A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Radoslav Zilinsky/Getty Images hide caption

A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus then unnamed to be a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." The virus, first reported in China in late 2019, had started to spread beyond its borders, causing 98 cases in 18 countries in addition to some 7,700 cases in China at the time.

Six months later, the tiny coronavirus has spread around the world, infecting more than 16 million people worldwide and killing more than 650,000. It is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2020.

"This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the International Health Regulations, but it is easily the most severe," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general, on Monday.

What was it about this coronavirus later named SARS-CoV-2 that made it the one to spark a global pandemic?

Virologists point to several key traits that this virus possesses. Any one of them might be problematic. When combined in one microscopic virus, the result is what coronavirus researcher Andrea Pruijssers of Vanderbilt University calls a "perfect storm" a one-in-a-million virus capable of triggering a worldwide health crisis.

It's a super-fast spreader ...

One of the novel coronavirus's biggest advantages is how easily it spreads from human to human, says Dr. Megan Freeman, a virologist at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, who conducted her doctoral research on coronaviruses.

The coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that infects the sinuses, throat, lungs all parts of the body involved with breathing. As a result, the virus can be readily passed onward through breath and spittle expelled from the nose and mouth. Unlike Ebola, where direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids is the main route of infection, you don't have to touch someone to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 all it takes is getting close enough to an infected person and breathing in respiratory droplets they exhale.

And because it's transmitted rapidly through the respiratory route, "it's a virus that [also] has the capacity to spread across the globe fairly easily," Pruijssers says. All it takes to introduce the illness to a new continent is a single person who travels there while infectious.

... but not so fast that it'll knock itself out

When a virus spreads too quickly, enough people in a community may catch it to create "herd immunity." With fewer people to infect, the virus's rapid spread can ensure its own demise, says Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong. "It's a balance," he says, pointing out that other viruses such as dengue fever and chikungunya have surged and then died down in certain locations.

It's transmittable even with no symptoms

Even before symptoms develop, infected people can spread this virus by speaking, singing, coughing and breathing out virus-laden droplets in close proximity to others. "For SARS-CoV-2, a lot of the transmission is from asymptomatic, [presymptomatic] or mildly symptomatic people," Pruijssers says.

By contrast, SARS-CoV-1, a related coronavirus that caused an epidemic in Asia in 2003, was most infectious when people were symptomatic. So as soon as someone showed symptoms, they were quarantined which effectively stopped that virus from transmitting, Peiris says. The SARS epidemic officially ended in 2004 after sickening 8,098 people; there have been no known cases reported since.

The severity of symptoms puts a strain on health systems

Even though some people who are infected have no symptoms or mild symptoms, the novel coronavirus can inflict serious damage. "This coronavirus has the capacity to cause really debilitating respiratory disease and even death" for a higher proportion of infected people compared with, say, the flu, Freeman says.

Because COVID-19 can make people sick enough to require hospitalization, high rates of spread have strained hospital systems, making it difficult to provide optimal care for patients, as is happening in California and Texas. When hospitals run low on staff and supplies, the result can be care rationing and excess deaths. Since its emergence, in late 2019 in China, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 600,000 globally.

Then there's the pet theory ...

Not only did the novel coronavirus come from animals, it also appears to have the ability to jump from humans to animals, including their pets and possibly back again.

The virus likely originated in bats and spilled over to humans because of some unlucky coincidence, where a person was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and came in contact with a bat or an intermediary animal that happened to be infected with this particular virus, says Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio, an ecologist with the nonprofit organization EcoHealth Alliance.

Now, researchers have found humans have occasionally infected their pet dogs and cats as well as lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo. There's no evidence yet of dogs and cats passing it to people, but sick minks on Dutch fur farms are thought to have given the coronavirus back to humans.

This could mean that if the virus starts circulating regularly among animals that we handle or live with, it may be really hard to get rid of it, Freeman says. "[If] there's an animal reservoir, there's always that possibility that the virus could come back in a spillover event," she says. In other words, a community could be virus-free only to have it reintroduced by a visiting animal.

... and this virus has the element of surprise

The world has never dealt with a pandemic caused by a highly dangerous coronavirus before. This means everyone in the world is likely susceptible to it and also that, in the beginning "we knew nothing about it it was a brand new virus," Pruijssers says. And that lack of knowledge about treatments and control has contributed to the virus's ability to spread.

Unlike flu, which has been known to researchers for centuries, this novel coronavirus has required researchers to figure out everything from scratch how it spreads, who's most likely to get sick from it and how to combat it with drugs and vaccines.

There's still a lot we don't know, Pruijssers says, and we're learning fast. But not fast enough to have stopped this pandemic from happening.

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Novel Coronavirus Has 'Perfect Storm' Of Traits To Trigger Pandemic : Goats and Soda - NPR

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) Six counties in southwestern Pennsylvania are showing concerning coronavirus percent positivity rates, according to state officials.

In a release on Friday, Gov. Tom Wolfs administration updated its data on the coronavirus. The data comes from the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard.

The dashboards data compares the seven-day period of July 24 July 30 to the previous seven days, July 17 July 23. Allegheny County has shown 6.4 percent positivity while Beaver County has 6.5 percent positivity, Indiana County has 7.2 percent positivity, Armstrong County has 7 percent positivity, Fayette County has 7.1 percent positivity and Lawrence County has 7.4 percent positivity.

All six are considered counties with concerning percent-positivity.

Pennsylvanias percentage of positive tests went down from 4.7 percent last week to 4.6 percent this week, the state said.

The mitigation efforts we took on July 15 were a proactive step to get in front of the rise of cases that we continue to see, Gov. Wolf said in a release. Our percent positivity decreased this week, which is a positive sign, but in order to continue to see numbers decrease, we must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Going out without a mask and congregating at a bar or in a crowded backyard party where social distancing isnt being practiced continues to lead to spikes in cases. We need to recommit to these simple measures to stop the spread and go back to more freedoms.

The state also removed Wyoming from the list of states where a 14-day quarantine is recommended when returning.

More information on the Coronavirus pandemic:

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Percentage Of Positive Coronavirus Tests For 6 Southwestern Pa. Counties Concerning To Wolf Administration - CBS Pittsburgh

Estimated infected people arriving in the first week

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Pod of 10

School of 100

School of 500

School of 1,000

Source: Lauren Ancel Meyers and Spencer Fox, the University of Texas at Austin; Michael Lachmann, Santa Fe Institute

Millions of families face an excruciating choice this fall: Should their children attend if local schools reopen their classrooms, and risk being exposed to the coronavirus? Or should they stay home and lose out on in-person instruction?

No single factor can settle such a fraught decision. But new estimates provide a rough gauge of the risk that students and educators could encounter at school in each county in the United States.

The estimates, from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, range from sobering to surprisingly reassuring, depending on the area and the size of the school.

Based on current infection rates, more than 80 percent of Americans live in a county where at least one infected person would be expected to show up to a school of 500 students and staff in the first week, if school started today.

In the highest-risk areas including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Las Vegas at least five students or staff would be expected to show up infected with the virus at a school of 500 people.

The high numbers reflect the rapid spread of the virus in those areas, where more than 1 in 70 people are estimated to be currently infected.

At the same time, smaller, isolated groups of students face a much lower risk. Some schools are considering narrowing classes down to small pods, with students who mainly come in contact with their teacher and each other. While the chance of having an infected person at the school would stay the same, the risk of exposure within those pods would be much lower.

If they remain isolated from the rest of the school a tall order 10-person pods in every part of the country would be unlikely to include an infected person in that first week.

Note: Estimates show potential infected people arriving during the first week of instruction. A zero indicates a low probability that an infected person will show up in the school or pod during that week.

Education experts and disease researchers said information that reflects local conditions could be critical in shaping decisions by parents, teachers, administrators and political leaders.

Its meant to guide schools so they can anticipate when it might be safe, or easier, to open and bring kids in, said Lauren Ancel Meyers, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas at Austin who led the research team.

The projections are rough guidelines based on the estimated prevalence of the virus in each county, which is drawn from a New York Times database of cases, and estimates that five people may be infected for each known case. Those estimates reflect current levels of infection around the country and are likely to change, improving or worsening in individual communities over the next weeks and months.

The estimates assume that children are as likely to carry and transmit the virus as adults a large assumption, given the unknowns about children, said Spencer Fox, a member of the research team.

This is meant to be a rough guide, a first step, Dr. Fox said.

Some preliminary studies have suggested that children are infected less often, or that young ones do not transmit the disease as readily, which could reduce the risk, said Carl T. Bergstrom, a professor of biology at the University of Washington. But those questions remain unresolved, he said.

Still, the information really helps put things into context for parents, Dr. Bergstrom said. Anything that could help you do that both helps you make better decisions and offers a level of comfort and assurance.

Many districts will start the school year remotely. Those that do open buildings will hedge the risks by taking various measures, such as requiring masks and social distancing, holding classes outside when possible or bringing students to school on alternating schedules.

Plans announced by some of the nations largest school systems already show the range of choices in play. Districts in San Diego and Los Angeles, citing the risk of crowded classrooms, said they would operate online in the fall, as will the vast majority of schools in California under guidelines issued by the state. New York City, though, is planning a partial reopening, allowing classroom attendance one to three times a week.

But decisions on remote learning come with their own concerns, said Greg J. Duncan, an education professor at the University of California, Irvine. Studies have shown that younger children and those in lower-income districts do not learn as well online as they do in person. For lower-income children, that gap in learning can persist, he said.

Wealthy families, which have more resources and workarounds, will be far more risk-averse than others, Dr. Duncan said.

One infection is too many will likely be the refrain of wealthier families, he said. Any slight chance that their child is going to be infected is probably going to get them to jump to a decision more quickly than lower-income families.

Although the risk varies by school size, in the hardest-hit areas of the country, even small schools face significant risks.

In eight states, most people live in counties where even a school of only 100 people would probably see an infected person in the first week if school started today, the estimates say: Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Arizona and Georgia.

The list is even longer for schools of 500 people: The vast majority of people in 19 states, including California, Texas and Illinois, live in counties where at least one infected person would likely show up to school in the first week if in-person classes were held. Many of those areas have elected to hold classes online for now.

Many parents are consumed with the question of returning to school, and there is hunger for solid guidance, said Annette Campbell Anderson, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools.

They want to see the data to make them feel that they have a model that they can trust, Dr. Anderson said. And we need it. We need this kind of data.

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The Risk That Students Could Arrive at School With the Coronavirus - The New York Times

At-home testing could transform the fight against the novel coronavirus. USA TODAY

In itsbiggest coronavirus vaccine deal yet, the U.S. said Friday it will pay French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Great Britains GlaxoSmithKline up to $2.1 billion to test and produce 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.

The deal is part of Operation Warp Speed, a White House-led initiative aimed at getting a vaccine to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

On Capitol Hill,Dr. Anthony Fauci testified Friday before a special House panel. He told the committee that he's "cautiously optimistic"that by late fall or early winter a vaccine now being tested would be deemed safe and effective.

Also in Washington, the extra $600 in federal unemployment aid that helped many Americans stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemicis expiringas plans for additional stimulus stalled in a deadlocked Senate.

Here are some significant developments:

Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 152,000 deaths and over 4.4 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been over 671,000 deaths and 17 million cases.

What we're reading:Kids' mental health can struggle during online school. Here's how teachers areplanning ahead.

Our live blog is being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news, and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing.

After winding down operations at the end of May, a temporary hospital at one of the nation's largest convention centers will reopen and begin receiving COVID-19 patients next week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday.

The Georgia World Congress Center will reopen with a total capacity of 120 beds and will house an initial surge of 60 beds.

"These additional hospital beds will provide relief to surrounding healthcare facilities while providing top notch care for patients," Kemp said in a statement.

More than 3,700 people have died and more than 186,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Georgia, which was the first stateto begin reopening businesses at the end of April.

A study out a Chicago childrens hospital Thursday found that children younger than 5 years with mild to moderate COVID-19 had high amounts of virus in their noses and throats as compared with older children and adults, suggesting that young children "can potentially be important drivers of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the general population."

However, more virus doesn't necessarily mean more transmission, scientists say. Young children still appear to be less likely to transmit, get infected and be symptomatic, said George Rutherford, head of infectious disease and global epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco.

"Its obviously something that is counterintuitive to the prevailing narrative,"said Rutherford, who is also a pediatrician.

Elizabeth Weise and Grace Hauck

Florida sheriffs who had attended a conference this week with a COVID-19-infected colleague met Friday afternoon with President Donald Trump.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood reported his positive test just hours before more than a dozen other sheriffs stood with Trump on the Tampa International Airport tarmac.

Chitwood had attended the Florida Sheriff's Association conference earlier this week in Bonita Springs. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and law enforcement officers from around the state were also at the conference.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who hosted the conference and whose agency polices Bonita Springs, stood behind Trump along with 14 other sheriffs as Trump praised them and announced he had received "dozens" of their endorsements. Neither Trump nor the sheriffs wore masks. Two of the sheriffs said they had been rapid-tested for COVID-19 before meeting with Trump.

The U.S. may see more than 20,000 more COVID-19-related deaths in the next three weeks, according to aforecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday.

The ensemble forecast, which combines projections from 32 modeling groups, projects 173,000 total COVID-19 deaths by August 22, with a range of 168,000 to 182,000 total deaths. The forecast suggests weekly reports of newdeaths may increase over the next month, with 5,000 to 11,000 new deaths reported during the week ending August 22.

It could be safe for students to return to campus this fall if colleges conduct rapid coronavirus screening every two days, according to a study published Fridayin the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers at Yale, Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.

The researchers created acomputer model to simulate amedium-sized college with about 5,000 students all younger than 30 years, nonimmune and living in a congregate setting and initially assumed that there were 10 undetected, asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 on campus.

The model found that by screening every two days with a rapid and inexpensive test even if not always accurate coupled with "strict behavioral interventions," a college could maintain a "controllable number" ofinfections at a cost of$470 per student per semester.

About 260 people at an overnight Georgia summer camp including 51 kids 10 years and younger tested positive for the coronavirus after the camp did not implement several precautionary measures, providing further evidence that children of all ages are susceptible to infection and "might play an important role in transmission,"according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Friday.

Among 597 people at the camp, test results were available for 344 attendees, and 76% of those tests were positive. Among campers aged 6-10 who provided test results, 51% were positive, along with 44% of those aged 11-17 years, and 33% of those aged 18-21 years.

The camp implemented "most"of the CDCs recommendations for reducing the risk of transmission such as requiring all participants to provide documentation of a negative test before arriving but did not mandate face masks for campers or open windows and doors for increased ventilation in buildings.

"These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently in a youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups, despite efforts by camp officials to implement most recommended strategies to prevent transmission. Asymptomatic infection was common and potentially contributed to undetected transmission," the authors wrote.

The United States announced Friday it will pay French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Great Britains GlaxoSmithKline up to $2.1 billion to test and produce 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.

More than half of the money will support further development and early-stage clinical trials to ensure it is safe and effective. The rest will pay for the first 100 million doses, with an option on 500 million more. The majority of the $2.1 billion will go to Sanofi, which made the vaccine candidate. GlaxoSmithKline made a booster that improves how the body responds to it.

The deal is part of Operation Warp Speed, a White House-led initiative aimed at getting a vaccine to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Trump administration initiative has now spent more than $8 billion on experimental vaccines that may or may not make it across the finish line.

Elizabeth Weise

A video shared by a Florida school district showing examples of what reopening its schools will look has gone viral on TikTok and other social media, with parents and critics decrying it as an "apocalyptic" and "heartbreaking" viewing experience.

The two-minute clip, shared by the School District of Manatee County on its Facebook page July 21, shows students wearing masks and social distancing in classrooms, lunch lines and cafeteria spaces as a protective measure against COVID-19.

"I'm not gonna lie, it looks a little apocalyptic,"saidTiffany Jenkins, a Florida comedian and public speaker with three children who attend another district in the area.

Joshua Bote

Vietnam on Friday reported its first-ever death of a person with the coronavirus as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days with no local cases.

The Health Ministry said a 70-year-old man died after contracting the disease while being treated for a kidney illness at a hospital in Da Nang. More than 100 new cases have been confirmed in the past week, more than half of them patients at the hospital.

Da Nang is Vietnams most popular beach destination, and thousands of visitors were in the city for summer vacation. Across the country, authorities are rushing to test people who have returned home from the coastal city and have reimposed virus restrictions.

Associated Press

Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress on Friday that experts are "cautiously optimistic" that by late fall or early winter a COVID-19 vaccine now being tested would be deemed safe and effective. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the vaccine began Phase 3 testing last week involving 30,000 individuals that will lastseveral months.

"We hope that at a time we get into the late fall and early winter we will have a vaccine that we can say would be safe and effective," he said."No one can guarantee the safety or effectiveness unless you do the trial, but we are cautiously optimistic that this week be successful because of the early studies on humans."

Fauci, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, and Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services,appeared before the House select subcommittee on national coronavirus strategy.

In the span of a few months, Gov. Ron DeSantis has gone from one of the most admired state leaders in America to one of the most disparaged, with an approval rating that has dropped precipitously as coronavirus cases surged.

A pair of recent polls indicate more Floridians now disapprove of the job DeSantis is doing than approve. The latest was released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. It shows that 49% of Florida voters disapprove of the governors job performance, compared to 45% who approve. Thats a 17 percentage point drop from the 62% of Florida voters who approved of DeSantis in a Mason-Dixon poll from last year.

As the virus has raged out of control, DeSantis has closed bars but taken few other steps to contain the virus. He repeatedly played down the explosion of new cases, at first attributing it to more testing and then arguing that the big increase in cases isnt such a big deal because many of those infected are younger and less likely to get seriously ill.

Zac Anderson,Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone highly anticipated legislative elections by one year, citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The postponement is a setback for the pro-democracy opposition, which was hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with the current pro-Beijing majority to make gains. A group of 22 lawmakers issued a statement ahead of the announcement accusing the government of using the outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote.

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Muslim families worldwide to readjust their celebrations this week for Eid al-Adha, the second of two major Muslim holidays,as families scale back travel and adhere to face social distancing guidelines.

Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the hajj, or pilgrimage, season, is a three-day celebration in Muslim-majority countries. In the United States, most observe just one day.

This year Saudi Arabia suspended travel to Mecca for the annual hajj. Worldwide, many gatherings will take place online this year, unlike big celebrations such as a gathering of 30,000 people in a football stadium in Minnesota.

Jordan Culver

Nearly half of more than 250 law enforcement agencies surveyed this month say they already being hit by stiff budget reductions because of the coronavirus pandemic and the national movement to defund the police.

The report slated for release this week by the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonpartisan research organization, finds few agencies, regardless of size, are being spared. Deep reductions have been ordered or proposed in Los Angeles; New York; Seattle; Baltimore County, Maryland; Tempe, Arizona; and Eureka, California.

Much of the funding is being pulled from equipment, hiring and training accounts, even as a number of cities also are tracking abrupt spikes in violent crime, the report concluded.

Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips

A weekly USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Thursday shows six states set records for new cases while nine states had a record number of deaths. New case records were set in Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon, and also Puerto Rico. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon.

Mike Stucka

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a reopening plan Thursday that includes an equationfor districts to use to decide whether to reopen with in-person class, distance learning or a hybrid option dependent on the viral activity in the surrounding county andthe district's ability to meet mitigation requirements.

Experts from the health and education departments will partner with school districts and charter schools to help determine which learning model they should use at the beginning of the year. School districts will announce separately which learning models they will be using.

With this approach, we are pairing the knowledge anddata from our departments of health and education with the expertise of our local schooldistricts to make the best decisions for our students across the state," Walz said.

The announcement comes a month after state health and education officials asked districts to prepare for the three scenarios and be prepared to switch between the options based on local spread of the novel coronavirus.

Jenny Berg, St. Cloud Times

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursdayhe expects to extend the mask mandate, bar closures and other COVID restrictions beyond Aug. 7 when hiscurrent order is set to expire.

"People should not expect us to be making major changes every two weeks," Edwards said during a public press briefing. "I don't want people thinking there are going to be major changes. That doesn't seem likely based on current data."

Edwards will officially announce his decision next week, but sent a clear signal that the modified Phase 2 of reopening order will remain in place. Though the governor said thereare hopeful signs of a plateau in the infection based on a three-day run of fewer hospitalizations, "We remain No. 1 among states in per capita cases."

Greg Hilburn, Monroe News-Star

A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country.

Friday's expiration of the $600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell made a procedural move to make it easier to reach a potential compromise next week that would extend the bonus unemployment benefit while talks on a broader COVID relief measure grind on.

"We're so far apart on a longer-term deal right now, that even if we said 'yes' to a longer-term deal you could (have) weeks of negotiation without getting to common ground," said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Andrew Taylor, Associated Press

Buddy the German Shepherd has died. He was the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. After months of him being ill, his owners and vet made the difficult decision to euthanize him,according to an exclusive report by National Geographic. The beloved dog died July 11 in Staten Island, New York.

Buddy first exhibited symptoms of the virus in mid-April, right before his seventh birthday. He was struggling to breathe, lost weight and became increasingly lethargic. After multiple visits to three different veterinarians, heart medications, steroids and other medical interventions, Buddy was tested for COVID-19 on May 15. But it wasnt until June 2 the New York City Department of Health called the Mahoney family to tell them that their dog had indeed contracted the virus.

Adrianna Rodriguez

Bryan Cranston is revealing that hehad coronavirus. Now, he says he's using his antibodies in hopes of helping others. "I had COVID-19 a little while ago,"Cranston, in a mask, tellsfans in an Instagramvideo posted Thursday. In the post's caption, he writesthathe got the virus despite strictly following protocols.

"I'm very lucky," he says, "very mild symptoms." Text at the bottom of Cranston's video describes the Emmywinner's symptoms as including a slight headache, chest tightness and loss of taste and smell.

Since recovering, Cranston explains thathe has started givingplasma at the UCLA Blood and Plasma Donation Center, "because I have the antibodies." Text on the selfievideo reads that doing so "will help people recover faster and be used in scientific research studies about this virus."

Carly Mallenbaum

For the second time this month, the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans on Thursday, as COVID-19 infectionscontinued to rise across the United States. The EU first startedlifting its travel restrictions outside the bloc on July 1, welcoming visitorsfrom 14countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The U.S. was left off that initial list, and theEU extended its ban onAmericansvisiting the bloc on July 16.

The announcement, by the European Council, came after EU officials conducted their biweekly review oftravelrestrictions, examiningcoronavirus trendsand containment measures in each country to determine whether to add or narrow the list of permitted travelers.The key measurement: The pandemic outbreak in a given country needs to be equally contained or better than in the EU.

Curtis Tate and Deirdre Shesgreen

Based on a seven-day rolling average, daily cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. have fallen to 65,266, down about 3% from a week ago, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Researchers prefer to see two weeks of trending data, but University of Florida biostatistician Ira Longini said he thinks "the direction is real."

More good news: The percentage of positive tests nationwide dropped from an average of 8.5% to 7.8% over the past week. Still, Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health, warns that yet another boom in cases is possible. This disease will continue to hopscotch around until it finds tinder susceptible individuals like any good fire, Khan said.

John Bacon

For the third consecutive day, the Florida Department of Health reported a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths Thursday. The 253 fatalities represented a jump of almost 20% from the record set the previous day. The total death toll among Florida residents now stands at 6,586, almost half of them in July.

A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Wednesday shows seven states set records for new cases while eight states had a record number of deaths. New case records were set in Arkansas, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico and West Virginia. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.

Mike Stucca and Cheryl McCloud

Herman Cain, one-time presidential hopeful and former CEO of Godfathers Pizza, died Thursday after being hospitalized in Atlanta for coronavirus treatment a month ago, according to his website and social media.

"Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away," wrote Dan Calabrese on Cain's website.

Calabrese said Cain, 74, was "pretty healthy" in recent years but that his history with cancer landed him in a high-risk group for the coronavirus. Cain recently joined Newsmax TV and was working toward launching a weekly show.

Newsmax said Cain had attended a rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, less than two weeks before he was diagnosed. Newsmax said it was not known where Cain, chair of Black Voices for Trump, was infected.

Nicholas Wu and Jeanine Santucci

On Facebook: There's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join our Facebook group, "Coronavirus Watch," to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19.

In your inbox: Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter here.

Tips for coping: Every Saturday and Tuesday we'll be in your inbox, offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times. Sign up for Staying Apart, Together here.

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Coronavirus updates: Colleges could reopen if they test students every 2 days; Fauci 'cautiously optimistic' for vaccine this year - USA TODAY

Negotiators on the next coronavirus relief bill appeared as far as ever from an agreement Friday and rushed to lay blame as a key financial lifeline expires.

Underscoring the gulf between Democrats and Repbulicans as they try to boost an economy and health-care system buckling under the weight of the pandemic, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows offered derision during dueling news conferences Friday morning. The pair met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday night but appeared to make little progress toward cracking the impasse.

Schumer said the lack of a Republican consensus on pandemic aid has hindered progress toward a deal. Multiple GOP senators have said a large share of the caucus does not support the legislation Republicans released this week.

The current $600 per week enhanced federal unemployment benefit lapses at the end of the day, though states stopped paying it out last week. After last-ditch efforts to pass an extension failed Thursday, the Senate left for the weekend, guaranteeing the money buoying roughly 30 million people during an economic crisis will at least temporarily dry up.

While the House was scheduled to leave for all of August, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told members their recess would not start until the chamber passes a coronavirus relief bill. He said he would give representatives 24 hours' notice before a vote.

On Friday, Meadows told reporters the Trump administration officials made "no less than four different offers" to Democrats to temporarily extend the unemployment insurance. Pelosi acknowledged she rejected at least one proposal, a one-week extension of the $600 benefit, saying Congress usually uses such a stopgap plan if it is near an agreement.

"No, let's sit down and get this done. Let's recognize people need $600," the speaker said. Pelosi later added, "We don't have shared values. That's just the way it is."

Meadows accused Democrats of holding out to get a better deal "at the expense of those that are hurting."

"We're going in the wrong direction. They're going in the wrong direction because of partisan politics. It is very disappointing," he said.

Even so, both Pelosi and Meadows said they would continue talks to try to strike an agreement. They were set to talk Friday and meet at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, an aide familiar with the plans said.

Trump joined in the blame game Friday afternoon. He put the onus on Democrats for delays in extending unemployment benefits and sending another direct payment to Americans even though the president himself showed little interest in fiscal relief for months as he downplayed the pandemic's severity.

"The Do Nothing Democrats are more interested in playing politics than in helping our deserving people," he wrote in a tweet.

Congress is struggling to find common ground on coronavirus relief as statistics show an economy still reeling from an outbreak spreading throughout the country. Initial jobless claims climbed to 1.43 million last week, rising for the second straight week. U.S. GDP also fell by a record 32.9% in the second quarter during the peak of pandemic-related shutdowns an expected but still devastating plunge.

The U.S. has now reported more than 4.4 million Covid-19 cases, and at least 152,000 people have died from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Democrats have said the GOP waffled on the need for coronavirus aid throughout June and July, before turning to address a rescue package only a couple weeks before the unemployment benefit expires. After the meeting Thursday, Schumer said,"We just don't think they understand the gravity of the problem."

The discussions followed a couple of doomed attempts by the Senate to pass legislation before it adjourned.

On Thursday, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., tried to unanimously pass an extension of the weekly enhanced federal unemployment insurance that would slash the benefit from $600 to $200 per week. Schumer rejected it.

Schumer then attempted to unanimously approve the $3 trillion rescue package House Democrats passed in May. That legislation also failed, leaving Congress no closer to breaking an impasse over how best to boost a health-care system and economy ravaged by the pandemic.

Congressional leaders tossed blame for the inevitable expiration of the strengthened unemployment insurance.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused Democrats of refusing to "engage" with the GOP after it released its coronavirus relief proposal on Monday. Republicans unveiled the plan more than two months after the House passed its legislation, which Democrats considered their opening offer in the next round of aid discussions.

"Either our Democratic colleagues come to the table, or the American people won't get the help they need," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor Thursday.

The sides will have to resolve differences on a range of issues, most notably the unemployment insurance extension. Democrats want to maintain the $600 per week jobless benefit, on top of what recipients get from states, into next year. Republicans want to cut it to $200 per week through September, then set it at 70% wage replacement.

Democrats have also criticized the lack of several other provisions in the GOP plan, including direct aid for state and local governments and funds for rent, mortgage and food assistance. They also oppose liability protections for businesses, doctors and schools, which McConnell has said will have to be in any bill he brings to the Senate floor.

As they moved closer to Friday's deadline without a comprehensive deal, both President Donald Trump and Mnuchin floated the possibility of passing a short-term deal to extend the unemployment insurance and a federal eviction moratorium.

It is unclear now how quickly the sides can resolve seemingly intractable issues and renew critical assistance for millions of people. But Pelosi expects negotiators will still find common ground.

"We anticipate that we will have a bill. But we're not there yet," she said Friday.

CNBC's Terri Cullen and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.

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Coronavirus relief talks sputter as $600 weekly unemployment benefit expires and Washington plays blame game - CNBC

It isn't clear how many cases have been linked to "The Gym" in California, but county health officials say an outbreak is considered three or more cases from different households stemming from a specific location.

"The Gym" did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

The Pacific Beach gym remained open despite an order to close indoor operations to prevent the spread of the virus. The business was sent a letter July 23 and told to close immediately, but it didn't shut until days later on July 27, county health officials say.

According to San Diego Health Officer Wilma Wooten, any business or entity that violates the order faces a misdemeanor and a fine of $1,000.

County officials say they need to step up contact tracing efforts and crack down on egregious violators. They've issued multiple letters to local businesses, including gyms and restaurants.

Fitness centers have struggled with how to keep clients safe while working out indoors.

"We will continue to take every necessary precaution to ensure the safety of our community, and we have taken a number of steps across all of our locations, which include enhanced cleanliness and sanitization policies and procedures, extensive training for staff, physical distancing measures, reducing physical touch points in the club with touchless check-in, and more," according to statement from McCall Gosselin, senior vice president of communications for Planet Fitness.

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San Diego gym that defied a shutdown order linked to a coronavirus outbreak - CNN

We first met these patients when they were sick. Now we check in, to see how recovery is going

DENVER Throughout this pandemic, 9NEWS has shared many stories about the people fighting COVID-19 and winning the battle.

Many recovered at home, but some spent weeks in the hospital.

Their homecomings were often celebrated with cheers and tears, shared with nurses, doctors, and loved ones ready to bring them home.

Weeks later, we check back in with a few patients whose stories made headlines.

REVEREND TERRENCE BIG T HUGHES

It was early March when Terrence Hughes first felt sick. The Denver-based pastor and civil rights leader was running for political office. His usually busy schedule screeched to halt when he was admitted to the VA Hospital with COVID19.

Before I went under, I didnt realize it was that serious, he said. I thought Id be out for a little bit and come right back. Then you know, two months later I wake up.

Hughes, known by many as Big T, spent two months in the hospital and required a ventilator to keep him alive. His wife, Rachel, said doctors warned her he might not survive.

I think the turn of events came when they started talking to me about DNRs [do-no-resuscitate orders], we were scared his heart is going to stop, she remembered.

But Big T pulled through. He was released from the hospital in early May. After spending some time in a rehabilitation center, he was finally cleared to continue his recovery at home. Healing has been a slow process.

I was already dealing with some things as a disabled vet, but those things are heightened, extremely due to COVID, he explained. I had to relearn how to walk again, I couldnt walk. How to use my hands. [After COVID] I used to have extreme tremors, where feeding myself was difficult It was almost like I had Parkinsons, my hands would shake so bad.

His therapy appointments continue this summer. And Big Ts schedule remains much quieter than he would like.

Ive been pretty homebound for the most part, he said. With all the dynamics going on in the world and our community, normally I would be out playing a part, playing a role trying to help. To not do that is tough. To not be out there to support, to help, has been really challenging to me.

Instead, hes soaking up the extra time with family. The Hughes just celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary and bought a new home. Next year, as they reach 20 years of marriage, they plan to renew their vows.

Rachel was also sick with the virus earlier this year, but never required hospitalization. The Hughes are following the science closely, and said they worry that even people who have been sick once could get sick again. They wear masks and encourage others to do the same.

They also said they are grateful for the medical providers who saved Big Ts life.

I learned that, in order for us to get through this, we have to depend on each other, he said. I learned to be vulnerable and trusting, and I think thats so important as we look at this world today.

4-YEAR OLD LINCOLN

Dr. Anna Zimmermann spends her days treating the littlest patients, working as a neonatologist for Presbyterian/St. Lukes and Rocky Mountain Childrens Hospital in Denver.

But this spring, it was her own child that needed medical care. Her four-year-old son Lincoln was diagnosed with COVID-19 and spent a week in the hospital. She blogged about her experience as both a parent and a doctor, now with a personal connection to the virus.

Her husband also tested positive for COVID-19, and was able to recover at home. Dr. Zimmermann and the couples two daughters never showed any symptoms and felt fine. Today, the whole family is healthy again.

Lincoln is doing awesome today. He is essentially back to normal. Hes his regular 4-year-old self. Hes snarky, he likes to sleep in and he likes to snuggle, she said.

The kids are spending their summer riding bikes, hiking at altitude, and enjoying socially distant activities like visits to the zoo. Zimmermann said she is grateful that COVID-19 hasnt caused any obvious long-term problems in their family.

COVID is really personal. And how it affected me and my family is personal to us, and how it affects another family is personal to them, she said. You dont really realize the ramifications of COVID until it hits your family and so I feel like I have a lot of respect for this virus, I felt like I had a lot of respect before, but now I have it even more.

As both a doctor and a parent, she said she still has so many questions and reservations - about the virus.

In some ways, I feel like, oh, Lincoln had it, our familys been exposed to it, we made it through. In a little bit, thats reassuring, right? But then you hear reports that people are getting it for the second time, and the second time they get it its worse, she said.

I would love to know, do I have antibodies? How long do they last? Does my husband have antibodies? What about Lincoln? What about my girls? Were they just asymptomatic? I mean I would love to know those answers.

WAYNE MCDONALD, "COACH MAC"

Wayne McDonald had a great start to 2020. Coach Mac led the Denver South Rebels girls basketball team to their first-ever Denver Prep League title.

Things changed by March when he was hospitalized with COVID-19. He spent two months in the hospital battling the virus and infection. He needed a ventilator to survive. After he was released from the hospital he spent two more weeks in a rehabilitation center.

Im doing pretty good, McDonald said, after weeks. Its been a long haul and things have gotten a lot better for me. And Im just happy to be alive.

McDonald is still healing from several complications, including the loss of sight in one eye, nerve pain in his feet and additional surgery to help fight an infection. This week, he finished his final physical therapy session.

Coach Mac said he looks forward to coaching basketball again, but hes not in a rush to get back on the court yet.

I miss my kids a bunch, but that is not something Im looking to do right now, he said. Just because I need to heal and build up my strength and I dont want to be around kids that will possibly get me sick again.

McDonald and his wife Cheryl said they have slowed things down and want to know more about his possible risk of exposure again.

Were just trying to roll out normal things slowly, but really watch, pay close attention, talk to the doctors, Cheryl McDonald said. Whats really all we can do, do the best we can do with the information we have right now.

Coach Mac encourages people to be cautious and considerate of others, to wash hands and wear masks.

I think its a small ask to save many lives.

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COVID-19 recoveries: revisiting with patients who beat the virus - 9News.com KUSA

Coronavirus Nomenclature

On February 11, 2020 the World Health Organizationannouncedan official name for the disease that is caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19. The virus itself has been designated SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

What is Coronavirus

According to the World Health Organization[i], Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

What is 2019 Novel Coronavirus

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, formerly known as 2019-nCoV and now known as SARS-COV-2, is a new strain of coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Its important to note that how easily a virus spreads person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious, while other viruses are less so. Investigations are ongoing tobetterunderstandthetransmissibility,severity,andotherfeaturesassociated with the Novel Coronavirus, but person-to-person spread is occurring[i].

Know the Novel Coronavirus Symptoms

According to the CDC, patients with confirmed infections have reported mild to severe respiratory illnesses with symptoms including:

CDC believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period ofMERSviruses.[iv]

How Coronavirus is Spread

The CDC states[iv] that the viruses is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person from:

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled in the lungs.

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes, but this not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (community spread) in some affectedgeographic areas. There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with the Novel Coronavirus and investigations are ongoing.

How to help protect from the Coronavirus

The best way to protect yourself is avoid being exposed to the virus. The CDC always recommends[i] simple everyday preventative steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory virus, including:

Aswithall infectious diseases, good hygiene can play a role in controlling its spread. However, the most important publichealth recommendation isthat people report to the nearest health facility if they develop any symptoms indicative of Coronavirus. Call the office of your health care provider before you go and tell them about your travel and your symptoms. They will give you instructions on how to get care without exposing other people to your illness. Visit the CDC website to learn more on What To Do if You Are Sick.

Improper use of Disinfectants

Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB (the makers of Lysol and Dettol) has been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion, or any other route). As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in linewith usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.

We have a responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts. For this and other myth-busting facts, please visit Covid-19facts.com.

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Understanding Coronavirus - Lysol

COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. The COVID-19 is the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

Since December 2019, cases have been identified in a growing number of countries. The Districts surveillance data can be found here.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illnessranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Public health authorities are learning more every day. We will continue to update as we learn more.

Reported illnesses have ranged frommild symptoms to severe illnessand death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Symptoms may appear2-14 days after exposure:

The symptoms that are currently being seen with COVID-19 are cough, fever, headache, new loss of taste or smell, repeated shaking with chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, and muscle pain.To help prevent the spread of germs, you should:

You play an important role in stopping the spread of germs, view resources to share with your family, friends and within your community.

Some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, including older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions. If you are in this higher-risk population, the CDC recommends that you:

Learn more at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has information on how to prepare your home and family for COVID-19. Recommendations include:

If you are the family member or caregiver of someone at higher risk, you should:

Everyone can do their part to help us respond to this emerging public health threat:

If you are a healthcare provider, be on the look-out for:

If you are a healthcare provider or a public health responder caring for a COVID-19 patient, please take care of yourself and follow recommendedinfection control procedures.

If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure.

If you are a resident in a community where person-to-person spread of COVID-19 has been detected and you develop COVID-19 symptoms, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms.

For people who are ill with COVID-19, but are not sick enough to be hospitalized, please followCDC guidance on how to reduce the risk of spreading your illness to others. People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness.

If you have been in China or another affected area or have been exposed to someone sick with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, you will facesome limitations on your movement and activityfor up to 14 days. Please follow instructions during this time. Your cooperation is integral to the ongoing public health response to try to slow spread of this virus.

Learn more on the CDC website.

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What Is COVID-19? | coronavirus

Within the last couple of months, several scientific studies have come out some peer-reviewed, others not indicating that the antibody response of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 dropped significantly within two months. The news has sparked fears that the very immunity of patients with Covid-19 may be waning fast dampening hopes for the development of an effective and durable vaccine.

But these concerns are confused and mistaken.

Both our bodies natural immunity and immunity acquired through vaccination serve the same function, which is to inhibit a virus and prevent it from causing a disease. But they dont always work quite the same way.

And so a finding that naturally occurring antibodies in some Covid-19 patients are fading doesnt actually mean very much for the likely efficacy of vaccines under development. Science, in this case, can be more effective than nature.

The human immune system has evolved to serve two functions: expediency and precision. Hence, we have two types of immunity: innate immunity, which jumps into action within hours, sometimes just minutes, of an infection; and adaptive immunity, which develops over days and weeks.

Almost all the cells in the human body can detect a viral infection, and when they do, they call on our white blood cells to deploy a defensive response against the infectious agent.

When our innate immune response is successful at containing that pathogen, the infection is resolved quickly and, generally, without many symptoms. In the case of more sustained infections, though, its our adaptive immune system that kicks in to offer us protection.

The adaptive immune system consists of two types of white blood cells, called T and B cells, that detect molecular details specific to the virus and, based on that, mount a targeted response to it.

A virus causes disease by entering cells in the human body and hijacking their genetic machinery so as to reproduce itself again and again: It turns its hosts into viral factories.

T cells detect and kill those infected cells. B cells make antibodies, a kind of protein that binds to the viral particles and blocks them from entering our cells; this prevents the replication of the virus and stops the infection in its tracks.

The body then stores the T and B cells that helped eliminate the infection, in case it might need them in the future to fight off the same virus again. These so-called memory cells are the main agents of long-term immunity.

The antibodies produced in response to a common seasonal coronavirus infection last for about a year. But the antibodies generated by a measles infection last, and provide protection, for a lifetime.

Yet it is also the case that with other viruses the amount of antibodies in the blood peaks during an infection and drops after the infection has cleared, often within a few months: This is the fact that has some people worried about Covid-19, but it doesnt mean what it might seem.

That antibodies decrease once an infection recedes isnt a sign that they are failing: Its a normal step in the usual course of an immune response.

Nor does a waning antibody count mean waning immunity: The memory B cells that first produced those antibodies are still around, and standing ready to churn out new batches of antibodies on demand.

And that is why we should be hopeful about the prospects of a vaccine for Covid-19.

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection, generating memory T and B cells that can then provide long-lasting protection in the people who are vaccinated. Yet the immunity created by vaccines differs from the immunity created by a natural infection in several important ways.

Virtually all viruses that infect humans contain in their genomes blueprints for producing proteins that help them evade detection by the innate immune system. For example, SARS-CoV-2 appears to have a gene dedicated to silencing the innate immune system.

Among the viruses that have become endemic in humans, some have also figured out ways to dodge the adaptive immune system: H.I.V.-1 mutates rapidly; herpes viruses deploy proteins that can trap and incapacitate antibodies.

Thankfully, SARS-CoV-2 does not seem to have evolved any such tricks yet suggesting that we still have an opportunity to stem its spread and the pandemic by pursuing a relatively straightforward vaccine approach.

Vaccines come in different flavors they can be based on killed or live attenuated viral material, nucleic acids or recombinant proteins. But all vaccines consist of two main components: an antigen and an adjuvant.

The antigen is the part of the virus we want the adaptive immune response to react to and target. The adjuvant is an agent that mimics the infection and helps jump-start the immune response.

One beauty of vaccines and one of their great advantages over our bodys natural reaction to infections is that their antigens can be designed to focus the immune response on a viruss Achilles heel (whatever that may be).

Another advantage is that vaccines allow for different kinds and different doses of adjuvants and so, for calibration and fine-tuning that can help boost and lengthen immune responses.

The immune response generated against a virus during natural infection is, to some degree, at the mercy of the virus itself. Not so with vaccines.

Since many viruses evade the innate immune system, natural infections sometimes do not result in robust or long-lasting immunity. The human papillomavirus is one of them, which is why it can cause chronic infections. The papillomavirus vaccine triggers a far better antibody response to its viral antigen than does a natural HPV infection: It is almost 100 percent effective in preventing HPV infection and disease.

Not only does vaccination protect against infection and disease; it also blocks viral transmission and, if sufficiently widespread, can help confer so-called herd immunity to a population.

What proportion of individuals in a given population needs to be immune to a new virus so that the whole group is, in effect, protected depends on the viruss basic reproduction number broadly speaking: the average number of people that a single infected person will, in turn, infect.

For measles, which is highly contagious, more than 90 percent of a population must be immunized in order for unvaccinated individuals to also be protected. For Covid-19, the estimated figure which is unsettled, understandably ranges between 43 percent and 66 percent.

Given the severe consequences of Covid-19 for many older patients, as well as the diseases unpredictable course and consequences for the young, the only safe way to achieve herd immunity is through vaccination. That, combined with the fact that SARS-CoV-2 appears not to have yet developed a mechanism to evade detection by our adaptive immune system, is ample reason to double down on efforts to find a vaccine fast.

So do not be alarmed by reports about Covid-19 patients dropping antibody counts; those are irrelevant to the prospects of finding a viable vaccine.

Remember instead that more than 165 vaccine candidates already are in the pipeline, some showing promising early trial results.

And start thinking about how best to ensure that when that vaccine comes, it will be distributed efficiently and equitably.

Akiko Iwasaki is the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor in the Department of Immunobiology and a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale. Ruslan Medzhitov is a Sterling Professor in the Department of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine. Both are investigators at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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Scared That Covid-19 Immunity Wont Last? Dont Be - The New York Times

HONG KONG The Hong Kong government said on Friday that it would postpone the citys September legislative election by one year because of the coronavirus pandemic, a decision seen by the pro-democracy opposition as a brazen attempt to thwart its electoral momentum and avoid the defeat of pro-Beijing candidates.

It is a really tough decision to delay, but we want to ensure fairness, public safety and public health, said Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs chief executive.

She cited the risk of infections, with as many as three million or more people expected to vote on the same day; the inability of candidates to hold campaign events due to social distancing rules; and the difficulties faced by eligible voters who are overseas or in mainland China and cannot return to cast ballots because of travel restrictions.

The delay was a blow to opposition politicians, who had hoped to ride to victory in the fall on a wave of deep-seated dissatisfaction with the government and concerns about a sweeping new national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong. And it was the latest in a quick series of aggressive moves by the pro-Beijing establishment that had the effect of sidelining the pro-democracy movement.

Even before Friday, the citys pro-democracy opposition had accused the government of using social-distancing rules to clamp down on the protest movement that began more than a year ago.

Earlier this week, amid reports that the vote might be delayed, Eddie Chu, a pro-democracy legislator running for re-election, said that Chinas ruling Communist Party was ordering a strategic retreat. They want to avoid a potential devastating defeat in the election, he wrote on Twitter.

The explanation that Hong Kong must delay the vote because of the pandemic is likely to fall flat among the wider public, said Ma Ngok, an associate professor of political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

I think it will be seen as a kind of manipulation, that the government is afraid of losing the majority and that is why they postponed the election, he said.

Mrs. Lam denied that the decision had been influenced by political concerns. It is purely on the basis of protecting the health and safety of the Hong Kong people and to ensure that the elections are held in a fair and open manner, she said.

While Hong Kong has been a world leader in controlling the coronavirus, in recent days it has seen its worst surge of infections yet, with more than 100 new cases reported daily for more than a week. The government has unfurled several new lockdown and social-distancing measures.

We face a dire situation in our fight against the virus, Mrs. Lam said.

Under Hong Kong law, an election can be delayed for up to 14 days if there is a danger to public health or safety. But Mrs. Lam postponed the election until Sept. 5, 2021, under emergency powers that allow the chief executive to make any regulations considered to be desirable in the public interest.

Those powers, which date to the British colonial era, were invoked last year when the government banned the wearing of masks in an effort to stem protests.

Chinas central government said it supported Mrs. Lams decision to delay the election, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Mrs. Lam acknowledged that the move created a rather thorny issue under the Basic Law, Hong Kongs constitution, which limits the terms of Legislative Council members to four years meaning that the current lawmakers terms will soon expire.

That matter will be referred to the standing committee of the National Peoples Congress in Beijing, which has the power to interpret the Basic Law, for a decision on how to deal with the gap, Xinhua reported.

The postponement will likely be met with criticism from the United States and other countries that have expressed sharp disapproval of Chinas tightening grip on Hong Kong. This month, President Trump said that because of the national security law, the United States would begin to curb its special treatment of Hong Kong and deal with it more in line with the rest of China.

The elections must proceed on time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday in a U.S. radio interview. They must be held. The people of Hong Kong deserve to have their voice represented by the elected officials that they choose in those elections.

If they destroy that, if they take that down, it will be another marker that will simply prove that the Chinese Communist Party has now made Hong Kong just another Communist-run city, he added.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Friday that the Hong Kong election was a local election in China and is purely Chinas internal affair.

The national security law targets activity that it describes as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. It has stirred concerns in Hong Kong because it allows mainland security services to operate openly in the city and makes some speech, such as advocating Hong Kongs independence, illegal.

Updated July 27, 2020

On Wednesday, in a sign that officials would strictly enforce the law, the police arrested four activists, ages 16 to 21, who were accused of supporting separatism in social media posts.

And the next day, in barring the 12 opposition candidates, the Hong Kong government said that the grounds for disqualifying them included advocating for Hong Kongs independence or self-determination, soliciting intervention from foreign governments, expressing an objection in principle to the national security law Beijing imposed last month, or vowing to indiscriminately vote against government proposals.

Opposition candidates say the moves suggested that pro-Beijing officials were concerned about a resounding defeat in the September election. Even establishment candidates have been quietly discussing the potential for a pan-democratic wave.

Elections for neighborhood-level offices, held last November, were seen as a warning: The opposition took control of 17 out of 18 district councils, which had normally been controlled by pro-Beijing parties.

This year, the opposition set its sights on a bigger target: to take at least half the 70 seats in the Legislative Council, the top lawmaking body in the territory.

While the protests have abated in recent weeks under the authorities crackdown, discontent with the government has remained strong since Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong, a semiautonomous city that maintains its own local government and legal system.

Two weeks ago, more than 600,000 people participated in the opposition camps primary election, despite warnings from local officials that it might be illegal. Voters generally preferred candidates closely associated with the past years protests.

In barring the candidates for the September elections, election officials questioned whether candidates who had previously lobbied foreign governments would continue to do so, which could potentially violate the new security laws prohibitions on foreign influence. Another question asked was whether candidates, if elected, would veto the governments budget. Under Hong Kongs system, if the legislature blocks the budget twice in a row, the chief executive is forced to step down.

Kwok Ka-ki, a legislator who was one of the 12 candidates disqualified Thursday, replied that such a question was political in nature, and that he was unsure why an election official had any business asking it. After all, this is why there are elections in the first place, he wrote.

Just half the seats in the legislature represent geographic districts in Hong Kong, another barrier for the pro-democracy camp. The other half are functional constituencies largely set aside for candidates from various commercial sectors, which tend to vote for establishment candidates.

The opposition has pointed to other places that have held successful elections during the pandemic, including South Korea and Singapore.

I dont think many people in Hong Kong will be convinced, Mr. Ma said, referring to the official justification for delaying the election. They are allowed to go to work, take the subway, take the bus, stand in long queues and then not allowed to vote? It wont be very convincing.

Elaine Yu and Tiffany May contributed reporting from Hong Kong. Keith Bradsher contributed reporting, and Claire Fu contributed research, from Beijing.

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Hong Kong Delays Election, Citing Coronavirus. The Opposition Isnt Buying It. - The New York Times

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.

Another Mainer has died as 26 more cases of the coronavirus were reported on Friday.

Fridays report brings the total coronavirus cases in Maine to 3,912. Of those, 3,499 have been confirmed positive, while 413 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

New cases were reported in Cumberland (9), Kennebec (2), Knox (1), Oxford (3), Penobscot (4), Sagadahoc (2) and York (4) counties, state data show. Information about where the last case was reported wasnt immediately available.

The agency revised Thursdays cumulative total to 3,886, down from 3,888, meaning there was a net increase of 24 over the previous days report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the states cumulative total.

The latest death involved a man in his 60s from Androscoggin County, bringing the statewide death toll to 123. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 388 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 12 people are currently hospitalized, with seven in critical care and two on ventilators.

Meanwhile, 16 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,361. That means there are 428 active and probable cases in the state, which is up from 421 on Thursday.

A majority of the cases 2,183 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Friday, there have been 170,066 negative test results out of 175,575 overall. Just under 3 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 2,039 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 68 have been concentrated. It is one of four counties the others are Androscoggin, Penobscot and York, with 548, 145 and 645 cases, respectively where community transmission has been confirmed, according to the Maine CDC.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel. That second condition has not yet been satisfied in other counties.

Other cases have been reported in Aroostook (32), Franklin (45), Hancock (27), Kennebec (164), Knox (26), Lincoln (33), Oxford (54), Piscataquis (3), Sagadahoc (46), Somerset (34), Waldo (62) and Washington (7) counties. Information about where another two cases were reported wasnt immediately available Friday morning.

As of Friday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 4,496,737 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 152,074 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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Another Mainer dies as 26 new coronavirus cases are reported - Bangor Daily News

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have risen to more than 17.3 million around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. The number of confirmed deaths now stands at more than 673,000.

Preliminary data shows the French economy contracted by 13.8% in the second quarter. Household consumption, company investment and trade were all hit by the nationwide lockdown.

Social distancing has pushed flu infection rates to record lows, according to early figures. The data suggests measures to tackle coronavirus are having an impact on other communicable diseases.

The UK has tightened lockdowns in some Northern areas, including Greater Manchester. The move is targeted at areas where transmission rates are increasing.

Florida and Arizona have both reported record increases in COVID-19 deaths. The US epicentre is also showing signs of shifting to the Midwest.

Global cases have gone past 17 million.

Image: Our World in Data

The crisis threatens to "destroy the livelihoods" of the region's 218 million informal workers, said a policy brief released yesterday. This puts decades of poverty reduction at risk.

Remittances from Southeast Asians working abroad are set to fall by 13% - or $10 billion - while the regional economy is expected to contract by 0.4% this year.

Governments should boost social welfare payments and prioritize higher health spending, said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, head of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

A Reuters poll of over 500 economists suggests the outlook for the global economy has grown more pessimistic.

The still-rising number of infections and the risk of fresh lockdowns is putting any potential rebound at risk.

We expect the economic reality of the virus to start catching up with businesses across the globe soon, said Jan Lambregts, global head financial markets research at Rabobank.

What we need is a vaccine or significant breakthroughs in medicines to decisively reopen our economies and restore business and consumer confidence but there is no magic wand for the time being.

The poll expects the global economy to shrink by 4% this year - down from the 3.7% forecast in June.

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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 31 July - World Economic Forum

Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the days latest updates. Sign up here.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, he said in an interview with East Texas Now where he speculated that he may have caught the virus from wearing his mask.

Gohmert, who spends ample time on the U.S. House floor without a mask, was one of several Texas officials scheduled to fly to West Texas this afternoon with President Donald Trump. He took one test, which tested positive, then took a second test during a pre-screen at the White House which also tested positive.

I cant help but wonder ... if I injected the virus into my mask when I was moving, he said in an interview.

Medical experts and doctors overwhelmingly recommend wearing masks as a way to reduce spread of COVID-19. Recent research suggests that masks could protect the wearer from severe symptoms of COVID-19 or from catching the virus entirely.

Gohmert, 66, was one of several lawmakers who participated in a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee that also took place Tuesday. He walked around the hearing room and outside without wearing a mask. News of his diagnosis was first reported by Politico and later confirmed by ABC News.

Im fine. I feel fine. Totally asymptomatic, he said. If I hadnt been going with the president, since I dont feel badly, I would never have known.

Gohmert said he received guidance from the doctors at the White House and the attending physician at the Capitol that he only needed to self-quarantine for 10 days. He said he will drive back to his East Texas home and that his staff is all getting tested for the virus.

Like Dorothy said, theres no place like home, Gohmert said.

According to CNN, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, was seated next to Gohmert on a flight from Texas on Sunday evening. She is also self-quarantining, according to her office.

The Republican lawmaker has been known for speaking at length with Capitol colleagues while not adhering to social distancing guidelines. Last month, he told CNN that he was not wearing a mask because he was getting tested regularly for the virus.

I dont have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday Ive never had it, he said in June. But if I get it, youll never see me without a mask.

Gohmert also raised eyebrows in March after returning to the Capitol despite potential exposure to the virus at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Though he said at the time he was cleared by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physician to resume Capitol business, other lawmakers who attended the conference, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, opted to self-quarantine.

Several other members of Congress have tested positive for the deadly respiratory virus. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul tested positive for the virus in March and later recovered. Florida Republican Reps. Neal Dunn and Mario Diaz-Balart have also contracted the virus.

Texas, however, has recently become a hotspot for the coronavirus, with the state having some of the highest case counts in the nation. The governor previously issued a statewide mask mandate.

In a tweet Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, who chaired Tuesdays hearing, wished Gohmert a full & speedy recovery.

When individuals refuse to take the necessary precautions it puts everyone at risk, he wrote. Ive regularly instructed all Members to wear their masks and hope this is a lesson by all my colleagues.

Disclosure: Politico has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Louie Gohmert tests positive for coronavirus - The Texas Tribune

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.

Another Mainer has died as 27 more cases of the coronavirus were reported on Thursday.

Thursdays report brings the total coronavirus cases in Maine to 3,888. Of those, 3,477 have been confirmed positive, while 411 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

The agency revised Wednesdays cumulative total to 3,861, down from 3,866, meaning there was a net increase of 22 over the previous days report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the states cumulative total.

The latest death involved a resident of Kennebec County, bringing the statewide death toll to 122. Information about that case wasnt immediately available. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 386 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 11 people are currently hospitalized, with eight people in critical care and three on ventilators.

Meanwhile, nine more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,345. That means there are 421 active and probable cases in the state, which is up from 409 on Wednesday.

Heres the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.

People struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus pandemic could receive increased aid from the state starting next week, Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday. Mills said shell dedicate $5 million more from state coronavirus relief funds to double the amount of aid for which renters can qualify. Eesha Pendharkar, BDN

Gov. Janet Mills administration said Thursday it is investing $1 million from its coronavirus relief fund to address the racial and ethnic disparities that have left people of color disproportionately exposed to the pandemic in a predominantly white state. Charles Eichacker, BDN

Two Hancock County blueberry businesses now have confirmed outbreaks of the coronavirus after one was reported earlier this week at Hancock Foods and a second was reported Thursday at Merrill Blueberry Farms in Ellsworth. Charles Eichacker, BDN

Coronavirus cases in Maine ticked up slightly over the past week after a period of extended decline, though the state has continued to expand testing with hospitalizations and rates of positive tests low and mostly flat. Jessica Piper, BDN

With Congress still at odds over a new stimulus package and a $600 weekly unemployment bonus set to expire on Friday, three Republican U.S. senators, including Maines Susan Collins, proposed a bill to partially continue that benefit. Lori Valigra, BDN

Former University of Maine professor Ed Brazee co-founded a company called BoomerTECH Adventures in 2015 with the goal of helping Mainers from the baby-boom generation get more comfortable with the internet and using the latest technology. Little did he know that in March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic struck, his skills in teaching clients how to video chat or pay their bills online would become a crucial tool in helping people figure out how to navigate their new socially distant reality. Emily Burnham, BDN

New weekly jobless claims continued their steady decline last week from the dizzying heights seen in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. But that comes as tens of thousands of out-of-work Mainers face a sharp drop in jobless benefits next week. Christopher Burns, BDN

As of Thursday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 4,476,335 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 151,674 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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July 30 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine - Bangor Daily News

In Iraq's capital Baghdad, two people were killed and 11 others injured during protests over electricity shortages, and lack of basic goods, that erupted in the capital's Tahrir square earlier this week as temperatures reached 50C (122F).

Protesters were met with live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas by security forces, Ali Akram al-Bayati, a member of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq, told CNN on Monday.

On Thursday, Friday and the week ahead, temperatures are forecast to hover in the mid-to high 40-degrees Celsius (104F), slightly lower than the all-time record of 51.1C (124F).

Temperatures in Kuwait are more or less the same, reaching highs of 51C last Friday. Nearby, on the shores of the Persian Gulf, the combination of desert heat and gulf moisture created a heat index of over 56C (134F) on Monday afternoon in Salmiyah, Kuwait.

The heatwave comes ahead of Eid al-Adha -- which is being observed by Muslims on Thursday night, as the first of the four-day Eid falls on Friday. Eid al-Adha is normally marked by congregational Eid prayers, family gatherings and large feasts.

Several countries across the region are re-imposing lockdown measures to restrict the spread of coronavirus, after a recent rise in numbers in June in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

On Sunday, Iraq announced a 10-day curfew after the country surpassed 100,000 Covid-19 cases and registered more than 4,000 virus-related deaths.

Eid al-Adha follows on from the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which was also affected by coronavirus.

On average, over 2 million pilgrims attend the Hajj, which is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.

However, the first rituals of Hajj on Wednesday saw around 1,000 pilgrims adhering to "safety bubbles" and social distancing measures over fears of the coronavirus.

And the Middle East heatwave follows on from the hottest May on record worldwide, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, a European climate agency.

Globally, May was 0.63 degrees Celsius warmer than the average May between 1981 and 2010, making it the warmest May in this data record, the said.

When compared with pre-industrial figures, their recordings indicate that the world is creeping dangerously close to the temperature threshold that international organizations warn would be so devastating to the planet if exceeded.

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Middle East grapples with heatwave during Eid and Coronavirus pandemic - CNN

Cases in New Jersey, which recently plunged to their lowest levels since the pandemic began, are rising again.

Just a week ago, New Jersey recorded its lowest seven-day average of new daily cases 224 since the numbers peaked in the state in early April, according to a database maintained by The New York Times. But cases have been rising since then, and the state has averaged 416 cases per day over the past week.

The increase, which came after the state moved to ease a number of restrictions, has worried elected leaders and public health officials, who say that young people who are enjoying summer parties are not taking enough precautions.

A party that dozens of Long Beach Island lifeguards attended has been linked to 35 cases of the virus, according to the states health commissioner. A house party in Middletown, N.J., has been blamed for 65 new cases; 52 of the people infected were between the ages of 15 and 19, Gov. Philip D. Murphy said. Judith M. Persichilli, the state health commissioner, said Wednesday that 15 Rutgers football players had tested positive.

And a house party in Jackson, N.J., about 65 miles south of Manhattan, drew more than 700 people on Sunday night, leading the police to issue tickets to its organizers. More than 100 cars were parked outside, and it took the police more than five hours to clear the scene.

Officials with the governors office noted that despite the uptick, New Jersey continues to be among the six states with the fewest new daily infections per 100,000 residents. Some of the increase in the past week also can be linked to a lag in testing results, which they said are sometimes delivered in large bulk batches, skewing the daily case counts.

Perry N. Halkitis, an epidemiologist and dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, agreed the delay in testing results muddies the daily data report. But he said the seven-day trend is alarming.

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Live Coronavirus News Updates and Analysis - The New York Times

Indoor house parties are contributing to the increase in coronavirus cases in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

At the outset of his news conference, Murphy said he understood the desire to gather indoors.

"We've all had our routines turned upside down for the past four months and we want to blow off some steam with friends," he said. "None of us can fault anyone for having that notion."

He added: "And with the weather we've been having on top of that, I understand the desire to escape the heat and head into the air conditioning."

But, Murphy said, people cannot continue to have crowded house parties. "They are not safe. Period."

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"They are how coronavirus gets passed around more efficiently," Murphy said.

The governor said a "series" of recent house parties including one attended by young people between the ages of 14 and 19 in Middletown have been linked to more than 50 new positive cases. Additionally, a party on Long Beach Island has now sidelined nearly three dozen Surf City lifeguards, who have tested positive for the coronavirus, he said.

And on Sunday night, there was a massive house party in Jackson that was attended by an estimated 700 people. Murphy said it was not yet known how many coronavirus cases may arise from "that out of control party," but the state health commissioner, Judith Persichilli, believes there will be many.

"This is no time for anyone to be vying for induction into the knucklehead hall of fame," the governor said. "And unfortunately, all of the above instances qualify."

Over the past four days, the state has reported roughly 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus, Murphy said. "We are now back plus or minus to where we were roughly a month ago in the daily numbers of new cases," Murphy said.

He urged residents, young people in particular, to wear face masks and to act responsibly.

"Remember this: Just because you are younger and hopefully less susceptible to the ravages of COVID-19, is not an excuse to let your guard down," he said. "You are not immune."

There have been at least 183,793 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey, with 15,798 deaths, according to NBC News' tally.

Murphy said the danger of indoor gatherings is the reason his administration halted a planned restart of indoor dining. On June 29, Gov. Murphy said plans to allow indoor dining to resume July 2 would be postponed indefinitely because of a surge in coronavirus cases in the South and West.

"I'm not going to say that indoor dining is like a house party because it isn't," he said Wednesday. "But when one party in an air-conditioned house leads to dozens of new cases, it should give us all pause."

Janelle Griffith is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

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Rise in New Jersey coronavirus cases linked to indoor house parties, governor says - NBC News

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures.

The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus and it was revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis through English-language websites.

Experts worry the torrent of bad information is dangerously undermining efforts to slow the virus, whose death toll in the U.S. hit 150,000 Wednesday, by far the highest in the world, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Over a half-million people have died in the rest of the world.

Hard-hit Florida reported 216 deaths, breaking the single-day record it set a day earlier. Texas confirmed 313 additional deaths, pushing its total to 6,190, while South Carolina's death toll passed 1,500 this week, more than doubling over the past month. In Georgia, hospitalizations have more than doubled since July 1.

"It is a real challenge in terms of trying to get the message to the public about what they can really do to protect themselves and what the facts are behind the problem," said Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

He said the fear is that "people are putting themselves in harm's way because they don't believe the virus is something they have to deal with."

Rather than fade away in the face of new evidence, the claims have flourished, fed by mixed messages from officials, transmitted by social media, amplified by leaders like Trump and mutating when confronted with contradictory facts.

"You don't need masks. There is a cure," Dr. Stella Immanuel promised in a video that promoted hydroxychloroquine. "You don't need people to be locked down."

The truth: Federal regulators last month revoked their authorization of the drug as an emergency treatment amid growing evidence it doesn't work and can have deadly side effects. Even if it were effective, it wouldn't negate the need for masks and other measures to contain the outbreak.

None of that stopped Trump, who has repeatedly praised the drug, from retweeting the video. Twitter and Facebook began removing the video Monday for violating policies on COVID-19 misinformation, but it had already been seen more than 20 million times.

Many of the claims in Immanuel's video are widely disputed by medical experts. She has made even more bizarre pronouncements in the past, saying that cysts, fibroids and some other conditions can be caused by having sex with demons, that McDonald's and Pokemon promote witchcraft, that alien DNA is used in medical treatments, and that half-human "reptilians" work in the government.

Other baseless theories and hoaxes have alleged that the virus isn't real or that it's a bioweapon created by the U.S. or its adversaries. One hoax from the outbreak's early months claimed new 5G towers were spreading the virus through microwaves. Another popular story held that Microsoft founder Bill Gates plans to use COVID-19 vaccines to implant microchips in all 7 billion people on the planet.

Then there are the political theories that doctors, journalists and federal officials are conspiring to lie about the threat of the virus to hurt Trump politically.

Social media has amplified the claims and helped believers find each other. The flood of misinformation has posed a challenge for Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, which have found themselves accused of censorship for taking down virus misinformation.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was questioned about Immanuel's video during an often-contentious congressional hearing Wednesday.

"We did take it down because it violates our policies," Zuckerberg said.

U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat leading the hearing, responded by noting that 20 million people saw the video before Facebook acted.

"Doesn't that suggest that your platform is so big, that even with the right policies in place, you can't contain deadly content?" Cicilline asked Zuckerberg.

It wasn't the first video containing misinformation about the virus, and experts say it's not likely to be the last.

A professionally made 26-minute video that alleges the government's top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, manufactured the virus and shipped it to China was watched more than 8 million times before the platforms took action. The video, titled "Plandemic," also warned that masks could make you sick the false claim Facebook cited when it removed the video down from its site.

Judy Mikovits, the discredited doctor behind "Plandemic," had been set to appear on the show "America This Week" on the Sinclair Broadcast Group. But the company, which operates TV stations in 81 U.S. markets, canned the segment, saying it was "not appropriate" to air.

This week, U.S. government officials speaking on condition of anonymity cited what they said was a clear link between Russian intelligence and websites with stories designed to spread disinformation on the coronavirus in the West. Russian officials rejected the accusations.

Of all the bizarre and myriad claims about the virus, those regarding masks are proving to be among the most stubborn.

New York City resident Carlos Lopez said he wears a mask when required to do so but doesn't believe it is necessary.

"They're politicizing it as a tool," he said. "I think it's more to try to get Trump to lose. It's more a scare tactic."

He is in the minority. A recent AP/NORC poll said 3 in 4 Americans Democrats and Republicans alike support a national mask mandate.

Still, mask skeptics are a vocal minority and have come together to create social media pages where many false claims about mask safety are shared. Facebook has removed some of the pages such as the group Unmasking America!, which had nearly 10,000 members but others remain.

Early in the pandemic, medical authorities themselves were the source of much confusion regarding masks. In February, officials like the U.S. surgeon general urged Americans not to stockpile masks because they were needed by medical personnel and might not be effective in everyday situations.

Public health officials changed their tune when it became apparent that the virus could spread among people showing no symptoms.

Yet Trump remained reluctant to use a mask, mocked his rival Joe Biden for wearing one and suggested people might be covering their faces just to hurt him politically. He did an abrupt about-face this month, claiming that he had always supported masks then later retweeted Immanuel's video against masks.

The mixed signals hurt, Fauci acknowledged in an interview with NPR this month.

"The message early on became confusing," he said.

Many of the claims around masks allege harmful effects, such as blocked oxygen flow or even a greater chance of infection. The claims have been widely debunked by doctors.

Dr. Maitiu O Tuathail of Ireland grew so concerned about mask misinformation he posted an online video of himself comfortably wearing a mask while measuring his oxygen levels. The video has been viewed more than 20 million times.

"While face masks don't lower your oxygen levels. COVID definitely does," he warned.

Yet trusted medical authorities are often being dismissed by those who say requiring people to wear masks is a step toward authoritarianism.

"Unless you make a stand, you will be wearing a mask for the rest of your life," tweeted Simon Dolan, a British businessman who has sued the government over its COVID-19 restrictions.

Trump's reluctant, ambivalent and late embrace of masks hasn't convinced some of his strongest supporters, who have concocted ever more elaborate theories to explain his change of heart. Some say he was actually speaking in code and doesn't really support masks.

O Tuathail witnessed just how unshakable COVID-19 misinformation can be when, after broadcasting his video, he received emails from people who said he cheated or didn't wear the mask long enough to feel the negative effects.

That's not surprising, according to University of Central Florida psychology professor Chrysalis Wright, who studies misinformation. She said conspiracy theory believers often engage in mental gymnastics to make their beliefs conform with reality.

"People only want to hear what they already think they know," she said.

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Misinformation on coronavirus is proving highly contagious - Modern Healthcare

Getting a coronavirus test in Massachusetts may be getting easier, but just how accurate the test you take depends on the type you get.One of the more common tests administered in the state provides a false negative result in nearly half of cases.

"We wish we had a fast and accurate test on the market, but that's not the case," says Dr. Shira Doron, infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.

There are three types of coronavirus testsbeing done:

Although antigen tests are faster and can be scaled up quickly, they have a high false negative rate in some studies as much as a 40-50% and some recent research suggests they may produce an elevated false positive rate, too.

In Massachusetts, PCR tests are most often used. The state Department of Public Health lists all positive antigen tests as "probable" until the positive result is confirmed with a PCR test.

Doron says the benefit of the antigen test is it can be done quickly with a nasal or saliva swab, and the turnaround time for results is faster than many PCR tests. With so many labs and testing sites reporting backlogs due to greater demand in places experiencing dramatic upticks in cases, she says that quick turnaround is important.

Accuracy is also an issue for PCR tests and varies widely depending on its type and manufacturer. Doron says some PCR tests have been found to miss positive cases 30% of the time. She says for sicker patients, some hospitals use tests with a better track record, like the PCR test called the Abbott M2000 Realtime system.

"Overall, we can't give an accurate sensitivity of a test. We just don't have a perfect test."

"We wish we had a fast and accurate PCR test on the market, but that's not the case," Doron says. "Proponents of fast testing say we need abundance over accuracy perfection can be the enemy of the good, particularly if you're talking about asymptomatic people or decreasing the risk in a mass setting like a school. Where you're deploying testing widely to decrease the risk, it might be OK to use a less sensitive test. Overall, we can't give an accurate sensitivity of a test. We just don't have a perfect test."

Between pop-up testing sites, doctors offices, worksite testing and self-administered tests, most patients don't know what type of coronavirus test they're taking, either. Doron says that's important and patients should ask, especially if a test is related to an urgent health care issue.

"Many peopleare getting tested for travel and not a situation where the top priority is accuracy. It's just a paper-in-hand kind of thing," Doron explains. "In that case do whatever is cheapest, easiest and fastest. But if you're sick and worried about quarantining yourself and protecting loved ones, then you really need to know. Then it becomes more important to make sure you're doing a PCR test and one with a track record of accuracy."

Many labs doing the testing have received emergency approval to speed up testing by doing what's known as "pool testing," where batches of samples are tested together. Unless there is a positive, the tests are not individually processed. Quest Diagnostics, which opened its Marlboro lab in March, has such approval.

This week, Quest said it received federal approval for a new technique that will help it more quickly extract viral RNA to speed up test processing. Quest says it has the capacity to process up to 135,000 tests per day.

Despite the questions about testing, Doron says she's confident that Massachusetts will have enough quick, fairly reliable processes to accommodate the influx of college students, as well as expected spikes in testing demand as the state phases in its reopening.

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How Accurate Is Coronavirus Testing? It Depends On The Test You Take - WBUR