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14:39
Another 3.8 million Americans file for unemployment
Another 3.8 million people lost their jobs in the US last week as the coronavirus pandemic continued to batter the economy. The pace of layoffs appears to be slowing, but in just six weeks an unprecedented 30 million Americans have now sought unemployment benefits and the numbers are still growing.
The latest figures from the labor department released on Thursday showed a fourth consecutive week of declining claims. While the trend is encouraging, the rate of losses means US unemployment is still on course to reach levels unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The figures are also still undercounting the number of people out of work. Some states are still dealing with backlogs of claims after their systems were overwhelmed by the massive volume of applications.
Florida has become a remarkable black spot. As of Tuesday the state had received more than 1.9 million claims and processed just over 664,000, one of the slowest rates in the nation.
Updated
14:04
California Governor Gavin Newsom will order all beaches and state parks closed again from tomorrow.
A memo by the California Police Chiefs Association outlining the decision said it was initatiated “after the well-publicized media coverage of overcrowded beaches this past weekend.”
The governor was reportedly concerned after tens of thousands of people flocked to state shores last weekend during a heat wave, in violation of California’s mandatory stay-at-home order.
Newsom targeted beachgoers in Orange and Ventura counties as setting a poor example if the state wants to continue its progress fighting the coronavirus. ”Those images are an example of what not to see, what not to do if we’re going to make the meaningful progress we’ve made the past couple of weeks, ”Newsom told local station KABC.
Local leaders shot back at criticism over keeping the beaches open.
Donald Wagner, member of the Orange County board of supervisors said on Wednesday that closing the beaches was the governor’s right, but added “it is not wise to do so.”
“Medical professionals tell us the importance of fresh air and sunlight in fighting infectious diseases, including mental health benefits,” Wagner wrote.
There is no scientific or medical evidence that sunlight or fresh air play any role in combating the coronavirus.
13:45
Fauci gives more cautious praise for virus treatment
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the top public health official on the White House coronavirus task force, had more to say this morning about the preliminary results of the most promising trial yet of the drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19.
A relatively large study conducted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed some hopeful results for remdesivir, an experimental antiviral produced by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead, initially as a potential treatment for the Ebola virus.
The main finding is that the drug reduced the amount of time that patients with severe coronavirus had to spend in hospital from 16 days (with a placebo) to 11 days.
The clinical trial has not been peer-reviewed and these are strictly preliminary results. It’s early days.
But Fauci told ABC’s Good Morning America today that the results were “clearly positive” if “modest”.
“It’s a first step in what we project will be better and better drugs coming along, alone or in combination. So it’s good news but … this is not the total answer. ”
It is expected to be approved as an emergency treatment by the US regulator the Food and Drug Administration “relatively soon”, Fauci said.
13:02
Federal guidelines on social distancing set to expire tonight
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