July 11 coronavirus news | CNN

Coronavirus pandemic: Updates from around the world

Brett McKeehan

Amir Vera

By Nectar Gan, Brett McKeehan, Rob Picheta and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 8:06 PM EDT, Sat July 11, 2020

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes his mask off as he prepares to speak during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium testing site on May 06, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Florida governor downplays virus as cases spike

2:07 • Source: CNN

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes his mask off as he prepares to speak during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium testing site on May 06, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Florida governor downplays virus as cases spike

2:07

What you need to know

At least 33 US states experienced an increase in new coronavirus cases compared to last week.
Meanwhile, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert warned Americans that the nation is still “knee deep” in the first wave.
Infections in Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed 3 million this week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Authorities in Hong Kong are warning of potential “exponential growth” in new cases after a surge in local transmissions.

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has ended for the evening.

45 Posts

New York's Katz's Deli offers outdoor dining for first time in 132-year history

From CNN's Alec Snyder

Opened in 1888, Katz's Deli is located on Houston Street in New York's Lower East Side.

Opened in 1888, Katz's Deli is located on Houston Street in New York's Lower East Side.

For the first time in its 132-year history, Katz’s Delicatessen is adding outdoor seating in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A New York City staple famous for its pastrami sandwiches, Katz’s is known for its aisles of seats indoors. The deli had to innovate to comply or continue serving guests solely through take-out and delivery.

Jake Dell, the fifth-generation owner of Katz’s, told CNN Saturday his business has been among the lucky ones throughout the pandemic, keeping all of its staff and their standard hours of work despite schedule changes.

Katz’s is adding seating capacity for between 50 and 70 people at a time on the sidewalk and street around the restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Dell said. The restaurant went through a trial period last week and is now operating with its outside seating until further notice.

Operating since 1888, non-New Yorkers may know the deli as the location of the famous “I’ll have what she’s having” scene in the 1989 romantic comedy, “When Harry Met Sally.”

Read the full story here.

President Trump wears a mask while visiting Walter Reed Medical Center

From CNN’s Jason Hoffman

President Trump wears a mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday.

President Trump wears a mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday.

Patrick Semansky/AP

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, the White House press corps got a glimpse of President Donald Trump wearing a mask.

Trump was seen briefly in a mask while walking with staff at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He did not make any remarks while wearing the mask.

The President said that wearing a mask while he is in the hospital is “a very appropriate thing.”

Over the course of the pandemic, Trump has refused to wear a mask in public, ridiculed those who have and done little to encourage his supporters to embrace the common sense public health measure.

CNN has previously reported that some of the President’s aides practically begged him to agree to Saturday’s mask photo op and hope it will encourage skeptical Trump supporters to do the same.

Brazil reports more than 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths

From journalist Márcia Reverdosa and CNN’s Taylor Barnes

The Brazilian health ministry reported 1,071 new Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, bringing the country’s death toll to 71,469.

The ministry reported 39,023 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the nationwide total to 1,839,850.

Brazil has routinely reported tens of thousands of new cases and more than 1,000 deaths each day since late May.

Miami-Dade County mayor says allowing indoor dining "would be irresponsible"

From Melissa Alonso

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez stressed that he has never blamed restaurants for the current spike in Covid-19 case, following protests for restaurants to remain open as reopening is rolled back, he said in a statement Saturday.

Protesters gathered outside the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Friday, saying there was no data to prove that Covid-19 cases in the area were rising due to people dining at restaurants, according to CNN affiliate WPLG.

People protest outside American Airlines Arena in Miami on Friday, July 10.

People protest outside American Airlines Arena in Miami on Friday, July 10.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Gimenez says the spike was caused by various factors “involving social gatherings without masks and little to no social distancing whether at private parties at people’s homes, graduation parties, Memorial Day weekend parties and street protests, as well as at restaurants that turned into bars with people not practicing social distancing during the month of June,” the statement said.

Gimenez said the rising Covid-19 positivity rate “will overwhelm hospitals unless everyone does their part.”

“I am pained that people’s livelihoods are being impacted. That is not my goal,” Gimenez said.

“I will not put our community’s health and our hospitals’ ability to save Covid-19 patients in peril to score political points. This is too serious, and people’s lives are at stake,” the mayor said.

Texas Medical Center says ICU occupancy on pace to reach Phase 3 by July 23

From CNN's Kay Jones

Houston-based Texas Medical Center said on Saturday that its ICU occupancy could reach Phase 3 levels by July 23, based on their current growth rate across the system’s intensive care units.

Within the Texas Medical Center system, Phase 1 is the current ICU configuration under non-pandemic conditions, Phase 2 adds an additional 1,703 ICU beds and Phase 3 plans temporary ICU surge capacity through an additional 2,207 beds.

Currently, TMC are 24% into their Phase 2 plans for intensive care, according to the latest information posted on its website, with 1,420 total ICU beds occupied throughout the system.

The hospitals in the TMC system have 2,331 positive Covid-19 patients, with 651 of those in ICU as of Friday, according to the latest data published. TMC says that between July 4 and 10, they saw a 3% growth of ICU Covid-19 patients.

The Houston area has averaged 1,360 new cases per day, three times higher than peak in April, with a 11.3% positivity rate over the past week, TMC said.

Kentucky sees "one of the highest days that we have had in terms of Covid-19 cases," governor says

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

Kentucky added 453 Covid-19 cases, “one of the highest days that we have had,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday.

The new cases brings the total to up 19,121. The governor said the state reported two additional deaths bringing the total count to 622 lives lost.

Kentucky has seen better compliance and more people wearing facial coverings “than ever before,” Beshear said. Wearing a mask is “not a political statement, it’s a statement that you care about other people,” he said.

Beshear signed an executive order Friday that mandates Kentuckians to wear a facial covering or mask in public in certain situations. The mandate began at 5 p.m. Friday and will last for 30 days.

University of Maryland suspends football voluntary workouts after nine test positive for coronavirus

From CNN's Homero De La Fuente

The University of Maryland has temporarily suspended its voluntary, individual training for the football program after nine individuals tested positive for Covid-19.

The University of Maryland has temporarily suspended its voluntary, individual training for the football program after nine individuals tested positive for Covid-19.

Cal Sport Media/AP

The University of Maryland announced Saturday that the school has temporarily suspended its voluntary, individual training for the football program after nine individuals tested positive for Covid-19.

“On July 7-8, the University Health Center conducted on-campus screening of 185 student-athletes and staff; nine individuals tested positive for Covid-19. These nine student-athletes and staff have been notified and are currently in self-isolation, monitored by university health officials.” Maryland Athletics said in the press release.

In previous testing of 105 individuals in June, no individual tested positive for Covid-19.

The largest number of new cases in Louisiana are those between 18 and 29

From CNN's Kay Jones

The largest grouping of new Covid-19 cases in Louisiana are adults between 18 and 29 years old, state health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said during a press conference Saturday afternoon.

State officials did not expect the virus to stay contained within that age bracket and Kanter said that there were concerns for anyone more vulnerable who comes in contact with a positive person in this age group.

The data is “showing that the virus is now spreading from the younger adults to the older individuals,” Kanter said.

He also discussed the peak during the first wave, which was focused mostly in the Greater New Orleans area.

If Louisiana doesn’t turn the numbers around, Kanter said the state is on pace to reach Texas and Arizona levels.

Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman tests positive for Covid-19

From CNN's Kevin Dotson

New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman throws during a spring training game in March.

New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman throws during a spring training game in March.

Carlos Osorio/AP

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Saturday that the team’s star closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for Covid-19 and has left the team facilities for the foreseeable future.

Boone said Chapman is experiencing “mild symptoms but overall is doing well.”

Chapman is a six-time MLB All-Star including 2018 and 2019 with the Yankees. Chapman also won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award in 2019.

Louisiana will require masks due to increase of Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Kay Jones

Louisiana will implement a statewide mask order for everyone 8 and older, Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a press conference Saturday.

Edwards also announced that bars throughout the state will closed for on-site consumption.

The Executive Order announcing these new changes will be signed Saturday, Edwards said, and all changes go into effect at 12:01 a.m. CST Monday morning.

Parishes in the state can opt out of the mask mandate if they don’t have a high positivity rate, but Edwards said only three would qualify to do so right now.

Edwards said he is closing the bars to on-site consumption, but allowing curbside pickup, because of the uptick in cases traced to the bars. At least 36 outbreaks have been traced to bars, with more than 400 people testing positive who were in those bars.

Edwards said that any social gathering will be limited to 50 people indoors and outdoors. Many of the new cases are being traced to gatherings such as informal backyard gatherings, he said.

Louisiana has seen Covid-19 cases rise in the recent weeks, with positivity rates hovering above 10% a majority of the past week. As CNN previously reported, Friday saw the highest day of new cases since the pandemic began.

Patients hospitalized due to the virus have steadily increased over the past two weeks.

“We cannot risk losing our capacity to deliver lifesaving care,” Edwards said.

He said the steps announced today are not the steps he wanted to take, but that they are essential.

Phase 2 for Louisiana is set to expire on July 24. Edwards said that officials will look at the data and decide what happens after that date.

Covid-19 cases within a Florida fire department doubled in less than a week

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

The number of positive coronavirus cases in the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Department of Fire Rescue in southern Florida went from 17 Monday to 34 Friday, according to Jason Smith, president of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

Smith said he sent a letter on Thursday to Fire Chief Joseph Fernandez and Sheriff Gregory Tony, who ultimately oversees the fire department. The letter listed concerns and the need for help with contact tracing, mass testing every two weeks and decontamination stations for fire fighters and paramedics, according to the letter obtained by CNN’s Rosa Flores.

The sheriff and fire chief have “been silent,” Smith said.

“We’re spreading it amongst ourselves and people are significantly sick, very sick,” Smith said.

In a statement, BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said the letter “has been received and is being reviewed.”

“We appreciate the suggestions from the union as we all work together on solutions to keep our employees and the public safe. Sheriff Gregory Tony has directed our fire rescue chief to provide him with a comprehensive plan to address the concerns of our firefighter/paramedics,” Coleman-Wright said.

Smith says one in 24 fire department employees are currently positive, but the IAFF-completed testing on July 5 and 6 “will show that number will be more like one in 15 are positive,” Smith’s letter says.

Broward County is currently second in the state for coronavirus cases with 28,253 as of Saturday, state health officials report. Broward County is Florida’s second-most populous county with 1.9 million people and home to the city of Fort Lauderdale.

A spokesperson for Broward County deferred to the Department of Fire Rescue for comment; BSOFR did not comment beyond BSO’s statement.

CNN has reached out the Florida Department of Health for data on infected first responders.

US coronavirus cases now total 3.2 million

From CNN’s Amanda Watts

A nurse prepares to administer a coronavirus test in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 10.

A nurse prepares to administer a coronavirus test in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 10.

Nati Harnik/AP

Since the pandemic began, there have been 3,225,721 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.

For comparison, the 3.2 million cases would make it the third-largest city in the United States – second only to New York with 8.3 million people and Los Angeles with 3.9 million, according to population estimates from the US Census Bureau.

Wisconsin reports highest single-day Covid-19 increase

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 926 new cases of Covid-19 Saturday, the highest increase in new positive cases to date, according to a tweet from the agency.

Yesterday was the previous highest single day case increase, the tweet said, with 845 new positive cases reported Friday, the tweet said.

A total of 35,679 positive cases have been reported statewide. There are currently 3,797 people hospitalized in the state, with 31 new hospitalizations reported Saturday.

Augusta mayor issues executive order mandating face coverings in public places

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. issued an executive order Friday mandating the use of face coverings in public places in Augusta, Georgia.

The executive order specifically requires the use of facial coverings or masks in all public places and government buildings in Augusta-Richmond county, a summary of the order posted to the mayor’s Twitter account said.

The order does not apply to religious establishments, although they are encouraged to use face coverings and masks when engaging in religious activity, the order said.

If a person does not have a mask when entering a government building they will be provided one but if they refuse to wear it they will be denied entry to the building, according to the order.

More details: Face coverings are not required in certain situations, including during outdoor physical activity provided that all individuals at all times maintain a minimum of six feet between others they do not live with.

They are also not required while eating, drinking or smoking, or if a person is 10 years of age or younger.

There are currently 1,563 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Richmond County, according to the Georgia Department of Health website. Sixty people have died in the county and there are 256 people hospitalized, the website said.

Colombia reports record number of daily Covid-19 deaths and cases

From CNN's Tatiana Arias

Funeral workers prepare to cremate a coronavirus victim at Serafin cemetary near Bogota, Colombia, on July 4.

Funeral workers prepare to cremate a coronavirus victim at Serafin cemetary near Bogota, Colombia, on July 4.

Vannessa Jimenez G/NurPhoto/AP

Colombia’s Ministry of Health reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths yesterday.

The ministry reported 6,803 new cases and 211 deaths on Friday. The new numbers bring the country’s total number of Covid-19 cases to 140,776 and 4,925 deaths, according to health data.

Due to the recent surge in cases, authorities announced on Friday the implementation of new lockdown measures, based on geographic zones, for the capital city, Bogota, where most of the cases are reported.

Additionally, the national government announced the extension of the nationwide quarantine through August 1.

Colombia is the fifth hardest hit country by the virus in Latin America following Mexico.

CDC now estimates that 40% of people infected with Covid-19 don't have any symptoms

From CNN's Gisela Crespo and Arman Azad

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated guidance meant for public health officials and mathematical modelers, which now estimates that 40% of people infected with Covid-19 show no symptoms.

Back in May, the CDC created five “Covid-19 Pandemic Planning Scenarios,” using data to provide a range of possible situations for Covid-19 in the US. The updated scenarios are based on new data the agency received through June 29. The agency also underscores these estimates are subject to change as more information becomes available, and exact numbers are uncertain.

Under the CDC’s “current best estimate,” 40% of people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic. This number is up from the 35% the agency estimated on May 20. The percent of asymptomatic cases remains uncertain, the CDC emphasized.

The CDC is now including an infection fatality ratio, which takes into account both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases (in the estimates published in May, the agency only included fatality ratio for symptomatic cases). Under the “best estimate” scenario, the infection fatality ratio is 0.65%, meaning that 0.65% of people infected with Covid-19 are thought to die.

More insight: About half of Covid-19 transmissions happen before people get sick; this is up from the 40% estimate in May.

Under the CDC’s current “best estimate,” the transmissibility of the virus from asymptomatic people – in comparison to people with no symptoms – is now 75%, down from 100%. However, the agency said this “remains highly uncertain as asymptomatic cases are difficult to identify and transmission is difficult to observe and quantify.”

The agency warns this information is “intended to support public health preparedness and planning.”

Vermont reports its lowest 7-day positivity average

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

The state of Vermont has a seven day positivity average of 0.5%, the lowest in the country, Gov. Phil Scott said in a tweet Saturday.

Scott encouraged Vermonters to “remain vigilant” and continue to wear a mask when it’s not possible to physically distance.

Vermont Department of Health has reported a total of 1,283 cases and 56 deaths, according to its website.

Only six new cases were reported Saturday and two people are currently hospitalized, the department said.

A total of 75,032 people have been tested in the state, according to the department’s website.

Coronavirus deaths in the US surpass 134,000

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

There are at least 3,210,955 cases of coronavirus in the US; at least 134,349 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases in the country.

As of 2 p.m. ET Saturday, 26,382 new cases and 257 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.

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan hospitalized for coronavirus

From CNN's Karen Smith

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan speaks during a promotional event for his television show "Kaun Banega Crorepati" in Mumbai, India, in 2017.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan speaks during a promotional event for his television show "Kaun Banega Crorepati" in Mumbai, India, in 2017.

Rajanish Kakade/AP

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, according to the actor’s official Twitter account.

A living legend in Hindi-language cinema, Bachchan has made more than 180 films in a career spanning five decades.

Hailed by many as India’s greatest living actor, he is revered in his home nation.

Read the tweet:

New Jersey announces 49 new coronavirus-related deaths

From CNN's Sheena Jones

New Jersey announced 438 new cases of Covid-19 and 49 additional deaths, according to a tweet from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

The state has a total of 174,959 cases of Covid-19 and 13,578 deaths from the virus, Murphy said in a tweet.

To note: The figures listed were released by the New Jersey Department of Health and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Read the governor’s tweet:

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