Arkansas reports a downward trend in Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Molly Silverman
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, center, speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol on Thursday, March 12. Andrew DeMillo/AP
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that "for the first time in a long time" the number of active cases in the state decreased.
The 420 new Covid-19 cases reported Wednesday is the lowest number of active cases the state has seen in sometime, Hutchinson said.
Hospitalization rates have gone down as well, he said. At least 275 people remain hospitalized.
At least 21,197 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state and at least 277 people have died from the virus.
One thing to note: These figures were released by the state of Arkansas and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
7:00 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Early message to Americans about wearing masks was "confusing," Fauci admits
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
The “mixed message” about wearing a mask at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to the reluctance of some Americans to wear a face covering now, Dr. Anthony Fauci told NPR in an interview Wednesday.
Americans were first told in February and March not to wear a face mask to protect against Covid-19 transmission as a shortage of personal protective gear for medical works worsened. But by May, health experts, including Fauci, reversed course and urged people to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus.
“I think that did have an effect,” Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told host Mary Louise Kelly.
Fauci admitted that the early message to Americans about wearing a mask was “confusing.” Without elaborating, he said there were “many other things” now contributing to why people do not want to wear a face covering.
"We have to admit it that mixed message in the beginning, even though it was well meant, to allow masks to be available to help workers, that was detrimental in getting the message across right now. No doubt about it,” Fauci said.
6:56 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
New Mexico governor attributes rise in Covid-19 cases to people failing to wear face masks
From CNN’s Janine Mack
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks about the uptick in confirmed Covid-19 cases in the state and her decision to hold off on opening more of the economy during a news conference at the state Capitol in Sante Fe on Thursday, June 25. Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal via AP
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham attributed the rise in Covid-19 cases to people in her state not wearing masks.
“I do think failure to adhere to the mandatory masks has lead to where we are,” she said during a news conference on Wednesday. “And I just think people have gotten very relaxed about and they should not be.”
She said face coverings continue to be mandatory in the state.
The numbers: At least 12,276 cases of coronavirus have been reported in New Mexico and at least 500 people have died from the virus, according to the state's Department of Health.
New Mexico will not be entering phase two of its reopening in July due to the surge in cases, Lujan Grisham said.
6:44 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Colombia tops 100,000 coronavirus cases
From CNN's Stefano Pozzebon and Tim Lister
Colombia surpassed 100,000 cases of novel coronavirus Wednesday, according to the country's health ministry.
The ministry reported a record 4,163 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total to 102,009.
Colombia also recorded 136 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 3,470.
The Latin American country has seen a new peak this week in its average number of reported cases and deaths in a seven-day period, according to a CNN tally.
6:34 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Study shows that individual decisions to stay put helped slow the spread of coronavirus in the US
From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas
People’s individual decisions to stay put likely helped slow the spread of coronavirus, even before state stay-at-home orders were implemented, a study published Wednesday in the Lancet finds.
Researchers used cellphone data to track movement patterns for 25 US counties with high coronavirus rates between January 1 and April 20 to evaluate how social distancing affected the rate of new infections.
They found that social distancing measures and the slow of coronavirus were primarily driven by changes in individual behavior and local regulations, noting that state and federal regulations were implemented either too late or not at all.
Individuals moved around less in all 25 counties six to 29 days before statewide stay-at-home orders were implemented. In 21 counties, mobility slowed on an individual level even before local stay-at-home orders were in place, Dr. Lauren Gardner of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues reported.
From late January to mid-April, people reduced their daily movements by varying amounts — from 35% of normal in New York City to 63% of what was usual in Houston’s Harris County. It took about nine to 12 days, on average, for the effects to begin showing, consistent with the incubation period of the virus.
Gardner’s team said the strong connection between social distancing and decreased transmission rates means that a return to normal mobility around the country creates a significant risk of increased infections – one that will likely not be apparent for up to three weeks after mobility increases.
The study did not differentiate among low-risk trips, like going to the park, and higher-risk trips, like going to the grocery store. Because the data did not include sociodemographic information, the researchers could not isolate information about older adults, those with medical disorders and underserved communities, for whom social distancing can be more difficult.
6:24 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Miami-Dade mayor to expand mask requirement to all indoor and outdoor public spaces
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Wilfredo Lee/AP
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is expanding the mandatory mask order in the county, according to a statement from his office.
“After consulting with the CEOs of South Florida hospitals and Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew this afternoon, I have decided to issue an emergency order requiring masks in all public spaces inside and outdoors throughout Miami-Dade County,” Gimenez said in the statement.
Gimenez said he would sign the order later tonight which will require masks in all indoor and outdoor public spaces.
The current fines for violating an emergency order remain in effect; up to $500 and/or up to 180 days in jail, the mayor said.
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6:18 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Brazil surpasses 60,000 coronavirus deaths
From CNN's Shasta Darlington and Rodrigo Pedroso
A thousand crosses were placed in front of the National Congress in Brasilia in honor of those who have died of Covid-19, on June 28, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Sergio Lima/AFP/Getty Images
The number of coronavirus deaths in Brazil surpassed 60,000 on Wednesday, according to the country's health ministry.
The ministry reported 1,038 new Covid-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing Brazil's death toll to 60,632.
Brazil also reported 46,712 newly confirmed cases Wednesday, a large daily increase but still not a record for the country's daily figures. The highest number reported in a 24-hour period for Brazil happened on June 19 when the ministry reported 54,771 new cases.
Brazil has 1,448,753 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Wednesday, the second highest number of cases worldwide.
6:21 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
Fauci says he predicted 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day to "jolt" people into listening
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wears a face covering as he listens during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on June 30, in Washington. Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images
The US can turn the resurging coronavirus pandemic around, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said during an interview with NPR Wednesday afternoon.
“It does not have to be 100,000 cases a day,” Fauci told host Mary Louise Kelly.
“I used that number because I wanted to jolt people,” to get their attention, he added.
Some context: Fauci testified before a Senate committee Tuesday that without intervention, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, the US could see as many as 100,000 new Covid-19 cases a day. The country is seeing almost 40,000 new cases a day already.
“If you leave the virus to its own devices, it will take off on you. The control of an outbreak is what we do to oppose the dynamics of the outbreak. And if you do things that essentially enhance the outbreak, then you’re part of the problem. You're not part of the solution,” Fauci said.
Some states, including Florida and Texas, which are seeing record numbers of new Covid-19 cases daily, were some of the first to begin reopening in early May.
“What we saw, and it really varied from state to state, were people congregating in bars, congregating in crowds in a celebratory way, understandably because they felt cooped up, without wearing masks,” Fauci said. “It's a violation of the principles of what we're trying to do and that is the social distancing, the wearing of masks.”
Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he believes the US can reduce the numbers again, back to levels seen in March and April.
“But we have to do things a bit differently,” he said. “When we talk about the goal of everyone to proceed toward normalization by taking steps in the Opening America Again program, which are guidelines that have good and well demarcated benchmarks."
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See Fauci's prediction before the Senate:
6:08 p.m. ET, July 1, 2020
US government funds research on patch to catch and monitor coronavirus infections
From CNN's Maggie Fox
The US government said Wednesday it was investing in a project to create a patch that could monitor the symptoms of coronavirus patients and perhaps even catch early signs of infection.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority said it had invested $656,000 in digital medicine company Sonica Health to develop a wearable monitor. “Sonica Health is utilizing a bio-integrated, wearable patch called ADAM. The flexible wireless patch is a thin device about the size of a band-aid and sits at the base of the throat,” BARDA said in a statement.
“The device monitors cough intensity and patterns; chest wall movements which can indicate labored or irregular breathing; other respiratory sounds; heart rate; physical activity; and temperature.”
BARDA said Sonica Health would integrate technology from Northwestern University spinoff Sibel Health to add continuous pulse oximetry and electrocardiography to measure heart activity and blood oxygen levels.
“In conjunction with Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab researchers, the team is creating and implementing a set of symptom-driven algorithms specifically tailored to catch early signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19 and to monitor patients throughout illness,” BARDA added.
The goal would be a US Food and Drug Administration approved product, BARDA said.
