August 6 coronavirus news

Contact tracing is a vitally important tool for reducing the spread of Covid-19, but it has to be communicated properly to communities in order for it to work, according to the global health organization Vital Strategies, led by former US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden.

“Those who are 50+ and from racial and ethnic minority communities are disproportionately affected; hence, it is key that the appropriate communication channels and message delivery are adopted for successful community engagement with these demographics,” the Contact Tracing Community Messaging Toolkit says.

Vital Strategies published the toolkit on Thursday after carrying out 12 sets of focus group interviews, where 88 people participated in the research for the report. The groups were comprised of English- and Spanish-speaking Black and Latinx immigrants in New York City and Philadelphia.

The toolkit highlights the need for trusted messengers, local messaging and media planning in order to have successful contact tracing in these communities.

The main three sources of information and communication mentioned by focus group participants were community-based organizations, word of mouth and government websites. 

There is a lack of trust in government, “primarily due to political and racial tensions, long-standing systemic health and, and social inequities facing ethnic minority groups,” but many of the focus group participants indicated that they trusted information from community health centers, primary doctors, local health departments and the CDC. 

This is why people who are communicating the information about contact tracing must be trusted and respected in the communities. 

The way messages are delivered is also important, with different groups and different ages preferring varying modes of communication, ranging from text messages to newspapers. 

Messaging also has to be local. It has to be relatable to those who campaigns are trying to reach, and take language considerations into account.

Media buying, when it comes to spreading information about contact tracing, must be audience-focused – so that it is able to reach all audiences and hard-to-reach groups directly.

The toolkit also details the Be The One campaign, which is a “concept that centers the individual’s participation in contact tracing as the key to helping their communities.”

Be The One was the concept that resonated most with the focus groups, according to the toolkit’s news release, “as it centers on the individual's participation in contact tracing as the key to helping their communities.

While the toolkit was developed with contact tracing in mind, it can also be used to support other public health and social measures, Vital Strategies said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to “give the fans what they want” when it comes to sports returning to schools and college campuses this upcoming school year.

DeSantis made the remarks during a news conference in Jacksonville Thursday where he pushed for the return of girls and boys sports in his state.

DeSantis said “there is a risk out there” with sports. But, he doesn’t foresee youth sports teams operating in an “NBA style bubble.”

Instead, when an athlete develops symptoms, that athlete would be isolated and tested. And the athlete could then return 10 days after displaying symptoms. 

“What I would not do is just… shut down everything else. I mean I think if everyone else is fine, you got to just keep going,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said the vast majority of youth either have zero or mild symptoms. The governor said that as a father, if his children were old enough to play sports, he would want them to play.

“I would want them playing,” DeSantis said. “If they bring something back to the house, I mean, as much as I wouldn't want that, I would rather take that risk, than to deprive them of the opportunity. You know, to do things like this. But that's just me as a father, the calculation I would make.”

Four students from three Georgia high schools who attended classes in person this week have tested positive for Covid-19, Columbia County School District Superintendent Sandra Carraway told CNN. 

The district started the new school year for those who chose to attend in person classes on Monday. The students who tested positive attended Evans High School, Lakeside High School and Harlem High School.  

Carraway said a number of students identified as having close contact with the students who tested positive are now quarantining at home. She declined to provide the number of students being quarantined due to potential exposure.  

More details: High schools in Columbia County are operating on A/B schedules to reduce the number of students at each school on any given day. The district told CNN that it requires all high and middle school students to wear face coverings in school property during transition periods and in any setting where social distancing is not possible. 

Carraway said students health and safety is their top priority.  

She added that the district has contact tracing, cleaning and messaging plans in place. The district sent a message to parents on Wednesday reiterating that students who don’t feel well should stay home. It also noted that anyone waiting for Covid-19 test results, regardless of whether they have symptoms, should not come to school until they receive results. 

Florida on Thursday reported at least 7,650 news coronavirus cases and 120 additional deaths, according to the latest data released by the Florida Department of Health. 

Where things stand: There are now 510,389 total cases in Florida, including out-of-state residents, the health department reported. At least 7,747 people have died from coronavirus in the state to date, the department's data shows.

The State Department lifted its global level 4 travel advisory Thursday after more than four months of warning US citizens against traveling abroad.

The State Department issued the level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory – the highest level of travel advisory — on March 19, urging US citizens not to travel overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The State Department will return to its previous system of assigning country-specific advisories since health conditions are "improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others," according to a note from the department. This will "give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions."

Despite the lifted State Department advisory, American travelers continue to face travel restrictions in countries worldwide due to rising cases of the deadly disease in the United States.

President Trump called Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine “a great guy” who’s “done a fantastic job” as he spoke about the governor’s Covid-19 diagnosis on Thursday.

“A very good friend of mine just tested positive, do you know that?” Trump asked a crowd in Ohio. “Our great governor, governor of Ohio DeWine just tested positive, just here.”

The President also detailed how he found out about the diagnosis, saying he “just got on the phone to speak to the governor and they said, ‘sir he just tested positive.’”

“He’s a great guy, he’s done a fantastic job,” Trump added.

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.