HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— Parents struggle as schools reopen amid coronavirus surge
— COVID relief bill remains up in air as negotiations resume
— Debate begins for who's first in line for COVID-19 vaccine
— Follow AP's pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
WASHINGTON — The White House announced Monday that random coronavirus testing of its staff is becoming mandatory.
The White House said the measure was “part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety” of the White House Complex.
It says such testing had previously been handled on a voluntary basis.
Last week, the White House disclosed that National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien had tested positive for the virus, making O’Brien the highest-ranking official to test positive so far.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are tested regularly for the coronavirus, as are any guests who will be physically close to the president or vice president whether they are at the White House or on travel around the country.
___
SUWANEE, Ga. — Officials for Georgia’s largest public school district say more than 250 employees have reported testing positive for the coronavirus or being exposed to it about a week before the school year is set to begin.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Gwinnett County Public Schools teachers began in-person planning Wednesday at facilities.
Officials confirmed to news outlets that one day later, some 260 employees had called in to report a positive COVID-19 test or possible exposure and are now excluded from work.
The system’s superintendent announced last month that all classes will be taught online for the 180,000-student district in suburban Atlanta when instruction begins Aug. 12.
The county, the state’s second-most populous, had more than 17,780 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Sunday, and nearly 240 deaths.
___
BERLIN — Children have returned to school in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the first in the country to start the new school year following nationwide shutdowns at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in March.
Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek has advocated mask requirements inside school buildings. But the school system is largely a matter for the 16 state governments in Germany, and as students returned to class in cities like Rostock and Schwerin on Monday, regional officials had not yet implemented such a rule.
Since schools largely closed down in mid-March, parents, teachers and children have eyed the reopenings warily.
Many children voluntarily wore masks Monday as school began, and several schools implemented their own mask rules and handed them out to children who forgot them.
___
ROME -- The number of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Italy fell below 200 for the first time in a week, with 159 cases registered on Monday, according to Health Ministry figures.
That brings the total number of cases in Italy to 248,229 and deaths to 35,166.
Lazio, the central region that includes Rome, now has the highest number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Italy’s 20 regions. Health officials said nine of the region’s new cases were brought by travelers from Romania, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Iran, India and Bangladesh.
Two clusters of infections have also been traced to popular seaside areas near Rome. Monday figures tend to be lower since they often don’t include tallies from the weekend.
___
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said White House coronavirus task force leader Dr. Deborah Birx hurt the Trump administration when she said widespread virus infections in urban and rural America mark a “new phase” for the pandemic.
It was a rare rebuke of Birx. Trump accused her of taking “the bait” by responding to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who told ABC’s “This Week” that she had lost confidence in Birx because Trump appointed her and the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus.
Trump, in a tweet Monday, described Birx’s response to Pelosi as “pathetic.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Birx said her comments are driven by data and that she would stake her 40-year career on using data to implement programs to save lives.
___
ELWOOD, Ind. — A central Indiana school is shutting down two days after opening after at least one staffer tested positive for the coronavirus, while other districts in the state also are reporting positive tests among students and employees.
Elwood Junior Senior High School temporarily is closing this week, the Indianapolis Star reported Monday.
Several other people are in quarantine. No students were believed to have been in close contact with the staff members, according to the school district.
The Elwood district is northeast of Indianapolis and has about 1,500 students. The district started its academic year Thursday. Students will receive instruction virtually this week before resuming their normal schedules
___
PARIS — Some 340 passengers and crew are confined on a cruise ship in Tahiti after one traveler tested positive for the virus, the commissariat for French Polynesia said late Sunday.
All those aboard the Paul Gauguin cruise ship are being tested, and will be kept in their cabins pending the results, it said in a statement.
The South Pacific archipelago started reopening to tourists last month and required that all visitors get tested before arriving and test themselves four days after entering the territory.
A passenger aboard the Paul Gauguin reported a positive self-test last week, and a second test carried out by medics confirmed the infection Sunday, the statements said.
The person traveling with the sick passenger tested negative, and both were taken off the boat, the commissariat said.
___
BRANDON, S.D. — Thousands of fans packed the stands at a race track in South Dakota despite a rising number of coronavirus cases in the state.
The fans came Sunday night to Huset’s Speedway for the reopening of the track that has been closed for several years. The 9,000-seat speedway was at near capacity, with face masks nearly obsolete, the Argus Leader reported.
The popular All Star Circuit is owned by NASCAR legend Tony Stewart.
South Dakota health officials reported 88 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus and one new death on Sunday.
The death toll from COVID-19 in South Dakota rose to 135 with the newly reported death. The number of confirmed virus cases has risen to 8,955 in the state.
___
CAIRO — Egypt’s churches are reopening their doors to the faithful on Monday for the first time in more than four months due to a coronavirus lockdown.
The Coptic Orthodox Church said in a statement that it would receive the faithful in its churches with restrictions that include social distancing and wearing masks.
Other churches are also reopening across the Arab World’s most populous county, which has seen a steady decline in coronavirus infections in the past two weeks.
Christians constitute around 10% of Egypt’s predominantly Muslim 100 million people.
Egypt on Sunday reported its lowest daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in more than two months, with 167 infections and 31 deaths.
Overall, Egypt has reported around 94,450 confirmed cases including 4,865 fatalities.
___
GENEVA — The World Health Organization says an advance team looking into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak has concluded its mission in China, and the U.N. health agency has agreed to details of the deployment of a larger team — notably to the suspected outbreak zone.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the “international team” will deploy to Wuhan, the city where the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have erupted late last year. Tedros said “terms of reference” have been drawn up by the WHO and China, but he did not specify.
Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief, noted “gaps in the epidemiological landscape” and said the proper studies and data to collect would be assessed.
“The real trick is to go to the human clusters that occurred first and then to work your way back systematically looking for that first signal at which the animal human species barrier was crossed,” Ryan said.
“Once you understand where that the barrier was breached, then you move into the studies in a more systematic way on the animal side,” he added.
___
PARIS — Beach resorts along France’s Atlantic coast, picturesque promenades on the Loire River, farmers markets in the Alps — they’re among scores of spots around France where everyone is now required to wear a mask outdoors.
The outdoor mask rules taking effect Monday are on top of a nationwide decree last month requiring people to wear masks in all stores and other indoor public places. Pressure is growing on the government to mandate outdoor mask use on a national level, too.
France is seeing an uptick in coronavirus infections, with hundreds of new clusters in recent weeks, notably as young people gather at waterside cafes or dance parties and families get together for summer vacation.
Several sites around France have started requiring masks outdoors in recent days. Starting Monday, 69 towns in the Mayenne region of western France imposed outdoor mask rules, as did parts of the northern city of Lille and coastal city of Biarritz in French Basque country.
France has reported 7,000 new cases in the last week, after bringing the virus nearly under control with a strict two-month nationwide lockdown, and has confirmed 30,265 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
A health worker removes her face shield after performing a rapid tests on residents at a parking lot that has been converted into an extension of the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center in Manila, Philippines on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is reimposing a moderate lockdown in the capital and outlying provinces after medical groups appealed for the move as coronavirus infections surge alarmingly. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Health workers screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms at Dharavi, one of Asia's biggest slums, in Mumbai, India, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. India is the third hardest-hit country by the pandemic in the world after the United States and Brazil. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Credit: Rafiq Maqbool
Credit: Rafiq Maqbool
A person wearing a face mask is seen in Melbourne, Australia Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Australia’s hard-hit Victoria state was declared a disaster with sweeping new coronavirus restrictions imposed across Melbourne and elsewhere from Sunday night. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
Credit: James Ross
Credit: James Ross
A cafe open for take away is seen in Centre Place in Melbourne, Australia Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Australia’s hard-hit Victoria state was declared a disaster with sweeping new coronavirus restrictions imposed across Melbourne and elsewhere from Sunday night. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
Credit: James Ross
Credit: James Ross
An Indonesian teacher wears a mask and face shield as a precaution against the new coronavirus as she teaches at a class in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Credit: Achmad Ibrahim
Credit: Achmad Ibrahim
Rakhi', or sacred thread is displayed for sale as a health worker arrives to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms at Dharavi, one of Asia's biggest slums, in Mumbai, India, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Marked the 'Raksha Bandhan' festival when sisters tie the thread on the wrists of brothers. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Credit: Rafiq Maqbool
Credit: Rafiq Maqbool
Teacher Francie Keller welcomes the pupils of class 3c in her classroom in the Lankow primary school to the first school day after the summer holidays in Schwerin, Germany, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, lessons will start again under corona conditions. The state ministers of education have agreed that the schools will return to regular operation after the holidays despite the Corona pandemic. (Jens Buettner/dpa via AP)
Credit: Jens Buettner
Credit: Jens Buettner
Indonesian students sit spaced apart to practice social distancing as a precaution against the new coronavirus outbreak during a class in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Credit: Achmad Ibrahim
Credit: Achmad Ibrahim
"had" - Google News
August 04, 2020 at 12:44AM
https://ift.tt/2Dta9CM
The Latest: Antibody tests: 1.5 million Italians had virus - Hamilton Journal News
"had" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KUBsq7
https://ift.tt/3c5pd6c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "The Latest: Antibody tests: 1.5 million Italians had virus - Hamilton Journal News"
Post a Comment