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July 14 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Tara John, Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 0450 GMT (1250 HKT) July 15, 2020

16 Posts

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5:54 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

A Texas man, who thought coronavirus was a hoax, dies after attending "Covid party"

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

A 30-year-old man in San Antonio, Texas, died in a city hospital after attending a "Covid party," where people intentionally get infected.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg discussed the case with CNN on Monday, saying these parties were happening in other states, too.

"It comes from the fact that people have been hearing that from politicians that this might be a hoax," he said. "And so we saw in this particular case ... a young person attended a Covid party with a known positive case because they thought they were invincible, that this wouldn’t affect them."

"This was a Memorial Day party at the lake. Five days later, this young man got sick and again the last thing he said to that hospital tech nurse is that he was wrong. And unfortunately, too many young people are wrong."

Dr. Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at San Antonio's Methodist Hospital, confirmed over the weekend that a patient died after getting sick at a Covid party.

Appleby said the patient told the nurse, “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”

Covid parties: Reports first emerged in early July that some young people in Alabama are throwing Covid-19 parties, a disturbing competition where people who have coronavirus attend and the first person to get infected receives a payout.

9:25 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

Singapore's recession is officially here

From CNN's Michelle Toh in Hong Kong

Cyclists riding along Marina Bay overlooking the financial business district in Singapore on July 14. Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

Singapore has fallen into a deep economic slump — and it's even worse than many had predicted.

The government said Tuesday that GDP likely shrank 12.6% in the second quarter compared to the same time the previous year, marking "the steepest drop on record," according to economists.

GDP shrank by 41.2% in the second quarter compared to the previous three months, more than most analysts had expected.

That officially pushed the country into a recession. Singapore's GDP had already fallen by 0.3% in the first quarter on a year-on-year basis. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

The latest decline was due to strict government restrictions, known locally as "circuit breaker" measures, which were enforced from April to June as the country dealt with a sudden spike in coronavirus cases.

This included the shutdown of many businesses, including "the suspension of nonessential services and closure of most workplace premises," the Ministry of Trade and Industry noted in a statement.

Officials had already been bracing for bad news. Prior to the new numbers, the government had slashed the country's economic forecast three times this year alone.

But "it's not all gloom and doom," Yun Liu, an economist at HSBC, wrote in a report to clients.

Recession is here, but it's a short one," she added.

Some analysts believe the worst is over for Singapore, particularly since the government has deployed billions of dollars in stimulus measures to shore up the flagging economy.

"Looking ahead, Q2 will mark the trough," Alex Holmes, Asia economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note Tuesday.

"The key reason for optimism is the huge size of the government’s stimulus package, which is equivalent to around 20% of GDP."

9:27 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

America shuts down again — choosing reality over Trump's false claims

Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson

An employee at the Clevelander bar and restaurant stacks chairs as they have shut down due to public health concerns caused by Covid-19 in Miami Beach, Florida on July 13. Lynne Sladky/AP

While US President Donald Trump obsesses about his reelection hopes in his White House bubble, state and local leaders are frantically reversing state reopenings that he demanded, which turned America into the world's biggest coronavirus hotspot.

As emergency rooms filled and the virus quickened its relentless march across southern and Western states, Trump stuck to the fiction that the worst is already over: "We had to close it down; now we're opening it up," the President said of the economy at the White House, patting himself on the back for saving "millions of lives."

As new cases of the disease reach 60,000 a day nationwide, many leaders in both parties, including those who supported Trump's aggressive approach, now have little choice but to prioritize science over politics, leaving the President looking out of touch with reality.

In Texas, Houston's mayor proposed a two-week shutdown, days after Gov. Greg Abbott raised the possibility of more stringent measures.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of all indoor restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, zoos, museums and shut all bars.
Oregon banned gatherings of more than 10 people inside because of an "alarming rise" of Covid-19 cases in the state.
Florida now has more Covid-19 cases than all but eight entire countries.

The picture is of a nation that is beginning to shut down again in defiance of the President's triumphant but misleading claims that a "transition to greatness" is under way.

Restrictions imposed on cities as large as Houston and Los Angeles could set back the surprising revival in the economy last month. Modest job gains, trumpeted by the President, could turn into permanent job losses.

Read the full analysis here:

America shuts down again -- choosing reality over Trump's false claims

3:45 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

If you get coronavirus, your immunity could wear off in months, study finds

From CNN's Andrea Kane

Healthcare workers move a patient in the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on July 2. Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images

People who have been infected with coronavirus could see their immunity decline within months, studies have found -- which is just “what we were afraid of,” Dr. William Haseltine told CNN today.

Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, said the studies demonstrated long-suspected fears.

"This (virus), like its sister coronaviruses, the ones that give us colds, are very different from the childhood viruses," he said.

When you get childhood viruses like measles and mumps, you're then protected from re-infection for life. But Haseltine said it’s a different story with the cold viruses, because you get them and then your body “forgets” it was ever infected.

“They come back and get you again every year. You can be reinfected by the same cold virus every year and get the same cold," he said. He pointed to various studies in China, Spain and the UK that "actually measured the virus in people and ... the antibodies and watched the immunity decline."

"That's what we were afraid of,” he said.

If the findings are confirmed to be true, they could have significant implications for sick patients, for vaccine development, and for the idea that populations could achieve herd immunity.

Read more here:

Covid-19 immunity from antibodies may last only months, UK study suggests

9:28 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

Hong Kong tightens restrictions as it faces a third wave of cases

From CNN’s Jadyn Sham in Hong Kong and Sophie Jeong in Seoul

Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk across a road in Hong Kong, China, on July 10. Roy Liu/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Hong Kong is tightening travel restrictions and social distancing measures as it battles a "third wave" of cases.

The city reported 52 new cases on Monday, 41 of which were local transmissions and the other 11 with travel history. This raises the total number of confirmed cases to 1,521.

The past seven days alone have seen 236 new cases -- an alarming surge in Hong Kong, which has been lauded for its quick and effective response to the pandemic. For many weeks before this surge, cases were down to single digits, and sometimes zero, every day.

Under the new restrictions announced Monday:

Incoming travelers who have been in or transited through high-risk areas in the last 14 days must show proof that they tested negative before boarding. If they fail to do so, airlines will be penalized.
Public gatherings will be capped at four people again. The limit had previously been 50.
Restaurants cannot seat more than four customers together at a table, and must stop dine-in services from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day.
Gaming centers, bathhouses, gyms, and other public recreational facilities will be closed for a week. Exhibitions and public events will either be canceled or postponed.
Masks are now mandatory on all public transport.

2:56 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

California prison reports more inmates have died from coronavirus

An aerial view of San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California as seen on July 08. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

At least ten incarcerated people at the San Quentin Prison in Northern California have died from coronavirus complications, according to data from California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

San Quentin is the site of the worst coronavirus outbreak in California's prison system, with nearly 1,400 inmates who have tested positive.

The prison population is currently at about 4,000 inmates. It has been reduced by almost 10,000 inmates since March, through expedited transitions to parole and suspended intake from county jails, said CDCR.

There are 2,423 infected incarcerated people in California. There are also 755 CDCR employees who have tested positive across the state.

"CDCR takes the health and safety of all those who live and work in our state prisons very seriously and will continue to work diligently to address the COVID-19 pandemic," CDCR said.

9:28 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

Australian state records 270 new cases as cities go back under lockdown

From Angus Watson in Sydney and Zehra Jafree in Hong Kong

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia on July 14. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The Australian state of Victoria recorded 270 new cases on Monday, according to Premier Daniel Andrews.

The state has been conducting mass testing in response to a spike in cases; it conducted 30,195 tests on Saturday, 22,943 tests on Sunday, and 21,995 tests on Monday.

The decline in cases could be due to stay-at-home order in the cities of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, Andrews said. Melbourne's lockdown, imposed last Wednesday, will be in place for six weeks -- affecting almost 5 million people.

The state now has 1,803 active cases. Of the new cases discovered Monday, 242 are still being traced.

Fears are growing that the Victoria outbreak may have spread to the neighbouring state of New South Wales, where 13 new cases were reported on Tuesday.

"We are concerned that we have had some seeding from Victoria, where that outbreak has been going on from some time," NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said Tuesday. "We share a long border with Victoria, we are intrinsically linked with Victoria, we have a lot of travel and connections," Dr Chant said.

1:55 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

43 new cases in Michigan linked to one large house party

From CNN's Rebekah Riess and Hollie Silverman

In the US state of Michigan, 43 new coronavirus cases have been linked to a large house party from early July in Washtenaw County, health officials said in a press release Monday.

Most of the new cases are young people between the ages of 15 and 25, said the release. The party is believed to have taken place between July 2 and 3.

Spread from the party has impacted people outside the county and even the Midwestern state, according to the release.

Health officials are now asking anyone who attended the party to self quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus for 14 days.

There were an additional 66 people who are believed to have had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case. That number does not include family members who are immediate household contacts of the newly identified cases, the release said.

"This is a very clear example of how quickly this virus spreads and how many people can be impacted in a very short amount of time" Jimena Loveluck, Health Officer with Washtenaw County Health Department, said in the release. "We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths without full community support and cooperation."

Read the full story here:

43 new coronavirus cases have been linked to one large house party in Michigan

1:31 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020

India recorded 100,000 coronavirus cases in last four days

Frmo CNN’s Swati Gupta in New Delhi and Angus Watson

An Indian health worker collects nasal swab samples at a Covid-19 testing center in Gauhati, India on July 12. Anupam Nath/AP

More than 100,000 people in India have tested positive in just the past four days, said the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

The country recorded 28,498 new cases and 553 new deaths in the last 24 hours, said the ministry. That raises the country's total to 906,752 cases and 23,727 deaths.

Not all these cases are active: More than 571,000 have recovered from the virus, leaving 311,565 cases still active.

More than 12 million tests have been conducted nationwide, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.