August 9 coronavirus news

The Australian state of Victoria recorded 19 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday – the highest single-day increase in fatalities since the outbreak of the pandemic, Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said Monday morning. 

Victoria also reported 322 new cases of coronavirus from Sunday, the lowest daily increase in cases since July 29, according to the DHHS. 

“I want to start by expressing my sincere condolences to all the families of the 19 Australians in Victoria who have passed away because of the COVID infection,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday.

He added that the news is “devastating.” 

The numbers: Victoria now has 14,981 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, while the death toll has increased to 229.

Australia has reported more than 21,000 coronavirus cases, including 313 deaths.

Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 4,376 new Covid-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 480,278.

The ministry also registered 292 new deaths, raising the country’s death toll to 52,298.

Moment of silence: Earlier on Sunday, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador paid tribute to the victims of the pandemic and healthcare workers by holding a moment of silence in the presidential palace in Mexico City.  

In a video posted on his Twitter account, Lopez Obrador can be seen walking down the halls of the presidential palace into an empty courtyard where he joins a soldier.

The President claps after the soldier blows a horn in honor of the victims.

Lopez Obrador said that was the best way to honor the victims of the “tremendous pandemic” and said his government would continue to improve the country’s health system. 

One student at Sammy McClure, Sr. Middle School in Paulding County, Georgia, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter sent to parents by Principal Jaynath Hayes.

The student was in school “for at least some time last week” and reported to the school that they have tested positive, the letter said. 

The school is being cleaned by custodial staff and is following Georgia Department of Public Health recommendations, according to the letter.

The school is asking anyone whose child exhibits symptoms to have them tested as soon as possible and notify the school.

The district’s high school has already announced that it will close for at least the next two days for cleaning after nine people tested positive. The school will move to digital learning Monday and Tuesday and announce the next steps Tuesday evening, a letter from the district said. 

North Paulding High School sophomore Hannah Watters, who shared a photo of the crowded hallways at her school, told CNN’s Boris Sanchez Sunday night that she has received threats over her release of the photo. 

Hannah said she and her family and friends have been receiving screenshots of group chats in the school with threatening language against her.

One message said “I know where this girl lives,” Hannah said. Other threats, she said, included, “We’re going to jump every girl named Hannah in the 10th grade,” and “Hannah is going to have a rough day at school on Monday.”

“I feel like a lot of teachers have my back because they know how dangerous it is going to school. But I know that a lot of the kids that I go to school with, I’ve already gotten backlash for it, threats and things like that,” Hannah said. “I know I’m doing the right thing and it’s not going to stop me from continuing doing it. But it is concerning, especially since it’s a lot of the people I go to school with, people I’ve known for years now, that are threatening me.”

She said that she understands that seniors are worried they may have their last year of high school taken away from them and that she doesn’t want that. Hannah only released the photo to keep people safe, she said.

“I just hope that sooner or later everyone can understand that I’m not trying to shut it down and when I did expose the school district, it wasn’t to cancel the senior year, not to go after anyone. It was just to keep us all safe.” Hannah said. “Because you wouldn’t have your senior year because sooner or later the school was going to shut down and if we shut down or just go online for a week earlier, we can contain it quicker and we can use the rest of your senior year, the rest of the school year normally.”

Following the news that the school will close for cleaning for the next two days after nine new cases were identified, Hannah said many people have told her they are getting tested.

Over 350 cars were stopped at New York City “quarantine checkpoints” in the first three days after being established, according to Laura Feyer, press secretary for NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Feyer said there were 353 total stops across the city from Wednesday through Friday. Approximately 1,100 masks were distributed as well, Feyer said.

On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that several checkpoints would be set up around the city to give travelers from travel advisory states information about the quarantine and to remind them that it’s mandatory. Travelers who fail to quarantine are subject to a $10,000 fine and individuals who refuse to fill out the New York State Department of Health travel form are subject to a $2,000 fine, de Blasio said.

The checkpoints will also be at major bridge and tunnel crossings, New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito said Wednesday.

Major League Baseball has postponed the St. Louis Cardinals’ three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, scheduled to begin Monday, due to recent positive Covid-19 test results. 

The Cardinals have now had 13 consecutive games postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak within the team that has seen at least eight players and six staffers test positive for Covid-19.

Here is the full MLB statement:

“Major League Baseball announced today that the upcoming three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, scheduled for Monday through Wednesday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, has been postponed. In light of the most recent positive test results, MLB and the Club believe it is prudent to conduct additional testing while players and staff are quarantined before the team returns to play. More information regarding the Cardinals’ resumption of play will be announced later in the week.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted a picture of a crowded beach Sunday, saying that the crowds and “reckless behavior” will make the city shut down parks and the lake front.

“Don’t make us take steps backwards,” Lightfoot tweeted.

North Paulding High School in Georgia will have digital learning only on both Monday and Tuesday, according to a letter from the school district sent to parents this evening.

“We have consulted with the Department of Public Health and are temporarily switching the instructional model to digital learning at NPHS,” the letter read in part. “Tuesday evening parents and students will be notified of whether digital learning will continue, or if in-person instruction may resume.”

“The school will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on Monday and Tuesday and the district will consult with the Department of Public Health to assess the environment and determine if there are any additional close contacts for confirmed cases who have not already been identified,” the letter read.

At least nine cases of Covid-19 have been reported at the Georgia high school that came under scrutiny last week after a student shared a photo of a crowded hallway, according to a letter from the school’s principal.

Brazil has reported 572 people have died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a day after the country surpassed a total of 100,000 coronavirus deaths.

On Sunday, Brazil’s Health Ministry said the total number of people recorded to have died from the coronavirus is now 101,049.

The ministry also announced 23,010 new cases were registered on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 3,035,422.

Brazil continues to trail only the United States in terms of the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths. 

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pleaded with residents to wear masks during a press conference Sunday, calling it “common sense.”  His statement comes after announcing new rules on Friday designed to better enforce mask requirements and give local authority guidelines to enforce compliance.

“Imagine if someone could walk into a restaurant, light a cigarette, blow smoke in your face, and all the smoker had to say is ‘well it’s my choice,’” Pritzker said.

Illinois reported 1,382 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths on Sunday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

In the past two days, the state has seen the numbers of new cases surpass 2,000, which was a record high since IDPH reported 2,508 new cases back on May 24.

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,789 new coronavirus cases and 116 new deaths Sunday

There are now a total of 486,362 coronavirus cases and 8,459 deaths in the state of Texas, according to the health website.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has used an online post to criticize coronavirus lockdown measures and news coverage of the pandemic, in his first comments almost a full day after Brazil surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths.

In a series of tweets Sunday, Bolsonaro pointed to a story published by the UK’s Daily Mail that criticizes lockdown measures to address the spread of coronavirus.

The Daily Mail article suggests “it is thought that as many as 16,000 people died because they didn’t get medical care between March 23 and May 1.” The story claims – without evidence – that those people didn’t go to hospital during lockdown because they feared catching the virus.

Bolsonaro went on to criticize Brazil’s biggest TV station without specifically naming it, saying the TV station “only spreads panic in the population and the discord among the powers” and “disdained, debauched and discouraged the use of hydroxychloroquine.”

Brazil surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths on Saturday and cases in the country are now more than 3 million, according to the latest numbers by the country’s Health Ministry.

Bolsonaro’s only mention of the 100,000 coronavirus deaths reached in his country on Saturday was to criticize the TV station’s coverage of the topic.

“In a cowardly and disrespectful manner to the 100,000 dead Brazilians, this TV celebrated that date yesterday, as a true World Cup final, blaming the President of the Republic for all the deaths,” he wrote.

He added that “misinformation kills even more than the virus itself. Time and science will show us that Covid’s political use of this TV has brought us deaths that could have been avoided.”

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 2,127 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths Sunday.

There are now a total of 122,712 cases and 1,223 deaths statewide, a tweet from the Department of Health said.

5,304 people have been hospitalized with 42 additional hospitalizations reported Sunday. 

An 11.3% daily positivity rate was reported by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (NVDHHS) Sunday.

About 811 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths were reported Sunday.

The cumulative positivity rate for the state is 10.4%, according to the NVDHHS website. 

A total of 56,230 cases and 957 deaths have been reported statewide. 

At least 796 patients with confirmed cases and 180 patients with suspected cases have been hospitalized, with 278 admitted to the ICU, the website said. 

A photo taken on Miami Beach Saturday afternoon shows beachgoers crowded on the sand and water. Jason Mac took the photo around 4 p.m. with his 600mm telephoto lens, which he says compresses the image and space between people.

Miami Beach is in Miami Dade County. The county has the most infections in Florida with 131,553 total Covid-19 cases as of Sunday. 

Nine Covid-19 cases were reported at North Paulding High School in Georgia, according to a copy of a letter sent from Principal Gabe Carmona to parents Saturday. 

CNN obtained the letter from Michelle Salas, a parent of a North Paulding High School student.

This comes days after a North Paulding High School sophomore posted a photo on Twitter that showed her high school’s hallways crowded with students and very few masks visible.  

The student, Hannah Watters, was later suspended for posting the photos but on Friday, the high school said in a statement that it had “rescinded” the suspension.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said President Trump’s recent executive action does “nothing to protect the millions of unemployed Americans who need to put food on the table for themselves and their families.”

“He cut federal funding for unemployed workers and is requiring states that are facing severe holes in our budgets to provide 25% of the funding. His refusal to provide full federal funding to states across the country to help us combat this virus will hurt the brave men and women on the front lines of this crisis, like our first responders, health care workers, child care workers, and more” Whitmer said in a statement today.

Trump is more focused on winning the November election than fighting Covid-19, the governor said in her statement.

Read a breakdown of what’s in Trump’s executive actions here.

Georgia’s health department reported 3,177 new coronavirus cases and 13 new deaths Sunday.

There were also 72 hospitalizations reported by the department.

There are now a total of 216,596 coronavirus cases and 4,199 deaths in Georgia.

South Carolina’s heath department has reported an additional 1,011 confirmed cases of coronavirus and an additional 18 confirmed deaths.

The state has reported a total of 99,713 confirmed cases and 1,949 total deaths. 

The state positivity rate is 12.9% according to the health department.

A San Quentin State Prison employee died from Covid-19, California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported on Sunday.

This is the eighth California prison staff member to die from the virus since the first reported death on May 30, the department reported.

There are currently 1,048 staff members confirmed to have the virus. 

Some more context: As of Saturday, California has 545,787 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide and 10,189 deaths, according to the department of health.

Lebanon has recorded 294 new coronavirus cases and two deaths on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Public Health website. 

The country now has a total of 6,517 cases and a total 76 deaths as it continues to recover from a deadly blast that killed at least 158 people and wounded thousands more last week.

Some context: On Friday, Dr. Friass Abiad, the head of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital (the main hospital battling Covid-19), told CNN that hospitals are at capacity. 

Abiad commended the country’s health sector for how it handled the dual crisis of Covid-19 and the casualties and fallout of Tuesday’s deadly explosion that rocked the capital.  

“The ability of the health sector to rise to the occasion during the explosion, and to absorb thousands of casualties, was impressive. But now, hospitals are full, their supplies are almost empty, and the capacity for their staff is depleted. Can they do more?” Abiad tweeted Saturday.

There were 60 bars and restaurants in the New York City area that were issued Covid-19 violations Friday and Saturday, according to a press release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. 

Here’s a breakdown of where the violations occurred on Long Island and around the New York City boroughs, according to the governor:

Cuomo also called on the NYPD on Sunday to step-up enforcement of social distancing rules around the city.

The US has reported more than 1,000 deaths from coronavirus daily for the last five days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University’s Covid Tracker.

Since July 21, there have been only four days that the US has not reported more than 1,000 deaths.

As of 1 p.m. ET Sunday, 162,635 people with coronavirus have died in the US and 5,017,150 cases have been reported nationwide.

So far, 19,221 new Covid-19 cases and 212 deaths have been reported as of 1 p.m. ET today.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has released a statement reacting to the US surpassing 5 million cases of coronavirus on Sunday. 

“Each time the number clicks up, it represents a life altered, a family stricken with anxiety, a community on edge,” Biden said in a statement released Saturday. 

Biden encouraged mask-wearing, saying, “I know that for many Americans, especially as the months continue to drag on, there are moments when the losses feel unbearable. But we must not give up. We must follow the science and the advice of medical experts — starting with wearing a mask. That is how we will beat this virus.”

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee went on to criticize President Trump’s leadership in the statement. 

“And yet, we continue to hear little more from President Trump than excuses and lies in an effort to cover for his repeated failures of leadership — failures that worsened the pandemic here at home, and in turn deepened our economic crisis,” Biden said.

More context: CNN reported Sunday morning that are now at least 5,000,603 cases of coronavirus in the United States and at least 162,441 people have died from the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called President Trump’s executive actions laughable during the state’s daily Covid-19 call. 

These remarks were made after President Trump signed several executive actions, including one that would require states to pay 25% of enhanced unemployment benefits. 

“Executive orders will not be a substitute for legislation,” the governor said. “You can’t now say to states who have no funding you have to pay 25% of the unemployment insurance cause.”

Cuomo went on to say, “there is no funding for schools that are now trying to reopen and according to the white house they want them to reopen, so they need legislation. It’s the only way to do it,” the governor said.

“When you are in a hole, stop digging, “ Cuomo said

e York state has the lowest one day positive infection rate for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday during the state’s Covid-19 call.

New York has an infection rate of 0.78% which is normally around 1% or a little under, the governor said. 

“Congratulations New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “It’s really an incredible achievement.”

At least 548 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 and seven New Yorkers died from the virus yesterday, the governor said. 

The intensive care unit number is the “lowest number of people we had in ICU units since the start,” Cuomo said. 

eate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump’s latest coronavirus relief efforts as being “unworkable, weak, and far too narrow.”

“Unfortunately, the President’s executive orders described in one word, would be paltry. In three words, unworkable, weak and far too narrow,” Schumer said.

Only one of the actions signed by the President was an order – the rest were memoranda.

Schumer specifically criticized the payroll tax deferral, saying he has already talked to companies who will continue withholding payroll taxes in case they will be forced to pay them when the deferral expires in December. 

“Employers are just going to continue, withhold the money – I have talked to some – because they don’t want their employees to be stuck with a huge bill in December,” Schumer added.

The Senator from New York also criticized the policy for depleting Medicare and Social Security funds. 

“If you’re a Social Security recipient or Medicare recipient, you better watch out if President Trump is re-elected,” Schumer warned.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday” that there would be no cuts in benefits, because there will be an “automatic contribution from the general funds to those trust funds.”

CNN’s Nicky Robertson contributed to this report

Nine Covid-19 cases were reported at North Paulding High School, according to a copy of a letter sent from Principal Gabe Carmona to parents Saturday. 

A spokesperson for the Paulding County School District gave a copy of the letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“At this time, we know there were six students and three staff members who were in school for at least some time last week who have since reported to us that they have tested positive,” the letter from North Paulding High School Principal Gabe Carmona said. 

CNN is working to get its own copy of the letter to parents.

Some context: This news comes days after a North Paulding High School sophomore posted a photo on Twitter that showed her high school’s hallways crowded with students and very few masks visible.  

The student, Hannah Watters, was later suspended for posting the photos but on Friday, the high school said in a statement that it had “rescinded” the suspension. 

The state of Florida has reported 6,190 new cases of Covid-19 among Floridians and 77 additional resident deaths on Sunday, according to data from the Florida Department of Health (DOH).   

This marks the thirteenth consecutive day the state has reported more than 6,000 cases in a single day, according to CNN’s tally.    

There are now 527,036 cases among residents and 532,806 total cases in the state, which includes out of state residents, DOH reported. Florida has reported 8,186 resident deaths to date, according to DOH data. 

Note: These numbers were released by Florida’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project  

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told CNN that Democrats will need to be the ones to make the next move if stimulus talks between the administration and congressional Democrats are to restart. He said Democratic leaders need to accept a lower amount of assistance for state and local governments. 

“Anytime they have another offer to make, they can either call me or I’ll go up and see them,” Mnuchin said. “But they have to compromise.”

“I think we’ve been very clear that they need to come back with a compromise on the state and local from their trillion dollars, and the unemployment benefits, and if so we’ll respond. I think the majority of the other issues, we’ve reached a compromise on,” Mnuchin added at the White House on Sunday. 

In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Mnuchin said that although governors are asking for money, they do not need $1 trillion.

“I’ve also spoke to many governors over the last few days. We offered more money for the states. They still have $150 billion from last time. Most of them haven’t even used half of the money,” Mnuchin said, “The governors are saying we need more money for education. We need help, and the President said, we’ll give it to you. But not a trillion dollars.”

There are now at least 5,000,603 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 162,441 people have died in the country from virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The university recorded the first case of coronavirus in the US on Jan. 21. It took the country 99 days to reach 1 million cases on April 28. 

It then took 43 more days to reach 2 million cases on June 10, and another 28 days to surpass 3 million cases on July 8.

Most recently, it took the US only 15 additional days to surpass 4 million cases on July 23. It has taken the US 17 days to go over 5 million cases. 

On Sunday, Iraq’s Ministry of Health reported 2,726 new confirmed cases of coronavirus. This brings the total number of cases in Iraq to 150,115, the health ministry said. 

The health ministry also reported 82 coronavirus-related deaths. That brings the total number of deaths in the country to 5,392.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CNN this morning that her advisers are telling her that President Trump’s proposed executive actions are “absurdly unconstitutional.”

Pelosi responded to comments made in an earlier interview on CNN with Larry Kudlow where the Trump economic adviser clarified that the President’s proposal to give out-of-work Americans $400 a week is contingent upon states agreeing to provide $100. Kudlow said that the federal government would then kick in the additional $300.

Pelosi said these comments by Kudlow show the “weakness and meagerness in what the President proposed,” adding that the states do not have this money.

“First of all he is saying states have the money. No, they don’t,” Pelosi said. “They have expense from the coronavirus. They have lost revenue. Because of that they are firing heath care workers, first responders, and the rest…Because they don’t have the money.”

President Trump’s directive regarding student loans seems to be the one executive action of the four he took Saturday which will deliver the results the administration hopes.

This is the only area of the four, the others being mortgage relief, unemployment aid and a payroll tax holiday, most under control of the Trump Administration and which doesn’t need Congressional funding action, state governments or the private sector to fully implement.

The memorandum on student aid Trump signed Saturday directs the Education Department to extend the student loan relief granted in the CARES Act until the end of the year.

Some context: Currently, payments are paused and interest is suspended on federally held student loans until September 30.

Democrats have pushed for extending the relief for another year and making private student loans eligible.

In March, Trump waived student loan interest by executive order and the administration said borrowers could request a deferment on their payments. Congress later codified that policy into law and took it a step further by automatically suspending monthly payments.

Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNN that the administration expects states to be able to cover the portion of enhanced unemployment benefits that President Trump ordered through executive action on Saturday. 

If states don’t agree to participate and meet the financial requirement of paying 25% of the $400 amount, then the unemployed in those states will not receive any of the extra assistance.

Kudlow also acknowledged that some people may not receive the full enhanced benefit depending on where they live, he argued most people would get $400 per week on top of normal unemployment insurance.

“We’re talking about averages here,” Kudlow told CNN’s Dana Bash.

“Our estimates from the Treasury Department in terms of the CARES Act one was that states have not spent all the money that was allocated to them,” Kudlow said, referring to the sweeping stimulus package Congress passed in March.

More details: Kudlow said the White House expects states to use what he described as that “considerable overflow” of previous stimulus funding to pay for the unemployment benefit.

Trump’s order requires states to provide $100 of the $400 enhanced benefit, with the federal government providing the remaining $300. Some experts have said states will not be able to use those funds for this unemployment aid since it is a new program not authorized by Congress.

“We will be repurposing funds from other areas” to pay for the federal portion of the benefit, Kudlow said. “Based on our estimates, the states will be able to provide the extra $100.”

Kudlow defended the President’s order establishing what the White House had described as an eviction moratorium, but which does not actually provide one.

“We’re setting up a process, a mechanism,” Kudlow said of the order.

He said the executive action establishes a process that will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to flag areas of concerning Covid-19 spread, and within those areas the moratorium could apply more broadly.

“If HHS declares emergencies, then evictions will be stopped,” he said. Kudlow noted people living in federally-financed single family homes will continue to be protected.

President Trump on Saturday signed executive actions that would provide $400 a week in federal enhanced unemployment benefits after lawmakers and the White House were unable to reach an agreement on a coronavirus stimulus relief bill this week.

Trump’s chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will appear on CNN at 9 a.m. ET to discuss these developments. Watch the interviews live at the top of this story.

The US is nearing five million cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic – and as experts have highlighted in the past, the true number of infections could be many times higher.

The number means the country holds about a fourth of global cases of the virus and also tops the list with the most reported deaths in the world. More than 162,000 Americans have died.

The pandemic shows no sign of slowing and health officials from coast to coast have urged the use of face masks in public places and pleaded with residents to avoid all kinds of social gatherings until the spread of the virus is under control.

As of this week, five states together hold more than 40% of all US infections: California (with the most cases in the country), Florida, Texas, New York and Georgia.

Read the full story here.

A horrifying moment in the Covid-19 pandemic hit Italy on March 27, 2020, when the civil protection authorities announced that 969 people had died in just 24 hours. In the weeks before that, images of coffins stacked up in church parlors and being driven down the streets of the northern Italian town of Bergamo in a caravan of military trucks poured into the homes of Italians, by then locked down for nearly three weeks.

Now, just four months later, life in Italy, the country US Vice President Mike Pence once said “no one wanted to be like,” is nearly back to normal, despite occasional spikes in cases that have been attributed to migrants arriving in the country or living in close quarters.

The death toll has leveled off at just over 35,000, with the number of new reported deaths now less than a dozen most days. The total number of cases now at 250,103 with daily increments in the low hundreds at most.

Nightclubs and schools aren’t yet reopened, face masks are mandatory and social distancing is enforced, but summer is in full swing in this country. People are going out for dinner at restaurants, enjoying the summer tradition of an aperitivo on an open square, going on vacation and generally moving forward. It’s nothing short of a miracle, especially compared to nations like Brazil and the United States, where the pandemic is still very much out of control.

Read the full story:

Groups of tourist in front of the Colosseo in Roma after the lockdown of the nation due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Roma, 14th June, Italy. All the museums re-open to the public and many turist are comming back to visit the city of Roma.

Related article How Italy turned the Covid-19 disaster around

At least nine people died in a blaze at a hotel being used to treat Covid-19 patients in Vijayawada, a city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday.

According to Vijayawada city police commissioner B Srinivasulu, the fire first broke out on the ground floor of the makeshift hospital, near the reception area and rapidly spread to the first floor.

The incident took place in the Swarna Palace hotel, which has been converted into a temporary Covid-19 facility by a private hospital, added Srinivasulu.

There were 30 coronavirus patients and 12 medical staff in the facility at the time of the incident, he confirmed.

An initial investigation suggests that the fire occurred due to a short circuit at the reception, but a detailed report is still awaited, Srinivasulu said.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has a total of 217,040 Covid-19 cases including 1,939 deaths, according to data released by India’s health ministry on Sunday morning.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that keeping schools closed across the country is “socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible.”

He added there is a “moral duty” to reopen schools next month for all students despite the continued threat from the coronavirus.

Writing for the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Johnson said it was “crucial” for children’s welfare, health and future that they return to the classroom full time. “We can do it – and we will do it. Social justice demands it.”

Most UK schoolchildren have been at home since the government imposed coronavirus lockdown measures in March.

“This pandemic isn’t over, and the last thing any of us can afford to do is become complacent,” Johnson wrote. “But now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so.”

Johnson said time spent out of the classroom could lead to lower educational attainment and have a lasting impact on children’s future life chances.

“Most painfully of all, the costs of school closure have fallen disproportionately on the most disadvantaged, the very children who need school the most,” he wrote.

“Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible.”

Teachers’ unions have voiced concerns over the safety of staff and students when schools reopen.

India’s junior minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Heavy Industries, Arjun Ram Meghwal, has tested positive for coronavirus just weeks after promoting a brand of spiced snack called “Bahabhi Ji” papad, which he claimed could ward off the deadly virus.

A video of Meghwal went viral on social media last month where he can be seen holding a packet of the papad product – a thin, crispy, round flatbread – made with ingredients such as turmeric, black pepper, cumin and salt.

In the video, he claimed it helped as an immunity booster against coronavirus.

“A manufacturer has brought out a brand with the name of Bahabhi Ji papad through which the means needed to develop anti-bodies to fight coronavirus will go in the body through food and will be helpful in the fight against coronavirus,” the minister said in the viral video.

Meghwal’s unscientific and bizarre claims were ridiculed by many on Indian social media, with one post jokingly saying, “I have started eating Bahabhi Ji papad, now I don’t need a vaccine.”  

On Saturday Meghwal tweeted: “After developing symptoms of COVID-19 I had undergone testing and was found positive in the second report. On the advice of doctors, I got admitted to AIIMS (Hospital) and I request all those who came in contact with me to take care of their health.”

As of Sunday morning, India has a total of 2,153,010 coronavirus cases including 43,379 deaths, according to the country’s health ministry. 

There were 56,174 new coronavirus cases in the United States in the past 24 hours, According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

The US now has at least 4,997,929 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest in the world.

There have also been 1,076 new deaths in the past 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins, bringing the total US death toll to at least 162,423 people.

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

For updates on the US numbers, follow CNN’s map which refreshes every 15 mins: 

As hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descend on the tiny city of Sturgis, South Dakota, for the 80th Strugis Motorcycle Rally, a medical expert has warned the mass gathering has the potential to be a “super spreader event’ that could lead to a large-scale, regional coronavirus outbreak.

“I’m less concerned with these folks just riding their bikes through the hills than I am about what happens at night, in bars and restaurants and hotels,” said CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner.
“When you look at the video from Sturgis now there are very few people wearing masks,” he added.

Despite the United States having almost 5 million cases of Covid-19, the highest in the world, the huge motorcycle rally is still going ahead as planned. Last year more than 500,000 people attended the annual gathering, this year organizers estimate as many as 250,000 could show up, making it among the largest gatherings worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic.

At the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, a large campground close to the event, the owner, Rod Woodruff, said he’s not concerned about the rally.

“Ride free, take risks. That’s our motto,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you don’t calculate them. And these people calculate their risks every time they get on a motorcycle.”

South Dakota has recorded 9,477 coronavirus cases and 146 deaths as of Saturday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health, far lower than many US states. However, local officials in the area around Strugis, which has a permanent population of around 7,000, have said they are concerned about the potential for the virus to rapidly spread through participants at the 10-day event.

“They’re not going to be able to handle any kind of social distancing, there’s a significant amount of alcohol involved, it’s a huge party,” said Laura Armstrong, city council president in Rapid City, the largest town near Sturgis. 
“They can infect our Native American population, our law enforcement, potentially our bar staff, our tourist attractions, our hotels and motels, and even our grocery stores.”

Reiner said he was particularly concerned about what would happen when the rally was over and the participants then headed back to their home states across the US, potentially helping to further spread the highly-infectious coronavirus.

“A quarter of a million people are going to spread out into their communities, so this has the potential to be a super spreader event,” said Reiner.
“We heard a visitor saying they were just tired of this and looking to have some fun. Well the virus doesn’t really care,” he said. “This is a ridiculous thing to have in the middle of a pandemic … The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

Watch the full interview here:

As the rest of the world struggles to contain the coronavirus, New Zealand marked 100 days since its last locally transmitted case on Sunday.

In a statement from the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the government said the vast majority of the country’s 1,219 confirmed cases had already recovered.

Only 23 people with coronavirus remained under treatment in isolation facilities across New Zealand.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said that while 100 days without community transmission was a “significant milestone,” people couldn’t afford to get complacent.

“We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand,” Bloomfield said in a statement today.
“Don’t let the team down – none of us can afford to do that.”

Schools are reopening, amusement parks are welcoming back visitors, and outdoor dining is the new way to eat out. But despite the signs that life is returning back to normal, the coronavirus pandemic has gone nowhere.

That’s why a group of researchers at Duke University created a simple technique to analyze the effectiveness of various types of masks which have become a critical component in stopping the spread of the virus.

The quest began when a professor at Duke’s School of Medicine was assisting a local group buy masks in bulk to distribute to community members in need. The professor wanted to make sure the group purchased masks that were actually effective.

In the study published Friday, researchers with Duke’s physics department demonstrated the use of a simple method that uses a laser beam and cell phone to evaluate the efficiency of masks by studying the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech.

“We use a black box, a laser, and a camera,” Martin Fischer, one of the authors of the study, told CNN. “The laser beam is expanded vertically to form a thin sheet of light, which we shine through slits on the left and right of the box.”

In the front of the box is a hole where a speaker can talk into it. A cell phone camera is placed on the back of the box to record light that is scattered in all directions by the respiratory droplets that cut through the laser beam when they talk.

A simple computer algorithm then counts the droplets seen in the video.

Read the full story here.

The US inched closer to 5 million cases of Covid-19 on Saturday as experts warned the country is still not doing enough to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

“We need to take ownership of this and implement a federal plan by which we bring every state to containment by October,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and Dean of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, adding that some states have been able to do that already.

“But other parts of the country have a lot of work to do,” Hotez told CNN Saturday.

On Saturday, the California Department of Health reported 7,371 new cases and the Florida Department of Health reported more than 8,400 cases. Health officials in Texas said the state’s seven-day Covid-19 test positivity rate had risen to 19.41% — the highest seven-day average since the pandemic began.

“The point is,” Hotez said, “it’s all doable if we have leadership at the White House that tells us we need to do this.”

The US had more than 4.9 million confirmed cases as of Saturday evening, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Read the full story here.

The Australian state of Victoria has confirmed another 394 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed coronavirus cases in the virus-stricken southeastern state to 14,659.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the new numbers at a press conference Sunday.

In addition, Andrews said that 17 more people had died from the virus since the last update – two males in their 50s, four males in their 70s, four females and two males in their 80s and two females and three males in their 90s. 

To date, the death toll in Victoria stands at 210 people. Andrews said that there are 634 Victorians in hospital, 43 of whom are in intensive care.

Melbourne, the Victorian capital and one of Australia’s largest cities, is currently living through the country’s tightest restrictions yet in response to the surge in case numbers.

A curfew has been put in place across the city, requiring people to be indoors from 8 p.m. every night.

Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 6,495 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 475,902.

The Health Ministry also announced 695 new deaths. The country’s death toll is now at least 52,006.

Mexico has the world’s 6th highest total number of confirmed cases and the 3rd highest total number of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive actions, one of which would provide $400 a week in federal enhanced unemployment benefits after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach an agreement on a United States Coronavirus stimulus relief bill this week.

“I’m taking action to provide an additional or extra $400 a week and expanded benefits, $400. That’s generous but we want to take care of our people,” Trump said at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Trump signed one executive order and three memoranda, one of which will enact a payroll tax deferment for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year. He also proposed to extend an eviction moratorium and defer student loan payments and forgive their interest.

Trump said the federal government will pay $300, leaving it up to the states to pay the remaining $100. He did not outline where the federal funds would be coming from. 

Trump also took the opportunity to criticize the Democrats, saying, “We are doing that without the Democrats. We should have been able to do it easily with them but they want all of these additional things that have nothing to do with helping people.”

Democrats are likely to challenge the executive actions in court. Trump first laid out the executive orders at a hastily called news conference on Friday at his New Jersey golf club, where he said he wasn’t concerned about the legality of the actions he promised.

California reported 7,371 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 545,787.

There were 178 new deaths, for a total of 10,189, the California Department of Health said.

The positivity rate across the state remained at 6% over the past 14 days, while the number of patients hospitalized dropped to 5,746.

Some context: Earlier this week, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said California had moved into the “red category,” with more than 10% of tests coming back positive. She also warned about significant movement of the virus in the state’s Central Valley.

Note: These numbers were released by the California Department of Health and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and The COVID Tracking Project.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro published a photo of himself on his official Facebook account celebrating the victory of his soccer team, Palmeiras, in the Sao Paulo championship, shortly after the Brazilian Health Ministry announced the country’s coronavirus death toll had surpassed 100,000.

The photo shows Bolsonaro wearing a Palmeiras T-shirt and making a hand gesture in the shape of a heart. A message on the photo reads: “Congratulations Palmeiras champion of Sao Paulo 2020.”

Palmeiras won the state title over Corinthians in a game without the presence of spectators Saturday afternoon in Sao Paulo. 

So far, Bolsonaro hasn’t made a public statement about Brazil surpassing 100,000 coronavirus deaths. 

On Thursday, as the country’s death toll rose, Bolsonaro said, “We regret all the deaths, right? The number (of deaths by Covid-19) is reaching one hundred thousand. We are going to get on with life and look for a way to get away from this problem.”

He later attributed the high number of deaths to what he described as an error in diagnosing the cause of deaths in Brazil.

Brazil’s health ministry announced 905 new deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 100,477. The ministry said there were 49,970 new cases, bringing the total number of cases in Brazil to 3,012,412.