The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the nation to its core, and the ensuing economic contraction shows no signs of letting up. As in past recessions, infrastructure is not insulated from these effectshousehold affordability concerns are rising, strained state and local budgets are delaying projects, and workforce impacts in construction and other industries are just beginning to take shape.

Still, it is the underlying structural factorshow we design our communities, the technologies we deploy, and the projects we fundthat continue to shape our long-term economic trajectory. Infrastructure can act as an economic barrier for many people and places, but it can also function as an economic foundation. An infrastructure stimulus offers real potential, but to maximize that potential, it must build greater economic opportunity for more people and places.

This web brief and accompanying paper use historical data and the earliest indicators from the current downturn to make the case for a people-first approach to federal infrastructure stimulus. We specifically recommend Congress enact a four-part stimulus program:

The total cost of these programs would range from $167 to $327 billion.

The 2020 recession is only months old, but such a swift economic contraction will be overwhelming for infrastructure agencies and the people who rely on their services. State and local governments have already cut infrastructure projects and related labor hours due to reduced sales and income tax revenue. The budgetary impacts will only grow if gas tax revenues stay below their targets, if transit systems and airports remain half-empty or worse, and if unemployed workers stop paying their utility bills. For individuals, lost income starts a vicious cycle where some can no longer afford essential infrastructure serviceswhether its filling their car with gas or paying for in-home broadbandwhich only makes getting to a grocery store or finding a new job that much harder.

Amidst these ominous trends, though, recessions can also offer valuable opportunities to improve infrastructure and expand economic opportunity. Lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper compared to recent years, reducing the upfront costs of generational projects. Infrastructure spending can also create immediate professional opportunities across a mix of design, construction, and operational jobs. The mix of short-term employment and long-term investment makes infrastructure an attractive area for federal stimulus.

Which leaves the core question facing federal policymakers: How can Congress design an infrastructure stimulus that responds to todays recession while still making forward-looking investments?

At their core, the pandemic and associated recession are stories of human sufferingwhich means any infrastructure stimulus program must put people at the center. Congress should fund policies that make essential services more affordable, promote workforce development opportunities, and build projects with a more resilient, equitable future in mind. The benefit of a people-first strategy is that it can stimulate greater economic activity immediately while ensuring benefits flow directly to households and communities most in need. Using lessons from past recessions, federal policymakers can design an appropriate response to this unique moment.

Historic data confirms that structural issues have a far greater impact on usage patterns than recessions. Aggregate driving levels dipped during many recessions, but have always rebounded as structural factors incentivize automobile use. Recessions also did not hold back freight flows, commercial aviation, and intercity passenger rail. Transits changing passenger levels have more to do with local development habits and system design than economic growth. Structural changes in the energy and water sectorsincluding climate insecurity, product innovation, and changing consumer tasteshave all pushed toward greater efficiency and sustainability.

Early evidence suggests many usage patterns will return once the economy reopens from COVID-19 and people feel safer. Driving levels rose when some state and local economies reopened, and global cities confirmed transit is safe to use. Continued reopenings will allow water and electricity demand to tick up. Policymakers would be wise to design a stimulus based on structural patterns, not temporary deviations.

The major exception is telework and the rapid rise in digital connectivity. A shift to more permanent telework policies could impact local demand for commercial and residential properties, reduce demand for intercity travel, launch new metropolitan competitions for industry and talent, and accelerate calls for universal broadband.

Infrastructure is essential to everyday life, but its not always affordable to use. As economists point out, infrastructure services such as water and electricity are necessities, and consumers are less sensitive to changes in their price. Infrastructure also tends to be more expensive for lower-income households than their higher-earning ones, with the lowest quintile of household earners spending over 50% of their post-tax income on transportation and other utilities (Figure 4). Research also regularly shows that the price of transportation and broadband are major barriers to use.

The scale of the infrastructure affordability issue could be especially overwhelming during the COVID-19 recession. The U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey through July 14, 2020 found that 50% of respondents experienced income losses since March 13. The likelihood was even higher among those making less than $50,000 per year and with less than a bachelors degree. To assist those in need, policymakers should make affordability a chief structural concern.

Recessions always create shortfalls in state and local governments general tax revenues, which they rely on to plan and fund their annual budgets. Faced with difficult choices and insufficient revenue, transportation agencies, water utilities, airports, and other peers often make the same choice to delay long-run capital projects. Telecommunications and energy companies may prefer to keep cash on hand and delay projects the same way.

Once project delays take place, it can lead to years of lower spending. State and local governments slowed spending on transportation and water capital projects for multiple years following the 1970s recessions and the Great Recession (Figure 3).

Less spending quickly spills into the infrastructure labor market. As public infrastructure owners and operators struggle to plan and pay for projects, private contractors may not provide as many services, execute as much construction, or hire as many workers compared to typical schedules. Still, the transferable skillsets and experience these workers possess could readily translate into opportunities in a stimulus effort, and there remains an ongoing need to train new workers in the skilled trades.

For nearly 100 years, Congress has seen infrastructure spending as a way to stimulate economic growth during downturns. However, the bills that made the most durable impact on infrastructure-related outcomes were the ones that tested innovative programs to address structural challenges.

Comparing the New Deal of the 1930s to the 1982 and 1991 transportation bills demonstrates two competing approaches. The New Deal used historic spending (Figure 6) to fund entirely new categories of forward-looking projects: delivering clean water, electricity, and telephone service to people for the first time; demonstrating mega-project capabilities such as New York Citys Lincoln Tunnel; and reinvigorating the civic commons through projects such as San Antonios River Walk and Charleston, S.C.s Dock Street Theatre. By contrast, the transportation bills mostly focused on building traditional highways and transit lines. Just as importantly, workforce development programming was central to the New Deal, while the transportation bills take as a given that more spending creates more employment opportunities.

The 2009 stimulusthe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)used a hybrid approach. Some infrastructure funding went right into current transportation formula programs, water-related revolving loan funds, and other preexisting programswhich did accelerate spending when recipients were prepared. But ARRA also launched the National Broadband Plan and the innovative Broadband Technology Opportunities Program to bridge the digital divide and deliver true high-speed internet service. Funding toward clean energy programs used renewable generation, weatherization, and even new financing models to invest in long-term sustainability. Those innovative programs now serve as models for the next wave of digital and resilience efforts.

The COVID-19 recession lands at an ideal time to learn from these past stimulus programs. So far, service workers, including many women, have borne the brunt of 2020s initial job losses, which is a major contrast to the Great Recessions male-dominated layoffs in construction-related occupations. The shift to telework and distance learning only raises the urgency to prepare all people for a digital future. Climate insecurity has grown since 2009, and lessons from fiscally challenged Flint, Mich. and flood-ravaged Houston are still fresh. Advances in mobility technologies and electric vehicles promise new approaches to transportation. The opportunities to develop policy innovations are clear.

Passing an infrastructure stimulus will require more than traditional calls for increased spending or pushing legislation designed for a different economic moment. Federal leaders will need to promote infrastructure policies that directly respond to todays damaged economy and where the country must go once the worst is behind us.

There are two immediate concerns. One is to support households who either experienced income loss or entered the recession already facing economic disadvantage. The other is to protect current infrastructure workers whose jobs may be threatened by state and local budget cuts. A stimulus can also address the countrys long-run needs, charting a new path for infrastructure policy for decades to come.

We recommend Congress build a stimulus that will deliver immediate and long-lasting benefits, using lessons from past programs. The stimulus should include four core programs:

If the recession does not end quickly and millions continue to be without work, Congress could spend an additional $95 billion per year to provide full-time wages (at $15 per hour) for 3 million workersthe projected number of infrastructure workers who will retire or need to be replaced over the next decade.

Challenge grants: Learning from the Smart City Challenge and Race to the Top programs, challenge grants use a proverbial carrot to inspire major planning efforts at the state and local level. By dedicating a large enough pool of funding and ensuring multiple applicants can win grants, Congress can inspire a wealth of new ideas. Congress could designate $20 billion to be spent across the four categories.

Research and development investments: To promote a culture of experimentation, Congress should create a funding pool available to private sector firms. Winning firms would receive an infusion of federal funding in exchange for federally owned stock. This program will accelerate risk-taking and ensure the public sector can benefit from profitable inventions. Congress could designate $12 billion to be spent across the four categories.

The total cost of these programs would range from $167 billion to $327 billion. Congress could dedicate funding through tax increases, but that could dull the stimulating. Instead, we recommend the federal government borrow or consider other revenue sources to cover program costs. Doing so will ensure a stronger economic recovery in the short term and an innovative, more equitable infrastructure system to boost American competitiveness for decades to come.

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An infrastructure stimulus plan for the COVID-19 recession - Brookings Institution

She left Manhattan's Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in early July -- after battling an aneurysm, sepsis, abdominal and heart surgeries and Covid-19, she and her doctors told CNN.

"It was hysterically funny, in a way," Hunt said of the experience. "It was like every time I turned around, something new came up. That's why I started laughing at it. Because it was like, when do we get leprosy? When is the rain of frogs?"

Hunt tested positive for the coronavirus in March, according to Dr. Gabriele DiLuozzo, director of aortic surgery for the hospital. At one point, Hunt was intubated and put on a respirator. She was also initially given doses hydroxychloroquine, which worsened her heart condition and led to a heart attack, Dr. DiLuozzo said.

After "enormous collaboration" between multiple teams of physicians, physical therapists and other health care workers, Hunt was able to walk out of the hospital on her own. However, Dr. DiLuozzo credits her "remarkable recovery" at least in part to her spirit and attitude toward life.

"I spoke with the nurses," Dr. DiLuozzo said. "I said if there was a way I could extract her genes, I would try somehow to put them in my bloodstream, because this woman is indestructible."

Hunt said she realized early on that her chances were "not good." She decided to accept her possible death with her indomitable sense of humor.

"Hell, at one point I died for two minutes," Hunt said. "And did I get the white light? No. It's like getting your tonsils out, and no ice cream or jello."

Hunt can talk at length about the "magnificent" doctors, nurses, aides and room cleaners who took care of her.

"They gave me such hope for the human race that people like them existed," Hunt said.

Dr. Malcolm Reid, chair of rehabilitation at Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West, oversaw her physical recovery.

"Many patients just wouldn't have had the mental fortitude to stay the course," Dr. Reid said. "Just to be in the hospital that long is draining."

This August, Hunt and two friends will be renting a room on Long Island's East Hampton.

"I have no idea what's next," Hunt said. "All I know is there's a next."

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She broke a hip, underwent surgeries, caught Covid-19. This 80-year-old woman laughed it all off - CNN

State budget writers will be facing a $1.4 billion decline in tax revenues for the next three years because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

The forecast, laid out by the Legislatures Revenue Forecasting Committee, includes a $523 million drop for the fiscal year that began July 1, a continuing shortfall of $433 million in fiscal 2022 and $449 million in fiscal 2023, as an economy plunged into recession by the spread of the COVID-19 virus slowly begins to recover.

The figures represent a significant impact on the states $8 billion, two-year budget, which entered its second year on July 1 and expires next June 30.

Key highlights in the forecast include sharp declines in sales and income tax receipts, and decreases in corporate income taxes as well.

In 2021 sales tax and use receipts are projected to be down by $238 million while income tax receipts will be down by $260 million. Corporate income taxes in 2021 are forecast to be off by $34.6 million.

Other areas hit by the pandemic include revenue the state receives from its two casinos and projected revenue from a retail marijuana industry that was expected to launch this year but has also been delayed by the coronavirus.

The numbers released Wednesday will be key as Gov. Janet Mills and the Legislatures Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee begin their work to craft a balanced state budget, as required by the Maine constitution.

But before any budget adjustments can be made, Mills would have to call lawmakers back to Augusta for a special lawmaking session.

The Governor is reviewing revenue reports, examining forthcoming revenue forecasts, and monitoring Federal efforts to provide additional aid and flexibility to State governments, Lindsay Crete, Mills press secretary said in a message to the Press Herald. The Governor will then confer with legislative leaders about next steps. Governor Mills is urging Congress to provide additional direct support to states as well as flexibility with funding already authorized in order to continue to protect the public health and safety and to spearhead an economic recovery.

This story will be updated.

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Maine state budget facing COVID-19 shortfall of $1.4 billion over next three years - Press Herald

Environment | Expert quotes | Science | UW and the community | UW News blog

July 29, 2020

Taylor Creek and Klondike Fires, Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, 2018Kari Greer / U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region

Forest fires are one of natures oldest land management tools. For more than 10,000 years, Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest have harnessed the power of fire to control the threat of destructive wildfires and encourage new growth across landscapes. In recent centuries, as the number of people living in forested areas has increased and large amounts of fuel have built up over years of suppression, large seasonal wildfires are becoming more common. The impacts of these fires have been felt far and wide and not just by those directly affected by the flames.

Smoke and pollution caused by large wildfires can have severe and irreversible impacts on the health and well-being of nearby communities, as well as for people who live farther away. Mounting research shows that wildfire smoke can adversely affect populations living many miles away from the actual location of the fires. As the Northern Hemisphere moves into summer in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, the confluence of risks that fires present to our landscape and our public health have been brought into stark focus.

The University of Washington has a long history of leading research into the impacts of wildfires from an ecological and health perspective. We worked with two experts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, including the ways that the pandemic is increasing our communitys vulnerability to extreme wildfire events in the region.

Brian Harvey

Answers in Environmental impacts of wildfires section are provided by Brian Harvey, assistant professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.Harveys research focuses on understanding forest disturbances like fires and insect outbreaks and how forest structure and function are shaped by disturbances, interactions among disturbances and climate.

Tania Busch Isaksen

Answers in Wildfire smoke and your health and the Wildfire smoke during the COVID-19 pandemic sections are provided by Tania Busch Isaksen, senior lecturer, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and clinical associate professor, Department of Health Services. Busch Isaksens research is focused on public health outcomes associated with extreme heat and wildfire smoke exposures, risk communication methods and climate change-related public health adaptation planning and response, among other topics.

Fire is integral to our forests in the Pacific Northwestwithout it, they would look profoundly different than the forests that we know and love today. Wildfires do a lot work in our Pacific Northwest forests; removing fuel (by burning it away), recycling nutrients, creating critical opportunities for new trees to establish, and stimulating herbaceous growth that supports high wildlife diversity are all just a few of the critical ecosystem services that wildfires provide.

However, in some contexts of our modern world (e.g., when human safety and infrastructure is at risk), letting wildfires burn unabated is simply too dangerous. Prescribed fires are an effective tool in such situations, and are a relatively cost-effective way to reduce hazardous fuel buildup so that wildfires can do more of the work they performed historically in a way that is less threatening to society. With prescribed fires, we have a lot more choice as to where and when fire is applied as a management tool, and when and where smoke will be produced. Wildfires will always remain a key part of our forests, and prescribed fires do not make as much sense in forests where the natural fire regime is characterized by infrequent and severe fires. However, in dry, frequent-fire forests, prescribed fire is a key piece of the fire and forest management puzzle, especially in sensitive areas.

Recent decades have seen a marked increase in area burned in the western U.S. that has tracked warming temperatures over the same time period, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. The year 2015 saw the greatest total area burned in recent history for Washington state, and many will remember several fires in eastern Washington burning more than 100,000 acres.

Recent years have also seen some fires larger than 10,000 acres on the west side of the Cascades, which historically included fire events on the order of several hundreds of thousands of acres. While the proportion of area that burns at high severity (e.g., killing most vegetation) hovers around 25% to 35% for most fires, more area burned means more area burned severely. A study in 2016 showed that nearly half of the increase in area burned across the western U.S. since the mid-1980s can be attributed to human-caused climate change. Coupling further climate warming with fuel amounts sufficient to carry fire, we should expect an increase in the potential for fire across the Northwest in the years ahead.

Fires are a key part of the ecology of our forests in the Pacific Northwest, and the role fire plays in shaping our forests varies across space. For example, a given patch of dry ponderosa pine forest on the east side of the Cascades historically experiences fire every few years to every few decades. These frequent fires remove fuels from the forest, keeping fire intensity and severity relatively low, and the thick bark on trees such as ponderosa pine allows these trees to survive many fires over their multi-century lifetime. Conversely, a typical patch of cold subalpine forests or moist Douglas-fir and western hemlock forests like what we see on the crest or west side of the Cascades historically experienced fire every few centuries or longer.

These infrequent fires historically burned through naturally high fuel amounts, resulting in large, severe fires (i.e., they killed nearly 100% of above-ground plants). This sounds scary from our human perspective, but the ecological opportunities created by these severe fires lead to extraordinarily high biodiversity for plants and animals in the decades that follow including the key natural establishment opportunity for trees like Douglas fir and lodgepole pine.

Wildfires always have been, and always will be a key part of our forests in the Northwest. That said, minimizing the number of unplanned human-caused fires is important for safely and effectively managing forests and fires. It is important to minimize sources of ignition as much as possible during the warm and dry conditions that define our fire season in the Northwest (generally mid-spring to mid-fall), and especially so when winds are high. Potential sources of ignition include: driving vehicles or operating machinery in areas with dry grass fuels; campfires and barbeques; fireworks; burning yard waste; or anything that could produce a spark or ignite highly flammable vegetation when it is warm and dry. Add high winds and that spark can escape quickly.

Adhering to local restrictions on burning is key to preventing wildfires. Around homes and structures, we can mitigate the potential for ignition by removing fuels and creating a defensible space. Several programs such as Firewise USA and the WA Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network provide useful resources that a wide range of sectors can draw upon to keep our communities safe from wildfires. We will never be able to completely prevent wildfires from occurring (and given their importance for our forest ecosystems, we may not want to), but by being careful and proactive about reducing fuels and minimizing ignitions, we can reduce the aspects of wildfires that are most dangerous to our communities.

Reversing the old adage, its safe to say, where theres fire, theres smoke. That is, given that fires are an integral part of how our forests function in the Northwest, there has always been, and always will be some level of smoke that impacts our region. But just as fire knows no boundaries and can travel from one parcel of land to another, smoke is even more mobile. For example, much of the smoke in the sky in the Pacific Northwest over the past few summers has traveled from areas as far away as northern British Columbia and California. Conversely, the smoke produced from fires in Washington can impact us directly, but can also travel far away. Because much of western North America is composed of fire-prone ecosystems, smoke is likely an inevitable consequence of living here. However, we can do a lot more to adapt in our communities to the reality of smoke, and be prepared to protect ourselves when the smoke returns.

No, all wildfire smoke is not the same. The particles and chemical constituents within smoke vary depending on the fuel burned, moisture content of the fuel and surrounding meteorological conditions. In general, ultra-fine particulate matter is the primary public-health related hazard associated with short-term and cumulative exposure to wildfire smoke. However, other hazardous air pollutants that affect health can be present in wildfire smoke.

Our understanding of the health effects attributed to wildfire smoke exposure has grown over the past several years, with widespread smoke events becoming more frequent in densely populated areas. Fine and ultra-fine particulate matter found in wildfire smoke is a respiratory irritant that can exacerbate pre-existing conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke (e.g. days to weeks) has been associated with an increase in respiratory-related hospitalizations in studies across the United States. Specific to Washington State, a 2017 study led by Colorado State University looked at wildfire smoke exposure during the summer of 2012 and found an increase in asthma, COPD and all-respiratory hospitalizations during wildfire smoke events. Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke has also been linked to an increase in mortality. In Washington State, a University of Washington study in 2020 observed an increase in non-traumatic, respiratory and COPD-related mortality on wildfire smoke days compared to non-smoke days.

As with many environmental exposures, those most at risk of poor health outcomes include the elderly, young, immunocompromised, and those with underlying health conditions such as asthma, COPD and cerebrovascular disease. Specific to wildfire smoke, those who work outdoors or who are experiencing homelessness are also at greater risk because of the increased likelihood of exposure.

Good quality, frequently updated information is important when making personal decisions about how to reduce your exposure during a wildfire smoke event. Nationally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains the AirNow website that draws from air pollution data from multiple agencies to produce an Air Quality Index (AQI). The EPA has also created a citizen science project using a mobile app named Smoke Sense. This app provides updated AQI and active wildfire information based on your location and also encourages you to track and share your own wildfire smoke symptoms via the app in the name of science.

In Washington State, the Departments of Ecology and Health, in collaboration with local and tribal health authorities, maintain and update the Washington Smoke Information Blog. The blog helps you prepare for fire season, provides information on how to become smoke ready, displays current and forecasted air quality information, and suggests useful tips for reducing your exposure to wildfire smoke.

We also recommend you consult your local county and/or tribal health departments and regional clean air agencies, as many of these local resources have specific local interventions available during wildfire smoke events.

There are a number of actions you and your family can do to reduce your risk of health effects associated with wildfire smoke exposure. As with an emergency or disaster, preparation is key!

For individuals with COVID-19, exposure to wildfire smoke may worsen symptoms of COVID-19 or make it difficult for the bodys immune system to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For those who are COVID-19 free, exposure to wildfire smoke can irritate the lungs and affect immune function, thereby increasing susceptibility to developing COVID-19 if exposed to the virus.

In pre-pandemic times, community clean air shelters were identified and used in areas impacted by wildfire smoke. These centers provided a respite to those seeking cleaner air. However, this community-level intervention is not realistic during a pandemic where social distancing is a priority. Therefore, the best way to reduce your own risk from wildfire smoke is to focus on what you can do to improve your own indoor air environment. The other major way COVID-19 has significantly impacted our normal response to wildfire smoke exposure has been to the general availability of N95 masks. Long seen as the minimum respiratory protection needed to protect from particulate matter, N95 masks are largely reserved for health care workers, as they also filter out the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Unlike with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, however, cloth masks do little to filter particulate matter from wildfire smoke.

Agencies that are well practiced in putting out wildfires are now learning a new skill: how to set the spark and fan the flames. Thats the case for the state Department of Natural Resources, which is starting to use prescribed burning as part of its strategy for fighting wildfires. Read more

A University of Washington study, published January 2020, takes a big-picture look at what climate change could mean for wildfires in the Northwest. Read more

People of all ages face a slightly increased risk of dying during and just after exposure to wildfire smoke, and middle-aged adults with underlying respiratory conditions face even greater risk, according to a new study led by the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. Read more

In the first major study following the devastating Carlton Complex fire, researchers from the University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service found that previous tree thinning and prescribed burns helped forests survive the fire. Read more

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Expert FAQ: Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest during the COVID-19 pandemic - UW News

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) Further reopening plans for Maryland amid the coronavirus are paused in place, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday.

The governor made the comments at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Maryland will not move into the third phase of the Roadmap to Recovery plan until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data and medical science, Hogan said.

In addition, the state is urging people to postpone or cancel travel to a number of states that are seeing high infection rates and to get tested and self-quarantine upon returning.

The number one activity of people who tested positive was attending a family gathering, Hogan said, followed by attending house parties and outdoor events.

While the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state has been climbing, Hogan said the state wont be re-implementing business closures.

Re-closing businesses has proven devastating to other states, he said.

Weve come too far together to lose the progress that weve made on the road to recovery here in Maryland, he said.

Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince Georges County have positivity rates over the goal threshold of five percent, he said. All but two of the states jurisdictions Cecil County and Calvert County have tested at least ten percent of their population.

There has been a dramatic shift in infections from older people to younger people recently, Hogan said.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Departments website or call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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WATCH LIVE: Marylands Reopening Paused Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says - CBS Baltimore

Major League Baseball's 2020 season is not even a week old and one team has already experienced a coronavirus outbreak that will sideline a chunk of its roster and has caused multiple games to be postponed. On Wednesday, another Miami Marlinsplayer tested positive for COVID-19, according toKen Rosenthal.

The Marlins are now up to at least 18 reported positive cases of COVID-19 between players and coaches of the traveling team since Opening Day, including six players testing positive over the past two days.

Miami's traveling party remains quarantined in Philadelphia as of Wednesday, and they haven't been the only team impacted by the outbreak. The Orioles returned to Baltimore on Monday night, and the Philadelphia Phillies, who hosted the Marlins over the weekend at Citizens Bank Park, also had their Monday and Tuesday night games vs. the Yankees postponed. As a result, the league announced that the Marlins and Phillies will temporarily hit the pause button as the schedule was revised on the fly in an effort to minimize disruption to the season while containing the outbreak.

The Marlins are next scheduled to play Tuesday, Aug. 4 at home against the Phillies, though it's possible a game could be added the day before on Monday, according to Jon Heyman.

MLB issued the following statement on Tuesday:

"The health and safety protocols were designed with a challenging circumstance like the one facing the Marlins in mind," MLB said in a statement. "The response outlined in the joint MLB-MLBPA Operations Manual was triggered immediately upon learning of the cluster of positive cases, including contact tracing and the quarantining and testing of all of the identified close contacts. The Marlins' personnel who tested positive remain in isolation and are receiving care."

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement saying the team is shifting to a daily testing schedule.

"We continue to take this entire situation very seriously. All of our players, coaches and staff are, understandably, having a difficult time enduring this experience. After receiving additional test results on our Major League team this morning, we reached out to the Commissioner's Office with concern for the health and safety of our team as well as our opponents.

We have moved to a daily testing schedule while we isolate and quarantine appropriately, along with enacting additional preventive procedures with our traveling party. We look forward to safely returning to Miami where we conducted a successful and healthy Spring 2.0 before departing on the road and experiencing challenges. For the time being, we will remain in Philadelphia and gather information in order to make informed decisions and prepare for our return to action next week."

Here is a look at the revised schedule. It's worth noting that the Phillies have already postponed Friday's restart against Toronto and will instead play a doubleheader on Saturday as the designated road team at Citizens Bank Park, according to Ken Rosenthal. The Blue Jays' 2020 home venue in Buffalo won't be ready for major-league games until Aug. 11.

Tues., July 28

vs. BALPPD

vs. NYY PPD

at MIAPPD

at PHI PPD

Weds., July 29

at BALPPD

at NYYPPD

vs. MIAvs. NYY

vs. PHI at BAL

Thurs., July 30

at BALPPD

at NYYPPD

vs. MIA vs. NYY

vs. PHI at BAL

Fri., July 31

vs. WASPPD

at TOR PPD

vs. TB

vs. BOS

Sat., Aug. 1

vs. WASPPD

doubleheader at TOR

vs. TB

vs. BOS

Sun., Aug. 2

vs. WASPPD

at TOR

vs. TB

vs. BOS

Mon., Aug. 3

OFF

OFF

vs. NYY

at BAL

Tues., Aug. 4

vs. PHI

at MIA

vs. NYY

at BAL

To recap:

The Marlins first had a positive test result on Opening Day, when Jorge Alfaro was placed on the injured list shortly before the team's season opener in Philadelphia. Here's a timeline of what happened between then and Monday.

Friday, July 24 (Opening Day vs. Philadelphia)

Sunday, July 26

Monday, July 27

Tuesday, July 28

Wednesday, July 29

Original post:

Marlins COVID-19 outbreak: Another player tests positive on Wednesday; 18 total reported cases among team - CBS Sports

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 5:00 p.m., on July 27,2020, there have been 265,892 total confirmatory laboratory resultsreceived for COVID-19, with 6,054 total cases and 106 deaths.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (598/22), Boone (68/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(49/1), Cabell (277/9), Calhoun (6/0), Clay (17/0), Doddridge (2/0), Fayette(118/0), Gilmer (14/0), Grant (42/1), Greenbrier (82/0), Hampshire (64/0),Hancock (84/5), Hardy (50/1), Harrison (163/1), Jackson (153/0), Jefferson(279/5), Kanawha (694/13), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (50/2), Logan (92/0), Marion(155/4), Marshall (107/2), Mason (41/0), McDowell (16/1), Mercer (91/0),Mineral (96/2), Mingo (102/2), Monongalia (822/16), Monroe (18/1), Morgan(24/1), Nicholas (26/1), Ohio (229/0), Pendleton (27/1), Pleasants (6/1),Pocahontas (39/1), Preston (98/22), Putnam (149/1), Raleigh (132/4), Randolph(202/4), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (14/0), Summers (5/0), Taylor (38/1), Tucker(8/0), Tyler (11/0), Upshur (34/2), Wayne (174/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel (40/0),Wirt (6/0), Wood (218/11), Wyoming (17/0).

As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Boone,Cabell, Marion, Mineral, Ohio, Summers, Taylor, Wayne, and Wetzel counties inthis report.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.

Please visit thedashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-27-2020 - 5 PM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

SEOUL, South Korea Three years ago, out of work and hungry, Kim Geum-hyok climbed Mount White Horse near his North Korean hometown, Kaesong, brooding on the meaninglessness of life.

Not far to the south, across a river, the 21-year-old could see high-rise buildings in South Korea, dazzlingly lit up. The sight beckoned him.

After two nights on the mountain, Mr. Kim crossed the worlds most heavily armed border to get to it. He climbed down, crawled under and over layers of barbed-wire fences and made his way through minefields. At the rivers edge, he hid among reeds, improvising a life jacket from washed-up plastic trash. When night fell, he began to swim.

I kept swimming toward the light, Mr. Kim said of his seven and a half hours in the water, in an interview that a fellow North Korean defector posted on YouTube. When I finally landed on the South Korean side and walked through reeds and saw South Korean soldiers approaching, I was so exhausted I collapsed.

This month, after three years of life in the South, Mr. Kim went back swimming across the same river hed crossed in 2017, South Korean officials said. On Sunday, North Korea said he may have brought the coronavirus into the country for the first time, and it put Kaesong, Mr. Kims hometown, under lockdown.

On Monday, a police department in South Korea said that before Mr. Kim left, a warrant had been issued for his arrest on a rape accusation.

North Korea did not identify Mr. Kim in its statement. But South Korea said he was the only defector in the South who had gone back to the North this month. The South did not disclose his full name, but it released enough information for reporters to establish his identity.

And other defectors who knew him including the YouTube interviewer, Kim Jin-ah, a woman from Kaesong confirmed that it was him, uploading photos of Mr. Kim to social media.

Weeks before his departure, Mr. Kim, now 24, gave several interviews for Kim Jin-ahs YouTube channel, Lady From Kaesong, talking about his lives in the two Koreas. He used an alias and wore sunglasses, and in some clips his face had been digitally altered. Much of what he said could not be independently verified.

I once visited his apartment in late June and I was surprised that it was so bare of furniture, Ms. Kim said in a video posted after Mr. Kims return to the North. Looking back, I think he was already preparing to leave South Korea.

Even before Mr. Kim went back, his story was an unusual one. Most of the 33,000 North Korean defectors now living in South Korea got there by way of China and Southeast Asia. But some, like Mr. Kim, made the dangerous decision to cross the inter-Korean border.

For a defector to return, however to a desolate economy and a dictatorship that calls defectors human scum is rare. Eleven have done so in the last five years, according to the Souths Unification Ministry. Like many defectors, those who go back have often had trouble adjusting to the Souths freewheeling capitalist society.

In one of the YouTube interviews, Mr. Kim said he had lost most of his hearing at an early age. Because of that, I had difficulty communicating with people, he said. I was beaten because I was told to bring one thing and brought something else.

When he was still a child, Kaesong, a city of 300,000, was chosen as the site of an industrial park run jointly by the two Koreas. It opened in 2004, and Kaesong became a boomtown, awash with cash. Mr. Kims cousins worked at the park, he said, and he himself sold eggs and vegetables.

But four years ago, the South shut down the complex in a dispute over the Norths nuclear weapons program. The economy crashed, and Mr. Kim, like many others, was soon out of work. (Last month, with inter-Korean relations at another low, the North blew up an office in Kaesong that it had jointly operated with the South.)

By the time he climbed Mount White Horse in June of 2017, Mr. Kim told Ms. Kim, he saw no hope for the future, no meaning in life, wondering whether I should continue to live or die. Seeing the South Korean buildings at night compelled him to go there and check it out even if that meant my death, he said.

Mr. Kim said he could not take his eyes off South Korean television during his debriefing by officials, which all defectors undergo after arriving in the South. In the North, all TV sets are preset to government propaganda channels.

Updated July 27, 2020

Mr. Kim settled in Gimpo, a city across the Han River from Kaesong. A doctor corrected the hearing problem that he had lived with since childhood. He gave Ms. Kim no details about his condition or the treatment, but he told her that he cried that day.

He also told her that he missed his parents deeply. He had enrolled in a vocational school, as part of the resettlement program that the South offers to defectors. But he said he quit and found work, hoping to send money to his family, as defectors often do through middlemen in China.

Off camera, according to Ms. Kim, Mr. Kim confided something else.

He told her that he was being investigated by the police because another defector had accused him of raping her. He told Ms. Kim that he had been so drunk on the night in question that he couldnt remember anything.

With Mr. Kim now in the North, it is impossible to contact him for comment. But the police in Gimpo confirmed that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

On July 17, officials say, Mr. Kim arrived on Ganghwa Island, which may have been where he first set foot on South Korean soil. At 2:20 a.m. on the 18th, he got out of a taxi on the islands northern shore. Around that time, he sent his last text message to Ms. Kim.

I really didnt want to lose you because you were like a big sister to me, he wrote, according to Ms. Kim, who read the message on YouTube. I will repay my debt to you no matter where I live, as long as I live.

Ms. Kim, who was working at a 24-hour convenience store when the message arrived, rushed to Mr. Kims apartment as soon as her shift ended, she told her viewers.

She learned that he had given up the apartment days earlier, reclaiming his deposit. She said he had also sold a used car he had borrowed from her, apparently to raise as much money as he could before going home.

South Korean officials concluded that Mr. Kim had crossed by crawling through a drain, three feet in diameter, that runs underneath barbed-wire fences on Ganghwas north shore. That led him to the Han River, which they believe he swam back across.

In a bag near the drain, officials found bank receipts indicating that Mr. Kim had withdrawn 5 million South Korean won from his account, then converted most of that to $4,000.

What happened to Mr. Kim after he crossed is unknown. North Korea said Sunday that he was in quarantine, accusing him of creating the dangerous situation in Kaesong City that may lead to a deadly and destructive disaster.

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North Korea Thinks He Brought Covid-19. South Korea Wants to Arrest Him. - The New York Times

According to a survey conducted by the New York Times, UT has had more COVID-19 cases reported than any other university in the U.S.

AUSTIN, Texas The University of Texas has found itself atop another list. This list, however, is not one it wants to be seen on.

According to a survey conducted by the New York Times (NYT), UT has had the most COVID-19 cases reported than any other university in the U.S.

The NYT surveyed every public four-year university in the country and "every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities."

As a result, the NYT uncovered there were at least 6,300 cases tied to about 270 colleges over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

UT topped this list with 449 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began. Some may recall UT had an outbreak of cases linked to a group of spring breakers returning to Austin from Cabo San Lucas. According to a CDC report, 64 out of 231 people during the outbreak investigation tested positive for coronavirus. This incident happened in late March.

However, a majority of UT's 449 positive test results were confirmed in late June and early July, according to the NYT survey. The city as a whole saw an influx in cases during this same time period. The city has since seen a "substantial decrease" in coronavirus cases in late July, according to city health officials.

"There is no standardized reporting method for coronavirus cases and deaths at colleges, and the information is not being publicly tracked at a national level," the NYT said in its report. "Of nearly 1,000 institutions contacted by The Times, some had already posted case information online, some provided full or partial numbers and others refused to answer basic questions, citing privacy concerns. Hundreds of colleges did not respond at all.

Other Texas universities ranking high on the list include No. 6 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) with 207 cases and No. 13 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Edinburg) with 95 cases.

The other universities rounding out the top five in the NYT study were: No. 2 University of Central Florida with 438 cases, No. 3 University of Georgia with 390 cases, No. 4 University of Washington with 249 cases and No. 5 University of Florida with 217 cases.

The NYT report also cites a separate survey, which details the state of coronavirus among university athletic departments. This survey was conducted among the 130 universities that compete at the highest level of Division I football.

In this study, the NYT revealed more than 630 cases on 68 campuses among athletes, coaches and other employees. UT ranked much better in this study, only reporting 13 total cases during the pandemic, much less than a handful of other football programs in the country. Clemson had the most reported cases with 47 and Baylor had the second most with 42.

On July 28, Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said there were zero active cases of COVID-19 on the football, mens basketball, womens basketball and volleyball teams. This report from Del Conte came after 13 UT football players tested positive in June.

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Report: UT has had more COVID-19 cases than any other university in US - KVUE.com

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 24,2020, there have been 251,565 total confirmatory laboratoryresults received for COVID-19, with 5,653 total cases and 103 deaths.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (579/19), Boone(67/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke (42/1), Cabell (243/9), Calhoun (5/0), Clay(17/0), Fayette (111/0), Gilmer (14/0), Grant (37/1), Greenbrier (82/0),Hampshire (55/0), Hancock (80/4), Hardy (49/1), Harrison (152/1), Jackson(153/0), Jefferson (273/5), Kanawha (641/12), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (38/1),Logan (66/0), Marion (146/4), Marshall (93/1), Mason (38/0), McDowell (13/0),Mercer (79/0), Mineral (87/2), Mingo (77/2), Monongalia (791/15), Monroe(18/1), Morgan (24/1), Nicholas (22/1), Ohio (217/0), Pendleton (25/1),Pleasants (5/1), Pocahontas (39/1), Preston (93/21), Putnam (132/1), Raleigh(118/4), Randolph (199/3), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (12/0), Summers (2/0), Taylor(35/1), Tucker (7/0), Tyler (11/0), Upshur (34/2), Wayne (166/2), Webster(3/0), Wetzel (41/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (208/11), Wyoming (15/0).

As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it mayreveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of thatcounty, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed thestate border to be tested.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.

Please visit thedashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-24-20 - 10 AM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

This qualifies as a big surprise, especially given MLB's current circumstances.

Braves outfielder Nick Markakis, who opted out of the season on July 6 after an "eye-opening" conversation with teammate Freddie Freeman, has opted back in. Freeman tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of July and experienced "body aches, headaches, chills and a highfever," his wife Chelsea wrote on Instagram. Shortly after news of Freeman's bout with coronavirus broke, both Markakis and first-year Braves starting pitcher Felix Hernandez opted out of the season.

But Markakis has changed his mind.

"Sometimes in life you make rash decisions without thinking them through," Markakis said Wednesday.

"At the time, I thought it was the right decision and it still could be the right decision. But I'm going against my decision. I'd like to come back. Sitting at home watching these guys compete the last couple of days and all the risks they're taking going out there, I just in a way, deep down, the pit of my stomach, I felt like I needed to be out there.

"It was nice to be home with the family but I know my family, my wife and my kids wanted me out here more than anything. I know there's challenging times out there right now. ... But deep down it didn't sit well with me and here I am now."

It's been a tryingmonth for the Braves. Freeman, top left-handed reliever Will Smith, pitcher Touki Toussaint and utilityman Pete Kozma all tested positive for COVID-19. Markakis and Hernandez opted out. Yasiel Puig, brought in to replace Markakis, also tested positive so the Braves did not sign him.

Separately, Cole Hamels, signed to a one-year, $18 million contract in the offseason, is on the IL with a triceps injury and is not expected back soon.

Freeman was back in time for opening day last Friday, and Smith cleared COVID protocol over the weekend. Now Markakis is back. The Braves have begun the season 2-3 against the Mets and Rays.

The timing of Markakis' decision is surprising in light of 16 Marlins reportedly testing positive for COVID-19, with the Phillies off until Saturday and the Nationals off this weekend because they were scheduled to face the Marlins. The NL East has already been significantly affected by the realities of 2020.

Markakis, when ready, will likely slide back into right field for the Braves, pushing Ronald Acua Jr. back to center and Ender Inciarte out of the starting lineup on nights they optimize for offense with DH Matt Adams. On other nights, Markakis could DH with Inciarte roaming the outfield.

In 14 big-league seasons, Markakis has hit .288/.358/.424 with 499 doubles and 188 homers. With 2,355 career hits, he's a longshot to reach 3,000 but it's possible. He turns 37 in November. His numbers in 91 games against the Phillies are similar to his career numbers, though he's homered just four times and has slugged about 20 points lower than against the rest of the NL East.

Markakis is the first player to opt back in for the season. In total, 14 MLB players have opted out of the season:

Nationals catcher Welington Castillo

Rockies reliever Tim Collins

Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond

Braves starting pitcher Felix Hernandez

Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks

White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Mike Leake

Red Sox pitcher Collin McHugh

Pirates reliever Hector Noesi

Giants catcher Buster Posey

Dodgers starting pitcher David Price

Nationals pitcher Joe Ross

Cubs outfielder Mark Zagunis

Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman

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Phillies won't be playing on Friday either - NBCSports.com

Mashantucket A Foxwoods Resort Casino employee tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago, the casinos interim chief executive officer, Jason Guyot, said today, correcting information the casino released hours earlier.

A statement attributed to Guyot said the employee had tested positive July 22.

We wanted to correct that, Guyot said. We were made aware of the positive test on July 27. The employee was tested that day and got the results back that day. We immediately startedcontact tracing and identified a handful of individuals the employee had been in close contact with.

Guyot said the employee worked in a small department, mainly in the back of the house, and had little contact with the public.

He said a Foxwoods team trained in responding to such cases identified the individual's contacts dating back to July 23, including anyone who had been within six feet of the employee for more than 15 minutes, even while wearing a mask.

Were getting them tested, and theyre all being quarantined for 14 days, even if they test negatively, Guyot said.

Its not known where the employee contracted the disease, he said, adding,We have no reason to believe it was here.

Guyot said it is the first case of a Foxwoods employee testing positive for the coronavirus disease. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun both partially reopened June 1 after shutting down March 17 due to the outbreak of the disease.

Mohegan Sun revealed last week that one of its employees had tested positive on July 5 and had been hospitalized, and that two other employees who had contact with the first also tested positive. All three employees have returned to work after quarantining for 14 days, a Mohegan Sun spokesman said today.

Were confident in our resort safety protocols and the processes in place to help safeguard our teams and guests, Guyot said in theFoxwoods statement. In addition to mandatory mask usage and temperature checks for everyone, we are conducting wellness screenings for team members before each shift to ensure all are healthy and feeling their best. Team members who are feeling unwell are also asked to stay home.

We are constantly reevaluating where safety enhancements may be necessary and remain committed to keeping Foxwoods a safe destination for everyone, he said.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

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UPDATED: Foxwoods employee tested positive for COVID-19 this week - theday.com

Weve been bending over backward to report, he said.

Bruckel said Total Access Urgent Care recently changed lab companies for COVID-19 tests after a national lab, Quest Diagnostics, was sometimes taking more than 14 days to turn around results.

The company changed its primary lab company a few weeks ago and, Bruckel said, patients are now typically getting results within two to three days.

Page said the county is also working to improve its own processes by hiring three new employees to help the county notify patients of results more quickly and has been helping the state with its data entry in their antiquated system, he said.

Missouri has reported 44,823 confirmed cases and 1,213 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Missouri ranked 15th in the U.S. for the rate of new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to an analysis by the New York Times. Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi topped the list, and Illinois, which includes St. Louis suburbs, ranked 32nd with 78 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 143 in Missouri.

The states rate of new cases on Tuesday prompted Chicago to add Missouri to its list of 22 states with travel restrictions. Beginning Friday, Chicago will require people traveling from Missouri to quarantine for two weeks, except for essential workers who must travel over state lines. Those who do not follow the order could face fines, according to Chicago officials.

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Missouri tops COVID-19 high for 9th time this month as St. Louis Co. calls out urgent care for testing delays - STLtoday.com

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 5:00 p.m., on July 24,2020, there have been 253,040 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 5,695 total cases and 103 deaths.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (585/19), Boone (69/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(42/1), Cabell (248/9), Calhoun (5/0), Clay (17/0), Fayette (111/0), Gilmer(14/0), Grant (37/1), Greenbrier (81/0), Hampshire (55/0), Hancock (80/4),Hardy (49/1), Harrison (152/1), Jackson (153/0), Jefferson (273/5), Kanawha (641/12),Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (36/2), Logan (66/0), Marion (148/4), Marshall (94/1),Mason (38/0), McDowell (13/1), Mercer (79/0), Mineral (87/2), Mingo (79/2),Monongalia (797/15), Monroe (17/1), Morgan (24/1), Nicholas (22/1), Ohio(217/0), Pendleton (27/1), Pleasants (6/1), Pocahontas (39/1), Preston (94/21),Putnam (132/1), Raleigh (119/4), Randolph (201/4), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (12/0),Summers (4/0), Taylor (37/1), Tucker (8/0), Tyler (11/0), Upshur (33/2), Wayne(173/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel (41/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (209/11), Wyoming(15/0).

As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is thecase of Greenbrier, Lincoln, Monroe and Upshur counties in this report.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.

Please visit thedashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

Additional report:

To increase COVID-19 testing opportunities, the Governor's Office,the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, WV Department of Health andHuman Resources, WV National Guard, local health departments, and communitypartners today provided free COVID-19 testing for residents in counties withhigh minority populations and evidence of COVID-19 transmission.

Todays testing resulted in 250 individuals tested in BrookeCounty. Please note these are considered preliminary numbers.

Testing will be held tomorrow in Brooke and Logan counties inthese locations.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-24-20 - 5 PM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Facebook has prided itself on thorough moderation and removal of COVID-19 misinformation posted to its social network since March, but the company is now under fire for having failed to take action for several hours against a fast-moving viral Breitbart News video promoting dangerous coronavirus conspiracy theories and treatments over the weekend.

The company now says removal of the video took longer than expected, in a statement given to The Verge, and the company is going to investigate why. Before Facebook took action, the video featuring non-experts refusing to wear masks while touting unverified virus cures had been widely shared tens of millions of times, including by President Donald Trump and his son on Twitter. After it began gaining traction, Facebook and other social networks, including Twitter and YouTube, removed it and began trying to contain its spread through reposts.

Weve removed this video for making false claims about cures and prevention mentions for COVID-19. People who reacted to, commented on, or shared this video, will see messages directing them to authoritative information about the virus, a spokesperson says. It took us several hours to enforce against the video and were doing a review to understand why this took longer than it should have. The company says its removed more than 7 million pieces of misleading or false content related to the coronavirus between April and June.

New York Times journalist Kevin Roose, one of the first reporters to raise the alarm about the videos alarming virality, theorized that the video remained up for so long because it had been posted by Breitbart News, an organization Facebook treats as equitable to mainstream media so as to appease conservatives who often complain about social media bias. Facebook communications employee Andy Stone said that was not true, writing in a reply, This had nothing to do with newsworthiness and is not how our newsworthiness policy works.

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Facebook says removing viral COVID-19 misinformation video took longer than it should have - The Verge

AUSTIN, Texas The only antiviral drug currently used to treat SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is remdesivir, but administering it is invasive and challenging. Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin are hoping to change that by using their novel thin-film-freezing technology to deliver remdesivir through dry powder inhalation, potentially making treatment more potent, easier to administer and more broadly available.

A team of researchers in UT Austins Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, led by Robert O. (Bill) Williams III, has investigated varying methods of drug delivery to repurpose existing drugs into more efficacious forms. Earlier this year, the team focused on niclosamide, confirmed to exhibit antiviral efficacy in COVID-19 infected cells. Since then, remdesivir has emerged as the only available antiviral treatment for coronavirus.

Remdesivir is authorized for emergency use in adult and pediatric patients hospitalized with severe disease. Originally developed to treat the Ebola virus disease, remdesivir has shown promising results treating COVID-19 in the human airway epithelial cells. However, limited effective delivery methods have hindered efforts to provide widespread treatment to a broad range of patients exhibiting life-threatening symptoms.

Unfortunately, remdesivir is not suitable for oral delivery since the drug is mostly metabolized by the body, Williams said. Intramuscular injection also faces challenges, since release rates from the muscles can vary widely.

To provide remdesivir for other patients beyond the most severely ill, more convenient and accessible dosage forms for different routes of administration must be quickly developed and tested so patients have more options to get treated. One way to overcome the poor absorption rates of remdesivir is to deliver it directly to the infection site. The research team, which includes Sawittree Sahakijpijarn, Chaeho Moon and John J. Koleng, has developed inhaled forms of remdesivir for protecting and treating the respiratory mode of infection, including an amorphous brittle matrix powder made by thin-film freezing. Not only would this delivery method allow for wider distribution of an essential antiviral in the fight against COVID-19, it could also make remdesivir more effective.

If patients can avoid a hospital visit to begin remdesivir treatment, it can lessen the current strains on our health system, lower cost and provide fewer points of contact with those who are still contagious, Williams said. More widely available early stage intervention methods could significantly lesson symptoms before they become potentially life-threatening, providing more hospital beds and ventilators to those who need them the most.

TFF Pharmaceuticals Inc. has acquired the patents regarding thin-film freezing and inhalation. The UT researchers findings were recently published as a preprint in bioRxiv. Upon final study results, the team will submit its full findings for peer review and publication.

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Dry Powder Inhalation Could Be a Potent Tool in COVID-19 Antiviral Treatment - UT News | The University of Texas at Austin

LANSING Ingham County Tuesday logged its 30th death from COVID-19.

An individual in their early 90s with underlying health conditions died from the virus, Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said. The death reported Tuesday is the first since June.

Of the deaths reported for Ingham County, 43% of those are people over 80 years old, according to the health department. People between the ages of 70 and 79 accounted for 27% of the deaths, 17% were between 60 and 69 years old and 13% were between 50 and 59 years old, the health department said.

A microscopic image from the first U.S. case of COVID-19.(Photo: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Ingham County has reported 1,370 positive cases since March.

Statewide, 6,170 people have died from COVID-19 and 79,176 positives cases have been reported, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

In Eaton County, seven people have died from COVID-19 and tests found 350 positive cases. In Clinton County, 12 people have died from the virus and tests found 315 positive cases.

More information on COVID-19 in Michigan is online atMichigan.gov/coronavirus.

Contact reporter Craig Lyons at 517-377-1047 or calyons@lsj.com.Follow him on Twitter @craigalyons.

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30th Ingham County resident dies of COVID-19 - Lansing State Journal

Now, Covid-19 is striking at the heart of the United Nations itself. And many diplomats, some speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, believe that the old ways of doing business may be changed forever by the pandemic.

It's been a struggle on the world's highest diplomatic stage. How do you practice the fine arts of diplomacy when the conference rooms sit empty, meetings are via Zoom, and the entire staff is working from home?

"Obviously diplomacy needs contact. it needs presence," said Secretary General Antnio Guterres. We are doing our best through these virtual mechanisms."

"Of course, I miss intimacy ... hugging my dear colleagues or smiling with them together," Hungary's UN Ambassador Katalin Bogyay told CNN.

The pandemic has meant the UN-based diplomatic corps has had to function like uh, common civilians.

Gone are the face-to-face conversations that diplomats say can mean the difference in how a nation might vote or a resolution is written.

Typically, the 193 UN Ambassadors and deputies attend hundreds of receptions at each other's homes or offices annually, a tradition that has been upended.

The goal isn't to partake in fine food and drinks, said Belgium's UN Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, but to meet a lot of people at the same time. "That is really useful as part of daily work," he said.

Now everything is virtual. "Cocktail receptions on Zoom are boring and sad," another diplomat conceded.

Listening while folding laundry

The Security Council's lack of unity on important issues, from Syria to Myanmar, has not improved in the pandemic era.

It took three months to even approve a resolution about the virus itself. And the recent vote on continuing the flow of humanitarian aid to Syria required five secret remote votes and concluded with many recriminations.

The diplomats do seem to have a coping mechanism that sometimes defies norms. After all they have to sit through numbing marathon hours of speeches during an average year.

French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivire said "as long as there is no vaccine we have to adjust to these realities."

Diplomats shelter inside their homes. and must adjust like all of us.

"You appreciate your own company," said Hungary's Bogyay. "I create every day as if it was a musical piece. I have etude, sonata or symphony days with some nocturnes depending on the topics we are covering."

Another diplomat confided that she and senior diplomats have shared tales of addressing the Security Council, the world's most significant international forum, in shorts and flip flops but with more formal attire on top.

This diplomat admitted "folding laundry" while listening to some conference calls. And, yes, diplomats, like many of us had to get up to speed on muting, unmuting and camera backgrounds.

Clearly, the stiff trappings of formal international behavior have slipped in the sudden work from home age.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, after 4 months taking questions from home, began one daily press briefing with "reminder, I'm in a really lousy mood today."

Covid-19 hits home at UN

Russia initially opposed online meetings but eventually went along as the coronavirus cases mounted in New York. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said early that the online experience was "more intense than normal life."

Other diplomats lamented the inability to read the body language of a colleague during face-to-face negotiations. "It's not the same as having a VTC conference," said Belgium's Pecsteen de Buytswerve. "You lack flexibility and nuance."

Hungary's Bogyay said it was a new type of diplomacy with everything now out in the open. "Lacking meta communication, you have to really have to concentrate on the screen and it is even more demanding physically and mentally than a normal day."

The United Nations could not escape the virus as it reported that 2 staffers died from coronavirus symptoms and more than 100 tested positive over the past six months

The organization told hundreds of staffers to work from home. A Security Council meeting on March 12 was marked by the technical jams that have afflicted many companies who have suddenly shifted to online gatherings. At one point, the panel heard its President at the time, Jos Singer from the Dominican Republic, pleading with ambassadors to shut off their microphones.

US Ambassador Kelly Craft took working from home to heart and retreated to her residence in Kentucky. A deputy had to finish her speech once when the picture failed. Still, dozens of Council meetings have occurred since and the current Council President, Germany's Heusgen, said "it was something very special for these last four months."

For all those who criticize the UN's performance, several diplomats thought the output has been improved. One diplomat not on the Security Council said "people are cutting to the chase more" and countries are finding new ways to work together.

Another diplomat noted: "UN people have been extremely productive with fewer meetings and without traveling. They are just working. They have no other choice."

Farewell to hugs and kisses?

The Security Council members did recently leave their residences to actually meet in person.

The Russians invited countries to their longtime compound in Glen Cove in Long Island, NY, where social distancing was observed on spacious outdoor grounds. Belgium's Ambassador said "everyone was very happy to see each other." There was barbeque and ambassadors discussed the upcoming goals.

But nowadays, simply calling a meeting has proved harder, diplomats said.

The UN General Assembly, with all 193 countries represented, can't meet in person because of social distancing. There needs to be pre-agreement that everyone is happy with a resolution for countries to say yes remotely by consensus.

At the Security Council, it takes more countries to find accord on the need to have a formal session, which is why some disputed issues end up being cast aside. "It's not great now dealing with substantive issues," a Security Council diplomat said.

Any in-person Council session also means hauling in interpreters and other UN staff who may count as essential services, but who do not live nearby in luxury apartments and would have to take riskier public transportation.

Still, Germany has joined with Russia in pressing for a return to UN headquarters as the virus toll dropped in New York. "You can do a lot virtually but nothing replaces person-to-person meetings," said Germany's Heusgen.

Four months after leaving the iconic Security Council chamber, diplomats returned to the UN building for a meeting on Colombia on July 14 -- but not to the Council chamber. To guard against the spread of the virus, the Council used a different, larger UN conference room, with far fewer aides and delegates allowed to watch in person.

The Security Council plans for a second meeting inside the UN on Tuesday to discuss Yemen. Not every country is enthusiastic.

British acting Ambassador to the UN Jonathan Allen said "while diplomacy works best in person, returning to meeting in the UN building involves an element of risk, including for the UN staff, so I think we have to try to find a balance."

France's De Rivire advised extreme caution, with the added guidance to all -- "Come with masks or stay away."

Regardless of the current concerns, some diplomats believe the UN, now in its 75th year, may actually change its ways because of the pandemic.

Hungary's Bogyay doesn't think hugs and kisses are returning anytime soon. "Actually I do not believe we will go back to where we left our life."

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'Cocktail receptions on Zoom are sad.' United Nations diplomacy in the age of Covid-19 - CNN

Aired 7/28/20 on KPBS News

Listen to this story by Tarryn Mento.

The first stop in a La Jolla laboratorys COVID-19 testing process is Bootes. Named for the star constellation and pronounced like the footwear, hes an automated liquid handling platform developed by the company Hamilton.

Bootes is the first in a series of automated machines at Helix laboratory running COVID tests from county sites, and they can be thrown off by inconsistencies. On a recent weekday, Bootes repeatedly refused to intake a batch of test tubes because a barcode on one vial was tough to read.

Lead clinical lab scientist Jason Nguyen, Bootes human handler, said the problem was hand sanitizer frequently used by county staff collecting specimens can sometimes cause the barcode to rub off.

We have some known issues with the alcohol, said Nguyen, who entered the sample ID manually, which always has to be verified by another person.

Machines like Bootes depend on uniformity to process thousands of COVID tests in a day, but their services and daily supplies needed to keep them running are in high demand across the country. Materials are becoming scarce a flashback to the pandemic's early weeks and some supply gaps are easier to navigate than others.

The problem trickled down to San Diego Countys public health lab earlier this month when a supplier couldnt provide its usual weekly shipment. Helix stepped in to help fill that gap and provide additional testing over the next few months. The genomics start-up that jumped into COVID testing as need grew in supplying the county with collection materials and processing for up to 2,000 daily tests.

David Becker, Helix vice president of quality and research and development, said uniformity is crucial when using machines like Bootes. That applies to something as seemingly insignificant as the size of the tube that carries swabs from testing sites to the lab.

You don't get a tube that is half an inch in diameter one day and three quarters of an inch in diameter the next day; that your robotic systems and your processes don't handle those very well, Becker said during an interview at the companys La Jolla lab.

It takes time and people to reprogram the machines for these fluctuations, but that doesnt mean theyre always manageable.

Marc Laurent, Helix vice president of partnerships and operations, said the current situation has them in regular contact with the various producers behind their equipment and materials to plan far ahead of any supply changes.

We've been working directly with the manufacturer to listen to what options they have at that time for a given week to understand, OK, so the normal supply is constrained. You have another two that's close enough that we could adjust to and work with, Laurent said. These are the conversations we have weeks ahead so were not surprised.

Swabs that collect samples and the liquid in the tube that keeps the specimen viable can also be difficult to obtain, but the greater constraint is among materials needed for the actual processing.

Laurent said because the testing technology is often proprietary, certain components are not interchangeable, such as the reagents, or chemicals that help identify if coronavirus is present, and plastic tips called pipettes. About a dozen are required for every specimen because they help mix in the multiple reagents but are tossed in the trash after adding each one.

Companies may also be limited to certain materials based on their test application submitted to federal regulators.

This means labs cant always look to a different source when their suppliers are out.

The countys public health lab faced a similar dilemma earlier this month when officials nearly cancelled appointments at its testing sites because a supplier, Hologic, had to short the countys weekly shipment of collection supplies known as testing kits. Unlike Helix, Hologics testing process requires only one machine that is operated at the countys lab but requires the companys collection materials.

We were facing a real tough situation of needing to close down some of our county testing sites, county Health and Human Services Director Nick Macchione said during a July 13 news conference.

Hologic, which said it provides millions of COVID tests each month nationwide, told KPBS that manufacturing output varies by week and the reduction to the county was temporary. Michael Watts, the companys vice president of investor relations and corporate communications, said shipments of testing kits have since rebounded and the company plans to provide the countys health lab with 20,000 tests a month.

But at the time, Macchione said Helix provided a last-minute reprieve.

Our ability to test will stabilize because of this new partnership, but were always looking to bolster our resources, in fact thats how we found Helix, he said.

Helix CEO Marc Stapley said the company developed its test to require a type of swab thats more abundant, at least for now and it selected a transport media that can stay at room temperature instead of needing to be chilled.

You need the refrigeration either in the packaging or the transportation itself in order to keep everything at a stable ... temperature and so weve obviated that issue in the supply chain by picking the transport media we did, Stapely said.

Still, the company will have to further navigate the challenges as it plans to significantly expand its daily testing capacity to 10,000 by the fall. That later may even grow to 25,000 as Helix plans to use next-generation sequencing technology that can manage tens of thousands of tests a day.

Thatll require the use of their high-throughput machines called next-generation sequencers, which Helix staff have already nicknamed Vesuvius and Fuji. Bootes will still play his role in the process.

KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute.

Tarryn Mento Health Reporter

The health beat is about more than just illness, medicine and hospitals. I examine what impacts the wellness of humans and their communities.

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For Biotech Firms, Keeping Up With COVID-19 Testing Demand Is A Daily Struggle - KPBS

Health insurer Centene Corp. said Tuesday that its Medicaid enrollment isn't growing quite as fast as expected amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Researchers widely anticipated that enrollment in the public insurance program for low-income people would swell during the pandemic as employers laid off workers, who they expected would look to Medicaid as a replacement for job-based health coverage.

The Urban Institute estimated that nearly 12 million people could gain Medicaid coverage because of the pandemic if the unemployment rate hits 20%. The Kaiser Family Foundation projected 12.7 million people who likely lost their job-based coverage as of May 2020 and became uninsured would be eligible for Medicaid.

But so far, Medicaid enrollment growth has been muted. The latest national data from CMS shows that Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment was 72.3 million in April, an increase of just 1.7% since January and 2% since March. Centene is seeing similarly slow growth within its own plans.

"Membership is coming in at lower rates than initially anticipated and below what was expected based on unemployment trends," Centene CEO Michael Neidorff said during the company's second quarter earnings call.

Company officials said the slower-than-expected enrollment growth could stem from more employers choosing to furlough rather than lay off workers during the COVID-19 crisis. They also said enhanced unemployment benefits could be contributing to the lower enrollment.

To be sure, Centene still recorded higher Medicaid membership in the quarter, even if lower than the company expected. It covered nearly 12.6 million members at the end of June, an increase of about 6%, or 736,300 members, over the end of March, when the pandemic first began disrupting the U.S. economy. Membership in the public health insurance exchanges, which was also expected to accelerate during the pandemic, grew just 2% to 2.2 million over the same time period.

Jeffrey Schwaneke, Centene's chief financial officer, noted that Medicaid membership growth did not result from newly unemployed people signing up, but from states suspending eligibility redeterminations. He also said enrollment gains varied widely by state: "We saw good growth in Florida, but hardly any growth in California."

Centene now expects membership growth to peak during the fourth quarter at 1.4 million new members across its business lines, including Medicaid. Just a month ago, Centene said it expected to see membership growth hit 1.9 million in August.

As a result, Centene decided to lower its revenue expectations for this year by $500 million. It now expects to add $3.5 billion in revenue from COVID-related membership growth in 2020. Earlier this year, the company told investors it would bring in $4 billion in revenue from pandemic-driven membership gains. The company left its earnings guidance unchanged.

Overall, Centene's top and bottom lines were driven higher in the second quarter by its $17 billion acquisition of insurer WellCare Health Plans, which closed in January, as well as membership growth. Like other insurers, Centene also benefited from members' using fewer healthcare services during the pandemic as providers postponed elective procedures and routine appointments to conserve resources for COVID-19 patients.

Neidorff said that by the end of the second quarter, patients' use of healthcare services was back to normal, though it is has begun to slip again in July. He also said the company is now experiencing an increase in COVID-related costs.

Centene recorded net income of $1.2 billion in the three months ended June 30, up from $492 million at the same time in 2019. Its revenue grew 51% to $27.7 billion, while operating costs increased 45.1% to $25.7 billion. Membership totaled 24.6 million people, an increase of 64.1% from one year ago.

Centene's medical loss ratio, which illustrates the amount of premiums spent on medical care and quality improvement, fell to 82.1% in the second quarter from 86.7% a year ago.

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Centene's Medicaid enrollment is growing slower than expected amid COVID-19 - Modern Healthcare