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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listening while folding laundry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Covid-19 hits home at UN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Farewell to hugs and kisses?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aired 7/28/20 on KPBS News

Listen to this story by Tarryn Mento.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tarryn Mento Health Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Excerpt from:

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

The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom.

A Hancock County company that processes and packages blueberries has detected five cases of the coronavirus among migrant workers it had hired to rake blueberries.

Hancock Foods tested the employees as a precautionary measure before they began work and interacted with other employees, said Kim Allen, an official with the company, which is located in the Washington Junction neighborhood of the town of Hancock, just east of the Ellsworth city line.

Additional testing is now underway and support services are being offered to employees of the company, said Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hancock Foods is owned by Allens Blueberry Freezer, based in Ellsworth.

We were bringing in a crew of migrant workers for the blueberry harvest, Allen said.

The workers are being quarantined under the supervision of the Maine Mobile Health Program, a nonprofit health care agency that serves seasonal farm workers.

Until those who tested positive get a clean bill of health, the company will have to find other workers, Allen said. Hancock Foods does not plan to bring in any more migrant workers, but intends to fill remaining raker positions with local residents, she said.

Hancock County has seen a low number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The county has the third lowest rate of coronavirus infections in the state, according to Maine CDC data. As of late Monday, the county had seen 18 cases total among residents, one death and two hospitalizations.

Coronavirus infections among migrant workers, however, have been common throughout the pandemic as they have gradually moved north to tend to different crops.

The outbreak at Hancock Foods was one of three new coronavirus outbreaks the Maine CDC reported Tuesday.

One of those outbreaks was at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where 12 cases 10 among staff and two among patients were reported. The Maine CDC is still investigating that outbreak, but it appears that a patient introduced the coronavirus to the facility before it spread, Shah said.

The other outbreak, of three cases, was reported at Sappis paper mill in Westbrook.

The state has seen more outbreaks of the coronavirus at workplaces in recent weeks as Maines economy has gradually reopened. Earlier in the pandemic, outbreaks at nursing homes and group homes where people with intellectual disabilities live were more common.

More:

COVID-19 outbreak reported at Hancock County blueberry processor - Bangor Daily News

Also on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot added Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota and Nebraska to the citys self-quarantine list. People entering the city from those states are asked to self-isolate for 14 days. There are now 22 states on the self-quarantine list.

Heres whats happening Tuesday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

6:04 p.m.: US officials say Russian intelligence services are spreading disinformation about the coronavirus

Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscows military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort reaching American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The information had previously been classified, but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more freely discuss it. Officials said they were doing so now to sound the alarm about the particular websites and to expose what they say is a clear link between the sites and Russian intelligence.

5:47 p.m.: With no perfect solution in sight, schools in Arlington Heights and Plainfield are latest to reject in-person classes this fall in favor of remote learning only

As the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of ceasing, school district officials in Arlington Heights and Plainfield said this week that their schools will be offering strictly remote learning in the fall.

While officials at Arlington Heights School District 25 had unveiled a preliminary plan earlier this summer that would have given families the choice between in-person or online learning, in a Monday letter to parents Superintendent Lori Bein said officials had reversed course.

There is no perfect solution for how to provide in-person instruction while also providing a 100% guarantee of safety for all students and staff, Bein said. The only thing that I know for certain is that plans will need to be flexible as there could be many changes throughout the school year.

5:07 p.m.: How to stay calm, optimistic, even happy during the COVID-19 pandemic Tribune readers share what works for them

Last week, we asked you to share the one thing that has provided joy in your life amidst the confusion and uncertainty of the coronavirus. You responded with simple yet meaningful items and activities that spark creativity, love and the desire to help other people.

4:25 p.m.: Gary will close Marquette Park Beach starting Wednesday, Mayor Jerome Prince said.

Concerned about COVID-19s spread, Prince said the beach will be closed for at least two weeks. The parks shelters and parking lots will also be closed, he said.

Gary cops will be patrolling the beach and kicking off anyone there, Prince said. Marquette Park will still be open for recreation as long as people are keeping apart, he said.

We continue to see almost daily double-digit increases in our new COVID-19 positive cases in Gary, Prince said. We also must ease the logistical strains on our public safety teams and our beach neighborhoods.

Gary has seen 63 virus deaths and 1,047 positive cases, spokesman Mike Gonzalez said.

4:14 p.m.: Berghoff closes temporarily, a month after reopening, blaming pandemic economic challenges

The Berghoff Restaurant, a historic German restaurant downtown, and Adams Street Brewery, its adjoining brewery, have temporarily closed, starting Tuesday, July 28. The Berghoff Cafe at OHare will remain open.

This decision was strictly a business one, according to a recording on the Berghoffs main telephone line. No employee has tested positive for COVID-19 nor have the restaurants been cited for violating any COVID-19 policies or procedures.

Colleen Silk, brand manager, blamed the lack of customers downtown. In an email, she said that tourism in the Loop is down 68%, if not more, from last year and office buildings are still mostly closed. Since the restaurants re-opened June 30, they have seen an average of 15 to 20 customers a day, which is more than a 90% decrease since last year.

So we may hopefully reopen in the near future, and to save what capital is left, the family decided it is best to close our doors for the time being, she wrote. It was not a decision they made lightly and (they) contemplated over this extensively beforehand.

3:57 p.m.: Plan to slash $600 unemployment boost could mean big delays in jobless benefits, states warn

A Republican proposal to slash the $600 weekly benefit boost for those left jobless because of the coronavirus shutdown could result in weeks or even months of delayed payments in some states.

Older computer systems that took weeks to set up for the initial federal unemployment enhancement would need to be reprogrammed again twice under the GOP plan.

In Florida, state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, said the state has not even gotten the original supplemental benefit to everyone entitled to it.

So the idea of changing the current process that has taken us months to put into place, that is still not even perfect, is a scary thought, she said. These changes, whatever they end up being, are going to create more bureaucratic layers for people to get the relief they need. Meanwhile, we have bills to pay, we have to put food on the table, we have medical expenses and a lot of people are suffering.

How to handle unemployment is a fiercely contested part of the debate as Congress negotiates the latest relief legislation.

Democrats want to bring back the federally funded $600-a-week unemployment bonus that is expiring, saying its a way to keep families and the economy afloat in a time when there are far more people out of work than jobs available.

Republicans argue the current amount is so high that it encourages people to remain on unemployment. They want to reduce it in two steps: First, by cutting the benefit by two-thirds to $200 a week through September. Then they want to switch that flat rate to a percentage in which the unemployed would receive benefits equal to no more than 70% of their previous incomes in November and December.

The debate isnt only about the economy and ideology. Its also about whats doable technologically, especially on software many states use that dates to the 1970s.

2:58 p.m.: Aldermen, advocacy groups call on City Council to pass ordinance to move medically vulnerable people out of shelters and jails

A coalition of groups voiced their support Tuesday for an ordinance sitting in the Chicago City Councils housing committee that would prioritize finding housing for medically vulnerable populations living in group living facilities such as shelters and jails during a pandemic like COVID-19.

The ordinance would amend existing housing regulations and is sponsored by Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, and Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., 27th. It follows earlier reports about widespread COVID-19 cases in group settings such as homeless shelters, which health officials have called some of the most challenging outbreaks to stop.

Its unfathomable that we sit on unoccupied, ready-to-move-in homes while some are living on the street, and while some are even living in congregate shelters during a pandemic, Taliaferro said during a Tuesday news briefing.

1:50 p.m.: Democrats, Republicans are far apart as coronavirus aid talks intensify

Negotiations launched, the differences over the next coronavirus aid package are vast, a gulf between Democrats $3 trillion proposal and Republicans $1 trillion counteroffer, with millions of Americans jobless benefits, school reopenings and eviction protections at stake.

As top White House negotiators return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday the leverage is apparent: They are meeting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office. Republicans are so deeply divided over the prospect of big government spending its leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a weakened hand.

It's unclear whether any agreement can be reached between Congress and President Donald Trump before Friday's deadline for expiring aid.

We cannot afford to fail, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said as the chamber opened.

The outcome will be a defining one for the president and the parties heading into the November election as an uneasy nation is watching and waiting for Washington to bring some end to the health crisis and devastating economic fallout.

12:45 p.m.: Cubs Jon Lester voices his concerns about the Marlins COVID-19 outbreak: Its a little scary. You have to trust in this process and trust in the protocols.

While COVID-19 hovered around baseball in the wake of the Miami Marlins multiple positive tests, Chicago Cubs left hander Jon Lester maintained his focus Monday night in pitching five no-hit innings in his 2020 debut.

After the Cubs held on for an 8-7 win over the Reds, Lester acknowledged the efforts of his teammates to follow the new health and safety protocols could go for naught if more teams are hit as hard as the Marlins.

It raises questions, Lester said late Monday night. Were all concerned about safety and the protocols. We have to continue to trust in what were doing, and hopefully were doing the right thing.

Lester, 36, reluctantly used the world bubble in stressing how the Cubs traveling party must continue to contain themselves.

As long as we can continue to get negative tests, obviously its good for us, Lester said. On the other hand, you dont want to see anybody get sick or have to deal with this thing.

Its a little scary. You have to trust in this process and trust in the protocols that we have in place.

12:20 p.m.: Study finds 6 COVID-19 symptom clusters that may inform clinicians about the severity of cases

The study identifies six symptom clusters, or subtypes, of COVID-19:

Subtype 1, flu-like with no fever: headache, loss of smell, muscle pain, cough, sore throat and chest pain.

Subtype 2, flu-like with fever: fever and loss of appetite in addition to headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat and hoarseness.

Subtype 3, gastrointestinal: diarrhea and loss of appetite, no cough, headache, loss of smell, sore throat and chest pain.

Subtype 4, severe level one, fatigue: fatigue in addition to headache, loss of smell, cough, fever, hoarseness and chest pain.

Subtype 5, severe level two, confusion: confusion in addition to headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue and muscle pain.

Subtype 6, severe level three, abdominal and respiratory: shortness of breath, diarrhea and abdominal pain in addition to headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion and muscle pain.

11:45 a.m.: After heavy COVID-19 toll on Illinois nursing homes, top regulators depart state agency

With thousands of COVID-19 deaths linked to Illinois nursing homes, two top regulators are now gone from a state agency criticized at times for its oversight of the facilities during the pandemic.

The Pritzker administration confirmed Tuesday that two top staffers at the Illinois Department of Public Health Debra Bryars and Aimee Isham departed last week.

Agency spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said Bryars left July 20 while Isham began a leave that same day. She did not elaborate on reasons for the departures, saying she was not able to discuss personnel information. The departures were first reported by WBEZ.

A Tribune investigation early in the pandemic found a high percentage of Illinois nursing homes had been cited for poor infection control practices, prompting advocates to warn that the state needed to aggressively monitor and fight the virus.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and top leaders have repeatedly said their swift actions limited the virus spread and saved lives. Yet the agencys efforts have at times been broadly criticized as too timid and uncoordinated. Facilities complained they needed help getting more staff and protective gear as infections swept through hundreds of facilities.

11:30 a.m.: Bottled Blonde, controversial River North bar, closed permanently by coronavirus, but not violations

Bottled Blonde, the bar in the River North neighborhood of Chicago better known for its legal drama than pizza, closed permanently on Monday due to the coronavirus, but not COVID-19 violations.

Yesterday, Bottled Blonde surrendered their business licenses, permanently closing the River North bar after a series of serious nuisance conditions dating back to 2017, read a statement from the citys department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The establishment has a history of egregious license violations, including over-occupancy, noise violations, public urination, vomiting and other problematic conditions that have had a serious impact on neighbors and the surrounding community. The City is pleased that yesterdays action will end three years of legal proceedings with the permanent closure of this problem business.

The bar had not received any COVID-19 related citations, wrote the department spokesperson. The city had conducted an investigation earlier this month, but did not find any COVID-19 violations at that time.

Bottled Blonde, opened in November 2015, was accused of a racist dress code and allegations of operating in violation of its liquor license, as well as rowdy patrons. In 2017, its business license was revoked, but the revocation was stayed. That revocation was removed last October, leading to the closing of the business, which reopened the next day when that closing was undone.

10:30 a.m.: Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman reportedly opts out of the 2020 season over COVID-19 concerns

Veteran Chicago Bears players are reporting to Halas Hall Tuesday for the first time to begin their COVID-19 intake testing to be cleared for training camp, but one fixture in the teams high-level defense wont be there.

Goldman, a second-round pick in 2015 who signed a $42 million, four-year contract extension two summers ago, has been an elite player in the middle of the defense. His absence would create a void in the middle of the line, creating more significant roles for Bilal Nichols and others.

The list of NFL players choosing to sit out the season over COVID-19 concerns is growing. ESPN reported that Patriots linebacker Donta Hightower is the fifth New England player to exercise that option.

Players have until Aug. 3 to opt out and one general manager said there are going to be more than we originally expected Tuesday morning. Players opting out in a high-risk category will receive a $350,000 stipend and an accrued season. Players not in the high-risk category will receive a $150,000 stipend but will not accrue a season. The contract of players in both categories will toll.

9:40 a.m.: Chicago-area house flippers surprisingly unaffected by COVID-19, but brace for mixed bag in months to come

Born from the burgeoning real estate market that preceded the Great Recession, flipping homes has become a national fascination over the past two decades. Thrifty bargain hunters scooped up foreclosed or decrepit properties, renovated them and quickly resold for a tidy profit.

The good news for those who have made a career out of the practice: It seems, at least for the time being, that house flipping has proven relatively pandemic-proof.

My business has been surprisingly unaffected, said Andy Goldman, whose family has been in the house-flipping business since the 1980s.

In the first three months of 2020, 7.5% of homes sold in the United States were flipped, according to a June report from real estate research firm ATTOM Data Solutions. Thats the highest rate since 2006 and a jump from 6.3% at the end of 2019.

Home flipping rates had dropped drastically in 2007 and began to gradually recover in 2010. The number of flipped homes sold in a quarter peaked around 100,000 in 2005, and while it was on the rise in recent years, a decline began in the second quarter of 2019. In the first quarter of 2020, 53,705 single-family homes and condos were flipped, according to the report.

Still, its too soon to fully grasp how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the house flipping market through 2020 and beyond, ATTOM chief product officer Todd Teta said in a statement.

Profits are down and are lower than theyve been since the dark days following the Great Recession, Teta said. Enter now the coronavirus pandemic, and the prospects for house flipping are notably uncertain, at least in the short term.

9:15 a.m.: Chicago adds Wisconsin, 3 other states to 14-day self-quarantine order, which now covers 22 states

Chicago added Wisconsin and three other states to Mayor Lori Lightfoots 14-day self-quarantine order on Tuesday.

There are now 22 states from which travelers are being told to self-quarantine upon arrival in Chicago due to coronavirus concerns. The requirement covering Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota and Nebraska goes into effect on Friday.

Lightfoots self-quarantine requirement was first implemented during the Fourth of July weekend but is not being actively enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must self-quarantine.

The order figures to be particularly problematic with Wisconsin, given its proximity and the high number of people from Illinois who spend weekends and vacations there. Many Illinois and Chicago residents, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have homes there.

8:45 a.m.: MLB shortened season could be threatened, but games dont need to stop right now, says Dr. Anthony Fauci

The Miami Marlins coronavirus outbreak could endanger the Major League Baseball season, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, although he doesnt believe games needs to stop now.

More than a dozen Marlins players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19, stranding the team in Philadelphia and raising anew questions about MLB's attempts to conduct a season.

"This could put it in danger," said Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. "I don't believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-by-day basis."

Fauci made his comments on ABCs Good Morning America.

A week after appearing to project a more serious tone about the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is back to pushing unproven claims that an anti-malaria drug is an effective treatment and challenging the credibility of the nations leading infectious disease expert.

Overnight, after returning from a trip to North Carolina where he promoted efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, Trump retweeted a series of tweets advocating for hydroxychloroquine.

YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have begun scrubbing the video from their platforms, saying it makes demonstrably false claims about the pandemic. The tweet the president amplified is, as of Tuesday morning, not visible on the platform but still atop his feed.

The video, published by Breitbart News, features a group of people wearing white lab coats calling themselves Americas Frontline Doctors, according to CNN. In front of the Supreme Court, they maintain the drug can cure the disease caused by coronavirus a claim which is contradicted by medical science. The speaker says masks are unnecessary and alleges a conspiracy by pharmaceutical companies.

The video went hugely viral on Facebook, with over 14 million views before it was removed Monday night for promoting misinformation, CNN reported.

Business did improve for McDonalds throughout the second quarter as restrictions lifted across the globe, but the fast food giant faces a bumpy and expensive recovery.

Of the chains 39,000 restaurants worldwide, 96% are now open, compared with 75% at the start of the second quarter. Comparable-store sales that were down 39% in April were down only 12% by June.

Last week, McDonalds said it will delay dining room reopenings for at least another month and will require face masks for anyone entering its restaurants.

McDonalds is also spending heavily to convince people to come back, particularly for breakfast. The Chicago company spent more than $200 million to support franchisee marketing during the second quarter. It also paid $31 million to distribution centers payments normally made by franchisees and $45 million to cover franchisees debts.

7:20 a.m.: CTA giving away Ventra cards, healthy travel kits during food distribution event at South Side grocery store

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COVID-19 in Illinois updates: Heres whats happening Tuesday - Chicago Tribune