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August 8 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Laura Smith-Spark and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 0410 GMT (1210 HKT) August 9, 2020

21 Posts

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3:14 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

Texas governor extends state disaster declaration for Covid-19

From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott extended his disaster declaration for all Texas counties in response to Covid-19, according to a statement released by his office on Saturday.

The disaster declaration, originally issued on March 13, provides the state a variety of resources to effectively mitigate the spread of Covid-19, the statement said.

"Renewing this Disaster Declaration will provide communities with the resources they need to respond to Covid-19," Abbott said. "I urge Texans to remain vigilant in our fight against this virus. Everyone must do their part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. We will overcome this challenge by working together."

1:59 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

Iraq reports more than 3,300 cases of coronavirus on Saturday

From CNN’s Aqeel Najim in Baghdad

Iraq’s Ministry of Health reported 3,325 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday.

This brings the total cases in the country to 147,389.

The health ministry also reported 74 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, bringing the total to 5,310.

1:31 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

Coronavirus cases in the US approach 5 million

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

According to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States, there are at least 4,964,430 cases of coronavirus in the country and 161,810 people have died from the virus.

As of 1:30 p.m. ET, 22,675 new cases and 463 new deaths have been reported in the US since midnight.

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

1:20 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

South Carolina launches new health campaign as coronavirus cases near 100,000

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

On Saturday, there were 1,178 new Covid-19 cases reported and 67 additional confirmed deaths in South Carolina, according to a statement from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

South Carolina health officials encourage residents to fight the spread of Covid-19 as evidence increases about "high rates of infection in people who do not have symptoms and don’t know they are infectious."

DHEC announced its new "Fight the Spread" campaign Saturday to encourage residents to wear masks, practice social distancing and get tested, the statement said.

The state's current positivity rate is 15.9%, DHEC reported.

More details: There are now 98,743 total coronavirus cases in South Carolina and 1,931 deaths in the state, DHEC said.

2:42 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

There are more than 30,000 Floridians who have been hospitalized due to Covid-19

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

A medic sanitizes an ambulance after transferring a patient to Coral Gables Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, on July 30. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

There are 30,251 Floridians who have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic, according to Florida Department of Health (DOH).

This figure includes "anyone who was hospitalized at some point during their illness," according to the department.

There are currently 6,836 people hospitalized in Florida with Covid-19, down from 7,942 last Saturday morning, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).

The counties with the most hospitalizations include Miami-Date with 1,558, Broward with 960 and Palm Beach with 419.

Note: These numbers were released by Florida'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

2:44 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

Mid-American Conference postpones fall sports season due to Covid-19

Frim CNN's Wayne Sterling

Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has postponed all fall sports scheduled this season, including football, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The conference will also postpone MAC championships.

"The Council of Presidents unanimously voted to take this action with the health and safety of its student-athletes, coaches and communities as it top priority," the MAC said in a statement Saturday. "It is the intention of the membership to provide competitive opportunities in these sports during the the spring semester of 2021."

Seven sports — men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer and women's volleyball — are affected. No decision on winter sports has been made.

Some context: The MAC is the first conference from NCAA's top tier Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to postpone its football season.

Read the tweet from the MAC:

11:53 a.m. ET, August 8, 2020

Maryland reports more than 770 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Sheena Jones

Maryland has reported 775 new cases of Covid-19 and 11 additional deaths from the virus, according to the state’s official website.

The state currently has a 4.03% infection rate.

Note: The numbers listed were released by the state of Maryland and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

2:47 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

New York reports a 0.93% infection rate across the state

From CNN's Sheena Jones

Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

New York state has reported a 0.93% infection rate, according to a press release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

Out of the 74,857 people tested for Covid-19 across the state Friday, 703, or 0.93% people, tested positive, the release said.

"Despite increasing infection rates across the country and in our region, we continue to see our numbers hold at low levels, all thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers to change their behavior and our data-driven, phased reopening," Cuomo said.

At least 573 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 across the state and 133 people are in intensive care units, the release said.

There were five additional Covid-19 deaths reported yesterday, whi brings the statewide total to 25,195 deaths, according to the release.

Note: The numbers listed were released by the state of New York and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

2:54 p.m. ET, August 8, 2020

One of the India plane crash victims had Covid-19

From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi

One victim of Friday’s plane crash in the southern Indian state of Kerala has tested positive for coronavirus, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Saturday.

All the passengers who were on the plane will be tested for coronavirus, the minister said in a statement. All 18 victims in the crash, who include the two pilots, have been identified.

The plane was one of the repatriation flights operated by the Indian government to bring back nationals stranded abroad due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, according to the Air India website.

Shailaja Teacher, Kerala's Minister for Health, thanked rescue workers via Twitter for their timely response in the aftermath of Friday’s plane crash.

She added that some rescue workers had to prioritize saving lives and that not everyone was able to follow Covid-19 protocols.

“We understand that while rushing to the site many of you were not able to follow COVID-19 protocol," she wrote. "Our priority was to save lives. However, now we have to be vigilant again. We urge all who have been to the crash site to take necessary measures to keep yourself and others safe."