Florida reports more than 10,000 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Dan Shepherd, Rosa Flores and Melissa Alonso
Florida’s health officials reported 10,328 new cases of Covid-19 and 90 new deaths on Saturday, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health (DOH).
This brings the state’s total cases to 337,569, DOH data shows. The statewide death toll is now 4,895.
Florida currently has 9,162 Covid-19-related hospitalizations, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration.
Note: These numbers were released by Florida's public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
11:07 a.m. ET, July 18, 2020
At least 39 states have implemented some type of face mask requirement
From CNN's Madeline Holcombe
People walk past face mask signs along Decatur Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans on July 14. Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Science shows that face masks protect the wearer and those around them from coronavirus, and everyone should wear one when around others in public, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
What we know: At least 39 states as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have implemented some type of face mask requirement.
But in Georgia —which is among the 18 states in the coronavirus "red zone" that should roll back reopening measures, according to an unpublished document prepared for the White House — the governor has clashed with mayors on such restrictions.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday over her efforts to require face masks in public places. Several other mayors say they are prohibited from enacting the mask requirements supported by their residents because of on order from Kemp.
"This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing," Utah County Commissioner Tanner Ainge said at the meeting room in Provo. "We're supposed to be physically distancing, wearing masks. This gathering violates current health recommendations."
10:14 a.m. ET, July 18, 2020
Here's the latest coronavirus update from New York state
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
A person commutes on the subway in Brooklyn on June 22. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
There were 11 coronavirus-related fatalities reported across New York State Friday — including two in the New York City area — bringing the state death toll to 25,035, the governor’s office said in a statement.
New York state added 754 Covid-19 cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The state has reported a total of 406,305 confirmed cases.
Patient hospitalizations are down to 743, a new low since March 18.
New York City reported a 1.3% positivity rate in testing for Friday.
“We remain alarmed by spikes in much of the country and the risk of a lack of compliance at home as the state pursues a phased, data-driven reopening," Cuomo said Saturday.
“New Yorkers' vigilance, courage and adoption of basic behaviors—mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing—has driven our ability to control the virus, and we have to continue on that path to success.”
Note: These numbers were released by New York State’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
10:16 a.m. ET, July 18, 2020
Moroccan seasonal workers who were trapped in Spain start their journey home
From CNN's Laura Pérez Maestro in Madrid
More than 7,000 Moroccans, most of them women, are stranded in Spain after their country closed its borders to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Of the 7,200 Moroccan women, who were trapped in Spain after their fruit picking jobs ended, 1,221 leave today for Morocco.
A spokesperson for Interfresa, one of the biggest strawberry pickers associations in Spain, told CNN "the are extremely happy and excited to go home."
Some background: They arrived in Spain to pick fruit in March, sending their earnings back home to families, and were trapped when the season ended in May.
Interfresa said that some workers had been in the country as early as December, and added that it was in "daily contact" with the governments of Spain and Morocco.
The two countries signed an agreement in 2001 granting the seasonal workers temporary visas to harvest fruit in Spain.
8:39 a.m. ET, July 18, 2020
UK government's Covid-19 daily deaths update "paused" amid "urgent review"
From CNN’s Hilary McGann in London
The UK government’s daily coronavirus death toll update has been “paused” by the Department of Health, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday called for an “urgent review” into how Covid-19 deaths in England are counted.
“Currently the daily deaths measure counts all people who have tested positive for coronavirus and since died, with no cut-off between time of testing and date of death,” an update on the Department’s website said on Friday.
“There have been claims that the lack of cut-off may distort the current daily deaths number,” the update also said.
However, Public Health England (PHE) will still continue to publish daily updates on their website while a review is conducted and will review if necessary upon the conclusion of an investigation, a spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.
“We must remember that this is a new and emerging infection and there is increasing evidence of long term health problems for some of those affected,” PHE’S Incident Director, Dr. Susan Hopkins, said in a statement Saturday.
According to PHE, of the 40,528 Covid-19 deaths reported by July 15 in England, approximately 90% of them occurred within 28 days of a positive test.
This leaves 4,149 deaths that occurred more than 28 days after a positive results – with 47% of those deaths listing Covid-19 as the main cause of death.
8:18 a.m. ET, July 18, 2020
Coronavirus cases in Latin America and the Caribbean nearing 3.7 million
From CNN's Mia Alberti, Taylor Barnes, and journalist Márcia Reverdosa in São Paulo
The total number of Covid-19 cases in Latin America and the Caribbean is nearing 3.7 million, with more than 3,698,723 confirmed cases and at least 157,336 deaths as of Saturday, according to a CNN tally based on data from Johns Hopkins University.
Brazil is the most affected country in the region, having registered more than 2 million cases on Thursday.
Southern and central-western Brazilian states that had been spared the worst of Brazil’s Covid-19 outbreak are now seeing a rapid rise in cases.
The "epicenter" of the outbreak in Brazil is now believed to be the state of Mato Grosso, according to Fiocruz, a Rio de Janeiro based government science research institute after the state registered an increase of 460% cases in 10 days in July.
I can't shake Covid-19: Warnings from young survivors still suffering
From CNN's Ryan Prior
Jordan Josey, 29, suffered a partially collapsed lung due to Covid-19.
Daniel Green is still hobbled by the severe viral infection that struck him in March and left him coughing up blood.
Three months ago, the 28-year-old postdoctoral research associate from Newcastle, United Kingdom, was on the road with friends in a band as they toured venues in the French Alps.
He came down with Covid-19 symptoms, and like many coronavirus patients, spent weeks in bed.
Unlike other people, however, Green's life hasn't returned to normal.
"Since then it's been on and off with extreme tiredness and fatigue," he said.
Every day he has brain fog, difficulty concentrating and problems with short-term memory that make reading, writing and speaking harder.
"Breathing has been very difficult," he said. "I don't feel like I have my full breath capacity. If I go for a walk for one minute, I'll be really exhausted."
The profound mark the disease has made on Green's life isn't uncommon.
"About 80% are going to experience a mild or asymptomatic version of Covid. It's the other 20% that we're worried about," said Dr. Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, a professor of medicine at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School.
"One out of five patients are going to get a severe form of the disease."
Some young people are not getting better: As case counts among young people rise, Green and others in their 20s want to share stories of the wreckage Covid-19 has wrought in their lives.
Those patients can potentially experience permanent lung damage, including scarring and reduced lower respiratory capacity.
"The thing that we don't yet fully appreciate is what happens when you get infected, and you get serious disease, and you recover?" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the BIO International Convention in June.
"We don't know the extent of full recovery or partial recovery, so there's a lot we need to learn," he said.
Young people, who are less likely to die from coronavirus than their grandparents, are an important target of those lessons.
Whether they contracted the virus among the snow-capped peaks of the Alps or in the heart of the outbreak in New YorkCity's borough of Queens,some 20-somethings are getting sick from Covid-19. And staying sick.
Their stories are a warning from millennials to millennials: Don't play the odds with coronavirus because this diseasecould permanently damage your body.
Weather forecasts are less accurate because of Covid-19, study reveals
From CNN Meteorologists Allison Chinchar and Virginia Langmaid
Hurricane Hunters prepare for mission
As the US heads into peak hurricane season, a reduction in commercial airline flights due to Covid-19 has significantly affected our ability to accurately forecast the weather.
The study found the "accuracy of surface meteorology forecast in March-May 2020 decreases remarkably" as flight density drops due to Covid-19.
The research examined weather forecasts from March 2020 and compared them to actual observed weather in the same time frame.
"It is the temperature forecast where accuracy went down," says Chen. Patterns of hot and cold air are critical in hurricane formation and prediction. If temperatures cannot be tracked accurately, it could be more challenging to identify hotspots early on.
Dozens of babies test positive for coronavirus in one Texas county
From CNN's Faith Karimi and Raja Razek
Eighty-five infants under the age of 12 months have tested positive for coronavirus in one Texas county. And local officials are imploring residents to help stop its spread as the state becomes one of the newest hotspots.
Since January, health authorities have identified more than 3.6 million Covid-19 cases throughout the United States. Nearly 140,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In Texas' Nueces County, where Corpus Christi is located, the number of new coronavirus cases skyrocketed in July after a flattening trend. The virus has infected dozens of babies and local officials are urging people to wear masks and practice social distancing.
"We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces County that have all tested positive for Covid-19," said Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces County.
"These babies have not even had their first birthday yet. Please help us stop the spread of this disease."
She did not provide additional details on their conditions.
What's happening: Nueces County has the fastest growth in new cases on the seven-day average than any other metropolitan county in the state," said Peter Zanoni, the Corpus Christi city manager.
