The latest on the coronavirus pandemic

By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Amy Woodyatt, Ed Upright, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 12:27 a.m. ET, August 1, 2020
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4:49 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

First Covid-19-related teen death reported in California 

From CNN's Topher Gauk-Roger

California's health department confirmed the first Covid-19-related death of a teenager in the state on Friday.

The Central Valley teenager had underlying health conditions, the health department said. Due to patient confidentiality, the department did not provide any additional information about the child's death.

Some context: In California, there have been no reported deaths in younger age categories, including children age 5 and under.

A total of 9,005 people have died from the coronavirus in California since the start of the pandemic, with 96 additional deaths being reported on Friday.

“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of this young person whose death is a tragic and powerful reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, state public health officer and director of the California's health department.

4:37 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Germany will offer free coronavirus tests to all travelers entering the country

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin

German Health Minister Jens Spahn attends a press conference on July 16 in Berlin, Germany.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn attends a press conference on July 16 in Berlin, Germany. Henning Schacht/Pool/Getty Images

Starting Saturday, all travelers coming to Germany will be able to get free coronavirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests up to 72 hours after entering the country, the German health ministry announced in a statement.

“The rise in cases is a clear warning. The virus does not take days off. Therefore: whoever returns from a trip should get a test — voluntarily and free of charge,” said German health minister Jens Spahn in the statement.

Germany is currently dealing with a new rise in coronavirus infections and believes travelers returning from abroad and carrying the virus are partially responsible. 

The German health ministry said it will also enact a directive making tests mandatory for people returning from so-called “high-risk areas.” The new rule will go into effect next week, the health ministry wrote, without specifying the exact date.

Germany has reported 210,399 coronavirus cases, including 9,147 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. 

4:09 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Student tests positive for Covid-19 on first day of school in Indiana

From CNN’s Rebekah Riess

As an Indiana school district returned to in-person learning for its first day of the 2020-21 school year, one of its students tested positive for Covid-19, according to a letter sent to parents.

The Hancock County Health Department notified Greenfield-Central Junior High School on Thursday that one of its students, who had attended part of the school day, tested positive for Covid-19, Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin said in his letter to parents.

Olin said when they became aware of the positive result, the school enacted its “Positive Covid-19 Test Protocol.”

The student was immediately isolated within the school’s clinic, and the student’s schedule, including transportation and extra-curricular activities, were looked at to determine which students or staff would be considered a close contact. 

As part of the district’s return to in-person learning, “all areas of all schools” are already being disinfected professionally each evening, but the superintendent noted that special attention would be given to areas and classrooms that the infected student had been in.

“We understand that this information will cause concern for some of you. It was very evident today that nearly all of our families and students were prepared to properly follow the safety protocols we have established,” Olin wrote to parents. “Adhering to these protocols is essential for maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff.”
4:04 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Four crew members of Norwegian cruise ship hospitalized with Covid-19

From CNN's Lauren Kent

The MS Roald Amundsen is docked in Tromsö, Norway, on July 31.
The MS Roald Amundsen is docked in Tromsö, Norway, on July 31. Hinrich Bäsemann/picture alliance via Getty Images

Four crew members of the Norwegian cruise vessel MS Roald Amundsen have been hospitalized with Covid-19, a spokesperson for the University Hospital of North Norway told CNN on Friday.

Ship operator Hurtigruten said in a Friday statement that the four crew members were isolated several days ago because of other disease symptoms, with no symptoms of Covid-19. The employees were "routinely tested when the ship docked in Tromsø Friday morning," according to the company statement.

All 160 crew members onboard the cruise vessel have been quarantined and will be tested for coronavirus, and 177 passengers will be contacted with further information from health authorities, according to Hurtigruten.

The ship's scheduled trip to Svalbard, Norway, on Friday afternoon was canceled, and the next voyage with the MS Roald Amundsen is not planned until September, the statement said.

Norway has had 9,217 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 255 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

4:00 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Another Brazilian minister tests positive for coronavirus 

From Rodrigo Pedroso in São Paulo

Wagner Rosario, Brazilian minister of the Office of the Comptroller General, speaks during a seminar on combating corruption conducted at the District Public Ministry Federal and Territories in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 12, 2018.
Wagner Rosario, Brazilian minister of the Office of the Comptroller General, speaks during a seminar on combating corruption conducted at the District Public Ministry Federal and Territories in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 12, 2018. Mateus Bonomi/AGIF/Sipa USA via AP Images

Brazilian minister Wagner Rosario tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced Friday. 

Rosario, who heads the Office of the Comptroller General, is the sixth minister in President Jair Bolsonaro's government to test positive for the virus. On Thursday, Brazil's science and technology minister Marcos Pontes announced on Twitter that he also tested positive for coronavirus.

Rosario will remain in isolation and perform his duty remotely until he is recovered, according to his office.

3:47 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Arkansas governor says the state's 10% coronavirus positivity rate is "too high"

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks during a press conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 31.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks during a press conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 31. AR Gov. Hutchinson's Office

Arkansas reported a 10% positivity rate for new coronavirus cases Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during an afternoon news conference.

"In terms of our positivity rate, this is not good," Hutchinson said. "We have a lot of work to do here. We're right at the 10% level, which is CDC recommendation, but that's too high, we want it lower."

The state reported 752 new coronavirus cases Friday for a total of 42,511 statewide. Arkansas also added 11 new deaths for a total of 453, Hutchinson said.

There were 7,207 new tests reported Friday, Hutchinson said.

Arkansas Health Director Dr. Jose Romero said there are 100 people on ventilators after a decrease of one Friday. 

3:28 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Number of Covid-19 cases in the US surpasses 4.5 million

There are now at least 4,536,240 cases of coronavirus in the US and 152,878 people have died from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

On Friday at 3:15 p.m. ET, Johns Hopkins reported 41,225 new cases and 823 reported deaths. 

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

3:12 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Missouri reports roughly 1,500 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN’s Kay Jones

Missouri's health department reported 1,489 new Covid-19 positive cases on Friday.   

The department has reported more than 1,000 positive cases each of the past 11 days.

On Thursday, the department said in a series of tweets that due to increased testing throughout the state combined with the testing delays at labs across the country, there was a backlog of data processing and entry in its office affecting the case counts over the previous 10 days. The tweets on Thursday said that today’s numbers would be current with only cases reported over the past 24 hours. 

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Missouri is now 50,323, according to figures released Friday afternoon by the department. The state reported a 9.7% positivity rate averaged over the past seven days. 

There were also 10 new deaths in the state, according to the department, bringing the total to 1,243. 

Note: These numbers were released by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project. 

 

3:00 p.m. ET, July 31, 2020

Argentina extends quarantine measures in capital's metropolitan area through mid-August

From CNN's Tatiana Arias

A woman wearing a protective mask walks in Buenos Aires on July 31.
A woman wearing a protective mask walks in Buenos Aires on July 31. Carol Smiljan/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Argentine President Alberto Fernández said the current quarantine measures will be extended until August 16 for the metro area of the capital city Buenos Aires.

"Until August 16, things will remain as they are today," Fernández said today, adding that Covid-19 is "not just another flu."

Ninety percent of Covid-19 cases are reported in the metro area of Buenos Aires, "but [the virus] has begun to radiate to other places," Fernández said.

"Outbreaks are surging elsewhere in the inner parts of the country," the Argentine president said.

Some context: The metro area of Buenos Aires (AMBA region) was under lockdown until July 17, when Fernández announced the country, including Buenos Aires, were going to gradually reopen between July 18 and August 2.

Regions under the current quarantine measures, are subject to a "mandatory, preventive and social isolation," where people can leave their homes only for essential needs such as food and medical services, Fernández said.

As of Friday afternoon, Argentina reported 185,373 cases of coronavirus and 3,466 deaths, according to the health ministry.

The bigger picture: Argentina has the sixth highest number of cases in the Latin America region, behind Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University.