July 4 coronavirus news

The US Navy Blue Angels team have canceled their 2020 Pensacola Beach Air Show performance, according to a press release from the Santa Rosa Island Authority. The air show was scheduled to take place July 8-11 in Pensacola, Florida.

"After much discussion and consideration regarding the current rise in COVID cases in our hometown, we have come to the conclusion that canceling our flights during the Pensacola Beach Air Show is the only way we can ensure the safety of our community we love so much," the Blue Angels said in the statement.

"Each year we look forward to the opportunity to fly for our friends, family and neighbors here in Pensacola. This was not an easy decision to make," the statement said. "Unfortunately, we are navigating very uncertain and unpredictable times. We felt this was the necessary decision to make in an effort to keep our community safe.”

The authority says it plans to host the event again in 2021, on July 9-10.

The Kansas City Royals announced Saturday that catcher Salvador Perez has tested positive for Covid-19. The MLB team said, however, that Perez is asymptomatic.

Perez does not know how he contracted the virus.

"I don't feel anything. I'm in my home right now," Perez told reporters. "Nobody in my family is positive. Everybody is negative. Everybody took the test two days ago and yesterday, too."

MLB and the MLB Players Association on Friday announced the first set of results for Covid-19 testing before the start of workouts and full baseball activities. Thirty-one players and 7 staff members tested positive out of 3,185 samples that were collected.

"I can't wait to be back. I know it's going to take me at least 12 days," Perez said, "but I'm good. I don't feel anything."

He added, "Hopefully everything passes super-fast, and I can be back with the guys on the field."

The MLB season resumed Wednesday with players reporting to training. Games are scheduled to start on July 23 or 24.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,258 new cases of Covid-19 in Texas on Saturday — the state's second-highest number of new cases reported in a single day.

Of the new cases reported Saturday, about 1,200 were in Harris County, which includes Houston. Dallas County had 1,085 new cases, according to DSHS.

The highest daily total was set on Wednesday, when the state reported 9,308 cases.

The following day, Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order mandating face covering in public for counties that have 20 or more positive Covid-19 cases.

Fireworks are arguably the best part of Fourth of July. But this year, as coronavirus cases rise across many parts of the US, gathering at the park or the beach to watch spectacular shows is more dangerous than usual.

Staying home and lighting your own fireworks if you live in a state where that is allowed and you have the space to do it is the best idea.

But if you'd rather go to the park or beach to watch them, there are a few steps you should take to stay safe:

While this year might look a little different than usual, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the holiday weekend with friends and family. Just stay safe — not just for you, but for everyone around you.

Huntington Beach in Southern California would normally be jammed towel-to-towel with beachgoers on a July Fourth weekend. 

But this year, Los Angeles-area beaches are closed for the holiday as the state continues to see increases in coronavirus cases. Today, the Huntington Beach sat empty:

The comparison is jarring when you look at photos from just a few weeks ago. On June 14, crowds packed Huntington Beach:

Huntington Beach also canceled its annual Fourth of July parade. Instead, the city put on a neighborhood tour — two small 20-vehicle caravans that weaved through the streets with local dignitaries, replicas of famous screen and Volkswagen buses.

Brazil marked 50 days without an official health minister today, as the country reports more than 1.5 million coronavirus cases.

The position is temporarily occupied by Army General Eduardo Pazuello, who has no previous medical experience, since the last Health Minister, Nelson Teich, resigned on May 15.

Teich, who spent less than a month in office, left following criticism from President Jair Bolsonaro that he was "too timid in the push to reopen the economy and to advocate for the use of chloroquine." Teich, however, didn't provide a reason for his resignation.

Teich's predecesor, Luiz Henrique Mandetta — who advocated for social distancing measures, the use of masks, and never clearly recommended the use of chloroquine — was fired by Bolsonaro. 

Bolsonaro, who frequently defies social distancing guidelines recommended by most health experts and has dismissed the virus as "a little flu," has been widely criticized for downplaying the severity of the virus. 

Under Pazuello's interim command, more than 20 strategic positions within the ministry have been replaced with military personnel. Nonetheless, the greatest criticism against him came when following Bolsonaro's orders and desire to reduce the negative repercussion of the high death toll, he changed the format of how the data was presented. 

After strong domestic and international pressure, Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ruled that data should be presented as before. Despite the continued rise in Covid-19 cases and related deaths, Bolsonaro shows no signs of planning to replace Pazuello any time soon. 

With more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and at least 63,174 deaths, Brazil has the second highest number coronavirus cases and deaths globally after the US. 

It's the Fourth of July holiday weekend in the US, and some Americans have altered their celebrations as coronavirus cases increase in states across the country.

What's allowed on beaches — a staple of the summer holiday — varies from place to place. While some beaches, like those in New York City, reopened before the holiday, some in hard hit areas, like in Miami and Los Angeles, temporarily closed for the weekend to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Beachgoers were seen walking in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this morning, despite rising case numbers in the state.

Beaches were also open for the holiday in New Jersey.

In California, Los Angeles-area beaches closed on Friday and will remain closed until Monday, officials announced earlier this week. Violators could face fines.

The National Park Service did not require employees who worked President Trump's Mount Rushmore event yesterday to get tested for coronavirus, according to NPS spokesperson for the incident management team Dana Soehn. 

Soehn said face masks were available to all employees who worked the event and using them was recommended at all times when social distancing could not be maintained.

Some NPS staff were seen wearing masks at the event and others were not.

About the event: President Trump spoke at the event, mentioning the virus just once, at the very top of his remarks, thanking those working to fight it.

Attendees clustered together in stadium seating in front of a patriotic-themed stage for hours before Trump arrived, and people at the top of the amphitheater sat in rows of folding chairs that were tied together with zip ties — preventing any social distancing.

Major commercial laboratories in the United States are reporting delays in returning Covid-19 test results as the pandemic rages on and case numbers surge in parts of the country.

While the number of tests conducted across the US increases, experts say long turnaround times can make it difficult to isolate confirmed cases and quickly quarantine their close contacts.

Quest Diagnostics, a commercial laboratory, said this week that testing demand has reached “unprecedented levels,” leading to delays. LabCorp, another laboratory, is reporting delays too. 

While Quest can provide results in a day for priority patients – including sick health care workers and people in the hospital – the company said its average turnaround time is three to five days for most other patients.

“In our media statement posted June 25, we communicated that we are experiencing surging demand for our COVID-19 molecular diagnostic testing services. We also communicated that this demand is likely to extend average turnaround times for reporting test results near term,” the company said. “Since that statement, we have continued to experience surging demand for these services, with recent daily orders outpacing capacity.”

That is the most current information available from Quest, according to company spokesperson Kimberly Gorode.

LabCorp is now taking one to two days longer to report results, the company told CNN in a statement Saturday. The company’s current turnaround time is two to four days on average.

“In recent weeks, we have seen a steady increase in demand for molecular testing and we are doing everything we can to continue delivering results in a timely manner while continually increasing testing capacity,” LabCorp said.