July 30 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Emma Reynolds, Ed Upright, Melissa Macaya and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, July 31, 2020
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9:24 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Fauci "optimistic" about data from vaccine trial

CNN
CNN

Dr. Anthony Fauci responded to a claim from the head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s multi-billion effort to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, that a coronavirus vaccine could be 90% effective.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called this claim from Moncef Slaoui "a very optimistic estimate," he said tonight on CNN's global coronavirus town hall.

"We all hope it's going to be that way," Fauci said. "When we look at the data from the phase one study ... it looks good because the vaccine induced neutralizing antibodies in the recipients was rather robust to the level that would you say is at least as good or better than what's induced by natural infection, namely what we're seeing in convalescent plasma. So that's the first good indication that gets us to be optimistic."

Some context: In his first television interview, Slaoui said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the vaccine was about 90% effective. 

“It’s very hard to predict of course – that’s why we’re doing the trial. My personal opinion based on my experience, I think this vaccine is going to be highly efficacious. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s in the 90% [range],” said Slaoui, chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed. “I think it will be a very effective vaccine. That’s my prediction.” 

Slaoui spoke Thursday with CNN while touring a Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial site in Savannah, Georgia. He’s a former GlaxoSmithKline executive who began his position with Operation Warp Speed in May.

Watch here:

9:07 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

It's not "acceptable" that the US is so backlogged on Covid-19 testing, Giroir says

From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman

“It shouldn’t be acceptable” that the US is so backlogged on coronavirus testing, Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services said during CNN’s coronavirus town hall.

He tried to defend the state of testing in the US after large testing companies such as Quest Diagnostics reported it can take seven days or more to run tests and get results back to people.

“Nationally, about 25% of tests are point-of-care so that's about 15 minutes. Another 25% are done in local hospitals … That's generally a quick turnaround,” Giroir said.

But he conceded there is a backlog that’s rendering some coronavirus testing practically useless.

“Where we really talk about it is the big commercial labs and there's no question they've been strained, and Quest has been strained more than the other commercial labs,” he said.

“Our data right now, and this is the worst week, is that 56%, are back within three days, 76% are back within five days,” he added.

Pooling samples from four or five people can speed things up and save resources, Giroir said.

“I've said and I've said before — I want the perfect test. I want it to be perfectly sensitive and specific and back within 15 minutes. That's why we're really working towards more point-of-care but again it is a work in progress, because of the tremendous demand,” Giroir said.

By September, Giroir said he expects half of all tests in the US to be point-of-care tests, but he warned, “You can’t test your way out of this.” People must also use masks, avoid crowds and avoid being indoors with others, he said.

8:34 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

More than 7,700 new coronavirus cases reported in Mexico

From Karol Suarez in Mexico City

Mexico's health ministry reported 7,730 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, bringing the country's total number of cases to 416,179.

The country also reported 639 new fatalities from the virus, bringing its death toll to 46,000.

Some context: Mexico holds the fourth highest number of coronavirus deaths worldwide, just behind the UK which has 46,084 deaths.

9:15 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Half of all Covid-19 tests should be point-of-care by September, Trump's testing czar says

Admiral Brett Giroir
Admiral Brett Giroir CNN

Admiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that by September, half of all Covid-19 tests will be new "point of care" coronavirus tests that promise rapid results.

"We want tests back as quickly as possible. I said before, I want the perfect test. I want it to be perfectly sensitive and back within 15 minutes. That's why we're working towards more point of care. But it is a work in progress because of the tremendous demand," Giroir said during CNN's global coronavirus town hall tonight.

Giroir said that data shows that right now across the US, 56% of tests are "back within three days, 76% are back within five days."

Watch here:

8:24 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Catch up: Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from around the US

The coronavirus pandemic continues to have deleterious effects across the US as every corner of society struggles to cope.

Here are the latest headlines on the pandemic:

  • Unemployment continues to rise: In yet another sign that the economic recovery is teetering in a resurgence of coronavirus cases, the number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose for the second week in a row. About 1.4 million people filed for initial jobless claims last week, up 12,000 from the prior week's revised level, which was the first increase in 16 weeks.
  • Herman Cain: President Trump expressed his sadness over the death of Herman Cain, who passed away from Covid-19 after spending nearly a month in the hospital with the virus. “He was a very special person, and I got to know him very well,” the President said during a news briefing this afternoon.
  • Key coronavirus model: The University of Washington now projects there will be 230,822 US deaths from Covid-19 by November, based on the current scenario. On July 22, the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasted 219,864 total deaths from the virus by November. 
  • Social distancing works: Just two weeks of social distancing policies cut the spread of coronavirus by 65% globally, preventing more than 1.5 million new cases, Texas researchers estimated Thursday. The few states and countries that resisted social distancing saw almost no reduction in spread, the team at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center said.
  • The upcoming school year in Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis advocated Thursday for parents to be able to choose either in-person or distance learning as districts in the state weigh their options for the upcoming school year. “I believe that there should be a choice for parents throughout Florida,” DeSantis said at a news conference.
  • MLB players test positive: Nineteen players and coaches for the Miami Marlins tested positive for coronavirus. The team said they are isolating and quarantining in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
8:07 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Arizona governor: "We are headed in the right direction"

From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson

Gov. Doug Ducey
Gov. Doug Ducey Pool

Arizona is in a better spot today than it was several weeks ago, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a news conference today.

“We are headed in the right direction,” Ducey said. Covid-19-like illnesses in the emergency room, intensive care and hospital bed usage, ventilator usage and the percentage of positive test are all trending down, he added. 

The latest numbers: There has been a downward trend in Covid-19 cases since early July, Ducey said. Last week, Arizona averaged 2,533 new Covid-19 case per day and had a positivity rate of 11%. For comparison, Arizona had 5,439 new Covid-19 cases on June 29, according to the Arizona coronavirus dashboard.

“This is not a victory lap. This is not a celebration. If anything, it's evidence that the decisions, and the sacrifice that Arizonans are making are working,” Ducey said. 

Arizona has a total of 170,798 Covid-19-like cases and a total of 3,626 deaths, Ducey said

According to Arizona’s coronavirus dashboard, the state reported 2,525 new Covid-19 cases and 172 new deaths on Thursday.

Note: These numbers were released by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

7:57 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak linked to 4 Costco stores in California's Bay Area

From CNN's Sarah Moon

A coronavirus outbreak has been confirmed at four Costco locations in the Bay Area, according to a statement from Santa Clara County.

A total of 31 cases have been confirmed within the past two weeks at four Costco stores in Gilroy, Mountain View, San Jose, and Sunnyvale. The number of confirmed infections at each store ranged from four to 13. 

The county began an investigation at these locations after an outbreak was reported at various Costco locations, according to the statement.

“Preliminary results of the investigation indicate that Costco is complying with social distancing and other protocols and that many of the cases have been caused by community transmission and most likely not internal transmission among employees,” the county said.

Clusters of the virus have not been confirmed at any other Costco locations in Santa Clara County, according to the statement.

The county is working closely with Costco to protect the safety of workers and customers at each location.

“This includes assisting Costco in identifying close contacts and advising on appropriate disinfection measures, ensuring that appropriate testing protocols are being followed, as well as measures to prevent workplace transmission,” the county said.

By the numbers: As of Thursday, Santa Clara County has a total of 9,731 confirmed cases and 190 deaths.

7:51 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

Lawmakers seen complying with House mask mandate

From CNN's Haley Byrd

House members are complying with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s mask mandate during tonight’s votes.

Republicans all appear to be wearing masks, although a couple members, including Rep. Jim Jordan, have worn them incorrectly, under their noses.

Jordan could be seen bumping elbows with another member and greeting colleagues on the floor before leaving after casting his vote.

7:49 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020

New restrictions issued in Northern England after rise in coronavirus cases

From CNN's Dan Wright in London

The UK government announced new restrictions in Northern England "to stop the spread of Covid-19."

"This is in response to an increasing trend in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area," a release from the government read on Thursday.

People in the following areas will not be allowed to "mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens" after data showed that "transmission among households is a key infection pathway in the area," the government said.

The new measures apply to the areas of: 

  • The Greater Manchester area
  • Pendle
  • Hyndburn
  • Burnley
  • Rossendale
  • Blackburn with Darwen
  • Bradford, 
  • Calderdale
  • Kirklees
  • Leicester City

The new rules allow people from these neighborhoods to still go to bars and pubs, but "two households should not go to hospitality together."

"The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing. So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas," UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the release.

The UK recorded its highest daily rise in Covid-19 cases in more than a month Thursday, according to data from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The DHSC reported 846 new coronavirus cases, the highest rise since June 28 when there were 901 new infections. There were also 38 deaths reported Thursday, compared to 36 deaths on June 28, DHSC data shows.

The government also announced lifting of restrictions in other local areas, such as in Oadby and Wigston, and on Aug. 3, restaurants, cafes, bars and hairdressers in Leicester City can reopen. 

The government also urged anyone celebrating Eid al-Adha this weekend to "follow the new rules and protect the ones they love."