August 15 coronavirus news

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. 

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.

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.

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:

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 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive order requiring Covid-19 testing in prisons and jails, according to a news release sent Saturday. 

The chairman of Fáilte Ireland, the Irish tourism authority, has resigned after it was reported he was on holiday in Italy despite government advice to avoid all non-essential travel.

Michael Cawley's resignation was announced by Catherine Martin, the Irish Minister for Media Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, on Saturday.

Cawley went against another recommendation from the government which also called on the Irish people to spend their holidays inside the country. 

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. 

Mexico’s government expressed its “most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to those affected by the pandemic” and recognized the efforts made by all health workers to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the statement said.

Flags will be flown at half-mast from Aug. 13 until Sept. 11, according the statement. A daily moment of silence will continue at noon every day during this period.

Major League Baseball has postponed two games between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend after a player on the Reds tested positive for Covid-19, the league announced Saturday. 

After a game between both teams Friday night, reports surfaced that a player had tested positive for coronavirus. As a result, MLB postponed Saturday and Sunday’s games at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process.

Some context: Before Saturday’s announcement, MLB was on the verge of playing a full schedule of games for the first time since July 26.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who are set to resume play on Saturday, were the last team to hit by a Covid-19 outbreak. The team had a total of 19 games postponed after 18 members of the team, including 10 players, tested positive for Covid-19.

Previously, The Miami Marlins were forced to halt play for nine days after 21 members of the team, including 18 players, tested positive for the virus.

The United Kingdom has reported 1,012 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day it has had more than 1,000 daily infections.

The total number of coronavirus infections in the UK is now 317,379.

Britain also reported three additional deaths on Saturday, bringing its total number of Covid-19-related deaths to 41,361.