Coronavirus US: study shows 97,000 children test positive in the last two weeks of July – live updates | American news

The head of the California Department of Public Health resigned late Sunday, reports the Associated Press, just days after the state announced a fix for a glitch that caused a lag in gathering information on coronavirus tests used to make decisions about reopening businesses and schools.

Dr. Sonia Angell said she deviated from her role as director and state officer of public health at the California Department of Public Health in a letter to staff released by the California Agency for Health and Human Services. Angell gave no specific reason for her departure.

Angell’s announcement comes after Secretary of California Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said the glitch caused up to 300,000 records to be delayed, although not all of these were coronavirus cases and some could be duplicates. The problem affected the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, also called CalREDIE.

“I am grateful to Dr. Angell for her service to the people of California,” Ghaly said in a statement last Sunday. “Their leadership was instrumental when Californians once flattened the curve and by putting us on a path to do it again.”

Sandra Shewry, vice president of external engagement for California Health Care Foundation, will play the role of acting director of health, said the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Erica Pan, who was recently appointed state epidemiologist, will be the acting public health official.

California has had more than 563,000 cases of the coronavirus. If it were a province, it would be the sixth most affected in the world, with only the US as a whole, Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa have more.

The Washington Post overnight provided more details about this study by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, which claims that 97,000 American children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July. That is more than a quarter of the total number of children diagnosed nationwide since March

There is a bright caveat here, that the word children can trust images of the very young, but the data comes from 49 states, many of whom define children as younger than 19 years old.

It remains a small fraction of the number of nationally recorded cases – at around 8.8%. A reminder that it was Donald Trump’s false claim that children were ‘almost immune’ to the disease that forced Twitter to temporarily ban the presidency of the presidential campaign and take Facebook off one of its posts.

Chelsea Janes reports to the Post that:

The jump in cases of children comes because children are getting closer for the first time in months when some schools reopen their doors to students. For months, teachers, parents and politicians have been arguing over whether the risks posed by the new coronavirus to children outweigh the benefits of learning in person.

Many school districts have opted to operate completely remotely until case numbers drop. Some have opted for hybrid learning systems in which children only go to school in person a few days a week to limit crowds. But even schools with crowd-restricting measures have already suffered from outbreaks.

The pressure to reopen schools has sparked demonstrations by educators, students and parents. 70% of new cases in children were reported in southern and western states. Pediatric deaths from Covid-19 remain mercifully rare, accounting for 1% of the national total.

You can read more here: Washington Post – Coronavirus cases in children rise sharply in the second half of July, with more than 97,000 infections

Good morning. Welcome to our live coverage of American politics after a weekend when Donald Trump unilaterally tried to take the initiative on coronavirus relief, as the number of recorded cases in the country exceeded five million. Here’s a quick overview of where we are, and what we can expect today

• There were 48,354 new cases of coronavirus and 539 more deaths reported in the US yesterday – Sunday figures often deepen due to some jurisdictions not reporting data
• Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association show that more than 97,000 American children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July. That is more than a quarter of the total number of children diagnosed nationally since March. The study comes as schools across the country are dealing with relapses
• There is still confusion about the relief measures announced by Donald Trump over the weekend. His plan gained control of the Congress of Federal Expenditures, signed claims that it was illegal, and the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, described the idea that states could pay 25% of the increased unemployment benefits as “laughing”
• The head of the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Sonia Angell, dismissed late Sunday. The state has had more cases of Covid-19 than any other, and also has problems collecting test data
• U.S. Secretary of Health Alex Azar praised Taiwan’s Covid-19 response during a rare high visit
• Apple imports clothing from a company against US sanctions on the use of forced labor at a subsidiary in the Xinjiang region of China
• In an echo movement over US sanctions against Hong Kong officials, China’s foreign ministry said it would apply new sanctions against 11 U.S. officials including Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio
• A fire in a Portland police station building last night prompted authorities to declare the situation a riot. and then use flashbang ammunition and smoke canisters to force hundreds away from the area
• There is nothing in the president’s public diary today. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a briefing at 1 p.m. Joe Biden adds a private fundraiser. Both houses are in recession until Labor Day, but some senators may be around to discuss the next steps toward a coronavirus relief package

I’m Martin Belam and I’ll be with you in a few hours – you can get me at [email protected]