July 25 coronavirus news

The state of Pennsylvania has reported at least 1,054 cases of Covid-19 and 13 additional deaths from the virus, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pennsylvania has a total of 106,625 coronavirus cases and 6,384 deaths from the virus, the statement said.

To note: The figures listed were released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Florida has now surpassed New York in total coronavirus cases, according to reports from state health agencies.

Florida health officials have reported that a total of 414,511 cases of coronavirus, including 409,585 residents and 4,926 non-residents, have been diagnosed since the start of the pandemic. 

New York state reported 411,200 total positive cases on Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Florida now has more total cases than New York.

Both Florida and New York are behind California, which currently leads the country in cases with 435,334, according to California's health department website.

To note: These figures were released by Florida, New York and California's public health agencies, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he hopes to send the coronavirus relief bill to the House in the next two to three weeks.

McConnell said he will begin talking to Democrats as soon as next week on the bill.

When asked about a payroll tax cut being excluded from the bill, McConnell explained that there was bipartisan opposition to the idea.

“I think we are a lot better off to just to send another direct cash payment to those who have been left out of all of this,” he said.

McConnell reiterated that he does not support an extension of the $600 federal unemployment benefits, but does support continuing the traditional state-led unemployment program.

“We’re going to send $100 million to Kentucky for testing, I don’t think we still have enough testing across the country, and we are more than open to spending additional money on testing and treatment and vaccine in the next coronavirus relief bill, if in fact we believe that more funding would be helpful,” McConnell said.

Maryland reported 1,288 new cases of Covid-19 – the highest daily count of new cases since May 19, according to data on the state’s Covid-19 website on Saturday.

On May 19, the state reported 1,784 cases per Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

The state has reported a positivity rate of 4.48%, according to its site.

Maryland has a total of 83,054 Covid-19 cases and 3,304 deaths from the virus, the state website said. 

To note: The figures listed were released by the state of Maryland and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

The state of Florida has reported 12,115 new cases of Covid-19 and 124 additional deaths on Friday, according to Florida's Department of Health.  

This is the tenth time since the start of the pandemic that the daily deaths surpassed 100 in Florida, according to CNN's tally.   

This brings Florida's total cases to 409,585, according to the department. The statewide death toll is now 5,777, the department added.

Covid-19 hospitalizations fell slightly across New York state as of July 24, according to a tweet from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Covid-19 hospitalizations fell to 646, which is down from 650 reported the day before.

The state reported a 1.05% infection rate after 71,466 people were tested for Covid-19 and 750 of those people were positive, the tweet said.

The state recorded a total of 10 Covid-19 deaths Friday, according to the tweet.

To note: The figures listed were released by the state of New York and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

To note: The figures listed were released by the state of New York and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he has tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday, according to a tweet he sent.

"RT-PCR for Sars-Cov 2: negative. Good day to all," Bolsonaro tweeted.

Some context: On Wednesday, the Brazilian president said he tested positive for the third time after announcing on July 7 that he was infected.

Gyms and indoor swimming pools in England reopened on Saturday for the first time since restrictions were imposed in March amid the pandemic.

Facilities reopened with social distancing measures in place, complying with official government guidance that says venues should keep "as many people as possible appropriately distanced from those they do not live with." 

The reopening comes as England continues to ease lockdown measures.

On Friday, face masks in the country became mandatory in shops, supermarkets, banks, post offices, enclosed transport hubs and shopping malls.

The UK has recorded 45,762 coronavirus-related deaths, the third highest fatality toll globally, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Nurses and doctors have gone to creative extremes to reuse the same masks, gloves and scrubs they need to treat contagious coronavirus patients. But if a prototype mask created by researchers proves widely effective, it may be a safer alternative for health care workers.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have developed the iMASC, a new silicone mask that can be safely reused without fear of contamination. Researchers still need to analyze how effectively it catches viral particles, but it's a promising step toward addressing the critical health care supply shortages.

The iMASC offers a level of protection comparable to N95 respirator masks, its creators say. That's partially because it uses an N95 filter without all the additional material of N95 masks that catches particles.

The masks are based on the shape of a typical N95 mask, too, but they're made with a silicone rubber that can be sterilized after each use. The dual filters that cover the mouth can be replaced after each use, too, the researchers said.

Read more here.