Eight states and Washington DC are holding primaries on Tuesday in the most widespread trial yet over whether America can safely hold an election amid the pandemic and unrest as days of protest over the police killings of African Americans continues.

Election officials, who have been encouraging people to vote by mail, already faced an enormous challenge in providing access to voting while protecting public health against Covid-19. Now, they face an additional challenge of conducting an election that guarantees people can vote without risking their physical safety and without police intimidation as curfews clash with voting hours.

One of the most closely watched states on Tuesday is Pennsylvania, a battleground state, where lawmakers are already seeing an unprecedented flood of requests for mail-in ballots. More than 1.8 million people have requested an absentee ballot so far; during the 2016 primary, just 84,000 people voted by mail.But some voters are still expected to cast a ballot in person, as well.

Pennsylvania law requires voters to return their mail-in ballots to the polls by 8pm on election day. But on Monday evening Pennsylvanias governor, Tom Wolf, a Democrat, extended the deadline for voters in six counties in the state to return their ballots, saying they could be counted if they were received in the next week and postmarked by Tuesday.

That came after concern that some voters in the state might be disenfranchised because officials could not get them ballots in time. In Delaware county, just outside Philadelphia, elections officials said Monday they were mailing 6,000 ballots, the day before the election. The county conceded there were 400 ballots that wont be mailed due to timing and staffing constraints.

In Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, election officials have severely limited in-person voting locations because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Philadelphia, officials are monitoring whether they will have to change any of those few locations because of the recent protests, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. At at least one voting location in Philadelphia, there were long lines on Tuesday morning as poll workers set up voting machines.

Voting rights groups monitoring the elections throughout the country said they were fielding calls from voters reporting problems. In many states, voters reported not receiving mail-in ballot requests in time to vote.

By Tuesday afternoon, about 500 people in Pennsylvania had called in to an election protection hotline run by the groups, about half of the voters were seeking information about their polling location, Suzanne Almeida, the interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a watchdog group, told reporters.

In Baltimore, which is holding a Democratic mayoral primary, some voters reported never receiving the ballots they requested, forcing them to go to the polls on election day.

It is unclear how the increased police presence from the protests will mesh with established polling place hours. In Washington DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a 7pm curfew for Tuesday, but polls will be open until 8pm. As the curfew approached, there were still people in line who expected to wait for more than an hour. Bowser said Tuesday no one who was voting would be subject to the curfew.

But there was confusion in the city as the day went on.

Sherene Joseph was in line to vote at Hardy Middle School in the Georgetown neighborhood of DC just before curfew when a police car drove by twice used a loudspeaker to tell everyone they needed to go home. The announcement set off confusion, she said, and elections staff came out to talk to police and encouraged everyone to stay in line and a volunteer gave out I voted stickers for voters to show police.

It didnt happen again and the folks working there made it clear everyone in line that they would be able to vote, she wrote in an email.

Some voters in DC said they never received their ballots and there were still long lines across the city on Tuesday. Only 10 people at a time were allowed into voting locations to allow for social distancing, according to The Washington Post. One voter told the Washington Post he had been told he sent his application to the wrong email address, even though he sent it to the one he was instructed to. Another woman said she couldnt get help requesting a ballot online so she wouldnt vote.

In Philadelphia, there will be an 8.30pm curfew and polls will be open until 8pm. Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney, said on Monday no one will be arrested for going to vote in violation of the curfew.

But Almeida said there hasnt been clear guidance on protections for people who were still waiting to vote and poll workers who remained at voting sites beyond the curfew time.

She also noted Center City in Philadelphia had been shut down to traffic and was being heavily patrolled, which was obviously a detriment to voters trying to cast a ballot there. The Pennsylvania Convention Center, located in the area, is hosting voting for 18 districts on Tuesday.

Imposing a 6pm curfew on election day threatens to disenfranchise the very people marching to be heard, along with all Philadelphians, said Quentin Palfrey, chair of Voter Protection Corps, a voting advocacy group. We applaud district attorney Krasners clear statement that no voter will be arrested or prosecuted for going to vote, but no such assurances can overcome the suppressive impact of the curfew.

She also noted that one of the voting sites in Wilkinsburg, a borough that is majority African American just outside of Pittsburgh, was in a government building that shared space with the police. It meant that voters would have to wait in line with law enforcement nearby, which could be intimidating.

In addition to Washington DC and Pennsylvania, Tuesday is primary day in Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Dakota.

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Americans vote in primaries amid Covid-19 and mass protests - The Guardian

DENVER (CBS4) Gov. Jared Polis says he strongly supports the message of protesters who are calling for change following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but with COVID-19 still a major concern hes worried about the health risks Coloradans are taking whove been gathering in large groups over the past few days in order to get their message heard. He said hes been up at night worrying.

One of my greatest fears in watching the events over the last weekend is that so many people gathering in one place together will increase the spread of coronavirus across our nation, here in Colorado, Polis said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference. Only in the coming weeks will we see the impact of these large gatherings, but health experts tell me that it could result in hundreds of new cases and untold pain, death and suffering just as we were making progress.

Polis said hes glad he saw most protesters wearing masks at what he calls the justified demonstrations and thanked several state lawmakers who took it upon themselves to distribute masks at the large protests that took place in Denver. He also re-emphasized the message sent out earlier by Denvers mayor that anyone who was involved in the physical protests go get tested for coronavirus approximately a week afterwards.

You should get tested anytime you develop symptoms, of course, but if you havent developed symptoms, about 7 days after youve marched in a protest you should go in for a free, quick easy test, Polis said. Thats the way that we can act to capture earlier some of the folks that might be contagious without knowing it, or mildly symptomatic, to prevent this from being a major setback for our state with regard to coronavirus.

On Monday Colorado State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy echoed that time frame for protesters getting tested, saying a week really allows enough time for that individual to potentially test positive.

But also, ideally trying to catch them early enough in their infection that they become aware of their infection and can stay home and prevent transmission to others, she said.

Free testing is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pepsi Center as well any of the dozens of other testing locations around the state.

Like Polis, Herlihy also spoke about the increased risk of transmission of COVID-19 with large gatherings.

One of the numbers that the governor has quoted recently is that at any given time in Colorado we estimate, given the current numbers were seeing in the state, that about one in 300 Coloradans is actively infectious with this virus. Certainly when large numbers gather there is the potential for the virus to be transmitted, and typically we estimate that its about two weeks from the time of exposure, until those cases are reported to public health, she said. So it will take about two weeks for us to know whether there is increased transmission that potentially is associated with large gatherings right now.

Polis did take a moment on Tuesday to discourage anyone who is in the higher risk category for COVID-19 to avoid large gatherings like the protests completely.

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Just As We Were Making Progress: Gov. Jared Polis Says He Fears Hundreds Of New COVID-19 Cases Due To Protests - CBS Denver

Businesses hit by COVID-19 closures and damage from riots

Businesses across the area are dealing with a double blow

MANASSAS, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Businesses across the area are dealing with a double blow.

First, being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic prompting closures, and now, riots leaving behind damage and potentially more protests ahead.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

FOX 5 obtainedahome video showing the aftermath of Saturday nights riots.Were told what began peaceful quickly became violent, impacting businesses including Cafe Rio on Sudley Manor Drive and Sudley Road in Manassas.

Several employees were at work when large objects came crashing in, shattering awindow.

The restaurants catering van was also destroyed.

Were told the restaurant has been here for nine years and never experienced anything like this some of the tension captured on this video posted on Facebook.

Business was already slow amid the coronavirus pandemic and now the manager says customers are flat out frightened.

More protests are planned across the area.

Based on social media, one is reportedly scheduled to take place in Gainesville in the coming days.

FOX 5s Tisha Lewis reports some businesses are closing preemptively.

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Businesses hit by COVID-19 closures and damage from riots - FOX 5 DC

In a video update released by Dare County late Tuesday afternoon, June 2, Sheila Davies, the director of Dare County Department of Health and Human Services, announced an additional COVID-19 case, bringing Dares total to 23.

Davies stated the individual is a non-resident who contracted COVID-19 through direct contact with a family member. She also stated the individual is asymptomatic and is isolating in their home county.

In this particular case the individual returned to their home county prior to us receiving the test results, said Davies. Upon receiving the positive result, we notified the individuals home county health department and worked closely with that health department and the individual who tested positive to ensure all direct contacts in Dare County were identified and notified.

Davies also noted that the countys online COVID-19 dashboard has been revamped and breaks down residents and non-residents as well as overall demographics including gender and age.

Of the 23 cases reported, 18 are residents and five are non-residents. Of the 18 residents, 15 have recovered or have been asymptomatically cleared, one has died and two cases are active and have been for over three weeks. One is hospitalized and the other is at home. According to Davies, those two cases are not connected. She also said one individual is over 65 and considered high risk, while the other is middle aged with no underlying medical conditions. She said both have been retested and both are still COVID-19 positive.

Davies also reviewed the four key metrics being tracked, which are the weekly number of tests, laboratory confirmed cases, positive tests as a percent of total tests and COVID-like illness surveillance. She stated that through May 31, 1,021 test results have been reported to Dare, including 301 this past week.

There were 179 tests performed at last weeks drive through testing event. Of the results reported to the county, 177 were negative and two were deemed invalid due to insufficient specimens.

Davies urged people to help us spread facts, not fear. Sites listed for additional information are: darenc.com/covid19, cdc.gov/coronavirus and ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.

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Additional COVID-19 case reported in Dare; total now 23 - The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times

SALT LAKE CITY The Utah State Legislature's commission created to re-open the economy is recommending the state move to a "green" risk level for COVID-19 as early as this weekend, FOX 13 is told.

The Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission voted on Tuesday to move to the lowest risk level, which eliminates a lot of the health guidelines in place by the state's COVID-19 task force and the Utah Department of Health. But Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, who sits on the commission, said there would be modifications -- including continuing strongly encouraging social distancing, the wearing of face masks and sanitization practices in businesses.

"Still the six-foot distancing in checkout lines, all the things were doing now but to have it be broader and opened for more businesses to allow our economy to go forward," Sen. Adams told FOX 13 in an interview.

Right now, Utah is in a "yellow" or low risk for novel coronavirus. Only Salt Lake City, Bluff and Mexican Hat are at an "orange" -- or moderate risk level -- because of a high number of cases. Sen. Adams conceded some parts of the state may not move to green or "new normal" right away.

"Theres probably parts of the state that arent ready. Summit, Wasatch County, maybe Salt Lake City, maybe West Valley, Magna. Maybe other areas of the state," Sen. Adams told FOX 13 in an interview. "These are data driven decisions and were seeing data that indicate that were showing the spread is not as prevalent as we see along the Wasatch Front. And we see hospital rates, hospital capacity we could absorb any type of spike that were looking at right now."

Utah has seen a strong uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent days. But the commission is focusing on impact to Utah's hospital system. Sen. Adams said it has not been overwhelmed, justifying the recommendation to move to the lowest risk level.

"The commissions actually looking at going to green because the numbers are good," Sen. Adams said.

The commission includes Major General Jefferson Burton, the acting director of Utah's Department of Health; Dr. Michael Good, the CEO of University of Utah Health; Brian Dunn of Steward Healthcare; as well as Derek Miller of the Salt Lake Chamber (who also chairs the governor's COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force); Brandy Grace of the Utah Association of Counties and Steve Starks of the Larry H. Miller Corporation. Legislative representatives include Sen. Adams; Senate Majority Whip Dan Hemmert, R-Orem; and House Majority Whip Mike Schultz.

"We are aware of the commissions recommendation to move areas to 'green' where the data support such a move. We review data on a weekly basis, and to this point have not recommended any areas move to 'green,'" the Utah Department of Health said in a statement to FOX 13.

The commission's recommendation will go to Governor Gary Herbert on Wednesday.

"We will review the recommendations from the Public Safety and Economic Emergency Commission and take them under careful consideration as we work to identify the best path forward to keep Utahns safe and informed," the governor's office told FOX 13.

Read more from the original source:

The Utah legislature's COVID-19 commission to re-open votes to go to 'green' this weekend - fox13now.com

The Washington Center's program has 322 students beginning their virtual internships at 13 different federal agencies, a 22% increase.

The Washington Center, which arranges internships for college students every year, many of whom get to live and work in D.C., had to do things differently for this years summer internship program, but ended up placing more interns than last year.

Its 2020 Summer Virtual Internship Program has 322 students beginning their virtual internships at 13 different federal agencies, a 22% increase.

It also arranged internships for another 257 students that have been placed with 162 organizations across the country.

The internships began June 1.

Many students in the spring internship program also transitioned to virtual internships.

It was a big change from interning for three weeks in D.C., to then doing it in my parents house. However, theres still a lot to be gained, and I feel like Im learning every day what its like to be in the workplace, said Kelsey Ballard, a spring 2020 education and communication intern with Washington Performing Arts.

Between all of its internship programs, The Washington Center brings as many as 700 students to D.C. for work experience, professional development and one-on-one mentoring. The students get academic credit from their schools, and the federal internships all pay stipends.

The Washington Center usually provides interns with housing at its residential and academic facility in NoMa, though virtual internships mean students will miss out on the experience of living in D.C. this year.

The center said some private organizations did not transition to a virtual internship model, but all federal agencies that it works with have.

These students have been through a lot of anxiety and change because of COVID, and theyve had their summer and future plans upended, said The Washington Center President Chris Norton.

With the federal agencies and employers transitioning to host virtual interns, these students will still be able to get the enriching summer experience they have been planning on.

Students in the Virtual Internship Program work 20 to 25 hours per week, and have access to virtual career readiness sessions and workshops on writing resumes and job interviews.

The Washington Center is the largest student internship program in D.C.

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Despite COVID-19, The Washington Center internships are up, virtually - WTOP

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Things are starting to return to normal after many businesses had to close, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Here in Lexington, people are eating at restaurants again, gyms and stores are opening back up, but as the number of new virus cases continues to increase, experts say we're not out of the woods yet.

Tuesday, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 21 new COVID-19 cases. To put that number into context, spokesperson Kevin Hall says at the start of April the Lexington area was reporting only 3 to 5 cases each day.

So far, Fayette County has 781 confirmed cases, with 113 of those cases requiring hospitalization and 13 people have died.

Hall says many of our new cases are from social gatherings that are following CDC guidelines.

"When the outbreak first happened in March, where there were people having parties that were almost thumbing their nose up at restrictions, this is not like that," Hall said. "These are people who have the best of intentions, they're trying to follow the guidelines, but that just goes to show you how quickly and easily this can spread."

Going forward, Hall says continue following restrictions and taking precautions. It could be as simple as choosing to eat out once a week instead of every day.

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Experts warn COVID-19 battle isn't over as life starts to return to normal in Lexington - WKYT

SIOUX CITY -- For North baseball coach Nick Tillo, it felt like a normal day in June.

He was on the field with his players, hitting fly balls, hitting grounders, observing his players taking cuts in the batting cages during a sunny day.

"They picked up where we left off and jumped right into it. They were focused mentally and I think they were ready," Tillo said. "Physically, I think the biggest thing is getting reps in the cage and fielding ground balls and fly balls. It was great to be back. We had a long practice because it's two weeks until we play so we need to get everything together before we go to (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) in two weeks."

While it felt normal for Tillo and other coaches, it was an abnormal sight compared to the state of athletics around the nation. MLB is still working out details to get on the field again, meaning high school baseball and softball players were some of the few athletes on a field when programs could officially hold their first day of practices around the state.

The fact that Iowa had its first official days of practice in order to prep for the first games on June 15 even made national headlines when it was among ESPN.com's headlines. Spirit Lake's baseball team held a practice at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

Coaches and players are relishing their time on the field after more than two months apart.

"It was awesome. It was really, really exciting to see the guys again. The excitement was good. Guys were flying around, there was a lot of energy and it was good to get back out there," said Gabe Hoogers, who begins his first season as West's baseball coach. "I couldn't be more excited to do it with the group of guys that we have. I think we have a great group and we are excited to go out there with the four seniors and give them a proper sendoff."

Hoogers is one of a few new coaches to the metro area. Another is East softball coach Bubba Malenosky, who isn't just new to the Black Raiders program. It is of his first trips on the softball field since he is a former baseball assistant coach.

He was glad to finally get the chance to step on East's softball field on Monday.

"It's kind of strange for me because I am a brand new coach. Got to do one pitcher-catcher session and then practice starts," Malenosky said. "It went well. I think the girls are ready to be out there doing something. They are enthusiastic. They haven't been able to do much lately, nobody has been able to. I am from the baseball world so making the transition. It's my first taste of softball and from what I can tell, it's a lot faster pace game. It seems to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a pretty good transition.

"You know what, I think the girls enjoyed it. It felt just like it used to. Hitting ground balls, pop flies, the kids got into it and it was fun. Everyone was excited to be outside and to be on the field."

The practices felt normal for the coaches but there were slight changes due to the guidelines the IHSAA and IGHSAU set. Players need to socially distance so that means no group huddles during practices. So players were spread out in the infield as Hoogers gave instructions when West's practice started on Monday morning.

"The weirdest part is bringing them in at the beginning of practice but make sure they are socially distanced. I had them have their arms out and make sure they weren't touching anyone because they would be too close then," Hoogers said. "Normally you have a huddle. Other than that, (the guidelines) haven't changed much. Ninety percent of the time you are six feet apart. As far as changes, we will work through it pretty easily."

Postgame handshakes as a show of sportsmanship were commonplace at the end of games but due to the guidelines, those will not happen this season. Malenosky hopes for a new sign of sportsmanship to emerge after games.

"I think with the guidelines, the girls will get used to them. I think the people will get used to them. After practice, you can't even put hands in a huddle," Malenosky said. "The team building and sportsmanship things like that, I am going to miss. They are important but it will be learn on the fly and see what teams want to do. I really feel we need to do something, like a tip of the cap or something. One of the reasons we are coaching is to teach them life lessons. I think it's a big part of athletics."

Sunflower seeds and spitting are both banned, too. Seeds were common at baseball and softball fields with players and coaches and were available at concession stands, which also aren't allowed this summer.

For Hoogers, it will be a major habit to break but he is more than willing to change in order to have a season.

"That's going to be a tough one for me in general," Hoogers said with a laugh. "They help with the nerves for me. I will bring a couple of bags with me, so that will be different. When I was working on the field before practices, I've been mindful of it. Every time I have caught myself. The guys seem understanding with all of the guidelines and restrictions. Some of them will take more time. Every time we catch them, we call them on it."

Teams also have to sanitize equipment regularly from balls to bats to helmets, which is something players and coaches didn't have to worry about in the pre-coronavirus world.

However, Tillo, who chews gum instead of sunflower seeds, doesn't feel that will hold anything up in practices or games.

"It's different that way. The sanitizing and everyone having their own helmets, that part is different but we will get used to that," Tillo said. "It's just a little bump in the road. Even though there are small changes, it's not that drastic to be honest. We are so glad to be back.

"It's a shortened season and that's fine as long as we are playing. All of the kids are ready and we have more kids out. More kids want to do something. The coaches are happy. The games will have good crowds because there is nothing else to do. Why not go out and watch high school baseball?"

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Coronavirus brief: What happened in COVID-19 news yesterday in Sioux City, beyond - Sioux City Journal

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

Since its launch on 11 March, the Forums COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19.

The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the last seven days by country, territory or area, 25 May to 31 May

Image: World Health Organization

2. Pope: People more important than the economyFor the first time in several months, Pope Francis addressed the public, stressing how countries should prioritize as they reopen.

Healing people, not saving (money) to help the economy (is important), healing people, who are more important than the economy, Francis said.

Pope Francis leads the Regina Coeli prayer from his window in the newly reopened St. Peter's Square after months of closure.

Image: Vatican Media via REUTERS

3. Britain eases lockdown, but is it too soon?

English schools reopened on Monday for the first time since they were shut 10 weeks ago, but many parents planned to keep children at home amid fears ministers were moving too fast.

Britain has one of the highest death rates from COVID-19, and many people are worried that it is happening too soon, including a number of scientists who advise the government who have warned it could lead to a second spike in infections.

4. Mythbusting can strengthen false beliefsCOVID-19 mythbusting may have had limited impact because familiarity can strengthen false beliefs, according to an article published by the Conversation. Studies have shown that people who have read 'myth vs fact' articles remember which items are true and which are false right after reading such pieces. But several days later, people can accept false ideas as true.

Facts: Earth is not flat; Moon is not cheese.

Image: The Conversation

A study by health economists finds that paid sick leave could help slow the spread of diseases such as coronavirus. The study examined mandates enacted by state and local governments in the US between 2005 and 2018. Their research found that workers were more likely to stay home when sick with such measures in place, helping to contain illness. Women and minorities, who often work in industries that don't traditionally offer paid sick leave particularly benefit.

COVID-19 brought many policies around the globe to prevent the virus' spread including policies such as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in the US. That policy, which went into effect April 1 for small- and medium-sized small businesses, was the first congressionally-passed bill providing Paid Sick Leave for employees. Bills like that, wrote the researchers, will be key to containing the virus, especially as businesses reopen.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

Written by

Linda Lacina, Digital Editor, World Economic Forum

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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What you need to know about the COVID-19 pandemic on 1 June - World Economic Forum

The first phase of the trial will test whether the therapy is safe and well-tolerated; those results are expected in late June. The first Covid-19 patients being treated with the therapy are hospitalized at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine in New York, Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and Emory University in Atlanta, the company told CNN.

If the trial ultimately shows the treatment is effective against Covid-19, it could be available by autumn, according to the Indianapolis-based company.

Scientists at AbCellera and the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases selected those they thought would be most potent and Lilly scientists engineered the treatment, known as a monoclonal antibody therapy. This approach has worked to treat other illnesses; there are monoclonal antibody therapies that treat HIV, asthma, lupus, Ebola and some forms of cancer.

It's not clear if such a therapy will work against Covid-19, but when this treatment was used on on cells in the lab, it blocked the ability of the virus to infect the cells, Skovronsky said. The data is not yet published, but based on those results, scientists got the green light to take the next step and prepare it to be tried in patients.

They also gave it a temporary name.

"We call it LY-CoV555, lucky triple 5," Skovronsky said.

Manufacturing has already begun

This will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase I trial. Some patients will be receive the medicine and some will receive a placebo, and patients or their doctors won't be informed who received it and who didn't.

If the treatment appears to be safe, the company would move to the next phase of testing in a matter of weeks. The second phase of the trial will involve a larger number of patients, including patients who are not hospitalized, and will test whether the therapy is effective.

The company also plans to study the drug as prevention. The treatment could be used for vulnerable patient populations for whom vaccines might not be a great option, such as the elderly or people who have chronic disease or compromised immune systems.

Eli Lilly has already begun manufacturing the antibody therapy in large quantities so it could be tested and potentially for use in patients beyond the trial. Under non-pandemic circumstances, the companies would usually wait to find out if it worked first before it started making it.

"If it does work, we don't want to waste a single day, we want to have as much medicine as possible available to help as many people quickly," Skovronsky said.

In trials over the next several months, Lilly says it will test different mixtures of a few of the other antibodies scientists think might provide protection. The optimal scenario, though, Skovronsky said, is if they only need one antibody at a relatively low dose.

"The more antibodies are mixed together, higher doses, the more difficult it is to manufacture," Skovronsky said. "But if it has to be two antibodies, higher doses, or even three antibodies mixed together at higher doses, we'll do whatever it takes to make effective medicine for patients."

Other antibody therapies in development

Eli Lilly isn't the only company working on antibody treatments. Several US teams have cloned antibodies to Covid-19 and many are close to testing in patients. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has said it hopes to start human trials this month and to have a treatment by the end of the summer.

"That's always the problem with treating Covid-19 with monoclonal antibodies -- if you wait until things are pretty far along, like including patients that are already on the ventilator, it may not have any clinical impact," Hotez said.

If it works though, it could also be useful if, for example, a patient in a nursing home tested positive for Covid-19, and such a treatment could be given to others at the facility; for a first responder that had just been exposed to a patient with Covid-19; or for health care workers, Hotez said.

One challenge Hotez noted: Monoclonal antibody therapies tend to be "pretty expensive," he said.

Typically, such treatments would take many years to develop, but Covid-19 treatments are on an accelerated schedule. Pharmaceutical companies have said that government approvals that normally take weeks have sometimes come within a day.

"It's really been a privilege to be able to operate in this kind of environment," Lilly's Skovronksy said. He said he and others in the pharmaceutical industry have wondered if the same collaboration and urgency could be applied to treatments for other diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's.

"For many of us, this feels a little like a moonshot or a Manhattan Project, where so many scientists are working together at breakneck speeds," Skovronksy said. "Surely there will be other advances that come of this."

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First human trial of potential antibody treatment for Covid-19 begins - CNN

LINCOLN Eleven state employees and one patient at the Lincoln Regional Center have tested positive for the coronavirus, a state official confirmed Tuesday.

Khalilah LeGrand, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said more cases are expected to be found as testing continues with patients and staff at the state psychiatric hospital.

The hospital is the latest state institution to be hit by the potentially deadly virus. In April, six workers and three teenagers tested positive for the coronavirus at the Youth Treatment and Rehabilitation Center-Kearney, an HHS facility for juvenile offenders.

More recently, seven inmates from the Community Corrections Center in Omaha have tested positive, as have 14 corrections employees from multiple state prisons.

LeGrand said the regional center outbreak began May 21, when officials were notified that a staff member had tested positive. She said the employee in question had no symptoms upon arriving to work that day, based on a routine temperature check and symptom screening, and had no contact with patients.

However, based on the work of contact tracers and advice from medical officials, HHS officials decided to test staff and patients out of an abundance of caution, she said. So far, 320 employees and patients have been tested with help from the National Guard. Additional testing is planned for Wednesday.

LeGrand said the 11 employee cases were traced primarily to four specific exposure incidents. She said one patient is known to be positive so far. She said staff with potential exposure have been asked to self-quarantine. Accommodations have been provided for those employees who need to quarantine away from a high-risk household member.

On Friday, HHS CEO Dannette Smith denied that the patient with the coronavirus had been transported with another patient. She said the two were transported separately and had no interaction.

Smith said HHS officials are taking steps to reduce the potential for spread of the coronavirus in the regional center, including trying to minimize the number of employees who work in multiple buildings and providing masks and other protective equipment as appropriate. Staff are checking patients temperatures three times a day.

The regional center has struggled in recent years with a shortage of staff and high turnover levels.

Masks made by Ann Kane and her family.

Ann Kane and her family are producing masks. Everyone has a job.

Ann Kane and her family have made around 200 masks.

UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop at his apartment near downtown Omaha.

A bottle of Purell sits on a kitchen countertop as UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop. Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up fill various nonprofit needs. Mattison has signed up to be a Big Brother and is currently waiting to be paired up.

Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up to fill the needs of various nonprofits.

Matt Van Zante prints parts for face shields in his basement.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields.

Matt Van Zante is among a group making face shields for personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

Matt Van Zante shows off one of the finished face shields he helped make.

Matt Van Zante shows off a finished face shield.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields in Matt Van Zante's basement.

Go here to see the original:

11 employees and 1 patient test positive for COVID-19 at Lincoln Regional Center - Omaha World-Herald

Law enforcements brutal response to this weekends protests may fuel mistrust in the health care system as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to smolder through the country.

Experts say the danger is especially acute in black communities, which have already been hit hard by the virus, and have historically borne the brunt of discriminatory policing. In the aftermath of the police response to protests, vulnerable communities may be even less likely to trust and cooperate with health officials. That could make it harder to control another wave of illness.

This blatant display reminds folks how bad the devaluing of black lives is, at the height of a global pandemic, and its certainly going to lead to less willingness to engage in the system, says Rachel Hardeman, an assistant professor and health equity researcher at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

People already feel less willing to engage with contact tracers in the Twin Cities, according to someone with knowledge of the Minnesota COVID-19 response, who asked not to be named because they didnt have permission to speak with the media. Its hard to say yet if data would back up that assessment, they told The Verge, but anecdotally, people making calls feel like theyre meeting more resistance. Contact tracers identify people with a disease like COVID-19 and figure out who they recently interacted with to stop the virus from spreading. The Minneapolis health department did not respond to a request for comment.

Large gatherings like protests already make contact tracing difficult. When people at those gatherings encounter police violence, that task gets harder. People who test positive for the coronavirus may be reluctant to tell health officials if they were at protests because they may worry about retaliation. They might not want to identify people they interacted with at the protests for the same reasons. Thats just one way mistrust makes it difficult for public health officials to track down clusters of COVID-19.

Some statements from officials are only making the problem worse. Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington used public health terminology to describe police work and said that officers are contact tracing people who were arrested to find out the groups that they were a part of. The conflation between an important public health activity like contact tracing and investigation of people who have been arrested could make people less likely to trust public health workers trying to trace the disease.

Black communities, as well as communities of other people of color, already distrust the health system. Police violence is, in itself, a constant public health issue: one in every 1,000 black men may be killed by police, and seeing images of police violence is associated with poor mental health for black Americans. Discrimination by law enforcement can lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder; stress from encounters with police is also linked to risk factors for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

People who have negative encounters with law enforcement are also less likely to trust medical institutions, one study found. All public health efforts in the United States are forced to grapple with that challenge its harder to engage with communities that, after decades of mistreatment, are reluctant to trust officials of any kind, including health officials.

Its one of the many ways that this sort of violence impacts health and well being, Hardeman says.

Finding solutions to those issues is even more significant during a pandemic. Instead, law enforcement created environments that are bad for public health. Police officers in Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other cities used disease-exacerbating tactics like tear gas and pepper spray and carted hundreds off to crowded jails, which are known transmission vectors for COVID-19. Tear gas and pepper spray make people cough, a risk factor for spreading a respiratory disease. Many officers didnt wear masks and herded protesters into close quarters. The strategies are health threats at any moment, but are even more dangerous against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus and at a time when health officials need community engagement.

Itll be difficult to tell how much of the suspicion of public health officials that people may see in the next few weeks was already there and how much is new, Hardeman says. Itll be hard to tease apart ... which pieces bubbled up further because of whats going on, she says. But the violence from police officers during ongoing protests highlight and strengthen the reasons for the existing suspicion.

Adding community health workers to the COVID-19 response could help bridge gaps between black communities and public health, Hardeman says. They can bring folks along and keeping them safe, while also not devaluing their lived experiences of feeling this mistrust, because this mistrust is warranted.

Its difficult to act as a representative of a local government when that government is under such an unfavorable lens, the person with knowledge of the COVID-19 response in Minnesota told The Verge. Its hard to expect that people would be open to working with you when theyve witnessed violence from other government workers. Were supposed to be on the same side protecting the public, they told The Verge. Its just a horrifying incident.

Excerpt from:

Police violence will make it harder to fight COVID-19 - The Verge

Overview Coronavirus Open pop-up dialog box

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Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China.

The virus is now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease it causes is called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

Public health groups, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO, are monitoring the pandemic and posting updates on their websites. These groups have also issued recommendations for preventing and treating the illness.

Signs and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may appear two to 14 days after exposure. This time after exposure and before having symptoms is called the incubation period. Common signs and symptoms can include:

Other symptoms can include:

This list is not all inclusive. Other less common symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness.

The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people may have only a few symptoms, and some people may have no symptoms at all. People who are older or who have existing chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, severe obesity, chronic kidney or liver disease, or who have compromised immune systems may be at higher risk of serious illness. This is similar to what is seen with other respiratory illnesses, such as influenza.

Some people may experience worsened symptoms, such as worsened shortness of breath and pneumonia, about a week after symptoms start.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms or you've been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, contact your doctor or clinic right away for medical advice. Tell your health care team about your symptoms and possible exposure before you go to your appointment.

If you have emergency COVID-19 signs and symptoms, seek care immediately. Emergency signs and symptoms can include:

If you have signs or symptoms of COVID-19, contact your doctor or clinic for guidance. Let your doctor know if you have other chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease or lung disease. During the pandemic, it's important to make sure health care is available for those in greatest need.

Infection with the new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The virus appears to spread easily among people, and more continues to be discovered over time about how it spreads. Data has shown that it spreads from person to person among those in close contact (within about 6 feet, or 2 meters). The virus spreads by respiratory droplets released when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can be inhaled or land in the mouth or nose of a person nearby.

It can also spread if a person touches a surface with the virus on it and then touches his or her mouth, nose or eyes, although this isn't considered to be a main way it spreads.

Risk factors for COVID-19 appear to include:

Although most people with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms, the disease can cause severe medical complications and lead to death in some people. Older adults or people with existing chronic medical conditions are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.

Complications can include:

Although there is no vaccine available to prevent COVID-19, you can take steps to reduce your risk of infection. WHO and CDC recommend following these precautions for avoiding COVID-19:

If you have a chronic medical condition and may have a higher risk of serious illness, check with your doctor about other ways to protect yourself.

If you're planning to travel, first check the CDC and WHO websites for updates and advice. Also look for any health advisories that may be in place where you plan to travel. You may also want to talk with your doctor if you have health conditions that make you more susceptible to respiratory infections and complications.

More here:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Mayo Clinic

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 738since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 56,163.

The number of deaths has reached 2,451, an increase of 4since Saturday's update.

Of the 56,163cases, 54,764are Florida residents while 1,399are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 2,201

Pinellas: 1,297

Sarasota: 635

Manatee: 1,045

Sumter: 253

Polk: 1,027

Citrus: 121

Hernando: 115

Pasco: 386

Highlands: 129

DeSoto: 182

Hardee: 99

The state is not reporting atotal number of "recovered"coronavirus patientsor those currently hospitalized. As of Sunday, 10,190people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 1,022,265people have been tested in the state as of Sunday-- about 5.5% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

LINK:County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map

Source: Florida Department of Health

After two peaks in early and mid-April, the states curve has generally flattened over the last few weeks. In the last 30 days, the state has averaged just under 700 new cases per day. Thats down to a level that the health care system can handle, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The new cases Friday mark the largest single-day number reported duringthe last month.

As Florida continues taking steps to ease restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts saynew cases and more deaths are expected.

Editor's note: The number of new cases and deaths reported each day does not necessarily reflect the day that the case was confirmed. The state says some private testing labs dump large batches of test results which include cases from previous days. Stats for today and previous days will likely change in the future as the state reviewsmore cases and updates retroactive data.

The state's number of deaths represents permanent Florida residents who have died from COVID-19. The number of non-Florida residents who have died from the coronavirus while in the state is not reported.

If you feel sick:

The Florida Department of Health has opened a COVID-19 Call Center at1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions around the clock.Questions may also be emailed tocovid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK:Florida's COVID-19 website

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA:What youneed to know

AROUND THE WORLD:CoronavirusNOW.com

Map of known COVID-19 cases:

MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map

Read more:

Florida's cases of COVID-19 topped 56,000 Sunday; more than 1 million Floridians tested - FOX 13 Tampa Bay

How dangerous is the virus?

There are three parameters to understand in order to assess the magnitude of the risk posed by this novel coronavirus:

The attack rate or transmissibility (how rapidly the disease spreads) of a virus is indicated by its reproductive number (Ro, pronounced R-nought or r-zero), which represents the average number of people to which a single infected person will transmit the virus.

WHO's estimated (on Jan. 23) Ro to be between 1.4 and 2.5. [13]

Other studies have estimated a Ro between 3.6 and 4.0, and between 2.24 to 3.58. [23].

Preliminary studies had estimated Ro to be between 1.5 and 3.5. [5][6][7]

An outbreak with a reproductive number of below 1 will gradually disappear.

For comparison, the Ro for the common flu is 1.3 and for SARS it was 2.0.

See full details: Coronavirus Fatality Rate

The novel coronavirus' case fatality rate has been estimated at around 2%, in the WHO press conference held on January 29, 2020 [16] . However, it noted that, without knowing how many were infected, it was too early to be able to put a percentage on the mortality rate figure.

A prior estimate [9] had put that number at 3%.

Fatality rate can change as a virus can mutate, according to epidemiologists.

For comparison, the case fatality rate for SARS was 10%, and for MERS 34%.

See full details: COVID-19 Coronavirus Incubation Period

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 (estimated ranges vary from 2-10 days, 2-14 days, and 10-14 days, see details), during which the virus is contagious but the patient does not display any symptom (asymptomatic transmission).

See latest findings: Age, Sex, Demographics of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths

According to early estimates by China's National Health Commission (NHC), about 80% of those who died were over the age of 60 and 75% of them hadpre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases anddiabetes.[24]

According to the WHO Situation Report no. 7 issued on Jan. 27:

A study of 138 hospitalized patients with NCIP found that the median age was 56 years (interquartile range, 42-68; range, 22-92 years) and 75 (54.3%) were men.[25]

The WHO, in its Myth busters FAQs, addresses the question: "Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?" by answering that:

As of Jan. 29, according to French authorities, the conditions of the two earliest Paris cases had worsened and the patients were being treated in intensive care, according to French authorities. The patients have been described as a young couple aged 30 and 31 years old, both Chinese citizens from Wuhan who were asymptomatic when they arrived in Paris on January 18 [19].

The NHC reported the details of the first 17 deaths up to 24 pm on January 22, 2020. The deaths included 13 males and 4 females. The median age of the deaths was 75 (range 48-89) years.[21]

See full details: WHO coronavirus updates

On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a Global Public Health Emergency.

For more information from the WHO regarding novel coronavirus: WHO page on Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

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Coronavirus Update (Live): 5,792,314 Cases and 357,471 ...

CLINTON, Ark. After a brief shutdown to hinder the coronaviruss spread, Arkansas began opening up, slowly and cautiously, on May 11. Businesses are placing limits on the number of customers they will serve at any one time, and social distancing and mask wearing is still required in establishments like restaurants. The states Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, has been critical of businesses and customers that dont follow these rules. Even so, Arkansas has seen a second peak of coronavirus infection, as cases surge especially among younger people and the Latino population in northwestern counties. On Thursday, Governor Hutchinson announced the largest single-day increase in community transmission 261 cases.

Despite this, and despite predictions that the virus will take a crushing toll in rural areas like ours, this part of Arkansas has so far been spared the worst health effects of Covid-19. Van Buren County, where I live, has fewer than 17,000 people and has had only 28 confirmed cases of the coronavirus to date. Two people died, but the rest have recovered. Early cases were concentrated in bigger cities, like Little Rock and a suburb of Memphis, and were disproportionately among black Arkansans. There have been more than 6,500 cases in the state about a fifth of them have been in prisons, and those cases werent even added to official totals at first, all of which is a human rights disaster but most families havent been affected. Any death is a tragedy, but death from Covid-19 hasnt personally touched very many people here. At least not yet.

I moved back here to my hometown two and a half years ago to write a book about it. Since returning, Ive become more active on Facebook, which is both a source of local gossip and official news; county officials and offices often post important updates, especially about the coronavirus outbreak, to their Facebook pages. Im also a member of three local news groups that are a source of insight into how my neighbors think about current events. Ive found that a vast majority of people here approach political issues, whether local or national, with suspicion of taxation and government spending, even when such spending is for their own benefit. This has remained true even during these unprecedented times.

We have been hit with the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The median household income in the state is $45,726; for the county its $34,428, so there are many people who live paycheck to paycheck. While a large majority of Americans 74 percent support continued efforts to slow the viruss spread, and there are plenty of well-off Americans and business owners eager to get back to work, the divide over whether lockdowns should continue is a strongly partisan one. Many Republicans, including low- and middle-income whites think businesses should reopen now. For the most part, the people Ive spoken to and seen commenting online here accept as a given that the only way to be able to pay their rent or to feed their kids is to return to work: They dont think its possible to protect our health and our economic well-being at the same time.

Read the original here:

Covid-19 and the Rural Fear of Taking Advantage - The New York Times

The UK production sector now has a comprehensive set of coronavirus safety protocols, with the British Film Commission (BFC) today publishing its guidelines following wide industry consultation.

The 34-page document, titled Working Safely During COVID-19 in Film and High-end TV Drama Production, is available to read in full here. Scroll down for a summation.

The UK government has endorsed the publication of the guidelines.

The UK is recognized around the globe as a brilliant place to make films, and is home to the worlds best film and high-end TV talent, said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. Weve worked hard to support the industry through these difficult times, and Im delighted weve been able to agree this step forward towards getting the cameras rolling safely again.

As the government has already given the green light for production to resume in the UK once the guidelines were confirmed, theoretically the sector can get back up and running right away. Todays news does not, however, mean an automatic return to work. There are still hurdles to overcome, including insurance. As BFI chief exec Ben Roberts noted, There is still work to done to address the cost of recovery and business insurance as a result of COVID-19, but government support has been crucial in getting us to this point.

It is worth noting that the guidelines are intended to be advisory and not mandatory. They are also designed to be scalable to fit the needs of projects of all sizes. That means producers will need to make the call on exactly how they implement the protocols. The wording of many of the guidelines makes this clear, often encouraging those in charge to consider implementing certain protocols, rather than demanding they do so. The orgs involved said that further support regarding how to apply the guidelines will be provided in the coming weeks.

The news paves the way for big budget productions to resume on Brit shores including Warner Bros The Batman, Netflixs The Witcher, Universals Jurassic World: Dominion and Disneys The Little Mermaid. It is expected that the new guidelines will take time to be implemented, but it is thought that certain productions could get up and running as soon as July.

UK body ScreenSkills will be implementing training courses later in June to help workers get ready for being on set in the post-coronavirus reality.

The release of todays guidelines follows last weeks publication of a slimmer, 15-page document from a combo of British broadcasters and producers, which you can find here.

Separately, the UKs VFX and post-production sectors have combined to produce guidelines for how those industries will continue to operate post-pandemic, which you can read here.

Todays production guidelines emerge from the BFI Screen Sector COVID-19 Task Force, which was established to steer recovery initiatives after the pandemic hit the industry, forcing all production to shut down after the nation went into lockdown. Netflix, BAFTA, Disney, HBO and Bectu have all been a part of drawing up these initiatives. To date, the loss of revenues for UK production companies alone is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Deadline revealed a draft version of the BFCs safety protocols on May 6, which covered many of the same suggestions as those in todays document.

The finalized doc covers 30 individuals points, from COVID-19 awareness, through to travel, mental health, and location shooting. Here are some of the key points:

The industry is extremely keen to restart production as soon as possible, but not without a comprehensive road map for how to do it safely while the threat of COVID-19 still looms large, said Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of the BFC. Todays guidance provides that reassurance, reflecting the latest government, technical and medical advice available. We will also update it on a regular basis, giving clarity on the latest measures recommended to ensure a safe shoot for cast, crew and the wider public.

Various industry figures have weighed in with their support for todays document.

This guidance, created by the BFC and their colleagues, forms the cornerstone for allowing productions to get back up and running in the UK. The resumption of filming will mean that thousands of people can return to work, most importantly, with safety being paramount, said Simon Emanuel, Executive Producer on The Witcherseason oneandThe Batman.

The BFCs guidelines enable us to take tentative steps to return to set, providing a promising breakthrough after thispainfully fallow production period.They are designed to be translatable to projects of all budget levels and needs,which is a welcome concept for the independent sector particularly, added NickyEarnshaw, Head ofProduction, See-Saw Films. These guidelines cannot stand alone, so it is crucial that they are seen as just part of the measures needed to help get the production sector back to work and sit alongside the other proposals being presented to government by thevarious bodies and individuals comprising the Screen Sector Task Force.

View post:

UK Finalizes COVID-19 Production Guidelines Read Them In Full - Deadline

On Saturday, representatives with the Seattle parks and neighborhoods departments handed out hundreds of single-use use masks to people taking part in the days demonstrations.Several groups at the protests handed out masks, water and sanitizing wipes to participants.

Seattle Premium Outlets on the Tulalip Reservation reopened Saturday, with restrictions, after a two-month closure to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Snohomish County shopping centers 100-plus stores will limit how many customers can enter at one time, and face masks, sanitizing wipes and temperature testing will be available at the outlet malls entrances, owner Simon Property Group said Saturday in a news release. Some common areas will have signs directing traffic flow.

About 1% of kids who visited a Seattle hospital in April had been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to the first large-scale survey for antibodies in children. The study also found most of the youngsters developed a robust immune response, an encouraging sign for a future vaccine.Most of the children who tested positive for antibodies had no symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. That fits with widespread evidence that children are much less likely than adults to become ill or die.

Throughout Sunday, on this page, well post updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Saturday can be found here, and all our coronavirus coverage can be found here.

The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Saturday.

For many protesters in Seattle over the weekend, the outrage over racial injustices outweighed the risk of contracting COVID-19.

That calculus sent people streaming into the streets of downtown Seattle, where they shouted face to face with authorities andpushed into tight crowds, although many wore masks.

Now experts and public health officials are cautioning the large gatheringsthe first of this scale since the pandemic was declared could set back the regions recovery from the novel coronavirus epidemic.

We will need to watch COVID-19 activity closely in King County over the next several weeks, David Postman, Gov. Jay Inslees chief of staff, said in an email. The protests, though, would not affect the countyscurrent application to reopensome parts of the economy, he said.

Read more.

Mike Reicher

State health officials confirmed 353 new COVID-19 cases in Washington on Saturday, with no new deaths.

The update brings the states totals to 21,702 cases and 1,118 deaths, according the Department of Healths (DOH)data dashboard.

So far, 360,899 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted in the state, per DOH. Of those, 6% have come back positive.

King County, the state's most populous, has reported 8,092 total cases and 567 deaths, accounting for 50.7% of the state's death toll.

According to a Bloomberg article, small fitness clubs across Georgia and Oklahoma among the most aggressive U.S. states in reopening their economies are reporting that 75% or more of their customers have returned over past weeks. In most cases, gym owners say their clients are behaving, keeping distances and wiping down their equipment.

While some members are slower to return and other clubs are folding because their business is no longer viable, anecdotal evidence suggests that hardcore fitness addicts rushed to get back to their sweat-filled gyms as soon as they could.

Read more.

Michael Sasso, Olga Kharif and Emma Kinery

While most people desperately yearn for the moment its deemed safe for them to resume their former lives and all that goes with it even traffic jams and endless meetings are bathed in the rosy glow of nostalgia there are outliers who would like things to go on like this for a good long time. Not for them the mix of ennui and dread that characterizes sheltering in place.

They love sheltering in place.

They are, to a person, horrified by what the pandemic has wrought and are humbled by the sacrifices made by those on the front line. They do not, for a minute, minimize what it is going on. But they have, sometimes to their surprise, found contentment and peace in the situation that has been thrust upon them.

If Im honest I dont like leaving home anyway. I dont like crowds. I dont like going to the beach. Thats always been my personality, said New Jersey's Ethan Rasiel. Im Zooming with people and thats good enough for me.

To hear from more people like Rasiel, read the New York Times' "Loving the lockdown."

Joanne Kaufman, New York Times

The coronavirus pandemic that brought sports to a standstill for months has everyone wondering what games will be like when spectators are finally allowed back in.

The changes will be big and small, temporary and long-lasting.

Fans could have their every move scrutinized by cameras and lasers. There might be nobody in the next seat to high-five after a touchdown. The idea of passing cash to a beer vendor between innings will be a memory. Temperature screenings and medical checks could be mandatory to get in. By having virtual tickets scanned on their smart phones, fans could be acknowledging the health risk of attending a game while surrendering some of their personal privacy.

It all begs the question: Will fans be able to have any fun?

Learn more about all the changes under consideration and what they mean for sports fans.

Dave Skretta, Associated Press

Roughly16,000 DACA recipientsin Washington 650,000 in the U.S., as of December will be affected by a long-awaited decision from the U.S. Supreme Court onwhetherPresident Donald Trumps attempt to endthe Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was legal a decision that could come in June.

The pandemic has brought even more intensity to the debate and a new wrinkle for the court to consider.

Healthcare providers on the frontlines of our nations fight against COVID-19 rely significantly upon DACA recipients to perform essential work, reads an Aprilsupplemental plaintiffs brief,atypically acceptedby the court though oral arguments had happened months before.

Read the full story here.

Nina Shapiro

One of the first personal protective equipment drone drops in the U.S. took place this month.

The drone was launched by Novant Health, which operates 15 hospitals and close to 700 different facilities in the southeastern U.S. The health care system said it hopes to use regular flights to deliver masks, gowns, gloves and other protective gear.

In the future, the company hopes to use them for testing, drug trials and vaccine distribution.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tasked us with being even more nimble and innovative in how we solve complex challenges, said Angela Yochem, Novants chief digital and technology officer.

Read the full story here.

The Associated Press

Protests in cities across the U.S.over repeated racial injustices are raising fears of new coronavirus outbreaks, as thousands of people gather after weeks of social distancing efforts.

We have two crises that are sandwiched on top of one other, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

Health experts fear that silent carriers of the virus could unwittingly infect others at protests where people are packed cheek to jowl, many without masks, many chanting, singing or shouting. The virus is dispersed by microscopic droplets in the air when people cough, sneeze, sing or talk.

Read the full story.

The Associated Press

The coronavirus pandemic's impact may even extend to orcas: With recreational boat traffic in the Salish Sea down due to stay-at-home orders, researchers are investigating how the orcas are responding.

The southern resident orcas hunt by sound, and disturbance and noise caused by boats and vessels form one ofthree main threats to their survival,in addition to lack of adequate chinook salmon (their preferred food)and pollution.

The Northwest whale watch industry is anticipating a restart at some point this summer, with retrofits for social distancing.

Read the full story.

Lynda V. Mapes

Seven new deaths and 278 additional COVID-19 cases were reported in Washington, bringing the state's total to 21,349 cases and 1,118 deaths.

Seattle City Council members are proposing that gig drivers for services like Instacart, Uber and Lyft should recieve paid sick days and an extra $5 in pay per trip until the pandemic subsides.

A new analysis shows that the U.S. likely reached the milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths three weeks ago.

Researchers continue to study the post-viral problems that patients suffer from after otherwise recovering from the virus. There have been reports ofdamage to lungs, kidneys and hearts, as well as fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive problems.

Read more from the original source:

Coronavirus daily news updates, May 31: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state, and the world - Seattle Times

The immigrants began to show symptoms in late April, about a week after arriving at the Rolling Plains Detention Center in Haskell, Texas.

They had been held in dorms with other recent transfers, according to a county official. First three detainees tested positive for COVID-19. Then 20 more. As of Friday, 41 immigrants detained at Rolling Plains had been infected. Just three county residents have tested positive.

In Pearsall, Texas, 350 miles south, transfers turned another detention center into a virus hotspot. Frio County had just a single confirmed case of COVID-19 in early April. Then two detainees who had recently been moved to Pearsall's South Texas ICE Processing Facility tested positive, ICE told county officials. Thirty-two immigrants have now been diagnosed, almost 90 percent of the state's official COVID-19 tally in Frio County.

"Our vulnerability is absolutely that detention center," said Frio County Commissioner Jose Asuncion. "Once that facility is exposed, the employees are coming in and out, there's no way to contain it."

In the past several months, while most Americans have been ordered to shelter at home, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has shuffled hundreds of people in its custody around the country. Immigrants have been transferred from California to Florida, Florida to New Mexico, Arizona to Washington State, Pennsylvania to Texas.

These transfers, which ICE says were sometimes done to curb the spread of coronavirus, have led to outbreaks in facilities in Texas, Ohio, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, according to attorneys, news reports and ICE declarations filed in federal courts.

ICE's actions have prompted an outcry from Democratic senators, who on Friday said the transfers had spread the virus and demanded Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf bring them to a halt.

"Until ICE halts transfers and expands testing, the agency will continue to exacerbate conditions for individuals in ICE custody and for all the communities surrounding its facilities," reads the letter signed by 18 senators.

Since ICE announced its first case in March, COVID-19 has surfaced in at least 55 of the roughly 200 facilities that ICE uses. More than 1,400 detainees have been infected, roughly half of all those tested, ICE data show. Two immigrants and three staffers have died.

ICE declined to provide information on how many transfers have occurred throughout the pandemic. But NBC News identified nearly 80 since the pandemic was declared, and that is not a complete accounting. The analysis includes moves between immigration detention facilities as well as from criminal to ICE custody. Individual detainees are often moved several times prior to deportation.

ICE has a protocol for transfers. Detainees are medically screened and cleared for travel, issued a mask, and in some cases, have their temperatures taken, according to court filings and ICE statements. But it does not routinely test prior to moving detainees from one place to the next.

An attorney representing ICE told a federal court in Florida that it only tests immigrants who display symptoms of COVID-19, the Miami Herald reported. ICE told NBC News in a statement that it tests some, but not all, immigrants before they are placed on planes and deported.

Without widespread testing and contact tracing, it is difficult to identify the source of infections inside ICE facilities. At several, employees have been the first to test positive, ICE data shows. But advocates, along with several federal judges overseeing lawsuits against the agency, have voiced concern that transfers are threatening immigrants' lives and contributing to the virus' spread.

"Transfers are ongoing, numerous, frequent and appear to be spreading COVID-19 from one place to another," said Jessica Schneider, director of the detention program at the nonprofit Americans for Immigrant Justice in Miami, one of several groups that has filed a lawsuit on behalf of detainees in South Florida. "The folks that are detained are sitting ducks."

Even before the first ICE detainee was diagnosed with COVID-19, more than 4,000 doctors signed a letter warning ICE an "outbreak of COVID-19 in immigration detention facilities would be devastating."

It is difficult, if not impossible, to social distance in detention, doctors and corrections experts said. ICE detention is civil, and not supposed to be punitive. But detention centers share many traits with prisons. Men, women and children sleep, eat and watch television in close quarters, often in open dorms with beds and chairs bolted close together. Their movements, along with access to sanitary supplies, are tightly controlled.

Like nursing homes and meatpacking plants, prisons across the county have proven coronavirus hotspots. When state and federal prison officials in Ohio, Louisiana and California conducted mass testing, hundreds of prisoners came back positive. Most had no symptoms. The federal Bureau of Prisons, which decreased movement of prisoners 90 percent during the pandemic, announced earlier this month it would begin to phase transfers back in. Given the risks, it will conduct "aggressive testing" before and after transfers.

ICE's largest outbreak is currently at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Calif., where nearly 160 people have tested positive. Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia, 57, was held at Otay before his death on May 7, the first from COVID-19 in ICE custody. On Sunday, Santiago Baten-Oxlaj, a 34-year-old held in a Georgia facility, became the second person detained by ICE to die of the virus.

"We've been saying since this started that if the government didn't act quickly, people were going to die," said Monika Langarica, a staff attorney with the ACLU of San Diego, which has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of detainees at Otay Mesa. "We know that's not hyperbole. Someone has died."

But within its archipelago of detention centers, which includes county jails and privately operated facilities, ICE routinely tests only those who show symptoms. It also does not test all people before deportation, a spokesperson confirmed. Some governments abroad have demanded tests after people deported to Guatemala, Mexico and Haiti were found to have COVID-19.

If half of detainees tested come back positive, ICE isn't testing enough, said Dr. Anjali Niyogi, associate professor at Tulane School of Medicine, a public health expert who has been treating coronavirus cases in New Orleans. The more than 1,400 positive cases within ICE, she added, are "absolutely an undercount."

Doctors and attorneys around the country have argued ICE's best method to stop the spread of disease is to release detainees, particularly those with medical issues. Lawyers and advocacy groups have filed lawsuits nationwide in an attempt to force releases. They argue that because immigration detention is civil, the agency has wide discretion in who it detains. Former ICE officials have backed that claim.

ICE has voluntarily released more than 900 people as part of its own review of which detainees are medically vulnerable, a spokesman said, and several hundred more after court orders. Along with a drop in enforcement due to COVID-19, the number of people in immigrant detention has fallen to under 26,000, its lowest level during the Trump administration.

The agency has taken "important steps" to keep immigrants and staff safe since the outbreak of COVID-19, a spokesperson said, including medically screening incoming detainees, providing protective equipment and disinfecting facilities. It has also implemented safety measures for transfers. Those with COVID-19 are grouped together, or "cohorted," the spokesperson said, and new admissions are isolated for two weeks before moving into general population.

But every exit and entrance into a detention center increases the risk the virus will spread. ICE Assistant Field Office Director Alan Greenbaum acknowledged the dangers transfers pose in a declaration to a federal court in Massachusetts. He argued ICE should be able to move people from criminal to ICE custody within the same Bristol County facility, which the court had temporarily barred.

Transferring detainees to a new facility, he wrote, "creates a greater risk of detainees being exposed to, or exposing others to, COVID-19."

Read the court document here.

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While ICE asserts it has the right to move detainees at any time, for virtually any reason, the agency said transfers are "part of the agency's extensive efforts to stem the potential spread of COVID-19," including to facilitate social distancing. In some cases, that has backfired.

In early March, just as the coronavirus was beginning to surface on the coasts, ICE arrested K. at his home in Philadelphia. According to his lawyer, Lilah Thompson, the agency asserts a past criminal conviction made K., a legal permanent resident, deportable. (K.'s name is being withheld for fear of retaliation).

K. was taken to Pike County Correctional Facility in Hawley, Penn. Several men held there had tested positive for COVID-19. After showing symptoms, K. was also tested. He had the flu, but not COVID-19. He was recovering when he was woken up before dawn on April 11 to be transferred. Thompson didn't know where he was until ICE notified her K.'s case had been moved to Texas.

K. was among more than 70 people taken from two facilities with outbreaks in the Northeast and moved to the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, according to interviews with attorneys and a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month. The move was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

They were loaded onto buses, taken to the airport, and flown to Dallas in shackles, according to the lawsuit and interviews with attorneys. Then another bus delivered them to Prairieland.

Days before, about 50 men detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Jones County, Texas, were also transferred to Prairieland, according to an affidavit in the lawsuit.

"We were all squished together and there were people on the bus who looked very sick," a detainee stated in an affidavit. "There were a few people coughing a lot on the way."

No one wore masks, he added, and because everyone on the bus was cuffed, "they could not cover their mouths."

A few days after K. arrived at Prairieland, officers moved him from the dorm into isolation, Thompson said. When they tested K. again, he had COVID-19.

Prairieland had no confirmed cases before the transfers from the Northeast and Bluebonnet, ICE records show. A week later it had three. By May 1, there were 41.

"They put people on buses and planes without proper protection," said Thompson, an attorney with the Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia. "It shows a disregard for immigrants' lives, and a disregard for their rights."

In at least one case, ICE knowingly transferred a detainee with COVID-19.

In late April, an ICE official submitted a declaration to a federal court in Louisiana that one person who tested positive at the Catahoula Detention Center in Harrisonburg, La., had been transferred to the Richwood Correctional Center, 70 miles away in Monroe.

Richwood had 29 confirmed cases at the time. "Many of these positive cases were transferred from other facilities to Richwood," the official told the court.

That same week, the Associated Press reported, prison officials told employees they'd be required to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, due to staff shortages caused by a "high number of positive COVID 19 staff cases." About a week later, two Richwood guards died from COVID-19.

Positive cases there have climbed to 65.

Stories like that concern Rep. Jason Crow, D.-Colo. The weekly reports he gets about the Aurora Contract Detention Facility, outside of Denver, show hundreds of detainees have transferred in and out since the pandemic began.

"These aren't people coming from the border or picked up," said Crow, whose district includes Aurora. "These are people being moved around."

Crow began tracking disease at Aurora last year, when a mumps outbreak swept through nearly 60 detention facilities, infecting more than 900 immigrants.

In a letter to ICE early this month, Rep. Crow expressed concern that transfers could introduce the disease to facilities and surrounding communities, pointing to the admission of a detainee from the Sterling Correctional Facility, a state prison that then had the largest single COVID-19 outbreak in Colorado.

Last week, Aurora diagnosed its first cases of coronavirus among detainees, though several guards have been infected. One of the two men with COVID-19 had recently transferred from Sterling, according to his attorney, Henry Hollithron. Oscar Perez Aguirre, 57, arrived with a fever. After his health quickly deteriorated, said Hollithron, he was hospitalized. Aurora now has five cases.

GEO Group, the private prison company that runs Aurora, said it has been making every effort to keep both employees and detainees safe.

"Our utmost priority has always been the health and safety of all those in our care and our employees," a spokesperson said, adding the GEO Group has no role in the decisions of who ICE transfers or releases.

Federal courts have begun to question ICE about how its transfer practices may be putting detainees at risk.

On May 21, a court in South Florida requested that ICE disclose whether "transfers have been known to result in an increase in COVID-19 cases." ICE asserted they have not.

This came after the agency moved 33 detainees from the Krome Detention Facility in Florida to a nearby lockup in Broward County. Following the transfer, 16 detainees tested positive for the virus, as first reported by the Miami Herald, driving the number of cases at Broward from three to 19, according to ICE statistics.

ICE told the court that it has broad discretion under the law to relocate detainees as needed. The agency regularly transfers people due to risk level, where it has bed space, for medical reasons or to deport them, the agency said, adding that it does not transfer or deport those with symptoms, who are waiting for test results, or who are suspected to have COVID-19, unless medically necessary.

The detainees who were moved to Broward were cleared before leaving, ICE told the court, and were put into a 14-day quarantine.

Because they have been cohorted, the agency said, "ICE does not believe that the transfer has resulted in an increase in COVID-19 cases at" Broward.

Read the court document here.

A federal court in Louisiana has publicly questioned the agency's accounting of cases, particularly with regard to transfers. In response to another lawsuit seeking to free immigrants there, ICE stated in a sworn affidavit that as of the afternoon of May 18, there were "no known cases" at the LaSalle ICE Processing Center in Jena, La. Days before, the agency reported 15.

In an order that led to the release of 14 detainees, the judges described ICE's approach to transfers as an outlier.

"We can only speculate that some of these detainees were moved to other facilities as it is well known that ICE has continued operations and not followed the lead of the Bureau of Prisons and Louisiana Department of Corrections, both of whom have largely precluded the movement of their inmates," the court wrote.

Those held inside the nation's immigrant detention facilities could see coronavirus coming, but could do little to stop it.

From inside his dorm at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, Oscar Mejia watched the new detainees arrive through April. He and those who slept on the bunks arranged in close rows worried that soon enough, the virus would make its way in, too.

"They've brought new people from other places from Dallas, from all over," Mejia said in a phone call from the facility, where he has been since February. "Those are people who are coming, they might not be well."

At least 200 people were transferred to Bluebonnet since mid-March, according to news reports and numbers provided by Management and Training Corporation (MTC), the private company that runs Bluebonnet. Whether the coronavirus was carried in by one of them, or the six officers who have tested positive, Mejia couldn't say.

But beginning in April, he and others in his dorm developed fevers and coughs. Treatment, he said, consisted of Tylenol, allergy pills and salt to gargle with.

"We told them there was corona but they didn't do tests," said Mejia.

That mirrors the account in a YouTube video posted on April 29 that shows a group of men pleading for help from a facility they say is Bluebonnet.

"We've been telling them we're sick, they're not doing anything right," a man in the video said. "All they're doing is giving us Tylenol."

NBC News could not verify the source of the video, but the detainees' uniforms, the ceiling of the dorm, and the dates mentioned in it correspond to verified information and images.

Mejia said he was finally tested for COVID-19 in mid-May. He came back positive, along with 131 other men at Bluebonnet, roughly a quarter of those held there.

The rural West Texas facility now has the second-largest outbreak of any ICE facility in the country, ICE data shows.

Both ICE and MTC told NBC News allegations they have not taken proper precautions are false.

"The health and safety of our staff and the men and women in our care is our top priority," a spokesperson said in a statement, adding that MTC is "strictly following" CDC guidelines and testing anyone who displays COVID-19 symptoms.

As similar stories have emerged nationwide, Washington has begun to respond. The Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General recently opened an investigation into whether ICE adequately safeguarded detainees and staff from COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary will hold a hearing to examine best practices for incarceration and detention during the pandemic.

Meija's wife, Betsy, said she's tried for months to get help for the men at Bluebonnet. She posted on Facebook. She called the warden in Anson and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. From their home in Kilgore, Texas more than 300 miles from Bluebonnet she's not sure what more she can do.

"I'm fighting a losing battle," she said.

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ICE keeps transferring detainees around the country, leading to COVID-19 outbreaks - NBC News

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For the past several months, the news cycle has been dominated by little other than the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Over the past week, obviously, other issues have come to the forefront.

But the novel coronavirus does not take a break for issues of social justice.

On Sunday, the Utah Department of Health reported 264 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the state the fourth consecutive day of more than 200 new cases, and the third-highest single-day total recorded in Utah since the pandemic began.

UDOH also reported one new death a male adult younger than 65 years old from Wasatch County. That now lifts Utahs death total from COVID-19 to 113.

The bulk of the new cases, as usual, came from Salt Lake County, with 124 of them coming from the states most populous area. However, Utah County also saw a sizable increase, with 59 new cases beyond the figures provided Saturday.

Worryingly, the Two-Week Cumulative Incidence Rate is now showing previously unseen hot spots in places from Logan to St. George. High rates (more than 100 cases per 100,000 people) have been established in Blanding, Logan, Monticello, north Orem, Payson, west Provo, San Juan County, St. George, Wasatch County and Washington City.

The Bear River area has shot up from 102 cases to 218 in seven days.

There has been a significant spike in new cases since May 16, when most of the state moved to the low-risk yellow category for COVID-19 restrictions, encouraging more people to leave their homes. That trend has escalated further still over the past week.

Indeed, with those four consecutive days now of 200-plus new cases, the seven-day average of new cases in the state is 200.71 the highest it has been since the pandemic began. By way of comparison, just a week ago, on May 24, the seven-day average was 164.86. And a week before that, on May 17, the average was 141.

In all, Utah has seen 1,405 new cases this past week; that compares with 1,154 last week, and 987 the week before. The weekly number of deaths decreased by one from 17 a week ago to 16 this week.

One potentially positive development is that hospitalizations in Utah have not seen an increase corresponding with the new-case totals. As of Sunday, it was reported that there 98 positive COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized. On May 24, there were 95 hospitalizations; on May 17, there were 98.

Nationwide, the figures are staggering, but perhaps also promising.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted, Marylands #COVID19 positivity rate has dropped to 10.9%, down 54.49% from its peak on April 17. Our states current total COVID-19 hospitalizations one of the states key recovery metrics have dropped to 1,183, their lowest level since April 15.

Fifty days ago, on April 12th, we lost 800 people from COVID. Yesterday, we lost 56. Sixty days ago, we had 3,400 people come into our hospitals. Yesterday, we had 191, Cuomo said. The number of lives lost is down to 56, which is in this absurd reality we live in actually very, very good news. This reduction in the number of deaths is tremendous progress. Weve gone through hell and back, and were on the other side.

Of course, given all the mass demonstrations that have erupted across the country over the past week in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, The Associated Press wrote that health experts fear that silent carriers of the virus could unwittingly infect others at protests where people are packed cheek to jowl, many without masks, many chanting, singing or shouting. The virus is dispersed by microscopic droplets in the air when people cough, sneeze, sing or talk.

Whether theyre fired up or not, that doesnt prevent them from getting the virus," Bradley Pollock, chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California, Davis, told the AP about protesters.

By comparison, whites account for 78% of Utahs population, but just 37.2% of its COVID-19 cases as of Sunday.

And, finally, UDOH reported that the total number of Utahns tested is 213,914 meaning there is a 4.6% rate of positives. It also noted 6,137 of our cases are considered recovered. " A case with a diagnosis date of more than three weeks ago, who has not died, is considered recovered.

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Utah is averaging more than 200 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week as hot spots flare up from Logan to St. George - Salt Lake Tribune