This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 3rd, 2020.

The federal government has told states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine ready to distribute by Nov. 1. The Director of the CDC said states will get permit applications from McKesson, whom the CDC will use to distribute vaccines to health departments and hospitals.

Scientists in Iceland are saying after an exhaustive study of immunity COVID-19 antibodies last for at least 4 months and don’t fade quickly. If true, that’s encouraging for vaccine efforts. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Seven new studies led by the World Health Organization confirm multiple types of inexpensive steroids improve survival for severely ill COVID-19 patients. The research found steroids reduced the risk of death in the first month by about one-third compared to placebos.

Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed he and everyone else in his immediate family have tested positive. He says while all have recovered, it’s been the most challenging thing he's ever been through.

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has also tested positive. The 83-year-old is in isolation at his home near Milan. Berlusconi had recently returned from a holiday in Sardinia which saw a spike in COVID-19 cases in August.

Lebanon is seeing quite an increase in the spread of the coronavirus after last month's massive explosion at Beirut's port. Since the incident, the number of cases has increased some 220% according to the International Rescue Committee.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita as of September 2nd according to The New York Times: Wayne, TN. Chattahoochee, GA. Lincoln, AR. Radford, VA. Rosebud, MT. Madison, LA. Clay, SD. East Feliciana, LA. And new on the list, Muskogee, OK and Dickens, TX. Countries with the most cases in the last 7 days per capita: Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands, Maldives, Sint Maarten, Peru, Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Costa Rica, and Israel.

There’ve been 6,113,160 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 185,707 deaths. The 10 states with highest cumulative case counts: California with 721,131. Texas with 641,855. Florida 633,442. New York 436,218. Georgia 274,613. Illinois 240,344. Arizona 202,861. New Jersey 192,595. North Carolina 170,553. And Tennessee with 157,831 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the most new cases for September 1st: India 82,860. Brazil 48,632. United States 41,211. Argentina 10,933. And Colombia 9,270.

The top 10 countries with highest overall cumulative case counts: The United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Peru, South Africa, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and Argentina. 

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related on September 1st: Texas 183. California 158. Florida 124. Georgia 62. South Carolina 37. Mississippi 33. North Carolina 29. Virginia 29. Pennsylvania 28. And Missouri 28.

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