June 25 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 4:35 p.m. ET, November 23, 2020
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8:12 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

60% of US states are reporting increases in new cases

At least 30 states across the US — 60% — are reporting an increase in new coronavirus cases in the past week, compared to the previous week.

Of those states, 13 are reporting a 50% or greater increase.

New cases are trending down in 11 states, while nine are seeing steady numbers.

Here's a look at where things stand:

8:03 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

There are still "many weeks ahead" in the coronavirus pandemic, L.A. public health official says

Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said people need to start working together to contain the spread of coronavirus as cases spike in California and several other states across the country.

"Obviously when your numbers start going in the wrong direction, it means that more people need to do the right thing. More people need to get back on track. They need to take the steps that protect each other," she told CNN on Thursday.

Ferrer said that means people need to continue to wear face coverings, practice social distancing and avoid large crowds – as well as rely and follow information and guidance from public health officials and scientists.

"This is our unfortunate reality. I know many, many, many people are kind of done with this virus, but the virus isn't done with us. We have many, many weeks ahead," she said.

Some context: California obliterated its previous single-day high with 7,149 cases reported on Tuesday, according to state Department of Public Health. The previous record, set the day before, was just more than 5,000. Hospitalization and intensive care rates due to the virus are also at an all-time high in the state.

"I think as we had anticipated with more people out, we would have seen the increase. I think the increase has happened much quicker than we thought it would," Ferrer said.

7:38 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Alex Rodriguez: Hundreds of balls may be required for each MLB game under Covid-19 rules 

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Former New York Yankee and 14-time all-star Alex Rodriguez laid out the challenges Major League Baseball players will face this summer as they take on an abbreviated 60-game season under strict new rules designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"If I was still playing for the Yankees, I would be driving to Yankee Stadium... in my pinstripes," said Rodriguez. "There is a world where there is no bat boys, there's no bat girls… You can't spit… no tobacco... even sunflower seeds."

"Think about a world, you going into the office it's like not being able to use your computer or even email someone," he continued. "It's going to be a very strange season."

The new rules, laid out in a 113-page manual, ban spitting, arguing with umpires, fighting, public transportation to the stadium and communal food spreads among other comforts, according to the New York Times. 

Players and coaches will undergo frequent coronavirus testing and pitchers must use a wet rag in their pocket to dampen the ball for grip instead of spit.

Speaking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Rodriguez pointed out that this abbreviated season also might require vastly more baseballs for sanitary reasons than previous seasons.

"What's interesting to note is a Major League Baseball game, you usually have nine to 11 dozens of baseballs. …We live in a world today that we could go through 30 or 40 dozens of baseballs because anytime a ball touches anyone, you throw it out of play," he said.

WATCH:

7:21 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Coalition of airline unions ask Congress to extend payroll bailout through March 2021

From CNN's Greg Wallace

A coalition of airline worker unions asked Congress on Thursday to extend the industry payroll bailout through next March to stave off what they warned are inevitable mass layoffs.  

Six unions whose members include flight attendants, pilots, and ground-based aviation workers pointed to signals from airline executives that job cuts are on the horizon when the federal money stops flowing on October 1.  

“Only through an extension of PSP grants can Congress ensure that airline workers will continue to stay on payroll and ready to turn the industry around, prevent mass unemployment in October, and keep aviation workers ready to lift off as travel picks back up,” the groups wrote, referring to the Payroll Support Program that paid out as much as $25 billion to passenger airlines to prevent layoffs.  

Some background: The program required airlines to continue paying the employees and agree to other terms, including a minimum level of service for airports nationwide.  

The letter was addressed to the leaders of both the House and Senate.  

7:11 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Arizona governor says state's reopening plan is "on pause" due to coronavirus resurgence

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said the state’s reopening plans are now “on pause” as a result of a major spike in coronavirus cases.

“It's growing, and it's growing fast across all age groups and demographics,” he said at a news conference Thursday. “Anyone can get this virus, and anyone can spread this virus."

The state Department of Health Services reported new cases topping 3,000 as of last week, a pace which the governor said could overwhelm hospital intensive care facilities “very soon.”

Ducey said the state will not be rolling back their business reopening plans, but will be requiring businesses to follow social distancing rules that remain in effect.

“If they choose not to, there will be accountability, and there will be enforcement," he said.

Even with the new policy, Ducey said it’s too late to put an immediate dent in the coronavirus numbers.

“We expect that our numbers will be worse next week and the week following," he said.

7:01 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

UK study shows neurological complications in young patients with severe Covid-19

From CNN’s Marisa Peryer

More research shows that coronavirus can cause a range of neurological problems, from dementia to psychosis.

Some patients with severe cases of the disease have presented with several neurological conditions, according to a study of UK patients published in The Lancet Psychiatry Thursday. 

These included newly diagnosed altered mental states in people under age 60, including a dementia-like cognitive syndrome, psychosis, inflammation and mood disorders like depression or anxiety. 

And although strokes were markedly more common among patients above 60, they were also seen across all age groups included in the study. 

“Strokes are very well recognized as a complication of Covid,” said Benedict Michael, a senior clinician scientist fellow at the University of Liverpool and the study’s co-senior author. “What our study found, surprisingly, was actually the next most common complication of Covid-19 on the brain was this alteration in mental state," he added. 

How it works: Jennifer Loftis, a psychiatry professor at Oregon Health & Science who was not involved with the study, said inflammatory molecules, called cytokines, are found throughout the body, including the central nervous system. When these molecules proliferate, such as during a Covid-19 infection, elevations could also be in the brain —contributing to neuropsychiatric impairments like depression and impacting how cells talk to each other. 

Still, the study published Thursday cannot discount the possibility that young patients had undiagnosed, pre-existing psychiatric conditions. As for younger Covid-19 patients in the study who have had a stroke, Michael said the possible causes include artery inflammation and changes in clotting proteins. This may also cause strokes for older patients, in addition to conventional risk factors for that population. 

“We can't tell the relative frequencies of these things, but it's really what doctors are seeing and reporting,” Timothy Nicholson, one of the study's co-authors and a clinical lecturer at King's College in London, said in a statement.

“It's really a sort of early-warning system of what we might expect," he added.

6:55 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Brazil reports more than 39,000 new coronavirus cases

From CNN's Rodrigo Pedroso and Taylor Barnes

A coronavirus combat team disinfects the Morro Santa Marta favela, south of Rio de Janeiro on June 24.
A coronavirus combat team disinfects the Morro Santa Marta favela, south of Rio de Janeiro on June 24. Fabio Teixeira/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Brazil’s health ministry reported 39,483 new cases of novel coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the nationwide total to at least 1,228,114.

The ministry also reported 1,141 new virus deaths, bringing the country’s death toll to at least 54,971. 

6:58 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Study finds coronavirus in children is generally mild and unlikely to be fatal

From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas

For children and adolescents under 18, effects of coronavirus are generally mild, and fatalities are rare, European researchers reported Thursday.

Only four children died out of 582 in the study, which was conducted at the height of the pandemic in Europe, the researchers reported in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. Only 8% required intensive care.

The study affirms what doctors have been finding: children are far less likely than adults to suffer serious effects of coronavirus. But children were not completely spared. While only 4% of the children needed ventilators to help them breathe, some required ventilation for a month. 

Children under the age of one month and those with preexisting health issues were more likely to require intensive care. Some of them had more than one infection and 24% of those with additional respiratory infections such as cold or flu viruses required intensive care. Only 7% of children without co-infections required intensive care.

“This could have important implications for the upcoming winter season, when cold and flu infections will be more common,” said Dr. Begoña Santiago-Garcia of University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, who worked on the study.

Because the participants included only patients who sought medical help and had been tested for coronavirus, researchers noted that the study skewed towards more severe cases than reflected in the general population.

“Overall, the vast majority of young people experience only mild disease,” said Dr. Marc Tebruegge of the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London, who helped lead the study. “Nevertheless, a notable number of children do develop severe disease and require intensive care support, and this should be accounted for when planning and prioritizing healthcare resources as the pandemic progresses.” 

The study noted that research on treatment for children, including antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs, is urgently needed. 

The most common symptom reported was fever, while about 16% of participants had no symptoms at all. 

6:34 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

This Florida city issued an emergency order requiring facial coverings

From CNN's Mallory Simon

People walk along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk at sunrise on May 13, in Hollywood, Florida.
People walk along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk at sunrise on May 13, in Hollywood, Florida. Lynne Sladky/AP

The city of Hollywood, Florida, issued an emergency order Thursday requiring public use of facial coverings due to Covid-19.

The order states "all persons beyond the legal boundary of their residential property are required to wear a facial covering consistent with current CDC guidelines that cover the nose and mouth, including individuals within the common areas of all buildings with multiple residences and at their place of employment unless exempted by Emergency Orders issued by the Governor of the State of Florida or Broward County." 

Children under the age of two, people engaging in outdoor exercise while maintaining six feet of distance from others, those with medical conditions that prevent facial coverings and people who are employed in a profession where a facial covering will interfere with their duties are exempt from the order. 

The Hollywood Police Department will enforce the emergency measure and can issue warnings or citations, according to the order.