August 3 coronavirus news

California is beginning the week by reporting a lower number of cases and deaths than in recent days and a marked difference in the overall positivity rate of the virus.

The state’s two-week positivity rate is down to 7.0% and has remained steady through the month of July. The seven-day positivity rate is at 6.1%, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in a news conference. That seven-day average is down roughly 21.2% from the previous week.

He added: “It is not where it needs to be. It’s still too high. But again, it is good to see the number trending down."

The California Department of Public Health recorded 32 new deaths for a total of 9,388. California on Saturday marked its highest number of deaths in single-day at 219. Newsom warned that the number is likely a lagging indicator and “we’re likely to see those number remain stubbornly high.”

Some more context: The statewide case count, which surpassed half a million over the weekend, stands at 514,901 with the addition of 5,739 new cases.

The report may include cases and deaths that occurred outside the most recent 24-hour period due to the possibility of reporting delays.

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

There are at least 4,690,404 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 155,124 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

On Monday at 3 p.m. ET, Johns Hopkins reported 22,449 new cases and 264 reported deaths. 

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

An Indian institute on Monday received approval from the country's governmental authority on drugs to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials of a vaccine developed by Oxford University in the UK.

Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, has received approval from the Drug Controller General of India to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials of the Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, in an attempt to hasten the development of a Covid-19 vaccine in the country, the press information bureau of India said in a release Monday. 

The trials will be conducted in August in India, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of SII, told CNN. The institute intends to get a license for distribution in November to make it available to the world if trials are successful. 

SII also has two vaccines it has developed which are currently in the animal trial phases and hopes to get licenses for manufacturing and distribution for them in the third quarter of 2021, Poonawalla said.

"No single company including Serum Institute will be able to produce everything the world needs," Poonawalla said, adding that pharmaceutical companies will have to share intellectual property to meet the demand for vaccines quicker. 

Authorities in Italy have found that only 2.5% of Italians, or 1,482,000 people, have Covid-19 antibodies despite it being one of the countries hardest hit by coronavirus in Europe.

According to the results of a national survey released on Monday, the northern region of Lombardy, the worse-hit by the pandemic, reported the highest number of people with antibodies, 7.5%, while the two main Italian islands, Sicily and Sardinia, had the lowest number of 0.3 % of the population. 

According to the survey, almost a third of those who tested positive for antibodies were asymptomatic and the most frequent source of infection, in 41.7 % of the cases, is from a relative living in the same house. 

The current number of people with antibodies is six times higher than that registered during the pandemic, said Linda Laura Sabbadini, director of the National Institute for Statistics (Istat).  

More on the survey: The survey, carried out in collaboration with the Italian Red Cross, between May 25 and July 15, tested blood samples from 64,660 people from 2,000 villages and cities across Italy, split by sex, occupation and age groups. The survey did not include people living in health care facilities. 

In May, the government had said the survey would include 150,000 people, but "the health emergency made the survey procedure more complicated,” but still "an incredibly useful source of data," Sabbadini explained during a press conference.

Ohio added 932 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 93,963, the state’s Department of Health said Monday.

There were also 10 additional deaths reported as the death toll from the virus now stands at 3,539, according to the Ohio Department of Health data.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that indoor gatherings will be reduced to 25% capacity with a maximum number of 25 people, due to the “upward climb” in the Covid-19 transmission rate. 

Citing a rise in indoor house parties that have been seen all across the state, the governor said, “We cannot be any clearer that indoor gatherings and especially large crowded ones where social distancing isn’t practiced and face masks aren’t worn, they are just not safe.” 

Murphy went on to say until the state sees the rate of increase drop, “the actions of a few knuckleheads leave us no other course.”

According to the governor, the restrictions do not apply to weddings, funerals, memorial services and religious and political activities protected under the First Amendment. 

The governor said he welcomed the “proactive action” taken by Airbnb to suspend and remove the listings of some 35 properties, which received complaints for becoming party houses.

"This is a welcomed step to not only restore some sanity and peace to neighborhoods but to help us curtail the dangerous actions of a few that may put many people and entire communities at risk," Murphy said.

The latest numbers: The rate of transmission stands at 1.48, which has not been that high since early April, the governor said Monday. The daily positivity rate as of July 30 is 1.88%.

There have been 264 news cases of Covid-19 with 10 fatalities over the course of the last three days. 

The state reported 738 Covid-19 hospitalizations, with 144 patients in intensive care units, 34% of patients are on ventilators. 

President Trump said he’s “totally involved” with coronavirus relief negotiations on Capitol Hill despite the fact that he hasn’t been on the Hill for the talks.

Asked why he wasn’t involved with the negotiations, Trump said, “The fact I’m not over there with crazy Nancy? I'm totally involved. Totally involved.”

“We are going to be doing some things that are very good because we don’t think that she— look. What Chuck Schumer wants more than anybody and I would say Nancy Pelosi would be second, they want to bail out cities and states that have done a bad job over a long period time nothing to do with coronavirus or China virus or whatever you want to call it,” he continued. CNN considers the term “China Virus” is derogatory and inaccurate.

“They want bailout money,” Trump claimed. “A trillion dollars in bailout money and people don't want to do that. Because we don't think it's right. The Democrats have run some very bad states and some very, very bad cities and a lot of people don't want to give them a trillion dollars to reward them for doing a bad job. If you look at some of the states, I won't insult anybody by naming those states but you know what they are. They want bailout money. They're not interested in the people they’re not interested in unemployment. They’re not interested in evictions which is a big deal. The evictions. They want to evict a lot of people are going to be evicted but I’m going to stop it.”

The President has routinely blamed Democrats for the status of negotiations, but Republican lawmakers spent several weeks trying to get on the same page. The White House was often out of step with party leadership, particularly in its insistence in a payroll tax cut that saw bipartisan opposition.

 Read the latest on the stimulus negotiations here.

Another football player at a different high school in Indiana has tested positive for Covid-19, according to Dennis Jarrett, director of media and community relations for the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township.

The football player is a student at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Classes at the high school are still scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 6, Jarrett said. 

Note: This is a different school district from the other four incidents of Covid-19 infections in Indiana schools that CNN have previously reported.

The National Hockey League announced that it has received no positive Covid-19 test results during its first week playing inside the league’s two hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton. 

Every member of each teams’ traveling party was tested on a daily basis between July 27 and August 1.

Read the NHL's statement: