July 7 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 11:32 p.m. ET, July 7, 2020
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3:12 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

The US surpasses 130,000 deaths from coronavirus

 

A health care worker carries a stack of clipboards at a Covid-19 testing site on July 6, in Homestead, Florida.
A health care worker carries a stack of clipboards at a Covid-19 testing site on July 6, in Homestead, Florida. Lynne Sladky/AP

The United States reported 44,953 new coronavirus cases and 325 new deaths today, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

That raises the national total to 2,936,077 cases and 130,285 related deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Follow our live tracker of US cases here:

2:57 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Australia's Victoria state sees highest rise in new daily cases as thousands go under lockdown

From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney

The Australian state of Victoria recorded 191 new coronavirus cases on Monday -- the highest daily jump so far, according to the state's health department.

Of those new cases, 13 came from nine public housing units where 3,000 residents are in the third day of a "hard lockdown." Residents are not allowed to leave their homes, and must all undergo mandatory testing.

The state has recorded 22 coronavirus-related deaths so far.

There are now 772 active cases in Victoria, the health department said, adding that nearly 980,000 people have so far been tested for the virus statewide.

Meanwhile, the neighboring state of New South Wales registered seven new cases on Monday.

The national total stands at 8,755 cases with 106 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

2:30 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Face masks are now mandatory in Iran, as coronavirus cases continue to rise

From CNN's Sara Mazloumsaki in Atlanta

A customer has his temperature checked before entering a supermarket in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on June 23.
A customer has his temperature checked before entering a supermarket in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on June 23. Ahmad A

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks in public after coronavirus cases continued to rise in recent weeks.

Rouhani announced the new measure on Saturday, which came into effect on Sunday, according to the Iranian state news agency, IRNA.

He said during a meeting of Iran's coronavirus task force that people would only be able to receive services from the state and other organizations “if they observe protective and health protocols and wear masks.”

Employees could go to work “only if they wear masks and obey different health protocols," he added. 

According to the Iran’s Health Ministry, the country recorded 2,613 new confirmed cases and 160 new related deaths on Monday.

These figures raise the nationwide total to 243,051 cases and 11,731 deaths.

2:15 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Melbourne is going back under lockdown as coronavirus cases surge

From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney

Workers in personal protective equipment are seen, along side police patrols, on July 7, in Melbourne, Australia.
Workers in personal protective equipment are seen, along side police patrols, on July 7, in Melbourne, Australia. Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The Australian city of Melbourne is going back into Stage 3 lockdown for six weeks as it struggles with a spike in coronavirus cases, announced Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews today.

The lockdown will start at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday local time.

People will be only allowed to leave their homes to buy food, go to work, receive or give care, and do exercise, Andrews said.

Elsewhere in Victoria state, the region of Mitchell Shire will also be locked down for six weeks.

Businesses such as restaurants that had reopened will now be forced to close again, the premier said.

“We know we’re on the cusp of something very very bad if we don’t get on top of this,” said Andrews. “The alternative though is to pretend that its over, just as I think some Victorians have been doing.”

The housing towers: Since Saturday, 3,000 residents in nine public housing towers in Melbourne have been under "hard lockdown," meaning they cannot leave at all. All residents are now being tested, with meals and other necessities provided by the government.

With Melbourne going under Stage 3 lockdown -- softer restrictions than a "hard lockdown" -- the residents in the towers will be allowed to go outside again for essential activities.

Earlier today, the Victoria health department announced that it recorded 191 new cases on Monday -- the highest daily jump so far.

2:10 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Study finds silent spreaders could be responsible for half of Covid-19 cases

From CNN Health’s Lauren Mascarenhas

People ride the Staten Island Ferry on as New York City officially begins ‘Phase Three' of opening on July 6, 2020 in New York City.
People ride the Staten Island Ferry on as New York City officially begins ‘Phase Three' of opening on July 6, 2020 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Silent transmission could be responsible for half of coronavirus cases in the US, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The term "silent transmission" means the virus is transmitted through asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic patients, who are harder to find and trace.

How the study worked: The study, led by Alison Galvani of Yale University and colleagues, used coronavirus transmission models and existing research, which already indicated that asymptomatic infections account for 17.9% to 30.8% of all infections.

Based on these existing figures, the team found that presymptomatic people would account for 47% to 48% of transmission, and asymptomatic people would account for 3.4% to 6.6% of transmission. 

What this means: The team found that even immediate isolation of all symptomatic cases would not be enough to get the spread under control. Authorities would need to identify and isolate more than one-third of silent transmitters, as well as all symptomatic cases, to prevent an outbreak.

Researchers emphasized the need for both testing and contact tracing to safely lift the current social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions.

1:46 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Several California lawmakers test positive for Covid-19

The California State Assembly has adjourned until further notice after several lawmakers tested positive for coronavirus, a state assembly staff member told CNN on Monday.

The historic Capitol building temporarily closed its doors to allow for deep cleaning, state speaker Anthony Rendon said in an internal email obtained by CNN. There is currently no date set for assembly members to return.

"I have instructed my staff to develop a schedule for hearings and other Assembly business that will allow us to conduct our work but minimize the days in the Capitol building," Rendon said in the email. "While I do not know yet when we will return, I will alert you once we have a revised schedule."

Democratic assembly member Autumn Burke was one of several lawmakers who tested positive, said a spokesperson.

"On July 3rd I received a call from the Assembly Human Resources Department that I had a 'mask to mask' exposure to COVID-19 on June 26th," Burke said in a statement. "I was tested on the morning of July 4th and received my results in the evening that I had tested positive for the coronavirus."

Nearly all employees in the building have been instructed to work from home for the foreseeable future, said Burke's chief of staff, Tish Rylander. 

"Everything is unfolding very quickly and thankfully none of her staff have been affected, but many others have," Rylander said.

California now has at least 271,013 cases and 6,440 deaths, the second highest figures nationwide after New York state, according to Johns Hopkins University.

1:12 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

US military deploys medical personnel to Texas as coronavirus cases accelerate

From Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr

The US military announced Monday it is sending about 50 medical and support personnel to the San Antonio area of Texas, a sign of rising concern that medical systems may be overwhelmed by the rise in coronavirus cases.

The extra personnel will "provide medical assistance by embedding in medical care facilities in the San Antonio, Texas area. The medical personnel include emergency room and critical care nurses, respiratory specialists and support personnel," the Northern Command said in a statement.

Earlier in the pandemic, the military had dispatched hundreds of medical personnel to assist in hospitals elsewhere, primarily in the New York City area.

Texas reported 5,318 new cases on Monday, bringing the state's total to 200,557 cases and 2,655 deaths.

12:47 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Mexico records nearly 5,000 new cases in 24 hours

From CNN's Karol Suarez in Mexico City

A man wearing a face mask holds his dog at downtown Mexico City on July 6.
A man wearing a face mask holds his dog at downtown Mexico City on July 6. Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico's health ministry reported 480 more Covid-19 deaths on Monday, bringing the country's death toll to 31,119.

The ministry also recorded 4,902 newly confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 261,750 cases.

On Saturday, Mexico surpassed France's death toll from the virus, and now has the 5th highest number of deaths worldwide.

12:23 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

Arizona surges past 100,000 coronavirus cases

From CNN's Keith Allen

Arizona now has more than 100,000 coronavirus cases as the virus continues to rise throughout America’s sun belt, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The state now has 101,441 reported cases. Of this total, about 62,000 patients are younger than 44 years old, the department said in a statement on Monday.

There are 1,810 related deaths statewide, with more than 3,200 patients hospitalized and over 800 ICU patients currently in Arizona hospitals.