Coronavirus updates: US death toll nears 200K; CDC's updated guidelines acknowledge danger of breath droplets

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توسط NEWSAMINS در 31 شهریور 1399
Jessica Flores John Bacon   | USA TODAY
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The U.S. death toll climbed to within a few hundred of 200,000 on Monday as California became the fourth state to top 15,000 deaths, joining New York, New Jersey and Texas.

The pandemic has also strained California's unemployment services, with state officials announcing over the weekend that they will not accept new applications for two weeks in an effort to clear a backlog of nearly 600,000 claims that have not been processed for more than 21 days.

On the other coast, Maryland restaurants will be permitted to increase indoor dining capacity from 50% to 75% starting at 5 p.m. Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus guidelines,  again, on how COVID-19 is spread. "It is possible that COVID-19 may spread through the droplets and airborne particles that are formed when a person who has COVID-19 coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes," the updated guidelines say.

Some significant developments:

  • California surpasses 15,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths.
  • The U.S. isn't the only country where COVID-19 restrictions have created unrest: Police in London clashed with protesters Saturday at a rally against coronavirus restrictions.
  • An eighth death has been linked to a coronavirus outbreak stemming from a wedding and reception in the northern part of Maine.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 6.8 million cases and 199,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Sunday shows 7-day, new case records were set in Montana, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Virginia and West Virginia. Globally, there have been more than 31 million cases and more than 960,000 fatalities. 

📰 What we're reading: Didn't hear from contact tracers about that guy coughing on your flight? You might not — even if he had COVID-19.

🗺️ Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak, state by state

This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.

The United Kingdom's top doctor said Monday that the country has turned a corner "in a very bad sense" and is now headed in the "wrong direction" with its rates of COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that if no new measures are taken, new cases will rise to 49,000 a day within a month. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce new short-term restrictions to slow the spread of the disease later this week.

Nearly 400,000 people in the U.K. have confirmed COVID-19 cases, and more 41,000 have died.

A new treatment program originally intended for geriatric patients has showed promising results for so called "long-haul" COVID-19 patients. Dr. Noah Greenspan, a cardiopulmonary physical therapist and founder of the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation in New York City, said about 750 patients have enrolled in his COVID-19 Bootcamp program and many are reporting progress. Bootcamp patients are asked to walk for four minutes, in two two-minute intervals, increasing a minute each day. The program also incorporates breathing exercises and weight training, which could be as simple as lifting one’s arm over their head for a minute.

“Little by little, it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle and disarming a bomb at the same time,” Greenspan said. 

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Britain’s top medical adviser says the country is facing an explosion in infection rates, with figures suggesting there will be an exponential growth in the disease unless action is taken. Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty told the public on Monday that rates are going in the “wrong direction” amid expectations the government is preparing to announce new measures to control the pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a two-week, nationwide lockdown to stem the outbreak.

“We have in a very bad sense, literally turned a corner,” after weeks of increasing infection rates," Whitty said.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian's "Healthy Sail Panel" submitted a 65-page report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the agency's request for public comment. The CDC's current "no-sail" order is set to expire at the end of the month, although the industry trade group has issued a voluntary suspension through Oct. 31. The panel's report contains 74 recommendations to prevent the introduction and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on board cruise ships, including COVID-19 testing, face coverings and temperature checks, among others. The recommendations were also published on each cruise company's website.

"This is a very comprehensive approach with multiple layers to try to ensure safety on the ship," Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who co-chairs the panel, told USA TODAY.

Morgan Hines

The CDC has updated its guidance regarding how COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, spreads, now noting the virus may spread through the droplets and airborne particles spread with coughs, sneezes, singing, talking or even just breathing. The updated guidance says, "There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet."

CNN reported the guidance was updated Friday, the same day the agency reversed course on controversial testing guidance. According to the CDC, "indoor environments without good ventilation" increase the risk of infection via suspended droplets and airborne particles. 

– Jordan Culver

Longtime E! host Giuliana Rancic and special correspondent Vivica A. Fox missed covering the virtual Emmys red carpet show Sunday after both tested positive for COVID-19. They were replaced on the show by Brad Goreski and Nina Parker. The veteran E! host Rancic, 46, released a video message for the "Live From the Red Carpet: The 2020 Emmy Awards," saying her entire family had tested positive for the virus during preliminary testing for the show. She said she, husband Bill, 49, and 8-year-old son, Duke, were recovering at home.

"I do not take missing an award show lightly, but unfortunately this year is just so different," Rancic said.

Fox, 56, also announced her absence through a statement read by Goreski: "During these unprecedented times, it's more important than ever that we follow all safety and health rules and guidelines to protect ourselves and each other," the statement said.

– Bryan Alexander

As California's death count surpassed 15,000 on Sunday, officials said they will not accept unemployment applications for the next two weeks to reduce a backlog. Nearly 600,000 Californians are part of a backlog where their unemployment claims have not been processed by the state's Employment Development Department for more than 21 days, the state said in a news release. There are also 1 million cases where residents received payments but are awaiting a resolution to their modified claims.

The Employment Development Department has been hampered throughout the pandemic by outdated technology at a time when California is seeing an unprecedented wave of unemployment claims. While the department estimates that about 2.1 million residents were out of work statewide last month, California's unemployment rate fell to 11.4% in August, down from 13.5% in July.

Even a few million doses of vaccine would be sufficient for the U.S. to obtain "80% to 90% of the benefit" of mass vaccinations, White House coronavirus task force member Adm. Brett Giroir said Sunday. Giroir, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," said a few million doses could be available in late November or December. Vaccinating nursing home workers, teachers, people with pre-existing conditions and the people surrounding them will be crucial to stemming the COVID-19 tide,, Giroir said.

"A vaccine as early as possible, even in a few million doses, will be a godsend in terms of outcomes, hospitalizations, morbidities and deaths," Giroir said.

Contributing: The Associated Press



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