July 23 coronavirus news

n the past two weeks, the US recorded more than 915,000 new cases of coronavirus -- that's more than the cases reported across the country for the whole month of June.

The staggering number signals the US is still far from containing the virus, which is running rampant across American communities, overwhelming hospitals and testing labs. The spread has promised a bleak outlook for the months ahead, according to both health officials and the President. And experts have highlighted the actual number of infections is likely much higher than the reported cases.

That comes as some US leaders have now admitted parts of the country reopened too soon. And as they did, residents were too quick to jump back to old habits: crowding bars, packing beaches on hot summer days, holding barbeques and spending holidays with friends.

The surge in new cases across the South and Southwest has now been linked back to Americans' travel around Memorial Day and reopenings, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Wednesday.

Read more here:

RELATED

The US reported more Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks than it did for all of June

Editor's note: The views expressed in this commentary are the author's own. View more opinion on CNN.

It was the first time Europe's leaders had seen each other face to face since the pandemic swept across the continent, shredding the European Union and causing untold pain and economic suffering, followed in most quarters by a recovery unlike anything experienced in the United States.

With 27 different agendas, it was a model of how to deal with a critical issue of money.

Late on Monday, there was unanimity on the largest financial project ever attempted on the continent -- a total recovery package of $858 billion.

Many of the rifts, between rich and poor nations, those with true democracies and others verging on autocracies, were papered over.

But in the end, in a model that should be examined closely as Washington strives desperately to work toward similar compromises, this one worked.

Read more here:

RELATED

Trump could learn from Europe's leaders, who've begun charting a recovery from Covid-19

Fourteen new cases of Covid-19 have been reported at US military bases in Japan today, according to Okinawa prefectural government. 

Okinawa's prefectural government said that 13 cases came from the United States Marine Corps base Camp Hansen and one case in Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. 

These two military sites on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have reported a cluster of infections in the last few weeks. 

A Japanese employee also tested positive for novel coronavirus at US Kadena Air Base, which is also in Okinawa. 

There have been 160 virus cases reported from US military bases on Okinawa since July 1. 

According to Johns Hopkins University's tally, 71,695 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the United States on Wednesday.

For the second day in a row, the US recorded more than 1,000 deaths in 24 hours, with authorities reporting 1,195 new deaths on Wednesday.

In total, there have been at least 3,970,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, while at least 143,190 people have died in the US from the virus. 

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

For regular updates follow CNN’s map, which is refreshed every 15 mins: 

RELATED

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

Japan has again broken its record for new Covid-19 cases detected on a single day with 796 new cases found on Wednesday, according to its Health Ministry.

Hard-hit Tokyo confirmed 238 cases on Wednesday.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Japan is now 27,741, including 712 cases diagnosed on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

One further death was recorded in Japan on Wednesday, bringing the country’s death toll to 1,003.

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump, in his first coronavirus briefing in several months, delivered a sober assessment of the fight against Covid-19 -- acknowledging that "it will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better" and even offering a sort-of endorsement for mask-wearing.

At just over 30 minutes, the briefing was far shorter than the rollicking (and rambling) updates Trump was providing on the virus earlier in the year. And Trump himself was significantly more disciplined, largely sticking to prepared remarks and avoiding long asides in which he cast blame on everyone but himself for the current coronavirus state of affairs.

Um, no.

If there is anything we have learned -- or should have learned -- about Donald Trump over these past five-ish years, it's that that there is no "new" Trump, no version 2.0, no new leaf to turn over. There is just Trump. He has been this same person -- bullying, blaming, convinced of his own brilliance, willing to bend and break facts for his own purposes -- his entire adult life. He may be able to subsume those natural characteristics for a day or even a week. But they will come back out -- sooner rather than later. They always, always do.

We've been down this road before. Like, a lot of times.

Read more here:

RELATED

Don't be fooled: There is no 'new' Trump on coronavirus (or anything else)

The coronavirus pandemic will cause Australia’s GDP to fall by 4.75% in the fiscal year 2020-1, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said today.

Inflated welfare programs and plummeting tax receipts are the cause of the dip in the country’s GDP, according to Treasury, with the country’s official unemployment rate forecast to rise to 9.25%, Frydenberg said.

The Australian government says it has spent $117 billion (AUD $164 billion) on welfare, wage support, and economic stimulus measures since the pandemic began. Frydenberg on Thursday said that spending has prevented the loss of around 700,000 jobs.

Australia’s gross debt will rise to $608 billion (AUD $851.9 billion), over a third of the country's GDP, according to Treasury. The 2020-1 budget will fall $131 billion (AUD$184.5 billion) into deficit, despite a pre-Covid projection of a AUD $5 billion budget surplus for the fiscal year. 

“These are harsh numbers,” Frydenberg said on Thursday. This year’s budget deficit as a portion of GDP is the highest since World War II.

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it is sending $5 billion to nursing homes and state veterans’ homes to fight the growing coronavirus epidemic.

The money can be used to hire additional staff, implement infection control, increase testing and provide additional services, such as technology to allow residents to connect with their families.

The infusion comes from the provider relief fund contained in the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that the US Congress passed in late March. It’s in addition to the $4.9 billion nursing homes are receiving to offset revenue losses and to respond to the pandemic.

Nursing home staff must complete an online training program for a facility to receive the new funds.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will also start requiring nursing homes in states with a 5% or greater coronavirus positivity rate to test all staff each week. This was previously a recommendation.

The administration announced last week that it is distributing rapid testing devices to nursing homes, which had complained that they don’t have the money to conduct so many tests. More than 15,000 devices will be deployed in coming months, with more than 600 shipping this week.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said Wednesday that the increased funds are “a significant step forward,” but more is needed, especially in light of the surge of cases around the country. 

“It is equally important for Congress to provide an additional $100 billion for the HHS Provider Relief Fund, which is accessible to all health care providers impacted by COVID-19,” said CEO Mark Parkinson.

Argentina saw another record daily increase of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, according to its Health Ministry.

The ministry reported 5,782 newly confirmed cases, topping Tuesday's record of 5,344 new cases. Argentina's total confirmed cases stands at 141,900.

The ministry also reported 98 new deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 2,588.