By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Ed Upright, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN
From CNN's Tina Burnside
The North Carolina Department of Health reported 1,244 new hospitalizations as a result of coronavirus infections, breaking the previous record of 1,228 cases on July 22, according to data released by the agency on Tuesday.
In addition, the state recorded 1,749 additional Covid-19 infections, bringing the total to date to 116,087.
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
Gov. Andrew Cuomo offered Major League Baseball the option of playing games in New York state if they're having difficulty playing in other states, he said in his call with reporters Tuesday.
"Here's my suggestion — I understand the challenge they're facing. New York state could host any major league baseball game that any teams want to play and they could play those games in our stadiums," Cuomo said.
Noting that New York state currently has one of the lowest Covid-19 infection rates in the country, Cuomo proposed that teams could fly into the state in private airplanes, go from the airport to the hotel where they would be quarantined and tested upon arrival, and then they could play ball in stadiums in the state assuming that they test negative. Afterwards, teams could then get on a plane and return home.
"I offer to Major League Baseball, if you're having problems playing in our states, come play here," Cuomo said.
"We have the ability to do it. We have the testing resources to do it," he said, noting it would be great for the state economy, as well as for New Yorkers and Americans.
From CNN's Artemis Moshtaghian
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott will issue an executive order later this week setting Sept. 8 as a universal start date for students to return back to school in the fall.
Scott said that he and Health Department Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine set a goal seven weeks ago to return to in-person instruction in the fall.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Levine said he is confident in opening schools.
"We have achieved a stage of viral suppression that will allow us to open schools comfortably," Levine said.
The health commissioner said that if he were in Arizona, Texas, Florida or any other state facing high outbreaks of positive coronavirus cases, they would not be having the conversation about opening schools.
Levine cited studies carried out around the world showing no significant transmission of Covid-19 within schools, that younger children are less likely to transmit Covid-19 and that adults in a family are more likely to “be the index case in the affected family."
“It is the youngest children up to age 9, who are not only at lowest risk, but stand to reap the most benefit from the in-person learning environment,” Levine said. He emphasized that there is not a clear cut one-size-fits-all approach to how schools plan to open and explained that each schools will be customizing solutions to fit their specific classroom and student body needs.
In conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, Levine issued a statement on Monday calling on schools in the state to prioritize in-person attendance for students in preschool through fifth grade.
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Pennsylvania reported 1,120 new Covid-19 cases and 24 more deaths, according to data released Tuesday from the state's Department of Health. This brings the total case count to 109,384 and total death count to 7,146.
More than half the deaths in Pennsylvania have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities to date. In nursing and personal care homes, there are 19,225 resident cases and 3,868 employee cases across 835 facilities. A press conference this afternoon aims to address testing initiatives in nursing homes.
The health department is still seeing significant increases in the number of Covid-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19- to 24-year-olds
The health department also singled out case counts in specific counties including Allegheny, reporting an increase in 119 cases. This county previously took steps to counter a spike. Philadelphia county is reporting an uptick of 175 cases, and Delaware county is reporting an increase in 118 cases.
One thing to note: These numbers were released by the 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.
From Florencia Trucco and Tatiana Arias
The mayor of La Paz, Bolivia, Luis Revilla Herrero, has announced that he and his wife MariCruz tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
Revilla said they are doing well and have almost no symptoms.
"We are going to follow protocols, I will be isolated and working from home until I am discharged. Take care of yourself and please follow all social distancing rules," Revilla tweeted.
Revilla has become Bolivia's 16th government official infected with the virus since the pandemic started, including interim President Jeanine Áñez who announced she has recovered on Monday evening.
The latest numbers: Bolivia reported 71,181 Covid-19 cases and 2,647 deaths Monday, according to the country’s health ministry. The Santa Cruz and La Paz regions have been most affected by the pandemic, according to the same data.
From CNN’s Gregory Lemos
The Consumer Technology Association announced Tuesday that it will be hosting its flagship event, the Consumer Electronic Show, digitally in 2021.
“CTA is reimagining how to connect exhibitors, customers, thought leaders and media from around the world while prioritizing health and safety. We are excited to share that CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience,” the CTA website says. “With the growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it is not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person.”
Some more context: CES is typically held in January in Las Vegas and showcases technology manufacturers, developers, and suppliers.
CTA said participants will still be able to hear announcements and insights from tech leaders online and have introduced a digital CES show floor where “you’ll be able to explore products and services, based on your interests and business, through dynamic product showcases or live demos.” There will also be networking opportunities offered through live interactions, meetups, and roundtable discussions, according to the announcement.
CTA said they plan to return to host CES 2022 in person.
From CNN’s Anna Sturla
New Jersey state health officials are concerned that a house party packed with partygoers openly flouting the state's Covid-19 crowd guidelines this weekend may lead to additional cases of coronavirus.
Police officers took over five hours to break up event, which was hosted at a house rented through Airbnb in Jackson, New Jersey.
“The OCHD is certainly concerned that the gathering in Jackson on Sunday may lead to additional cases,” Brian Lippai, chief of administrative services and public information for Ocean County Health Department, told CNN in a statement Tuesday morning.
“It’s still too early to determine what to expect but in the meantime it’s crucial to remind residents - especially our young adults - that neglecting to adhere to the mandated safety measures can have serious repercussions on a community. We’ve come a long way in the last several weeks and incidents like this can lead to serious setbacks in our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19."
From CNN's Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt
The Florida Department of Health is reporting 186 new deaths on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 173 deaths on Thursday, according to data released by the state agency.
At least 6,117 Florida residents have died to date.
From CNN's David Close
Four additional members of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins have tested positive for Covid-19, according to ESPN and The Athletic.
On Monday, 11 Marlins players and two coaches tested positive for coronavirus, ESPN reported. Within the last week, ESPN reports that the team has had 17 people test positive.
CNN has reached out the Marlins and MLB for confirmation and an update on the team's status.
Here's what MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said when he was asked if there was a point that would cause a shutdown of part or all of the league's schedule:
"I think that a team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change, whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to leaguewide. You get to a certain point leaguewide where it does become a health threat and we certainly would shut down at that point.”
