The latest on the coronavirus pandemic

The health department in Ingham County, Michigan, has “strongly” recommended that all local Michigan State University students “self-quarantine immediately to contain a Covid-19 outbreak.”

There are at least 342 individuals affiliated with the university who have tested positive for the virus since Aug. 24.

At least a third of new cases are individuals who recently attended parties or social gatherings, and at least a third of those gatherings are associated with a fraternity or sorority, the health department said Saturday in a statement.

Only 23 university-affiliated people tested positive for the virus in the three weeks before the case surge. The increase in cases began as students returned to East Lansing for their fall semester. 

“Although MSU classes are predominately online, many students had binding off-campus leases or simply desired to physically return to the university community,” the statement said. “Self-quarantine should last for 14 days, continuing until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. This recommendation is not an emergency order; however, more stringent and mandatory restrictions will be imposed if students do not comply and break the transmission cycle.”

Florida’s health department has reported 3,227 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the statewide total to 661,571.

The health department also reported 108 new deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 12,600.

As of Saturday, the total number of tests performed in the state is 4,881,475.

New York state has kept coronavirus infection rates below 1% for the past 36 days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said in a statement Saturday afternoon.

Friday marks a new record-high for total number of test results reported to the state. Of the 102,925 test results reported, 849, or 0.82%, were positive.

There were two coronavirus-related deaths reported in New York, the statement said.

Nadhim Shaker in 2010.

Nadhim Shaker, one of Iraq’s most famous soccer stars in the 1970s and 1980s, has died in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil from Covid-19, health officials told CNN on Saturday.

Shaker, 63-years-old, who was one of the most talented defenders in Iraqi football history and a former Iraq national team coach, died in a local hospital on Friday.

Iraq has recorded 286,778 coronavirus cases and 7,941 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

A military band and soccer fans escort the coffin of former Iraqi soccer star Nadhim Shaker during his funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 12.

While it may be hard to tell if someone is smiling underneath their mask, Akimi Gibson, Sesame Workshop’s vice president and education publisher for Sesame Learning, said a mask is “a sign of friendship.”

Gibson said a “a virtual and air high five or an elbow bump and, potentially my favorite one is, using your kind words” are great ways to make new friends.

First Lady Melania Trump and Jill Biden, the the wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, shared words of encouragement for students, parents and educators adapting to virtual and in-person learning as the coronavirus pandemic persists.

Biden encouraged parents to “hang in there.”

“You’re doing great. And to the educators, thank you. Our students need us more than ever. And I’ve never been prouder to be a teacher. Have a great school year. Wear your masks. And stay safe,” Biden said.

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One of the most important things parents can do to make sure their child thrives while learning virtually this year is to engage with the lessons they are receiving, Sal Khan, founder of online learning organization Khan Academy, told CNN today.

The more the lessons can be applied, the more they will sink in, Khan said during CNN and “Sesame Street’s” back-to-school town hall.

Andrea Jemmott, a kindergarten teacher at KIPP Voice Academy, said children should ask their teachers first before trying to give them a hug while on campus.

Jemmott offered a few alternatives teachers can offer to students instead of a hug.

“We also have taught them other ways to comfort themselves, like air fives. We do elbow bumps. We wink. But the big favorite here is the air hug. So if you feel like you need a hug, ask your teacher and then get an air hug. I hope that makes you feel less scared,” she said.

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With so many students learning from home this academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Sanjay Gupta urged parents to make sure children “know and feel that school is separate from their home life.”

The coronavirus is much more likely to be carried by people and not items, Dr. Sanjay Gupta said this morning in response to a concern over whether parents should be sanitizing objects brought home from school by children.

Another piece of advice Gupta shared during CNN and “Sesame Street’s” back-to-school town hall this morning was how face masks should be washed often.

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Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a primary care pediatrician, wants children to keep washing their hands and wearing masks in school because the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing and the “germs are not gone.”

Bracho-Sanchez, who is also the director of pediatric telemedicine and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, shared some advice for families this morning during CNN and “Sesame Street’s” back-to-school town hall.

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As families try to navigate school amid a deadly pandemic, “Sesame Street” and CNN are teaming up for the “The ABCs of Back to School, A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Families.”

The town hall will air on CNN at 10 a.m. ET. It will also air on CNN International and CNN en Español and stream live without requiring a log-in on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android.

From staying safe in classrooms to making the most of virtual learning, the 60-minute special will provide tools and information for families dealing with unique circumstances of school in the era of coronavirus.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and anchor Erica Hill will moderate the hour. They will be joined by Sesame Street Muppets and school-aged children in a variety of learning environments, with Elmo going to preschool during the week, Big Bird in hybrid learning and Rosita fully remote.

The Oxford University coronavirus vaccine trials will resume after being halted Sunday after an unexplained illness in one of its volunteers, the university said in a statement today.

The university, which is working with drug giant AstraZeneca, did not say what day the trial would resume.

“Globally some 18,000 individuals have received study vaccines as part of the trial. In large trials such as this, it is expected that some participants will become unwell and every case must be carefully evaluated to ensure careful assessment of safety,” the statement said.

The United Arab Emirates reported 1,007 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily number of infections recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, the country’s health ministry said. 

The country’s total case count is now77,842, according to the ministry.

There was also one new death recorded in the last 24 hours, raising the national death toll to 399, the ministry reported.

Major League Baseball is considering a postseason bubble plan in California and Texas, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The American League playoffs would be held in Southern California (Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Diego) while the National League playoffs would take place in Texas (Arlington and Houston).

The World Series would be played in Arlington, the source said. Any deal must be approved by MLB and the players’ union.

Baseball’s regular season is scheduled to conclude on September 27 with postseason play beginning two days later.

A general view of the new Marlins logo in the outfield during 2019 Workout Day at Marlins Park on March 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Related article MLB tightens health and safety protocols following Covid-19 outbreaks

Vaccine clinical trials are notoriously difficult to conduct. They involve thousands, or even tens of thousands, of participants, and typically go on for years. The chances that one or more of these study volunteers will develop a health issue is quite high.

Most of the time, that health problem is not related to the vaccine being investigated, and the trial can continue. But sometimes there is a chance that the issue – called an “adverse event” in medical parlance – could be related to the vaccine.

On Wednesday, it came to light that pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca had paused its coronavirus vaccine trial not once but twice because of adverse events. The second pause is still in effect while researchers look into one volunteer’s “unexplained illness.”

While Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday implied that pausing a Phase 3 trial was a somewhat common occurrence, vaccine trial experts interviewed by CNN say it is not common.

“It’s unusual to pause a Phase 3 trial on a safety basis,” said Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, an infectious disease expert at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “It’s uncommon.”

A man receives an injection as UCLA and AstraZeneca begin phase three trials in a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

Related article Researchers say it's unusual to pause vaccine trials

Even children with mild or no symptoms can spread Covid-19, according to contact-tracing data from three Utah child care facilities released Friday.

Twelve children, including one eight-month-old, got Covid-19 in a child care facility and spread it to at least 12 people outside the facilities. The data shows children can carry the virus from child care settings to their homes, the researchers wrote in a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC’s Cuc Tran and colleagues at the Salt Lake County Health Department wrote in their report:

Half a million US children have now been diagnosed with coronavirus, with a 16% increase between August 20 and September 3, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Though fewer children appear to experience severe illness from the virus than adults, one question that has loomed large, especially for those grappling with decisions about reopening schools and day cares, is exactly what role children play in the transmission of the virus. The CDC report suggests that they can and do spread coronavirus.

Read the full story here.

For an all-too-brief a time, the Italian summer offered a glimmer of hope. After emerging from what was in early 2020, one of the world’s harshest coronavirus lockdowns, the country managed to dust itself down in time to welcome visitors.

But as the sun begins to cool, so do hopes of a full recovery for the Italy’s decimated 2020 tourism season. Winter is coming, and with it what is expected to be a full-blown economic catastrophe.

“The projected 2020 loss from overseas visitors to Italy is €24.6 billion and even domestic traveler spending is down €43.6 billion,” says Giorgio Palmucci, president of the Italian national tourist board, ENIT.

Even with hopes of growth and recovery two years down the line, the pain, he adds, is likely to be widespread.

TOPSHOT - A view shows a man sitting on a beach on a cloudy sixth day of the 77th Venice Film Festival, on September 7, 2020 at Venice Lido, during the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article The tourists are leaving Italy. Now catastrophe looms

People wait to get tested at COVID-19 testing site in Wenceslas Square in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 10, 2020.

The Czech Republic has reported 1,447 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the country’s largest ever spike in cases in one day, according to data released by the health ministry on Saturday.

Case numbers have been rising steadily in the Czech Republic and have now surpassed 1,000 for four consecutive days. The previous daily record – 1,381, was set on Thursday.

The country has reported a total of 33,860 confirmed cases, and the death toll stands at 460.

Czech Republic was among the least affected countries in Europe during the spring epidemic, thanks to an early intervention. It was one of the first countries to make masks compulsory.

However, the government has lifted most of the restrictions over the summer and is now seeing the consequences. Health Minister Adam Vojtech announced on Thursday people will be required to wear masks indoors, citing the “worst epidemiological situation” in the country.

A worker inspects disposable gloves at the Top Glove factory in Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, August 26.

White molds wearing disposable gloves whizz by on a conveyor belt in a promotional video for the world’s biggest glove maker, Top Glove.

“Gloves can keep us out of harm’s way, wherever we may be and whatever we may be doing,” the narrator says, his voice booming over the company’s logo and its motto, “Top quality, top efficiency.”

Demand for disposable gloves — the kind often associated with sterile hospital rooms — has surged during the coronavirus pandemic as health care workers rush to secure the supplies they need to treat the disease and protect themselves.

The Malaysia-based Top Glove and its local rivals have benefited enormously from that need: Some 60% of the world’s glove supply comes from Malaysia, according to the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA).

More than a third are exported to the United States, which for months has led the world in coronavirus cases and deaths. But with extra demand comes renewed scrutiny of how these Malaysian companies treat their workers, particularly foreign staff recruited from neighboring countries.

Labor rights activists who spoke to CNN Business said practices reported by former workers contain elements of forced labor. Some authorities have taken note of such concerns, putting pressure on Top Glove and other manufacturers to ensure their workers are treated well.

Read the whole story here.