Category: Covid-19

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Five people who were at a gathering in Girdwood earlier this month tested positive for COVID-19 while others reported symptoms of the illness but declined to get tested, Anchorage health officials said Friday, urging increased vigilance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Some attendees also went to another gathering in Girdwood held six days later, on June 11, while they were likely infectious, Anchorage Health Department director Natasha Pineda said during a community briefing.

Three of the five who tested positive after the June 5 gathering live in Girdwood, and two are from Anchorage, Pineda said. An additional 42 people from the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage and Girdwood are being monitored in association with the private gatherings, she said.

We have serious concern about the events in Girdwood, said Dr. Bruce Chandler, chief medical officer at the city health department. And I think its likely were going to see more cases coming out of that community.

In light of the Girdwood gatherings, the Anchorage Health Department issued an alert Friday about the importance of physically distancing from non-household members, wearing a face covering, washing hands and avoiding crowds.

The health department also noted that if someone had recent contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, they should stay home for two weeks after being exposed.

At the Girdwood gatherings, which took place primarily outdoors, Pineda said there wasnt a use of masks, there was no adherence to physical distancing behaviors she described as high risk.

Pineda said they cant force anyone to get tested, but that its recommended based on someones symptoms and exposure.

Im concerned, definitely, about group gatherings, Pineda said. Especially when people arent interested in participating in physical distancing.

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said during the briefing that if people keep a safe distance and wear masks, he wouldnt implement a limit on large gatherings.

But again, we are on the cusp of COVID having more of a presence in the community, Berkowitz said. And if that steps up, then I dont think we would hesitate to start to put additional restrictions in place about the size of gatherings or the location of gatherings.

Berkowitz also announced that a mask mandate is on the table, saying Anchorage needs to get to a level of critical mask, but there is no immediate plan to issue a mandate.

If people dont want to have to wear masks under a mandate, they should start wearing them voluntarily, he said.

We have the opportunity to start masking up in greater numbers, Berkowitz said.

Statewide, 26 people received positive COVID-19 test results on Thursday, including 14 Alaska residents and 12 people from out of state. Of the 12 nonresidents, 11 work in the seafood industry, including seven workers in the Bristol Bay plus the Lake and Peninsula region.

The new cases among Alaska residents include six people from Anchorage as well as one case each involving residents of Homer, Fairbanks, North Pole, Big Lake, Palmer, the North Slope Borough and a smaller community within the Bethel Census Area.

In Anchorage, there are more COVID-19 cases than test results have shown, said Chandler, the citys chief medical officer. As an example, Chandler said that someone was tested before a dental procedure but didnt start showing symptoms until days later and was likely infectious during the procedure.

Its clear some people no longer see the need to practice safe distancing or to wear face coverings in indoor spaces where safe distancing cant be assured, Chandler said.

The department has found others who arent following quarantine and isolation recommendations, he said. He has big concerns about the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, specifically citing a large event planned in Seward.

In the population, there are people with COVID running around in circulation, and the sneaky thing about COVID is people can have the infection but may have no symptoms, Chandler said.

Were all tired of COVID-19, he said. We wish it would go away. But its still here and spreading and almost all of us are not immune.

The Municipality of Anchorage tracks a set of metrics, such as hospital capacity and case transmission rates, that influence its decisions on pandemic-related measures. If those metrics move from yellow to red, reflecting an increased strain on resources to prevent the spread of the virus, Berkowitz said there could be targeted mask mandates for certain activities. Those likely wouldnt extend to outdoor activities, but the first step would be requiring masks in confined indoor spaces, he said.

Almost all the studies that exist out there, all the experts that I have heard from who have studied the issue ... say that masking up makes a difference, Berkowitz said.

Berkowitz said wearing masks in large numbers has been a hugely successful method worldwide of controlling the spread of COVID-19.

This week, mask mandates were issued in Oregon and California. Berkowitz said hes watching such decisions by other jurisdictions to see what the mandates look like and how they are being enforced.

We are learning from each other, city to city, because there are no national standards, he said. The lack of national standards makes it incredibly difficult for all of us.

After pandemic-related restrictions on businesses and gatherings eased through May, daily virus case counts and active case numbers rose in Anchorage and Alaska to record highs but hunker down-style mandates have not returned.

When asked why business closures were imposed when the virus was just getting a footing in the community, he said it was to prevent what could have been a catastrophic first wave. Berkowitz said some estimates found that doing nothing could have resulted in 5,000 deaths in Anchorage.

Its my understanding that we might have been the first city in the country to go into a hunker down or stay-at-home mode before there was community spread, Berkowitz said. Moving quickly and moving strongly as a community allowed us to minimize the harm that COVID had here.

As of Friday there were 123 active cases of COVID-19 in Anchorage, with 38 cases that occurred between June 11 and June 17, including five seafood industry workers and three visitors or tourists who were from out of state, said city health department director Pineda.

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New COVID-19 cases tied to Girdwood gathering as Anchorage urges virus vigilance - Anchorage Daily News

The Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), an initiative of the group Amazon Conservation, has used an archive of satellite data to track deforestation across the Brazilian Amazon and found that most of last year's fires occurred on recently deforested land, rather than in primary forest. Deforested land is often intentionally burned to clear it for farming and cattle ranching.

So far this year, MAAP has detected several large areas in the state of Mato Grosso that have been recently deforested, and could be the sites of fires later this year.

"Fire season doesn't start out of nowhere in August -- it started a year ago with deforestation," said Matt Finer, senior research specialist and the director of MAAP. He says their research suggests this year's fires will be "as bad if not worse" than last year's. "We need the intensity of the rage and concern that people had back in August, we need that now to ratchet up the urgency of the situation."

Finer and his team used a new method combining data from heat-tracking satellites with data monitoring levels of particles in the atmosphere to give a more accurate picture of where forest fires occur. They have developed an app to track the fires in real-time and hope it will be of use to firefighters on the ground to focus resources over such vast areas.

As the Amazon burns, humans are to blame

Natural forest fires in tropical forests such as the Amazon are extremely rare due to high levels of humidity. That means humans are responsible for most of the recent destruction.

"All the fires we have seen in the Amazon have been set [intentionally]. Unlike some other forest systems that are dependent on fires, such as in California, Florida or Australia, the Amazon doesn't burn naturally," said Ane Alencar, IPAM's director of science in a press conference on Wednesday run by Columbia University's Earth Institute.

The move has had some success, Alencar said, but has not succeeded in combating the root cause -- deforestation.

"Around half the deforestation that we have seen so far is happening on public lands, which means that people are going after and grabbing the land and provoking conflicts, which is illegal," says Alencar. "This can only be fought by strong enforcement and strong signals from the government that illegal deforestation is not allowed."

Coronavirus is devastating Brazil's indigenous communities

This year, the risk of respiratory diseases due to air pollution from fires could exacerbate the impact of Covid-19, particularly for indigenous people whose lands may be nearer the fires. Such was the warning from former president of the U.S. Institute of Medicine and dean of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Dr Harvey Fineberg, at the press briefing.

She also warned that the health risks of the fires are not limited to the Amazon.

"The particulates from the forest fires can travel to other areas," Castro said at the press conference. "As cities relax social distancing measures in Brazil without adequate surveillance, testing and contact tracing, as we are seeing, an intense fire season could have devastating public health consequences, with the unnecessary loss of many lives and the widening of local inequalities."

As the eyes of the world remain focused on the pandemic, it remains to be seen whether the plight of the Amazon will receive the same attention that it did last year.

But Alencar says international pressure is key to tackling this problem.

"How international communities can help is to put pressure on the companies that buy products from the agribusinesses [and by] pressing the government to respect this amazing patrimony that we have, which is the forest."

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Scientists fear deforestation, fires and Covid-19 could create a 'perfect storm' in the Amazon - CNN

Nursing home residents account for nearly 1 in 10 of all the coronavirus cases in the United States and more than a quarter of the deaths, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data released Thursday.

As federal data collection becomes more robust, a clearer picture is emerging of the ravages of COVID-19 in nursing homes. About 1.4 million older and medically frail people live in such facilities, a tiny share of the American population that has borne a crushing burden from the pandemic. Most residents have been in lockdown since early March, isolated from families and friends, even in death.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

APs analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that nearly half of the more than 15,000 nursing homes have reported suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of June 7. About 1 in 5 facilities or 21 percent have reported deaths.

Nationwide, nursing homes reported nearly 179,000 suspected or confirmed cases among residents and 29,497 deaths. The latest figures include about 95 percent of nursing homes.

Earlier this week, a special House panel on the coronavirus pandemic launched an investigation into the crisis in nursing homes.

The vulnerabilities are many. Residents live in close quarters, usually two to a room before the pandemic. They shared dining and recreational areas, and physical therapy gyms. Many staff aides work in several facilities, so they can unwittingly carry the virus from one nursing home to another.

Lawmakers are concerned that lax oversight by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the federal governments failure to provide testing supplies and personal protective equipment to nursing homes and long-term care facilities may have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus, said committee Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C. Despite CMSs broad legal authority, the agency has largely deferred to states, local governments, and for-profit nursing homes to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

But CMS chief Seema Verma has said that trying to finger-point and blame the federal government is absolutely ridiculous. She says nursing homes with poor ratings on infection control are more likely to have high numbers of cases, a claim that academic researchers say they have not been able to substantiate.

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Republican lawmakers also have blamed some Democratic governors who issued orders requiring nursing homes to take recovering coronavirus patients. New York rescinded its directive after Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced an outcry.

The APs analysis also found that:

Among states, New Jersey had the highest proportion of nursing homes with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, about 82 percent. This comprises 299 of the states 363 nursing homes.

Massachusetts had the highest proportion of nursing homes with COVID deaths, nearly 66 percent. That represented 247 of the states 376 nursing homes.

In 30 states, nursing homes share of COVID-19 deaths was higher than the national average of 26.7 percent. In some of the hardest-hit, such as Connecticut and Massachusetts, more than one-third of the states deaths occurred in nursing homes.

The AP has previously reported a higher number of 45,500 deaths, but that count incorporates assisted living facilities, not just nursing homes, and includes staff. The federal data reported Thursday is for nursing homes, since CMS does not regulate assisted living facilities.

Consumers will have access to coronavirus information through Medicares NursingHomeCompare website. They will be able to look up individual nursing homes to learn the number of cases and deaths among residents and staff. Data are expected to be updated weekly.

CMS head Verma says nursing home reporting required by her agency will constitute the backbone of a nationwide COVID-19 surveillance system to identify and contain expected rebounds of the virus as communities reopen. The nations first major outbreak, reported in late February, was in a Seattle-area nursing home.

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The nursing home industry says its going to need much more help from the federal government to regularly test staff and residents. Facilities have also lacked adequate supplies of protective gear.

Long-term care residents and staff need to be a priority for supplies and support, Mark Parkinson, head of the nursing home industry group American Health Care Association, said Thursday in a statement about the new data. Its time that America rally around our nations seniors and caregivers just as they did with hospitals.

The federal data release comes as many states have yet to meet a White House goal to test every resident and staff member for COVID-19. That was supposed to have happened before the end of May.

Also unmet is a separate federal goal for state inspectors to assess all nursing homes for infection control. There is no deadline, but federal officials are growing impatient. As of a couple of weeks ago, only a few states had inspected all facilities.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, many nursing homes had persistent problems with infection control, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency for Congress.

Thorough, methodical, ongoing testing of residents and staff is considered one of the keys to making nursing homes safer.

Federal officials have recommended a one-time test for all residents and staff, as well as weekly retesting of staff. Nursing homes should retest residents weekly until none test positive.

Verma says states should use extreme caution before reopening nursing homes to visitors.

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Nursing homes represent more than 1 in 4 COVID-19 deaths in US - NBC News

It had been a triumphant story of national unity and political leadership combining to vanquish a virus that still plagues most nations on the planet. But just a week after New Zealanders celebrated having rid the country of Covid-19 and the government lifted all restrictions on daily life except controls on entering the country, the one vulnerability in its defences its borders was dramatically laid bare.

The failure to test returning travellers before they left quarantine, and reports of slipshod standards at the hotels where they are placed in government-managed isolation, threatened political fallout for Jacinda Arderns government, which was heralded worldwide for having flattened the Covid-19 infection curve with a swift, early lockdown of the country.

Its incredibly unfortunate because that is what has been the cause of the governments increase in their poll ratings, their competency confidence, said Bryce Edwards, a political scholar at Victoria University in Wellington. The public clearly thought that this government deserved support due to that competency and this is a major blow to that narrative.

The trouble started when health officials were forced to admit that two women who had arrived from the UK on 6 June had been allowed out of managed quarantine early on 13 June with a compassionate dispensation to visit a dying parent. They were not tested for the virus, but were were later found to be infected.

With health officials permission, the pair drove 400 miles (650km) down the length of North Island to visit their family. Without the officials knowledge they had also met up with friends on the way.

Suddenly, after 24 days of reporting no new cases of Covid-19, the countrys recovery was on shaky ground. Health officials had already said it was inevitable that new cases would arrive from abroad, but they promised measures stringent enough to intercept them.

More stories of lax practices and failures to test at the quarantine hotels emerged. One facility had held a wedding in the same ballroom where isolating returnees had walked for exercise. Another had convened a childrens birthday party.

Six people were released on compassionate grounds to attend a funeral and then absconded rather than returning to quarantine. Health officials told travellers tests were entirely voluntary, and the health ministry has not been able to provide figures for how many people were released from isolation without being tested.

Ardern, who had done a little dance when New Zealand was declared free of the coronavirus a week earlier, was now stony-faced. The failings were unacceptable and the lack of testing nonsensical, she said.

By Friday, New Zealanders were on edge again, and politicians, health officials and military leaders warned of jail time and fines for anyone breaching the quarantine rules for returning travellers. The military would audit the isolation facilities, Ardern said, and ensure the rules were enforced.

Compassionate exemptions were also revoked. Two separate tests for those in quarantine hotels are now mandatory during their 14-day stay, and refusal to take a test will result in a further 14 days in isolation.

New Zealanders, whom Ardern has referred to as a team of five million, prided themselves on their unity in adhering to earlier lockdown restrictions. The government imposed a national shutdown in late March when just over 200 people had been diagnosed with Covid-19. The country has reported fewer than 1,500 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.

New arrivals would have to earn the right to join the team of 5 million by following the rules, said Megan Woods, a government minister, on Friday. Only New Zealanders, their families and essential workers are currently permitted to enter the country.

For some analysts, the governments stern response to the breaches was still a positive. The prime minister had been quick to acknowledge that protocols were not being followed consistently, and that procedures needed to be tightened urgently, said Prof David Skegg, an emeritus professor in epidemiology at the University of Otago.

One factor in New Zealands success in eliminating Covid-19 has been the willingness of the government to respond quickly to mistakes and to listen to expert advice. I think this episode illustrates that again.

Officials announced on Thursday that New Zealand had reported another case of Covid-19, bringing its total to three. This time the traveller from Pakistan had been diagnosed at the quarantine hotel where he was staying, the way the system was supposed to work.

Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health, appeared tired on Friday. This had clearly not been the week he had planned.

The public has venerated Bloomfield for his handling of the crisis. His face has appeared on tea towels and memes, and a shrine to Saint Ashley was erected in a Wellington shop window.

Some commentators pointed out early on that to make him into a saint, which wasnt any of his doing, really wasnt good for the democratic method of being able to hold such a figure to account, and it might lead to a lack of scrutiny, said Edwards. I think that was the case and I dont think he was scrutinised as much, but thats clearly going to change now.

When he spoke to reporters on Friday, Bloomfield said the fiasco with the two women did not appear to have caused lasting damage to New Zealands coronavirus status.

Hundreds of people had been considered close contacts of the infected pair, and officials had tested 6,273 people on Thursday, much higher than we have been doing in recent weeks, he said.

He began his briefing with the sentence that had sounded so sweet to New Zealanders for 24 straight days: Today the country had zero new cases of Covid-19.

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From celebration to dismay: the week Covid-19 re-emerged in New Zealand - The Guardian

The UK has lowered its Covid-19 alert level from 4 to 3, meaning transmission of the virus is no longer judged to be high or exponentially rising, raising expectations that physical distancing restrictions could be cut.

The downgrade, which was endorsed by all four chief medical officers, could pave the way for some physical distancing measures to be eased, but they cautioned that the pandemic was not over.

After the lowering of the alert level Boris Johnson said to watch this space when asked during a Hertfordshire school visit whether distancing restrictions could be cut to help schools return in September.

Whitehall sources suggested that meant the review of the 2-metre rule commissioned by the prime minister could report as soon as next week.

Johnson said: We have to start thinking of a world in which we are less apprehensive about this disease I hope, as we go forward into the autumn, people will be much, much more confident.

Downing Street is under intense pressure to relax restrictions, with the hospitality industry still unclear what guidance it will have to follow if it reopens as planned on 4 July.

Emma McClarkin, the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said a decision could not come soon enough. We are disappointed the PM hasnt answered our desperate plea for urgent clarity. In light of the announcement that the country is moving to covid alert level 3, wed really hoped we would hear some positive news today.

Johnsons comments came as documents released on Friday by the UK governments committee of experts revealed scientists warned ministers that public adherence to physical distancing measures may crumble once it is suggested that lockdown restrictions are set to be lifted.

The minutes from a 21 May meeting show the governments own advisers had deep concerns that easing measures at that stage could result in the countrys test-and-trace system being very rapidly overwhelmed.

The UK has been at level 4 since the five-tier alert system was announced in May, and the shift to level 3 means Covid-19 is now considered to be in general circulation, with the threat level moving from severe to substantial.

The chief medical officers said levels of infection meant there were still likely to be localised outbreaks.

The alert level is set by the joint biosecurity centre, based on evidence including the R, or reproduction number, and the number of confirmed cases at a given time. The latest government estimates suggest R is hovering just under 1 in most parts of the country and that numbers of cases are slowly declining.

In a statement, the chief medical officers said: The CMOs for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have reviewed the evidence and agree with this recommendation to move to level 3 across the UK.

There has been a steady decrease in cases we have seen in all four nations, and this continues. It does not mean that the pandemic is over. The virus is still in general circulation, and localised outbreaks are likely to occur.

We have made progress against the virus thanks to the efforts of the public and we need the public to continue to follow the guidelines carefully to ensure this progress continues.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: The UK moving to a lower alert level is a big moment for the country, and a real testament to the British peoples determination to beat this virus.

A Downing Street spokesman said the downgrade did not automatically mean a change to lockdown restrictions. Weve said throughout that easing the lockdown will be contingent on continuing to meet the five tests, making sure that any changes we make wont result in the NHS becoming overwhelmed, and the continuation of infections and fatalities being reduced.

Asked if this meant the public should not necessarily expect any changes to existing timetables to ease restrictions, he said: I would say that it will be used by government to inform decisions on the continuing easing of lockdown. They are not contingent on each other.

Last month, members of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) criticised the government for easing restrictions, including allowing groups of six people to meet outdoors and encouraging people to return to work, before the threat level had been reduced.

The latest tranche of Sage documents reveal the behind-the-scenes warnings that preceded these public interventions. The scientists advised that the R value could return to 1.7 in a reasonable worst-case scenario of restrictions being eased without a proven test-and-trace system in place. The scientists also raised the prospect of test-and-trace capacity being a greater challenge in winter because people spent more time indoors, allowing the virus to spread more easily, and because of the increased number of people with other seasonal illnesses seeking tests.

In the first week of test and trace, beginning 28 May, there were 23,000 symptomatic infections in England, according to the Office for National Statistics, but just over 8,000 people who had tested positive were contacted by the tracing teams, and 5,400 of those handed over the phone numbers and email addresses 0f those they had met. The teams managed to reach just under 27,000 people and asked them to self-isolate. Nearly 5,000 more, however, were not reached or refused to comply.

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UK's Covid-19 alert level is lowered from 4 to 3 - The Guardian

Its been a rough past few weeks for Oregon in its fight against the novel coronavirus, with new known daily cases continuing to climb to record levels.

Each week, the Oregon Health Authority releases a report outlining new infections by ZIP code, to show where the virus is surfacing the most. The Oregonian/OregonLive regularly crunches that data -- and searches for reasons the virus is spreading.

Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday that most new cases can be pegged to identified sources: agriculture, specific workplaces, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, group living situations like jails and prisons and church or other gatherings.

But during a news conference earlier this week, state deputy epidemiologist Tom Jeanne said public health officials are concerned that the state hasnt been able to trace the source of 35 percent of new cases.

Heres a ZIP code breakdown of where the virus spread in the highest numbers in the week June 8-14, which is the latest data available by The Oregon Health Authority:

#1: 97850 -- La Grande area

This ZIP code saw the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the state, with 86 people testing positive. Previously, public health officials had only identified fewer than 10 cases from February to early June.

Officials said the increase was due in large part to an outbreak at the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Island City, a tiny town of 1,000 thats a suburb of La Grande in Union County. A May 24 video of a service showed congregants packed indoors together, singing and chanting without masks.

But the 86 new cases doesnt accurately cover the full scope of the outbreak: Public health officials said at least 236 people have tested positive, and most of those results came back on Monday and Tuesday of this week. That was too late to make it into the Oregon Health Authoritys latest weekly report.

The church represents the single largest outbreak in the state.

#2: 97233 -- Southeast Portland and Gresham

This area encompasses a chunk of Southeast Portland that stretches east into Greshams Rockwood neighborhood. It includes David Douglas High School and the blocks between Southeast 122nd and 202nd avenues.

Cases here jumped by 49 in a week -- to a total of 159 cases.

But there were no large outbreaks in nursing homes, churches or workplaces that would explain the elevated numbers, according to the Multnomah County Health Department.

County spokesperson Kate Willson said in an email that the disease in this area has been spreading in clusters in specific communities and families who socialize together and share households. Willson said a high percentage of these residents were essential workers who are at higher risk of being exposed to the virus.

#3: 97365 -- Newport

Cases here jumped by 43, to a total of 187 positive cases since the pandemic began.

Seven of those 43 cases were due to a new outbreak at Local Ocean, a seafood restaurant, which closed upon learning about the positive test results.

Owner Laura Anderson said in a Facebook post Sunday that all of those who tested positive were employees who worked in the kitchen.

Our service staff, those a customer would interact with, all tested negative, Anderson wrote.

Anderson added: We will let you know when we are ready to reopen the dining room, fish market and resume take out operations.

Friday, the fish market reopened.

Local Ocean only accounts for a small portion of the ZIP codes cases. Of the 43 new cases in the area, 18 were also traced to the food processor Pacific Seafood, which shares an address with the Local Ocean restaurant. A total of 145 infections have been linked to Pacific Seafood since early June.

This ZIP code has the highest per capita rate in Oregon, at about 16 cases per 1,000 people.

#4: 97236 -- Southeast Portland

This area is directly south of ZIP code 97233. It roughly covers the area around Powell Butte Nature Park.

The number of new cases here jumped by 41, to a total of 249 cases.

Public health officials have reported no new outbreaks at workplaces or adult care facilities in this area. But the area does include Healthcare at Foster Creek, a nursing home that was linked to 120 cases and 34 deaths. Public health officials, however, havent reported any new cases or deaths tied to the nursing home.

Like in the ZIP code 97233 just to the north, public health officials couldnt pinpoint a large outbreak as the source of 97236s increase in new cases. Willson, the county spokesperson, again said the jump in cases here was due to the high number of essential workers who are at greater risk of contracting the disease. Willson also said the disease was spreading among communities and families who socialize or live together.

#5: 97013 -- Canby

New cases here grew by 34 in a week, to a total of 98 cases.

An ongoing outbreak at Marquis Hope Village Post-Acute Rehab appears to be responsible for a big portion of COVID-19 infections in this ZIP code. At least 92 cases have been linked to the facility from June 4 to June 14. Seven people have died.

But its clear that some of the 92 cases are people who live outside of Canby. They are likely employees and close contacts of residents or employees.

According to data available Wednesday, 33 residents, 36 staff and apparently 23 other people have tested positive for the virus because of their connection to the facility.

The outbreak at Marquis Hope Village is the second largest at a long-term care facility in the state. Only Healthcare at Foster Creek in Southeast Portland has seen more cases, 120, and more deaths, 34.

#6: 97838 -- Hermiston

This ZIP code covers a large swath of Hermiston and some of outlying areas. Cases here increased by 24, reaching a total of 106 infections since the pandemic began.

The previous week, infections had increased by 14 -- so the disease has been spreading at a faster rate.

Its unclear whats driving the higher numbers. An outbreak at Medelez Trucking, which infected 27 people, appeared to be winding down. No one had come down with symptoms during the June 8-14 reporting period.

#7: 97303 -- Keizer

New infections jumped by 24 here, to 110 total cases logged since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

There has been no outbreak at a workplace, organized event or long-term care facility that can explain the rise.

But the Oregon Health Authority has identified six active workplace outbreaks in neighboring ZIP codes in Marion County. These active outbreaks have been ongoing at the Oregon State Penitentiary with 176 cases, Santiam Correctional Institution with 15 cases, Salem Hospital with 12, food processor Norpac with 11, food processor BrucePac with 7 and Amazon in Aumsville with 6 cases.

#8: 97305 -- Northeast of Salem

Cases here climbed by 20 in a week, bringing the total infections so far in this ZIP code to 141. This area encompasses the community of Brooks, and is just east of Keizer, across Interstate 5.

Again, like in Keizer, the Oregon Health Authority cant point to a single large outbreak in this ZIP code. But neighboring ZIP codes have struggled with workplace outbreaks.

#9: 97031 -- Hood River

This area saw cases rise by 20, to a total of 71.

A major contributor to new cases is the active outbreak at Duckwall Fruit, the pear packing company. The latest weekly report identified 16 new cases. A total of 61 cases have been identified at the facility since late May.

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee

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9 ZIP codes where COVID-19 spread fastest in the past week: Coronavirus in Oregon - OregonLive

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Edited News Release) -- Beginning June 22, CoxHealth will begin testing patients for COVID-19 prior to all surgeries and select procedures.

This decision, which includes all hospitals and facilities, is made to help streamline care as disease prevalence rises throughout the region. The results of the tests will allow for the use of proper personal protective equipment as higher levels are required to prevent transmission of the virus and appropriate placement of patients within the hospitals. It will also foster a safe environment for staff and patients, and help contribute to health data about the prevalence of COVID in local communities.

CoxHealth began testing high-risk patients as the COVID pandemic began, but as we see prevalence in our community start to ruse, we feel we must know whether or not all of our patients are infected with coronavirus prior to surgery or procedures, says Karen Kramer, CHO and CoxHealths Incident Commander for COVID-19 response. It is important that we have this information so proper precautions may be taken if someone is infected, and help ensure the virus is not transferred to others.

Patients will be informed of where and when they should report for testing, which will be done approximately three days before a scheduled surgery or procedure. They are then asked to quarantine at home until their surgery to avoid contracting the virus.

Various testing locations are established throughout the area, helping patients stay close to home.

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CoxHealth will begin testing patients for COVID-19 prior to surgeries, procedures - KY3

The city of McAllen issued a statement Thursday in response to inquiries about city employees testing positive for COVID-19.

The City of McAllen takes the health and safety of our employees and visitors very seriously and is following established protocols to ensure [the] same, the statement read.

The three-sentence release neither confirmed nor denied whether any employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. Several city sources not authorized to speak to the media, however, have said city employees have tested positive.

We also respect the medical privacy of our employees, it read. The City of McAllen will continue to follow appropriate guidance and requirements regarding both.

McAllen Police Association President Javier Cavazos indicated in a statement posted to social media that officers have been exposed to Corona Virus positive co-workers

The statement indicated that Cavazos spoke with City Manager Roy Rodriguez about these concerns and inquired about how it should be handled.

Cavazos claims he asked Rodriguez about whether officers were expected to go home after exposure and questions about how isolation time would be treated for payment and payroll purposes.

According to Cavazos, Rodriguez said employees exposed to infected employees will be referred to risk management which will evaluate the next steps.

Cavazos claims Rodriguez said that no one should be sent home for 14 days with no symptoms and no test results.

McAllen Police Association will continue to stay on top of these issues to insure all McAllen Officers taken care of during this crisis, the statement said.

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McAllen responds to reports of city employees testing positive for COVID-19 - Monitor

Gov. Andrew Cuomo | Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

ALBANY New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his final regular daily briefing on the coronavirus Friday, commencing an unusual weekend away from the limelight with a short address touting the states accomplishments combating the pandemic.

We have done a full 180 from worst to first, said Cuomo. We are controlling the virus better than any state in the county and any nation on the globe.

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The governor also officially announced that New York City will enter Phase 2 of its reopening on Monday, a timing he had previously suggested was likely but had not confirmed definitively. The expanded reopening will include al fresco dining and the return of in-store shopping, office jobs, hair salons and barbershops, the real estate industry and car dealerships.

Cuomos Friday briefing was an abrupt departure from what has become the new gubernatorial normal in recent months. The governor, more a political mechanic than a wordsmith, has traditionally shied away from holding regular press conferences. He made one public appearance in the Capitol in the eight months after the conclusion of last years legislative session.

But with concerns over the virus beginning to emerge in late February, he gave five briefings in a six-day stretch. When New York announced its first positive test on March 2, he gave 17 updates in 12 days. After a Saturday on which he held a couple of conference calls, he then began a 96-day streak of daily press briefings, the vast majority of which were in Albany.

No reporters were present for Fridays update, as Cuomo spent 10 minutes addressing the camera from behind his desk.

Why did it take a crisis to bring us together? he said. Why does government usually appeal to the worst in us rather than the best? Why doesnt government urge us to realize we are members of the same community, the same family, and that we all benefit when we work together?

Isnt that what we really showed over the past 111 days, that working together works? That the only way forward is if I protect you and you protect me I wear a mask for you and you wear a mask for me.

The speech was followed by a video montage featuring highlights of past press conferences, pictures of people wearing masks and a recording of a March 24 speech in which Cuomo promised that love wins, always.

It ended with a PowerPoint slide referencing the viral catchphrase Cuomo started using in the early days of the pandemic, when widespread home confinement and the elimination of regular social schedules led to the weeks collapsing in on themselves: And dont forget, tomorrow is Saturday.

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Cuomo's 96-day streak ends with final daily address on Covid-19 - POLITICO

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COVID-19 outbreak reported at prison in Bonne Terre, Mo. - KMOV.com