COVID-19 News from Around the Web

Michelle Obama is opening up about suffering from "low-grade depression" amid recent current events. On the most recent episode of her new Spotify podcast, "The Michelle Obama Podcast," the former first lady, 56, revealed, “I'm waking up in the middle of the night because I'm worrying about something or there's a heaviness.” "There have been periods throughout this quarantine where I just have felt too low. I've gone through those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels where you just don't feel yourself," she said in the new episode, that featured award-winning journalist Michele Norris as a guest. "Sometimes, there's been a week or so where I had to surrender to that and not be so hard on myself... It is unusual and it is a direct result of just being out of body, out of mind. Spiritually, these are not fulfilling times."

Hours after announcing he had tested positive for COVID-19, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday evening that a second test for the virus came back negative. DeWine announced that he was administered an antigen test in the morning and a PCR test in the afternoon, and was more confident in the results of the latter. PCR tests for the governor, members of his staff and First Lady Fran DeWine were run twice, he said, and came back negative both times.

The State Department has lifted its Level 4 global travel advisory, the highest warning against U.S. citizens traveling internationally, citing changing conditions in the coronavirus pandemic. … The previous advisory had been in place since March 19. … While the U.S. has decided to relax its universal advisory, many nations are restricting U.S. citizens from entering because of the high number of coronavirus cases still being reported within U.S. borders. Some of the most popular travel destinations for U.S. tourists, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union, have imposed strict restrictions.

Amid recalls and warnings of tainted hand sanitizers from the Food and Drug Administration, 15 adults in the United States have been hospitalized for methanol poisoning, according to the CDC. Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, is a toxic chemical that can lead to hospitalization or death if ingested. All of the people hospitalized reported having ingested hand sanitizer, and all of the cases were confirmed with blood tests. Of the 15 people who were hospitalized, four died, according to the CDC. Another three developed vision problems, a side effect of methanol poisoning.

A three-hour meeting Thursday evening between senior administration officials and Democratic leaders yielded little progress as both sides seemed resigned to the likelihood that Congress won't reach a major stimulus deal amid an economic crisis. Both sides emerged from the meeting trading blame for the sputtering talks -- and the administration officials warned that President Donald Trump would take executive action if no deal is reached by Friday. It's unclear if the two sides will meet on Friday. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plan to brief Trump later Thursday night and Friday morning as they decide whether to continue to negotiate with Democrats. "We are very far apart -- it's most unfortunate," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

The Japanese gaming giant reported operating profit of $1.4 billion in the April-June quarter, smashing analyst expectations and representing a massive climb from the same quarter last year. … The numbers highlight the boom in demand for gaming during coronavirus lockdowns. Big game publishers like Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive have reported solid results this week.

The country needs as many as 100,000 contact tracers to fight the pandemic, the director of the CDC told Congress in June. We need billions of dollars to fund them, public health leaders pleaded in April. But in August, with coronavirus cases increasing in more than half of states, America has neither the staff nor the resources to be able to trace the contacts of every new case — a key step in the COVID-19 public health response.

Americans are faring much worse mentally and financially during the COVID-19 pandemic than citizens of other high-income countries around the world, according to an international analysis. One-third of U.S. adults say they've experienced unbearable stress, anxiety and sadness during the pandemic and more than 30% have faced economic hardships, the Commonwealth Fund report revealed. "… "It is also notable that few U.S. adults believe that national leadership has done a good job of managing the pandemic when compared to other countries."

The Covid-19 pandemic is moving into younger populations, health experts said Thursday, with cases skyrocketing among children, teens and young adults. Early in the outbreak, health experts stressed that older adults were most at risk for the virus that has infected more than 4.8 million people in the United States, but new data from the World Health Organization shows that most cases -- by far -- are reported in people ages 25 to 64. The proportion of cases in teens and young adults has gone up six-fold, and in very young children and babies the proportion has increased seven-fold, WHO said. The increase might be explained by broader testing, greater detection of milder cases and shifting demographics of hotspots, but "a rise in risky behavior after easing of public health and social measures" is also to blame, WHO said.

More than 2,000 unaccompanied children have been expelled since March under an emergency declaration enacted by the Trump administration, which has cited the coronavirus in refusing to provide them protections under federal anti-trafficking and asylum laws. Lawyers and advocates have sharply criticized the administration for using the global pandemic as a pretext to deport children to places of danger.

A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, while those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries. ... Twenty offensive linemen and 11 defensive linemen opted out before Thursday's deadline. Eleven wide receivers, eight linebackers, six cornerbacks, four running backs, and three tight ends and safeties also opted out. No quarterbacks, kickers or punters opted out.