(CNN) With airlines introducing new measures like face masks and intensive sanitization routines to reassure passengers, people have been cautiously returning to air travel even while the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world.

But for some, the notion of climbing aboard an airplane now or in the near future, remains unthinkable. Nothing that airlines, government officials or fellow travelers can say will convince them to step on board.

CNN spoke to some of these self-grounded travelers to find out their biggest concerns about air travel at the moment and what it would take to get them back above 30,000 feet.

For Chris Trinh, a 41-year-old father of four based in Minnesota, the decision to stay off airplanes is partly because of his kids -- his youngest child is only 10 months old and he says he'd be worried about her crawling on the aisle.

It's also, he says, because he feels that no matter how careful he is, he can't guarantee others will be similarly conscientious.

"It's hard to trust other people," he tells CNN.

Trinh's wife is Japanese, and the family usually spend extended vacations in Japan over the summer months. This is the first year they'll be staying in the United States.

"The risk is just too high, and we just don't want to travel," he explains.

Trinh and his family aren't alone. Retired CVS Health engineering manager Vincent Marseglia, 70, is also avoiding flying.

"You're going to be near people, even if they leave the middle seats open," Marseglia tells CNN, speaking from his home in Rhode Island.

Chris Trinh is worried about traveling with his young children.

Courtesy Chris Trinh

"There's no way I'm going to get on a plane. Even before that, you have the crowds at the airports going through security, so you're just exposing yourself."

Wisconsin-based Dean Calin, 60, who's worked in the commercial aircraft industry for more than three decades, has similar trepidations.

Calin says his extensive aviation knowledge makes him more, rather than less, cautious about flying in the age of coronavirus.

"Even though airlines are taking steps to clean the interiors and the air is filtered thoroughly as a process of the air conditioning system, all of that can't counteract the potential contamination that passengers will bring every time the plane is loaded," Calin tells CNN.

"I just don't think that, without a vaccine, there's any safe way to travel yet."

Rethinking plans

Vincent Marseglia and his wife on a train traveling through France in 2016. Right now, they're remaining at home in Rhode Island.

Courtesy Vincent Marseglia

Ruling out air travel means rethinking vacation plans.

Marseglia says that, because of his age, he's being careful in all aspects of his life. He's socially distancing during meetups with his grandkids and wouldn't go on a train either -- nor would he share a car without anyone other than his wife.

Marseglia lives by the ocean in Rhode Island, and he's swapping out dreams of vacations in Italy for local, socially distanced outings in coastal Jamestown.

He's cautious about traveling to other states, given that different regions in the United States have adopted different strategies for quarantining and handling the virus.

But while pouring over photographs of previous adventures in Europe is currently bittersweet, Marseglia's conscious that he's in a privileged position, and so many have been more adversely impacted by Covid-19.

"Even when a vaccine comes available, I'm not going to be the first one to run out and get it," says Marseglia, who points out he's lucky to be able to stay at home and not worry about returning to a workplace.

"I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to get the vaccine, so if it's next year or the year after, I won't make any plans to do any kind of extensive travel until I know that's out there, and it's available and it's effective and I can get it."

Marseglia and his wife in Florence, Italy.

Courtesy Vincent Marseglia

Dean Calin tells CNN he's been self-isolating for over 100 days now, due to concerns about the impact of the virus on his asthma.

As well as working in the aerospace industry, Calin is also a singer in a group. At the beginning of 2020, he was looking forward to aviation-focused business travel trips alongside music gigs across the world. That's all on hold for now.

"It's a sacrifice that we have to make, if we intend to go on living" is Calin's perspective. "It's challenging and it's a different way to live your life, but the alternative is to ignore it is to court death."

Like Marseglia, Calin says would only return to the skies if he'd been vaccinated and he knew the rest of the population had also had time to get the vaccine.

Right now, he calls those who're traveling again "either very brave or very foolish."

"I just don't think that without a vaccine. There's any safe way to travel yet," he says.

How safe is it to travel?

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, tells CNN he does not currently advocate traveling by airplane, particularly in the United States.

"We have been recommending to our patients only really essential travel at present, because in this country, the virus is not under control. It's all over the country and continuing to spread in an inhibited fashion," Schaffner tells CNN.

Schaffner's perspective is people should only travel for personal reasons, in unavoidable circumstances.

"Even then, we ask them to do that very, very cautiously, wearing their masks at all time, keeping social distance," he adds.

Schaffner is principally concerned about the potential for the virus to spread in crowded airports, where it's difficult to maintain social distancing. He also expresses worries about travelers being tightly packed in the cabin.

While some are being cautious, others are returning to air travel.

CNN

"All the hullabaloo having to do with travel often brings you in very close proximity with others in enclosed spaces," he says.

Schaffner is also worried about the impact of traveling back and forth from a spot where there might be a particularly high number of cases.

The infectious disease expert has a vacation home in Florida, where he and his wife usually spend the summer months. They won't be going there this year, he explains. The couple are in the at-risk category due to their ages, which adds to their hesitance, but they're also concerned about the high infection rate in Florida.

"Once we get a vaccine or vaccines, and they can be shown to be reasonably effective and safe and they start to be distributed, then -- if we were vaccinated -- then we can travel," says Schaffner.

Dean Calin, former frequent flier

"And we would be even more comforted if we realize that the large majority of the population out there also received the vaccine," he adds. "I think that will reduce the transmission of this Covid virus, so that then things truly can start to return to normal."

That said, Schaffner's conscious this could be some time off.

"I think this period of caution will be quite extensive, over a period of months, extensive months," says Schaffner.

In the US, Operation Warp Speed is a vaccine program that aims to deliver a Covid-19 vaccine by 2021.

Temporary reality

Trinh is remaining optimistic that his family will one day be able to travel comfortably again.

Courtesy Chris Trinh

Trinh is willing to play the long game when it comes to returning to global travel.

On the day that they would've flown out to Japan, Trinh's wife and kids were upset about the plans that weren't to be. They weren't just sad about the canceled vacation; they don't know when they'll next see their extended family.

But Trinh says he's cautiously optimistic about the future.

"I feel it's just a temporary thing, right? I mean, if it lasts a year, maybe two years, that's just what we have to do," he says. "For me, it's unfortunate that it's happening, but at the same time it's hopefully a once in a lifetime kind of thing."

Trinh is also diplomatic when it comes to reports of other travelers returning to the skies in packed planes.

"I see it as each person's choice," he says. "I mean, as long as everybody accepts the risks that they're taking, I think it's okay."

He's confident there will be a solution, eventually, and his family will board an airplane once again.

"Hopefully it gets better at that point, that we're back to traveling on a yearly basis," he says.

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The people who say they're not boarding an airplane until there's a Covid-19 vaccine - CNN

R-0 may be the most important scientific term youve never heard of when it comes to stopping the coronavirus pandemic. USA TODAY

NASHVILLE It was mid-March when Dr. Daniel Lewis, the chief medical officer at a Tennessee hospital, attended a small meeting about how to keep the coronavirus from spreading within the medical center.

One of his colleagues had a mild cough. They assumed it was allergies. It was not.

That night, the man spiked a fever. A few days later, Lewis developed a fever of his own, then he got tested. Even before his results came back positive, he knew.

Over the next month, the coronavirus dragged Lewis to the brink of death. He was hospitalized in isolation and spent 10 days unconscious while hooked to a breathingmachine. When he finally awoke, he was plagued by hallucinations, blood clots and muscle atrophy that left him unable to walk, eat or go home.

Lewis doesn'trevel in the story of his brush with death, but as the pandemic worsens, he feels compelled toshare itwith anemphatic message: Everyone should wear a mask and avoid crowds to protect themselves from a virus that is dangerous to all.

Coronavirus does not respect your person. You dont have to be elderly, Lewis said. Its an apolitical virus that can strike anyone. While there are certain risk factors that may predispose some people to being more ill than others, it can strike people like myself that otherwise were healthy.

Dr. Daniel Lewis, seen here while hospitalized at Johnson City Medical Center, nearly died from coronavirus earlier this year.(Photo: Provided by Dr. Daniel Lewis)

As the coronavirus escalates across the nation, some have attempted to downplay the pandemic by insisting the virus is less deadly than anticipated. This claim is prevalent in Tennessee, where the fatality rate has laggedbehind most other states for reasons that are not entirely understood.

Lewis infection kept him from his familyfor more than five weeks. Today, two months after he finally was healthy enough to return home, he is still working reduced hours while recovering and likelysuffers fromlong-lasting damage to his lungs. Lewis hospital treatment also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and while his care is covered by workers compensation, another person with the same infection could be buried in medical debt.

I absolutely did not die from the virus, and I praise God for that daily, Lewis said. But Ive now spent three months of life recovering from the virus with more to go I will continue to seek care for this in follow up visits probably for the rest of my life.

Lewis, 42, who does not have any serious prior health conditions, got his positive test results for coronavirus on March 30 while the Tennessee outbreak was still young.

The state had recorded only 1,800 infections at that point, and Lewis was one of the first dozen cases in Greene County, a blue-collar Appalachian community in northeast Tennessee. He has been a doctor in Greene County since 2008.

People walk past a downtown mural Friday, April 12, 2019, in Greeneville, Tenn. (Photo: {sn_um}, Courtney Pedroza/The Tennessean )

At the time Lewis tested positive, he was already isolating from his family, as do many medical professionals who know they face a high likelihood of infection. Lewis moved into the basement to keep a distance from his wife and five children. He chatted with his wife by standing in the driveway and shouting to her through a window. When his kids went to bed, he sent them air hugs from the bottom of the basement steps.

Isolation was difficult, Lewis said, but it would prove more justified than he ever expected.

It is an apolitical virus that can strike anyone.

Two days after he got his positive test results, Lewis virus symptoms dramatically worsened. He recorded audio messages for his children in case things didnt turn out well, then checked himself into Greeneville Community Hospital.

Lewis found himself as a COVID-19 patient at his own hospital, subjected to the same isolation processes he helped create as an administrator. Staff wearing protective gear met him at a side entrance and took him directly to negative pressure room that was prepped just for this purpose. Visitors were forbidden.

It was surreal, Lewis said. Once I was in the hospital, I knew that every time I called for a nurse or a staff member I was potentially exposing them to a deadly virus. It was scary, and it was daunting, but it was also reassuring because I knew we had put processes in place to protect us.

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Lewis was quickly transferred to a larger hospital with a dedicated COVID-19 unit, where he would spend the next few weeks isolated to a single room. After about four days, his infection progressed and oxygen levels in his blood dropped until he required 6 liters of oxygen to be piped into his nose every minute.

Medical training told Lewis what would happen next.

Because of my unique situation, the medical staff did consult with me, Lewis said. And I was the one that brought up the ventilator first.

Lewis was sedated and attached to a ventilator on April 6. These life support machines, which breathe for a patient whose lungs are too weak or damaged to do so on their own, are one of the last hopes for severely-ill coronavirus patients.

Many patients never return from this point. Early reports from China and Europe suggested that as many as 90% of coronavirus patients who need a ventilator will not survive. More recent studies from the University of Michigan and Emory University have placed the fatality rate at closer to 30%.

Lewis was dependent on a ventilator for 10 days. He was detached from the machine on April 17, then struggled for a week from ICU delirium,a form of intensive confusion caused by the powerful drugs used for medical sedation.

'COVID hallucinations saved my life': Coronavirus-induced vision told a woman near death to call 911

Lewis said he remembers being visited by his wife in the hospital, although he learned this was a hallucination. His first real memory is attempting to diagnosis his own delirium during a check-up with a neurologist.

My medical background was a blessing and a curse, Lewis said. It was a blessing to know and understand what was going on to an extent, but I also knew all the things that could go wrong."

Dr. Daniel Lewis poses for a selfie with his wife Jessica and five children during a recent family outing. Lewis spent five weeks away from his family after he became infected with coronavirus in March.(Photo: Provided by Dr. Daniel Lewis)

It took a week for Lewis mind to recover from his time on a ventilator, and his body lagged behind. The muscles in his legs and throat atrophied during weeks in a hospital bed, sowas no longer able to walk or swallow safety.

Lewis leftthe larger hospitalto goa rehabilitation facility on May 2. He was wheeled out of the hospital on a stretcher while his family watched from a distance. It was the first time they had seen each other in a month.

Thirty-eight days after Lewis was first admitted to a hospital, he finally got to go home. His wife picked him up from the rehab center and they drove past the Greeneville hospital he worked at, where a crowd of friends held up signs to welcomehim back.

Back at his house, he was greeted by the members of his Sunday school class and his five children he had not hugged in two months.

It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders, Lewis said. It was exhilarating.

Follow the reporter on Twitter:@brettkelman.

COVID survivors' main symptoms can linger for weeks or even months, causing pain, trouble breathing, nightmares and even organ failure. USA TODAY

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This Tennessee doctor caught coronavirus at a meeting about coronavirus. He nearly died. - USA TODAY

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the House of Representatives has been, since mid-March, trying to adapt to new ways of doing businessincluding the efforts by committees to oversee actions by the Trump administration. Weve been tracking oversight activity during this periodboth related to the pandemic itself and beyondusing the Brookings House Oversight Tracker, and heres what weve learned.

1. Many committees are involved in COVID-19-related oversight.

COVID-19 has greatly increased both the supply of and demand for oversight activity within the House Democratic caucus.

Unlike the impeachment inquiry, where six committees were given specific investigatory powers and the lions share of the work was done by two (Intelligence and Judiciary), COVID-19 investigations have been less coordinated. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, a creation of the CARES Act that was meant to play a central role in the House oversight efforts, was slow to start investigations.[1] While the subcommittees investigative work has since increased, the Democratic members also hold the gavels of separate committees or subcommittees, and many are continuing to pursue COVID-19-related investigations within their own jurisdictions.[2]

Demand for oversight activity is also high with members seeking opportunities to demonstrate to their constituents that they have taken deliberate action to combat the damaging effects of the virus. As of July 2, 34 committees and subcommittees had held an oversight hearing or sent an investigative letter on a topic related to COVID-19. The impressive number of committees participating in oversight activity can also be attributed to the wide scope of issues encompassed by the crisis.

2. Committees are continuing preexisting oversight investigations but using COVID-19 to frame requests.

House committees are also exploring the implications of COVID-19 for policy areas in which they were engaging in oversight before the pandemic. The Judiciary Committee, for example, has increased its scrutiny of the administrations family separation policy, arguing that the administration is exploiting the crisis to pursue unlawful and inhumane immigration policies. In a separate letter, the Committee also scrutinized the preparedness of detention sites for coronavirus outbreaks and their general sanitation. Similarly, the Committees on Homeland Security, Natural Resources, and Oversight and Reform have all sought answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on its preparation for a threatening hurricane season. In their letters, the committees use COVID-19 as a reason to follow up on previous investigations into disaster preparedness.

3. Fewer hearings may be pushing rank-and-file House members, and Democratic Senators, to sign more letters.

Since March 13, the House has held 26 oversight hearings, a 76% reduction from the comparable period last year. As opportunities to participate in hearings have declined, rank-and-file members appear to be increasing their engagement with oversight letters in response. Although these additional signatures are not legally significant, they provide members with a way to signal their positions on issues. Prior to March 13, 2020, when representatives largely vacated the Hill over coronavirus concerns, 19% of oversight letters included signatures from members other than the relevant committee or subcommittee chair. Since that date, however, 29% of oversight letters have been signed by at least one rank-and-file member, and the average number of additional signatures per letter more than doubled from 1.29 to 2.63.

With Senate oversight at its weakest point in the last twelve years by one measure, senators have increased engagement with the House oversight letter process. The average number of Senators signatures on House oversight letters has jumped by 50% to 0.21 from 0.14 during the same time period last year. A May 27 letter from the Committee on Natural Resources to the FEMA Administrator regarding the preparedness of U.S. territories for both the hurricane season and coronavirus infections, for example, garnered 41 non-chair signatories, including 14 senators.

4. Letters are making fewer oversight requests.

Since vacating Capitol Hill in mid-March, committees have been more likely to send letters urging a change in administration policy, such as expanding authorities under the Defense Production Act for medical supplies, as opposed to making an oversight request.

Since March 13, only 51% of all letters sent by House committees involved oversight requests compared to 64% of letters prior to that date. Of letters addressed to executive branch officials specifically, that share only dropped slightly from 73% to 71%. While there are several potential explanations for this change, one involves legislators shifting their strategy for influencing the executive branch in a time of fewer hearings and less legislating.

With the House likely to continue a significant amount of remote operations in the coming months and emerging pressure to investigate issues like structural racism in police departments on the agenda, members will have to continue to adaptas they have so farto the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[1] The Select Subcommittee had only launched two formal oversight investigations as of June 19th into COVID-19 deaths in Nursing Homes and the Disbursement of PPP funds.

[2] Chairwoman Maxine Waters (Committee on Financial Services), Chairwoman Carolyn (Committee on Oversight and Reform), Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (Committee on Small Business) and Chairman Jamie Raskin (Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties) have all overseen COVID-19 related oversight actions within their own committees.

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How is COVID-19 affecting House oversight efforts? - Brookings Institution

FREE TESTING: BARBOUR, BERKELEY, HARRISON, JEFFERSON, AND MERCER COUNTIES Gov. Justice also announced that the next round of free community COVID-19 testing will continue through this week at various dates and times in Barbour, Berkeley, Harrison, Jefferson, and Mercer counties.

The effort is part of a plan to provide free optional testing to all residents in several counties that are experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 transmission. It targets residents who have struggled to be seen by a physician or do not have insurance to pay for testing. However, other residents, including those who are asymptomatic are welcome to be tested.

Testing is scheduled as follows:

Barbour County Thursday, July 16 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Philip Barbour High School: 99 Horseshoe Drive, Philippi, WV

Berkeley County Friday, July 17 & Saturday, July 18 7 a.m. 2 p.m. Patriot Antique Center and Flea Market:615 King Street, Martinsburg, WV

Harrison County Tuesday, July 14 12 p.m. 7 p.m. Robert C. Byrd High School: 1 Eagle Way, Clarksburg, WV

Jefferson County Friday, July 17 & Saturday, July 18 7 a.m. 3 p.m. Ranson Civic Center: 432 W. 2nd Avenue, Ranson, WV

Mercer County Friday, July 17 9:30 a.m. 4 p.m. Mercer County Health Department: 978 Blue Prince Road, Bluefield, WV

Original post:

COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice reduces social gathering limit; closes fairs, festivals, and concerts statewide; closes bars in Monongalia County - West...

This post will be updated with information about the coronavirus pandemic in Washington state. Scroll down for older information.

As of Monday, July 13, the Washington State Department of Health reports:

Versin en espaol aqu / Read KUOW's coronavirus coverage in Spanish

UW data indicates low levels of Covid-19 among frontline medical staff

10 a.m. -- Testing done by UW Medicine's Virology Lab shows a 3% positive rate among medical staff. The Virology Lab tested staff for novel coronavirus antibodies, indicating they have already been infected.

The 3% positive rate for antibodies among UW Medicine staff is below the rate for the general public.

The low overall rate of past infections in workers directly interacting with and caring for COVID-19 patients is a testament to our preparedness efforts and continued commitment to keeping employees safe, said UW Medicines Dr. John B. Lynch, medical director, Infection Prevention at Harborview Medical Center. Our preventative measures included early access to testing, extensive personal protective equipment and using highly trained units specifically dedicated to COVID-19.

According to a statement from UW Medicine: These early results indicate that there is not a significantly higher risk among the UW Medicines frontline healthcare population than in the population at large. Antibody testing involves performing clinical blood tests to check for the presence of antibodies that indicate past infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

--Dyer Oxley

Paid parking resumes in Seattle

8 a.m. -- Paid parking on Seattle streets resumes Monday, but at a reduced rate in many places.

It'll cost you 50 cents an hour to park and the city will keep that price in place for at least a month while managers review people's parking activity

Other cities like Tacoma and Redmond have already reinstated paid parking. Also, hourly time-limited parking will be re-enforced starting Monday.

For the first two weeks, they will be focused on education and voluntary compliance of paid parking as customers return to our neighborhood businesses.

Parking enforcement was halted as the pandemic initially struck the Seattle area.

--Angela King

UW cancels home opener football game

8:30 a.m. -- The UW football team's home opener against Michigan on September 5 has been canceled. The Big Ten conference announced Thursday that its teams won't be playing any non-conference games --maybe no games at all this fall because of the pandemic.

The University of Washington says this is the only change to the 2020 football season as of now. The Pac-12 Conference will likely move to conference-only season, according to ESPN.

--Angela King

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Updates: Continuing Covid-19 pandemic in Washington state - KUOW News and Information

For employers and employees, knowing when its safe to return to work after having COVID-19 can be difficult. Spokane Regional Health District has developed guidance for non-healthcare personnel to help employers and employees make informed decisions about testing, quarantine or isolation and when its appropriate to return to work.

This guidance includes three COVID-19 workplace scenarios for the following situations:

This document also provides information about return to work practices and work restrictions and provides an overview of a time-based strategy for determining when an employee can return to work. Spokane Regional Health District does not recommend a test-based strategy (requiring two negative tests at least 24 hours apart) for returning to work after COVID-19 infection.

Download the Download the Testing, Quarantine, and Return to Work Guidance document.

Looking for specific guidance for food establishments and taverns? Please visit the COVID-19 Food Establishment Guidance Page.

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COVID-19 Return to Work Guidance | SRHD - Spokane Regional Health

More than 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Washtenaw County have been traced to an early Julyhouse party inSaline, according to the county's health department on Monday.

The health department said a large uptick in the area's overall cases includes a majority of people between 15 and 25 and is believed to beassociated with the July 2-3 house party in the Saline area.

So far, health department officials have traced 43 cases and 66 exposed close contacts outside the family members of those who tested positive.

The health department believes at least 50 people were in attendance at the house party, said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, a spokeswoman for the health department. Ringler-Cerniglia declined to disclose the location of the house party since it was a private residence.

The health department is defining a close contact as an individual who hadface-to-face contact for at least 15 minuteswith someone who later tested positive.The department is attempting to reach all those believed to have had close contact.

This is a very clear example of how quickly this virus spreads and how many people can be impacted in a very short amount of time, Washtenaw County health officer Jimena Loveluck said.

We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths without full community support and cooperation.

The health department has seen a steady increase in confirmed cases last week, reaching a peak of 28 new cases on Wednesday, according to county data. The last time a higher number of new daily cases were recorded in Washtenaw County was May 5, when the county reported 30 cases.

Overall, the county has reported a total of 1,647 confirmed cases, 1,348 of which, or about 82%, are considered recovered. The county has reported 107 deaths linked tothe virus.

Related: Several test positive for virus after Torch Lake Fourth of July celebration

Among those exposed after the event by people who attended the party are employees or clients at area restaurants, clubs, camps, sports teams, retail stores, canoe liveries and a retirement community, according to the health department. People from the party have exposed others in other counties and one other state.

People who attended the party are being encouraged to quarantine and monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com

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More than 40 test positive for COVID-19 after Saline house party - The Detroit News

Presidential politics move fast. What were watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign:

Days to general election: 113

___

THE NARRATIVE

These are among the darkest days of President Donald Trumps presidency. Coronavirus infections are exploding, the economic recovery is in jeopardy and Trump may have undermined his own law and order message by commuting the prison sentence of his friend and political adviser.

Emboldened Democrats are trying to guard against overconfidence, even as they see real opportunities to expand Joe Bidens path to the White House in states like Georgia, Iowa and Ohio. And Bidens slow-and-steady approach is winning praise from Democrats everywhere as Trumps string of unforced errors and divisive rhetoric continues.

Theres less time for Republicans to turn things around than theyd like. Early voting across several swing states is set to begin in little more than two months.

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THE BIG QUESTIONS

How many more Americans will die?

The number of Americans dying from COVID-19 is surging again. The daily death toll began falling in mid-April, and it continued to fall until about a week ago. Daily reported deaths in the U.S. have increased from 578 two weeks ago to 664 on July 10, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins Universitys seven-day rolling average. Thats still well below the heights hit in April, but researchers are expecting deaths to rise for at least some weeks still as infections soar.

Overall, more than 135,000 people in America have died as a result of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins. As a reminder, Trump in April predicted a death toll of substantially below 100,000. In May, he predicted deaths could reach 100,000. And now, the CDCs latest model forecasts as many as 160,000 deaths by the end of August.

The Trump administration has yet to offer any kind of comprehensive, coordinated federal response. There was one noteworthy change over the weekend, however: The president wore a face mask in public for the first time.

Is law and order tainted?

Trump went where Richard Nixon would not when he commuted the sentence of longtime friend and political adviser Roger Stone, who had been convicted of multiple felony charges for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation involving Trump himself. Legal experts were aghast, and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney called it an act of unprecedented historic corruption.

The decision came as the president touts law and order as a central message in his reelection campaign. Another Republican, Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, called the Stone commutation a mistake.

Will the criticism from his own party grow? It will be especially difficult for Senate Republicans in tough reelection campaigns to stand by the president on this one. They wont want to address it, but Democrats will make it difficult for incumbents like Sens. Martha McSally, Cory Gardner, Susan Collins and Tom Tillis to stay silent.

Is it time to cancel the conventions?

Democrats have already embraced a dramatically scaled-down national convention in Milwaukee next month. Even a series of smaller Democratic watch parties across the country is in jeopardy as coronavirus infections surge.

Yet Trumps desire to project stability has fueled intense pressure on Republicans to host a large-scale convention of some sort in Florida, which has suddenly emerged as the unofficial epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. Florida officials on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to state Department of Health statistics, 15,299 Floridians tested positive. Thats significantly higher than the previous records in California and New York, which didnt crack 12,000. How much time does Floridas Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis have to get things under control? The Republican National Convention is officially scheduled to begin in Florida in 42 days.

Besides public health concerns, were also hearing that convention officials are struggling to raise funding for the high-profile event. While Trump could certainly benefit from a post-convention bump, the potential costs may be beginning to outweigh the benefits.

Will Bidens progressive populism resonate?

Biden offered new details for his long-awaited jobs plan last week that he hopes will shift the balance of the high-stakes economic debate. Trumps numbers have been weak on most issues, yet voters have not been willing to give the presumptive Democratic nominee a clear advantage on the economy.

Biden released a New Deal-like economic agenda that he touted as the most aggressive government investment in the U.S. economy since World War II. He plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars to reinvigorate the U.S. manufacturing and technology sectors while tightening current Buy American laws intended to benefit U.S. firms. He also emphasized previous pledges to establish a $15-per-hour minimum wage, strengthen workers collective bargaining rights and repeal Republican-backed tax breaks for U.S. corporations that move jobs overseas.

Trumps inability to contain the pandemic will make it harder and harder to maintain any kind of advantage on the economy. The question is whether Biden can convince voters his brand of progressive populism is better.

___

THE FINAL THOUGHT

Its later than you think. Nov. 3 may feel like a lifetime away, but early voting in a series of battleground states is little more than two months away. Mid-September will feature the first votes cast in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia. Two weeks later come Iowa, Maine, Ohio and New Mexico.

Theres a lot of money left to be spent, we dont know who Bidens running mate will be and we havent seen any debates, but the window to change the direction of the presidential contest is shrinking quickly.

___

2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.

Continued here:

2020 Watch: How many more Americans will die from COVID-19? - The Associated Press

AMHERST, Mass. For more than a century, the office supply store A.J. Hastings has opened its doors to the public every day without fail, a community staple in a quintessential college town.

That streak endured through the 1918 flu and world wars, national holidays and even a move. Through thick and thin, said Sharon Povinelli, who co-owns the store with her wife, Mary Broll.

Located in the heart of Amherst, the store has been a mainstay for students at Amherst College and Hampshire College, and the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts.

Weve been here almost as long as the universities here, Povinelli said.

The third-generation-owned business never broke its opening streak until the coronavirus pandemic hit. A.J. Hastings, along with millions of other businesses across the country, closed in March to curb the spread of COVID-19, while colleges shut down their campuses and turned to remote learning.

Since closing its doors to customers, the store has transitioned to curbside pickup and internet sales while the physical location goes through renovations to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Financial strain from COVID-19 has been especially acute for college towns like Amherst, where the loss of students has meant the loss of money they poured into local economies. Undergraduate students about 25,000 at the three schools combined made up nearly three-quarters of Amhersts total population. That population largely left Amherst when the campuses closed.

What were seeing now is a kind of ghost town, said Gabrielle Gould, executive director at the Amherst Business Improvement District. It was like a light switch turned off.

Along with COVID-19, college towns suffered major losses in income, employment and population.

When a university sneezes, the town gets pneumonia. Now when the university has pneumonia, what does that mean for the town? Stephen Gavazzi, professor of human sciences at Ohio State University, said. College towns have shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and apartments entirely dependent on students.

Now, as campuses are unveiling their reopening plans to only hold a fraction of their usual capacity this fall, college towns face an existential threat.

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As of July 10, 58 percent of colleges will offer in-person instruction, 9 percent are providing strictly online classes and 27 percent are proposing a hybrid model for the fall, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is tracking college reopening plans. Experts say most teaching will be remote as classrooms will reduce occupancy to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Economies of college towns follow the ebb and flow of students. When students return for the fall semester, they rent apartments, buy books and school supplies, eat at restaurants and, if theyre of legal age, drink at bars. Sporting events and social gatherings bring in enormous crowds and increase revenue for the local economy.

While college towns plan for periods of decline during the winter and summer when many students are away from campus, those slowdowns were always seen as an exception no one could have predicted a prematurely ended spring semester or a fall without students.

Many universities lost revenue they were initially banking on from graduation, alumni and sports events, Gavazzi said. Now, its wildly optimistic that universities will offer in-person instruction for a long time. Its my belief that students will have trouble following health protocols, and well have to revert back to online learning, he said.

Without a doubt, college towns are going to hurt regardless.

In Ithaca, located in New Yorks Finger Lakes region, just about everyone has some connection to the towns campuses, Cornell University and Ithaca College. Mayor Svante Myrick said he was prepared to cut $14 million from the citys $70 million budget and has already furloughed a quarter of employees. Last month, the city passed a resolution asking the state to allow Myrick to cancel rent for three months.

University of Michigan students contribute almost $95 million a year in discretionary spending to the local economy in Ann Arbor, according to the university.

Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingermans, an iconic deli company that owns multiple operations throughout Ann Arbor, said he has furloughed almost a third of its staff from 700 to 450, and estimated that sales were 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

There are many businesses that are doing much worse, Weinzweig said.

The restaurant Logan, an Ann Arbor fixture, closed down after 16 years. Aut Bar, an LGBTQ mainstay, is shutting down after 25 years. And after 60 years of operation, Treasure Mart, a popular antique store, is closing its doors permanently.

Its only going to get worse because nobody, not even really the school, knows how many students will come back to school, Weinzweig said.

In Amherst, where the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts is offering almost all remote classes, Gould said she expects 30% of businesses to shut down within the next year. A.J. Hastings saw an 80 percent decrease in sales between the months of March and June, compared to the same time frame last year. Amherst Books, a locally owned, independent bookstore, makes almost 60 percent of its annual sales in September a number it doesn't expect to come close to this fall.

Because there isnt a way to get an accurate headcount of returning students, its uncertain how universities and college towns alike will compensate for their losses this fall. But for schools, towns and businesses, one thing remains clear: None of them expect to fully recover any time soon.

The census is another cause for concern. Every decade, the national headcount determines the number of seats each state sends to the U.S. House of Representatives and how much federal funding is distributed throughout local and state governments. College towns reported a significant undercount because students leaving campus early happened to coincide at the same time as the response window for this years U.S. census.

In Athens, Ohio, students at Ohio University make up three quarters of the population. A census without this population could slash the official headcount from 24,000 down to 6,000 people. For Ithaca, a remote college town, half of the population consists of students meaning the population count minus students could shrink from 31,000 to as few as 15,500.

If we dont get a good headcount of those students, we could lose $40 million over the course of 10 years, Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said. Those grants fund community development, family and senior services and school systems.

To mitigate the economic harm caused by the pandemic and remote learning, Patterson said Athens is creating new mountain trails in the Wayne National Forest to diversify the local economy and increase tourism independent of Ohio University.

We really have to think creatively and differently in these communities where the university is our only main source of revenue, he said. Patterson said he understood that the uptick in coronavirus cases across the country was a growing concern, but any attempt to bolster the local economy was a silver lining.

Gould expressed similar sentiments, saying that ultimately, since a COVID-19 vaccine remains too far to be seen, small businesses and college towns need more help from the federal government. Back in April, some businesses were able to secure a Paycheck Protection Program loan an emergency fund for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees but for many, that money has already dried up.

In early May, Gould set up a micro-grant nonprofit organization, the Downtown Amherst Foundation, to help cover the financial losses small businesses had suffered from the pandemic. Since its inception, the nonprofit has raised more than $300,000 to distribute to over 60 small businesses, including PPE and outdoor dining infrastructure expenses.

Were resilient, and were doing the best we can to help each other as a community under these circumstances, Gould said. Its like plugging holes with chewing gum on a sinking boat.

Thankfully, no businesses have permanently closed, but with much fewer students returning, I dont know how much longer we can survive, she said.

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COVID-19 turned college towns into ghost towns and businesses are struggling to survive - NBC News

SALT LAKE CITY Like a lot of his constituents, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Sen. Lincoln Fillmore to work from home.

"I think what were finding is that by being forced to do this by a virus, companies have really learned how to do this more creatively," he said in an interview Monday with FOX 13.

He's among many lawmakers looking to make something positive out of a pandemic. He's drafting a resolution that encourages Utah businesses to categorize their employees by whether they can telework or not.

"What Im looking to do is capitalize on the positive result. Cleaner air, fewer cars on the road, less traffic without the whole economic shutdown," said Sen. Fillmore, R-South Jordan.

A similar bill is being run by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, which would designate state government employees the same way. The lawmakers argue it's not only good for the Wasatch Front's troubled air quality, but it would save taxpayers money on everything from fuel to road repairs.

"If we can find a way to move employees away from population centers, I think we can find a way to have strong economic growth spread evenly across the state instead of concentrated along the Wasatch Front," Sen. Fillmore said.

In the past, the state has offered incentives to employers who are willing to hire workers explicitly to telework as a way of expanding job opportunities in rural Utah. Air quality advocates have also championed teleworking.

Last year, Utah was starting to experiment with state employees teleworking. The COVID-19 pandemic forced them -- and a lot of other Utahns -- to join in whether they wanted to or not. Company meetings are held over Zoom and classrooms are conducted online.

But internet connectivity isn't available for all, said Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City.

"We have reached a point in our society where access to the internet is a right, because we have set up our very society based on internet access," she told FOX 13 on Monday. "Its almost impossible to open without a business without being able to file online."

Rep. Dailey-Provost is drafting a bill to expand internet access across the state. She's seeking to create an office in state government to focus on getting underserved areas -- including low-income and rural parts of the state -- connected with private companies for internet. The bill was introduced in the tail end of the 2020 legislative session, but has taken on new importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Access to the internet has become so ubiquitous we barely even think about how to get or where to get it or that it will be accessible. We need to remember that we built so much of our society around that access, we need to be reminded especially now that those barriers exist," Rep. Dailey-Provost said.

Some bills may be considered during an upcoming special session of the Utah State Legislature, as lawmakers deal with the ongoing impacts of the virus. Other bills are not expected to be taken up until the 2021 legislative session in January.

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COVID-19 forced teleworking and Utah lawmakers are looking at ways to make it permanent - fox13now.com

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR)reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 8, 2020, there have been 192,849 totalconfirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 3,615 total cases and 95 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.

CASES PER COUNTY (Caseconfirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour(17/0), Berkeley (483/18), Boone (28/0), Braxton (3/0), Brooke (14/1), Cabell(167/6), Calhoun (4/0), Clay (11/0), Fayette (76/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant (15/1),Greenbrier (67/0), Hampshire (42/0), Hancock (30/3), Hardy (44/1), Harrison(85/0), Jackson (146/0), Jefferson (245/5), Kanawha (354/10), Lewis (19/1),Lincoln (9/0), Logan (30/0), Marion (91/3), Marshall (46/1), Mason (21/0),McDowell (6/0), Mercer (58/0), Mineral (58/2), Mingo (20/2), Monongalia(354/14), Monroe (14/1), Morgan (20/1), Nicholas (14/1), Ohio (112/1),Pendleton (13/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (36/1), Preston (74/16), Putnam(71/1), Raleigh (63/1), Randolph (169/2), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (11/0), Summers(2/0), Taylor (18/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (6/0), Upshur (21/1), Wayne (119/1),Webster (1/0), Wetzel (25/0), Wirt (5/0), Wood (139/8), Wyoming (8/0).

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 Raleigh County in this report.

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

Read more:

COVID-19 Daily Update 7-8-2020 - 10 AM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

A group of medical providers gathering at the Gallup Indian Medical Center

Source: Nate Teismann

Dr. Jeanne Noble has worked all over the world as an emergency medicine physician. So when the hospital where she works, UC San Francisco, asked if anyone was willing to fly out to the Navajo Nation and help with an escalating Covid-19 outbreak, she eagerly volunteered.

The Navajo Nation, which reported its first Covid-19 case in mid-March, has seen infection rates per capita among the highest in the country. Thus far, there have been 8,000 cases and more than 300 deaths. The reservation, which is home to more than 170,000 people, is spread out across the varied desert landscape of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. The people refer to themselves as theDin.

Noble went to work at the Navajo Nation's hospital -- Gallup Indian Medical Center in New Mexico -- as part of the second group that made the trip out from UCSF.The first group arrived in April after responding to a call from Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez for health worker reinforcements. Around that same time, a similarly-sized cohort of medical providers from UCSF madetheirwayto New York.

Noble's group arrived in May. She was immediately impressed with the steps taken to ensure that more patients could get seen on-site. "They had put up plastic sheets and barriers to double the capacity in the emergency room, and then taken over an old pediatric clinic," she recalled. "There were also tents outside for the less sick patients."

Still, many of the Covid-19 patients had to be transferred to larger facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or Flagstaff, Arizona, if their health deteriorated. Often, Noble would have to call up three to four different hospitals in these regions to find space for her sick patient. Now, with a spike of cases in Arizona, Noble is concerned it'll become even more challenging for patients to get the intensive care they need.

Noble and her colleagues have been back in San Francisco for a few weeks, but she says their experiences were a constant reminder that Covid-19 is a "terrible illness," as she treated dozens of patients who were suffering.

But she also stressed that it's a disease that has disproportionately impacted certain populations over others, including low-income groups and communities of color.

The Navajo Nation, which has experienced social and economic inequities for decades, has been particularly vulnerable.

Large swathes of the population at high risk for serious complications from Covid-19: More than a third suffer from chronic medical conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. According to the CDC, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the United States, more than twice that of non-Hispanic whites.

A group of providers wearing masks at the Gallup Indian Medical Center

Source: Dr. Nate Teismann

But lack of basic services that many U.S. residents take for granted are another more pressing problem.

Noble recalled how one of her patients, a man near the age of 70, had been sick with Covid-19 and discharged from the hospital after making a recovery. His home was 30 miles away, and he had no way to contact his family. So he started walking home in the blazing heat, eventually collapsing from dehydration.

After being picked up by paramedics, the patient was checked back into the hospital, where he had just recently been discharged.

"He didn't have a car or a phone and he was also diabetic and out of insulin," she said. "Unfortunately, this is a relatively familiar story." Noble pointed out that there is a service available that provides transportation to Navajo patients, but it's not perfect. Sometimes there isn't a ride available, or patients aren't given a number to call.

Many of the Navajo live in overcrowded households with their families, where the virus can spread quickly, and more than a third lack access to running water at a time when it's critical to wash their hands. Moreover, hauling water can often mean breaking social distancing guidelines. There are only about a dozen grocery stores, and stocking up with basic food supplies can mean a three-hour drive.

"Everything is exacerbated by the fact that in this community, a high percentage of homes don't have electricity and running water," said Dr. Nathan Teismann, an emergency care physician at UCSF.

"There's also a relatively sizable homeless population, high rates of chronic disease, and behavioral health challenges - and that is fanning the flames of Covid-19."

All of the doctors and nurses agreed that the government needs to do far more to protect this population. Noble continues to be concerned about donations running out. She felt that at the very least, there needs to be funding for mobile health units so providers could visit patients at their homes, as well as better access to clean water. She is urging policymakers to consider solutions around housing, so there are more options available for people with Covid-19 to safely isolate.

"These might be expensive propositions, but we're talking about a basic human right for things like access to drinking water," she said.

Dr. Tara Sood, an emergency medicine specialist, recalled how one of her patients tested positive but was told to return home to recover.

After speaking with him, she learned he lived in a small one-bedroom unit with his wife and two others, making it near-impossible for him to isolate himself.

"Thankfully, we got him a hotel room," she said. But Dr. Sood noted that "socio-economic status" plays a huge role in both Covid-19 exposure and recovery. "There were so many patients living in homes with eight other people with nowhere else to go," she said.

Gallup Indian Medical Center emergency entrance

Source: Dr. Nate Teismann

The hospitals that serve Navajo patients were doing a "heroic job," according to Noble, of making the most of what they had. At the Gallup Indian Medical Center, there were plastic sheets used to increase emergency department space, and a reuse program with face shields. There were also creative solutions for devising gowns.

But the need to improvise revealed the underlying lack of supplies.

"We were always on the cusp of outstripping supplies," said Teismann, who was working at the hospital in mid-June. "I constantly wondered while I was there, 'will today be the day that there aren't any more ICU beds'?"

Noble believes there needs to be a long-term solution to ensure that hospitals in the poorest and most rural areas have adequate access to protective equipment. Donations can dry up, particularly as America's larger hospitals scramble for supplies.

One of the hallmarks of Covid-19, say the doctors and nurses, is the isolation that many patients experience. In their time with the Navajo Nation, they met with older, sick patients who didn't speak English well. And it was difficult to communicate with them if a translator wasn't available.

Many were isolated from their family-members and didn't have cellphones. Some patients were flown out to unfamiliar places, including to larger hospitals in other states, which only increased their sense of loneliness. Some of these patients ended up on ventilators, and no one could visit them in person without adequate protective gear.

"It's horrible and it's not how we expect someone's life to end," said Sood.

"It's an incredibly resilient and strong-willed population and they have fended for themselves for decades," said Noble. "And there's a strong sense of community," she noted, adding that it made it only more challenging for people to be separated from close friends and family-members.

All the doctors and nurses said they had patients who were in their twenties, thirties and forties who needed to be hospitalized, but the majority were older. Very few people died at the hospital, as the sickest were transferred off to other places. But in one particularly harrowing case, a patient of Noble's in his late sixties lost consciousness and died in the car on the way to the hospital.

The doctors and nurses returning from Navajo Nation have a message to share for their fellow Americans. As of this month, officials are reporting record cases of Covid-19 and a smattering of states have been hit particularly hard by the virus. At the same time, people are itching to resume life as normal -- and some researchers have called it "pandemic fatigue."In some parts of the country, there's a widespread reluctance to wear a mask or follow social distancing guidelines.

"If you're in young, you're not immune from getting critically ill," said Noble. "Wearing a face mask needs to be taken seriously, and social distancing needs to be taken seriously."

"Just because you're not experiencing it (Covid-19) personally, it doesn't mean that massive chunks of the population aren't," said Sara Kaiser, a nurse practitioner. Kaiser said that she observed the Navajo people following the public health guidelines as best they could, and many were highly concerned for the health and safety of family members.

"People are getting tired, but unfortunately the course of this pandemic won't be dictated by human preference," added Teisman. "Instead, it will follow the biology of a contagious respiratory virus."

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These doctors and nurses volunteered to battle Covid-19 in the Navajo Nation, and came back with a warning - CNBC

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR)reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 10, 2020, there have been 199,383 totalconfirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 3,882 total cases and 95 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(18/0), Berkeley (502/18), Boone (30/0), Braxton (4/0), Brooke (18/1), Cabell(184/6), Calhoun (4/0), Clay (11/0), Fayette (79/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant(17/1), Greenbrier (69/0), Hampshire (42/0), Hancock (32/3), Hardy (45/1),Harrison (108/0), Jackson (148/0), Jefferson (247/5), Kanawha (377/12), Lewis(19/1), Lincoln (10/0), Logan (33/0), Marion (95/3), Marshall (54/1), Mason(23/0), McDowell (7/0), Mercer (61/0), Mineral (60/2), Mingo (25/2), Monongalia(416/14), Monroe (14/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (15/1), Ohio (125/0),Pendleton (13/1), Pleasants (5/1), Pocahontas (36/1), Preston (78/16), Putnam(80/1), Raleigh (68/3), Randolph (175/2), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (12/0), Summers(2/0), Taylor (20/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (9/0), Upshur (22/1), Wayne (121/1),Webster (1/0), Wetzel (28/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (157/9), Wyoming (7/0).

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 Jackson and McDowell counties in this report.

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

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-10-2020 - 10 AM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Wisconsin health officials reported 769 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, 10.1% of the 7,617tests processed since Saturday.

Sunday's total is the third highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. On Saturday, the state health department reported926 new cases; on Friday,there were 845.

As of Sunday, 36,448Wisconsinites have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.

Health officials reported 820 total deaths on Sunday one fewer than Saturday's total of 821. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services website notes that data is subject to changeand "as individual cases are investigated by public health, there may be corrections to the status and details of cases that result in changes to this information."

As of Sunday, around 78% of all people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Wisconsin had recovered. There are 7,305 active cases, or 20%. The remaining 2% of people have died, according to the state health department.

RELATED:Survey: Did you get a call from a contact tracer? Tell us about it.

RELATED:Wisconsin public, private and charter schoolssee millions in COVID-19 relief funds

Statewide, 264people with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of Sunday morning, which is 20 morepeople than last Sunday, according to theWisconsin Hospital Association. Of those patients, 74are in the intensive care unit. Another 148hospitalized patients are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test.

County activity ratings as of Wednesday, July 8, are as follows. Parentheses reflect a change in the activity level from last week's ratings.

Globally, more than 12.7 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday, according toJohns Hopkins University.Around a quarter of all positive cases are in the United States, where more than 3.2 million have tested positive and 135,000people have died.

Contact Natalie Brophy at (715) 216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. Followher on Twitter @brophy_natalie.

Read or Share this story: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2020/07/12/wisconsin-coronavirus-769-more-covid-19-cases-reported-statewide/5420931002/

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769 more COVID-19 cases reported in Wisconsin on Sunday, 10.1% of new tests - Post-Crescent

Kristin Urquiza, 39, grieves over the fact that her family could only allow about a dozen people at the burial of her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, after his death from the coronavirus.

"It was so heartbreaking. My father deserved to have his entire community there to put him to rest," Urquiza told NBC News about the service on Wednesday in Phoenix. "We have a really large Latino family, and culturally, when there's a funeral or a wedding or a birth, we like to come together."

While her family reluctantly held a small ceremony, "I think that elected officials and the governors can make tough decisions to make sure that we keep as many Arizonans as safe as possible," she said.

Many families have publicly expressed their grief in the last few months over the deaths of their loved ones from the coronavirus, but the Urquiza family has touched a nerve for publicly stating their anger and blasting elected officials for what they see as inactions that have deadly consequences.

"I was gripped not only by grief, but by anger and rage, that his life didn't seem to matter to the people in charge," Urquiza said. "They have blood on their hands. People are dying."

In a gesture that has gone viral, the family wrote an obituary in the Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, calling out "the carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of the crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk."

She also held an "ofrenda," or altar, ceremony in memory of her dad in front of the state Capitol and invited the governor to her father's funeral. She said she hasn't heard back.

Her father, nicknamed "Black Jack" because he loved playing the card game as a kid, is one of over 2,150 people in Arizona who have died of COVID-19. Cases have skyrocketed since May, after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey lifted stay-at-home orders, quickly reopened businesses and went on local news station KTAR "to encourage people to get out and about, to take a loved one to dinner, to go retail shopping."

"That made it really difficult for me, in talking to my dad and other people about what is actually safe," Urquiza said.

"In the case of my father, he thought it was safe because the governor of Arizona said it was safe to go out to a restaurant," she said. "I don't know exactly where he contracted the virus, but he contracted it within three weeks of the state opening. At the same time, Gov. Ducey was encouraging people to go back to normal life."

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Ducey resisted allowing cities to put their own measures in place to contain the virus, arguing that statewide directives avoid a patchwork of regulations. It wasn't until mid-June that he allowed Arizona mayors to make face masks mandatory.

In a letter addressed to Ducey on July 6, Urquiza said her father "contracted the virus during the period when you forbade local governments from implementing their own safety measures, such as mandating the wearing of masks."

In response to the family's criticism, Patrick Ptak, a spokesperson for Ducey's office, told NBC News via email that their "hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Mark Anthony Urquiza. We know nothing can fully alleviate the pain associated with his loss, and every loss from this virus is tragic."

Available ethnicity data shows that Latinos are being disproportionately hit by the virus in several states across the country. In Arizona, Latinos make up about a quarter 23 percent of the state's more than 120,000 coronavirus cases; they make up about a third of the state's population.

Mark was 65 and had no pre-existing conditions, Urquiza said. He became ill with a high fever and a cough on June 11. He was hospitalized and later transferred to the intensive care unit.

"Every time we tried to call him, I could barely hear his voice because of the machines in the room," Urquiza said. "I don't think the public quite realizes what this living nightmare is like. You can't see your loved one once they're hospitalized."

Mark was then put on a ventilator. He died on June 30.

"He ended up dying alone in an ICU room with a nurse holding his hand. My father did not deserve that, and nearly 2,000 Arizonans who have died from COVID-19 do not deserve that," Urquiza said.

On Thursday, Ducey started requiring "restaurants with indoor seating to operate at less than 50 percent capacity," weeks after encouraging people "to take a loved one to dinner." He also took action "to prohibit large gatherings, cease the issuance of new special event licenses and pause the operations of bars, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks and tubing rentals." There are no statewide mandates on wearing masks.

Diego Lozano, 28, said his grandfather was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 at a time when "he already requires a lot of medical attention. He's diabetic and needs dialysis, as well."

Lozano said his family doesn't know how their grandfather, who is 75, contracted the virus, but they believe he was exposed to it at church or by someone who works at the transportation company that picks him up for his dialysis.

.

"Some of them would show up with no mask. While we were wearing masks, our leader was not mandating masks," he said about Ducey. "I feel like if there was a consistent mandate being enforced by our leaders, people would act more responsibly."

Lozano said all the places where his grandfather normally went to treat his pre-existing conditions were not equipped to deal with someone with COVID-19. They tried reaching out to hospitals for help, but most of them were at capacity and wouldn't take their grandfather in unless he was "experiencing the most severe symptoms of COVID-19."

"He was constantly being denied and denied, and it was very frustrating and stressful," Lozano said.

Over a week later, the family found a hospital willing to treat their grandfather. But "they're trying to discharge him already," Lozano said. "Our biggest worry is that we're not equipped to take care of our grandfather at the house while he has COVID and is experiencing all these other medical conditions."

Arizona has the highest rate of coronavirus-related hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It became the first state to trigger crisis care standards, giving hospitals more leeway on how to allocate resources and decide who gets treatment. About 90 percent of the states ICU beds are occupied, according to Arizona's Department of Health Services.

Mark Urquiza's death and the circumstances surrounding it compelled Kristin to start a social media campaign called "Marked by Covid" to amplify the stories of families that have gone through her same pain.

"I'm completely enraged by the lack of decisive clear direction, the downplaying of this virus by both the Ducey administration and the Trump administration," Urquiza said. "Their actions have put needless people's lives at risk."

"I'm compelled to speak up, not just to rectify my father's legacy," she added, "but to be able to draw attention to how core leadership and terrible policy is responsible for these surge in cases that we're seeing here in the United States."

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A Latino family lost a father to COVID-19. The obituary blamed the 'carelessness of politicians.' - NBC News

Throughout this week, mobile testing sites in southwest Louisiana have extended their hours and will be open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. from Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 17.

These sites will also be using the laboratory eTrueNorth to conduct the tests and provide results. Pre-registration is NOT required but encouraged by going to http://www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com.

Those who are pre-registered can use an express line for faster testing. On-site registration is also available, but testing will take longer than arriving with pre-registration completed.

People must provide a telephone number and email address to be tested. An ID is NOT required.

With eTrueNorth laboratory processing the tests, it is taking about 72 hours to get results. This has been the turnaround time experienced in Baton Rouge last week at the five sites using eTrueNorth.

Test results will be provided by email notification and on the eTrueNorth portal. If someone tests positive, they will also be contacted by phone. There is no phone number to call for results. Results will only be provided by email and in the portal.

Mobile testing uses trucks and equipment operated by the Louisiana National Guard to bring testing kits to neighborhood locations such as schools, community centers, fire stations and other local neighborhood locations.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

Testing Dates and Sites

Dates and locations are listed below for this weeks test sites by parish.

ALLEN PARISH

BEAUREGARD PARISH

CALCASIEU PARISH

CAMERON PARISH

JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH

Test site details

Save the number 877-766-2130 in your phone

If someone calls from a number other than 877-766-2130, claims to be a contact tracer and asks for personal information, hang up immediately.

See the rest here:

Region 5 Office of Public Health extends mobile COVID-19 testing hours; new lab partner providing quicker results - Louisiana Department of Health -...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina.What can we help you with? View our COVID-19 information and resources page here

SUNDAY

7:16 p.m.Durham health officials report 4,563 COVID-19 total cases on Sunday evening, up 72 from Saturday evening.

Two people have died from the virus, raising the county total to 70.

5:02 p.m.Wake County health officials report 170 additional cases of COVID-19 on Sunday evening, raising the county total to 7,490.

12:10 p.m.There are 85,701 total cases of COVID-19 reported in North Carolina, up 1,908 since Saturday. This follows Saturday's all-time case increase high of 2,462 cases.

Why you might see different numbers of COVID-19 cases depending where you look

Hospitalizations have decreased by 23, the first decrease in a week. The state reports 1,070 cases are being hospitalized. For six straight days, the hospitalizations in North Carolina had been increasing, reaching an all-time high Saturday at 1,093.

With 84 percent of hospitals reporting, 4,439 inpatient hospital beds (25 percent) and 482 ICU hospital beds (21 percent) are empty.

There have been four more deaths, bringing the total to 1,503.

The percentage positive of tests in North Carolina has fluctuated between 8 and 10 percent.

FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

8 a.m.As of Sunday morning, Johns Hopkins University is reporting 3,247,782 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States.

RELATED: Adm: Brett Giroir: 'We will not get control' of coronavirus if people refuse to wear masks

RELATED: US coronavirus deaths take a long-expected turn for the worse

SATURDAY

7:15 p.mDurham health officials report 74 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the county total to 4,494.

5:02 p.m.Wake County health officials report 7,294 total COVID-19 cases as of Saturday night, up 116 from Friday. There has been another death, bringing the total to 65 deaths county-wide.

4:50 p.m.Wake County health officials have identified a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility in Raleigh.

Public health officials said staff members at the Tower Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 2609 Bond Street, tested positive for COVID-19. Officials will not release additional information about residents or employees within the facility.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak as two or more people-- residents or employees-- testing positive for the virus.

12:20 p.m.North Carolina is reporting the state's highest one-day number of COVID-19 cases with 2,462. This is the highest day increase to date. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina is 83,793.

Hospitalizations are at another record high for the sixth day in a row with 1,093 patients in the hospital.

"Record-high numbers like today are concerning," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. "We all have a responsibility to one another to wear a face covering, avoid crowds and wash our hands often to get our trends going back in the right direction."

In North Carolina, 20 more people have died from the virus, bringing the total to 1,499 deaths.

With 88 percent of hospitals reporting, 4,028 inpatient hospital beds (22 percent) are empty and 510 ICU beds (23 percent) are empty.

As of Saturday morning, there are 3,184,722 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States.

The decision comes after a subcommittee of Wake County athletic and education officials monitored the rise in COVID-19 trends in both Wake County and the state.

"Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and the extensive precautions that would be required to resume practices, we have determined that it is not prudent to resume athletic and co-curricular activities at this time, nor for the foreseeable future," WCPSS said in a written statement.

The suspension includes voluntary workouts, practices, band activities and extracurriculars (teacher-sponsored clubs/organizations, ROTC and national honor societies).

The subcommittee plans to revisit the suspension later this month after state officials make recommendations for school reopening.

7:20 p.m.An NC lawmaker confirmed that his fellow colleague Republican Sen. Danny E. Britt Jr. tested positive for COVID-19.

Britt represents District 13 which includes both Columbus and Robeson County.

5 p.m.Wake County health officials identified COVID-19 outbreaks at three care facilities in Raleigh.

According to a news release, two residents and staff tested positive at Universal Healthcare located at 5201 Clark Fork Drive. Two staff tested positive at the Raleigh Rehabilitation Center located at 616 Wade Ave. One resident and staff member tested positive at Wake Assisted Living located at 2800 Kidd Road.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak as two or more people-- residents or employees-- testing positive for the virus.

WATCH: Here are the latest COVID-19 trends in the state from Dr. Mandy Cohen

4:38 p.m.The Wayne County Health Department has received notification of 1,971 total positive cases of COVID-19. Of those, 93 cases are attributed to congregate living facilities and 1,426 are cases from outside any type of congregate facility. A total of 1,714 of cases are of people who have recovered, leaving an estimated total of 227 active cases.

There was one additional death this week. The person died July 3 and was in their late 60s with underlying medical conditions. This death was not attributed to a congregate care facility. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Wayne County is 30.

2:32 p.m.The Halifax County Health Department said 2,374 confirmed tests have been performed on residents. There are 390 positive cases , including four deaths.

12:50 p.m.A Republican in the North Carolina General Assembly has tested positive for COVID-19.

Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said the lawmaker who tested positive has not been in Raleigh.

"Prior to coming to Raleigh this week, the member took a test in his district and it came back negative. At that time, he didn't have any symptoms but wanted to be proactive before coming to the General Assembly. Because his spouse was scheduled for a medical procedure, he took a second test on Thursday to be certain. He was not symptomatic when he took the second test. He is staying home and feels well," Berger said in a statement.

12:35 p.m.Ticket sales for Raleigh's Holiday Express will be postponed, according to a news release from the City of Raleigh.

The sales were originally scheduled to begin July 28, but the city cited uncertainty around COVID-19 and large gathering guidelines in its announcement.

Updates on ticket sales and the Holiday Express event will be shared online here and on Raleigh Parks' social media pages.

12:10 p.m.For the fifth straight day, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported a record high number of people hospitalized with COVID-19--1,046 patients, with 92% of hospitals reporting.

The new record comes as the state reports 18 deaths and 1,982 new COVID-19 cases--the third highest increase since the pandemic began. The state saw its second highest increase in cases Thursday, with 2,039 new cases reported.

NCDHHS reported 22,399 tests completed since Friday, with 10% of tests positive. Though the number of positive tests has remained roughly level between 8 and 10%, DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said Thursday she would like to see this number fall to 5%.

Though hospitalizations have steadily increased since Monday, 22% of inpatient beds and 22% of intensive care unit beds are still available statewide. However, Cohen said Thursday that increased hospitalizations in certain areas of the state, like Charlotte, are concerning to her and other health leaders.

11:15 a.m.North Carolina moved up one spot in the ranking of states by the number of completed COVID-19 tests per million residents.

Our state now ranks 27th after having tested 106,961 people per million residents (ppm). At the start of the pandemic, our state was testing just 44,651 ppm.

How our neighbors are doing:

9:30 a.m.

Volunteers will be passing out meal boxes in Durham at Lakewood Shopping Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for free. The boxes will be given out in the parking lot along Shoppers Street. Pre-registration is required.

FRIDAY MORNING STORYLINES

A North Carolina county has set a cutoff for restaurant dining and alcohol sales in hopes of limiting the spread of COVID-19. Officials in Orange County announced Thursday that restaurants and private clubs will be closed for onsite consumption of food and beverages at 10 p.m. beginning Friday.

The county also said restaurants may continue drive-through, delivery, and pick-up services after 10 p.m. as long as there is no onsite consumption of food and beverages. Penny Rich, chairman of the Orange County Commissioners, said the county's COVID-19 cases have tripled since Memorial Day, and the measures enacted will help protect the community.

Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing is being offered in Garner at Avery Street Recreation Center on Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is needed. The tests are offered through a partnership with the North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Gov. Roy Cooper will make an announcement on reopening schools next week. State officials said they are making their reopening decision based on the best ways to protect students, teachers and school staff.

"It's going to be something that follows the law," Cooper said. "It's going to be something that gets our kids back into school safely. I believe that kind of getting back into school is going to require some in-person but also some remote learning."

Yesterday the state reported a new high in current COVID-19 hospitalizations: 1,034 people. Thursday also saw an increase of more than 2,000 cases in the state. A new set of numbers will be made public Friday around noon.

THURSDAY5:45 p.m.The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association voted to suspend all National Collegiate Athletic Association sports for Fall 2020.

In a news release, the agency said the decision was due to rising COVID-19 concerns in many states where schools participate in NCAA athletics.

"This was a difficult decision but remains consistent with our long-standing priority of always acting in the best interest of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff," said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams in a written statement. "While there will be no athletic competition in the fall, we will continue to support opportunities that enhance the experiences of our student-athletes, member institutions, and partners."

The CIAA and the Athletic Directors Association will discuss the possibility of allowing football, volleyball and cross country teams compete in spring 2021 on a modified schedule.

Students on fall sports teams will still have their athletic scholarships honored, CIAA said.

5:03 p.m.Wake County health officials report a total of 6,826 COVID-19 cases within the county as of Thursday evening, up 178 from Wednesday.

4 p.m.Chatham County said it has more than 1,000 positive cases and 43 deaths from COVID-19. The county health department said this highlights the need for continued vigilance as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.

3:45 p.m.According to a news release, Orange County will no longer allow restaurants and private clubs to serve food or alcohol onsite past 10 p.m. or earlier than 5 a.m, starting Friday. However, restaurants can offer food via drive through, delivery or takeout after 10 p.m.

In addition, alcoholic beverages cannot be sold in the county between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. That includes restaurants, breweries, wine shops, bars, and other businesses that sell alcohol for consumption on-site.Restaurants and other businesses also cannot allow customers to stand at bars, and can't allow customers to touch shared surfaces such as bar counters, pool tables, dart boards and pinball machines.

"Cases in Orange County have tripled since Memorial Day," Penny Rich, Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, said in a written statement. "These additional measures will help protect our community by reducing group settings where the virus can easily spread. We must be vigilant in practicing physical distancing and wearing masks. It is more important than ever that we look out for each other."

WATCH: Governor Cooper's opening remarks from his Thursday press briefing

2:30 p.m.Officials of Durham County and the City of Durham announced an update to the Safer-At- Home Order. The amendment will go into effect at 5 p.m.

One of the major changes to the order requires businesses to post signage advising people of the need to wear a mask. Specifically the Order reads, "All businesses shall have prominently displayed at their entrance a sign, clearly legible at a distance of at least fifteen (15) feet, advising those who enter of the requirement to wear a face covering while on their premises."

The definition of mass gatherings now will align with what is contained in the Governor's Executive Orders: a limit of 10 persons for indoor gatherings and 25 for outdoors.

Employer screenings noted in the order will now include the additional COVID-19 symptoms identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 p.m.Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that he would have an announcement about the next phase of North Carolina's COVID-19 response as well as an update for public schools sometime next week.

"We want our children back in schools safely," Cooper said. "We will have an official announcement next week.

When asked multiple questions about his plan to safely reopen schools, Cooper and DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said they wre taking into account the best ways to protect teachers, students and school employees when reopening classrooms.

"This is a tough call--how to open up school is something that every single state and every single governor is struggling with," Cooper said.

Both Cooper and Cohen acknowledged that while North Carolina isn't seeing a surge in cases--as some other states are--they recognize that could change very quickly and overwhelm the state's hospitals. Cohen said, in particular, state officials are keeping eyes on the Charlotte area, where hospitalizations are ticking up quickly.

"Flattening the curve is not a one-time thing," Cohen said. "It takes constant effort and attention to keep things flat."

Cohen detailed how North Carolina was progressing on its key metrics--COVID-like syndromic emergency room visits, trajectory of confirmed cases, percent positive tests, and trajectory of hospitalizations. And unfortunately, as in the last few weeks, Cohen said she was concerned about the direction these trends were headed.

As an early indicator for COVID-19 cases, Cohen said we should be concerned that COVID-like emergency room visits continue to climb, as they have been for the last few weeks.

Additionally, as the number of new cases rise, the number of tests performed each day--though relatively high--is leveling off due to the national testing delays and shortages of laboratory equipment. To that end, though the percent of positive tests has remained roughly level between eight and 10%, Cohen said she would like this number to drop significantly to 5%.

Cohen also said hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, so though hospitals still have capacity, increased cases and increased emergency room visits could mean that hospitals will become overwhelmed soon. While Cohen said there is no need to set up field hospitals or take other actions now, she said health leaders are continuing to assess hospital capacity.Cooper's current executive order, which sets guidelines and regulations known as the state's Phase 2 response, is scheduled to end July 17. Cooper said he would have an announcement about the ending or extension of that executive order next week as well.

In the meantime, both Cohen and Cooper repeatedly encouraged North Carolinians to wear face coverings to slow the spread of the virus.

"Please continue to treat this virus like the deadly threat it is," Cooper said.

Cooper also announced two new initiatives during the news conference: a community health partnership to bring health workers into underserved communities and a public service internship for students.

In the community health program, 250 workers will help connect people living in historically marginalized communities to testing, healthcare, mental health, food, housing and other resources. In a news release, NCDHHS said the program will run through December.

The internship will allow students to virtually serve local governments and non-profits who may need additional help during the pandemic.

1:32 p.m.The Halifax County Health Department said 2,112 tests have been performed and there are 379 positive COVID-19 cases, including four deaths.

NoonThe North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported hospitalizations over 1,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic -- meaning the state has reached a new record high in that metric.

The health department reported Thursday morning that 1,034 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 86 percent of hospitals reporting. That's up 40 from Wednesday.

There are still 3,967 inpatient beds and 494 ICU beds available in the state.

The state also saw its second-highest single-day increase on Thursday with 2,039 cases. The single-day record in the state was 2,099 on July 3.

20 additional deaths were reported, bringing the total to 1,461.

21,286 tests were reported as completed on Thursday. The percent positive has remained at 9 percent over the last few days.

THURSDAY MORNING STORYLINES

Read the original:

North Carolina reports 85,701 COVID-19 cases; hospitalizations decrease for first time in a week - WTVD-TV

Active cases in North Dakota also reached a record high Sunday, with 677 residents currently positive for the sickness. The mark surpassed the previous pandemic-high of 670 on Thursday, May 21, which experts said was the virus's first-wave peak in the state. Active cases have more than doubled in the past 27 days.

Roughly 2% of tests reported Sunday came back positive. The state's overall positivity rate is 3.67%. The state has conducted 228,535 tests, though more than half of those have been administered to people who had been previously tested.

Both Cass County and Burleigh County each added 21 new cases of the virus. Grand Forks County reported 16 new cases. Morton and Stark counties each recorded five new cases, while Williams County tallied four new cases. Benson, Cavalier, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, Mountrail, Ramsey, Renville, Sargent, Sioux, Traill, Walsh and Ward counties all added three or fewer new cases.

The state did not report any new deaths from the illness, leaving the total number of deaths at 87. Seventy-four deaths list COVID-19 as the primary cause of death, while 13 others list it as a secondary cause or are awaiting death records. The department also reported four deaths of individuals who are presumed to have been COVID-19 positive.

Cass County has reported 72 deaths from the illness. Grand Forks County is the next closest in deaths with four.

Contributing to the rise in active cases is a steady increase in testing, according to Renae Moch, director of Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health. Last week, the state reported consecutive days of more than 5,500 tests, marking a sharp increase in public testing.

Burleigh County is home to 190 of the state's active cases, the most in North Dakota. Active cases in the capital area have more than doubled since the beginning of the month, drawing the attention of Gov. Doug Burgum, who said the state is closely monitoring the area's outbreak.

Active cases in Cass County number 139, while Grand Forks County reported 55 active cases.

Sixty-three deaths have been reported in nursing homes. Villa Maria, a skilled-care facility in Fargo, leads the state in active cases with five among residents and three among staff.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 3,173,212 cases of COVID-19 and 133,666 deaths.

As a public service, weve opened this article to everyone regardless of subscription status. If this coverage is important to you, please consider supporting local journalism by clicking on the subscribe button in the upper righthand corner of the homepage.

Here is the original post:

North Dakota reports 92 new cases of COVID-19 as active cases reach record high - Grand Forks Herald

The Spokane Regional Health District reported 95 new cases of COVID-19 in Spokane County on Sunday, bringing the total to 2,128 since the pandemic began.

One man in his 80s died due to complications from the virus, SRHD said. There are 29 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19.

It took about four months for Spokane County to reach 1,000 cases, but cases have doubled in the past month, with the county passing 2,000 cases on Saturday.

Across the border in Idaho, cases have also surged, with 663 cases in Kootenai County as of Friday afternoon. Statewide, there were 10,902 cases, an increase of 397, on Sunday, according to the Idaho Department of Health.

Cases have increased sharply around the country this week as states attempt to reopen their economies. Florida reported more than 15,000 new cases Sunday, setting the record for the largest single-day increase in any state since the pandemic began in January.

In Washington, there were 39,218 cases as of the end of Thursday. The health department did not update data over the weekend.

Nationwide, there are more than 3.2 million cases of the virus, with 62,918 new cases reported Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

View original post here:

95 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Spokane Sunday, 1 death - The Spokesman-Review

I actually feel like I got a little bit quicker, alittle bit faster, Williams said Sunday. But being out those three and a half months, it gave my body time to heal. I got some good treatment, some good work in, and Im ready to prove it on the court.

This season, Williams is averaging 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14 minutes per game. His athletic, high-flying style is a nice complement to fellow backup Enes Kanter, who does more of his work below the rim as a rugged rebounder with defensive weak spots.

Hes always been able to protect the rim at a high level, and I thought he was really improving early on in the season before he got hurt with a lot of pick-and-roll coverages, coach Brad Stevens said of Williams. When he came back, obviously there is going to be a little bit of a transition period, but now that were back and everyone is in a transition period, you can tell that . . . he looks like an older player now, finishing off his second year but basically entering his third.

Last week Kanter gushed about the way Williams was soaring in recent practices. On Sunday, guard Marcus Smart echoed some of that sentiment. He said the game appears to have slowed down for Williams, and that he looks healthy and ready.

I think our defense can go up another level, Smart said. We got somebody back there that can protect the rim. No offense to the other guys on our team, but Rob is a different type of freak of nature when it comes to athleticism, and the ability to go and change shots at the rim. So that allows us to pick up our pressure a little bit more as guards. And really, really, really just give the opposing team problems.

Lauding Lawson

A few months ago Stevens was on a walk with his wife Tracy and Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson when Stevens asked Lawson about her future goals.

And being the head coach at Duke was one of the things that came up, Stevens said Sunday. So its really cool that shes getting a chance to do that. Shell be terrific.

Lawson on Saturday was officially named the head coach of the Duke womens basketball team. She joined the Celtics last summer, becoming the first female assistant coach in the franchises history.

Kara is always known for putting a smile on players faces, Williams said. She stays in your ear, even though she may not be your personal coach, she always keeps asking how Im doing and if theres anything I need to talk about, so I feel like Duke is going to get a great head coach. Were going to miss her. We dont want her to go, but its on to bigger and better opportunities.

When Lawson was hired by Boston, Stevens allowed her to choose a player she wanted to work with individually. Smart said that he was her choice.

We just built a bond from the moment she got here and paired with me and just really sitting down and talking, so its family, Smart said. I know I can speak for everyone on this team. Were excited for her and proud of her and we love her.

Sending a message

When the season resumes later this month, players will have the option of replacing their last name on the back of their jersey with a statement related to social justice. The NBA approved a list of statements, and Smart said that his jersey will say Freedom on the back.

He said he would prefer to put I Matter on his jersey, but that was not among the choices that was approved by the league.

I would have loved to have the option to choose, Smart said, but I still wanted to show that I have care for the cause and I still want to keep awareness going.

Walker sits out

Point guard Kemba Walker, who was dealing with left knee pain when the season was shut down in March, did not practice on Sunday. Walker said last week he has no pain, but Stevens said the Celtics plan to be cautious and gradually ramp up his workload in the coming weeks.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.

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During the COVID-19 hiatus, Celtics forward Robert Williams got healthy, stronger and faster - The Boston Globe