The new coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 610,000 people worldwide.
More than 14.7 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 or minimizing the extent of their nations’ outbreaks.
The United States has become the most affected country, with more than 3.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 140,937 deaths.
Latest headlines:
This is how the news is unfolding today. All eastern times. Check back for updates.
11:05 am: Florida has 5 counties without beds available in the ICU
In Florida, five counties, Hernando, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee and Putnam, had no beds available in the ICU until Tuesday morning, according to the State Agency for Health Administration.
Of the adult ICU beds statewide, only 16.47% are available, the agency said.
Those numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day.
At least 21,780 coronavirus patients in Florida have been hospitalized since the pandemic began, up to 517 since Monday, according to the state Department of Health.
Florida’s positivity rate is now 13.62%, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state reaches 369,834.
Miami-Dade County, which includes Miami, and Bay County, which includes Panama City, are especially affected.
Miami-Dade County has a positivity rate of 19.2%, while Bay County’s positivity rate is 24.4%
10:05 am: NJ closes DMV center after employee tests positive
A DMV licensing center in Wayne, New Jersey, is closing for a week after an employee tested positive, state officials announced Tuesday.
The facilities will be disinfected and the employee will be quarantined for two weeks.
9:25 am: Alabama County cases double in 2 weeks
Officials in Calhoun County, Alabama, about 70 miles east of Birmingham, are pleading with residents to wear masks as COVID-19 cases in the area increase.
Of the 814 county coronavirus cases, 430 of them were reported in the past two weeks, Calhoun County Director of Emergency Management Michael Barton said Monday.
“This is alarming,” Barton said, adding that hospitals are at a “record high in reaching our capacity.”
A local hospital had five COVID-19 patients two weeks ago. That hospital now has 44 patients.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statewide mandatory mask requirement last week.
“Be sure to wear your mask and adhere to all the standards and guidelines you can,” urged Joe Weaver, CEO of the local Stringfellow Memorial Hospital. “We know it is restrictive, but at the same time, there is nothing else. There is nothing else we can do right now.”
4:43 am: Russia’s first COVID-19 vaccine ready, says deputy defense minister
Russia’s first vaccine against the new coronavirus is ready, Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov told the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.
The vaccine was created by military and scientific specialists from the Gamaleya National Center for Research in Epidemiology and Microbiology.
“Final evaluations have already been carried out on the results of tests carried out by our specialists and scientists from the National Research Center. At the time of release, all the volunteers, without exception, developed immunity against the coronavirus and felt normal. So , the first domestic vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection is ready, “Tsalikov told the newspaper.
2:43 am: Fort Worth Federal Women’s Prison announces third COVID-related death
The United States Bureau of Prisons announced a third COVID-related death Monday night at FMC Carswell, a specialized federal medical prison for women in Fort Worth, Texas.
Teresa Ely, 51, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 30 and was transported to a local hospital where she received treatment until she died Monday.
Ely had “long-term pre-existing medical conditions, which the CDC lists as risk factors for developing the most serious COVID-19 disease,” said the BOP.
“Ms. Ely was a 51-year-old woman who was sentenced in the Western District of Virginia to a 252-month sentence for participating in a criminal enterprise and continuing a criminal enterprise,” a prison statement read. “Ms. Ely had been detained at FMC Carswell since September 19, 2007.”
1:37 am: NFL players will be evaluated daily for COVID-19 for at least the first two weeks of training camp
The NFL announced that players will be screened daily for the coronavirus for at least the first two weeks of training camp.
The league also made an offer to the NFL Players Association not to play preseason games this summer, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The players had been pushing not to play preseason games this year, and the league had been looking to play two games instead of the usual four.
The league’s proposal to players includes an offer for a longer acclimatization period on training ground, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano, and that is closer to what the union proposed.
The NFLPA has not yet informed the league if it will accept the proposal.
What to know about the coronavirus:
12:45 am: Church-related COVID-19 outbreaks continue to appear in West Virginia
Several new COVID-19 outbreaks have been identified in churches in West Virginia, Grant, Logan and Wood counties, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Monday.
Last week, Justice said additional church-related outbreaks had been identified in Boone, Kanawha, Raleigh and Taylor counties.
Combined, the outbreaks in these seven counties represent about 75 cases in total.
“We absolutely have to be aware of this,” Justice said. “Keep in mind that the church environment is the ideal environment to spread this virus.”
The Governor urged all West Virginia residents to attend the church to follow the state’s safety guidelines, including using any other bank, maintaining social distancing, and wearing face covering.
“I know these things are really difficult to do,” Justice said. “But for now, they have to be done because if we don’t do it, all we will do is lose more people.”
“We could well lose many of our grandmothers and grandfathers, people who have so much wisdom to keep broadcasting, we don’t need to lose these great West Virginians,” she said.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Alina Lobzina, Darren Reynolds, Benjamin Siu, Ben Stein and Scott Withers contributed to this report.
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