COVID-19 Timeline Project

Nationwide, federal and local officials are reporting alarming spikes in drug overdoses — a hidden epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic. Emerging evidence suggests that the continued isolation, economic devastation and disruptions to the drug trade in recent months are fueling the surge. Early data indicates Suspected overdoses nationally — not all of them fatal — jumped 18 percent in March compared with last year, 29 percent in April and 42 percent in May.
The global tourism industry will lose at least $1.2 trillion this year amid crippling travel restrictions and consumer wariness during the coronavirus pandemic. The losses, equal to 1.5% of the world economy, could balloon to $3.3 trillion if the hit to international leisure travel persists until March 2021, with the harshest effects afflicting developing and island nations.
The number of confirmed U.S. deaths due to the coronavirus is substantially lower than the true tally, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMAAcronymJAMA - The Journal of the American Medical Association, a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biomedicine. Internal Medicine. The study was supported by the NIH. The number of excess deaths from any causes were 28% higher than the official tally of U.S. Covid-19 deaths during those months.
Nearly 350 public health organizations, advocacy groups and local health departments write a letter to Alex AzarAlex AzarUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive. urging him to play a more prominent role in shielding the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services from political interference. “CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services continues to be the world’s premiere public health institution and should be treated as such during this pandemic, “We must amplify the unfettered voice of CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, not stifle it.”
A researcher at the California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS), analyzed Monterey county’s daily COVID-19 cases against the industry in which each person was employed when they contracted the virus. He found that the prevalence of COVID-19 for agricultural workers was 1,410 positive cases out of 100,000, while the rate for workers in all other industries was 455 cases per 100,000 — a difference of almost 1,000 cases. Agriculture working and living conditions make it nearly impossible to maintain physical distance from others.
President Trump Tweet: “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.” (with video clip.)
Herman CainHerman CainHerman Cain is a business executive, syndicated columnist, and Tea Party activist. Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Cain was chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Omaha Branch from 1989 to 1991. He was deputy chairman, from 1992 to 1994, and then chairman until 1996, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In 1995, he was appointed to the Kemp Commission, and in 1996, he served as a senior economic adviser to Bob Dole's presidential campaign. He was a Republican presidental candidate during the 2011 Republican primaries. Tweet: (About Trump’s planned July 3 celebration at Mt Rushmore) Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!
Virginia pauses on entering phase III of re-opening. Gov. Ralph Northam announced that bars and restaurants are to continue operating under phase two restrictions.
Michigan rolls back re-opening. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs an executive order closing indoor service at bars throughout most of lower Michigan.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom orders tougher restrictions for much of the state, requiring 19 counties experiencing increased spread of coronavirus to halt visits to indoor restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, entertainment centers, movie theaters, zoos, museums and card rooms. Newsom is also recommending the cancellation of all fireworks shows on the Fourth of July in the affected counties, and is urging all Californians to rethink having large get-togethers with friends and neighbors to celebrate the holiday.

Video Clip: Interview with Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. on the administration’s response to the pandemic.
In a televised interview, Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. suggests that China created the coronavirus as a weaponized virus, and deliberately sent infected Chinese citizens to the United States to spread this disease.
After several months of mixed messages on the coronavirus pandemic, the White House is settling on a new one: Learn to live with it.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of President Trump’s eldest son and a top fund-raising official for the Trump re-election campaign, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday before a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore, a person familiar with her condition said. Ms. Guilfoyle is the third person in possible proximity to Mr. Trump known to have contracted the virus.
Dr. Celine GounderCeline GounderDr. Celine Gounder is an American medical doctor and medical journalist who specializes in infectious disease and global health. She was educated at Princeton University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and University of Washington School of Medicine. She is presently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. She cares for patients on the wards at Bellevue Hospital Center and at Indian Health Service and tribal health facilities across the country. on President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore: “I’m highly concerned. This is beyond irresponsible, This is the behavior of a cult leader who is jumping off the cliff, except he’s jumping off into a safety net where he has protections around him. People around him are being tested. He’s being tested on a regular basis. While he asks his followers to jump off a cliff into nothing. I mean, this is extremely dangerous behavior and unfortunately, this has become so politicized where you abide by public health and scientific recommendations on the basis of your political beliefs not based on the science. And people are really going to be harmed as a result of this.”
Sen. Patty MurraySen. Patty Murray (D-WA)Patricia Lynn Murray is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Washington, since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Murray previously served in the Washington State Senate and is Washington's first female U.S. Senator. She is on the following committees: Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Ranking Member), Committee on the Budget. writes to Dr. Robert RedfieldDr. Robert RedfieldRobert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years. and Dr. Robert KadlecDr. Robert KadlecDr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). demanding answers about the awarding of a non-competitive, multimillion dollar contract for a seemingly duplicative data collection system. The contract duplicates the work done by the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) by creating a second mechanism through which hospitals can report the same information already collected through NHSN. She also made clear that there are other pressing data needs that are still being unmet by the Trump Administration’s efforts including regrading health disparities.
Tweet Thread: 1/10 – “Another week, more spread of #Covid19. Bottom line: it’s worse, will continue to get worse, and will take months to improve substantially.We are going in the wrong direction, fast.”
Florida set another daily record for new infections, reporting 11,458 confirmed cases. The state has reported multiple daily records since late June, and the rate of positive test results has climbed into the double digits. Only New York has tallied more cases in a single day, with 11,571 on April 15.

New federal data reveals Black and Latino people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in a widespread manner that spans the country in urban, suburban and rural areas, and across all age groups. Latino and African-American residents have been three times as likely to become infected as their white neighbors, And Black and Latino people have been nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as white people.
President Trump Press Brief: “Likewise, testing — there were no tests for a new virus, but now we have tested over 40 million people. But by so doing, we show cases, 99 percent of which are totally harmless. Results that no other country will show, because no other country has testing that we have — not in terms of the numbers or in terms of the quality.”
Tweet: TV News “Face the Nation”: @margbrennan : “We think it’s important for our viewers to hear from Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and the @CDCgov But we have not been able to get our requests for Dr. Fauci approved by the Trump administration in the last three months. And the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services not at all. We will continue our efforts” (with video clip)

The watchdog group Public Citizen reports Forty lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump helped clients secure more than $10 billion in federal coronavirus aid, among them five former administration officials whose work potentially violates Trump’s own ethics policy. Many are donors to Trump’s campaigns, and some are prolific fundraisers for his reelection.
Religious organizations across the U.S. have received at least $7.3 billion in federal rescue package loans, with evangelical leaders tied to President Trump and megachurches tied to scandals pulling in some of the largest payouts.
Businesses tied to President Donald Trump’s family and associates stand to receive as much as $21 million in government loans designed to shore up payroll expenses for companies struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus cases across the across the South and Southwest are rising so rapidly contact tracing is no longer possible. Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 states “The rapid rise in cases is considered a surge, not a second wave, because the infection numbers never lowered to where officials hoped they would.”
In Florida, 43 hospitals across 21 counties — including Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough and Orange Counties — have hit capacity and show zero ICU beds available.
President Trump vows to exert pressure on states to reopen their school districts this fall even as large parts of the country are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases. “We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools, Get open in the fall. We want your schools open.” Education groups have asked for at least $200 billion in federal funding to reopen safely and plug holes in state budgets due to the recession. So far, $13.5 billion has been appropriated to K-12 education. The Republican-controlled Senate has not taken up a bill passed by House Democrats that would allocate hundreds of billions more.
Tweet: AZAR (Alex AzarAlex AzarUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive.) says schools can safely reopen. “Health care workers don’t get infected because they take appropriate precautions. They engage in social distancing, wear facial covering….This can work. You can do all of this, there’s no reason schools have to be in any way any different.”
In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. Investigative reporting has identified identified 765 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during this pandemic.
Video clip: Betsy DeVosBetsy DeVosElisabeth Dee DeVos is the 11th and current United States Secretary of Education since 2017. DeVos is known for her support for school choice, school voucher programs, and charter schools. She is a member of the Michigan Republican Party, and supports home schooling and private religious-based schooling. echoes President Trump’s statement that there’s no excuse for schools not to reopen
The White House has officially moved to withdraw the United States from the WHO by submitting its withdrawal notification to the United Nations secretary-general. Withdrawal requires a year’s notice, so it will not go into effect until July 6, 2021.
The personal protective gear that was in dangerously short supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is running low again as the virus resumes its rapid spread and the number of hospitalized patients climbs. Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is in charge of coronavirus-related supplies for the White House, told Congress last week that more than than one-fourth of the states have less than a 30-day supply. “It would seem like in less than 30 days, we’re going to have a real crisis,” says Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL).
New York City will vote on on allowing 3,000 childcare centers to reopen on July 13. Reopenings will be subject to strict state requirements, with no more than 15 children per room, social distancing, face coverings for staff and children, daily health screenings, frequent cleanings and disinfections, limited sharing of items. Only 125 childcare programs have been open since April, for the children of essential workers.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) have now joined Sen. Lamar AlexanderSen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)Lamar Alexander is an American politician who is currently serving as the senior United States Senator from Tennessee, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and the 5th United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993, where he helped the implementation of Education 2000. and Sen. Chuck GrassleySen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)Charles Ernest Grassley is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate, and the senior United States senator from Iowa. He is currently in his seventh term in the Senate, having first been elected in 1980. he was sworn in as Senate president pro tempore for the 116th Congress, which places him third in the presidential line of succession. He is a member of the following committees: Chairman Senate Finance Committee, Judiciary Committee, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Committee on the Budget, Chairman Joint Committee on Taxation in opting out of the Republican National Convention as coronavirus cases continue surging across the country.

Interview: Alabama state Sen. Del Marsh ( R ) is not concerned about reaching more than 2,000 cases in one day. Marsh says he wants to see more people with COVID-19 because “we start reaching an immunity as more people have it and get through it.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says “if we can shop at Home Depot and Walmart, we can open schools.”
Officials in Florida’s Miami-Dade County report a staggering 33.5% Covid-19 positivity rate , according to data released by Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s office. The goal is to not exceed a positivity rate of 10%. The county has exceeded the 18% mark for the past 14 days. The current 14-day average is 24%.
In a case filed by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles (R), and joined by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R), A circuit judge orders Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) to cease issuing or enforcing executive orders related to Covid-19. The governor had just signed executive order mandating that Kentuckians must wear a facial covering or mask in public in certain situations.
Mississippi state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs confirmed that a recent COVID-19 outbreak at the state’s Capitol building in Jackson led to 36 people catching the virus, 26 of whom are Mississippi lawmakers. They include Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) and State House Speaker Philip Gunn (R). Few legislators and public officials have been wearing masks at the Capitol.
Dr. Robert RedfieldDr. Robert RedfieldRobert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years. states the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services will not revise its guidelines for reopening schools despite calls from the White House to do so. “Our guidelines are our guidelines, but we are going to provide additional reference documents to aid basically communities in trying to open K-through-12s,” Redfield said. “It’s not a revision of the guidelines; it’s just to provide additional information to help schools be able to use the guidance we put forward.”
As the country enters a frightening phase of the pandemic with new daily cases surpassing 57,000, the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services is coming under intense pressure from President Trump and his allies, who are downplaying the dangers in a bid to revive the economy ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. In a White House guided by the president’s instincts, rather than by evidence-based policy, the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services finds itself forced constantly to backtrack or be sidelined from pivotal decisions.
Dr. Tedros AdhanomDr. Tedros AdhanomTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is an Ethiopian public health researcher and official who has served since 2017 as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Tedros is the first non-physician and first African in the role, who has been endorsed by the African Union. pleads for international unity to fight the pandemic devastating the world in the wake of President Trump’s announced intention to quit the organization. With tears in his eyes, Tedros asks; “How difficult is it for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that’s killing people indiscriminately? Can’t we understand that the divisions or the cracks between us actually are to the advantage of the virus? In most of the world, the virus is not under control; it’s getting worse.”
Video of Dr. Tedros AdhanomDr. Tedros AdhanomTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is an Ethiopian public health researcher and official who has served since 2017 as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Tedros is the first non-physician and first African in the role, who has been endorsed by the African Union. opening remarks at the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. conference.
The WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. releases a new scientific report detailing how the coronavirus can pass from one person to the next — including through the air during certain medical procedures, and possibly through the air in crowded indoor spaces. The report says that “to the best of our understanding,” the virus is primarily spread through contact and respiratory droplets, but there are still many unanswered questions around airborne transmission and “more studies are urgently needed.” The report comes after the July 6 publication of a letter signed by 239 scientists, that urged the agency to be more forthcoming about the likelihood that people can catch the virus from droplets floating in the air.
As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the Trump administration has steadily choked off most avenues for legal immigration to the United States — effectively shutting down the system that brings in hundreds of thousands of immigrants annually. (Reference includes charts.)
Across the globe, violence has emerged a major and persistent side effect of the pandemic that has stricken 12 million people and killed more than 550,000. Even as it overwhelms hospitals, COVID-19 is also straining security forces in scores of countries, exacerbating long-standing conflicts while fueling grievances and spurring the growth of extremist groups.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending July 11 was 1.3 million, a decrease of 1,375 thousand from the previous week.
As President Donald Trump and his administration push for students and teachers to return in-person to classrooms, investigative reporting uncovers internal documents from the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services warn that fully reopening K-12 schools and universities would be the “highest risk” for the spread of coronavirus.
President Donald Trump pays a visit to wounded service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and wore a mask after months of refusing to be seen doing so in public. The President’s decision to wear a mask during his Saturday trip to the medical center comes after months of declining to publicly wear one — against the recommendations of his own administration’s public health experts.
As the Trump administration has strayed from the advice of many of its scientists and public health experts, the White House has moved to sideline Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, scuttled some of his planned TV appearances and largely kept him out of the Oval Office for more than a month. Fauci last spoke to the president during the first week of June, and is “never in the Oval [Office] anymore.”

Video clip interview of Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli on the Trump administration’s latest push for international students to leave the US if their colleges or universities institute online-only learning measures.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy interview: “There are some people who want to keep our schools closed because they think it gives them a political advantage. They are using our kids as political pawns. To them I say, unashamedly, that they can kiss my a**.”
Attorneys general in 17 states and the District of Columbia file a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its guidance to not allow foreign students to take online-only courses this fall semester. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, heading up the effort, said “The Trump Administration didn’t even attempt to explain the basis for this senseless rule, which forces schools to choose between keeping their international students enrolled and protecting the health and safety of their campuses.
Opinion Column: the Trump White House is treating the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 like some kind of political opponent. Now White House aides have begun circulating talking points to undermine Fauci, documenting how many times he has said things that have turned out to be wrong. Many of the Fauci statements being circulated by the White House are incomplete and taken out of context.
When Michigan’s eviction moratorium lifts on July 16 the state estimates a backlog of 75,000 eviction filings. Although Michigan created a $50 million fund to assist renters, Jim Schaafsma, an attorney with the Michigan Poverty Law Program, estimates it would take more than $56 million dollars to assist just 20% of renter households who are extremely low-income for one month.
The U.S. budget deficit widened to a record-high $864 billion last month because of the federal government’s extraordinary response to the coronavirus pandemic. In June 2019, the budget deficit was just $8 billion. In prior years, the federal deficit was considered large when it approached or eclipsed $1 trillion for an entire year. This year the U.S. spent about $2 trillion more than it took in via tax revenue from April to June alone.
The Trump administration is poised to ask governors to consider sending in the National Guard to hospitals to help improve data collection about novel coronavirus patients, supplies and capacity, according to draft letters, internal emails and officials familiar with the plans. HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. officials on Monday finalized a new data reporting protocol for hospitals, which will eliminate the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services as a data recipient, leaving health-care institutions to report information about Covid-19 to a federal contractor or to their state, which will coordinate the federal reporting.

President Trump posted a pic on Instagram that showed him at his desk with a variety of Goya products, including cookies, coconut milk and adobo. This photo was in response to recent statements by the CEO of Goya praising Trump, triggering a backlash and threatened boycott by Hispanics.
The White House distanced itself from an extraordinary op-ed in which Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator., President Trump’s trade adviser, heavily criticized Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, the nation’s top infectious-disease official. White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said in a tweet: “The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. White House aides previously circulated talking points questioning statements Fauci has made about the novel coronavirus, which Navarro repeated in the article.
Starting today, the way the government collects and reports Covid-19 data moves from an established 15 year-old CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services system to a new contractor-managed system underHHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.. “HHS Protect” is developed by Palantir Technologies, a data-mining firm that works with a number of federal agencies and co-founded by Peter Thiel, a billionaire Trump supporter. The data system was created through a $10 million no-bid contract awarded by HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. to create the data system that duplicates one the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services already had. The company last week confidentially filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to go public, and a contract to collect Covid-19 data could sweeten the IPO deal.
As part of the new data collection policy, the Trump administration includes a peculiarly nasty stick. Underlined on the first page of the instructions is that “We will no longer be sending out one-time requests for data to aid in the distribution of Remdesivir or any other treatments or supplies. This daily reporting is the only mechanism used for the distribution calculations, and the daily [sic] is needed daily to ensure accurate calculations.” Two weeks ago, the Trump administration bought up almost all of the world’s supply of the drug for the next three months.
Georgia reports 3,871 new cases of the disease, the second-highest daily count to date, and 37 deaths. So far, 127,834 people have tested positive for COVID-19, more than double the number reported in mid-June, and 3,091 have died from it. The rate of new tests that are positive for the disease is soaring.
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp issues an executive order explicitly banning cities and counties from requiring the use of masks or other face coverings. The governor’s previous coronavirus orders have for months banned local governments from taking more restrictive or lenient steps than the state, but this is the first order expressly prohibiting cities and counties from requiring the use of face masks.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Twitter that New York will send 7,500 COVID-19 test kits, 30,000 pieces of personal protective equipment and 1,250 gallons of hand sanitizer to Atlanta, Georgia, by Friday. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), who earlier this week sought the state’s help amid a mounting feud with Georgia governor Brian Kemp (R), said she was grateful.

Two days after the White House instructed hospitals to report data to the HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. through a new system created by a Pennsylvania-based company, TeleTracking, instead of sending the information to the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services as they had been doing, Hospital data in Kansas and Missouri is suddenly incomplete or missing.

With ICEAcronymICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, principally responsible for immigration and customs enforcement, with additional responsibilities in countering transnational crime. facing lawsuits demanding the release of detained people amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the agency instead shuffled many to the private Immigration Centers of America (ICA) detention center in Farmville, Virginia. ICA Farmville is now in crisis. It has at least 268 out of around 360 detained people positive for the virus, making the jail by far the most stricken facility in ICEAcronymICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, principally responsible for immigration and customs enforcement, with additional responsibilities in countering transnational crime.’s network of lockups.

Video of President Trump first daily Coronavirus briefing after a several month gap. During this brief the President admits “It may get worse before it gets better.”
The change in the way the government is collecting and reporting COVID-19 data has some experts worried that the involvement of private companies, like TeleTracking and Palantir, at different stages of the data collection and repository process could be a blow to transparency. Karen Hoffmann, former president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, calls the new system a “black box.” “The data is now going to be going into a non-public-accessible data collection point,” Hoffman said. “So I think that can be useful for people that don’t want to have that data shared. The public can’t access it, whereas the CDC data is always very transparent.”
A Kentucky circuit Judge has struck down all of Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) emergency COVID-19 orders as unconstitutional. In a written order referencing philosophers, historians and statesmen going back more than two millennia, and soldiers perishing at Valley Forge, Boone Circuit Judge Richard Brueggemann argued that Beshear violated the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs through his executive orders to slow the spread of the pandemic. Stating that the questions at issue in the case are not about politics, Brueggemann wrote they are rather about “whether the constitution applies during a virus. […] Under our constitutions, government may not uproot liberty on a hope that it can hide society from pathogens, Individuals, not government, should decide if the risk of walking out their front door is worth the potential reward.”

Video of President Trump’s daily Coronavirus briefing.
In the beginning of his daily Coronavirus briefing, President Trump announced he has canceled the Republican national convention scheduled for next month in Jacksonville, Fla., saying he wanted to keep his supporters safe from the coronavirus pandemic and protesters. The formal nominating process scheduled to take place in Charlotte will proceed, but the large convention with all its pomp and circumstance planned for Jacksonville is canceled.
The CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services releases new guidance to K-12 schools on COVID-19 symptom screening as part of a school reopening process. This guidance specifically does not recommend universal symptom screening of all grades K-12 students be conducted by schools.
Investigative reporting released in September reveals the Trump administration overruled CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services scientists in writing the final version of this guidance.
As of mid-July, 55 percent of the 132,500 pandemic-era closures on Yelp are now permanent. Over the coming months, expiring leases will force many more businesses to make existential decisions. “Businesses are needing to decide, ‘Do I renew my lease on my space for another year?’ It is really hard to make a one-year commitment to paying rent when businesses are closing down for the second time and there’s no end in sight to this virus,” says Harvard University postdoctoral researcher Michael Stepner. “The longer these temporary closings go on, the more of them will turn permanent.”
Rethinking higher education; As students prepare for their college classes, many are wondering if online courses are worth the tuition fees.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending July 11 was 1.434 million, an increase of 12 thousand from the previous week. This is the second week in a row first time claims have increased.
Local television stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast GroupSinclair Broadcast Groupa publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate which is controlled by the family of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. the company is the second-largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations (after Nexstar Media Group), owning or operating a total of 193 stations across the country in over 100 markets (covering 40% of American households), many of which are located in the South and Midwest, and is the largest owner of stations affiliated with Fox, ABC, and The CW. Sinclair has faced scrutiny from some media critics, as well as some of its station employees, for the conservative slant of their stations' news reporting and other programming decisions. Sinclair has also faced criticism over business practices that circumvent concentration of media ownership regulations, particularly the use of local marketing agreements, accusations that the company had been currying favor with the Trump administration in order to loosen these rules and about its management lacking diversity and being totally controlled by a single family. are set to air a conspiracy theory over the weekend that suggests Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, was responsible for the creation of the coronavirus.
Sinclair Broadcast GroupSinclair Broadcast Groupa publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate which is controlled by the family of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. the company is the second-largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations (after Nexstar Media Group), owning or operating a total of 193 stations across the country in over 100 markets (covering 40% of American households), many of which are located in the South and Midwest, and is the largest owner of stations affiliated with Fox, ABC, and The CW. Sinclair has faced scrutiny from some media critics, as well as some of its station employees, for the conservative slant of their stations' news reporting and other programming decisions. Sinclair has also faced criticism over business practices that circumvent concentration of media ownership regulations, particularly the use of local marketing agreements, accusations that the company had been currying favor with the Trump administration in order to loosen these rules and about its management lacking diversity and being totally controlled by a single family. Tweet: “After further review, we have decided to delay this episode’s airing. We will spend the coming days bringing together other viewpoints and provide additional context. All stations have been notified not to air this and will instead be re-airing last week’s episode in its place.”

President Trump coronavirus briefing.
In a televised event organized by the Tea Party and held on the steps of the US Supreme Court, a member of the group “America’s Frontline Doctors,” Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Houston-based primary care physician and minister, claims “This virus has a cure. It is called hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax. I know you people want to talk about a mask. Hello? You don’t need (a) mask. There is a cure.”
Dr. Stella Emmanuel has made previous claims as “sex dreams involving demons cause illnesses and that alien DNA is used in medication;” and ” the U.S. government is run in part not by humans but by “reptilians” and other aliens.”
President Trump retweets the video with Dr. Stella Emmanuel’s covid-19 claims. It was later removed from Twitter, along with the original news video. The video was also removed from other social media on the basis of making unsubstantiated claims about a medication.
Senate Republicans rolled out their major pieces of a $1-trillion economic relief plan, the HEALS Act, a planned fifth Coronavirus relief bill. Highlights include a second round of $1,200 coronavirus stimulus payments, and slash enhanced federal unemployment payments from $600 a week to $200. It includes $100 billion for schools to either reopen or adapt to online instruction; a sequel to the popular Paycheck Protection Program targeting more vulnerable small businesses; and new tax incentives to encourage employers to bring employees back to work. It would also provide liability-protections to businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits, This bill was created without any input from Democrats, who released their HEROES ActAcronymThe Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) is proposed legislation acting as a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is intended to supplement the earlier CARES Act stimulus package. The bill for this Act of Congress was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 217-189 on May 15, 2020. on May 15.
The Senate Republican’s proposal was an opening bid that would have to be reconciled with Democrats, who’s HEROES ActAcronymThe Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) is proposed legislation acting as a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is intended to supplement the earlier CARES Act stimulus package. The bill for this Act of Congress was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 217-189 on May 15, 2020. recovery package would spend three times as much and extend the $600 per week in extra unemployment aid through the end of the year.

Investigative reporting has found serious irregularities in the process by which the Trump administration awarded a multi-million dollar contract to TeleTracking Technologies. The HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. initially characterized the contract with TeleTracking as a no-bid contract. Investigations determined the HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. had directly phoned the company about the contract, according to a company spokesperson. TeleTracking CEO Michael Zamagias had links to the New York real estate world — and in particular, a firm that financed billions of dollars in projects with the Trump Organization. The contract is at the center of a controversy over the Administration’s decision to move COVID-19 data reporting function from the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services to the HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services..
Commentary: President Donald Trump’s return as the face of the Covid-19 response has deteriorated into a misinformation masterclass that explains why America is in such a mess. […] He painted a misleading picture of a viral surge still raging across Southern and Western states that is showing new signs of spreading deeper into the heartland, saying large portions of the country were “corona-free.” […] And he launched a stunning new pitch for hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug beloved by conservative media but that has not been shown in rigorous clinical trials to be an effective treatment for Covid-19.
Union leader Randi Weingarten warns that teachers in states like Florida, Arizona and Texas are the most likely to strike in protest of unsafe working conditions amid the pandemic.

The CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services only found out after-the-fact about a sudden Trump administration decision to use a private contractor to collect COVID-19 data from hospitals. “We weren’t directly involved in the final decision” Director Dr. Robert RedfieldDr. Robert RedfieldRobert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years. testified to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “Well I was told, actually, once the secretary’s office made the decision, that that was the decision,” Redfield said, referring to the HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Alex AzarAlex AzarUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive..
How Many People in the U.S. Are Hospitalized With COVID-19? Who Knows? The change in data reporting has created widespread confusion, leaving some states in the dark about their hospitals’ remaining bed and intensive care capacity and, at least temporarily, removing this information from public view. As a result, it has been unclear how many people are in hospitals being treated for COVID-19 at a time when the number of infected patients nationally has been soaring.
Commentary on the government’s switch from the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services database to the TeleTracking database: The end result of this process is that, where the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services data was highly visible, more than 6,000 hospitals nationwide are now entering their data into a database that is controlled by a contractor and not directly by the government, using proprietary software that the government does not own. And the data that actually ends up being fed back to the public is only what TeleTracking provides.
The Trump Administration is moving to give the Department of Defense control over logistics in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine, a move that infectious disease experts describe as “unprecedented.” “It’s totally unprecedented,” Dr. Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in charge of the epidemiology program, told TPM. The CDC is the only federal agency with connections to all local public health departments, “who are the on-the-ground coordinators for public health interventions.”
Dr. Tom FriedenThomas R. FriedenAn American infectious disease and public health physician. He serves as president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a $225 million, five-year initiative to prevent epidemics and cardiovascular disease. He previously served as Director of the CDC, and Commissioner of the New York City Health Department. His work made New York City’s tuberculosis control program and overall health department models for the world, established effective programs in India, and improved morale, effectiveness, and impact at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tweet: “Distributing a vaccine will be complex. During the H1N1 pandemic, an unheralded success was delivery of vaccines through the robust infrastructure of the Vaccines For Children program. DOD has zero experience sending vaccines to doctors in the US.”
Two new studies from different parts of the world have arrived at the same conclusion: that young children not only transmit SARS-CoV-2 efficiently, but may be major drivers of the pandemic as well. The first reports findings from a pediatric hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The second was conducted in the mountainous province of Trento, Italy. Both studies spell serious implications for countries contemplating whether or not to reopen schools in the face of lingering and out-of-control outbreaks, the United States included.