SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Over 8,300 people across Massachusetts have died after contracting COVID-19.
The 22News I-Team discovered that a county right here in western Massachusetts has the highest death rate in the state. Out of every 100,000 people that live in Hampden County, 140 of them died from COVID-19.
Springfields Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris told 22News the city is seeing more cases of COVID-19, in more densely populated areas, which are often communities of color.
Find out what other factors give Hampen County the highest death rate. Watch the 22News I-Team report on the impact of COVID-19 on Hampden County, Thursday, July 16, on 22News at 6 p.m.
A new report of COVID-19 patients referred to a neurological hospital in the United Kingdom describes complications including delirium, brain inflammation, and stroke.
Viral infections can impact the brain, even if the virus has not directly infected brain tissue. For example, inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis, most often results from a viral infection.
These infections usually cause mild, flu-like symptoms, but when they affect the brain, the issues can be severe.
At around the same time as the 1918 flu pandemic, there was an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica, or sleeping sickness. Between 1917 and 1927, millions of people likely developed this issue worldwide. Many of the survivors experienced lasting behavioral changes and extreme lethargy. Some lived in catatonic states.
Previously, some researchers have observed a link between infections with SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV the coronaviruses that cause SARS and MERS, respectively and signs of damage within the central nervous system.
Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.
The new coronavirus has also been associated with neurological symptoms. However, our understanding of the neurological consequences of COVID-19 remains in its early stages.
A recent report, led by experts from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, describes cases of delirium, brain inflammation, stroke, and nerve damage associated with COVID-19.
The authors say that their report, which is published in the journal Brain, provides a template to help researchers around the world improve the diagnosis and treatment of the neurological complications of COVID-19.
The study describes the experiences of 43 people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 who were referred to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, in the U.K. The group had a wide age range of 1685 years.
The study team analyzed both the clinical features and the results of brain scans and laboratory tests, and it is the first to have done so in this context.
The report details 10 cases of temporary brain dysfunction, or encephalopathies, with delirium. These patients were mostly over 50 and presented with confusion and disorientation, with one patient experiencing psychosis.
A further 12 patients experienced inflammation of the brain. The majority of these people experienced a rare disorder called acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis (ADEM), which is triggered by viral infections and leads to damage of the myelin sheaths around nerves.
The researchers note that ADEM is more common in children and that they typically see around one adult with the condition per month. During the period that the study was concerned with, this rate increased to one case per week. This is concerning, as ADEM can progress to multiple sclerosis.
The team also found reports of nerve damage. Specifically, there were seven reports of Guillain-Barr syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which a persons immune system attacks healthy nerve networks.
This syndrome is often associated with a prior infection and also involves damage to myelin.
The finding is consistent with a previous report, from Italy, of five cases of Guillain-Barr syndrome in COVID-19 patients.
We identified a higher-than-expected number of people with neurological conditions such as brain inflammation, which did not always correlate with the severity of respiratory symptoms. We should be vigilant and look out for these complications in people who have had COVID-19.
Co-senior author Dr. Michael Zandi
The team also reported eight cases of stroke, which confirms previous findings. These cases are thought to result from the sticky blood found in COVID-19 patients.
The remaining patients had other neurological complaints, including dysfunction of the cranial nerve and a brain abscess.
Interestingly, some patients in the study did not experience any severe respiratory symptoms, making their neurological symptoms the first and major presentation of COVID-19.
The authors say that doctors should look out for possible neurological symptoms in people with suspected COVID-19.
Doctors need to be aware of possible neurological effects, as early diagnosis can improve patient outcomes. People recovering from the virus should seek professional health advice if they experience neurological symptoms, says co-lead author Ross Paterson, Ph.D.
In eight of the patients, the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord was tested for the virus, and no evidence of it was found. This suggests that neurological symptoms of COVID-19 are not a result of a direct attack on the nervous system.
Understanding exactly how an infection with the new coronavirus causes these symptoms will require more research. However, it seems likely that the neurological consequences of COVID-19 result from an immune response gone awry, rather than the virus itself.
For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here.
In normal times, I would feel an obligation to take part in the recent protests against police brutality. Im worried, however, that these gatherings could lead to a coronavirus outbreak. Black Americans are suffering from Covid-19 at a disproportionately high rate I dont want to endanger the very lives that this movement is seeking to protect. I have done what I can to speak out in other ways, from signing petitions to making donations and even making a Black Lives Matter sign and carrying it for a solo march around my neighborhood (which definitely attracted a lot of laughter and scorn). I feel bad for not getting out there and standing up for whats right. Is it ethical to support these protests only from a distance? Name Withheld
How do you balance political progress and public health? Many philosophers would say theres no easy moral arithmetic that would allow you to compare the two concerns. In 1965, when John Lewis, the young chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, helped lead a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., he did not consult first with his physician. Nor did he or the other protesters heed the advice of Maj. John Cloud of the Alabama state troopers, who warned them through a bullhorn that it would be detrimental to your safety to continue this march. The troopers then made sure that it would be freely swinging whips and clubs. Among the injured protesters was Lewis, whose skull was fractured. The spectacle of peaceful marchers menaced by state violence is, of course, what made the protest so powerful and effectual.
Public-health issues take on another dimension in the pandemic; to catch the virus is to gain the capacity to spread the virus. Responsible protesters this summer have worn masks and tried to maintain some distance from one another. But public safety is jeopardized when law-enforcement officials use tear gas and other irritants that cause respiratory problems, leading people to cough or to remove their masks. It is jeopardized when riot police engage in kettling, boxing protesters into confined spaces and cutting off exits.
So far, it appears that the public-health effects have been more modest than some experts feared. Massachusetts offered additional free coronavirus testing in mid-June to anyone who had recently attended a large gathering, and the results were said to be within the range of statewide numbers. New York City health officials say that they havent yet seen an uptick. It no doubt mattered that the rallies were outdoors; it may have helped that the protesters were typically moving. Luck may have played a role, too. We cant know if the story will be the same with other large protests, especially if a false sense of safety leads to less caution. Its entirely possible that some people who wouldnt otherwise have been infected will become infected and infect others; its possible that some will die.
But not protesting also has significant costs. Our country seems to be on the cusp of necessary reforms, not just in policing but in other areas where racial injustice is pervasive, and careful analysis by social scientists tells us that protests of the right sort can spur political change. We shouldnt assume that this summers political energy can be recaptured when vaccines become available. Many people believe that, at least for this generation, it is now or never.
You wonder, reasonably enough, whether it will be worth the risks. Your own contribution, by itself, is unlikely to make a significant difference either to the spread of Covid-19 or to the process of reform. But if your individual impact was all that mattered, you wouldnt do anything much in politics, including voting, where one vote rarely shifts the outcome. The right question is not: What contribution am I making? The right question is: Am I taking part in a process thats making a positive contribution over all?
Leave aside the fact that the possible gains and losses are extremely hard to model. Even if we knew the net long-term epidemiological effects of participation, on the one hand, and the net long-term effects on health of better policies, on the other, we wouldnt have captured everything important. Had no one ever paid costs in health and mortality for political change, we might still be living with slavery or Jim Crow.
The calculus is complicated in this case by the fact that the health costs of protests may end up being borne, in part, by people who didnt choose to participate who didnt choose, as protesters often have, to take an individual risk of serious injury or death for a chance at a significant advance in justice. Its further complicated by the fact that theres no bureau de change that tells you how much public health to trade for how much political equality. Rational people can disagree about the assessments they reach.
And a final point different people are going to be differently situated here. If youre going home to tend to someone in the class of the most vulnerable, you would have an individual reason to stay away in order to meet your responsibilities to that person. Absent such considerations, if you think large-scale protests are important, you can reasonably take part in them, observing all the necessary precautions and urging others to do the same.
I work for a fast-growing health care company. Recently I referred a friend of mine for an open position, and she was offered the job. After she accepted the offer, my friend told me she intends to keep her current job while also working for my company. (Because both firms allow for remote work, she feels that shell be able to balance time for each.) This arrangement of two full-time positions is clearly against company policy, which requires, among other things, disclosure and approval of all other employment. My friend intends to keep her plans a secret from both her employers. I have advised her against this decision, but she remains undeterred. Im worried about the potential fallout for my friend but also the potential that my professional reputation could be tarnished if her deception comes to light. Should I warn my employer? Name Withheld
In violating the terms of her employment, this person is taking advantage of a company that trusts employees to work unsupervised at home, in a way thats unfair to others who dont abuse the trust. But shes also letting you down: You referred her and, in some sense, vouched for her, in the expectation that she would devote her full-time attentions to her new position. No decent friend would do what shes doing. There are many ways that her deception could come to light: People from one company can talk to those at another, and company directories can increasingly be found online, anyway.
If the details were otherwise, we could discuss the tension between what you owe your employers and what you owe your friend. But given that shes recklessly forfeited the trust that friendship is based on, youd clearly be within your rights to alert your employers. Because the consequences of your doing that could be severe, though, you should offer her the choice between voluntarily ending her double-dipping and your ending it for her.
TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR)reports as of 5:00 p.m., on July 14, 2020, there have been 213,894total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 4,407 totalcases and 97 deaths.
In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.
CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour(20/0), Berkeley (524/19), Boone (38/0), Braxton (5/0), Brooke (29/1), Cabell(195/7), Calhoun (4/0), Clay (13/0), Fayette (84/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant(20/1), Greenbrier (71/0), Hampshire (44/0), Hancock (43/3), Hardy (46/1),Harrison (126/0), Jackson (148/0), Jefferson (253/5), Kanawha (422/12), Lewis(22/1), Lincoln (9/0), Logan (39/0), Marion (110/3), Marshall (67/1), Mason(26/0), McDowell (11/0), Mercer (63/0), Mineral (68/2), Mingo (29/2),Monongalia (596/14), Monroe (14/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (19/1), Ohio(148/0), Pendleton (16/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (37/1), Preston (84/21),Putnam (90/1), Raleigh (81/3), Randolph (189/2), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (12/0),Summers (2/0), Taylor (22/1), Tucker (7/0), Tyler (10/0), Upshur (31/2), Wayne(128/1), Webster (1/0), Wetzel (37/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (185/9), Wyoming (7/0).
As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Grant County in this report.
Please visit thedashboard at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
Written by Abhishek De, Edited by Explained Desk | New Delhi | Updated: July 16, 2020 6:19:27 pm Nasal Coronavirus (Covid-19) Vaccine: People get tested for Covid-19 at a NDMC dispensary in New Delhi. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)
While most of the 160 Covid-19 vaccine candidates under various stages of development are conventional intramuscular injection, several research groups and firms, including in the United States, Canada and India, are working on nasal coronavirus vaccines. Instead of a jab into the upper arm, these types of vaccines will be delivered to the respiratory tract, either via a nasal spray or aerosol delivery.
Since coronavirus is a respiratory infection and invades the airway, scientists from the UKs Oxford University and Imperial College and US Yale University have said administering a vaccine at the entry points would train the mucosa to identify Covid-19 and block it from getting through. Scientists have identified two specific types of cells in the nose as the likely initial infection points for SARS-CoV2.
Mucous membranes are squishy tissues that line the surfaces of internal organs like lungs and respiratory tract and catch pathogens that try to get into the body.
The hope is that mucosal vaccines will do all that their intramuscular competitors can and more, mounting a multi pronged attack on the coronavirus from the moment it tries to breach the bodys barriers, the New York Times quoted Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona, as saying.
Intranasal vaccines are delivered to the respiratory tract, spritzed through the nose or mouth, to target the immune cells that are found around the mucosal tissues. While an intramuscular vaccination mainly induces an antibody response, a nasal vaccination is beneficial as it triggers mucosal, as well as systemic immunity. Moreover, intranasal vaccination may also offer protection at other mucosal sites such as the lungs, intestines and genital tract.
T cells and B cells are the major cellular components of the bodys immune response. In normal circumstances, upon vaccination, B cells would provide antibodies called IgG to search for pathogens. Other cells, called T cells, either helps B cells produce antibodies or seek out and destroy infected cells.
In case of intranasal vaccination, the B cells that reside around mucosal tissues can make another type of antibody called IgA that plays a large role in heeling gut and airway pathogens. Nearby T cells can then memorise the features of specific pathogens and patrol the places they first encountered them.
Fact Check: Why the Russian COVID-19 vaccine still has miles to go
At present, five firms in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland and India are working on developing a nasal vaccine to cure Covid-19.
Canadian vaccine candidate: Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada are developing a DNA-based vaccine candidate that can be given via nasal route. For the vaccine, the scientists are using the bacteriophage-based approach. This will allow the vaccine to stimulate an immune response in the nasal cavity and target tissues in the lower respiratory tract.
Intravacc: Dutch research and development vaccine institute Intravacc, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) and Utrecht University are jointly developing an intranasal vaccine. According to a statement by Intravacc, the vaccine candidate contains a Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vector that expresses the novel coronavirus immunogenic spike protein, a key target for neutralising antibodies. The company stated that NDV demonstrated safety for intranasal delivery in mammals, including primates.
AdCOVID: Biopharmaceutical firm Altimmune, in collaboration with DynPort Vaccine, has developed a intranasal Covid-19 vaccine candidate, AdCOVID. In pre-clinical studies, the experimental vaccine has shown strong serum neutralising activity besides potent mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract. The company expects to start manufacturing during the third quarter of this year.
Express Explainedis now onTelegram. Clickhere to join our channel (@ieexplained)and stay updated with the latest
Finland nasal spray: Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Helsinki are developing a Covid-19 vaccine that will be administered as a nasal spray using gene transfer technology. Professor Seppo Yl-Herttula has told the media that clinical trials would begin in autumn. The vaccine, based on an adenovirus carrier, will contain genetic information on how to produce coronavirus surface protein in humans. The administration of the vaccine into the nose and upper respiratory tract will start the formation of antibodies against the virus.
CoroFlu: Besides Covaxin, Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with University of WisconsinMadison and vaccine firm FluGen, has also developed CoroFlu, a one-drop Covid-19 nasal vaccine. CoroFlu will likely undergo human clinical trials by the fall of 2020. CoroFlu has been developed on the backbone of FluGens existing flu vaccine candidate M2SR, which is a self-limiting version of the influenza virus that induces an immune response against the flu.
The voice behind the possible benefits of an intranasal vaccine for Covid-19 gained traction after Professor Robin Shattock, an immunologist at Imperial College London, told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee that a second wave of studies looking into mucosal immunisation should be carried out, a report in The Daily Mail said.
Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at Oxford University, also said that oral or nasal vaccination would have much stronger mucosal response. This takes the vaccine itself right down into the lungs where it can access the same tissue that would be reached by the virus infection, she said. However, she had a word of caution also, saying that delivering a vaccine through the nose is actually getting very close to the brain. Putting it down into the lungs, youre exposing a very large surface area to the new entity, she further said.
The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Explained News, download Indian Express App.
IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
As scientists race toward a coronavirus vaccine, some worry that key steps might be missed Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued an order Thursday requiring people to wear face masks in public throughout the state, which has had a surge in coronavirus cases over the past several weeks.The Republican governor had resisted a statewide mask mandate and opposed issuing a stay-at-home order earlier in the pandemic, but he signed the order requiring masks when social distancing isn't possible in the hopes of slowing the disease's rapid spread in the state. The order takes effect Monday.Hutchinsons decision comes amid growing support for mask requirements from business and health leaders and a day after Bentonville-based Walmart said it would require customers to wear masks in all of its U.S. stores. The states largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also called for a statewide requirement on Thursday.Hutchinson previously encouraged people to wear masks and allowed cities to pass ordinances requiring their use, but he stopped short of requiring them statewide. Surges leading to shortage of hospital beds in some areasWith skyrocketing coronavirus hospitalizations in several states, some hard-hit counties in Arizona and Texas are preparing for the worst.A total of 39 states reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before. California, Florida, Arizona and Texas have become the states to watch as surging coronavirus cases lead to a shortage of hospital beds.In Arizona's Maricopa County, which has the most COVID-19 cases in the state, officials have been bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues fill up.The medical examiner's office has ordered four portable coolers with additional ones expected in the coming days, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesman. The medical examiner's office morgue had a total of 156 deceased people with a surge capacity of just over 200, Moseley said Wednesday.It is unclear how many of the deaths are related to coronavirus the county has said fatalities go up in the summer due to the heat."Because we hit that surge capacity, multiple phone calls were made to funeral homes all over the county to try to assess their ability to make sure they were taking bodies in a timely fashion," Moseley said.Two counties in Texas Cameron and Hidalgo are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they're requesting refrigerated trucks."I'm pleading with everybody in our neck of the woods, help us do your part, people's lives are at stake not just the people getting sick, but doctors, nurses working to the bone, EMS personnel, transporting people," Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevio Jr. told CNN affiliate KVEO.The latest numbersThe United States has recorded nearly 3.5 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University, and at least 137,000 Americans have died. Across the world, 13 million people have tested positive for the virus.Thousands more Americans will die from the virus before a vaccine is developed, an influential model says.The model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is projecting 224,000 people will die from the virus by Nov. 1 an increase of almost 16,000 from the week before.That jump is due to skyrocketing cases around the country, particularly in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, said Dr. Chris Murray, chair of the IHME.Officials look for options as hospitals fill upAs infections go up, officials nationwide are rushing to issue restrictions all over again.Gov. Brian Kemp extended Georgia's emergency coronavirus restrictions and said while people are "strongly encouraged" to wear face coverings they're not required. The order, which expires July 31, limits public gatherings to 50 people, mandates social distancing and prevents local governments from implementing stricter rules than the state's.The state reported 417 additional hospitalizations nearly double Tuesday's total and is turning a large convention center in downtown Atlanta into a potential overflow hospital.California the country's most populous state set two more records Wednesday with highs for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.The state announced 11,126 new cases, with a total of 6,786 COVID-19 positive hospital patients and 1,907 patients in the ICU. And in Los Angeles County, the public health director warned another stay-at-home order is likely."We can't take anything off the table there's absolutely no certainty of what exactly is going to happen next," Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.California met its goal to have 10,000 contact tracers statewide by July 1, but Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said it's not enough to handle the onslaught of coronavirus cases."We did not build the first contact tracing program on this level of transmission," Ghaly said. "Local and states across the nation have recognized the need to be targeted with some of our contact tracing at this moment in time."Florida reported 301,810 positive cases statewide Wednesday with 19,334 people hospitalized. More than 50 hospitals have reached intensive care unit capacity and show zero beds available, according to according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration. Eight of those hospitals are in Miami-Dade County.Florida set a new one-day coronavirus death record for the state with 156 new deaths reported Thursday, surpassing the previous high of 132 that was set Tuesday. In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full and the federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility.Arizona health officials announced they're bringing nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help as they enhance their internal surge plans to fill staffing gaps."COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona have increased with hospitals reporting nearly 3,500 inpatients and more than 900 patients in their intensive care units," the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a statement.Public health experts say the end of the pandemic remains out of sight, and several states took steps to mandate the wearing of masks.Alabama and Montana said they are required in public. In Montana, face coverings are mandatory in certain indoor group settings where more than 50 people gather and social distancing is not possible. More than 30 states now have mandates on face coverings in public.And in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said he's tested positive for COVID-19 the same day the state reported a record high number of new cases.Stitt attended President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa last month and was spotted in the crowd without a mask. But based on contact tracing, the state's health officials said he did not contract coronavirus at the rally.There were 22,813 total cases in the state, up 1,075 from Tuesday, health officials said. At least 561 people are hospitalized due to the virus.Governor touts research unproven by scientistsHit hard by a surge in coronavirus cases, Florida's governor applauded positive results from antibody testing, calling it a "good sign." But scientists disagree.Antibody tests determine whether a person had COVID-19 in the past, after the infection's cleared. "That creates resistance in terms of the ability for the disease to spread," Republican Ron DeSantis said in a press conference.However, researchers including the World Health Organization have repeatedly said there's no evidence to show that prior infection and developing antibodies make someone immune to future infection.Last week, a Spain government study suggested that coronavirus antibodies wane after a few weeks. A smaller British study released prior to peer review suggests antibody response may start to decline within a month.And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has echoed a similar sentiment. "We do not know how much protection the antibodies may provide or how long this protection may last," it says on its website.Chicago teachers union wants virtual start to fall classesChicago Public Schools should start the fall semester with virtual classes rather than calling students back to buildings left empty since March, the union representing thousands of teachers in the nation's third-largest school district said Thursday.As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise in dozens of states, there is no way to ensure the safety of students and teachers in schools this fall, leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union said. The union also wants charter schools to start the year virtually.Conversations about whether to resume in-person classes this fall are roiling communities across the country. Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have publicly pressured school officials to do so but officials in Los Angeles and San Diego, the two largest districts in California, said this week that their year will begin with online classes only.Stop the spread of COVID-19To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask.Masks are required in public places in some states and businesses. Several major retailers have announced mask requirement policies as the nation spikes in cases in certain areas. The CDC also recommends you keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and others.Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued an order Thursday requiring people to wear face masks in public throughout the state, which has had a surge in coronavirus cases over the past several weeks.
The Republican governor had resisted a statewide mask mandate and opposed issuing a stay-at-home order earlier in the pandemic, but he signed the order requiring masks when social distancing isn't possible in the hopes of slowing the disease's rapid spread in the state. The order takes effect Monday.
Hutchinsons decision comes amid growing support for mask requirements from business and health leaders and a day after Bentonville-based Walmart said it would require customers to wear masks in all of its U.S. stores. The states largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also called for a statewide requirement on Thursday.
Hutchinson previously encouraged people to wear masks and allowed cities to pass ordinances requiring their use, but he stopped short of requiring them statewide.
With skyrocketing coronavirus hospitalizations in several states, some hard-hit counties in Arizona and Texas are preparing for the worst.
A total of 39 states reported an increase in the number of new cases from the week before. California, Florida, Arizona and Texas have become the states to watch as surging coronavirus cases lead to a shortage of hospital beds.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, which has the most COVID-19 cases in the state, officials have been bringing in refrigerated trucks as morgues fill up.
The medical examiner's office has ordered four portable coolers with additional ones expected in the coming days, said Fields Moseley, the county spokesman. The medical examiner's office morgue had a total of 156 deceased people with a surge capacity of just over 200, Moseley said Wednesday.
It is unclear how many of the deaths are related to coronavirus the county has said fatalities go up in the summer due to the heat.
"Because we hit that surge capacity, multiple phone calls were made to funeral homes all over the county to try to assess their ability to make sure they were taking bodies in a timely fashion," Moseley said.
Two counties in Texas Cameron and Hidalgo are sharing a large refrigerated trailer to store bodies of coronavirus patients because of a lack of space at the morgues. San Antonio officials have also said they're requesting refrigerated trucks.
"I'm pleading with everybody in our neck of the woods, help us do your part, people's lives are at stake not just the people getting sick, but doctors, nurses working to the bone, EMS personnel, transporting people," Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevio Jr. told CNN affiliate KVEO.
The United States has recorded nearly 3.5 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University, and at least 137,000 Americans have died. Across the world, 13 million people have tested positive for the virus.
Thousands more Americans will die from the virus before a vaccine is developed, an influential model says.
The model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is projecting 224,000 people will die from the virus by Nov. 1 an increase of almost 16,000 from the week before.
That jump is due to skyrocketing cases around the country, particularly in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, said Dr. Chris Murray, chair of the IHME.
As infections go up, officials nationwide are rushing to issue restrictions all over again.
Gov. Brian Kemp extended Georgia's emergency coronavirus restrictions and said while people are "strongly encouraged" to wear face coverings they're not required. The order, which expires July 31, limits public gatherings to 50 people, mandates social distancing and prevents local governments from implementing stricter rules than the state's.
The state reported 417 additional hospitalizations nearly double Tuesday's total and is turning a large convention center in downtown Atlanta into a potential overflow hospital.
California the country's most populous state set two more records Wednesday with highs for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
The state announced 11,126 new cases, with a total of 6,786 COVID-19 positive hospital patients and 1,907 patients in the ICU. And in Los Angeles County, the public health director warned another stay-at-home order is likely.
"We can't take anything off the table there's absolutely no certainty of what exactly is going to happen next," Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.
California met its goal to have 10,000 contact tracers statewide by July 1, but Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said it's not enough to handle the onslaught of coronavirus cases.
"We did not build the first contact tracing program on this level of transmission," Ghaly said. "Local and states across the nation have recognized the need to be targeted with some of our contact tracing at this moment in time."
Florida reported 301,810 positive cases statewide Wednesday with 19,334 people hospitalized. More than 50 hospitals have reached intensive care unit capacity and show zero beds available, according to according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration. Eight of those hospitals are in Miami-Dade County.
Florida set a new one-day coronavirus death record for the state with 156 new deaths reported Thursday, surpassing the previous high of 132 that was set Tuesday.
In South Texas, hospitals in Laredo are full and the federal government is converting a hotel into a health care facility.
Arizona health officials announced they're bringing nearly 600 critical care and medical-surgical nurses from out of state to help as they enhance their internal surge plans to fill staffing gaps.
"COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona have increased with hospitals reporting nearly 3,500 inpatients and more than 900 patients in their intensive care units," the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a statement.
Public health experts say the end of the pandemic remains out of sight, and several states took steps to mandate the wearing of masks.
Alabama and Montana said they are required in public. In Montana, face coverings are mandatory in certain indoor group settings where more than 50 people gather and social distancing is not possible. More than 30 states now have mandates on face coverings in public.
And in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said he's tested positive for COVID-19 the same day the state reported a record high number of new cases.
Stitt attended President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa last month and was spotted in the crowd without a mask. But based on contact tracing, the state's health officials said he did not contract coronavirus at the rally.
There were 22,813 total cases in the state, up 1,075 from Tuesday, health officials said. At least 561 people are hospitalized due to the virus.
Hit hard by a surge in coronavirus cases, Florida's governor applauded positive results from antibody testing, calling it a "good sign." But scientists disagree.
Antibody tests determine whether a person had COVID-19 in the past, after the infection's cleared. "That creates resistance in terms of the ability for the disease to spread," Republican Ron DeSantis said in a press conference.
However, researchers including the World Health Organization have repeatedly said there's no evidence to show that prior infection and developing antibodies make someone immune to future infection.
Last week, a Spain government study suggested that coronavirus antibodies wane after a few weeks. A smaller British study released prior to peer review suggests antibody response may start to decline within a month.
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has echoed a similar sentiment. "We do not know how much protection the antibodies may provide or how long this protection may last," it says on its website.
Chicago Public Schools should start the fall semester with virtual classes rather than calling students back to buildings left empty since March, the union representing thousands of teachers in the nation's third-largest school district said Thursday.
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise in dozens of states, there is no way to ensure the safety of students and teachers in schools this fall, leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union said. The union also wants charter schools to start the year virtually.
Conversations about whether to resume in-person classes this fall are roiling communities across the country. Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have publicly pressured school officials to do so but officials in Los Angeles and San Diego, the two largest districts in California, said this week that their year will begin with online classes only.
To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask.
Masks are required in public places in some states and businesses. Several major retailers have announced mask requirement policies as the nation spikes in cases in certain areas.
The CDC also recommends you keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and others.
Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Researchers and volunteers in the Puget Sound region are advancing toward testing a COVID-19 vaccine on thousands of people to see if it really does work.
SEATTLE A Seattle researcher whos studying a coronavirus vaccine undergoing clinical trials is pleased with early results that show the vaccine mounts an immune response.
The vaccine, which is being developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and drugmaker Moderna, was the first to be tested in the U.S. On Tuesday, researchers reported 45 volunteers developed neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream similar to levels seen in patients who survived COVID-19.
Seeing this is just wonderful, said Dr. John Dunn, a researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.
Dunn said so far theres no serious safety concerns with the vaccine, which is given in two shots, a month apart. One of the participants, Neal Browning of Bothell, said he did experience a little soreness at the injection site the morning after he received a dose but that only lasted a few minutes.
Much like you'd get when you had a typical flu shot, Browning said.
Researchers are still waiting to see how the vaccine affects people over the age of 55, which is a population more vulnerable to serious illness.
They also don't yet know how long the immunity from this experimental vaccine lasts. That's something they're still studying.
However, Dunn praised these early results as a big step.
The advancement of knowledge of medicine in general is usually made up of hundreds of little tiny steps and this, as little steps go, this is a big one in fact, Dunn said.
By the end of the month, the trial will expand to include 30,000 participants, who will help prove if the vaccine can indeed extinguish the coronavirus.
The Associated Press contributed.
Governor Cuomo Launches National "Mask Up America" Campaign Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Skip to main content
New York Shares Message with Nation to Promote Mask Wearing and to Help Stop the Spread of the Virus
To Reach as Many Americans as Possible with Vital Wear a Mask Information, New York Partnered with Producer Jane Rosenthal, Director Kathryn Bigelow and the Ad Council
Watch "You Have My Respect" Narrated by Morgan Freeman Here
Watch "An Easy Lift" Narrated by Jeffrey Wright Here
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spreading fast in many states across the country, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched the national "Mask Up America" education and awareness campaign to urgeall Americans to wear a mask while in public to help stop the spread of the virus. Jane Rosenthal, producer and CEO Tribeca Enterprises, produced the series of spots with Academy Award-winning director KathrynBigelow. Robert De Niro,Kaitlyn Dever, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman,John Leguizamo,Anthony Mackie,Rosie Perez, Ellen Pompeo andJeffrey Wrightused their voices and talent to promote the message and increase awareness. Creative agency TBWAChiatDay New York assisted with the logo and branding development.
"New Yorkers suffered gravely when this pandemic hit our state and as we see other states battle the surge of COVID-19, we want to be sure all Americans know what we know here - that it is essential to wear a mask in order to protect one another,"Governor Cuomo said."We can only beat this virus if we are united as one, not divided by ideology or politics. In that spirit we worked with the best and most creative team to deliver this vital message in multiple ways and in different voices - I wear a mask to protect you and you wear a mask to protect me. It is simple as that. Mask Up America."
The campaign includes a series of eight TV public service announcements, the first two of which are available today. All of the PSAs will be available in partnership with the Ad Council for use by broadcast and digital media outlets. The PSAs will air in donated media time and space throughout the country.
Lisa Sherman, President & CEO of the Ad Council, said,"With cases of the virus continuing to rise across the country, we are proud to partner with Governor Cuomo's office on this critical message and inspire all Americans to wear face coverings."
The eight 30-second television spots, which will be rolled out throughout the month of July, include:
1. "You Have My Respect"
2. "Join the Battle"
3. "Come On, America"
4. "For the Love Of"
5. "An Easy Lift"
6. "Face Facts"
7. "It's Your Shift"
8. "Show Some Love"
Several of the spots will be available in both English and Spanish versions, and will also be available for radio.
The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. External web sites operate at the direction of their respective owners who should be contacted directly with questions regarding the content of these sites.
This week a UK study has been generating headlines that suggest those who get coronavirus may develop antibodies for only a few months.
But what do we really know about how we generate an immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19? And is such research a setback for vaccine development? Three experts we spoke to didn't think so.
Researchers from Kings College London announced findings this week of a study that looked at people who had recovered from COVID-19 infection.
The research found levels of antibodies that can fight the virus peaked in the blood three weeks after people got sick, and then declined after as little as two to three months, in some cases to nothing at all.
This is important because getting sick and creating a good level of antibodies to a particular virus means your immune system is better able to fight the virus the next time you're exposed to it.
And this is why most vaccines aim to produce antibodies against the virus they are designed to protect you from.
The UK research is yet to be peer reviewed or published, but according to Australian immunologist Stuart Tangye of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the findings are in line with those from a number of other studies.
"There was a paper in Nature Medicine recently highlighting that the longevity of that antibody response isn't great," said Professor Tangye, who is part of a global consortium of researchers looking at how people's genetics affects their ability to fight off the virus.
He said other findings, from researchers at the coalface in China, also showed great variability in antibody response, and a decline in a large proportion of people after eight weeks.
So what does this mean for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2?
"Ninety to 95 per cent of all successful vaccines that are out there at the moment really rely on antibody production," Professor Tangye said.
But along with other researchers he is still optimistic about future options.
"It's not a roadblock, it's more of a pivot.
"We just need to be clever and use the information in going forward."
There is much we still don't know about our body's immune response to coronavirus, and what role other parts of the immune system might play in developing immunity.
"Antibody levels specific for COVID-19 wane over time but we don't know what the implications of this are," said immunologist Emily Edwards from Monash University.
She pointed to the role of B cells that produce antibodies and 'remember' viruses they encounter, therefore working much quicker next time around.
"Just because the levels of antibodies in the blood have decreased it doesn't mean that the memory B cells aren't there to produce more antibodies if they see the virus again," she said.
Dr Edwards also said there was some evidence that another group of immune cells, called killer T cells, could kill SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, but more research was needed on this.
She said studies of recovered patients were helping in the development of vaccines by giving us a picture of what the immune system looks like after the virus leaves the body.
"It's like an imprint of what type of response we want to generate when looking for a vaccine," Dr Edwards said.
Immunologist Jennifer Juno of the Doherty Institute is helping define this imprint, with newly-published results in Nature Medicine this week.
Dr Juno and colleagues also found some people recovering from COVID-19 produce more antibodies than others and so theoretically could have better immunity, at least in the short term.
They are currently following up to see if they find the same drop-off over time.
But significantly, this team found these people had higher levels of a particular group of T cells.
These T cells, which also remember viruses, help B cells to make antibodies.
Dr Juno thinks this group of T cells may be a good marker to use in testing whether vaccines are doing their job.
"I am still quite optimistic about the vaccine landscape," she said.
"Some of the early data from vaccine candidates in animal models shows you can induce antibody levels from a vaccine that are either as high as what we see with natural infection, or even higher."
Dr Juno said there was a lot of interest in the possibility that existing immunity to common colds, some of which are caused by other coronaviruses, could protect us from the new virus.
But she said there is no evidence for this, and this immunity is often short-lived anyway.
Dr Edwards added that the fact so many people are getting severely sick from COVID-19 also argued against this possibility.
Like Dr Juno, Professor Tangye is optimistic about a vaccine.
Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC's Coronacast podcast.
He said the fact that a small proportion of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 do actually produce lots of effective antibodies means it may be possible to mix ingredients called adjuvants into a vaccine to better stimulate the immune system and encourage production of more antibodies.
Although, Professor Tangye said, just like we get a regular flu shot we might need to have a yearly coronavirus jab although it wouldn't be just in winter like the flu.
Whatever the case, Professor Tangye said it was important not to rely on any one thing.
"We need a multipronged approach."
"We need to be hitting every part of the immune system which is going to give you some protection against infection."
And, he added, even if a successful vaccine eludes us, as it has so far with HIV, then it might be possible to manage COVID-19 with drugs.
"While we still don't have a vaccine for HIV it's now a liveable chronic disease and that's been achieved through antiviral drugs," Professor Tangye said.
Apart from high profile candidates such as remdesivir, he points to an approach taken by colleagues at the Garvan Institute that involves making artificial antibodies in the lab that could be injected into people, called convalescent plasma therapy. He says this could be used as a "bridge" to a vaccine.
Another potentially helpful tool Dr Edwards is involved in developing, is a rapid test to tell who has immunity to COVID-19, who remains infectious, and who is at risk of developing a severe form of the disease.
Get the latest health news and information from across the ABC.
