New York will provide health personnel and supervision so that the official 9/11 Memorial and Museum "Tribute in Light" tradition can continue this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a series of tweets on Saturday.
August 15 coronavirus news
By Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Zamira Rahim, Laura Smith-Spark, Alaa Elassar and Amir Vera, CNN
Updated 12:20 a.m. ET, August 16, 2020
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New York will provide health personnel and supervision so 9/11 "Tribute in Light" tradition can continue, governor says
From CNN's Laura Ly
Emergency medicine physician says patients' hearts are "on fire" due to Covid-19
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
The American Heart Association recently warned that coronavirus can cause "devastating" and lasting cardiac complications. While the warning is concerning, it is not news to those treating coronavirus patients on the frontlines, said Dr. Dara Kass, an emergency medicine physician at Columbia University Medical School.
"Basically this virus can put some patients' bodies on fire, including their hearts," Kass said. "We're seeing this damage happen in patients that are 30, 40 and 50 years old. These aren't the patients that are elderly and immunocompromised ... They're the patients that are surviving this virus, but now they're going to have a new chronic medical condition related to surviving this virus that we need to recognize and treat."
France sees another record for post-lockdown coronavirus cases, ICU and hospitalizations rising
From CNN's Barbara Wojazer
With 3,310 new cases in 24 hours, France has passed another record of post-lockdown daily coronavirus cases, according to numbers released by the National Health Agency on Saturday.
The number of hospitalizations increased by 29 to 4,857, according to the national agency website. The number of patients in intensive care also slightly increased to 376.
The death toll stands at 30,409, according to the national health agency.
South Africa downgrades Covid-19 restrictions as the peak eases
From CNN’s David McKenzie
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a significant downgrade of South Africa’s strict Covid-19 restrictions on Saturday during a televised address to the nation and said that the country appears to be moving beyond the peak of infections.
“I address you this evening amidst signs of hope,” Ramaphosa said, adding that fewer people were being admitted to health facilities in the country.
Ramaphosa announced that the alcohol ban will be lifted in the coming days and the controversial ban on cigarette sales will be rescinded.
Large gatherings and international travel are still not allowed and a curfew will remain in place between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., but travel between South African provinces will now be allowed.
Ramaphosa said that the swift action to lock down the country in March had a significant impact on the transmission of the virus.
“Difficult days still lie ahead, but we have proven our resilience as a nation for the past five months,” he said.
More than 7,000 children have tested positive for coronavirus in Alabama
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
More than 7,000 children have tested positive for coronavirus in Alabama, according to data on the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) website.
There are currently 103,357 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 4,223 probable cases, as well as 1,828 confirmed deaths and 68 probable deaths from Covid-19 in the state, the website shows.
Of those cases, 7% are in people aged 5 to 17, according to the demographics provided on the ADPH Covid Dashboard.
A total of 7,234 children have tested positive for the virus, according to calculations made using the data from the website.
Three pediatric deaths have been reported in Alabama, Dr. Karen Landers, area health officer for ADPH, told CNN in an email.
The deaths included two infants and one teenager, all which had underlying health problems, Landers said.
The age group with the highest number of cases is those aged 25 to 49, accounting for roughly 40% of all Covid-19 cases in the state, the website said.
FDA grants emergency use authorization to quick, inexpensive saliva-based Covid-19 diagnostic test
From CNN Health’s Lauren Mascarenhas
The US Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that it has granted emergency use authorization to a Covid-19 diagnostic test that uses a new, inexpensive method of processing saliva samples.
The test, called SalivaDirect, has been found to be highly sensitive, yielding similar outcomes to nasopharyngeal swabbing. Under the observation of a health care worker, saliva is self-collected in a sterile container without the use of a specific swab or collection device.
The molecular diagnostic test can yield results in under three hours, researchers said, and up to 92 samples can be tested at once. Researchers said the test costs only a couple dollars for reagents, and they expect labs to charge only about $10 per sample.
The method is being used by the National Basketball Association to test asymptomatic people for coronavirus. The NBA was among the groups that funded the research.
“The SalivaDirect test for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 is yet another testing innovation game changer that will reduce the demand for scarce testing resources," Adm. Dr. Brett Giroir, the White House Covid-19 testing coordinator, said in a statement.
Looking to the future: The FDA has authorized four other coronavirus tests which use saliva samples. Emergency use authorization allows the FDA to greenlight a product to test for coronavirus on an expedited basis.
Catch up: Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic today
It's Saturday in the US, where more than 5.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the pandemic began.
Here's what you need to know:
- Children at risk: Covid-19 rates in children are "steadily increasing," according to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts say children make up more than 7% of all coronavirus cases in the US — while comprising about 22% of the country's population — and the number and rate of child cases have been "steadily increasing" from March to July.
- British tourists are rushing home: Thousands of British holidaymakers have tried returning home from France in an attempt to avoid new quarantine restrictions imposed by the UK government. The UK imposed a 14-day quarantine, starting Saturday, on all arrivals from France, the Netherlands, Malta and Monaco.
- Russia's vaccine: The production of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, has started, the Russian health ministry said on Saturday, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Around 2,000 people are slated to take part in that critical stage of the Russian vaccine, according to Sputnik V’s website.
- A nation in mourning: Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced 30 days of national mourning to honor the country's Covid-19 victims, according to a statement released by his office Friday.
- Infections persist in Florida: Florida health officials have reported 6,352 new cases of coronavirus and 204 additional Covid-19-related deaths on Saturday, according to the state's health department. This marks the 53rd consecutive day Florida has reported more than 4,000 cases in a single day, according to CNN's tally.
Mexico City mayor tests negative for Covid-19 after self-isolation
From Karol Suarez
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has tested negative for Covid-19 after entering self-imposed isolation on Monday.
She announced her negative test result while speaking to reporters Saturday.
CNN reported Monday that Sheinbaum self-isolated following a colleague’s positive test result.
Michigan governor signs order requiring Covid-19 testing in prisons and jails
From CNN's Sheena Jones
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive order requiring Covid-19 testing in prisons and jails, according to a news release sent Saturday.
“Testing is the at the very center of any strategy to keep prison and jail populations safe. By reducing the spread of Covid-19 in prisons and jails, we protect corrections officers and their families, incarcerated people, and the whole community,” Whitmer said.