As the U.S. reached another bleak milestone on Sunday, a glimmer of hope from New York: The Empire State reported its lowest positivity rate since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
New York, for weeks the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, reported the rate — the average number of positive results for every 100 tests — hit a record low 0.78% on Saturday. That figure once reached nearly 47% in early April, although testing was much more limited at the time. The rate had been around 1% since early June.
Meanwhile, the U.S. hit 5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, just 17 days after reaching 4 million cases — but experts agree the number of cases is actually much greater – potentially 10 times higher than what’s been reported, according to federal data.
The U.S. remains the most infected country, with about 25% of the worldwide cases.
Here are some significant developments:
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Despite federal guidance, schools cite privacy laws to withhold info about COVID-19 cases.
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The St. Louis Cardinals, who have played a major league-low five games because of a coronavirus outbreak in their ranks, won’t get back on the field until at least Thursday.
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New Zealand marked 100 days without a new case Sunday. The country imposed a strict lock down after 100 people were infected, which stopped the spread.
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Throngs of mostly maskless bikers descended on the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Daily virus cases have been trending upward in South Dakota, but the seven-day average is still only around 84, with fewer than two deaths per day.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 162,000 deaths and 5 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 729,000 deaths and 19.7 million cases.
📰 What we’re reading: Without a national plan on how to best allocate hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests each day, there’s not enough capacity now to screen Americans who might unwittingly pass the virus to others.
As states see record cases, some visit COVID-19 hot spots anyway
As three states set records for new cases in a week and three others had a record number of deaths, Americans are still searching for domestic vacation destinations that include places where COVID-19 case counts are rising, USA TODAY analyses show.
According to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Sunday, new case records were set in Hawaii, Indiana and North Dakota while record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, Nevada and West Virginia, and also Puerto Rico.
Yet an analysis of data from Trivago, a platform for searching and booking hotels, shows Americans’ intention to travel is beginning to tick up again.
Trivago measures hotel search volume, which reflects travel requests and booking queries based on users’ link clicks. Last month’s volume was off 73% from the same time in 2019. And while it’s been up and down for months, Florida remained the country’s most-searched domestic travel destination, followed by California and Nevada.
– Dian Zhang, David Oliver and Mike Stucka
Report: 97,000 children tested positive in the last two weeks of July
At least 97,000 children in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July alone, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
All told, more than 338,000 children have been infected since the pandemic began, according to data from the report, which relied on data from 49 states along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.
States on hook for billions under Trump’s unemployment plan
Whether President Donald
announced an executive order Saturday that extends additional unemployment payments of up to $400 a week. Congress had approved payments of $600 a week at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, but those benefits expired Aug. 1 and Congress has been unable to agree on an extension.
But under Trump’s plan, the $400 a week requires a state to commit to providing $100.
Asked at a news conference how many governors had signed on to participate, Trump answered: “If they don’t, they don’t. That’s up to them.”
Trump expressed a different view on Sunday night, following a day of state officials questioning how they could afford even $100 per person in additional weekly payments. He told reporters as he returned to Washington that states could make application to have the federal government provide all or part of the $400 payments. Decisions would be made state by state, he said.
‘I can’t afford tuition’: College students face strains ahead of fall semester
Brittany Goddard’s final semester at Howard University isn’t the dream ending she imagined in Washington, D.C.
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down the U.S. economy in March, she scrambled to pack up her belongings, lost her part-time job and had her study abroad plans upended. And with just weeks to go before the fall semester begins, she’s worried about how she’ll pay the remaining balance of her tuition and fees – roughly $9,000 – since her financial aid won’t cover it at the private school.
“It’s heartbreaking. I’m a low-income student. I can’t afford tuition,” says Goddard, who created a GoFundMe page to raise money since her mother doesn’t have the means to take out another Parent PLUS Loan, a federal student loan available to parents of dependent undergraduate students.
Millions of students across the country, like Goddard, face financial strains and health fears as they decide whether to return to colleges and universities this fall.
– Jessica Menton
New York state registers lowest COVID-19 positivity rate
New York took another major step in its recovery Sunday when the state reported its lowest positivity rate since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the rate — the average number of positive results for every 100 tests — hit a record low 0.78% on Saturday. Both the state and New York City have been at some version of the final stage of reopening for at least 20 days, and Cuomo said the current number of ICU patients — 131 — was the state’s lowest since March 16.
MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals’ hiatus extended at least 3 more days
The St. Louis Cardinals, who have played a major league-low five games because of a coronavirus outbreak in their ranks, won’t get back on the field until at least Thursday.
MLB has postponed their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which was supposed to start Monday, meaning the Cardinals will go at least 15 days between games and will have just 46 days to play the remaining 55 games on the schedule.
The Cardinals have had at least nine players and seven staff members test positive for COVID-19, and manager Mike Shildt said that has led to a “few visits to the ER.” St. Louis has had 15 games suspended.
– Jesse Yomtov
New Zealand marks 100 days without new COVID-19 infections
New Zealand marked 100 days with a local transmission of COVID-19 on Sunday, the country’s Ministry of Health said.
“Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we can’t afford to be complacent,” Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said.
“We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand,” he said.
There are still 23 active cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation facilities, the Ministry’s news release said.
US surpasses 5 million cases
The U.S. hit 5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, just 17 days after reaching 4 million cases. The nation now has about 25% of cases reported worldwide.
Last week, President Donald Trump once again said the U.S. has the virus “under control,” describing his administration’s response to the pandemic as “incredible” in an interview with Axios aired Aug. 3 on HBO. This despite an average daily death toll hovering around 1,000, with almost 60,000 new cases being reported daily. Alabama has just hit 100,000 cases. South Carolina is 540 shy and Virgina is 811 short. Texas is about closing in on 500,000.
Trump’s recurring theme has been to blame the high number of cases in the U.S. on the high rate of testing. Ominous hospitalization and death rates, however, are not a function of testing.
– Khrysgiana Pineda and Mike Stucka
Georgia school in viral photo to go remote after students, staff test positive
Several students and staff members at Atlanta-area schools that drew attention for crowding and scarce use of masks have tested positive for the coronavirus after the first week of classes, and now one of those schools is going online.
North Paudling High School west of Atlanta will switch to digital learning at least for Monday and Tuesday as its facilities are sanitized after nine students and staff members tested positive for the virus the first week of in-person classes. North Paulding had made headlines soon after students returned to school Aug. 3 when photos posted on social media showed hallways crowded with students, many of them not wearing masks.
And after only one week of school, more than 250 students and teachers from one Georgia school district will be asked to quarantine for two weeks after several teachers and students tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Cherokee County School District’s website.
– Doug Stanglin and Joel Shannon
More COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
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Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 updates: US hits 5 million cases, New York has low positivity
