in the 1500s, a number of the city's aristocrats were also major wine producers in the surrounding countryside. The "buchette" allowed them to trade (or rather, have servants do it for them) their spirits straight from their in-house cellars to basically anyone, with a reduced need for physical contact.

In May, as Italy eased its two-months-long lockdown, several F&B businesses in Florence, who happened to be based in premises with existing buchette, decided to reopen them, capitalizing on the design's minimal-contact aspect. Wine, Aperol spritzes, ice creams and sandwiches have since been served through the holes, at a safe distance.

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The re-emergence of charming 'little wine holes' in Florence

Marianna Cerini, CNN

More than 60 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Players had until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide and after the deadline passed, a spokesperson for the NFL told CNN that out of 2,880 players, 66 players chose to opt out.

That figure could be higher -- both NBC's Pro Football Talk and CBS reported the figure was 67 players.

The New England Patriots are the team most affected, with eight players opting out of the 2020 season -- prompting much ribald "tanking for Trevor" comment.

Highly-rated Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to be drafted first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and some fans have jokingly suggested that the team's performance this upcoming season might be reflected in a desire to gain that number one pick.

The Patriots have lost starters like linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung, who have both won three Super Bowls with the team.

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More than 60 players withdraw from 2020 NFL season over coronavirus concerns

Every Friday, Carolyn Freyer-Jones encourages her family and friends to participate in #thefridayminute to honor her father Hugh and others who have died from the coronavirus pandemic.

The idea came out of a discussion with her brother about how sometime down the road, there may be a national day of mourning for those who have lost a loved one to Covid-19.

At noon eastern time, she wants people to take a minute to reflect and pray, and even send love and support to families who have been affected by coronavirus this year.

"The minute is a way to remind ourselves that we are all connected regardless of situation or circumstance. My father is everyone's father, or husband, or grandfather, or friend," Carolyn Freyer-Jones told CNN.

During this minute and several times throughout the past few weeks, Carolyn has been thinking about her own father, who she said died from coronavirus complications on his 86th birthday.

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The death of a man spurred his children to create 'Friday minute' - 60 seconds each week to mourn those we lost to Covid-19

At least 5,094,400 coronavirus cases and 163,463 virus-related deaths have been identified in the United States since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.

On Monday, Johns Hopkins reported 49,536 new cases of Covid-19 and 525 reported deaths.

The figures include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

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Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

The Trump administration is considering ways to restrict entry on the US-Mexico border that could include US citizens and lawful permanent residents over coronavirus concerns, according to a source familiar with the matter.

It's the latest attempt by the administration to seal off US borders, citing the virus. In March, the administration invoked a public health law to swiftly remove migrants, including children, who are apprehended at the border. That action, including a series of other travel restrictions, has been extended over the course of the pandemic.

The options being weighed by the administration would also likely rely on authorities from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the source said. The New York Times first reported on the possibility of barring Americans from returning to the US on a limited basis amid fears they may be infected with the coronavirus.

CNN reached out to the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security, which declined to comment.

A draft memo obtained by the Times says any move to block citizens and legal permanent residents must "include appropriate protections to ensure that no Constitutional rights are infringed" and would apply "only in the rarest of circumstances."

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Australia’s states and territories will remain closed off from one another in the coming days, state and federal leaders said, as authorities continue to try to stop the latest wave of coronavirus cases in the country.

The state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, has been dealing with a major upswing in cases in recent weeks. Authorities in Victoria identified 321 new Covid-19 cases Monday and 19 deaths.

New South Wales detected 22 new cases on Monday -- the highest in a single day since April.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday that “it's unlikely that we were able to move back to a restriction-free society” by Christmas. 

Here are some of the regional policies:

Victoria remains closed to all of Australia’s states and territories.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said Tuesday that he plans for an 18-month border closure between his region and anywhere considered a hotspot -- including Australia's two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney.

Western Australia and Tasmania remain closed to people from all other states.

Queensland and South Australia are closed to residents of Victoria and are quarantining anyone traveling in from New South Wales. 

The Australian Capital Territory requires anyone traveling to the capital from Sydney or the state of Victoria to undergo a quarantine upon arrival.

The Japanese Ministry of Health said 842 new cases of Covid-19 were identified on Monday, the first time in 13 days that the number of infections reported in a day dropped below quadruple digits.

Positive signs also emerged in Tokyo, where many of the new cases have been recorded. The Japanese capital recorded 196 infections Monday, the first time the daily case count there has dropped below 200 in two weeks.

Five coronavirus-related deaths were reported throughout the country on Monday, authorities said.

To date, 49,630 cases of the virus have been identified in Japan and at least 1,065 people have died.

An important caveat: Economic Minister Yasunori Nishimura, who is in charge of the nation's coronavirus policies, said in a news conference on Tuesday that the drop in cases could be due to the fact that fewer tests were conducted over a holiday weekend.

Nishimura called for continued vigilance and asked citizens to abide by safety measures in their daily lives, as the recent infections have been taking place more in offices, schools and during social activities.

Children may be able to spread Covid-19 just as easily as they spread another type of coronavirus -- the common cold, said William Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School.

Haseltine warned that children can be infected and infect others, so they should wear masks.

He said that children up to 5 years old can be “highly infectious to other people."