June 28 coronavirus news

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A healthcare worker takes a sample from a man at a COVID-19 testing site in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.  Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Several regions across US experiencing pandemic peaks
02:06 - Source: CNN

What you need to know

  • More than 10 million people across the world have been infected with the coronavirus, and more than 500,000 have died.
  • The US reported more than 40,000 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, its biggest daily jump yet. Yet only two US states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases
  • The number of cases in Latin America has tripled in the past month, surpassing 2 million infections, the Pan American Health Organization said.
  • India reported 19,906 new coronavirus cases on Sunday – the country’s biggest one-day jump.

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.

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Palm Beach County mayor says beaches will be closed for July 4 weekend

People gather at a beach in Delray Beach, Florida, on May 23.

Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner announced on CNN Sunday that he will issue an order to close all Palm Beach County beaches for the holiday weekend.?

Mayors in Miami and Fort Lauderdale have also announced beach closures for the holiday weekend.

White House coronavirus response coordinator says masks may only provide partial protection from Covid-19

Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in Washington, DC, on June 26.

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday there is “scientific evidence that masks both keep you from infecting others but may also partially protect you from getting infected.”?

Officials have mentioned this possibility before, but it has not been a point of emphasis for the administration’s health experts in their public comments.

Birx travelled to Dallas with Vice President Mike Pence to talk with state officials about why they believe they have seen a major spike in Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks.

Birx said she was there to encourage younger people to wear masks, “and if they’re interacting with their parents and grandparents, they should wear a mask then too because we know now?how many of them are asymptomatic.”

Birx thanked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his decision to close bars and appealed to every Texan to wear a mask, though there is no statewide requirement for their use in public.?

The US Food and Drug Administration’s guidance on personal protective equipment says that while masks may be effective in blocking splashes and large-particle droplets, a face mask, by design, does not filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs or sneezes.

Surgical masks also do not provide complete protection from germs and other contaminants because of the loose fit between the surface of the mask and your face.

Birx is expected to travel this week to several other states experiencing spikes, including Florida and Arizona.

Peru among top 10 countries with most confirmed coronavirus cases

Peru has the sixth-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Peru reported 3,430 new cases?Sunday,?taking the country’s tally to?279,419. That’s higher than the total numbers reported by Spain and Italy. The country also reported 181 new deaths, for a total of?9,317.?

There are at least 2,539,544 coronavirus cases in US

There are at least?2,539,544?coronavirus cases in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally. At least?125,747?people have died from coronavirus nationwide.?

On Sunday Johns Hopkins reported?29,393?new cases and?208 deaths.?The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.?

CNN is keeping track of coronavirus cases across the country with an interactive map.

Florida mayors heckled by beachgoers as they announce beach closures

Mayors from?coastal cities?in Broward County, Florida,?held a press conference to address beach closures over the July 4 weekend,?as some?people?who are against the measures heckled the officials.?The plans to close the beaches come as the number of new?coronavirus cases?in the county rapidly rise.

“All the mayors of the coastal beaches are working collaboratively” to close the beaches because they “anticipate large crowds, perhaps even coming from other counties,”?Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said at the presser Sunday.

Beachgoers could be heard yelling “freedom,” “socialism,” “this is America,” and “don’t shoot!”

Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper spoke briefly, at times yelling over the hecklers. “We would like them to understand that we are doing this to protect the public,” she said.?

“All we’re trying to do here today is just to assure everybody we’re doing this for the right reasons,”?said Lauderdale-by-the-Seas Mayor Christopher Vincent.?

Vincent said the officials want to avoid?“the influx of about 10 times as many people” next weekend.?

Broward beaches?will be closed from July 3-5, the mayors said.?

Pennsylvania governor applauds Allegheny County for shutting down on-premises alcohol sales due to Covid-19 concerns

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf commended officials in Allegheny County on Sunday for shutting down on-premises alcohol sales at bars and restaurants due to “significant Covid-19 case increases over the past few days” in the area, according to a press release from Wolf’s office.

The majority of the new Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County are among people aged 19-49, with an average age of 27, Wolf’s office said.

Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, is the state’s second most populous county after Philadelphia County. Allegheny County entered the state’s “green” phase of reopening on June 5.?

The county has 2,239 confirmed Covid-19 cases, 143 probable cases and 183 deaths as of Sunday, according?to state data.

Global coronavirus deaths surpass half a million, Johns Hopkins University's tally says

An employee at La Recoleta Crematorium in Santiago, Chile, prepares to cremate the body of a coronavirus victim on Friday, June 26. More than 500,000 people worldwide have died from the novel coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.

More than 500,000 people worldwide have died from the novel coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

As of Sunday evening, JHU reported 500,108 global deaths, with the United States holding the highest death toll.

The US has witnessed 125,747 deaths from Covid-19, according to JHU, accounting for more than a quarter of the global total.

Drive-through and walk-up testing are still available throughout Florida despite long wait times

A long line of cars wait to enter a drive-through coronavirus testing site?near the Miami Beach Convention Center on Thursday, June 25.

Drive-through and walk-up sites for coronavirus and antibody testing are still available at multiple sites throughout?Florida,?according to Mike Jachles, spokesman for the State Division of Emergency Management Covid test sites.?

During a Sunday press conference, Jachles said that wait times have been “considerably less” this weekend than what?was?seen last week.

The testing site at the Hard Rock parking lot in Miami Gardens has surpassed 43,000 tests since the site opened at the end of March, Jachles said. It remains open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.?seven days a week.

There have been upticks in tests over the past week at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Jachles said.

Jachles encouraged those that are both symptomatic and asymptomatic to get tested for the virus.

About 1.8 million people have been tested statewide, according to Jachles.

Antibody testing is also available at some sites, with results being given sometimes as soon as 20 minutes, Jachles said. Those tests are through blood draw.

Jachles said that people planning on getting a test through a drive-through site should be prepared to wait by having air conditioning in their car and a full tank of gas.

If people can’t endure long waits, or if they are highly symptomatic, they should contact their health care provider or schedule an appointment at one of the sites that is taking appointments for testing, Jachles said.?

Jachles said there is no timetable for ending testing at these sites.

“The word from the Division of Emergency Management is we’re committed to continuing this testing for as long as it’s needed. We have the division of emergency management, before the National Guard, dozens of nurses on site, committed, that have been here for many days working long days and will continue to conduct the testing, as long as it’s needed,” Jachels said.

Israeli health minister warns second wave of Covid-19 infections has begun

Israel’s health minister warned a second wave of Covid-19 infections has begun, as new cases of the coronavirus soar in a country that appeared to have it well under control just a few weeks ago.

The number of new infections in Israel has reached more than 500 daily, just a few weeks after the government started reopening the country. In mid-May there were approximately 20 new infections a day, with the number sometimes down in single figures.

Edelstein targeted his anger at anyone not taking Covid-19 seriously.

“I hear people saying: why are you creating panic? A few elderly people will die, so what? To any person who thinks like this, I say, ‘Imagine your grandfather or grandmother among those elderly,’” Edelstein said.

Tennessee announces delay in reporting Covid-19 data due to technical difficulties with database

A medical professional administers a coronavirus test at a drive-thru testing site in Springfield, Tennessee, on April 18.

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) will not issue data on Covid-19 cases and tests on Sunday due to an unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system, according to a statement issued this afternoon.?

The TDH uses the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base (NBS) to manage local, state and territorial health departments’ reportable disease data, and sends?it to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release. This system houses data for all reportable diseases in the state, including Covid-19.?

Around 3 a.m. Sunday, the element of NBS that imports laboratory results encountered an unexplained shutdown, the health department said. The issue was corrected by TDH and state technology teams, and lab imports to NBS were restarted by noon, the health department said.

However, due to the backlog and unexpected shutdown, a limited number of Covid-19 results were imported into NBS in the past 24 hours. Since the data is incomplete, TDH?made?the decision to not release numbers today.?

TDH notes that the technical difficulties may also cause a delay in notifying those who have tested positive for Covid-19.?

Anti-Trump Republican group's new ad slams President over coronavirus deaths hitting 'Greatest Generation'

A group formed by anti-Trump Republicans will air a new ad Sunday that slams President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic for the deaths of World War II veterans and other senior citizens who belonged to the “Greatest Generation.”?

The advertisement, which will launch Sunday with a $100,000 digital buy in targeted markets, will be seen first in Florida, Arizona, Texas and South Carolina, states that are defined in large part by their military communities. The states have also experienced recent spikes in coronavirus cases.

John Orloff, one of the writers behind the iconic HBO drama about World War II, “Band of Brothers,” wrote the Lincoln Project spot.

Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen said Trump’s record on the pandemic deserves to be on the ballot in November.

“Americans should judge Trump on his inhumanity for accepting us as expendable,” Galen said.

Florida governor says GOP convention is a work in progress and “it will be fine” by August

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press briefing in Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he “look(s) forward” to the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville in August.?

CNN’s Natasha Chen asked the governor if he?has assured?President Trump?the convention would be allowed to take place without any mask requirements after DeSantis said residents should stay away from?closed spaces, crowds and close contact, what he calls?“the three C’s.”?

“It’s a work in progress, we’re going to try to get to yes … Obviously we’re in a dynamic situation,” DeSantis said. “It will be fine by the time. It’s a couple months away, and we look forward to seeing that.”

The convention is slated for August 24–27 in Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida.

Texas Medical Center published incomplete data on ICU beds Saturday. Governor calls for accurate and timely data

The Texas Medical Center released a statement Sunday saying that an incomplete slide deck, or presentation page, was posted yesterday to their website. This means there was insufficient information on the number of ICU beds amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This statement comes amid concerns that the Texas Medical Center had stopped publishing updated data on Intensive Care Unit bed availability in the Houston area.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN Sunday that he noticed data was down for Friday and Saturday.?

“That information was provided for the last, well over the last month, I would get those numbers every morning. So I noticed that I didn’t get them Friday and Saturday,” Turner said. “I’ve had some conversations and I think we’re all on the same page. And that should be coming back as of tomorrow.”?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke with hospital executives earlier in the week and told them that they need to provide accurate and timely data on Covid-19 as often as possible, an Abbott spokesperson told CNN.

California governor closes bars in seven counties

Citing the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars closed in seven counties including Los Angeles County.

The other counties:?Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin and Tulare.

Vice President Mike Pence encourages young people to get tested and people to wear masks

Vice President Mike Pence arrives at Love Field in Dallas on Sunday, June 28.

Vice President Mike Pence has encouraged young Americans to get a coronavirus test if they have concerns.

During his briefing with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pence discussed how they can “accelerate results of testing.” He said he would take the feedback to the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the administration’s private partners.

President Trump has repeatedly downplayed the need for increased testing. At his Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally last week he suggested that he had asked for testing to be slowed down.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, told reporters that Texas health officials are seeing an increase in hospitalization rates among 20- to 40-year-olds, which she said indicated there is a large percentage in this age group who are positive but were asymptomatic.

Pence also encouraged Americans to wear masks, but again deferred to local ordinances for mask requirements.

Later in the briefing, Birx said, “I’m really appealing to every Texan to wear a mask.” Pence and Birx both stressed that younger Americans need to take steps to protect older Americans.

Pence wore a mask earlier Sunday while visiting a church but has not always worn masks in public events.

First NBA player to test positive for coronavirus still not fully recovered months after diagnosis

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert plays during the first half of an NBA game against the Phoenix Suns on October 28, 2019.?

Utah Jazz center Rudy?Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for Covid-19, told the French sports publication?L’Equipe that?he still has not recovered from the virus.?

When speaking with the French sports publication,?Gobert?revealed that his senses haven’t fully recovered saying, “The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100%. I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year.”?

Some context: The 28-year-old faced backlash after he touched every microphone during a press conference while discussing the pandemic, just days before testing positive.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the decision to suspend the season on March 11 after the Frenchman’s positive diagnosis.

Gobert?plans to?join the Jazz in Orlando when the NBA season returns on July 30.

Florida governor attributes Covid-19 surge to socializing and a backlog in testing

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis looks on during a press conference on June 8 in Miami, Florida.

South Florida, especially the Miami–area, has reported the most new cases in the state and it’s mostly due to socializing,?Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said?during a news briefing Sunday.

The uptick in positive cases has been driven “by a big increase” over the last three weeks in younger age groups, particularly those in the 18-to-44 age range, DeSantis said. Graduation parties and gatherings where people aren’t adhering to social distancing are responsible for several Covid-19 cases, DeSantis said.?

A backlog of testing has also accounted for the current spike, DeSantis said.??

Florida was in the 10% positivity range when testing ramped up in March and April,?DeSantis?said.?

In April, that rate dropped and was?stable?in May and June, at around 3%.?Positivity rate is about 12% now, DeSantis says.?

Chile reports more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases

Nurses transfer a patient at Barros Luco Hospital in Santiago, Chile, on June 24.

Chile?reported 4,216 new cases of coronavirus?and 162 new deaths Sunday as Health Minister Enrique Paris praised the effort made by people complying with lockdown procedures.

Chile’s chief epidemiologist Rafael Araos said the country is reporting large numbers “of coronavirus deaths and probably they will keep going up.”

Chile has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America with a total of 271,982. There has also been at least 5,509 coronavirus-related deaths in the country.

Florida's Broward County to close beaches over July 4 weekend

Beachgoers in Hollywood, Florida, on June 25.

Cities in Broward County will follow Miami Dade County’s example and close its beaches ahead of July 4 weekend, the city of Fort Lauderdale said in a tweet.?

Beaches in Broward County will closed?from July 3 through July 5, according to the tweet.

Several mayors from Broward’s coastal cities will?hold a?news conference today at 4:30 p.m ET to discuss the measure, according to the tweet.

Read the tweet:

Louisiana reports 1,467 new Covid-19 cases

Louisiana state officials reported 1,467 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend, according to Louisiana Department of Health.?

Louisiana health officials also reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths for Saturday and Sunday, bringing the state total to 3,086.

To note: The figures released by the Louisiana’s public health agency may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

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There have been at least 125,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the US

There are at least?2,530,587?cases of Covid-19 in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

Approximately?125,630?people have died from coronavirus nationwide.?

On Sunday, Johns Hopkins reported?9,732?new cases and?91?reported deaths in the US.?The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.?

South Florida mayors grapple with residents not following?Covid-19 rules?

People stand in line at a restaurant on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Florida, on June 26.

Miami Beach’s mayor has called for a special commission meeting on Monday to discuss?mask usage compliance as Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, according to a tweet from Mayor Dan Gelber.??

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has ordered?all of the beaches in Miami-Dade County?to close for the July 4 weekend but residents in South Florida continue to congregate?despite?pleas from officials?to social distance.??

In Pinecrest, an affluent Miami-Dade suburb, the “largest problem is private house parties,”? Mayor Joseph Corradino said in a letter?to the community this week.??

House parties have become prevalent in recent weeks and “are the most dangerous things that impact our community,” Corradino said.??

“The law does not enable us to enforce the rules we use on public spaces on private property. So, our current option is to appeal to the common sense and decency of our citizens. This danger comes directly from within,” the letter said.?

Miami Beach code enforcement continues to enforce social distancing mandates from Miami-Dade County,?Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa?Berthier told CNN.

But, whether Miami Beach’s commission will discuss mandating face masks and imposing fines for violators like neighboring city of Miami, “it’s one theory,”?Berthier said.?

HHS secretary says a rise in deaths and hospitalizations is an appropriate concern

HHS Secretary Alex Azar speaks on June 26.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar?said Sunday that a rise in deaths and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 in the coming weeks are “appropriate to be concerned about.”?

Azar told CNN that while fatalities and hospitalizations are at “two month lows,” there is an increase in hospitalizations across the Southern states.

When asked if he was aware that an increase in hospitalization and fatality rates would lag behind an increase in positive cases, Azar said “those are certainly risks” and said that is why he is encouraging those who have “not exercised appropriate social distancing” in the last couple of weeks should wear face coverings and get tested.?

Face coverings are required starting tomorrow?in Tupelo, Mississippi

The city of Tupelo, Mississippi, will require face coverings at all indoor public spaces and businesses starting at 6 a.m. Monday, they city said in an executive order posted on Facebook.?

Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton said his job as mayor is “to keep our community safe, not make easy or politically popular decisions,” he wrote on Facebook.

Shelton said the city is “committed to listening to our local doctors and health care professionals regarding Covid-19 and we are doing all that we can to keep our community safe,” he told CNN over email.

“It is very unfortunate that in today’s political climate and due to the words and actions of some of our political leaders that many Americans simply refuse to believe the urgency and severity of the Covid-19 crisis,” Shelton added. “Stable and rational leadership is desperately needed on the national level and in many states across our nation. We should all listen to our health care professionals regarding health care matters.”

Chuck Schumer wants the Trump administration to extend the public health emergency declaration

Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks at a press conference on June 9.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the Trump administration to extend the public health emergency declaration.

The Covid-19 related declaration is set to expire July 25, Schumer said.??

If the declaration expires, New York could lose more than $1 billion, according to Schumer.

New York would lose assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Schumer said.?

“You may refuse to wear a mask, that’s bad, but you can’t cover your eyes and ears to what?is happening. We have an emergency.?we need you to renew it now,” Schumer said.?

Former FDA commissioner says US will likely see a rise in daily coronavirus-related deaths

Dr. Scott Gottlieb in 2017

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS that the US is “likely to see total daily deaths start to go back up again.”?

Gottlieb cited “major epidemics underway” in the South and Southeast and said we will see continued growth in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks, even if we “take aggressive actions right now.”

While he noted many of the new cases may be clustered in younger populations, Gottlieb said “this spread is likely to seep into more vulnerable communities.”?

Gottlieb said we have a hard six months ahead but “if a large percentage of the population, not everyone, but a large percentage of the population wore masks on a regular basis, reasonable quality masks, that alone could reverse the epidemic.”

Florida reports 8,530 new Covid-19 cases

Florida health officials have reported 8,530 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Health (DOH).?

On Saturday, the state saw its highest single day for cases?since the start of the pandemic?with?9,585.

Florida now has 141,075 Covid-19 cases and 3,518 virus-related deaths, according to DOH’s daily report.

The virus "still has the upper hand," former CDC director says

Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Tom Frieden?at a hearing on May 6.

Former US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden said on Fox News that although the US is doing more testing and hospitals are better prepared, “this virus still has the upper hand.”??

The increase in cases in Southern states is the result of reopening too fast and it “is going to continue to get worse for weeks,” Frieden said.

Frieden said the deaths will lag cases of infections by about a month. And while the increase in cases appears to be in younger populations, Frieden said “what starts in young adults doesn’t stay in young adults.”

Frieden estimated that in the next month, the US will see at least 15,000 more deaths from Covid-19. He also said cases will continue to rise.

Mexico reports more than 4,400 new Covid-19 cases

Mexico recorded 4,410 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the total case count for the country to 212,802.

There were also 602 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing the country’s death toll to 26,381.

Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Deputy Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell, who leads Mexico’s Covid-19 response, said that despite encouraging data from some states that are gradually reopening their economic activities, there’s always a risk coronavirus cases might go up again.

In a video posted to his Twitter page Saturday evening, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, “It was a tough week because we do not just continue suffering from the pandemic, which is gradually going down, but also the earthquake, and yesterday’s attack against Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch. We need to move forward so things can get better.”

Mexico is the country with the fourth?highest number of Covid-19 cases in Latin America, after Brazil, Peru and Chile.

South Korea to allow a limited number of fans at professional sporting events

South Korea will allow a limited number of fans at professional sports games, the country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Sunday.

The details, including the number of spectators and the timing of the matches, will be determined next week.

South Korea reported 40 new domestic cases of Covid-19 and 22 imported cases on Sunday. No new deaths have been reported.

There are now a total of 12,715 confirmed cases and 1069 patients are currently being treated, according to South Korea’s health ministry.

Leading GOP senator says it would "help" if Trump wore a mask

Sen. Lamar Alexander at a hearing on June 23.

Senior Republican Sen.?Lamar Alexander, who chairs the?committee on health, education, labor and pensions, told CNN it would “help” if President Trump wore a mask because it would eliminate political stigma around doing so.??

When asked whether the American people should look to the President for public health advice given his past remarks, including his comment about slowing down testing, the senator said the public should listen to medical experts.

“My suggestion to the President all along and for the other political leaders is let the experts do the talking about medicine. People trust them,” Alexander said.?

Nancy Pelosi says a federal mask mandate is "long overdue"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she believes a federal mandate on mask wearing is “long overdue” and that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not require mask wearing because they did not want to “offend the President.”

Pelosi urged President Trump to wear a mask during an interview on ABC Sunday morning.

Pelosi’s mask could be seen on her neck during the interview.

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden said earlier this week that he would make wearing face masks mandatory for Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Only two US states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases

A man wearing a PPE mask passes a mural on the side of a building in midtown New York City on June 26.

Only two US states are reporting a decline in new?coronavirus?cases compared to last week – Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Florida reported 9,585 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a single-day record high since the start of the pandemic. The number rivals that of New York’s peak in daily cases in early April.

While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said?the state’s surge in cases in the past week was the result of a “test dump,”?officials there and across the US have also warned of an increase in cases among younger groups.

That’s all as the US broke another record,?reporting the highest number of new cases in a single day?Friday with at least 40,173 new infections.

As cases spike, US travelers?are “unlikely” to be allowed into the European Union?as the bloc begins opening up to international travel, several EU diplomats told CNN.

Officials in parts of the US are now trying to reel in the spread of the virus – which many experts have said is spiraling out of control – by making pleas to the country’s young population to keep their distance,?urging the use of face masks?and?halting their reopening plans.

The US has now hit more than 2.5 million infections and at least 125,539 deaths, according to?Johns Hopkins University.

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A man rides a bicycle as people walk on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Florida on June 26, 2020. - They are itching for a good time after months of lockdown, and may the coronavirus be damned: young adults in Florida are fueling a dangerous rise in COVID-19 infections. Feeling immortal, these fun-crazed people are finding ways to gather and party even though many bars and nightclubs remain closed as the Sunshine State reopened its economy this month. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Only two US states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases

British city braces for localized lockdown after case spike

The British government will offer support to authorities in Leicester, a city in the East Midlands, amid suggestions that it could become the first place in the UK to enter a local lockdown following a concentrated coronavirus flare-up.?

Pressed by the BBC’s Andrew Marr on whether a “local lockdown” would be introduced in Leicester, Home Secretary Priti Patel said “that is correct.”?

“There will be support going into Leicester…the Health Secretary has been in touch with many of us over the weekend explaining some of the measures,” Patel said Sunday.

Britain is in the process of easing its lockdown restrictions, which have been in place since March.

Groups of up to six people can now meet outside in England. But on Friday Downing Street warned that if coronavirus case numbers increased, the government would put local lockdowns in place.

According to Patel, the government has developed a new mechanism to deal with local flare-ups, telling Marr that there have been a number of instances reported across the country over recent weeks.?

“We have a new mechanism, a Joint Biosecurity Center, which is very much geared up. It has been developed to address local flare-ups,” she said.?

In a tweet on Saturday, Leicester City Council warned that there has been a rise in positive coronavirus tests in the area, urging members of the public to continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines.?

“Until the number of cases in Leicester comes down, please be extra cautious and continue to keep 2 meters apart from people you don’t live with,” the local authority added.?

JUST IN: Global coronavirus cases surpass 10 million

Volunteers, health care workers and doctors participate in a protest in April in Miami.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 10 million on Sunday, according to a tally from?Johns Hopkins University.

The terrible milestone comes six months after initial cases were first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in mid-December, before continuing to spread across the globe.

Covid-19 has infected 10,001,527 and killed at least 499,123 people globally.

The figure comes as numerous countries like the UK ease lockdown restrictions, yet the pandemic continues to course through nations. Countries like Germany, which effectively handled the first wave, are seeing an uptick in new infections – a problem that experts say will recur until a vaccine is found.

Other countries are seeing more than 10,000 infections a day. In India, authorities are scrambling to open a Covid-19 treatment facility to deal with the surge in cases in the nation’s capital, New Delhi.

The?US leads?with the most deaths and confirmed cases worldwide. There are at least?2,510,323 coronavirus cases and 125,539 deaths from the disease in the country.

After managing to slow the spread in May, coronavirus numbers have skyrocketed in?inland states, including Texas and Arizona. Now only two US states are reporting a decline in new cases compared to last week – Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Florida reported 9,585 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a single-day record high since the start of the pandemic. The number rivals that of New York’s peak in daily cases in early April.

Track the spread of the virus here:

Coronavirus cases in the US top 2.51 million

There are at least?2,510,323?cases of coronavirus in the US, and?at least?125,539?people have died in the country from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases in the United States.

On Sunday, Johns Hopkins has reported?172?new cases.?

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories, as well as repatriated cases.

The pandemic could lead to longer power outages following a hurricane, industry leaders warn

The massive eye of Hurricane Florence is shown from space in 2018.

Power companies across?hurricane-prone states are forced to face?a prospect they’ve never dealt with before: restoring power after a?major storm amid a global pandemic.

Long restoration times are likely depending on how the?coronavirus?plays out during the six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which?started June 1?and is?predicted to be extremely active.

“While we are committed to restoring power to customers as quickly as possible following a hurricane, I am not willing to sacrifice safety for speed,” Florida Power & Light Company President and CEO Eric Silagy noted Friday after the company concluded its two-week storm preparedness drill.

“The No. 1 priority of every employee and contractor working to restore power is to return home safely to loved ones,” he said. “This has always been at the core of our hurricane response and it remains at the heart of everything we do this hurricane season.”

It means everyone living in hurricane-prone communities must be ready to be without power longer following a major hurricane. Just as important is adding?hand sanitizer and face masks?to?a storm-preparedness checklist, as well as checking with local emergency management officials for changes to shelters and evacuation orders due to the coronavirus.

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CARRABELLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 01:  Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive on the Florida Gulf coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1, 2016 in Carrabelle Florida. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast as Hermine is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

Related article The pandemic could lead to longer power outages following a hurricane, industry leaders warn

The US is more alone than ever, just at the moment the world needs its leadership

The?United States?is in uncharted territory, on an exponential path to becoming a?Covid-19?pariah and an unreliable ally to its friends.

America’s fall in global esteem is turning into an international horror show as the world watches the superpower struggle to match the efforts of many poorer nations to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.

Three-and-a-half years of President Donald Trump in office has changed America’s international reputation and perhaps its future role in a way that seemed unimaginable when he?took the oath of office on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial on January 20, 2017.

He?set the tone?in the drizzle that day: “We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs.”

Trump’s early decisions were deliberate, turbulent and at times seemed giddy.

Three days after his inauguration, he?abandoned?the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potentially lucrative 12-nation Pacific trade deal.?Executive Order 13769?swiftly followed, banning citizens of seven Muslim nations from travel to the US.

So when European Union leaders gathered in Malta for an emergency summit in February 2017, “America First” was very much on their minds. EU Council President Donald Tusk?wrote to the bloc’s leaders: “The change in Washington puts the European Union in a difficult situation; with the new administration seeming to put into question the last 70 years of American foreign policy.”?

Read the full analysis here.

For the first time this year, China's industrial firms have posted profit gains

An employee works at a textile machine factory in Lianyungang in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 15.

Chinese industrial firms have posted profit gains for the first time in 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics said Sunday.?

In May, firms reported a 6% rise in profits, year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics?said Sunday?in a statement.?By comparison, profits in April fell by 4.3%, compared to the same month last year.

The bureau said May’s results are an indication that?business activity is slowly improving.?Lockdowns across China in February to contain the coronavirus outbreak caused many businesses to stop working.

India reports biggest single-day jump with over 19,000 new Covid-19 cases

Staff at Shiva's Signature hair salon wearing Personal Protective Equipment  suits and face shields attend customers after personal grooming services were allowed to resume following relaxation of lockdown norms amidst Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, in Mumbai on June 28, 2020. - India now has more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to government figures released on June 27 that showed a record daily leap of 18,500 new infections. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP) (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

India reported 19,906 new coronavirus cases on Sunday – the country’s biggest one-day jump.

Another 410 deaths due to the pandemic were recorded, according to India’s Health Ministry.

That brings India’s total reported coronavirus cases to 528,859, including 16,095 deaths and 309,712 recovered cases.

The west Indian state of Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, with 159,133 reported cases.

That’s followed by national capital Delhi, which has reported 80,188 cases.

Read more about Delhi’s outbreak here.

A 10,000-bed Covid-19 facility is set to open in India

A new 10,000-bed Covid-19 treatment facility is set to open in south Delhi this week.

It will be India’s largest Covid-19 facility.

Starting Sunday, 2,000 beds will be operational, while the remaining 8,000 beds will come into use from Wednesday, according to the Delhi government.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the facility Saturday.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police have taken over the facility and will oversee its administration and operations, confirmed the home minister.

As of Sunday, Delhi has reported 80,188 coronavirus cases, including 2,558 deaths, according to India’s Health Ministry.

There are at least 2.5M coronavirus cases in the United States

Community outreach specialist Rogelio Bucio collects patient information as they wait in line at a walk up Covid-19 testing site on June 27, in Dallas, Texas.

There are at least?2,510,151?cases of coronavirus in the United States, including at least?125,539?deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

On Saturday, Johns Hopkins reported?42,597?new cases and?500?additional deaths.?The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.?

For the latest Johns Hopkins University US numbers, check hereCNN’s map, using JHU data, continues to refresh every 15 mins.

All travelers returning to one Australian state will be tested before being released from quarantine

Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, speaks during a press conference on June 28, in Melbourne, Australia.

All those returning to the Australian state of Victoria will need to test negative for coronavirus before being released from quarantine, says Victoria premier Daniel Andrews.

Victoria is the only state in Australia that has been testing returned travelers twice – on day three and day 11.

Starting Sunday, the day 11 test will become mandatory and those who refuse to comply will be required to remain in quarantine for another 10 days.

Andrews also said that some suburbs could be put under a stay-at-home order or some sort of lockdown, if needed.

The background: Victoria has seen a spike in cases over the past two weeks. Last Friday, the state said it would launch a targeted testing program, allowing residents in 10 suburbs to receive free testing for the next 10 days.

In total, 40,000 tests have been conducted since the program was launched.

Andrews said the current situation is “much like a bushfire.”

China reports another 17 coronavirus cases -- including 14 that were locally transmitted

People wear masks as they cross a road in Beijing on June 28.

China has reported 17 additional cases of coronavirus, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).?

That number included 14 locally transmitted cases in Beijing, which is dealing with a fresh outbreak. The other three cases were imported cases.

According to NHC, China has reported a total of 83,500 confirmed cases. A total of 78,451 patients have been discharged, and 4,634 people have died.

Washington Post: Trump campaign had social distancing stickers removed before Tulsa rally

US President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn on June 25, in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump’s campaign?directed the removal of thousands of “Do Not Sit Here, Please!” stickers from seats in the Bank of Oklahoma Center in the hours before the President’s much-anticipated Tulsa rally, the?Washington Post?reported on Saturday.

As part of the BOK Center’s safety plan for the June 20 rally, arena management had purchased 12,000 do-not-sit stickers with the intention of keeping people apart by leaving open seats between attendees, according to the Post.

Then on the day of the rally, when event staff had already placed the stickers on nearly every other chair in the 19,000-seat arena, the Trump campaign told event management to stop and began removing the stickers, according to a person familiar with the event who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, didn’t address the sticker removal incident but instead touted the health precautions that were taken for the event in a statement to CNN.

Read the full story here.

Measures to protect Trump from coronavirus scale up ... even as he seeks to move on

US President Donald Trump participates in a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in the East Room of the White House on June 26, in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump?appears ready to move on from a still-raging?coronavirus pandemic?– skipping the?first White House task force briefing?in months and moving the event out of the White House itself. But the measures meant to protect him from catching the virus have scaled up dramatically.

As he seeks to insert rival Joe Biden’s health into the presidential campaign, Trump has voiced escalating concern about how it would appear if he contracted coronavirus and has insisted on steps to protect himself, even as he refuses to wear a mask in public and agitates for large campaign rallies.

When he travels to locations where the virus is surging, every venue the President enters is inspected for potential areas of contagion by advance security and medical teams, according to people familiar with the arrangements. Bathrooms designated for the President’s use are scrubbed and sanitized before he arrives. Staff maintain a close accounting of who will come into contact with the President to ensure they receive tests.

While the White House phases out steps such as temperature checks and required mask-wearing in the West Wing – changes meant to signal the country is moving on – those around the President still undergo regular testing. And even as Trump attempts to put the pandemic behind him by encouraging reopening and downplaying the new surge, there are signs of the still-raging pandemic even within his orbit.

Read the full story here.

Here's what health experts want you to know about travel and vacations

Arriving passengers wait for their bags in the baggage claim area at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B baggage claim area, on Thursday, June 25, in New York City.

We asked health experts to help you navigate how best to get away – and what pitfalls they see along the way.

What types of Covid-19 precautions should people take this summer while traveling by car? By plane?

Here’s what Dr. Jay C. Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said:

If you wanted to visit far-away family, would you stay with them?

Dr. Susan Bailey, an allergist and immunologist and president of the American Medical Association, based in Forth Worth, Texas, replied:

Read more answers here.

Is the world turning its back on US tourists?

A traveler walks past screeners testing a system of thermal imaging cameras which check body temperatures at Los Angeles International Airport on June 24, in Los Angeles, California.

In downtown Buffalo, New York, crossing the border into Ontario, Canada, used to be as easy as driving one mile across the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River. But that’s now a forbidden route.

In the coronavirus era, New York residents and out-of-state road trippers aren’t allowed to cross the border for leisure?travel.

US citizens have been shut out of their neighboring country to the north and a slew of nations around the world. The latest travel news affecting Americans: The?European Union is considering blocking travelers from areas with severe Covid-19 outbreaks?after it opens it borders on July 1.

Since the United States has more confirmed coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world, with numbers increasing in some states each day, US travelers are unlikely to be allowed in any time soon.

Although potential travel bubbles are being discussed all over the world –?Fiji is the latest in talks to form one with Australia and New Zealand?– the United States has yet to join a bubble.

Where does this new world order leave US citizens with a penchant for travel?

Nostalgic for the pre-Covid days when a US passport promised access to much of the world? Anxious of how they’ll be perceived – and received – by foreign countries when restrictions are eventually loosened?

Read the full story here.

Brazil revises date of first Covid-19 death to March 12

An employee of a private company sanitizes against the spread of Covid-19 at a house in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 26.

Brazil’s health ministry reported on Saturday that the first laboratory-confirmed death by Covid-19 in the country occurred on March 12 – four days earlier than previously reported.

The patient who died on March 12 was a 57-year-old woman admitted to a public hospital in S?o Paulo the day before, according to the ministry.?

On Saturday, the health ministry also reported another virus death took place on March 15.

In a press release, the health ministry referred to seven deaths that occurred between March 16 and 17 in S?o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, though it was not clear if these, too, were newly confirmed Covid-19 deaths to be added to Brazil’s official count.??

The health ministry said new details had come to light after it had bought more diagnostic tests and given them to states.

CNN asked the health ministry via email for more information on how the March 12 death became registered as a Covid-19 fatality more than three months after it happened. The ministry did not immediately respond to the query.?

Colombia passes China in reported Covid-19 cases?

A health worker holds a blood sample in the Versalles Clinic, on June 25, in Cali, Colombia.

Colombia reported a record 4,149 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the third time in a week the country has posted an all-time high of new infections.

The new cases bring the total number reported in Colombia to 88,591 – higher than the total reported by China, which is 84,726.

Colombia also reported 128 new Covid-19 deaths, bringing the nationwide total to 2,939.

Honduras’ President has Covid-19. He's tweeting photos of himself working from hospital

President Juan Orlando Hernández on Saturday tweeted two photos of himself reading documents, with the message: “I am still in the hospital, but always working to serve my people.”

Hernández added that he had signed several decrees, including legislation to assist the production sector and an extension of a tax declaration affecting small businesses.?

A government spokesman said Hernandez was “stable” and continuing to improve.

The Honduran government announced that Hernández tested positive for Covid-19 on June 16, making him the first president in Latin America to test positive for the virus.?

Hernandez is being treated at a military hospital. His wife and two aides also tested positive.

Read more

Panicking Trump tries to change the subject
New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is about to celebrate its first public Mass since March
Residents are asked to self-quarantine after about 85 people who visited a Michigan bar get Covid-19

Read more

Panicking Trump tries to change the subject
New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is about to celebrate its first public Mass since March
Residents are asked to self-quarantine after about 85 people who visited a Michigan bar get Covid-19