A cruise ship sails in the background as people relax in Miami Beach, Fla., on July 2, 2020.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images, FILE "This is a difficult decision as we recognize the crushing impact that this pandemic has had on our community and every other industry," CLIA said in a statement."CLIA cruise line members will continue to monitor the situation with the understanding that we will revisit a possible further extension," the statement said. "At the same time, should conditions in the U.S. change and it becomes possible to consider short, modified sailings, we would consider an earlier restart." 12:35 p.m.: Florida has 50 hospitals with no open ICU beds Florida has 50 hospitals with no available ICU beds, the state's Agency for Healthcare Administration reported.Medics transfer a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance outside of Emergency at Coral Gables Hospital where Coronavirus patients are treated in Coral Gables, Fla., near Miami, on July 30, 2020.Medics transfer a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance outside of Emergency at Coral Gables Hospital where Coronavirus patients are treated in Coral Gables, Fla., near Miami, on July 30, 2020.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Two counties -- Jackson and Nassau -- have no open ICU beds, the agency said.In Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, only 13 ICU beds remain, the agency said.These numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day as hospitals and medical centers provide updates.11:58 a.m.: Biden won't travel to Milwaukee for Democratic National Convention Former Vice President Joe Biden and all convention speakers will not be traveling to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention, according to a statement from the DNC Committee.MORE: Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee for DNC amid coronavirus concerns “After ongoing consultation with public health officials and experts—who underscored the worsening coronavirus pandemic—the Democratic National Convention Committee announced today speakers for the 2020 Democratic National Convention will no longer travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order to prevent risking the health of our host community as well as the convention’s production teams, security officials, community partners, media and others necessary to orchestrate the event," the statement said.Biden will now give a speech accepting the nomination from Delaware.11:40 a.m.: NYC to begin checkpoints enforcing state quarantine orders New York City is beginning traveler registration checkpoints at some entry points to the city to make sure visitors and returning residents are complying with quarantine rules, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.MORE: Coronavirus testing: What top officials say went wrong The "Sheriff’s Office in coordination with other law enforcement agencies will undertake traveler registration checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings into New York City,” said New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito.New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have a travel advisory in place for states with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a week average, or any state with 10% of higher positivity rate over a week average. Travelers arriving in the Tri-state area from those states must quarantine for two weeks.Those coming to New York must also complete a traveler form.People walk by the New York Stock Exchange, July 21, 2020, in New York.People walk by the New York Stock Exchange, July 21, 2020, in New York.
Mark Lennihan/AP, FILE Nonessential workers who do not follow quarantine orders could be fined $10,000. People who do not fill out New York's travel form could be fined $2,000.States on the list as of Wednesday are: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.11:02 a.m.: US clinches deal with Johnson & Johnson for potential vaccine Johnson & Johnson has agreed to supply 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to the United States for more than $1 billion.Both the American pharmaceutical company and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the deal in separate statements Wednesday.The agreement will support the company's efforts to scale up doses of the experimental vaccine through large-scale domestic manufacturing; the U.S. government will own the first 100 million doses. The federal government also has an option to purchase an additional 200 million doses under a subsequent agreement, according to a press release from Johnson & Johnson.The company logo for Johnson & Johnson is displayed on a screen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the company's listing at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on September 17, 2019.The company logo for Johnson & Johnson is displayed on a screen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the company's listing at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on September 17, 2019.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters Johnson & Johnson's vaccine candidate, Ad26.COV2.S, is still in the first and second phases of clinical trials. The company, which has committed to making the drug available on a "not-for-profit" basis, said it will launch a phase three study by September.U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement that the Trump administration is assembling a "portfolio of vaccines" which will increase "the likelihood that the United States will have at least one safe, effective vaccine by 2021."10:32 a.m.: Chicago Public Schools will start with all-remote learning, officials say All of Chicago's public school students and teachers will begin the new school year at home next month due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Wednesday.Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said at a press conference that remote learning will be conducted for at least the first quarter of the school year, which runs through Nov. 6. The district will then work with the Chicago Department of Public Health to determine if it is safe to open schools with a "hybrid learning model" in the second quarter."By that point," Jackson said, "we will evaluate the situation and make a determination about how we will move forward."Jackson noted that students will be engaged for the entirety of a normal school day -- from their time with teachers, independent studying and small group learning.A woman holds a sign during the Occupy City Hall Protest and Car Caravan hosted by the Chicago Teachers Union in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 3, 2020. Teachers and activists held demonstrations across the country on Aug. 3 to demand adequate classroom safety measures as schools debate reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.A woman holds a sign during the Occupy City Hall Protest and Car Caravan hosted by the Chicago Teachers Union in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 3, 2020. Teachers and activists held demonstrations across the country on Aug. 3 to demand adequate classroom safety measures as schools debate reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the decision to start the school year remotely "is rooted in public health data and the invaluable feedback we've received from parents and families." She added that it "makes sense" for a school district of such size and diversity."As we build out this remote learning model and seek to establish a hybrid learning model in the second quarter, we will continue to support and collaborate with parents and school leaders to create safe, sustainable learning environments for our students," Lightfoot said.The move comes on the heels of protests across the country held by teachers and activists demanding adequate classroom safety measures as schools debate reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.9:44 a.m.: Moderna on track to enroll 30,000 people in phase 3 trial American biotechnology company Moderna announced Wednesday that it's on track to recruit enough volunteers for the third phase of clinical trials for its potential COVID-19 vaccine.The phase three study of Moderna's vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, began on July 23 and is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health as well as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.A sign marks the headquarters of Moderna, an American biotechnology company that is developing a vaccine against COVID-19, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 18, 2020.A sign marks the headquarters of Moderna, an American biotechnology company that is developing a vaccine against COVID-19, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 18, 2020.
Brian Snyder/Reuters The trial will ultimately include 30,000 volunteers and Moderna said it expects to complete enrollment by September. It's the final stage before the vaccine candidate could potentially be authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration.Each volunteer will be given either a dose of the vaccine candidate or a placebo. Researchers will monitor whether the drug protects the group from getting infected.8:30 a.m.: Fourth-graders to be quarantined after student tests positive in North Carolina A fourth-grade student at a private school in North Carolina has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report by Durham ABC station WTVD.Thales Academy said it was notified Monday that one of its student at its Wake Forest campus had tested positive after being exposed by a family member. The school then sent a letter home to parents explaining what happened and how it planned to move forward, WTVD reported.Thales Academy in Wake Forest, N.C., is seen in a Google Maps Street View image collected in Feb. 19, 2020.Thales Academy in Wake Forest, N.C., is seen in a Google Maps Street View image collected in Feb. 19, 2020.
Google Street View The last time the infected student was on campus was Friday. The student was asymptomatic throughout their time at school, passing the temperature check and symptom-screening checklist for entry, according to WTVD.Students potentially exposed have been contacted and will be quarantined for 14 days along with the teaching staff, WTVD reported.Thales Academy welcomed students back to its campuses across North Carolina for the new school year in July. Vice President Mike Pence visited the school's campus in Apex last week.7:50 a.m.: Bolivia cancels the rest of its school year Schools across Bolivia will remain closed for the rest of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.Interim Bolivian President Jeanine Anez announced the decision earlier this week."Today we make the decision to close the school year," Anez wrote in Spanish on Twitter. "It is very hard, but we do it to take care of the health of Bolivians, especially our children. Health is the most important thing, especially at this time."Women wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus sit on the road in El Alto, Bolivia, on Aug. 3, 2020, to protest the postponement of the upcoming presidential election. Bolivia's highest electoral authority delayed the presidential election from Sept. 6 to Oct. 18, the third time the vote has been postponed.Women wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus sit on the road in El Alto, Bolivia, on Aug. 3, 2020, to protest the postponement of the upcoming presidential election. Bolivia's highest electoral authority delayed the presidential election from Sept. 6 to Oct. 18, the third time the vote has been postponed.
Juan Karita/AP Last week, the South American nation's highest electoral authority postponed the presidential election from Sept. 8 to Oct. 18 due to the pandemic, marking the third time the vote has been delayed.More than 83,000 people in Bolivia have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and at least 3,320 of them have died, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.6:39 a.m.: Democratic and Republican governors band together to fill testing void A bipartisan group of at least seven governors has teamed up with the Rockefeller Foundation to try to expand the use of rapid antigen tests to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, clinched the deal with the New York City-based private foundation in "the first interstate testing compact of its kind among governors during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a press release. The governors of Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia have all signed on to the agreement.Physician assistant Nicole Kramer collects a nasal swab sample from a patient for COVID-19 testing in Tustin, California, on June 25, 2020.Physician assistant Nicole Kramer collects a nasal swab sample from a patient for COVID-19 testing in Tustin, California, on June 25, 2020.
Jae C. Hong/AP The governors are now in talks with the U.S. manufactures of the FDA-authorized fast-acting tests, which deliver results in 15-20 minutes, to purchase 500,000 per state, for a total of 3 million tests."With severe shortages and delays in testing and the federal administration attempting to cut funding for testing, the states are banding together to acquire millions of faster tests to help save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19," Hogan said in a statement Tuesday night. "I want to thank my fellow governors for signing on to this groundbreaking bipartisan agreement, which we have just finalized after weeks of discussions with the Rockefeller Foundation. We will be working to bring additional states, cities, and local governments on board as this initiative moves forward."5:14 a.m.: Global death toll tops 700,000 More than 700,000 people around the world have now died from the novel coronavirus -- another grim milestone in the pandemic.As of early Wednesday morning, the global death toll from COVID-19 was at 700,741, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.What to know about coronavirus:A hostess from Astro Gong Yoga Studio checks a woman's temperature before she attends a yoga class being held on a roof top parking lot, as the studio cannot be open to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Los Angeles, California, on August 4, 2020.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.Many states have seen a rise in infections in recent weeks, with some -- including Arizona, California and Florida -- reporting daily records.However, new data suggests that the national surge in cases could be leveling off, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency obtained by ABC News on Tuesday night. Only seven states and territories are on an upward trajectory of new cases, while 10 states are at a plateau and 39 states are going down, according to the memo.Nationwide, the last week saw a 9.2% decrease in cases from the previous seven-day period. There was also a 7% increase in new deaths compared to the previous week, but the figure is lower than the 20-30% week-over-week increase the country has seen of late, according to the memo.ABC News' Gio Benitez, Josh Margolin, Molly Nagle, Sony Salzman and Scott Withers contributed to this report.Source : abcnews.go.com