The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 621,000 people worldwide and over 15.1 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
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Coronavirus updates: South sees record daily death toll for 2nd straight day
By Jon Haworth, Emily Shapiro & Meredith Deliso
July 22, 2020
The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 621,000 people worldwide.
Over 15.1 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations' outbreaks.
The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 3.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 143,147 deaths.
Latest headlines:
- California sees highest number of daily cases ever
- South sets record for deaths on 2nd-straight day
- Ohio makes masks mandatory, issues travel advisory
- Arizona educators, grocery store workers can get free antibody testing
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
10:19 p.m.: Southwest to require masks for everyone over 2 years old
Southwest Airlines announced it will require all passengers over the age of 2 to wear a face mask on board.
The airline added that there will be no exceptions. Other airlines have allowed those with certain health concerns to not wear a mask.
"If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual," the company said in a statement. "In those cases, we hope the Customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes."
The policy will go into effect on July 27.
9:19 p.m.: White House cafeterias shut down due to positive test
White House staff were informed Wednesday night that two of the campus' cafeterias have been shut down after an individual that works in the facilities tested positive for COVID, sources confirm to ABC News.
The two cafeterias are not within the White House itself, but instead in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and New Executive Office Building.
"There's no reason for panic or alarm," the email, as described to ABC News, reads. It adds that staff in both facilities have been wearing masks and gloves. The email goes on to say that the White House Medical Unit has already performed contact tracing and sees no need for any White House campus staff to self-quarantine.
The White House has already had staffers test positive in the past, including the vice president's press secretary.
9:03 p.m.: LA County not planning to roll back any more reopenings
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that at present there are no plans to close any more businesses or shut down activities.
The threat level, he said, remains at orange -- the second-highest level -- and is not moving to red.
Positivity rate in the county has decreased from 13.6% last week to 10% this week, the first decline in weeks.
But Garcetti also reiterated that it's too early tell what effect the recent rollbacks have had until next week or so.
"We will always have our finger on the dimmer switch and we are not afraid to use it," he said.
There were 64 new deaths and 3,266 cases reported in the county on Wednesday.
7:39 p.m.: South sees record COVID-19 deaths
The South had a record number of COVID-19 fatalities for the second day in a row, according to the latest data from The COVID Tracking Project.
There were 725 deaths reported in the region, up from 592 the day before, accounting for 65% of new fatalities in the U.S. The West had 24%, with 264; the Midwest 9% with 104; and the Northeast 2% with 26.
The South set a new record for deaths across the region yesterday at 592. Today, the South reported 725 deaths. pic.twitter.com/PKMIqJ6PsV
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 22, 2020
The South accounted for nearly 60% of new cases in the U.S. on Wednesday, with 39,812, according to the project.
7:04 p.m.: Trump says he's 'comfortable' with son, grandchildren attending school in-person
President Donald Trump said he would be "comfortable" with his son and grandchildren returning to school in person at his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday.
"I am comfortable with that," he said in response to a question from ABC News' Jon Karl. Trump has 10 grandchildren, and his youngest son, Barron, is 14.
In response to the concern that children could reinfect their grandparents and others at home, Trump said that children "don't transmit very easily," and that "we're studying, Jon, very hard, that particular subject."
Soon after the briefing, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx appeared on Fox News and -- when asked whether what Trump said was true -- noted that while one South Korean study suggested it was, more research was needed.
"There's still open questions there, and that's why the president concluded with, 'we're studying this very hard,'" she said.
6:45 p.m.: Texas death toll, hospitalizations hit new highs
Texas reported a record number of COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations on Wednesday.
There were nearly 200 new deaths -- 197 -- in the state, for a total of 4,348.
COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 10,893 on Wednesday, marking nearly two weeks with the number of hospitalized patients above 10,000 each day.
4:20 p.m.: Masks required at NFL games
Fans will be required to wear masks at NFL games this season, Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, tweeted Wednesday.
For those wondering, yes, it is league-wide: fans at NFL games this season will be required to wear face coverings pic.twitter.com/D139KGKQ4r
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) July 22, 2020
Capacity at games, or if fans are allowed to attend at all, is left up to each team.
New York's Giants and Jets said Monday they will play in front of empty stands.
3:30 p.m.: California sees highest number of daily cases ever
California reported 12,807 new cases in the last 24 hours – its highest number ever for one day.
PHOTO: Hairstylist Travis Vu gives a haircut to Minh Dao at his outdoor hair salon in Fountain Valley, Calif., July 22, 2020.
The state's seven-day positivity rate is now at 7.6% and is rising, which Gov. Gavin Newsom called a concern.
California has now surpassed New York to have the nation's highest number of COVID-19 cases.
Thirty-five of California's 58 counties are now on the watch list which means they must shut down indoor services like barbershops and movie theaters.
3:05 p.m.: Ohio makes masks mandatory, issues travel advisory
In Ohio, masks will be mandatory as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday, as he announced that the state reached its second-highest daily new case count.
Those under 10 years old are exempt from the mask order.
Indiana and Minnesota also issued mandatory mask orders on Wednesday.
DeWine on Wednesday also announced a travel advisory for people coming into Ohio from states where positivity rates are 15% are higher.
Those traveling to Ohio from these states must self-quarantine for two weeks: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho.
"Trips to states where there are high positivity rates, such as South Carolina and Florida, are leading to outbreaks here in Ohio," DeWine tweeted.
"A few weeks ago, we talked about a group of 45 students who traveled to Myrtle Beach [in South Carolina] together from Belmont County [in Ohio]," DeWine tweeted. "16 people initially tested positive for COVID19. Today, we know that 28 travelers have tested positive."
2:50 p.m.: CDC changes guidance on isolating adults with COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday updated its guidance on how long adults with COVID-19 should isolate.
The goal is "limiting unnecessary prolonged isolation" and "unnecessary use of laboratory testing resources," the CDC said.
Most people with COVID-19 can stop isolating 10 days after symptoms began, the CDC said. Symptoms must be improved and a fever must be resolved for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medicines, the CDC said.
Those who never develop symptoms can stop isolating 10 days after the date of their first positive test.
"A limited number of persons with severe illness may produce replication-competent virus beyond 10 days that may warrant extending duration of isolation and precautions for up to 20 days after symptom onset," the CDC said.
2 p.m.: Arizona educators, grocery store workers can get free antibody testing
Arizona's educators, grocery store workers and child care workers are among the essential workers who are now eligible for free COVID-19 antibody testing, the University of Arizona said Wednesday.
This expansion of the state's free testing comes after a "significant increase in the number of Arizonans who have been exposed to COVID-19" -- and essential workers are "considered at high risk for exposure," the university said.
Also among those now eligible are: agriculture and food service workers; hospitality employees; solid waste collection workers; National Guard members; and transportation services workers.
Health care workers and first responders will continue to have access to the free testing, the university said.
1:25 p.m.: WHO warns vaccines are never '100% effective'
"Vaccines are never 100% effective," World Health Organization (WHO) emergencies chief Dr. Mike Ryan said on Wednesday.
"So the idea that we're going to have a (COVID-19) vaccine in 2-3 months, and then all of a sudden this virus is going to go away ... I would love to be here saying that to you, but that's just not realistic," he said.
As of Tuesday, there are 24 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluation, the WHO said.
Ryan said developing a COVID-19 vaccine will take time and that every precaution will be made to ensure that it is safe and effective.
But he warns that it'll take time to see how effective the vaccine will be, and how long protection will last.
Vaccines generate immunity in "most" people, Ryan said, pointing to the measles vaccine as an example of a "highly effective" vaccine the provides immunity to approximately 95% of people.
"We don't know where we are with this," he said of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
Ryan added, "There is so much we can do now, and it will be so much easier to get rid of this virus using a vaccine if we've already suppressed it," he said, citing wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
"It's easier to beat your opponent, when you have exhausted your opponent," Ryan said. "Work as hard as we can now, and work as hard as we can on the vaccine, and put the two together."
12:40 p.m.: Masks now mandatory in DC
Masks are now mandatory in Washington, D.C. as the district sees a rise in cases, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday.
Bowser said exceptions will include actively eating and drinking, vigorous exercise that respects social distancing, or being alone in an enclosed office. Children under 3 years old are exempt.
Bowser also said that she will extend a state of emergency order in the District that was set to expire by the end of July.
12:05 p.m.: Miami Beach to issue fines for not wearing a mask
As COVID-19 surges in Florida, those not wearing face coverings in public spots of Miami Beach will be fined $50 beginning on Thursday, officials said.
"We all need to be serious about flattening the curve and putting this deadly virus behind us," Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement Wednesday. "Please do your part and wear a mask."
11:30 a.m.: Florida has 4 counties with no ICU beds
In hard-hit Florida, just 15% of the state's adult ICU beds were available Wednesday morning, according to the state's Agency for Healthcare Administration.
Four counties -- Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa and Putnam -- had no available ICU beds, the agency said.
These numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day as hospitals and medical centers provide updates.
Florida's positivity rate was 10.55% as of Wednesday morning.
The state now has 379,619 total cases and 5,458 fatalities.
10:35 a.m.: California is now the state with the most coronavirus cases
California has surpassed New York's number of coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.
As of Wednesday morning, California had over 409,000 cases, while New York had over 408,000.
California's positivity rate and hospitalization rates are trending upward in the two-week average, according to the state.
Meanwhile, New York's positivity rate was just 1.29% Tuesday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Thirty-one states -- including California -- are on New York's travel advisory list. Those traveling from the 31 high-case states must quarantine for two weeks when arriving in New York.
9:40 a.m.: Coronavirus cases rising in kids
Coronavirus cases in children is steadily rising and nearing the level of patients 65 or older, according to internal FEMA memos obtained by ABC News. Children ages 12 to 17 appear to become infected at a higher rate than younger kids.
The memos also outlined coronavirus problems that specific states are facing.
In South Carolina, the test-positivity rate is above 15% and rising, the memos said.
Charleston, Horry and Greenville counties reported the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks, representing 38.4% of new cases in the state, the memo said.
In the Las Vegas, Nevada, area, fatalities are on the rise, particularly among residents older than 65 with underlying health conditions, the memos said.
Out of 38 acute-care hospitals, six reported experiencing critical staffing shortages, while another six hospitals anticipate critical staffing shortages in the next week, the memos said.
Louisiana is experiencing "broad community spread" across the state. East Baton Rouge, Calcasieu and Jefferson parishes had the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks and represent 26.5% of new cases, the memos said.
Lafayette and Lake Charles are reporting a significant lack of testing supplies, the memos said.
8:25 a.m.: CDC director 'absolutely' would send his grandkids back to school
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), called masks the "most powerful tool" against the coronavirus.
"This is the greatest public health crisis that our nation has faced in more than a century," Redfield told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "If all Americans would embrace that [masks] as part of their personal responsibility to confront this outbreak, we could actually have a very significant impact on the outbreak that we're seeing across the country in the next four, six, eight, 10, 12 weeks."
But when it comes to the idea of a national mask mandate, Redfield said, "the issue is how to motivate all Americans to do that."
"Some governors have done it, obviously with mandates. Other governors have done it through example. I think our key is just to let the American public know how important this is," he said.
As the new school year nears, Redfield said he would "absolutely" be comfortable with his grandchildren heading back to their classrooms. Redfield added he only may have "some reservation" about his grandson with cystic fibrosis, "depending on how he could be accommodated in the school."
"I think it's really important to get our schools open," he said. "It's not public health versus opening the schools or the economy -- it's public health versus public health. I think there really are a number of negative public health consequences that have happened to our K-12 [students] by having schools closed."
"So it's so important now to work together with school districts to figure out how they can take our guidelines and operationalize them in a practical way and to do it in a way that is safe," he continued.
5:11 a.m.: France says it has 208 active clusters of COVID-19 across the country
France has 208 currently active coronavirus outbreaks as of Tuesday, according to the General Directorate of Health, which notes that "the circulation of the virus is increasing."
Since May 9, 547 grouped cases -- or clusters -- have been detected but 339 have been closed, said the Directorate General of Health.
At least 6,482 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, including 455 patients in intensive care.
Just four regions in the country -- Ile de France, Grand-Est, Hauts-de-France and Guyana -- account for 70% of patients in intensive care.
Elsewhere, in overseas territories owned by France, there are a total of 202 hospitalizations, including 34 in intensive care.
Since the start of the pandemic, 106,296 people have been hospitalized in the country and 79,734 people have returned home.
A total of 30,165 people have died so far in France, including 19,649 people in hospitals and 10,516 in nursing and care homes.
4:50 a.m.: Prime Minister hopes Russian coronavirus vaccine will be available in fall
The Russian authorities are hoping to receive a reliable domestic coronavirus vaccine in the fall, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.
"I do hope that we will receive our own Russian reliable vaccine against coronavirus in the fall," Mishustin said in the State Duma on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the number of reported new infections in the country remained below 6,000 for the third day in a row.
Russia confirmed 5,862 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the country's official number of cases to 789,190.
Over the past 24 hours 165 people have died, making the total death toll in the country 12,745.
A total of 9,669 people recovered over the last 24 hours, which brought the overall number of recoveries to 572,053.
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