Coronavirus 411 082020

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Thursday August 20th, 2020.

The FDA was getting ready last week to issue emergency authorization for blood plasma as a treatment for Covid-19. But health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci have intervened and now that’s on hold. They say the data on blood plasma treatment is too weak.

Pharmacists in all 50 states can now give childhood vaccinations. The head of Health and Human Services used coronavirus emergency powers to help stop vaccination rates from falling during the pandemic.

A former state health director says Arizona’s downward trend of cases means parts of the state could meet the three metrics set for a partial reopening of schools by Labor Day.

Meanwhile, in NYC, the president of the city’s largest teacher’s union says they’re prepared to strike unless the mayor makes major changes to the current school reopening plan. 

No more Public Health England. A reorganization will create a new National Institute for Health Protection. Critics say Public Health England is being made a scapegoat for mishandling of the pandemic.

Australia is serious about its lockdowns, extended four more weeks in Victoria. Police checkpoints are in place with sizable fines for anyone breaking the rules. Citizens report some of the larger checkpoints are monitored by military personnel.

Movie production was largely shut down by the coronavirus, but cameras are set to roll again in September in London on The Batman. The UK has also given the green light to resume production on Mission: Impossible 7.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 20th, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette and Suwannee Counties Florida. Chicot, Lincoln and Lee Counties, Arkansas. Phillips and Big Horn Counties, Montana. Pawnee, Kansas. Stephens, Texas. And Holt, Missouri. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Peru, Bahrain, Maldives, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, and Faroe Islands.

There’ve been 5,525,235 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 172,970 deaths. There were 45,075 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 643,385. Florida 584,047. Texas 574,341. New York 427,202. Georgia 243,978. Illinois 213,209. Arizona 195,557. New Jersey 188,427. North Carolina 147,924. And Louisiana with 139,903 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 20th: India 69,196. Brazil 48,541. United States 44,597. Colombia 13,056. Peru 9,099.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,525,235

Brazil 3,407,354

India 2,767,273

Russia 935,066

South Africa 596,060

Peru 549,321

Mexico 531,239

Colombia 489,122

Chile 390,037

And Spain with 370,867

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