A new coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 530,000 people worldwide.
© Karen Ducey / Getty Images
University of Washington students are on campus for the last day of school in person on March 6, 2020 in Seattle. The university closed on March 9, in reaction to the new coronavirus outbreak for the rest of the winter quarter.
More than 11.2 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to a paucity of evidence, many unreported cases, and suspicions that some governments are hiding the extent of their nations’ outbreaks.
The United States is the most affected country in the world, with more than 2.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 129,676 deaths.
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This is how the news is unfolding today. Check back for updates. All eastern times.
9:46 pm: LA reports 7,232 new cases over the holiday weekend
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 7,232 new COVID-19 cases for the Thursday-Saturday period over the weekend of July 4.
Friday marked the highest number of new county cases in a single day at 3,187, authorities said.
As of Saturday there were 1,921 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, 28% of whom were in the ICU and 18% of those were on ventilators.
Authorities reported 30 new deaths, but said that number was pending verification and was probably an insufficient count.
6:55 pm: Mississippi Department of Health. says rebound not linked to protests
The Mississippi State Department of Health told ABC News that it has no evidence to support Governor Tate Reeves’ claim that the state’s increase in COVID-19 cases is related to protests last month.
Reeves said on Twitter Sunday that the rebound “began within days of mass protests.”
When contacted for information to confirm the governor’s claim, health department spokeswoman Liz Sharlot told ABC News: “We have no evidence that an increase in cases is due to protests that occurred a few weeks ago. ”
Other states have also reported that they have not seen an increase in COVID-19 cases linked to the protests, including Minnesota.
Mississippi has 30,671 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of July 3, according to the state health department. The state set a record for new daily cases on June 25, at 1,092.
4:35 pm: At least 121 students are now positive in the UW fraternity outbreak
More students have been identified in a COVID-19 outbreak linked to the Greek houses of the University of Washington.
At least 121 University of Washington students, including 112 residents of fraternity houses, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the university announced Sunday. The other nine students were close contacts of the residents but do not live in the houses, the Seattle school said.
The Interfraternity Council, a student-led governing board for the University of Washington fraternities, separately reported that as of July 3, at least 117 residents living in 15 fraternity houses have self-reported that they tested positive for COVID-19. The university said it continues to conduct its own tests and verification of coronavirus cases, which may explain the discrepancy.
© Karen Ducey / Getty Images
University of Washington students are on campus for the last day of school in person on March 6, 2020 in Seattle. The university closed on March 9, in reaction to the new coronavirus outbreak for the rest of the winter quarter.
Last week, a testing site established near UW’s Greek Row conducted about 1,300 tests, the university said. Greek house residents and other community members have also been tested at Seattle, Hall Health and UWMC-Northwest access sites, he added.
The university first reported the outbreak on June 30, when at least 38 students living in 10 fraternity houses tested positive.
About 1,000 students currently live in 25 fraternity houses north of the UW campus. House residents are asked to quarantine or isolate themselves.
12:36 pm: Florida exceeds the total of 200,000 cases
The Florida Department of Health released its morning summary reporting 200,111 total cases, an increase of 10,059.
The department reported that this is a 15% positivity rate, up from 14% on Saturday.
The total number of tests performed was 66,839.
Miami-Dade reported 2,258 new cases and a positivity rate of 20.3%.
Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) reported 1,670 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.5%. This is the highest total in a day of new cases.
Duval County (Jacksonville) reported 531 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.9%, up from 14.5% on Saturday.
Lee County (Fort Myers) reported 278 new cases and a positivity rate of 14.8%.
Hillsborough County (Tampa) reported 630 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.2%.
Orange County (Orlando) reported 760 cases and a positivity rate of 14.2%, a daily high.
Osceola County (Kissimmee and Celebration) reported 188 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.4%, up from 19.5% on Saturday.
2:08 am: Fort Worth bar faces 30-day shutdown
The Rail Club Live in Forth Worth, Texas now faces a 30-day shutdown after hosting a “tea party protest” on Saturday night that defied state orders designed to counter rising COVID-19 numbers. of the state, according to ABC News affiliate in Dallas WFAA
Owner Chris Polone followed through on a promise made earlier in the week to host a protest party on Saturday night at the venue.
Masks were required at the door and guests were advised to maintain social distance and wash their hands regularly. The staff also made hand sanitizer available.
The opening of the bar was a direct violation of the executive order that Governor Greg Abbott signed more than a week ago and that temporarily closed businesses that get 51% of their sales from alcohol.
Abbott said in an interview with WFAA on June 26 that delaying the opening of bars is the only thing he would have done differently in his reopening plan.
“Bars are one of those types of configurations that are not made for a pandemic. Bars invites people to meet, drink and have conversations and the like. And that is the opposite of the kind of practices that are needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, ”he said.
Owner Chris Polone broadcast the start of the event live on Facebook, but just minutes after his protest began on Saturday, law enforcement officers arrived, informing Polone that he could remain open, but would lose his license for 30 days. He chose to remain open.
A post on the venue’s Facebook page argued that the shutdown was unconstitutional because the venue did not charge admission or “sell” alcohol on Saturday.
The publication said the state closed a peaceful protest on Saturday, not a business.
However, the protest did not appear to be closed as it was allowed to continue after a visit by the authorities.
12:55 am: Trump says the vaccine will arrive “long before the end of the year”
President Donald Trump made remarks Saturday night at the second annual July 4 Salute to America event, held in Washington, DC, and stated that a therapeutic vaccine and / or vaccine will be available “long before the end of the year. ”
“I want to send our thanks to scientists and researchers across the country and even around the world who are at the forefront of our historic effort to rapidly develop and deliver life-saving treatments and ultimately a vaccine,” said Trump. . “We are unlocking the scientific brilliance of our nation and we will probably have a therapeutic and / or vaccine solution long before the end of the year.”
Trump also said that his administration has evaluated more than 40 million people across the country.
© Patrick Semansky / AP
President Donald Trump greets visitors as he walks through the South Lawn of the White House during a “Salute to America” event, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Washington.
“We were hit by the virus that came from China,” Trump began. “And we have made a lot of progress, our strategy is moving well. He comes out in one area and shows his ugly face in another area. But we have learned a lot. We have learned how to put out the flame. We have manufactured fans where there were none, by tens of thousands , to the point that we have much more than we need, and now we are distributing them to many foreign countries as a gesture of goodwill. tests: there was no test for a new virus. But now we have examined almost 40 million people ”
Trump said: “By doing so, we are showing cases, 99% of which are totally harmless, results that no other country can show because no other country is testing what we have, not in terms of numbers or in terms of quality.” And now, like everything else, we have become the manufacturer and record for fans. We have the best tests worldwide and we are producing surgical gowns, masks and equipment in our country. Until now, it was almost exclusively land Ironically it lands in China where this virus and others come from. Hoaxes and cover-up of China’s secrecy allowed it to spread across the world. 189 countries, and China must be fully responsible. ”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Eric Alvarez, and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
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