August 6 coronavirus news

Covid-19 has been “a tragic reminder to the world of the insecurity and instability disease can cause,” and has shown how critical it is to invest in health, the World Health Organization's director-general said on Thursday.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our world. It has stress tested our political, economic, cultural and social infrastructure,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the Aspen Security Forum.

The world has learned the lesson that it needs to invest in pandemic preparedness and climate crisis the hard way, Tedros said, and that unless this happens, “we leave ourselves open to enormous harm.”

All countries have been hit hard, he said, high- and low-income alike, with the Americas remaining as one of the epicenters of the virus. 

“No single country can fight this virus alone. Its existence anywhere puts lives and livelihoods at risk everywhere,” Tedros said.

It is never too late to turn it around, though he said; using “science solutions and solidarity” together it is possible to overcome the pandemic.

The first coronavirus pandemic has shown how critical health investment is to national security, Tedros said, with universal health coverage being essential for global health security.

WHO’s highest priority is to support all countries in strengthening their health systems so that everyone can access quality services when they are needed, he said. 

“For all our differences, we are here, one human race, sharing the same plant – and our security is interdependent,” he said. “No country will be safe until we are all safe.”

Tedros finished by urging all leaders to choose the path of cooperation, and to act now to end the virus. “It’s not just the smart choice,” he said, “It’s the right choice, and it’s the only choice we have.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,953 new cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the state’s total to 188,424.

This is the highest single-day report since May 24, when 2,508 total cases were reported, according to IDPH’s dashboard.

The positivity rate for new cases over the past week is at 4%. IDPH also reported that 1,517 people are hospitalized with 346 patients in intensive care units.

The state also reported 21 new deaths, bringing the total to 7,594.

Note: These numbers were released by the Illinois 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.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pushed for boys and girls athletics this upcoming school year.

Student sports stopped in Florida when schools transitioned to distance learning at the beginning of the pandemic.

DeSantis used himself as an example saying playing athletics made him a better student, not just in high school but in college.

There is an ongoing legal battle over the reopening of schools for in-person instruction in the state. Today, a Miami-Dade judge transferred the case to a judge in Leon County. 

DeSantis reiterated during the news conference that parents who want face-to-face instruction for their children should have that option.

More than 1,000 Big Ten college football players released a letter Wednesday, writing that the NCAA “has had ample time to prepare for the safe return of its athletes to competition, yet it has done nothing.”

The letter goes on to outline five areas where athletes would like to see more regulations and enforcement amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The NCAA announced Wednesday that each division of school athletics will have to determine its ability to meet requirements to proceed with fall sports.

Benjamin St-Juste, defensive back for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, says the uncertainty “creates a super stressful environment for every student-athlete.”

He said the athletes want a formal meeting with the head officials at the NCAA to find common goals. 

Reynolds said that while he doesn’t think the season should be canceled, it requires a “well-thought-out plan.” 

Watch:

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has tested positive for coronavirus and has no symptoms currently, according to a statement from the governor's office.  

DeWine "took a test for Covid-19 as part of the standard protocol to greet President Donald Trump on the tarmac at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland," the statement said.  

"Governor DeWine is returning to Columbus where he and First Lady Fran DeWine, who also has no symptoms, will both be tested," according to the statement.  

DeWine plans to quarantine in his Cedarville, Ohio, home for the next 14 days, the statement said.  

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said on Thursday that he hopes the US will reconsider its decision to withdraw from WHO – and that the problem the withdrawal creates is not financial, but the lack of solidarity between global leaders.

President Trump announced at the end of May that the US will end its relationship with WHO, the world’s preeminent health organization.

“Now, it’s time to work together. Now, it’s time to focus on fighting the virus. So I hope the US will reconsider its position,” Tedros said during a panel event at the Aspen Security Forum.

Tedros said he has said many times that “you cannot defeat this dangerous enemy in a divided world. We need a united world.” 

A united world needs cooperation and solidarity among major powers, he said.

“Multi-lateral organizations can only support, like WHO, the leaders always have been countries, and especially the major ones, who can bring the whole world together,” Tedros said. “So that is more important for WHO, the void, not the financial.”

He said there is still communication between WHO and the US, and that they are working together – but he hopes that the relationship will “return to normal, and a stronger relationship than ever before.” 

Tedros said the US has always been known for its generosity, support and leadership in global health. He detailed how during his time as a minister in Ethiopia, while HIV/AIDS was ravaging the continent and the rest of the world, US leadership and generosity gave hope to many.

He also said that if there were problems or issues with WHO or the UN system at large, they would be very open to any evaluations or assessments.

“The truth can be known, and this can be done from inside, without leaving the organization,” he said. “Knowing the truth is very important for the whole world.”

Lessons need to be learned from what is happening and what has happened, Tedros said, and the future needs to be built together.

“If there is any problem, we will find out and we will learn from it,” Tedros said. 

Later in the session, Dr. Mike Ryan, director of WHO’s health emergencies program, thanked the United States and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their continued contribution to global public health.

“The politics of these things will never shake the bonds that scientists have around the world, and the urge and the desire we have to work together to save lives,” he said.

President Trump tweeted that his staff is working on possible a possible executive order addressing some of the components of the stimulus negotiations.

He tweeted that an executive order could address “Payroll Tax Cut, Eviction Protections, Unemployment Extensions, and Student Loan Repayment Options.” 

Some background: The President has repeatedly said he may address these issues through executive action and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said that could happen if a deal can’t be reached by Friday.

But as CNN's Phil Mattingly has reported, lawmakers on Capitol Hill haven't been taking the threat of executive action seriously for a couple of reasons:

An ensemble forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects more than 181,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Aug. 29. 

The new projections, published Thursday, forecast 181,031 deaths by Aug. 29, with a possible range of 174,946 to 189,433 deaths.

“State-level ensemble forecasts predict that the number of reported new deaths per week may increase over the next four weeks in Hawaii and Puerto Rico and may decrease in Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands.” the CDC says on its forecasting website.

Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections about a month into the future.

The previous ensemble forecast, published July 31, projected roughly 173,000 coronavirus deaths by Aug. 22.

At least 158,445 people have already died from Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would like to get a Covid-19 vaccine as quickly as possible – and according to ethical principles.

"When the vaccine becomes available after a 30,000-person-or-more placebo-controlled randomized trial, and it's shown to be safe and effective, I would get it any time within the timeframe of the people who prioritize it according to ethical principles," Fauci said during an interview on the POLITICO Pulse Check podcast published Thursday.

Fauci explained that while he is in the high-risk group because of his age, "There may be people who need it more than I do, and I would prefer they get it if they need it. I would like to get it as soon as the prioritization by ethical considerations says I can do it."

Later in the interview, Fauci said he would like to stay healthy. "One, I just like being alive and well. And number two, I do have a very deep commitment to ending this pandemic," he told POLITICO's Dan Diamond.