Jackson Health System in Miami reports 83% increase in Covid-19 patients in two weeks
From CNN's Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt
Jackson Health System has seen an 83 percent increase in Covid-19 patients over the past two weeks, according to data posted by the hospital system on Twitter.
On June 21, Jackson Health reported 182 Covid-19 patients. By Sunday, they were reporting 333.
Jackson Health System is a nonprofit academic medical system.
The state of Florida does not release the total number of daily Covid-19 patients in the state.
WATCH CONTACT TRACING FAILURE IN FLORIDA:
6:27 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020
Africa's battle against Covid-19 will be won or lost here
Crammed with more than half a million people, between the winelands and beaches of this international destination, it is now the center of attention.
High-density areas like Khayelitsha are being closely watched because doctors say that places like this are where the battle against Covid-19 on the African continent will be won or lost.
"Nobody knew what the Covid epidemic would mean for South Africa. We had seen Covid rip through Europe, we saw what it was doing in the United States and everyone was terrified of what that would mean in South Africa," says Dr. Claire Keene, a medical coordinator for the NGO Doctors Without Borders.
We are being faced with so much failure with Covid. We have used the time well, but we were always going to question whether we used it enough," she says.
Western Cape is in the middle of the peak of its coronavirus surge. With more than 69,000 Covid-19 cases and 2,066 deaths, according to July 5 government figures, it is the country's worst-affected province.
Hospitalizations and ventilator use rise in Florida's Miami-Dade County
From CNN's Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt
Morris Copeland of the Strategic Urban Response to Guideline Education (SURGE) group, center, passes out coronavirus prevention kits to team members, for distribution to residents living in COVID-19 hotspots in Miami, on July 1. Lynne Sladky/AP
Miami-Dade County has seen a staggering increase in the number of Covid-19 patients being hospitalized (88%), in the number of ICU beds being used (114%) and in the use of ventilators (119%) over the past 13 days, according to the latest data released by Miami-Dade County Government.
It also reported a 26% Covid-19 positivity rate on Sunday, according to data released by the mayor’s office. The positivity rate is tracked daily by the county.
The goal is to not exceed a positivity rate of 10%, according to the Miami-Dade Mayor’s office, but the county has exceeded the 10% mark for the past 14 days. Its current 14-day average is 22%.
The state of Florida does not release the number of current Covid-19 patients in the state.
Here is a breakdown of the hospitalization data released by Miami-Dade County Government:
Covid-19 Patients:
6/23: 818
7/5: 1,538
Patients in ICU beds:
6/23: 155
7/5: 331
Patients on Ventilators:
6/23: 75
7/5: 164
8:11 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020
Melbourne is deemed a coronavirus "hotspot"
From CNN's Angus Watson and Maija Ehlinger
Medical staff perform a Covid-19 test on a resident of one of nine public housing estates locked down due a spike in infection numbers in Melbourne on July 6. William West/AFP/Getty Images
Australia's timeline for restricting travel across the state border between New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria has been moved up, after all of Melbourne was deemed a coronavirus hotspot, officials say.
Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that "for the next 24 hours the 'hotspots' will extend to all of Melbourne, so no one from the city will be able to cross the border into NSW."
Earlier it was announced that the border between NSW and Victoria, where Melbourne is located, would be temporarily closed from Wednesday morning in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement released by NSW government, all travelers returning from Melbourne and the state of Victoria will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and could face "heavy penalties and fines" for non-compliance.
"We have done this based on health advice, and especially given the fact that when our nation had those higher number of cases back in February and March, the vast majority of cases were from overseas travelers or their direct contacts," Berejiklian said. "What is happening in Victoria is very different, which is why we’ve had to take this necessary step," she added.
The border closure announcement came as Victoria confirmed two additional coronavirus-related deaths on Monday. Australia's death count is currently at 106, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
5:21 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020
Pakistan's top health official tests positive for coronavirus
From CNN's Sophia Saifi
Pakistan's top health official and special adviser to the prime minister, Dr. Zafar Mirza, confirmed today that he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Mirza, who is leading the government’s public health initiative against the virus, tweeted on Monday morning that he has mild symptoms and is currently isolating at home.
On Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
Pakistan has a total of 231,817 confirmed cases of the virus, and 4,762 deaths, according to the country’s health ministry.
5:06 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020
Officials say states like Arizona and Texas reopened too quickly after soaring cases
From CNN's Christina Maxouris
After a muted holiday weekend -- which saw both measured celebrations and packed crowds -- the United States faces a deep coronavirus crisis as cases continue to climb and more hospitals report they're nearing capacity.
This week marks about two months since many states kicked off their reopening plans -- which now officials across the country say came too quickly.
In Florida, officials shut multiple beaches throughout the state hoping to avoid July 4 crowds. The state reported 9,999 new coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing Florida's total to more than 200,000 infections.
"There's no doubt ... that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didn't exist," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told ABC This Week.
In Texas, which reported its second highest day of new cases over the weekend, a local leader said the state opened "too early, too much," driving Houston hospitals to surge capacity in recent days.
"If I could go back and redo anything it probably would have been the opening of bars, now seeing in the aftermath how quickly the coronavirus spread in the bar setting," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has told CNN affiliate KVIA.
California reports more than 11,700 new cases, the biggest one-day jump in the US so far
A waiter wearing protective gear serves food to customers on the patio at Pann's restaurant and coffee shop on July 4, in Los Angeles. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
California recorded 11,786 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday -- the highest one-day jump in cases seen anywhere in the US so far, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.
California, New York, and Florida are now the only three states to have recorded daily case totals above 10,000.
California also reported 39 new deaths on Sunday, according to JHU.
The new figures raise the state's total to 264,681 confirmed cases and 6,373 related deaths, according to JHU.
3:41 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020
The Taj Mahal will stay shut while monuments across India reopen
From CNN's Esha Mitra.
A low number of tourists are seen at Taj Mahal in Agra on March 16. Pawan Sharma/AFP/Getty Images
India's iconic Taj Mahal will remain closed, even as other monuments reopen around the country, due to the high risk of coronavirus, announced the Agra city district magistrate on Sunday.
All centrally protected monuments are reopening today, with new rules to prioritize "sanitation, social distancing & other health protocols," according to the Ministry of Tourism.
While the Taj Mahal is among India's centrally-protected monuments, the district magistrate's order said that the monument would stay closed because it's located in a "buffer zone" -- an area between two containment zones where restrictions are in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Several other monuments in Agra, such as the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, will also remain closed, according to the order.
There are 3,691 centrally protected monuments nationwide, according to the Ministry of Culture. They have largely been shut since March 17.
Of these, about 820 monuments considered places of worship were allowed to reopen in early June. The rest finally reopen today, with new protocols like e-ticketing and a daily cap on visitor numbers.