Coronavirus update: With US cases at 6 million, Dr. Birx urges vigilance heading into fall. Get the latest.
As the United States nears 6 million COVID-19 cases, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus response urged Americans not to wait for a vaccine to stop community spread of the virus.
“Do the right thing today,” Dr. Deborah Birx said. “Because if we do the right thing today, we go into the fall with much fewer cases.”
As researchers race to develop a vaccine to get control of the virus that has infected more than 5.9 million people and killed 183,066 in the US, health experts and officials continue to say preventative measures, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowds can keep infections low and economies open in the interim. But as the pandemic drags on, experts worry that the public has become fatigued or complacent in those measures.
“Right now, we gain freedom through wearing our masks and socially distancing,” Birx said.
Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.
- Australia recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic Monday as the government urged hot spot Victoria state to announce plans to lift a lockdown on the country’s second-largest city.
- India is entering a new phase of reopening that will see subway trains running for the first time in months, despite skyrocketing daily coronavirus infections that are showing no sign of slowing down.
- Not all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the country’s education minister acknowledged Sunday, as a persistent rise in coronavirus infections jeopardizes the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million schoolchildren back into class this week.
- A study shows California’s stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus seems to have saved some wildlife, as decreased traffic resulted in fewer collisions with mountain lions, deer and other large animals.
- Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Medicare temporarily waived restrictions predating the smartphone era and now there’s a push to make telemedicine widely available in the future.
- The fastest two minutes in sports will also be the quietest in Kentucky Derby history. Churchill Downs scraped plans earlier this month for 23,000 physically distanced, masked fans to attend Saturday’s rescheduled Tripled Crown race due to the rise in coronavirus cases. It will be the first time spectators will not be allowed to attend the race.
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for answers to important questions and the latest virus numbers.
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