Category: Corona Virus

Clemson announced on Friday that 28 student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 among 315 players and coaches tested since the to return to campus earlier this month. The school says that the athletes are from football, men's basketball, volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer. However, according to The Athletic, 23 of those 28 positive tests are within the football team.

The school says that most of the cases have been asymptomatic and none of the players have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus. Athletes who have tested positive will be isolated for at least 10 days, and people who have been in close contact with those individuals are being asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. The Athletic reported that voluntary summer workouts will not be shut down due to the positive tests.

Clemson started its return to campus on June 1.

There has been an increase in positive COVID-19 cases across the country over the last two weeks as student-athletes have returned to campus. Texas reported on Thursday that 13 players have tested positive for COVID-19 and Houston shut down its preseason conditioning after six players recorded symptomatic positive tests.

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the world since the beginning of January, killing more than 450,000 people and infecting more than 8.5 million. It has caused the cancelation of college football spring practices, the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments and other major sporting events. It also interrupted NBA and NHL seasons, delayed the start of the MLB season and postponed The Masters and Kentucky Derby to the fall.

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Clemson football has 23 players test positive for the coronavirus after return to campus, per report - CBS Sports

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Friday marked the biggest single-day increase in coronavirus cases reported in Utah, with state health officials tallying 586 new diagnoses.

The new record continues a trend of an elevated number of cases; only one day in the past 10 brought fewer than 300 new diagnoses in Utah. And its been 23 days since the state saw fewer than 200 new cases a day.

Gov. Gary Herbert, in a tweet Friday afternoon, said, Utahs case counts concern me. State officials, he added, are monitoring hospital capacity in our densely populated counties. Their risk status has not changed.

Herbert also repeated his plea that Utahns continue to keep safe by wearing face coverings, keeping our distance, and practicing excellent hygiene.

The states COVID-19 community task force, in a thread on its Twitter account warned Friday, We are at risk for overwhelming our hospital capacity, which could keep Utahns from getting the medical care they need.

The task forces Twitter thread called Fridays case count sobering, and quoted Dr. Angela Dunn, the states epidemiologist, who said, We are experiencing a real and dramatic rise in the spread of COVID-19 across our state.

There were 149 coronavirus patients hospitalized in Utah as of Friday, down one patient from Thursday, the Utah Department of Health reported. In total, 1,145 Utahns have been hospitalized, with 25 new patients reported since Thursday.

The previous daily record for new cases was on June 6, when the state reported 546. Almost 48% of Fridays new cases, 280, were from Salt Lake County, which has seen just over half of the total cases since the pandemic began.

Utahs most populous county has slightly more than a third of the states population but the high number of nursing homes and long-term care facilities is one reason Salt Lake County has a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases.

The rising number of new cases in Utah is consistent with trends in several other states; nationwide, the number of newly diagnosed cases per day has grown from about 21,400 two weeks ago to 23,200 this week, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.

Deaths per day are dropping nationwide but rising in states like Arizona, Florida and Texas, where restrictions were lifted relatively early in the pandemic, the AP found.

Utah health officials on Friday announced three new fatalities from COVID-19, bringing Utahs death toll to 155. The deaths include:

There were 4,673 tests reported since Thursday. In total, 287,358 Utahns have been tested for the coronavirus and 16,425 received positive results. Of them, 9,113 are considered recovered that is, they have survived for three weeks after being diagnosed.

Herbert signed an executive order Friday, one he announced Thursday, moving nine rural counties with low populations from the low-risk yellow safety designation to the so-called new normal, or green, category.

The counties are: Beaver, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Millard, Piute, Uintah and Wayne counties.

Sparsely populated Kane County was moved to green last week. The rest of the state remains at yellow, except for the states biggest city, Salt Lake City, which is at the moderate-risk orange category.

Meanwhile, University of Utah health facilities now require masks to be worn by all who enter.

To ensure the safety of patients, visitors, and staff, everyone entering U of U Health hospitals and clinics must wear a face covering or mask, university officials said in a news release.

The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise] the use of cloth masks to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of transmission, it noted. Individuals are also asked to physical distance by keeping 6 feet from others, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, frequently wash their hands, and stay home if sick.

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Coronavirus cases spike in Utah, with Friday's increase the biggest yet - Salt Lake Tribune

Masks really do decrease your risk of catching the virus, but only if they securely cover your nose and mouth.

NEW ORLEANS Now that places are reopening, there is optimism. Some people are getting back to work. Others are happy to have a place to go and socialize. And we know you dont want to go back to strict stay at home orders. So how do we do that? Here is what weve learned so far.

First lets look at the concern. The coronavirus is not gone and a vaccine is not approved. Other states are seeing a rise.

"And the reality is, based on these trends that we're seeing, every Louisianan needs to do a real gut check on whether he or she has been slacking off when it comes to taking the proper precautions," said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

Now, there's the R0 (R Naught). It shows the reproductive index for the coronavirus. That's the probability of it multiplying in other people. The higher the number, more than 1.0, means multiple people are being infected by each single person. Lower than 1.0, means the number of cases is going down.

Louisiana's R0 was going down when people stayed home. April 26 it was 0.74. Today it is at 1.09.

So what else have we learned? Well, that masks really do decrease your risk of catching the virus, but only if they securely cover your nose and mouth. Goggles protect you too, since the virus can get in your eyes.

We've learned physical distancing of six feet or more also cuts down on transmission. We've learned that the virus is less likely to spread outdoors than indoors. You could catch it sitting downwind in the AC from an infected person. And we know that the virus can survive for hours, even days on surfaces, that is why handwashing is important.

Still, WWL-TV is getting messages from viewers like this one:

"I was out yesterday and I was in the minority of people wearing a mask. What do you think of all the networks banding together and starting a "wear your mask" campaign? Maybe get the Saints to be spokespersons?

So the advice remains the same.

"We need people to wear their masks, wash their hands, practice social distancing, stay home when they are sick," added Governor Edwards.

And now there's even new science to back all of the information up. Follow the ways doctors know we can prevent spreading and we can get back to all the people and things in life that we love.

The governor added that each of us has the power to slow the spread saying he knows we can do it because we did it before.

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Coronavirus cases are rising, but we all know how to slow the spread - WWLTV.com

There are several reasons why some Americans might refuse to wear a face mask, even in states where it is required. It could be an act of rebellion, which is not an uncommon response in times of heightened uncertainty. It could be related to ones gender, political affiliation, or because of skepticism about whether wearing masks limits the spread of the coronavirus. For people in that last camp, theres new evidence to consider.

At least 230,000 cases of coronavirus may have been prevented due to government orders requiring face masks in 15 states and the District of Columbia, according to a new study by two University of Iowa professors, Wei Lyu and George Wehby, published in Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed journal. (A second more fully edited version of the study is set to appear in the August issue of Health Affairs.)

On Thursday, California became the latest state requiring masks, issuing a state mandate that most of the states nearly 40 million residents wear face masks in public. Previously only essential-business employees had been required to wear them.

The study estimates that after 21 days after mandating facial covers in public, daily cases of coronavirus declined by 2%

The study estimated the effects of face mask mandates on the daily county-level growth rate of COVID-19 cases in states that issued face mask rules between April 1 to May 21. Researchers looked at county-level case data in these states starting on March 25, nine days before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans wear face cloth coverings in places where it is hard to maintain six feet of distance from other people.

Related: Some Americans are more likely to socially distance and wear face masks than others heres why

Based on the model the authors created, which controlled for factors such as shelter-in-place orders and the effect of other social distancing measures, we can simulate how the number of [coronavirus] cases might have changed without these mandates in place, Wehby said.

Ultimately, the study estimated that 21 days after mandating facial covers in public, daily cases of coronavirus declined by 2%. In total, that amounts to as many as 230,000 450,000 cases may have been averted due to these mandates by May 22, the study states.

New York requires all residents to wear masks in public and in places where they cant practice social distancing. But many states only require masks for essential-business employees and their patrons while on the premises. Some states only require essential employees to wear them. Meanwhile, many states dont have any mask requirements and instead just recommend that they are worn in public places.

In the case of employee-only face mask mandates, the study found no evidence of declines in daily COVID-19 growth rates.

As countries worldwide and states begin to relax social distancing restrictions and considering the high likelihood of a second COVID-19 wave in the fall/winter, requiring use of face masks in public might help in reducing COVID-19 spread, the study concludes.

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After seeing the highest daily spike in coronavirus cases, California made face masks mandatory heres why other states may want to follow its lead -...

Sheriff Lamb, a Republican who is up for election in November and is running unopposed, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday night that he believed he was infected at a campaign event on Saturday. Videos posted on YouTube by Pinal Central, a local news organization, showed Sheriff Lamb without a face mask and hugging and shaking hands with supporters under a tent in a parking lot, as hundreds of people lined up holding campaign signs.

In the interview, he walked back the assertion that the gathering was a campaign event.

That was a come and pick up a yard sign event, Sheriff Lamb said. More people showed up than I anticipated.

Asked if he thought those people may also have been exposed to the virus, Sheriff Lamb said the people came to the event on their own free will.

I think everybody understands we are all putting ourselves at risk, he said.

He said he would self-quarantine for two weeks as the health authorities traced people he had been in recent contact with. He said he did not think he got close enough to other people while renting his car to put them at risk.

He said he was taking precautionary measures during his drive back to Arizona.

I wear my mask, I stay away from people, he said. I use the sanitizer to clean the gas pump and everything.

Updated June 16, 2020

The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who dont typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the countrys largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was very rare, but she later walked back that statement.

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus whether its surface transmission or close human contact is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nations job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you arent being told to stay at home, its still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people dont need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks dont replace hand washing and social distancing.

If youve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

This spring, amid a backlash to stay-at-home orders nationwide, some protesters, businesses and church leaders defied the measures.

All 50 states have now begun to reopen. Arizonas stay-at-home order expired on May 15.

More than a month later, Arizona is seeing a sharp spike in coronavirus cases, prompting Gov. Ducey to take a stronger stance and allow local governments to require that their residents wear face masks. Previously, the state had only recommended that people wear masks, and localities were precluded from drafting more restrictive rules.

Link:

A Sheriff Who Defied Arizonas Lockdown Is Infected With the Coronavirus - The New York Times

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus around the world has now topped 8 million as the World Health Organization continues to warn that while the virus has slowed in parts of Europe it is gaining speed in other parts of the world, including parts of Africa and the Americas.

The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus,visit thelive blog from CNBC's U.S. team.

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The decision to exclude Sweden, from the lifting of travel restrictions between Nordic countries Finland, Denmark and Norway, following the coronavirus pandemic, "has created wounds that will take time to heal," the country's Foreign Minister Ann Linde told CNBC.

A decision not to implement a strict lockdown like its neighbors has meant that Sweden, which has seen a far higher number of coronavirus cases and deaths, has been left out of an easing of travel restrictions between the countries.

Minister Ann Linde said "people that have been very used to working as if there were no borders, have been given a very clear wake-up call that different nations (are being treated differently) and I think this will, in many people, create wounds that could be difficult to heal." Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a "disinfection tunnel" installed at his residence to protect him from contracting the coronavirus, Russian news agencyRia Novosti reported Tuesday.

The chamber has been installed at the president's residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, according to the news agency. Anyone entering the residence has to pass through the chamber thatuses a fine mist of disinfectant solution that covers clothing and exposed areas of the body. Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Victory Day military parade marking the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

12:48 p.m. Singapore time Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said he has been diagnosed with coronavirus and will work remotely as he is being treated, Reuters reported. He is experiencing mild symptoms and his wife and two of his aides have also been diagnosed with the disease, according to Reuters.

Honduras has confirmed 9,656 cases of coronavirus and 330 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Christine Wang

9:06 a.m. Beijing time China's capital city had gone more than 50 days without domestically transmitted cases when a new cluster of cases emerged late last week, and were traced back to a major wholesale produce market in Beijing.

As of Tuesday, China's National Health Commission reported another 31 confirmed cases of local transmission in Beijing.

The city has started to reinstate some restrictions that had been relaxed in recent weeks. While these measures are less strict than the blanket bans imposed in February, they are still likely hit economic activity again. Evelyn Cheng, Christine Wang

7:20 p.m. ETAmazon is testing a wearable device at its Seattle-area warehouse that lights up and beeps if workers aren't following social distancing rules, according a memo obtained by CNBC.

Starting Wednesday, the device will be rolled out at Amazon's Kent, Washington facility. The device is a clear plastic sleeve with a clip that features an LED light and audio system, according to a memo seen by CNBC.

When workers are too close to one another, the wearable emits a loud beeping noise and the light flashes.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the company recently began a small-scale pilot of the wearable device at one of its warehouses. The spokesperson added that the company will use feedback from teams testing the device "to continue to iterate." It comes as Amazon has also experimented with cameras equipped with social distancing software. On Tuesday, the company announced it's rolling out "Distance Assistants" at a handful of facilities across the U.S. A camera is hooked up to a monitor and a local computing device that alerts users as they walk by whether they're maintaining proper distancing.Annie Palmer

6:25 p.m. ET Dexamethasone, a steroid that one study says effectively reduced death among Covid-19 patients, is a "good first step" to finding a cocktail of drugs that can treat the disease, Oxford University professorMartin Landray told CNBC.

"It's very likely that we'll end up with a situation where a combination of drugs are used, just as we see in HIV, just as we see in heart disease, in many other areas of medicine," said Landray, who co-led the study that found the drug to improve survival among patients. "But this is the first step. It's a good first step."

The drug is cheap, widely available in most countries and appears to be effective in treating some symptoms of the disease, Landray said. He said he hopes that researchers find other drugs that also attack other aspects of the virus and the disease it caused.Will Feuer

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the US Army Corps of Engineers and the state are putting up a 250-bed field hospital at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas during a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Sunday, March 29, 2020.

Tom Fox | Getty Images

5 p.m. ETTexas Gov. Greg Abbottsaid that the state has seen an increase in coronavirus cases since Memorial Day most likely due to people who didn't follow recommended social distancing practices.

The state reported an additional 2,622 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, a new daily high, he said. Abbott pointed to an increase in testing in state nursing homes, correctional facilities as well as some reporting delays as reasons behind jumps in daily case numbers.

However, he added that some counties have reported higher positivity rates stemming from people under 30 years old, indicating they may be going to "bar-type settings" or were infected at Memorial Day celebrations, Abbott said. "We think we can also accurately say there has been an increase especially beginning around the Memorial Day time period and going through a few weeks after that an increase in people testing positive because they may not be practicing all these safe standards," he said. He reminded residents to continue wearing face masks, washing their hands and maintaining a distance from other people.Noah Higgins-Dunn

Tracy Collie styles Roberta Skivicki's hair at Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique, during the phased reopening of businesses and restaurants from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in the state, in Marietta, Georgia, April 24, 2020.

Bita Honarvar | Reuters

4:20 p.m. ETBoth Missouri and Georgia have made major progress in easing coronavirus-related restrictions.

Missouri has lifted all statewide coronavirus restrictions to "be fully open for business," according to Gov. Mike Parson. However, local officials can still put health measures in place.

Georgia now allows gatherings of up to 50 people as long as guests remain 6 feet apart. Restaurants no longer have capacity limitations and bars can now have up to 50 people or 35% of their total capacity, whichever is greater.

For more on states' reopening progress, click here. Hannah Miller

People enjoy the beach amid the coronavirus pandemic in Huntington Beach, California on June 14, 2020.

APU GOMES | AFP | Getty Images

3:30 p.m. ETThe 2020 Vans U.S. Open of Surfing has been canceled this year in Huntington Beach, California and will return in 2021 because of safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, event organizers announced this week.

The Vans U.S. Open of Surfing brings together the international board sports community for the largest professional sports competition and festival in the world, the event website said. "The Vans US Open of Surfing has always been about bringing people together in a healthy, fun and interactive environment, and given the size and scale of the event, we can't see a way to do that this year without sacrificing the very thing that makes it so special," said Jennifer Lau, vice president of Action Sports at IMG in a press release.Suzanne Blake

Customers visit the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

1:49 p.m. ET Apple will reopen 10 stores in New York City this week, but many of them will be "appointment only," meaning that customers need to schedule a time to buy products or get service for their computers.

It's the first time stores in New York City will be open since March, when the company shuttered its locations amid the pandemic, and a sign that business is picking up in the city.

By the end of the week, more than 200 of the company's 271 retail stores will be open. Apple requires customers to wear face masks inside its stores, and will provide masks to customers who don't have one.Kif Leswing

1:43 p.m. ET New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the U.S. Open tennis tournament will be held on schedule but without fans in attendance.

Cuomo said players and staff will be subject to robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing and transportation.

While tennis fans may be happy to have a live sporting event to look forward to, some top players are voicing their concerns about their safety.

"I'll get my hazmat suit ready," Nick Kyrgios tweeted, calling the push to hold the tournament "selfish." The iconic Queens tournament is a big money generator for both New York state and the U.S. Tennis Association, generating $400 million annually.Jessica Golden

1:38 p.m. ET New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will allow hospitals and group homes to accept visitors at their discretion after limiting access to the facilities at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in mid-March. The order does not apply to the state's nursing homes, Cuomo said.

Visitors will be required to follow state guidelines, which include limiting time with patients, requiring personal protective equipment and requiring symptom and temperature checks. On Monday, the state reported its lowest three-day average of Covid-19 deaths and its lowest level of hospitalizations since the outbreak began in mid-March, Cuomo said.Noah Higgins-Dunn

Fans attend Emerald City Comic Con at Washington State Convention Center on March 1, 2018 in Seattle, Washington.

Suzi Pratt

1:30 p.m. ET With the coronavirus pandemic still looming, a number of prominent fan conventions have been canceled.

ReedPop announced that the previously postponed Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle was canceled due to safety concerns related to Covid-19. All tickets that were transferred from ECCC's March 2020 date to the August 2020 date will be automatically refunded by June 29.

The next ECCC will take place in March 2021.

Disney also revealed Monday that its upcoming Star Wars Celebration, which was set to take place in August, was canceled. The company cited public health guidelines and concerns over attendees' safety.

The next Star Wars Celebration will take place in August 2022 in California.Sarah Whitten

1:20 p.m. ET Cisco said that after helping some customers deploy remote collaboration technology and other solutions to address remote work during the pandemic, it will now offer those products and consulting services to more of its clients as solutions for faster adoption.

Though some parts of the world have begun permitting companies to reopen their offices to employees, CEO Chuck Robbins said it's still early.

Cisco has solutions that prisons can use for virtual inmate visits and technology to monitor adherence to social distancing in offices, Robbins said.Jordan Novet

COVID unit nurse Anita Pedy (left) and medical student volunteer Alan Araiza (right) check bruises on the back of COVID patient Melquiades Cervantes. In Houston, Texas.

Carolyn Cole | Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

1:04 p.m. ET Texas Covid-19 hospitalizations are up roughly 66% since Memorial Day as the state continues to reopen.

There are now 2,518 patients hospitalized with a coronavirus infection across the state's hospitals, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. At least 10 states in total are showing a rise in hospitalizations, according to a CNBC analysis of data from theCOVID Tracking Project.

In recent weeks, some state and federal leaders have downplayed a recent rise in cases and hospitalizations across the U.S., tying it to an increased in testing. Infectious disease specialists note that the U.S. and other parts of the world will likely continue to see a rise in cases until there is a proven drug or effective vaccine.Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

12:28 p.m. ET Americans who can't afford the vaccine to prevent Covid-19 will get it for free, Trump administration officials announced.

Some commercial insurers have also expressed "eagerness" to cover the vaccine without a co-pay, a senior administration official told reporters during a press briefing, meaning those with insurance may also not have to pay anything out of pocket.

U.S. health officials and researchers have been fast-tracking work on vaccine development, aiming to produce 300 million doses of a potential vaccine by January. Because of the pandemic, U.S. officials are investing in multiple stages of research even though doing so could be for naught if the vaccine ends up not being effective or safe.Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

11:40 a.m. ET Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid, could have an "immediate impact" on how doctors treat Covid-19 patients, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr.Scott Gottliebsaid.

A new study found the drug to effectively improve survival among severely sick Covid-19 patients.

"It's going to probably have an immediate impact on what doctors are doing in the ICU setting," Gottlieb said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" in response to the news."This is an important finding. It's going to change dogma."

The researchers of the study said it is the first drug to appear to improve survival among Covid-19 patients. There are still notreatments approved by the FDA to treat the disease, though Gilead's remdesivir has received an emergency use authorization.Will Feuer

A medical worker puts a sample for COVID-19 antibody testing into a test tube.

Gavriil Grigorov | TASS via Getty Images

11:23 a.m. ET Tenet Healthcare says the spike in Covid-19 cases in states like Arizona is not impeding the rebound in elective surgery at its hospitals, which are back to 95% of pre-coronavirus levels this month.

"We're busy with Covid, but we're not overwhelmed.... and we've put a lot of focus on really insuring Covid care zones are being separated from coded safe zones, and communicating that actively into the community and to the physician community, in particular, so they feel comfortable," said Tenet COO Saum Sutaria on an update call with analysts.

Sutaria noted that new Covid-19 patients in markets where cases are rising tend to be younger, in their mid-30s to mid-60s, and require less intensive care treatment.

Tenet shares rose nearly 6% in opening trade but gave up those gains late morning.Bertha Coombs

11:06 a.m. ET Homebuyer demand is up following a sudden drop at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, CNBC's Diana Olick reports.

Homebuilder sentiment went up 21 points in June to 58, the biggest monthly increase ever in the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Readings above 50 indicate a positive market.

In April, the reading diminished 42 points to 30. Under the homebuilder index's three elements, current sales conditions rose 21 points to 63 in June meanwhile sales expectations rose 22 points to 68. Buyer traffic went up from 22 to 43.

"As the nation reopens, housing is well-positioned to lead the economy forward," said NAHB Chairman Dean Mon, a homebuilder and developer from Shrewsbury, New Jersey. "Inventory is tight, mortgage applications are increasing, interest rates are low and confidence is rising." Suzanne Blake

Doctors wearing face masks and gloves as a preventive measure attend to a coronavirus patient at the intensive care unit of Albert Schweitzer Hospital.

Robin Utrecht | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images

9:50 a.m. ET One in five people worldwide isat risk of developing severe cases of Covid-19, scientists have estimated.

A team of researchers from the U.S., the U.K. and China estimated that 1.7 billion people or 22% of the global population are at "increased risk" of developing severe symptoms if infected with the coronavirus.

People were considered to be at increased risk if they had one or more chronic health conditions associated with greater vulnerability to the virus, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

In North America, 28% of the population, or 104 million people, had at least one underlying condition that put them at increased risk of developing severe Covid-19 if they caught the virus, according to the study.Chloe Taylor

9:41 a.m. ET Treating Covid-19 patients with the generic steroid dexamethasone cut death rates by about a third for those with the most serious cases of the virus, according to data from a UK-led clinical trial.

Scientists have called the results a "major breakthrough" and the study's researchers said the generic drug should become standard care in hospitalized coronavirus patients, Reuters reports.

There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the coronavirus. Hannah Miller, Reuters

9:22 a.m. ET This year's CNBC Disruptor 50 listincludes at least 18 companies that say demand for their core products has more than doubled since the coronavirus crisis unleashed itself across the world. That's because many use artificial intelligence and machine learning, which are speeding the development of medical treatments to fight the virus.

Others are in the health-technology field supporting at-home testing, such as Healthy.io, which provides FDA-approved remote urinalysis, and Heal, a six-year-old start-up that provides at-home doctor visits through telemedicine.

C3.ai, a company that is so defined by artificial intelligence that it changed its name from C3 IoT a few years ago, has taken a leading role in using the technology to fight Covid-19.

The three-time Disruptor 50 company teamed up with Amazon Web Services in April to create a Covid-19 "data lake," which unifies data sets, updates them in real-time and offers researchers a clearer starting point for generating usable insights.

Tempusbuilt a drug discovery-and-development platform designed to be disease-agnostic. So when the pandemic hit, it was in a strong position to pivot and support efforts to slow the spread and to find short-term and long-term treatments.

Tempus brought a test to market in April and launched a research project examining 50,000 coronavirus-positive patients to find the most effective treatments and other insights. Lori Ioannou

AstraZeneca's building in Luton, Britain.

Tim Ireland | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

8:58 a.m. ET AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine would provide protection from contracting Covid-19 for around one year, CEO Pascal Soriot told Belgian radio station Bel RTL Tuesday.

The company has contracts with France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,the U.S. and Britain to provide doses of the vaccine, Reuters reported.

Soriot said the vaccine could be ready, beginning October, "if all goes well."

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Putin has a 'disinfection tunnel,' Sweden feels isolated over coronavirus - CNBC

On Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo became the latest in a string of elected officials, including President Trump, to question the death toll from the coronavirus, calling the process of assigning cause of death fairly random.

In May, the governor also questioned the use of probable deaths in public tallies, noting that New York would continue to keep these deaths from its total counts, even though many states and New York City post them publicly.

But public health experts say the method used to count deaths from a disease like Covid-19 is decades-old and some amount of uncertainty is simply part of the process.

Everything is so politically charged, people are looking for excuses to question the data, said Robert Anderson, who runs the mortality statistics branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics.

States rely on two systems in partnership with the C.D.C. In one system, called disease surveillance, public health staff members and health care workers track the outcomes of people with Covid-19 infections, producing a quick but imperfect public number. In the other system, doctors and coroners submit death certificates to vital records offices, which work with the C.D.C. to tally Covid-19 deaths to create the countrys official death toll from the disease.

Heres how Washington, the first state to announce Covid-19 deaths, reconciles these two systems to better understand Covid-19s toll.

The president and conservative news media have accused states of inflating their counts, even as public health experts have said that undercounting is more likely. Limited awareness and testing during the initial months of the pandemic mean an unknown number of early Covid-19 deaths will never be counted.

Washington identified about 3,000 additional death certificates from early this year with causes of death that align with Covid-19 symptoms, like pneumonia. State health officials believe a small portion of these deaths may be from undetected Covid-19 infections.

With the number of dead in the United States approaching 120,000, according to figures compiled by The New York Times, state health officials grappling with the demand for real-time information have taken different approaches about which information to share with the public.

About half of states are now reporting probable deaths to the C.D.C. and publicly on their health department websites, though sometimes these are unlabeled or tucked away in a footnote. Some states lump these deaths with lab-confirmed deaths. Washington is one of several states that track probable deaths internally, though it announced on Wednesday that it will include those deaths in its state total next month.

The C.D.C. asked states to start reporting probable deaths in April, based on guidance from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, which cited a lack of standardized Covid-19 surveillance among states.

If we only counted lab-confirmed deaths, we all agree that we will undercount the number of individuals that have died, said Janet Hamilton, the executive director of the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists, a group that helps the C.D.C. define cases and deaths from disease.

During the coronavirus pandemic, states have been facing the challenge of providing immediate, accurate information, which is critical for informing policy decisions on when to loosen restrictions on businesses and social activities.

This expectation has been complicated by limited testing and the lengthy process for investigating deaths, which can take weeks or even months. And in many states, data tracking systems are out of date and have been underfunded for years.

To keep up with a disease that moves with the speed and intensity of Covid-19, we absolutely need data modernization, Ms. Hamilton said.

Most states still rely on mail, phone and fax for disease surveillance and a handful of states use paper systems for death certificates. These two systems, which can help states count deaths with more certainty, don't typically talk to each other. So certain public health staff, already overtasked during the pandemic, have to reconcile differences manually.

A growing number of states regularly report probable deaths along with lab-confirmed deaths. Other states track probable deaths internally, but do not yet include them in public reports.

Deaths counted separately

Probable deaths are a small share of total deaths in the states that report them, most commonly about 5 percent to 10 percent. The range varies from less than 1 percent in some states up to about one-quarter of total deaths in others. Many probable deaths involve outbreaks at nursing homes, where some residents get tested and some do not.

Even if states chose to not report probable deaths, or need more time to do so, mortality statisticians have said that most of these deaths will be counted in the death certificate data that states send to the C.D.C.s National Center for Health Statistics.

The Center is using its Covid-19 death counts along with total deaths from all causes to determine the number of excess deaths during the pandemic, which will offer a better picture of Covid-19s death toll. Experts say it is unrealistic to expect an exact tally for any disease. It is widely accepted that the seasonal flu is underreported on death certificates, which is why the C.D.C. reports annual flu deaths as a broad range.

But the federal government could be doing more to help the country better understand Covid-19s death toll right now, said Charles Rothwell, a former director of the National Center for Health Statistics. Mr. Rothwell said that frontline workers, like clinicians and medical certifiers, need upgraded reporting systems so that health records, vital records, disease tracking and federal guidance are connected.

This is all very possible and not that expensive, said Mr. Rothwell. This is a doable moment.

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Is the Coronavirus Death Tally Inflated? Here's Why Experts Say No - The New York Times

TAMPA Three Lightning players and additional staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, the organization said Friday.

The positive tests came up as part of the twice-weekly testing, a league requirement under the Phase 2 protocol. The organization is waiting on results of more tests and is performing contact tracing.

Amalie Arena has officially been closed, but some employees have worked from the building, asked to follow social-distancing guidelines and wear masks. The building is now closed to all non-essential staff until at least July 6, according to an email sent internally.

Those players have been self-isolated following CDC protocols and are asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement. Those who have been in contact with these individuals have been notified.

The Lightning continue testing and are strictly following all NHL and government procedures as part of the leagues Phase 2 guidelines. Upon receiving positive tests yesterday, team training facilities were immediately closed with all players and staff being sent home. Those facilities will remain temporarily shut down until we can ensure a safe environment.

The NHL said in a statement that 11 players have tested positive of the more than 200 to be tested since Phase 2 started. The Toronto Sun reported Friday that Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews had tested positive.

During the self-isolation phase, Ottawa had five players and a staff member test positive. Colorado had three, and Pittsburgh one. Boston announced one player tested positive during the initial Phase 2 testing, but it said that player then tested negative twice and began skating.

This could be a similar situation, where follow up testing could return negative for the Lightning players who originally tested positive. The organization needs to get further test results to determine how widespread this is, and thus how to proceed.

In its Phase 2 protocol, the NHL created two groups, player access personnel and no player access personnel. Only certain members of the staff could come in contact with the players (one athletic trainer, equipment manager, strength and conditioning coach and dressing room attendant per group of six skaters, and the team physician).

The Lightning opened Phase 2, making ice available for groups of six players, on June 9. Participation is optional, but more than 12 players have joined the sessions over the last week. Players and staffers had temperature and symptom checks upon entering the arena each day. They are tested for the virus twice a week.

The league has announced a target date of July 10 for training camps to open, but the NHL and players association have yet to formally agree to resume the season. If they do come to an agreement, the league plans to host 12 teams from each conference in two hub cities for the playoffs.

Contact Diana C. Nearhos at dnearhos@tampabay.com. Follow @dianacnearhos.

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Three Lightning players test positive for the coronavirus - Tampa Bay Times

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. Five-time PGA Tour winner Nick Watney tested positive Friday for the coronavirus, the first player with a confirmed infection since golf resumed its schedule last week.

Watney immediately withdrew from the RBC Heritage and must self-isolate for at least 10 days under the PGA Tours protocols.

He did not return a telephone call seeking comment. Vaughn Taylor and Luke List, who played with Watney in the first round on Thursday, were notified by a rules official midway through Fridays round.

I was a little shocked, to be honest, Taylor said. Heart started racing, got a little nervous. Just hope Nick is doing well and we get through this.

Watney missed the cut last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. He traveled on his own to South Carolina, and his coronavirus test upon arrival at Harbour Town was negative.

Before arriving to the course for his second round, he reported symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Watney was tested again, and the result came back positive.

Si Woo Kim saw him in passing on the range, and Rory McIlroy said he chatted with Watney on the putting green. McIlroy said they were at a distance, and that Watney sent him a text about the positive result after McIlroy finished his round.

He was just saying, Look, I hope I didnt get too close to you. He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course, McIlroy said. I said to him, If I was in your position, I probably would have been here, too. At this point, you just have to concentrate on getting better and getting healthy.'

List won last week on the Korn Ferry Tour, where one player and three caddies tested positive before the event and did not go to the course, and two non-players tested positive before this weeks event, both in Florida.

List missed the cut at Hilton Head, shooting a 73 on Friday.

It was hard to concentrate out there for me, just thinking about different stuff, and I wasnt playing my best, anyway, List said. It would be nice if they had an option you can kind of say if you want to know or not in a situation like that. I would definitely like to find out after the round next time.

As for another test, List said even if tested, it might not show up until a few days down the road. So theres a lot of different scenarios.

Webb Simpson leads the tournament at 12 under, making a 6-footer on his final hole for his second straight 6-under 65. He was one stroke better than Bryson DeChambeau (64) and Corey Conners (63). Thunderstorms rolled through the island late in the afternoon and halted play with a handful of players still on the course.

The tour had no positive tests of the 487 administered at Colonial, and none among the 98 players tested before taking the charter to Hilton Head or the 369 tests for those arriving on their own.

Players, caddies and essential personnel have mandatory tests.

Jordan Spieth, one of four players on the PGA Tours policy board, didnt sound surprised at golfs first positive test.

The whole plan put in place was not if, but when somebody tests positive, whats the protocol, and what are the next steps, Spieth said. So I feel confident, just in being on those phone calls, in what the PGA Tour is going to do going forward. Hopefully, contact tracing doesnt lead to anybody else testing positive within the bubble.

The tour said in a statement it has started its response plan, which includes those who have had close contact with Watney. It said it would have no further statement.

Taylor, who at 6 under after 36 holes was inside the cut line, said he had no close contact with Watney on Thursday, and he washed his hands immediately after the round.

Nick never coughed or sneezed, so I feel comfortable, he said.

As part of the contact tracing plan, Taylor, List and their caddies were to be tested immediately.

If you contract it, thats fine, but then its the fact that who have you come into contact with, and who you might have exposed and stuff, McIlroy said. Look, were still in the middle of a pandemic. Until this things over, we all just have to stay vigilant and keep your distance and wear our masks if were going out in public and keep washing our hands.

The PGA Tour is scheduled to play next week in Cromwell, Connecticut, where the Travelers Championship is testing everyone including volunteers and media who will be on property.

Tournament organizers made that decision. The PGA Tour has tried to create a bubble of its key people at tournaments, designating player hotels as an option and urging everyone in the bubble to avoid outside contact. Some players have been renting houses. There is no regulation if they choose to eat out.

Hilton Head has been particularly busy this week, with local restaurants packed with people who typically come to this quiet island on the Atlantic coast for vacation.

South Carolinas open. If you go anywhere to a restaurant, theres a lot of people there right now, Spieth said. So I guess thats probably best case is that he got it on his own outside the bubble.

Sebastin Muoz said theres just too many people hanging around the island.

Its a pandemic, you know? A lot of people get it, and eventually one of us was going to get it, Muoz said. I feel good that we caught early with one guy so far. So hopefully, it doesnt rise up pretty quick.

Under the tours guidelines for a positive test, Watney can end his self-isolation after 10 days provided he has no subsequent symptoms or has two negative test results 24 hours apart or more.

The tour will provide a stipend to pay for the costs of his self-isolation.

Watneys most recent victory was in 2012 at Bethpage Black in the FedEx Cup playoff opener. He has struggled to regain his top form since missing 10 months in 2016 because of back surgery.

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Watney first on PGA Tour to test positive for coronavirus, withdraws from RBC Heritage - Press Herald

LONDON Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain unveiled last month a world beating operation to track down people who had been exposed to the coronavirus, giving the country a chance to climb out of lockdown without losing sight of where infections were spreading.

As with much of the governments response to the pandemic, however, the results have fallen short of the promises, jeopardizing the reopening of Britains hobbled economy and risking a second wave of death in one of the countries most debilitated by the virus.

In almost three weeks since the start of the system in England, called N.H.S. Test and Trace, some contact tracers have failed to reach a single person, filling their days instead with internet exercise classes and bookshelf organizing.

Some call handlers, scattered in offices and homes far from the people they speak with, have mistakenly tried to send patients in England to testing sites across the sea in Northern Ireland.

And a government minister threatened on a conference call to stop coordinating with local leaders on the virus-tracking system if they spoke publicly about its failings, according to three officials briefed on the call, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Contact tracing was supposed to be the bridge between lockdown and a vaccine, enabling the government to pinpoint clusters of infections as they emerged and to stop infected people from passing on the virus. Without it, a World Health Organization official said recently, England would be remiss in reopening its economy.

But the system, staffed by thousands of poorly trained and low-paid contact tracers, was rushed out of the gate on May 28 before it was ready, according to interviews with more than a dozen contact tracers, public health officials and local government leaders. At the time, the government was making a barrage of announcements while also trying to douse a scandal involving Mr. Johnsons most senior aide, who had violated lockdown orders.

The troubled rollout has left public health officials across England trying to battle a virus they still cannot locate. Test results from privately run sites, now numbering in the tens of thousands daily, were not being reported at a local level as recently as last week, leaders in six councils said. Public health officials say they catch wind of outbreaks from the news. And while the virus is cooling off in London, infection rates remain high in other parts of England, notably the northwest.

Other nations in Europe are building their public sectors to support contact-tracing systems that might be needed for years to come. Germany, for instance, has hired contact tracers in 375 public health authorities, with doctors on hand to administer tests.

But in England, where a decade of austerity has starved public health departments of workers who used to regularly track illnesses, Mr. Johnson has entrusted the job largely to Serco, an outsourcing giant that was recently obliged to pay the government a hefty fine for fraud on a previous, unrelated contract. The New York Times has learned that the contact-tracing contract, awarded in a secretive procurement process, cost 108 million pounds, or about $136 million.

Allyson Pollock, a professor of public health at Newcastle University, said, The government has dismantled, fragmented and eviscerated so much of its health service over the last 20 years that it was much more difficult to get a coordinated system.

Theyre basically trying to build a centralized, parallel, privatized system, she added.

As a result, she said, Weve had far more deaths than we should have. And lockdown has had to go on much longer than in other countries because weve let the virus rip for so long.

Asked for comment, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said that its contact-tracing system was already helping to save lives by curbing the spread of the illness.

In the first week, tens of thousands of people have engaged with the N.H.S. Test and Trace service, the spokesman said. We are working to reach more people and making improvements to the service to do that.

Garry Robinson, Sercos customer services director for Britain, said in a statement that the company was committed to supporting the governments test and trace program and had successfully mobilized 10,500 contact tracers in four weeks, which he called a significant achievement.

The first part of contact tracing involves health professionals calling people who test positive for the virus and obtaining a list of their recent contacts. Then, a lower-level tier of workers call those contacts to ask them to isolate themselves.

But in the first week of virus tracking in England, government figures show, thousands of infected patients were overlooked: Callers reached 5,407 people with the virus, while missing another 2,710 positive cases that had been transferred into the system along with an unspecified number that had not.

At the same time, contact tracers have waited to be assigned cases that never came, a problem that officials have ascribed to low numbers of new cases and infected people submitting their contacts online instead. One employee, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, said that most days he watched three films, one after the next, at a salary of about $11 per hour.

Local public health officials were asked to make plans by the end of June for possible tailor-made shutdowns around clusters of infections. But they say they still have neither the powers to do that nor the testing data to pinpoint infections.

We are kind of driving the car while building it, said Dominic Harrison, the director of public health in Blackburn, in northwest England. There are still enormous problems to be resolved.

The troubled rollout bears the hallmarks of Britains disastrous efforts to respond to the coronavirus: haphazard data, an emphasis on political theater and a heavy dependence on the private sector. With deaths nearing 50,000, Britain sits alongside the United States and Brazil among the countries suffering the greatest blows from the coronavirus.

After working to trace contacts in the early days of the pandemic, Britain largely scrapped that plan by March 12, with government scientists saying it was no longer practical. Eleven days later, Mr. Johnson declared a lockdown.

The government has denied that contact tracing was ever stopped, and said that to claim otherwise would be entirely wrong. However, in internal notes mistakenly forwarded to The New York Times in response to questions about why it initially ended contact tracing in March, government officials wrote: The answer to this is we basically didnt have the testing capacity.

By April, with the death toll soaring, the government reversed course and promised to reconstitute the system for England.

Other nations within the United Kingdom, including Wales and Scotland, which are in charge of their own contact tracing, appointed public health officials to run their programs.

For England, however, Mr. Johnsons government contracted Serco and another company to hire most of its 25,000 contact tracers, despite Serco having recently been fined 19 million over claims involving a separate contract that it had charged the government for monitoring convicts who were dead, jailed or living outside the country.

The government said that Serco was regularly monitored and that no concerns had been raised about the company before it was awarded the test and trace contract.

The government has spent heavily on private companies in its response to the pandemic: Deloitte, an accounting firm, manages testing centers; and Palantir, a data-mining company, has helped organize supplies of protective gear.

But it is trying to do contact tracing on the cheap. While some American states are paying tracers salaries of around $50,000 a year, many English tracers said in interviews that they were paid 8.72 an hour, barely above the minimum wage, a figure equivalent to less than $24,000 a year. Some of them were teenagers who had never held jobs before.

After answering online ads for generic customer service jobs, they started work with little or no training. One Serco-employed contact tracer said that at least a third of his 40 or so colleagues in London had not received any online training before starting.

Updated June 16, 2020

The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who dont typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the countrys largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was very rare, but she later walked back that statement.

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus whether its surface transmission or close human contact is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nations job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you arent being told to stay at home, its still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people dont need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks dont replace hand washing and social distancing.

If youve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

We werent talked through how a conversation could go or anything, said a tracer working in Sheffield, England.

Details of the procurement process, shared by a senior civil servant, suggest a possible reason for the low pay and sketchy training: Serco offered to provide the service at an extraordinarily tight profit margin of less than 5 percent, roughly half the margin of the next cheapest contender.

The contract was awarded without any real competition, the senior civil servant said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe a confidential process.

Serco are pretty much the only people who can stand up a work force in that time, and love them or hate them, it is about having the numbers, the civil servant said.

The virus-tracking system was supposed to be augmented by a smartphone app that automated some tracing. But the tool, promised initially by mid-May, has been shadowed by fears about technical glitches and data breaches, and the government said it was now trying to introduce the app before winter.

Even some of the more experienced, higher-paid contract tracers who speak to infected people said they were feeling underutilized. Gerry, a former nurse, said she had expected to begin work as a contact tracer in early June. Instead, at 10:30 p.m. on May 27, she received an email telling her the program would begin the next day. The computer system crashed as thousands of contact tracers tried to log on.

More than two weeks later, she still has not spoken to a single contact. Other contact tracers complained on a private Facebook group that they were still waiting for login details two weeks after the start date, according to screenshots from the group.

Some contact tracers also said they were unaware of any translation services, a problem that could keep England from tracking the virus through migrant and ethnic minority communities, which have suffered disproportionately.

Its a total shambles, said Ben Bradshaw, an opposition Labour lawmaker, who has spoken to government officials about contact tracing.

Everyone has accepted all the way through this crisis that the countries that have dealt with it best have always had effective track and trace systems in place, and that any country wishing to emerge from lockdown and live with this virus for the foreseeable future will need an effective track and trace system, he said. Yet, the history of this in Britain is a catalog of disasters.

Originally posted here:

Contact Tracing to Tackle Coronavirus in England Off to a Slow Start - The New York Times