The latest news, information and numbers on the coronavirus from Palm Beach County, Florida, the U.S. and the world.

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U.S. hits record number of daily COVID-19 cases

The U.S. again set a daily record of new COVID-19 cases Thursday, reporting more than 77,000.

The rising numbers are a stark reminder of Dr. Anthony Fauci's warning to Congress last month that the U.S. could eventually see 100,000 new infections a day.

As the outbreak continues to surge across the southern states, Florida, Texas and South Carolina set records for new daily deaths, reporting 156, 129 and 69, respectively. While wearing face masks in public is mandatory in the majority of U.S. states, Texas only requires masks in counties with active COVID-19 cases, and Florida and South Carolina don't have statewide mask orders.

In neighboring Georgia, meanwhile, Gov. Brian Kemp filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Atlanta City Council and the mayor to block the city from enforcing its face mask mandate. | Read more

Ohio veteran, 37, who went viral for refusing to wear a mask, died of COVID-19

An Ohio man who died due to complications from COVID-19 has drawn criticism for his staunch refusal to wear a mask earlier in the pandemic.

Richard Rose III, an Army veteran who spent nine years in the United States Army according to his obituary, died on July 4. He was 37.

Roses death gained notoriety on social media after expressing that he was "not buying a (expletive) mask" less than three months before his death.

"Ive made it this far by not buying into that damn hype," he said in a post published April 28.

The post has since garnered more than 800 comments and 19,000 shares, with many using the post to ridicule Rose for his stance on masks. Others defended Rose. | Read more

Broward County issues nightly curfew

Under an emergency order issued Friday, Broward County now has a curfew in place from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The curfew lasts through Aug. 1, but it can be extended if the numbers dont improve.

Broward joins Miami-Dade County in having a curfew. | Read more

Dont only focus on deaths. Too many Americans are alive and in misery.

While COVID-19 has killed nearly 137,000 people and sickened about 3.5 million Americans, President Donald Trump has found something about his administration's response to celebrate: He boasted that U.S. deaths are "down, 'low and steady' " in a recent tweet. In addition to being out of touch, Trumps talking point is dangerous, disturbing and potentially untrue.

Positive cases are breaking records in states across the South and Southwest especially, with 50,000 to 60,000 positive cases reported each day.

Test positivity rates are near 9% nationally, double what they were a month ago. And because deaths lag cases by three to six weeks, the death toll will likely go up. (If deaths truly are down, it would partly be because we now know how to better treat patients.) | Read more

Back-to-school reopening plans have few details on how many cases would close schools

Even as they recommended working to reopen schools in-person, the nation's science academies warned: "It is likely that someone in the school community will contract COVID-19."

But largely missing from the reopening protocols at states and schools around the nation are concrete plans for what administrators are to do when coronavirus infections enter a school.

The prospect of reopening school in the fall is already looking less likely in much of the nation. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have skyrocketed to nearly 3.6 million, and more than half of states have paused or scaled back efforts to reopen their economies.

A growing number of school districts have decided to start the fall semester online. California's districts with high cases or transmission must begin the academic year with distance learning, the state's governor announced Friday. In other states, districts are pushing back their start dates. | Read more

Free agent Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig tests positive

Free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig announced Friday afternoon that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and is entering quarantine.

Puig, who says he is asymptomatic, was reportedly set to sign with the Braves but that deal appears to be scuttled for now.

"I urge everyone to take this pandemic seriously, this can happen to anyone, even the healthiest athlete," Puig said in a statement. "Wear a mask, social distance and follow your local protocols."

After spending the first six years of his career with the Dodgers, the 29-year-old split 2019 between the Reds and Indians, hitting 24 home runs with 19 stolen bases.

An All-Star in 2014, the Cuban-born Puig went unsigned this winter. In 861 career games, Puig has a .277 average, 132 home runs and an .823 OPS. | Read more

Palm Beach County is at 24,361 cases with 673 deaths

Florida again added more than 10,000 positive diagnoses to its rapidly escalating COVID-19 caseload, with 11,466 more cases reported Friday for a total of 327,241 with 4,912 deaths..

Palm Beach County added 650 new coronavirus cases Friday, driving its total to 24,361 with 673 deaths.

The 11,466 new cases reported by the Florida Department of Health marks the seventh time in eight days that more than 10,000 cases have been reported on a single day.

No other state in the nation has seen such a sustained level of rapid growth. | Read more

DeSantis doesnt plan to heed advice of White House task force

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he has no intention of heeding the advice of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which is recommending that strong measures be taken to stop the spread of the virus in counties throughout Florida.

While the number of cases and deaths continued to mount, he said he wouldnt close gyms or restrict restaurants to outdoor seating to address outbreaks as suggested in a task force report that was leaked to the Center for Public Integrity on Thursday.

He was particularly adamant about keeping gyms open. | Read more

30 days, no COVID-19 deaths in Vermont

In the last 30 days, there is only one U.S. state that has not seen a single COVID-19 related death: Vermont.

Vermont's neighbors one of which, New York, was once considered the epicenter of the virus have seen downward trends in reported cases and deaths. Still, New Hampshire reported 24 deaths in July, while Massachusetts and New York reported 326 and 357 deaths respectively so far this month.

Vermont has remained steady at 56 deaths from COVID-19 since June 18, a trend Health Commissioner Mark Levine attributes to the vigilance of Vermonters as well as strict health protocols for those in long term care facilities, who account for 52% of the state's fatalities.

Home Depot joins roster of retailers requiring masks

Another retailing heavyweight is weighing in on the national mask-wearing issue: Home Depot will now require all shoppers wear them.

The home improvement retailer said Friday that customers must wear masks inside all U.S. stores beginning Wednesday, July 22. However, small children and those who have a valid medical condition will not have to wear them. Customers not wearing masks because of a medical condition are asked to speak with an associate before entering the store, the company says.

Home Depot joins a slew of retailers including Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens mandating masks at stores nationwide.

Americans are defying travel bans

Not everyone is staying home this summer. Some travelers are shrugging off the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, ignoring the shutdowns and taking a vacation anyway.

Half of Americans plan to stay put this summer, according to a new survey by LuggageHero. But 31% have taken a domestic trip since lockdown restrictions were eased, and a remarkable 19% have traveled internationally.

Britain eases restrictions, Israel locks down

The coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage countries worldwide, with Brazil surpassing 2 million cases and India surpassing more than 1 million Friday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced rollbacks of lockdown measures Friday, saying he hopes social distancing will come to an end by Christmas.

Meanwhile, Israel re-entered a partial lockdown, Barcelona city officials urged residents to stay home, and Tokyo reported a record number of new cases for the second straight day.

U.S.-Canada, Mexico border closures extended into late August

Travelers looking to cross the land border into Canada or Mexico will have to wait at least another month after the Department of Homeland Security extended closures at both borders due to the pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security's Acting Secretary, Chad Wolf, tweeted the news on Thursday. "Based on the success of the existing restrictions and close collaboration with Mexico and Canada, @DHSgov will continue to limit non-essential travel at our land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico until Aug. 20," he wrote.

Following the announcement, he added that "close collaboration with our neighbors has allowed us to respond to #COVID19 in a North American approach and slow the travel-related spread of the virus."

Survey: Majority disapprove of Trumps COVID-19 response

The majority of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling the pandemic, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project.

When asked about Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of Americans (56%) somewhat or strongly disapprove of his performance, while 37% somewhat or strongly approve. That's an 8-point swing from April, when 48% of Americans disapproved and 45% approved of Trump's handling of the coronavirus.

"There's a bunch of dimensions here where Trump has done varying levels of worse compared to how he was doing just a couple months ago," said Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. "In just about everything, youre seeing the sort of decline of how (voters are) sort of assessing his presidency."

Can kids spread the coronavirus? 'Conclusively, without a doubt yes,' experts say

As school districts around the country begin to reveal reopening guidelines for when students return to classrooms in the fall, many parents are concerned about how the coronavirus could impact their children.

The White House has provided confusing statements. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday "science should not stand in the way" of schools reopening and "science is on our side."

A compilation of studies and articles published in JAMA Pediatrics found most patients under the age of 18 with COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, tend to have mild symptoms and fully recover within one to two weeks quicker than most adults. | Read more

'Mixed messages from Day One': Rising cases prove summer is no barrier

Any hopes that summers high temperatures might slow the spread of the coronavirus were smashed in June and July by skyrocketing cases across the country, especially in some of the warmest states.

Colin Carlson wasnt a bit surprised that summer heat failed to curb the virus that causes COVID-19, which has claimed more than 138,000 lives in the U.S. That notion, no matter how many times it was repeated, was never supported by science, said Carlson, an assistant research professor at Georgetown University who studies the relationship between climate change and infectious disease.

The optimistic, though inaccurate forecast was among several persistent misconceptions about heat and light, and other issues related to the spread of the virus, that leave epidemiologists like Carlson increasingly frustrated. They see and hear mixed messages and miscommunications all the time, whether its in social media, their circle of friends and family, hastily assembled research papers or the White House. | Read more

Uncounted millions had COVID-19 symptoms, but no positive test

When newscasters announce the latest tally of coronavirus cases, Arthur Hall chuckles and turns to his wife.

"Whatever number they say, Id add one," he said.

Hall is an uncounted survivor of coronavirus.

The 51-year-old school administrator spent five days in the hospital with what doctors told him was severe respiratory distress caused by COVID-19. Although he had tested negative for coronavirus, his Delaware care team said the tests available in early April were unreliable.

Experts estimate tens of millions of Americans contracted coronavirus but are not included in official tallies because of testing errors, misdiagnoses, a sluggish public health response, and ignorance about the disease during its early days in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Thursday that there have been about 3.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide and at least 136,000 deaths. The actual number of infections is likely 10 times the number of reported cases, CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a news conference on June 25. | Read more

Can you get infected twice? Experts say possibility is 'certainly real'

Hopes are dimming that "herd immunity" can help stamp out the tenacious global pandemic amid growing concerns that people can be reinfected with COVID-19.

Experts agree that claims of recurring infections require more study since we are only months into the health crisis and evidence has been anecdotal. But if it's proven that recovered patients can "catch" the virus a second time, it would affect their own immunity while also complicating efforts to obtain the Holy Grail of current medical research: effective vaccines.

Recovery from the disease provides antibodies to fight off the infection. The shelf life of those antibodies, however, may be insufficient to protect a patient for very long or promote long-term immunity across populations.

"The possibility of reinfection is certainly real," Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told USA TODAY. "And one that I am seeing repeatedly on the front lines." | Read more

Publix to require masks in all of its stores starting July 21

"With the number of coronavirus cases continuing to grow and current CDC guidance indicating face coverings can help slow the spread of COVID-19, we believe requiring face coverings in our stores is another way we can do our part to help protect our communities," Maria Brous, Publix director of communications, said in a news release.

To help remind customers about the new policy, the stores will have signs posted at entrances and will use the public address system for announcements. The Publix news release states the mask requirement does not apply to young children and those with medical conditions who cannot wear a face mask. Publix delivery or curbside pickup remain options. | Read more

Target, CVS, Walgreens to also require masks at stores nationwide

Target, CVS and Walgreens are the latest retailers to announce that they, too, will require shoppers to wear masks or face coverings at stores nationwide.

The announcements come a day after Walmart, Kroger and Kohl's announced they would require masks starting next week as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The coronavirus causes the disease COVID-19.

Target's requirement will start Aug. 1, the retailer confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday. It excludes "those with underlying medical conditions and young children."

For shoppers who do not have masks, Target says stores will provide disposable masks at store entrances.

CVS and Walgreens will start requiring masks July 20, the drug store chains announced Thursday. Florida-based grocer Publix also said it will require masks starting July 21. | Read more

In the red zone, leaked federal guidelines suggest Florida take harsher measures

To stop the unrelenting march of the deadly coronavirus, masks should be mandatory and new restrictions should be placed on restaurants, gyms and other businesses in 12 Florida counties and 12 metro areas, according to an unpublished report by the White House Coronavirus Task Force obtained Thursday by the Center for Public Integrity.

Saying Florida is among 18 states in the country that are in the "red zone" according to key measures, the report outlines a series of steps that should be taken to curb the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.

The report recommended crackdowns in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Orange, Collier and Lee counties. It also recommended strict measures be taken in Jacksonville, which is slated to host the Republican National Convention next month. | Read more

>>Food distribution sites: Where to find free food in Palm Beach County

Florida up to 315,775 cases; Palm Beach County up to 23,711

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Coronavirus updates: What you need to know, Saturday, July 18 - Palm Beach Post