August 30 coronavirus news | CNN

August 30 coronavirus news

Fernando Alfonso III

Amir Vera

By Joshua Berlinger, Jenni Marsh, Emma Reynolds, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 12:05 AM EDT, Mon August 31, 2020

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Dr. Gupta says nursing homes were tinderboxes for pandemic

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Dr. Gupta says nursing homes were tinderboxes for pandemic

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What you need to know

More than 25 million people have been infected with Covid-19 since the pandemic began and 842,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University’s global tally.
A CDC forecast projects more than 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Sept. 19, as the country approaches 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases.
At least 36 states have reported positive cases at colleges and universities as a new school year starts, with the University of Alabama alone recording 1,200 cases.
India reported 78,761 new cases in 24 hours and has now recorded 3,542,733 cases in total — behind only the US and Brazil.

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.

31 Posts

Some US experts are calling for an independent commission, separate from FDA, to review Covid-19 vaccines

From CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen

Citing criticism of government agencies and increasing public distrust of vaccines, several prominent physicians and experts are calling for the creation of an independent commission to review data from coronavirus vaccine trials before a vaccine is allowed on the market.

The United States Food and Drug Administration regulates vaccines, and its OK is all that’s needed to put one on the market. The physicians fear, however, that after several government blunders during the pandemic, a layer of review independent from the government is needed to give Americans confidence that the shot is safe and effective.

Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said she thought of the idea of an independent panel to increase trust in the vaccine after several colleagues told her they did not want to get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available.

Separately from Stephenson, bioethicist Arthur Caplan arrived at the same conclusion.

Read more:

Colombia records more than 8,000 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN’s Sharif Paget in Atlanta

A worker disinfects the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, an underground church built into a salt mine, in Zipaquira, 45 km north of Bogota, on August 30.

A worker disinfects the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, an underground church built into a salt mine, in Zipaquira, 45 km north of Bogota, on August 30.

Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Colombia recorded 8,024 new Covid-19 infections and 300 virus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the country’s Ministry of Health reported Sunday.

That brings the national total to at least 607,938 cases, including 19,364 fatalities, since the pandemic began, according to the ministry’s data.

Colombia surpassed Mexico on Thursday, August 27, to become the country with the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America, trailing only Brazil and Peru, according to data compiled by CNN and Johns Hopkins University.

Mexico reports more than 4,000 new coronavirus cases

From journalist Karol Suarez in Mexico City

A Guadalajara staff member disinfects the stands before the start of a Mexican Apertura tournament football match between Guadalajara and Pachuca in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, on August 29.

A Guadalajara staff member disinfects the stands before the start of a Mexican Apertura tournament football match between Guadalajara and Pachuca in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, on August 29.

Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 4,129 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 595,841.

The health ministry also reported 339 new deaths for a total of 64,158.

Mexico has the fourth-highest number of total coronavirus cases in Latin America, behind Brazil, Peru and Colombia, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Birx is hopeful for a vaccine, but convinced community spread can be stopped right now

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said that while she is hopeful for a vaccine, she is also convinced that community spread can be stopped right now.

Speaking at a media event in Minnesota Sunday, Birx said that people shouldn’t wait for a vaccine to do the right thing.

Birx also said that she is hopeful that when the data becomes available and the American people can see that a vaccine is safe and effective, that they will want to get vaccinated.

“Yes, I’m hopeful for a vaccine,” she said. “But I’m also very convinced right now that we can stop community spread by wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding crowds.”

Birx pointed out that crowds are not just things like large concerts, but also backyard barbecues with 25 people who aren’t wearing masks.

People need to be just as careful with Covid-19 at home as they are in public, Birx says

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday that people need to ensure they are taking their public mitigation efforts home with them, when necessary.

Across the country, experts have seen that people sometimes make assumptions when gathering in private that “there couldn’t be anybody that has infection there,” Birx said during a press event in Minnesota. Because of this, they don’t wear masks when interacting, which leads to the virus spreading among family members and neighbors.

Birx urged people who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus to wear masks when interacting with those who may be more vulnerable to severe outcomes of Covid-19, and to try to get tested.

When someone knows they have done things that may have exposed them to the virus is when they really have to work on protecting others, she said.

Birx says knowledge gained about Covid-19 the last 6 months 'means we have power against it'

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

Deborah Brix

Deborah Brix

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that Covid-19 is a serious threat, but the knowledge that has been gained over the last six months means we have power against it.

Birx said while it’s true that Covid-19 is a more serious threat to certain individuals, we still don’t know for sure who those people are.

Birx said that over the last six months, we have learned more about why masks are important, that homemade cloth two-ply masks work well, that you have to cover your mouth and nose, that physical distancing is important, and that crowds – both indoors and outdoors – can and have spread the virus.

Brazil reports more than 16,000 new coronavirus cases

From journalist Marcia Reverdosa in São Paulo

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fixes his face mask before the event "Brazil beating Covid-19" at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on August 24.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fixes his face mask before the event "Brazil beating Covid-19" at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on August 24.

Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images

Brazil’s Health Ministry has reported 16,158 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 3,862,311.

The Ministry also reported 366 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, raising the country’s death toll to 120,828.

Brazil is second only to the United States in the highest total number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Temple University to suspend in-person classes for two weeks following 103 active Covid-19 cases on campus

From CNN's Laura Ly

Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, announced on Sunday that it would be suspending in-person classes for two weeks following the identification of 103 active Covid-19 cases on campus.

The university said the 103 cases were found after conducting over 5,000 tests in the last two weeks. Most of the cases are asymptomatic and a small number have mild to moderate flu-like symptoms. The new cases appear to result from small social gatherings happening off-campus, Temple University said.

Students who were scheduled to take in-person classes will now take online classes through at least September 11 and an assessment will be made later to decide how classes will be conducted moving forward, the university said.

Twitter removes QAnon supporter's false claim about coronavirus death statistics which Trump had re-tweeted

From CNN's Daniel Dale and Jamie Gumbrecht

Twitter took down a tweet containing a false claim about coronavirus death statistics Sunday afternoon that was made by a supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory – a post that President Donald Trump had retweeted earlier Sunday.

The tweet has been replaced with a message saying: “This Tweet is no longer available because it violated the Twitter Rules.”

The claim from tweeter “Mel Q,” copied from someone else’s Facebook post, was that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had “quietly” updated its numbers “to admit that only 6%” of people listed coronavirus deaths “actually died from Covid,” since “the other 94% had 2-3 other serious illnesses.”

Trump shared the false information with his 85 million-plus followers. As of 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, the now deleted “Mel Q” tweet Trump amplified had been retweeted more than 48,000 times.

Its latest regular update to a public statistics page on the pandemic, the CDC said that for 6% of the deaths included in its statistics, “Covid-19 was the only cause mentioned” on the deceased person’s death certificate.

That is not at all the same thing as saying only 6% of reported Covid-19 deaths “actually died” from Covid-19. It simply means that the other 94% were listed as having at least one additional factor contributing to their death.

For example, the other 94% includes people whose death certificate listed both Covid-19 and obesity, both Covid-19 and diabetes, or both Covid-19 and heart disease – among other conditions.

People can live with obesity, diabetes or heart disease for years but then get infected with Covid-19 and die quickly. The fact that they also had an underlying condition does not mean that Covid-19 was not a major reason, or the major reason, they died when they did.

Georgia reports under 1,300 cases for first time since June

From CNN’s Natasha Chen

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 1,298 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday. That’s the first time the state has reported under 1,300 cases in over two months.

The state of Georgia last reported 1,215 cases on June 22, according to state records.

Georgia also reported an additional 28 deaths.

In total, there have been 268,973 cases across the state of Georgia and 5,604 total statewide deaths.

Florida reports more than 2,500 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

Florida health officials reported 2,583 new Covid-19 cases and 14 additional resident deaths on Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Health (DOH).

This is the lowest daily death figure reported by the state since June 22 when 12 deaths were reported, CNN’s tally showed.

The state has reported 614,753 positive cases among Florida residents and 621,586 total cases across the state, DOH data showed.

There are 11,119 Florida residents who have died from the virus, the DOH said.

One thing to note: These numbers were released by Florida’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Jordan records its highest daily number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases

From Jomana Karadsheh

Jordan announced its highest daily number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic with 67 cases reported on Sunday.

There were 61 cases in the capital Amman, according to the Jordanian health ministry.

The country recorded 73 cases in total registered over the past 24 hours with six “imported” positives, according to the health ministry. Five of the imported cases were repatriated citizens who tested positive while in government quarantine and the sixth is a Jordanian truck driver who tested positive on arrival from Saudi Arabia.

Some context: The government has ruled out a countrywide lockdown, opting for more localized shut downs, stricter enforcement of measures that include an extended nighttime curfew, and an increase in the number of contact tracing teams.

In March, Jordan implemented one of the strictest lockdowns in the world to combat the spread of the virus.

Jordan is facing a “new wave” of the pandemic, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said in a televised address last week.

The number of cases began to surge this month with more than 700 positives recorded in August. The Jordanian government attributed the rise in infections to its land border crossings with Syria and Saudi Arabia which had remained open to commercial traffic.

The number of coronavirus cases in the US approaches 6 million

From CNN's Chuck Johnston

There are at least 5,969,916 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 182,841 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

As of Sunday afternoon, 8,820 new cases and 80 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.

Brazilian Health Ministry corrects Covid-19 death toll figures from Saturday

From Marcia Reverdosa

Andre Coelho/Getty Images

Brazil’s Health Ministry issued a correction on Sunday regarding its daily Covid-19 death-toll figures for Saturday.

On Saturday, Brazil surpassed 120,000 Covid-19 related deaths when the country’s health ministry reported 758 new deaths, bringing the national death toll to 120,262.

However, on Sunday, the ministry corrected these figures to 958 new Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, with a new total death toll of 120,462.

According to the ministry, Saturday’s original report was incorrect due to an error in the death toll reported by the Federal District (DF). Despite the mistake in death toll numbers, the ministry’s report of 41,350 new cases for a total of 3,846,153 Covid-19 cases countrywide still stands.

Reports of Sunday’s Covid-19 data have not yet been published.

Joe Biden says he would relaunch "PREDICT" virus detection program if elected

From CNN’s Sarah Mucha

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

If elected president, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged that he would re-launch “PREDICT,” a program launched after the 2005 H1N1 virus that was designed to help detect and combat potential pandemic threats like Covid-19.

The program, which was shut down in 2019, focused specifically on the detection and discovery of “zoonotic diseases.”

Some context: Biden has continually criticized President Trump on the campaign trail for shuttering the pandemic response office established under President Obama — officially called the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit — and promised to restore it if elected, so it is not surprising that he is now adding the “Predict” program to the list of pandemic response mechanisms he would reinstitute.

Biden’s statement continued, “I will re-launch and strengthen U.S. Agency for International Development’s pathogen-tracking program called PREDICT, which Donald Trump eliminated.”

The New York Times was first to report that Biden would restart this specific program.

Tennis player withdraws from US Open after positive Covid-19 test

From CNN's Jabari Jackson

A player scheduled to play in this week’s US Open has tested positive for coronavirus and has been withdrawn from the tournament, United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the USTA revealed the player is asymptomatic and has “advised” the player to self-isolate for at least 10 days. In addition, the USTA has begun conducting contact tracing to determine if anyone else will need to “quarantine for 14 days.”

The statement did not identify the player by name.

The 2020 US Open is set to begin Aug. 31 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

MLB game Sunday postponed due to positive Covid-19 test

From CNN's Wayne Sterling

Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros game scheduled for Sunday has been postponed “out of an abundance of caution” following a positive coronavirus test in the Athletics’ organization, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced.

MLB said additional testing and contact tracing will be conducted.

The game was slated to be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Operation Warp Speed officials cannot see coronavirus vaccine data early, official says

From CNN's Maggie Fox

Operation Warp Speed officials cannot peek early at any data coming out of clinical trials of experimental coronavirus vaccine, an official told reporters Friday.

Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the US Department of Health Human Services, sought to reassure reporters that the process of approving any eventual coronavirus vaccine will be the same as for any vaccine.

Adverse reactions to the vaccine could also trigger the DSMB to stop the trial.

Makers of vaccines in advanced clinical trials in the US are seeking to enroll at least 30,000 volunteers so they can tell whether the vaccine is really safe and protects people from infection. But there could be enough data even before 30,000 people are enrolled, Mango said.

“What we are really looking for is cases — the number of positive cases from both the placebo and the vaccine group,” Mango said. “Once we get to 150 or so, statistically that is significant regardless of how many enrollees we have in the trial.”

“That may be surprising to some, but really the number of events that have to occur … is relatively small,” added US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield.

This woman is beautifying Skid Row one makeover at a time. And not even the pandemic can stop her

From CNN's Alicia Lee

For a few hours every Saturday, Los Angeles’ Skid Row – home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of homeless people – transforms into an outdoor beauty salon.

There, where tents line city blocks, people gather to get makeovers from Shirley Raines, or one of her team of volunteers, made up of licensed hair stylists, barbers, makeup artists.

Raines came up with the idea for her non-profit, Beauty 2 The Streets, after recognizing that a haircut, a new hair color and makeup can help homeless people to thrive.

When California ordered all its residents to stay at home in late March due to the coronavirus, Raines and her volunteers complied. But the following Monday, she found messages on her social media from community members who were alone and hungry.

“I realized that we didn’t have the luxury of self isolating because we built this relationship with the community so we need to still go out there and help them.”

Homeless people are very vulnerable to Covid-19 because they live in close quarters and have limited access to cleaning facilities. So the team began handing out food, hand sanitizer and water, while adhering to distancing guidelines and wearing masks.

Still, the desire for beauty products is there, Raines said, so they have been slowly bringing out wigs, makeup, combs and brushes so homeless people can style themselves.

She said if there’s anything to learn from the pandemic, it’s that “any one of us could be them (homeless) at any given time.”

Read the full story here:

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Two Indian cricketers and 11 support staff test positive for Covid-19

From CNN’s Rishabh Pratap in New Delhi

Two cricket players and 11 staff members in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 Season have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement issued Saturday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Upon landing in the UAE [United Arab Emirates], all the participants have followed a mandatory testing and quarantine programme. Total of 1,988 RT-PCR COVID tests were carried out between August 20th-28th across all participant groups in the UAE. These groups include Players, Support Staff, Team Management, BCCI Staff, IPL Operational team, Hotel and ground transport Staff,” read the statement.

As per the IPL 2020 Health and Safety Protocols, testing on all participants will be conducted regularly throughout the IPL 2020 Season, the statement added.

The IPL 2020 will begin on September 19 and the final will be played on November 10.

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