COVID-19 News from Around the Web

U.S. deaths from the novel coronavirus were approaching 150,000 on Wednesday, the highest level in the world and rising by 10,000 in 11 days, according to a Reuters tally. This is the fastest increase in fatalities since the United States went from 100,000 cases to 110,000 cases in 11 days in early June, according to the tally. Nationally, COVID-19 deaths have risen for three weeks in a row while the number of new cases week-over-week recently fell for the first time since June. A spike in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas this month has overwhelmed hospitals.

A coronavirus surge in Florida, California and a handful of other hard-hit states could be peaking while other parts of the country may be on the cusp of growing outbreaks, the top U.S. infectious diseases official said on Tuesday. A spike in cases in Florida, along with Texas, Arizona and California this month has overwhelmed hospitals, forced a U-turn on steps to reopen economies and stoked fears that U.S. efforts to control the outbreak are sputtering. "They may be cresting and coming back down," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC's "Good Morning America" program regarding the state of the outbreak in several Sunbelt states. Fauci said there was a "very early indication" that the percentage of coronavirus tests that were positive was starting to rise in other states, such as Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. "That's a surefire sign that you've got to be careful."

Florida on Tuesday hit a new statewide record high for number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day since the pandemic began — 186 residents. And while there are signs hospitalizations may be leveling off, the virus continues to upend life there and across the country. Nearly half of all states are now part of the government's so-called "red zone" due to rising cases, including Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Dr. Deborah Birx on Tuesday said hot spots threaten regions where cases are controlled. "We can see the virus moving North," she warned. "What we're seeing across the South right now is both rural infections, as well as small metros and major metros, simultaneously." Birx said.

…In Mississippi, nine of the state’s biggest hospitals had no open intensive care beds as of Monday, and officials are considering opening pop-up facilities. More than 24% of coronavirus tests have come back positive in Mississippi over the past week, the highest rate in the nation and triple the national average. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has gone so far as to argue that because mask-wearing has become political, a statewide mandate could actually discourage people from covering their faces. Instead, he is requiring masks only in the most seriously stricken counties.

The head of a powerful national teachers union told members Tuesday that its leadership would support "safety strikes" if health precautions are not met amid calls for schools to reopen as coronavirus cases surge. Randi Weingarten, who leads the American Federation of Teachers, is leaving the final decision to local unions on whether to strike. The AFT — the nation's second-largest teachers union, with 1.7 million members — also unveiled several benchmarks that it said should be met before schools can fully welcome back students and staff.

After disagreements between the two main U.S. political parties about continuing unemployment assistance and other coronavirus relief programs, a new deal is on the table. The $1 trillion HEALS Act, proposed by Senate Republicans on Monday, includes a second relief payment of up to $1,200. The proposal has already faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. The package still has to be approved by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, which could lead to changes — the HEALS Act and the Congress-proposed HEROES Act, which passed the House in May but was never considered by the Senate, have some key differences — but there is bipartisan support for more direct payments. It's expected that the exact terms of the package will be subject to negotiation between the House and Senate.

COVID-19 may not be just one disease, but six distinct types, a new British study claims. Each type differs in severity and in the need for respiratory support during hospitalization, the researchers added. Cough, fever and loss of smell are the usual symptoms of COVID-19, but the range of symptoms can include headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, confusion, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and more. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on 1,600 people who reported their symptoms into an app.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted LabCorp an emergency use authorization to test people with no symptoms for the coronavirus, the first time the agency has authorized such a test in asymptomatic individuals. “FDA reissued the LabCorp COVID-19 RT-PCR Test EUA to expand use of the test to anyone, after the company provided scientific data showing the test’s ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a general, asymptomatic population,” the agency said in a statement. Previously, to get a coronavirus diagnostic test, a person may have been asked to meet certain criteria, such as having symptoms of COVID-19 or close contact with a confirmed case.

The federal Bureau of Prisons reached a grim milestone on Saturday: 100 inmates have died from coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. Among the dead are fathers and mothers, daughters and sons and brothers and sisters — none of whom were sentenced to death. There are 122 facilities in the federal prison system that hold nearly 129,000 inmates across the country. According to the bureau, over 10,000 inmates have at one point tested positive for the virus, and over 35,000 have been tested.

The biggest test yet of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine got underway Monday with the first of some 30,000 Americans rolling up their sleeves to receive shots created by the U.S. government as part of the all-out global race to stop the pandemic. Final-stage testing of the vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., began with volunteers at numerous sites around the U.S. given either a real dose or a dummy without being told which. Another company, Pfizer Inc., announced late Monday that it had started its own study of its vaccine candidate in the U.S. and elsewhere. That study also aimed to recruit 30,000 people. It will be months before results trickle in, and there is no guarantee the vaccines will ultimately work against the scourge that has killed over 650,000 people around the world, including almost 150,000 in the U.S. After volunteers get two doses a month apart, scientists will closely track which group experiences more infections as they go about their daily routines, especially in areas where the virus is spreading unchecked. Don’t expect a vaccine as strong as the measles vaccine, which prevents about 97% of measles infections, Fauci said, adding he would be happy with a COVID-19 vaccine that’s 60% effective.

The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded its list of potentially deadly hand sanitizer products, warning a Mexican-based company about selling products that contain methanol, a dangerous form of alcohol that can poison people through their skin. "A warning letter has been issued to Eskbiochem S.A. de C.V. for distributing product with undeclared methanol, unapproved claims --including incorrectly stating FDA approval—and improper manufacturing practices," the agency added.

Just weeks before schools must open across Florida, the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 have surged. On July 16, the state had a total of 23,170 children ages 17 and under who had tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Florida Department of Health. By July 24, that number jumped to 31,150. That's a 34% increase in new cases among children in eight days. And more children in Florida are requiring hospitalization. As of July 16, 246 children had been hospitalized with coronavirus. By July 24, that number had jumped to 303. That's a 23% increase in child Covid-19 hospitalizations in eight days. But the state has ordered schools to physically open next month. In some districts, that means sending children to school in as soon as two weeks. And that has some parents, educators, and doctors on edge.

More than a dozen Marlins players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia, disrupting Major League Baseball’s schedule on the fifth day of the pandemic-delayed season. Miami’s home opener against Baltimore was postponed as was Tuesday’s finale of the two-game series at Marlins Park. Also postponed was the Yankees’ series opener Monday at Philadelphia, where New York would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.