Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) A settlement was announced Monday between LA City Attorney Mike Feuer and a company that had touted radish paste as a protection and prevention of the COVID-19.

Koreatown-based Knature Co. Inc., which had been doing business as Insan Healing Inc., Insan Healing, and Angela Oh, sold a radish paste product, claiming it was capable of protecting against and preventing COVID-19, according to a complaint filed by the City Attorneys Office. Immediately after the lawsuit was filed, the City Attorneys office says the company took down the advertising at issue and agreed to an injunction prohibiting them from making such a claim.

Consumers were led into believing in a false COVID-19 prevention or cure might forego the steps we all need to take, from wearing masks to washing hands to physically distancing, Feuer said in a statement. In this pandemic, our residents lives depend on accurate information.

There is no known cure for COVID-19 at this time, but testing is underway for several vaccine candidates. To avoid infection, public health experts recommend wearing face coverings, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from people not from your own household, and being vigilant about hand hygiene.

The settlement requires Insan to provide give full refunds to those who bought the product and mandates a $20,000 civil penalty.

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Koreatown Company That Touted Radish Paste As COVID-19 Preventative Agrees To Refund All Purchases In Settlement - CBS Los Angeles

New statewide mask orders were issued on Wednesday by the Republican governors of Ohio and Indiana and by Minnesotas governor, a Democrat. And city officials in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore issued new, tougher new mask orders as well.

The latest mask mandates came a day after Mr. Trump, who has long resisted wearing masks and at times even disparaged them, made his most robust call for wearing them yet, urging: When you can, use a mask. Some of the nations largest retail chains, including Walmart, Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods, have also moved to require customers to wear them.

Asked if he favored such mandates, Mr. Trump said Wednesday evening that it should be up to the governors I think all are suggesting if you want to wear a mask, you wear it, he said and that he would decide over the next 24 hours whether to require masks be worn on federal properties in Washington and at the White House.

But several more governors decided the time for masks had come.

Weve got to get this virus under control, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said Wednesday as he issued a statewide mask order that will take effect Thursday evening. Wearing a mask is going to make a difference.

We all want kids to go back to school, we want to see sports, we want to see a lot of different things, we want to have more opportunities in the fall, said Mr. DeWine, who had previously ordered people only in the states hardest-hit counties to wear masks. And to do that, its very important that all Ohioans wear a mask.

Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana, a Republican, said Wednesday that he would sign an order mandating masks in most public settings beginning Monday. As we continue to monitor the data, weve seen a concerning change in some of our key health indicators, he said on Twitter. Hoosiers have worked hard to help re-open our state & we want to remain open.

In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday requiring residents to wear masks in indoor stores and other public indoor spaces beginning Saturday. Mr. Walz said that the state would distribute masks to people and businesses in underserved communities.

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Spike in U.S. Cases Far Outpaces Testing Expansion - The New York Times

Researchers say that SARS-CoV-2 is being mutated by human proteins that degrade it, although natural selection of the virus is enabling it to bounce back.

Scientists at the U.K.s University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh say their research could help in the design of vaccines to combat the virus.

In a statement, the researchers note that all organisms mutate but this is usually a random process as a result of mistakes made when DNA is copied.

In the case of SARS-CoV-2, mutation may well not be a random process and that instead humans are mutating it, as part of a defence mechanism to degrade the virus, they explain.

CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TRIAL AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY SHOWS 'ROBUST' IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE

The research is published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

After studying over 15,000 virus genomes from research projects around the world, the scientists identified 6,000 mutations.

They looked at how much each of the four letters that make up the virus' genetic code (A, C, U and G) were mutating and discovered that the virus had a very high rate of mutations generating U residues, the scientists explained. Specifically, the mutation commonly generated UU neighboring pairs, mutating from an original sequence of CU and UC.

This, they explained, is the fingerprint of the mutational profile of APOBEC (Apolipoprotein B mRNA Editing Catalytic Polypeptide-like), a human protein that can mutate viruses.

Natural selection -- survival of the fittest -- is allowing the virus to fight back against the mutational process, the researchers added.

SCOTLAND EDGES CLOSER TOWARDS 'TOTAL ELIMINATION' OF CORONAVIRUS

"I have looked at mutational profiles for many organisms and they all show some sort of bias, but I've never seen one as strong and strange as this, said lead author Professor Laurence Hurst, director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, in the statement.

The results could have implications for vaccine design.

Knowing what selection favors and disfavors in the virus is really helpful in understanding what an attenuated version should look like, said Hurst. "We suggest for example that increasing U content, as APOBEC does within our cells, would be a sensible strategy."

With 298,731 cases and 45,639 deaths, the U.K. is one of the most impacted countries by the coronavirus pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

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As of Friday morning, over 15.5 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, with over 4 million of them in the U.S.The disease has accounted for over 634,000 deaths around the world, including more than 144,000 in the U.S.

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Humans are mutating COVID-19 virus, but it is fighting back, scientists say - Fox News

Hospital braces for long haul flighting coronavirus AP Domestic

The U.S. hit the latest bleak milestone Thursday in the historic pandemic: 4 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Experts agree the number of cases is actually much greater potentially 10 times higher than what's been reported,according to federal data.

More than 143,000peoplehave died from COVID-19 in the U.S., whichleads the world for most cases and deaths.

"We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said in a Facebook Live interviewJuly 6. "And I would say, this would not be considered a wave. It was a surgeor a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline."

Where are we on a vaccine?Early success of COVID-19 vaccine candidates fuels optimism, but experts warn 'a lot has to go right'

USA TODAY has tracked the nation's successes, setbacks and major news sincethe first case was confirmed in Januaryin Washington state. Below, we break down the milestones in case and death counts:

The U.S.surpassed 4 million infections Thursday, doubling its total case count in a little more than a month.The death toll approached 144,000.

Though there's more COVID-19 testing than ever, it's created a bottleneck for labs and states bidding against each other for limited supplies. Experts said many tests become irrelevant after delayed resultsand increase the chance of the virus's spread.

In early June, cases reached 2 million, 45 days after confirmed infections surpassed1 million.

More than a dozen states and Puerto Rico saw cases spike at a faster rate in summer months.Experts said the unexpected uptick in cases could be due to lifting restrictions, isolated outbreaks and the virus catching up to communities that had not been affected.

On May 13, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed the national curve flattening. Starting May 18, several states began to lift their restrictions,then Memorial Day saw more travel, busy beaches and pool parties.

The result: Deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 100,000.

According to polls, half of Americans said they were unsure they would get avaccine.

Over the course of four months, the U.S.reached 1 million cases and more than 50,000 deaths.Experts cautioned the number of cases was probably much higherbecause not all people infected by the coronavirus were tested.

"The million (cases) is clearly way under what the actual number will be because of all the issues of testing and all the people with mild symptoms that havent been tested," said Dr. Steven Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

John Hopkins University tracking found the U.S. had the 33rd-highest mortality rate out of the 134 countries.

For the first time, 1,000 people died in a single day, bringing the national death toll above 5,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Two days later,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its guidance advising Americans to not wear face masks tosave them for medical professionals. President Donald Trump said the new guidance to wear face masks was voluntary:"I don't think I'm going to be doing it," he said. The mask guidance came as research revealed that asymptotic people spread the disease without knowing they had it.

Unemployment rates hit record highs at the end of March and early April.

A day after the U.S. became the world's most-infected nation, the country passed 100,000 cases and had more than 1,000 deaths.

Trump signed the largest relief package in U.S. history, promising $1,200 checks to eligible Americans and additional amounts for families. The package includedhundreds of billions of dollars of support for companies to keep a payroll during the pandemic.

Trump announced a ban on travelers from Europe, and U.S. cases jumped from 100 to more than 1,000ineight days.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic."We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said in a statement.

The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reportedJan. 21 soon after the CDC began implementing health screenings in airports. China had 548 confirmed cases, and South Korea had one. A few weeks later, two people died, on Feb. 6 and 17, and tests done in April determined they were positive for the coronavirus.

Contributing: Grace Hauck, Adrianna Rodriguez,Jayne O'Donnell and Ken Alltucker

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US hits 4 million cases of COVID-19: A look at the milestones and setbacks - USA TODAY

DUBLIN, July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Impact of COVID-19 on the World's Automotive Industry, 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The aim of this study is to assess the growth impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global automotive industry.

Key Issues Addressed

The mushrooming coronavirus outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency in late January. The coronavirus outbreak isn't just a massive health crisis; it's an economic one as well. If the pandemic is not contained to a large extent by April, the drop in consumer demands and industrial production could potentially push the global economy into a recession in 2020.

The coronavirus outbreak has heavily impacted the manufacturing industry. OEMs and parts suppliers have yet to return to full production capacity. Consequent delays in delivery might impact the market at multiple levels from postponed new car model launches, shattered supply chains, financially drained SMEs, and dampened vehicle sales in Q1, 2020. The effects will spill over into Q2 as well, with unfulfilled order deliveries due to ongoing production slowdowns. This situation is set to exacerbate the numerous challenges already facing the auto industry, including tougher CO2 emissions standards and higher investments in new technologies. The study sheds light on the impact of the pandemic on the global light vehicle production of global OEMs across key regions such as NA, Europe, APAC, China and India in three different scenarios.

As the effects of the pandemic start to wane and the industry begins to recover, OEMs will explore various options to drawback consumers and offset the drop in sales. The study deals with the impact across different regions and the top global OEMs. OEM wise impact analysis across different regions based on sales and production dependency along with forecast in various post-COVID-19 scenarios have been covered in the study.

The study also covers the impact of the pandemic and new opportunities created on other mobility verticals such as shared mobility, electric vehicles, connectivity solutions, aftermarket, and vehicle leasing. The study highlights the unit shipments and growth rates across different verticals along with opportunity areas in each of these verticals. Personal mobility modes will make a strong comeback. The demand for micro-mobility solutions, in particular, will surge. Micro-mobility solutions are easy-to-use and ideal in congested city environments. In the current context of COVID-19, these single or double seaters, like mopeds and scooters, offer riders better control over their health & wellness. Automakers are likely, therefore, to explore the potential of this sector as they attempt to draw up blueprints for a post-corona virus scenario.

Companies are stepping up to the challenge created by the coronavirus outbreak. They are supporting governments in developing and supplying various health and wellness solutions, which has been covered in the study as well. This massive crisis is going to change the outlook for auto manufactures in the near future as the focus is likely to shift towards health and wellness solutions in vehicles.

The study includes a comprehensive scenario-based analysis centered on the current world scenario on key industries like Automotive across various markets to enable clients to survive the present to thrive in the future. At the same time, we recognize it is important for our followers to remain on top of their strategic initiatives.

Strategic Imperatives

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recession like global economic slowdown has left governments and markets stumbling in directionless chaos and uncertainty. In the midst of a lurking global recession catalyzed by the uncontrolled spread of the Coronavirus, companies, and leaders invariably fall short of prompt decision making subsequently missing out on potential opportunities during such times of great distress. Therefore a comprehensive scenario-based analysis was conducted, centered on the current world scenario on key industries like Automotive across various markets to enable clients to survive the present to thrive in the future.

Key Topics Covered

1. Impact to Automotive Industry - Executive Summary

2. Research Scope and Segmentation

3. Changing Business & Economic Scenario

4. Impact Analysis on Global Light Vehicle Production

5. Impact Analysis of Vehicle Manufacturers

6. Identifying Growth Opportunities by Automotive Verticals

7. Identifying Growth Opportunities in Electric Vehicles

8. Growth Opportunities

9. Key Takeaways - Risk Mitigation Strategies on Road to Recovery

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/upzoz5

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for the Automotive Industry, 2020 - Best Practices and Recommendations for Business Survival - PRNewswire

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

The total number of confirmed cases around the world has surpassed another grim milestone, breaching the 15 million mark in the past 24 hours. Data from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine show the death toll has now passed 623,000.

Switzerland has added more countries to its coronavirus hot-spot list, bringing the number to 42. Visitors from listed countries must go into quarantine for 10-days or face a fine of over $10,000.

Hong Kong has made face masks compulsory in all indoor spaces and on public transport. It reported 113 new coronavirus cases on 22 July, a single-day record.

COVID-19 has caused the UK to shrink its international aid budget by $3.7 billion. The countrys foreign minister said the UK would still meet its international development commitments.

The South Korean economy is in recession. GDP fell by 2.9% year-on-year, while exports sank to a 57-year low, the BBC reports.

In India, the annual Shri Amarnathji Yatra pilgrimage has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. The Hindustan Times describes the Amarnath cave temple as one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism.

From 1 August, travel restrictions are being eased in Qatar. Visitors, citizens and permanent residents will be able to travel in and out of the country, Al Jazeera says.

2. Report: True COVID-19 death toll in South Africa could be greater

South Africa has been hit harder by the pandemic than any other African country. It has recorded 394,948 confirmed cases and 5,940 deaths.

But a new report suggests the death toll from COVID-19 could be even higher.

The South African Medical Research Council found by the second week of July, there were 59% more deaths from natural causes than would have been expected based on historical data.

South Africa has had the most cases of COVID-19 in Africa.

Image: Statista

3. WHO: Don't expect first COVID-19 vaccinations until early 2021

Early indications from coronavirus vaccine trials are broadly positive. But Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme, has urged caution.

Dont expect a vaccine to become widely available until 2021, he warned during an event broadcast on social media. Realistically it is going to be the first part of next year before we start seeing people getting vaccinated, he said.

Hes not alone in warning that the world may have to be patient. Thomas Lingelbach, chief executive of the biotech company Valneva, told Sky News: "We are trying to bring a 10-year development cycle into 10 months. I hope that some will be faster but I don't expect personally that we're going to see major supplies before the middle of next year.

The US government has pledged to spend $1.95 billion buying 100 million doses of a potential vaccine being jointly developed by the US and Germany. The doses will be given to US citizens free-of-charge, the Financial Times reports.

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What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 23 July - World Economic Forum

Banner image: Researchers from the BioFrontiers Institute at CU Boulder have developed a saliva-based COVID-19 test which changes colors, from pink to yellow, when it is positive. Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder

CU Boulder researchers have developed a rapid, portable, saliva-based COVID-19 test able to return results in 45 minutes. Such a test might eventually be deployable in community settings like schools and factories, and efforts are underway to conduct further validation testsand seek regulatory approval.

We are facing a serious testing shortage in this country right now as more people want to get tested and diagnostics labs are overwhelmed, said Nicholas Meyerson, a postdoctoral associate in the Sawyer Lab at the BioFrontiers Institute at CU Boulder. Weve developed a test that could get results to people much faster.

Research assistant Kyle Clark demonstrates how a user would deposita saliva sample for a new COVID-19 test. Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder

The test, described in a preprint manuscript posted Friday on the online archive MedRxiv.org, is designed for widespread screening to help identify asymptomatic individuals. Research shows people infected with the virus but with no obvious symptoms make up as many as 70% of cases and can still spread disease. In this new test, a user spits in a tube, adds a solution to stabilize it then closes the lid and hands it off to testing staff. They process it through a simple system requiring little more than pipettes, a heating source and an enzyme mixture.

If the sample turns from pink to yellow, the test is positive. If it doesnt, its negative.

Because no swabs are required, and no fancy equipment is needed, the tests are less vulnerable to backlogs and supply chain shortages, the researchers say.

Every test that has been approved to date requires that the sample, even if its saliva, be processed in a clinical diagnostic lab or at a doctors office, using sophisticated equipment. That can take up to nine days right now, said Professor Sara Sawyer, a virologist in the Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology who led the development of the test.

The test is based on a 20-year-old technology known as reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) previously used, for instance, to screen mosquitoes for the Zika virus in remote regions of South America.

Once a sample is collected, it is heated to liberate any viral genome present in the test liquid. This sample is then added to three tubes, each containing a custom enzyme mixture which, when heated to a certain temperature, undergoes a chemical reaction when the genetic material from SARS-CoV-2 is detected. Thats the virus that causes COVID-19.

In one experiment described in the paper, the researchers conducted what is known as a contrived clinical validation. One researcher spiked 30 out of 60 saliva samples with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in the lab. Then they shuffled the samples and gave them to another scientist to test with the RT-LAMP technology.

The test predicted with 100% accuracy all of the negative samples, and 29 of 30 positive samples were predicted accurately, said Meyerson, noting that the 30th test was scored as inconclusive. Additional second-party validation tests are currently underway.

The authors note that the test is slightly less sensitive than those performed in clinical labs. But a separate computer modeling study, also by researchers at the BioFrontiers Institute, found that quick turnaround for testing is even more critical to curbing the pandemic than test sensitivity is.

Our modeling showed that whether a test is sensitive or super-sensitive is not that important, said BioFrontiers Director Roy Parker, co-author of that paper, which has not yet been peer reviewed. What is important is frequent testing, with the test results returned as fast as possible, which identifies more infected people faster and can limit new infections.

Ideally, the team sees the test as a triaging tool.

Molecular, cellular and developmental biology graduate student Quing Yang examines samples in the Sawyer Lab. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder)

The research team, in cooperation with Venture Partners at CU Boulder, has created a spinoff company, Darwin Biosciences, to commercialize the test. The test has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration yet, but the team has submitted paperwork via the agency'sEmergency Use Authorization program. The team isalso working with the stateto carry out further validation tests locally and, pending those results, expedite regulatory clearance for use in Colorado.

"We are very excited and applaud the scientists at the University of Colorado," said Governor Jared Polis, during a press briefing on Thursday.

The company is also working on a rapid, do-it-yourself test for infectious diseases, known as SickStick, which is based on a different technology and packaged much like an at-home pregnancy test. It hopes to make it available via retail outlets someday.

While we are all very optimistic about a coronavirus vaccine, scientists have been working on an HIV vaccine for 30 years without success, said Sawyer. Meantime, the HIV pandemic showed us that pervasive testing can make a big difference.

Originally posted here:

New COVID-19 test returns results in 45 minutes, without nasal swab - CU Boulder Today

In just a few short months, the world as we know it has been threatened and transformed by a global pandemic a pandemic that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and devastated the economies of countries across the globe.

Our nation has faced significant challenges before, and we have always risen to the occasion and prevailed. Its the American way. I remain confident about our resilience in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and much of this confidence arises from legislation that I co-authored in 1980 with my former colleague the late, great senator from Indiana, Birch Bayh.

The Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act commonly known as the Bayh-Dole Act helped set the stage for the public-private partnerships that are essential to developing a vaccine and effective treatments against the novel coronavirus. Several of the vaccines and therapeutics currently in development likely wouldnt exist without this legislation. According to Bloomberg Law, The most promising COVID-19 treatments and vaccines being explored right now were made possible because of Bayh-Dole.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act. We introduced the legislation because we knew neither government nor industry alone had the intellectual capacity or the resources to develop and produce the kind of innovations that lead to life-saving cures and transformative technologies. As Sen. Bayh and I wrote years ago in a joint op-ed, The purpose of our Act was to spur the interaction between public and private research so that patients would receive the benefits of innovative science sooner.

Many research institutions and universities are responsible for the kind of foundational discoveries and inventions that ultimately lead to innovative new cures and products. But it takes a massive investment and additional research and development by the private sector to bring these innovations to market. For every dollar the government spends, industry spends 10 to 100 times that amount.

Before Bayh-Dole, the government retained ownership of patents resulting from federally funded research. That meant private firms had no incentive to partner with research institutions or commercialize their inventions. As a result, very few discoveries made it from the lab to market.

Prior to the law, the government licensed just 5 percent of the 28,000 patents it retained, and few were developed into commercial products. By allowing universities to manage inventions made with government funding, Bayh-Dole paved the way for academic institutions to take the lead in turning their research into real, usable products and did so without creating any new bureaucracy or spending taxpayer dollars.

In 1980, few could foresee that our legislation would help spur the development of a children's vaccine for rotavirus, quantum computing, the nicotine patch, FluMis, and transformative companies such as Google. Thanks in part to Bayh-Dole, three new companies are launched and two new products are brought to market every day, on average. The law has also jump-started many small businesses 70 percent of university licenses are issued to startups and small companies. To date, the Bayh-Dole Act has bolstered U.S. economic output by $1.7 trillion, supported 5.9 million jobs, and led to more than 13,000 startup companies.

Today, Bayh-Dole is helping facilitate the development of COVID-19 therapies.

For instance, Moderna the small company in Massachusetts that is about to begin phase 3 clinical trials with its vaccine candidate counts patent licenses from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania in its intellectual property portfolio.

I was humbled when The Economist called Bayh-Dole possibly the most inspired piece of legislation to be enacted in America over the past half-century. More than anything, this single policy measure helped to reverse America's precipitous slide into industrial irrelevance.

Sen. Bayh and I partnered in a bipartisan manner to enact this important legislation, and I give him the majority of the credit for his vision and leadership. I am confident that he would join me in urging our present-day leaders to rise above partisan political bickering and work together to defeat this virus. Innovation will be the key, and I remain optimistic and proud that our legacy legislation may play a small role in a victory for millions and millions around the world.Bob Dole is a former Republican presidential nominee and Senate majority leader who served in Congress for 35 years.

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Innovation is key to defeating COVID-19 - Roll Call

Dogs have smell receptors up to 10,000 times more powerful and accurate than humans. That allows certain trained dogs to sniff out diseases like cancer,malaria and viral infections.

Now, according to German researchers, trained dogs can sniff out coronavirus infections.

A newstudy, which was piloted by theUniversity of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, the Hannover Medical School and the German Armed Forces found that, if properly trained, dogs were able to discriminate between human saliva samples infected with SARS-CoV-2 and non-infected samples with a 94% success rate overall.

The hope is this method of detection could be one day be used in public areas such as airports, sporting events and other mass gatherings (in addition to laboratory testing) to help prevent future Covid-19 outbreaks, according to researchers.

To conduct the study, researchers trained eight dogs from Germany's Armed Forces for one week. The trained dogs sniffed the saliva of more than 1,000 people that were either healthy or infected with the virus. Samples infected with Covid-19 were distributed at random and neither the dog handlers nor the researchers on site knew which ones were positive.

In a YouTubevideo about the project,Maren von Koeckritz-Blickwede, a professor at the university, who conducted the study, says they think dogs are able to do this because the metabolic processes of an infected person "completely change."

"We think that the dogs are able to detect a specific smell of the metabolic changes that occur in those patients," she says.

While more research is still needed, Von Koeckritz-Blickwede says the next step is to train dogs to differentiate Covid-19 samples from other diseases like influenza.

According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, while dogs can get infected with Covid-19, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus.

The study was published inBMC Infectious Diseaseson July 23.

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Trained dogs were able to sniff out Covid-19 infections with 94% accuracy: study - CNBC

The reason is simple: the US is experiencing a surge in cases, with states such as Florida, Texas and California reporting thousands of new confirmed cases in recent weeks.

Adm. Brett Giroir, an official on the White House coronavirus task force, said on Monday there was "no question we are having a surge right now."

But while President Donald Trump, his allies and some Republican governors have pointed to increased testing as the reason, others have rightly pointed out that hospitalizations are not the result of testing, as testing does not send people to the hospital.

Only a serious illness like Covid-19 would do that.

"As rates of testing increase, we also are seeing increases in three other key indicators that suggest we are seeing a real increase in Covid infections," said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. She cited hospitalization rates, positivity rates, and deaths, which are now increasing in 26 states.

Here's how the coronavirus is affecting hospitals in areas where it is spreading.

Hospitalizations in Florida

There are more than 9,500 people hospitalized in Florida and least 53 hospitals in 27 counties said they had no more beds in their ICUs, according to AHCA data.

Statewide, ICU bed availability stands at 15.98% -- that's "available adult ICU beds," according to AHCA data. On Monday, the available ICU bed count was 18.1%.

For comparison, in New York City, where the pandemic first took hold in the US, officials reported a positivity rate of just 2%.

Hospitalizations in California

California was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order on March 18.

Less than a month later, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said residents had "bent the curve," and the state started to phase out the early stages of its reopening plan in May.

Now, Los Angeles County has surpassed its record for daily hospitalizations for the fourth time in just the past week alone, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director.

Statewide, hospitalization rates and those in the intensive care unit are again reaching highs with increases of 1.9% and 0.7% respectively, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Meanwhile, California's positivity rate over the past two weeks stands at 7.5%, which is slightly under the state's goal of remaining below 8%, according to CDPH data. More than 6.5 million tests have been performed to date.

"We opened up too soon," Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at the University of California Los Angeles, told CNN. "We didn't have the virus totally under control."

California is fast approaching New York in total number of confirmed cases, and at this rate, could easily surpass New York to have the highest number of confirmed cases in the US.

"Whatever is done, states experiencing these increases in severe illness and with health care facilities under siege need help and a plan B, because plan A, reopening with lukewarm or no adherence to masks or social distancing clearly did not work," Marrazzo said.

Hospitalizations in Texas

Hospitals in Texas are facing an unprecedented wave of hospitalizations -- it is the only state in the US currently with more than 10,000 hospitalizations.

While that number is still comparably low to the record 18,825 hospitalized in New York during the peak of the pandemic, there are fears it could potentially be matched or surpassed at its current rate.

On Monday, President Trump acknowledged that the state, along with Florida, was dealing with a "flare up" in cases.

It's not the second wave -- it's the first

Officials and experts have long warned the public about bracing for a second wave, but the first wave has not truly ended and the spread of the virus has not even remotely been contained, some experts say.

"Some places never experienced an end of a first wave -- certainly in the South, we never really got below a baseline level since April," Marrazzo said. "A real second wave to me would be if someplace that has truly controlled spread, like New York or Connecticut, had another surge."

Marrazzo believes that the surge in hospitalizations can be attributed to one simple thing: The uncontrolled and sustained spread of infection in the community. Until the spread of the virus is contained, the rate of hospitalizations will continue to remain high.

"None of those currently experiencing these worrisome trends ever fulfilled the criteria laid out by the task force, which included a sustained downtrend in the percent positive tests for at least 2 weeks," Marrazzo said.

At least 27 states in the US have paused or rolled back their reopening plans due to the rising rates of infections. The math is simple: more infections will lead to more hospitalizations.

CNN's Ryan Browne, Erica Henry, Randi Kaye, Jason Kravarik, Christina Maxouris, Sarah Moon, Jenn Selva, Sara Sidner, Naomi Thomas, Ben Tinker and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

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After falling for months, Covid-19 hospitalizations in the US are nearing April's peak - CNN