James “Jay” Garcia, pictured, refused to get out of the car when cops ordered him to, saying he felt safe in there. Minutes later, he was dead.
James “Jay” Garcia refused to get out of the car when cops ordered him to, saying he felt safe in there. Minutes later, he was dead.
Garcia, parked in the driveway of a Phoenix home, told police he was waiting for his cousin. Police were on scene attempting to investigate an alleged stabbing. The nearly 12-minute video with disturbing scenes of the shooting opens at the outset of the exchange.
Bodycam footage of the 28-year-old’s fatal shooting at the hands of police on July 4 shows a tense, expletive-laced confrontation as officers first try to persuade Garcia to step out of the car and then ratchet up as one says he sees a gun.
The Phoenix Police Department released the officers’ footage as a first step toward transparency in the wake of the shooting, which sparked protests in an already brutality-weary public. Longer, unedited clips will be released to the media, too, police said.
Cops initially were directed to the house by a man who said someone had attempted to stab him there. The man in the driveway can be heard on the video telling police he’s waiting for his cousin. Cops spent a little more than 10 minutes trying to persuade him to leave the car, while he gave a couple of false names and birth dates, according to police.
At one point a cop explains to the driver that he must get out of the car because it’s part of an active crime scene.
“Is there a reason you’re not getting out of the car?” he asks. “Well right now we’ve got reports that somebody was stabbed in this house. So we’ve got to figure out where everybody is and whether you were involved in that.”
The man’s reply is inaudible, but he makes no move to emerge from the vehicle.
“If this turns into some kind of shooting, I don’t need you sitting here getting shot while we’re shooting and then blaming us,” the officer says.
“I’m not going to get shot,” the driver replies. “I feel safe in here.”
Not long after that, one of the officers yells, “He’s got a gun!” For another 50 seconds, one of two officers yells at him to take his hand off the gun, warning him he will shoot if he does not comply. Suddenly shots ring out, and the window splinters. Two officers have fired.
A third runs up and takes a gun out of the car so that they can render aid, but “he did not survive the injuries,” the police said in a statement.
Officers Noel Trevino, 29, and Gregory Wilson, 31, were placed on administrative leave after Garcia’s death, reported NBC News. This is routine in officer-involved shootings, police said.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has formally ruled Garcia’s death a homicide, NBC News said.
The killing occurred against a backdrop of protests against police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Sweden has drawn international attention for its unorthodox approach to managing the virus’ spread.
Unlike most European countries, Sweden didn’t impose strict lockdown measures. Now it’s reaping the rewards — economically speaking, at least.
A report from Capital Economics published on Tuesday found that the Swedish economy was the least harmed in Europe, describing it as the “best of a bad bunch.”
Though Sweden was not immune to the pandemic’s economic impact, it was the only major economy to grow in the first quarter of the year, the report noted.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Sweden has drawn international attention for its unorthodox approach to managing the virus’ spread.
The Nordic state didn’t impose strict lockdown measures, instead asking citizens to stay home if they were sick and to practice social distancing in public. Bars, restaurants, and shops stayed open, even when cases peaked in the country.
Its relaxed coronavirus strategy, relying on personal responsibility and willful obedience, has been both praised and criticized. And while the jury is still out on the effectiveness of the country’s public-health approach, there is growing evidence that, economically speaking, the loose rules seem to have worked.
A report from the research firm Capital Economics published on Tuesday found that the Swedish economy was the least harmed in Europe, describing it as the “best of a bad bunch.”
Though Sweden was not immune to the pandemic’s economic impact, it was the only major economy to grow in the first quarter of the year, the report noted.
“The Swedish economy has weathered Covid well, thanks in part to the government’s light-touch lockdown, and our forecast of a 1.5% drop in GDP this year is well above consensus,” the economists Andrew Kenningham, David Oxley, and Melanie Debono wrote.
As a group, Nordic economies seemed to have weathered the COVID-19 storm better and “got off lightly” compared with the rest of the world, the report said.
“A combination of decisive policy responses and structural factors will limit the damage wreaked by Covid in the Nordic economies — particularly relative to the euro-zone,” the economists wrote. “Nonetheless, policymakers will not rest on their laurels and tighter policy is years away.”
But the consequences of COVID-19 will persist, and activity across Nordic economies is likely to remain below pre-virus levels for the rest of the year, Capital Economics said.
Capital Economics predicted that while economic output — the total value of goods and services produced — in Denmark and Norway would fall by about 3% this year, Sweden would see an even smaller contraction.
Here are the short descriptions on the state of Nordic economies in the Capital Economics report:
Sweden: “Best of a bad bunch in Europe.”
Norway: “Bouncing back, but energy shake-out to constrain growth.”
Denmark: “Quick lockdown exit helps to limit slump.”
COVID survivors’ main symptoms can linger for weeks or even months, causing pain, trouble breathing, nightmares and even organ failure.
USA TODAY
Top vaccine makers predict a vaccine or vaccines may be available as early as the beginning of 2021 and at least two pledged doses will be free or low-cost for all Americans.
Speaking before a House subcommittee Tuesday, executives from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer said their goal is to have effective vaccines available as soon as possible while following all safety and regulatory guidelines.
None of the pharmaceutical executives would commit to having a vaccine ready for the general public before early 2021, despite repeated questioning by House members.
The United States has so far invested nearly $2.3 billion in the effort to find a vaccine to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which has killed more than 140,000 Americans.
Safety emerged as a key concern among lawmakers, with several pressing executives on whether the unprecedented speed of vaccine development or potentially lax government regulations would put the public at risk. All the panelists said safety would not be compromised.
The Food and Drug Administration released extensive guidance covering what would be necessary for a vaccine to be approved on June 30. One of the requirements was that any vaccine be at least 50% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections.
None of AstraZeneca’s interactions with regulators have indicated there has been any lowering standards, said Executive Vice President Menelas Pangalos.
Dr. Julie Gerberding, executive vice president and chief patient officer for Merck, said the company was “relieved” the FDA insisted on applying the same safety restrictions it applies to all vaccines.
Dr. Macaya Douoguih head of clinical development and medical affairs for Johnson and Johnson, offered hypothetically that if the FDA guidance were to be changed to require only 10% effectiveness, Johnson & Johnson would not release its vaccine.
“We would not feel comfortable bringing forth a product that was not efficacious according to our protocol,” she said.
Pricing was another question raised by several House members.
AstraZeneca’s Pangalos said the company would be selling to the government at cost, as did Johnson & Johnson’s Douoguih.
The other three companies said they would not.
“We will not sell it at cost, no ma’am,” said Moderna president Dr. Stephen Hoge.
Merck’s Gerberding said: “No, we will not be selling vaccine at cost.”
Pfizer’s chief business officer John Young would not commit to providing vaccine at cost, but said, “We recognize that these are extraordinary times and our pricing will reflect that during the pandemic.”
Company leaders also provided updates on their ongoing vaccine efforts:
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca will make two billion doses of its vaccine on a non-profit basis, Pangalos told lawmakers. The company, which is creating a vaccine in conjunction with the United Kingdom’s University of Oxford, said Monday it hopes to have a vaccine available by early next year.
The company’s vaccine candidate is now in Phase 2 clinical trials based on data from pre-clinical studies and being tested on over 1,000 volunteers.
“We are rapidly progressing these clinical programs with the hope that results from our late-stage trials, which are currently planned to involve close to 50,000 volunteers collectively, will be available this fall,” Pangalos said.
The British-Swedish company has entered into agreements with the U.S. and several other countries and organizations to supply vaccine.
The United States paid $1.2 billion for access to 300 million doses of the candidate vaccine through Operation Warp Speed, a White House task force focused on bringing therapies and vaccines for coronavirus to market as soon as safely possible.
Pangalos said his company plans to supply approximately two billion doses globally to provide “broad and equitable access.” The company is building parallel supply chains around the world to produce those doses, he said.
Johnson & Johnson will charge one price globally for its vaccine, regardless of country or income tier, said Douoguih.
It plans to manufacture at least 400,000 doses of its candidate vaccine in the United States, she said.
The company is committed to making an affordable COVID-19 vaccine available on a “not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use,” she said. It will pursue external validation for calculating the price point and will make an external audit or certification available.
The company has received approximately $500 million from Operation Warp Speed for its work.
Johnson & Johnson plans to being testing its vaccine candidate in humans late this month in the United States and Belgium. If preliminary results are positive, it will launch a global Phase 3 clinical trial in September.
Phase 3 trials are the final and largest testing stage for vaccines once they have become established, don’t cause immediate adverse effects and provoke an immune response. COVID-19 Phase 3 trials will involve 30,000 patients for each vaccine candidate and take many months.
Merck
U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck is pursuing two possible vaccine candidates. It is focused on its long track record developing vaccines and the need for safety, and was open-minded about the possibility that a breakthrough is not a given.
“If approaches developed by others ultimately are proven superior to those being pursued by Merck, we will work to support those efforts for the benefit of global health during the pandemic,” said Gerberding.
Merck holds the record for creating the fastest vaccine ever brought to market, a mumps vaccine in 1967 that took four years from start to finish. But the company has repeatedly emphasized safety over speed in its COVID-19 work.
“Speed is important, but we will not compromise scientific efficacy, quality, and above all, safety, despite the sense of urgency we all feel,” said Gerberding in testimony provided to the committee.
The company’s CEO, Kenneth Fraizer, said on June 30 a vaccine can’t be rushed and rigorous science is necessary.
“When people tell the public that there’s going to be a vaccine by the end of 2020, for example, I think they do a grave disservice to the public,” he said during an interview with the Harvard Business School.
Merck has received $38 million for vaccine research from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, BARDA.
Moderna
Moderna has made agreements with a Swiss-based vaccine manufacturer with sites in the United States and around the world, which will allow it to reach an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 500 million doses, said company president Dr. Stephen Hoge.
Its candidate vaccine research has been partially facilitated by $536 million from Operation Warp Speed.
Moderna, headquartered in Massachusetts, hopes to begin Phase 3 clinical trials of its vaccine candidate this month, Hoge said.
Phase 1 results were presented last week. The vaccine appears to be safe and to trigger an immune response. Whether the immune response is enough to protect someone from the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 remains unclear, according to several experts who reviewed the results.
The company has already enrolled 600 volunteers in its Phase 2 studies, Hoge said.
Pfizer
Alone among the five companies testifing Tuesday, Pfizer has not taken any money from the U.S. government as it works on four different vaccine candidates for COVID-19.
“We are uniquely positioned with the scientific expertise and experience, manufacturing scale and financial resources to have the potential to deliver a potential vaccine without funding from the federal government,” John Young, Pfizer’s chief business officer, said in a prepared statement.
He anticipated the company will invest about $1 billion in its vaccine development efforts during 2020.
Pfizer is partnering with a German biotech company BioNTech to work on a COVID-19 vaccine. It is currently running early state clinical trials in the U.S. and the European Union.
Last week it announced two of its four vaccine candidates had received fast-track designation from the FDA. It hopes to begin Phase 2 testing later this month.
The company believes it could be submitting an application in to the FDA as early as October, Young said.
If the clinical trials progress well, the company hopes to manufacture up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020, and potentially more than 1.3 billion doses in 2021 globally, Young said.
“I have great confidence that our industry can prevail in the ultimate outcome of our battle against COVID-19 — and that science will win,” he said.
Contributing: Karen Weintraub
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A 13-year-old boy in California has died after experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus despite initially testing negative for COVID-19, his family claims.
Maxx Cheng, 13, of Claremont, began isolating in his room after showing signs of COVID-19 — namely nausea, vomiting and chest pains — on July 4. He was tested for the deadly virus a few days later, on July 9, but received a negative result, Charlotte Cheng, the teen’s sister, told Los Angeles outlet KCBS-TV.
“His symptoms matched, but then the test came out negative,” she added. “So we were a little bit confused.”
Maxx returned home following the test and continued to self-isolate in his room despite the negative test result. During isolation, he also developed a fever and cough.
He was seemingly improving until his family found him unresponsive in his room on Thursday night, his sister claims.
“We went to go check up on him like we normally do,” Charlotte Cheng, 21, said. “He wasn’t answering. We found him passed out in the room.”
“There was almost no cough,” she added. “The fever had gone down three days before he passed.”
A GoFundMe page created in the teen’s name described him as “athletic, intelligent, funny, and mature.” Maxx, who played viola and swam competitively, also leaves behind a twin brother.
The family is now awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine his cause of death and to find out whether or not he had COVID-19, according to KCBS-TV. It’s not currently clear if Maxx suffered from any underlying conditions.
Charlotte Cheng said the family adhered to expert-recommended safety precautions so they are unsure where Maxx contracted the novel virus if he did.
“Somebody who is athletic, somebody who is on the swimming team who is so energetic and active dies from it, it changes the conversation,” Nichole Weinstein, a family friend and the organizer of the GoFundMe page on the behalf of the Cheng family, told the outlet.
SCENE AND WILL BRING YOU ANY UPDATES ON AIR AND ON WMTW.COM THE NEW NUMBERS RELEASED FROM THE MAINE CDC EARLIER TODAY… 12 NEW CASES TODAY, FOR A NEW TOTAL OF 3- THOUSAND 7- HUNDRED AND 23 CASES. THERE IS ONE NEW DEATH, A PERSON FROM CUMBERLAND COUNTY….THE DEATH TOLL IS NOW ONE HUNDRED AND 18. ACTIVE CASES NOW AT 4- HUNDRED AND 21, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THOSE WHO HAVE DIED AND THOSE WHO HAVE RECOVERED. THE NEXT UPDATE FROM THE MAIN
Maine CDC reports 1 new coronavirus-related death, 12 new cases
The Maine Center for Disease Control reported one new coronavirus-related death on Tuesday, along with 12 new cases.The person who died was a man in his 70s from Cumberland County, according to Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah.The 12 new cases brings the total number of cases in Maine to 3,723.A total of 3,191 Mainers have recovered from the virus, which is an increase of 32 over the past 24 hours.Maine also has 414 active cases, a decrease of 21 since Monday.On Tuesday, Shah said the Maine CDC is now investigating an outbreak at the Walmart in Presque Isle after three employees tested positive.Shah also said that the overall positive case count in Maine will decrease on Wednesday after the CDC discovered that a batch of positive antigen tests turned out to be negative. Those antigen tests came from a group of summer campers, and the CDC is investigating whether the antigen testing devicSlow the spread: CLICK HERE to read the CDC guidelines on coronavirusMAINE CORONAVIRUS DATA:Deaths: 118Total cases: 3,723Confirmed cases: 3,300Probable cases: 423Cumulative positivity rate: 3.03%Patients recovered: 3,191Active cases: 414Currently hospitalized: 12Patients in intensive care unit: 8Patients on ventilators: 4Get the latest coronavirus information from the Maine CDCWHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?Symptoms of coronavirus may include fever, cough, difficulty breathing and sore throat. Symptoms generally appear two to 14 days after exposure.Other symptoms include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache and new loss of taste and/or smell.Health officials said most patients experience mild symptoms and can recover at home.However, some patients, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, may experience more severe respiratory illness.Coronavirus appears to spread in similar ways to the flu and the common cold, which includes through the air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact such as touching and shaking hands and touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.Anyone experiencing symptoms is urged to call their health care provider and not just show up in person.COVID-19 RESOURCES:Maine Helps: The Maine Helps website offers ways Mainers can directly help nonprofits, health care and businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak.FrontLine WarmLine: Maine Department of Health and Human Services phone line to help Mainers who are working on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak. The phone line will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day by calling 207-221-8196 or 866-367-4440. The service will eventually include a text option, officials said.211 Maine: The state’s 211 system can answer general questions about coronavirus from callers. Mainers can also text 898-211 to have their questions answered.NAMI Maine Resources: NAMI Maine is offering several programs to help people with mental health concerns due to the COVID-19 crisis.
AUGUSTA, Maine —
The Maine Center for Disease Control reported one new coronavirus-related death on Tuesday, along with 12 new cases.
The person who died was a man in his 70s from Cumberland County, according to Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah.
The 12 new cases brings the total number of cases in Maine to 3,723.
A total of 3,191 Mainers have recovered from the virus, which is an increase of 32 over the past 24 hours.
Maine also has 414 active cases, a decrease of 21 since Monday.
On Tuesday, Shah said the Maine CDC is now investigating an outbreak at the Walmart in Presque Isle after three employees tested positive.
Shah also said that the overall positive case count in Maine will decrease on Wednesday after the CDC discovered that a batch of positive antigen tests turned out to be negative. Those antigen tests came from a group of summer campers, and the CDC is investigating whether the antigen testing devic
Symptoms of coronavirus may include fever, cough, difficulty breathing and sore throat. Symptoms generally appear two to 14 days after exposure.
Other symptoms include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache and new loss of taste and/or smell.
Health officials said most patients experience mild symptoms and can recover at home.
However, some patients, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, may experience more severe respiratory illness.
Coronavirus appears to spread in similar ways to the flu and the common cold, which includes through the air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact such as touching and shaking hands and touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is urged to call their health care provider and not just show up in person.
COVID-19 RESOURCES:
Maine Helps: The Maine Helps website offers ways Mainers can directly help nonprofits, health care and businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak.
FrontLine WarmLine: Maine Department of Health and Human Services phone line to help Mainers who are working on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak. The phone line will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day by calling 207-221-8196 or 866-367-4440. The service will eventually include a text option, officials said.
211 Maine: The state’s 211 system can answer general questions about coronavirus from callers. Mainers can also text 898-211 to have their questions answered.
NAMI Maine Resources: NAMI Maine is offering several programs to help people with mental health concerns due to the COVID-19 crisis.
New research suggests that antibodies the immune system makes to fight the new coronavirus may only last a few months in people with mild illness, but that doesn’t mean protection also is gone or that it won’t be possible to develop an effective vaccine.
“Infection with this coronavirus does not necessarily generate lifetime immunity,” but antibodies are only part of the story, said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. He had no role in the work, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The immune system remembers how to make fresh antibodies if needed and other parts of it also can mount an attack, he said.
Antibodies are proteins that white blood cells called B cells make to bind to the virus and help eliminate it. The earliest ones are fairly crude but as infection goes on, the immune system becomes trained to focus its attack and to make more precise antibodies.
Dr. Otto Yang and others at the University of California, Los Angeles, measured these more precise antibodies in 30 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and four housemates presumed to have the disease. Their average age was 43 and most had mild symptoms.
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Researchers found that the antibodies had a half-life of 73 days, which means that half of them would be gone after that much time. It dovetails with a previous report from China also suggesting antibodies quickly fade.
The results “call for caution regarding antibody-based ‘immunity passports,’ herd immunity, and perhaps vaccine durability,” the California authors write.
That’s true, Creech said, but other parts of the immune system also help confer protection. Besides churning out antibodies, B cells develop a memory so they know how to do that again if needed.
“They would get called into action very quickly when there’s a new exposure to the virus. It’s as if they lie dormant, just waiting,” he said.
Other white blood cells called T cells also are better able to attack the virus the next time they see it, Creech said.
Although circulating antibodies may not last long, what we need to know is if and how people remake antibodies if exposed to the coronavirus again and if they protect against another infection, Alison Criss, an immunologist at the University of Virginia, wrote in an email. “We also need to know if there is a protective T cell response” that reappears.
Vaccines, which provoke the immune system to make antibodies, might give longer-lasting protection than natural infection because they use purified versions of what stimulates that response, she noted.
Creech agreed.
“This shouldn’t dissuade us from pursuing a vaccine,” he said. “Antibodies are only a part of the story.”
Latest coronavirus data released from South Carolina health officials
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced Tuesday 1,870 new confirmed cases and one new probable case of the coronavirus, 56 additional confirmed deaths and one new probable death.This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 73,101, probable cases to 236, confirmed deaths to 1,203 and 18 probable deaths.While hospitals work to transition to a new federal reporting system, DHEC is using the state’s Bed Availability Report Tracking (BART) to maintain surveillance of hospital capacity and usage until the federal TeleTracking system is fully implemented and used by hospitals statewide.Confirmed cases: Abbeville (5), Aiken (10), Allendale (5), Anderson (64), Bamberg (10), Barnwell (8), Beaufort (61), Berkeley (61), Calhoun (5), Charleston (163), Cherokee (14), Chester (11), Chesterfield (16), Clarendon (14), Colleton (20), Darlington (38), Dillon (14), Dorchester (53), Edgefield (5), Fairfield (18), Florence (67), Georgetown (37), Greenville (147), Greenwood (31), Hampton (25), Horry (181), Jasper (22), Kershaw (33), Lancaster (22), Laurens (21), Lee (6), Lexington (110), Marion (13), Marlboro (7), McCormick (4), Newberry (13), Oconee (7), Orangeburg (40), Pickens (39), Richland (193), Saluda (10), Spartanburg (55), Sumter (93), Union (19), Williamsburg (6), York (74)Probable cases: Charleston (1)Please click here for the county of residence and age group of the 57 individuals whose deaths are reported today.Testing in South CarolinaAs of Monday, a total of 648,663 tests have been conducted in the state. See a detailed breakdown of tests in South Carolina on the Data and Projections webpage. DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week, and the Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 CasesThe total number of individual test results reported to DHEC Monday statewide was 8,490 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 22%.Nearly 90 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled StatewideAs part of our ongoing efforts to increase testing in underserved and rural communities across the state, DHEC is working with community partners to set up mobile testing clinics that bring testing to these communities. Currently, there are 88 mobile testing events scheduled through August 15 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.Residents can also get tested at one of 182 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing for more information.Hospital Bed OccupancyPer federal requirements, hospitals are actively transitioning between the systems used for reporting hospital bed and ICU occupancy, ventilator usage, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and other key information. DHEC issued a Public Health Order supporting this transition on July 15, the day after the announcement was made that hospitals will transition from using the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to the TeleTracking system.While hospitals across the state work to implement the new federal reporting system, DHEC is able to report limited hospital bed occupancy information through the Bed Availability Report Tracking (BART) state database. BART doesn’t provide the same level of detail as the previously used NHSN system but allows DHEC to maintain surveillance of hospital capacity and usage until the TeleTracking system is fully implemented and used by hospitals statewide.Based on information from BART, which is estimated to be accurate within 10%, as of Monday, 9,598 hospital beds are in use (84% capacity) and 1,823 are available. Of those hospitalized, 1,593 are COVID-19 patients.How South Carolinians Can Stop the SpreadEvidence is increasing about the high rates of infection in people who do not have symptoms and don’t know they are infectious. This places everyone at risk of getting the virus or unknowingly transmitting it to someone else. Steps we can take to protect ourselves and others include:Practicing social distancing Wearing a mask in public Avoiding group gatherings Regularly washing your hands Staying home if sickFor the latest information related to COVID-19 visit scdhec.gov/COVID-19.Visit scdmh.netfor stress, anxiety and mental health resources from the S.C. Department of Mental Health.
GREENVILLE, S.C. —
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced Tuesday 1,870 new confirmed cases and one new probable case of the coronavirus, 56 additional confirmed deaths and one new probable death.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 73,101, probable cases to 236, confirmed deaths to 1,203 and 18 probable deaths.
While hospitals work to transition to a new federal reporting system, DHEC is using the state’s Bed Availability Report Tracking (BART) to maintain surveillance of hospital capacity and usage until the federal TeleTracking system is fully implemented and used by hospitals statewide.
Please click here for the county of residence and age group of the 57 individuals whose deaths are reported today.
Testing in South Carolina As of Monday, a total of 648,663 tests have been conducted in the state. See a detailed breakdown of tests in South Carolina on the Data and Projections webpage. DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week, and the Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.
Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases The total number of individual test results reported to DHEC Monday statewide was 8,490 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 22%.
Nearly 90 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled Statewide As part of our ongoing efforts to increase testing in underserved and rural communities across the state, DHEC is working with community partners to set up mobile testing clinics that bring testing to these communities. Currently, there are 88 mobile testing events scheduled through August 15 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.
Residents can also get tested at one of 182 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testingfor more information.
Hospital Bed Occupancy Per federal requirements, hospitals are actively transitioning between the systems used for reporting hospital bed and ICU occupancy, ventilator usage, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and other key information. DHEC issued a Public Health Order supporting this transition on July 15, the day after the announcement was made that hospitals will transition from using the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to the TeleTracking system.
While hospitals across the state work to implement the new federal reporting system, DHEC is able to report limited hospital bed occupancy information through the Bed Availability Report Tracking (BART) state database. BART doesn’t provide the same level of detail as the previously used NHSN system but allows DHEC to maintain surveillance of hospital capacity and usage until the TeleTracking system is fully implemented and used by hospitals statewide.
Based on information from BART, which is estimated to be accurate within 10%, as of Monday, 9,598 hospital beds are in use (84% capacity) and 1,823 are available. Of those hospitalized, 1,593 are COVID-19 patients.
How South Carolinians Can Stop the Spread Evidence is increasing about the high rates of infection in people who do not have symptoms and don’t know they are infectious. This places everyone at risk of getting the virus or unknowingly transmitting it to someone else. Steps we can take to protect ourselves and others include:
Practicing social distancing
Wearing a mask in public
Avoiding group gatherings
Regularly washing your hands
Staying home if sick
For the latest information related to COVID-19 visit scdhec.gov/COVID-19.Visit scdmh.netfor stress, anxiety and mental health resources from the S.C. Department of Mental Health.
The statewide shutdown of restaurants and bars for on-premise service took effect March 16. Since then, several restaurants and bars have reopened for dining and drinking, as Chicago and the state have rolled out gradual reopening plans. But not all of them have made it.
As the pandemic continues toward the five-month mark, we’ve put together a list of bars and restaurants that have been forced to close due to the financial strain of COVID-19 regulations. Note that these closures are strictly finance-related and are not due to illness among any of the business’ staff.
We will update the list as needed.
The downtown restaurant and bar did not mention the pandemic shutdown specifically, but a Facebook post announcing its closure noted that it was “due to our current situation.”
The highest-profile Chicago restaurant victim of coronavirus to date has been Blackbird, closing for good after more than 22 years as one of the area’s finest restaurants. “We’ve labored long and hard over this decision,” said partner Paul Kahan. “But in an incredibly small, tight dining room — operating at only 25% capacity for who knows how long — and removing the opportunity to do private dining, it becomes incredibly difficult to manage.” — Phil Vettel
Bad Hunter — known for its vegetable-and-grains-forward menu — and its second floor event venue The Herbarium closed for good because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The West Loop restaurant, which survived a fire and re-opened in 2019, was voted the Chicago restaurant with the best plant-based menu in the Chicago Tribune Readers’ Choice Dining Awards earlier this year. — Grace Wong
Noah Sandoval (Oriole, Kumiko/Kikko) will join with friend Bruce Finkelman, managing partner of the 16″ On Center restaurant group (Longman & Eagle, Dusek’s Board & Beer, Revival Food Hall), to create Pizza Friendly Pizza, opening later this summer in the Bite Cafe space. Finkelman said, “Once the quarantine hit, I realized that that type of restaurant wouldn’t be able to exist in the post-COVID culinary scene.” — Phil Vettel
The second Chicago location of the world famous pizzeria was located in Wicker Park, but Eater Chicago reported that Bonci’s director of US operations said consolidating to one location (West Loop) was necessary in light of the pandemic.
The Chicago coffee roaster closed its Loop location in June, confirming the shuttering as a result of COVID in a blog post. Its other three in Bridgeport, Hyde Park and the South Loop remain open.
California Clipper and coffee shop C.C. Ferns
Both the Clipper and attached cafe C.C. Ferns shuttered permanently due to the COVID shutdown. However, there have been conflicting accounts between Hogsalt Hospitality owner Brendan Sodikoff and landlord Gino Battaglia as to how the fallout was navigated, according to reports from Eater Chicago and Block Club Chicago, respectively.
The North Center spot for all-vegan pizza shared an Instagram post announcing its permanent closure, citing the financial effects of the pandemic shutdown as part of the reason: “With the current pandemic, as well as the enormous cost of operating a business in Chicago, we are unable to stay open for business any longer.”
The Norwood Park restaurant, which also featured music and dancing, announced it would be closing on Facebook. The post read, “I’m deeply saddened to announce Congas Restaurant will not be opening again. Covid-19 made me realize the most important things in life.” Another post teased a return for the Congas name, but as more of a venue-esque space.
The Little Italy location of Davanti Enoteca has closed for good, and, according to a report from the Sun-Times, it appears finances were a factor: “A demand letter dated June 12 from the landlord … said the establishment was nearly $60,000 behind on rent.” The letter was posted on the window of Francesca’s, a sister restaurant also owned by chef David Harris.
Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish Market
Owner Glenn Fahlstrom confirmed that he would be closing the Lakeview seafood spot in an online post shared on the restaurant’s website and social media pages. The post, in part, read: “The new restaurant model is asking owners to put employees in harm’s way so that their business can possibly survive. That is an ‘acceptable risk’ i cannot take. The restaurant business as i know it is gone and will not return for years. It was hard enough when the playing field was supposedly level, now it is tilted beyond recognition. So, i am closing Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish Market.”
Fat Rice / Super Fat Rice Mart
The multi-station food concept located in Water Tower Place confirmed its closing in early June, although owner Lettuce Entertain You declined to comment exactly why. — Nick Kindelsperger
As with Taylor Street’s Davanti Enoteca — the two restaurants share ownership — the Italian restaurant in Little Italy has closed permanently, with reports indicating that rent-payment issues were at least partly to blame.
Guthrie’s Tavern, one of Chicago’s oldest and most popular neighborhood bars, announced Monday night it would be closing permanently, citing the city’s rollback of phase four rules as a primary cause. Guthrie’s has occupied the corner of Addison Street and Lakewood Avenue for 34 years. It will close Thursday. See the complete story here. — Adam Lukach
Andersonville lost a hot-dog joint — at least the rest of 2020 — from the former Hot Doug’s chef with the closure of Hot “G” Dog. A Facebook post from the restaurant said it hopes to return eventually, but the COVID shutdown had made business unsustainable for now.
A spokesperson for the parent company of the River North sushi restaurant wrote in an email: “Yes, the COVID closure was a devastating financial hit for us and the reason behind our closure … The Chicago location was very special to us, and we were sad to close.”
La Buona Vita, a Northern Italian restaurant in downtown La Grange closed its doors after a six-year run. In a message posted on the restaurant’s now-defunct website, owner Jim Barron named COVID-19 as the proximate cause of his restaurant’s demise. — Phil Vettel
The owners of the longtime Italian restaurant had already planned to sell the building and restaurant prior to the pandemic, according to Block Club Chicago.
The Mexican restaurant will be consolidating operations, closing its Glenview restaurant and moving everything to its location in Portage Park, per a note on its website. The note cited the “situation” from COVID-19 as the impetus for the decision.
Along with Foodlife, this Water Tower Place restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You closed in early June. Ownership declined to disclose specific reasons.
The casual River North bar announced on June 15 via Facebook that it would be permanently closing, although it did not specifically reference the costs of shutting down for the pandemic as a reason.
Owners confirmed via email that the state’s COVID shutdown caused financial losses that required the Indonesian restaurant in Lincoln Park to permanently close.
The popular Pilsen taqueria closed permanently in May. The financial difficulties of trying to survive the pandemic’s hospitality restrictions were insurmountable, the owners said.
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Laura Rivera, the owner of the Spanish small plates restaurant, confirmed via email that the closing of Tintos & Tapas was due to the financial strain of the COVID-19 shutdown, as well as its effects on how it operated: “My chef and I cried the last day we were there to clean up,” she wrote. “Carryout is not a model that works for my type of operation at all. Frankly it is demoralizing to become a fast food.”
A goodbye post on the reliable Italian restaurant’s website alluded to the pandemic shutdown as cause for its shuttering, reading, “With no theater and no convention/tourism business for the foreseeable future, there was just no way we could realistically reopen.”
Two Lights Seafood & Oyster
A post on the Old Town restaurant’s Facebook page confirmed that Two Lights has closed, although it did not mention whether or not the shuttering was due to the financial effects of COVID.
(CNN)If people washed their hands regularly, wore masks, and kept their social distance from each other, these three simple behaviors could stop most all of the Covid-19 pandemic, even without a vacc… Read More
LATEST July 21, 1:10 p.m. California’s top health official Dr. Mark Ghaly said at a Tuesday press briefing California is “just in the beginning” of the pandemic and the situation has worsened as some viewed reopening as a “green light to resume a normal life.”
Ghaly expressed the need for people to wear face masks, wash their hands and socially distance.
“I know they seem simple, but they’re hard to do consistently,” said the secretary of the California Health and Human Services agency.
Using a metaphor often used by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Ghaly referred to reopening as a “dimmer switch” and said the state may “toggle back” more reopenings if the health data doesn’t improve.
The state recently used the “dimmer switch” on July 13 when it ordered a sweeping statewide shutdown of indoor dining, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, and other indoor operations.
Ghaly said it was originally thought the state would see impacts from the rollback in two weeks, but it may take “three, four or even five weeks” to feel the impact of those changes.
July 21, 12:40 p.m. Marin County will now institute fines for those individuals and business that violate health orders, as the county’s Board of Supervisors decided in a meeting Tuesday morning.
Individuals could be forced to pay fines of between $25 to $500 and businesses, between $250 to $10,000. Further details are forthcoming.
July 21, 12:30 p.m. UC Berkeley will begin the 2020-2021 school year with “fully remote instruction,” the school announced Tuesday. Cal cited the increase of cases in Alameda County as a primary reason for the decision. The statement, however, allows for the possibility of resuming in-person lessons in some capacity later on in the semester for those who prefer it.
“COVID-19 is showing us that we have to be not only agile, moving quickly between degrees of openness and sometimes pulling back, but also prepared to move forward as soon as conditions allow,” reads the statement. “This means we will keep a fully remote option open for all students but also be prepared to implement our plans for select in-person instruction activities for those students who can take advantage of them, as conditions allow, even if it is part way through a term. We understand that this is more complex and difficult for students, staff, and instructors, and we commit to providing guidance and support.”
July 21, 11 a.m. California had 391,538 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 7,694 deaths as of Monday, according to data from the state. The total number of cases is expected to exceed 400,000 this week and may also surpass New York’s total case count. As of Monday, New York had 408,181 cases. California is currently seeing more dramatic increases in cases than New York with the states reporting 62,376 and 4,679 respectively in the last week.
People walk at the boardwalk in Venice Beach during the first day of the Memorial Day holiday weekend amid the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic in California on May 23, 2020. –
APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images
July 21, 8:45 a.m. As cases in Los Angeles County continue to surge, Mayor Eric Garcetti has said over the past two weeks that the county may be forced to roll back openings and return to its original stay-at-home order.
Appearing on CNN Sunday, Garcetti was asked about a Los Angeles Times editorial that criticized the rapid reopening of California, which was followed by a spike in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“I do agree those things happened too quickly,” Garcetti said, adding that the decisions were made at the state and county levels, not by city officials.
The mayor said Los Angeles is “on the brink” of new widespread stay-at-home orders as L.A. County, with a quarter of California’s population, continues to see the state’s largest increase in confirmed coronavirus cases. The decision is likely to come in the next week or two.
The L.A. Times pointed out if this happens, Los Angeles will “have the dubious distinction of being the biggest U.S. city to receive a second stay-at-home order.”
On Monday, for the second straight day, Los Angeles County reported “the highest number of new hospitalizations reported in a day with 2,232 people currently hospitalized,” surpassing Sunday’s count of 2,216 hospitalizations.
“Each day, we are thinking of the many families in L.A. County who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. We are deeply sorry for your loss and send our deepest condolences. We’re also thinking of the many people who are hospitalized and fighting to get well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of public health in a statement.
The county announced Monday $10 million to community-based organizations, especially in the hardest hit communities, to encourage participation with case investigation and contact-tracing efforts. Public Health is also testing a $20 gift card incentive program to thank individuals for participating in the hour-long contact-tracing interview, according to a statement.
The mayor has attributed the increase in spread not just to the reopenings, but also to people becoming less vigilant about following public health guidance and gathering with others outside their households.
“It’s not just what’s open and closed,” he said. “It’s also about what we do individually.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
July 21, 8 a.m. UC Berkeley continues to see a trickle of coronavirus cases among staff and students after the university experienced a small outbreak at the start of the month. Officials said the situation is under control through testing and contact tracing.
“Contact tracing has been going very well thanks to the effort of university health services in coordination with Berkeley public health and the numbers are going in the right direction (slower rate of increase from that first week when we announced),” University Health Services spokesperson Janet Gilmore wrote in an email. “And individuals asked to come in and test are doing so.”
Between July 1 and 8, the university detected 47 new cases and found the notable increase was likely tied to fraternity parties. A week later, between July 9 and 14, UC Berkeley’s student health services discovered 25 more cases. Since then four new cases have been reported.
July 21, 7:45 a.m. California hair and nail salons may provide services outdoors under new rules announced Monday. The rules aim to provide a lifeline for personal care services decimated by the state’s shutdown orders, but an industry organization says the changes give little help to many owners.
The announcement came as Gov. Gavin Newsom reported that infections, hospitalizations and intensive care cases continued increasing but at a slower rate after the state scaled back reopening earlier this month.
“We saw a big increase, now we’re seeing some stabilization,” Newsom said. He noted the rate of positive coronavirus tests fell slightly in the last week to 7.2%.
Virus cases have surged in many parts of California in the last month. In the last two weeks alone, the number of new confirmed cases was nearly 120,000 and there were 1,357 deaths.
The California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency released rules allowing hair stylists, barbers, manicurists, massage therapists and estheticians to offer some personal care services outdoors.
They can operate under tents, canopies or other shelters so long as no more than one side is enclosed, the agency said, allowing for enough outdoor air movement to deter the buildup or spread of the virus.
The rules still bar chemical hair services including shampooing, permanent waving, bleaching, tinting, coloring, dyeing and straightening. Electrolysis, tattooing and piercing also are banned.
“I’m open to innovation, I truly am, but how many small businesses are going to be able to afford all of these modifications?” asked Jessie Santiago, the owner of Salon Benders in Long Beach. She planned to buy a shade structure and was considering other equipment she will need.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard at the front gate of San Quentin State Prison on June 29, 2020 in San Quentin, California. S
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
July 21, 7:15 a.m. A San Quentin State Prison death row inmate died Monday apparently from complications related to the coronavirus, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Troy Ashmus, 58, died at an outside hospital and is the latest death at San Quentin linked to COVID-19.
Thirteen deaths at San Quentin have been linked to the virus, according to the CDCR website tracking illnesses and deaths from the pandemic. Statewide the deaths of 40 CDCR inmates have been linked to the virus, CDCR records show.
Ashmus was sentenced to death in July 1986 for the murder of 7-year-old Marcella Davis in Sacramento County. Ashmus had been on death row since September 1986.
July 21, 7 a.m. San Jose non-profit Parents Helping Parents hosted Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan on Monday to discuss back-to-school plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic and resources available for parents.
Since Santa Clara County is on the state’s watch list, all schools — private, charter and public — are required to start the academic year with a distance-learning model to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
This may put children with disabilities at a disadvantage, but Dewan said the county has been preparing resources throughout the summer to accommodate all needs.
“We recognize that this is not the ideal way for some services to be provided and that may mean additional support is provided to adults, so training to teachers, professionals and support for parents,” she said.
Inclusion Collaborative is a resource hub for parents started by the County’s Office of Education to assist with distance learning. The office has also started a hotline for parents called Warmline that is available eight hours a day to provide parents with alternate resources for children and answer questions.
Bay City News contributed to this story.
Coronavirus in the greater Bay Area: Links you need
