July 10, 2020

One day, more than 63,000 Covid-19 cases

  • A masked driver in a VW in Old Towne Orange. In Orange County, where many have refused to wear masks, COVID cases are up.

  • On Thursday, the US reported more than 63,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, breaking the daily record set earlier this week. The seven-day rolling average of new cases stands at about 53,700 per day. [CNBC / Will Feuer]

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  • The US death toll is also beginning to climb after initially lagging relative to surging case numbers. On Wednesday, California reported a single-day high of 149 Covid-19 deaths. [LA Times / Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II, and Luke Money]Fauci.
  • As the pandemic worsens in the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, cautioned earlier this week that the hardest-hit states “should seriously look at shutting down.” [Axios / Fadel Allassan]As three single-day records related to coronavirus were set Thursday, Abbott acknowledged that the statewide mask order he issued last week is unpopular. But he said people simply must become familiar with “the severity of COVID-19 right now” in Texas and, like the people shown walking in downtown Fort Worth last week, wear masks.
  • And some states have already begun to scale back efforts to reopen. In Texas, for example, bars are again closed and Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide mask order last week, warning that it was a necessary step “to avoid having our economy shut down again.” [Dallas Morning News / Robert T. Garrett]A digital sign on a street reads, “Covid-19 testing next right. Appointment required.”
  • Rising cases have also highlighted enduring issues with US coronavirus testing. According to Ashish Jha, who directs Harvard’s Global Health Institute, while the US can conduct more tests now than it could earlier this year, [But still, not as much as it needs.--Esco20] basic supply chain issues still have not been addressed. [Vox / German Lopez]

  • With no respite from the coronavirus in sight, Congress is on the clock to negotiate another relief package before its August recess. On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that the Trump administration’s proposed $1 trillion package “doesn’t come anywhere near” what’s needed. [Politico / Sarah Ferris]Nancy Pelosi
  • The expanded unemployment benefits included in the last major relief package are also set to expire at the end of the month, and their future is unclear. Democrats hope to extend the program, reports CBS News, but congressional Republicans are less sure. [CBS News / Grace Segers]

  • Another round of direct stimulus payments is also under consideration for the next relief package, though Republicans have floated a new eligibility threshold that would see only those making less than $40,000 receive a check. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Erica Werner]
  • A protester in front of the Los Angeles City Hall building holds up a sign that reads in English and in Spanish, “No wages, no rent.”
  • As Vox’s Jen Kirby reports, the expiration of expanded unemployment could prove disastrous for renters in particular. Evictions are resuming in many parts of the US, and if unemployment benefits vanish as well, the result will likely be “an eviction crisis of biblical proportions.” [Vox / Jen Kirby]