The data shows that masks work to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The CDC updated its guidance for people recovering from COVID-19. And one-third of Americans are showing signs of depression or anxiety. Here’s the latest news on the pandemic:
- As of this morning, we’ve had 5.6 million confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 351,000 deaths and 2.3 million recoveries. In the U.S. we’re at 1.68 million confirmed cases. Nearly 99,000 people have died, and another 385,000 have recovered.
- Americans are at odds over whether it's necessary to keep taking coronavirus protective measures, but a leading researcher says the data is clear: The path ahead in the COVID-19 pandemic is being shaped by masks. The president’s refusal to wear a face mask in public has become a symbol for his supporters resisting stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus crisis. Around the world, many larger-than-life role models have turned up – famous statues adorned with masks.
- People who have been sick with coronavirus infections should stay away from other people until they've gone at least three days with no fever, have seen symptoms improve, and until it's been 10 days since they first noticed symptoms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance.
- A third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau data shows, the most definitive and alarming sign yet of the psychological toll exacted by the coronavirus pandemic. And almost half of adults in a household experiencing income or job loss due to the pandemic said their mental health has suffered, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll released today.
- Ethicists and physicians are concerned that, amid a desire to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, developers of drugs and vaccines have become overly enthusiastic about the chances their products will work. Meanwhile, only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll.
- U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations have crept higher due to states’ efforts to reopen and return to some semblance of normalcy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC. A month since Georgia took some of the earliest and most extensive steps to reopen parts of its economy, the preliminary data suggests that reopening has not led to a spike in cases -- but the virus has continued to steadily infect people and shows no signs of waning.
- Coronavirus is affecting children – and their parents – in ways that go beyond COVID. Child hunger is soaring, but two months after Congress approved billions to replace school meals, only 15 percent of eligible children had received benefits. It has become agonizingly clear to parents of young children that the economy cannot fully reopen without child care. Yet a significant share of child care providers have not been able to survive the lockdown. Twenty percent of U.S. teachers say they are not likely to return to their classrooms this fall if schools reopen — and most parents and educators believe that school buildings will open, according to polls published Tuesday. And the Associated Press takes a look at how children around the world are experiencing the pandemic.
- A big part of “normal life” is entertainment – going to the movies or a live show. See how film productions and stage actors are preparing. A poll finds that for hesitant theater-goers, the single greatest concern is their fellow audience members, who they worry will show up without masks or ignore social distancing rules.
- Over the past few months, as much of the world has adjusted to an unprecedented, stringent new set of norms, several prominent leaders centrally involved in their country’s coronavirus responses have been caught breaking the rules.
- As Brazil’s daily COVID-19 death rate climbs to the highest in the world, a University of Washington study is warning its total death toll could climb five-fold to 125,000 by early August.
- The largest lockdown in the world is ending. India is bracing for what comes next.
- As South Korea significantly relaxes its rigid social distancing rules as a result of waning coronavirus cases, the world is paying close attention to whether it can return to something that resembles normal — or face a virus resurgence. The country reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in 49 days today.
- The Spanish government has declared 10 days of mourning starting today for the nearly 27,000 people who have died there from COVID-19, the longest official mourning period in the country’s 4-decade-old democracy.
- Around 700 Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr with socially distant prayers at an Ikea parking lot in Wetzlar, Germany.
- Each afternoon since what would have been opening day, the Fenway Park organist has been live streaming concerts of ballpark music and other fan requests on Facebook in an attempt to recreate the community feeling baseball fans might be missing during the sport’s shutdown.
- Harry Potter author JK Rowling has announced a new story called "The Ickabog" to entertain children during coronavirus lockdown. It will be serialized, with a chapter or more posted on "The Ickabog" website every weekday through July 10.