The Latest: Arizona has 1,400 new cases, adds 79 deaths
PHOENIX — Arizona health officials have reported more than 1,400 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 79 more deaths.
The latest figures released Friday by the Department of Health Services increased the state’s total confirmed cases to more than 185,000 and the reported death toll to 4,081.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Arizona dropped in the past two weeks, going from about 2,600 new cases per day on July 23 to about 1,800 new cases per day on Aug. 6, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— California tops 10,000 virus deaths, 3rd highest in U.S.
— 7-year-old boy dies of coronavirus in Georgia, youngest in state
— Lebanon’s health ministry reports new daily record 279 cases; adds 70 deaths
— Citing New York’s low coronavirus numbers, Gov. Cuomo is clearing the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning.
— Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s positive-then-negative test results for the coronavirus serve as a reminder that no test is definitive.
— Russia boasts its about to become the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, with vaccinations planned as early as October using shots that haven’t completed clinical trials.
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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Supreme Court has granted a request from Gov. Ralph Northam to suspend judicial proceedings related to evictions for tenants who can’t pay rent.
The court ruled 4-3 Friday to grant a moratorium on evictions through Sept. 7 as the state grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
That will give the General Assembly and governor time to pass a rent relief package in a special session that will start later this month.
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BEIRUT — Lebanon’s health ministry is reporting a new daily record of 279 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total 5,951. An additional 70 deaths were confirmed on Friday.
The surge comes three days after Beirut was hit by a massive chemical explosion that killed 154 people, wounded thousands and damaged large parts of the city. There have been concerns that the crowding at hospitals overwhelmed with the huge casualties from the blast could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.
Virus cases in Lebanon have been increasing since early July, when the country’s only international airport reopened and a lockdown was eased.
Firas Abiad, head of the city’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital, urged the international community to send medical aid to Lebanon.
He says there is no doubt “our immunity in the country” is less than before the explosion.
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PARIS — France counted more than 2,000 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the biggest single-day total since May.
Health officials say there were 2,288 new cases, bringing the total for the week to 9,330. That’s more than four times the 556 cases recorded on Monday.
The uptick in cases corresponds with France’s summer holidays and seashore vacations. More than 593,600 coronavirus tests were carried out during the week.
The French health agency says circulation of the virus is ‘’especially among young adults,’’ and appealed for respect of safety measures.
More than 30,300 people have died in France, the seventh highest total in the world, with 28 new daily deaths reported.
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LONDON — Ireland’s prime minister has ordered regional lockdowns in three counties amid a surge of coronavirus cases.
Micheal Martin says the restrictions will apply in counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly and are in response to a “deep and urgent threat.’’ The restrictions begin at midnight and will last for two weeks.
Movement will be restricted within the counties except for work and other essential journeys. Pubs serving food and restaurants will only provide takeout services.
Entertainment venues such as movie theaters, museums, galleries and bingo halls will close.
Ireland has recorded 1,768 deaths from the coronavirus and 26,372 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has surpassed 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus, making it the U.S. state with the third-highest deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The figure was reported Friday by Johns Hopkins University, with 10,024 dead since the outbreak began in California in February.
New York has the highest number of deaths at more than 32,000, followed by New Jersey with nearly 16,000. California is the nation’s most populous state with 40 million people.
The first known COVID-related death in the U.S. occurred in early February in the San Francisco Bay Area county of Santa Clara. Nearly half of California’s deaths are in hard-hit Los Angeles County, where more than 4,800 of its 10 million residents have died.
Gov. Gavin Newsom was the first in the nation to issue a stay-home order in mid-March, but the virus began to surge after the Memorial Day holiday as the state relaxed some measures.
The current infection rates are unclear because California’s system is beset by technology problems, delaying the reporting of test results.
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LONDON — British officials say there were about 3,700 new coronavirus infections a day in England in the week to Aug. 2, down from the previous weekly average of nearly 4,200 a day.
The Office for National Statistics says the coronavirus may have leveled off after a rise following the easing of the lockdown in June. There were 98 more deaths reported by the government on Friday.
British authorities are extending a ban on different households meeting up to a northwest England city where coronavirus infections are increasing. The Department of Health says the town of Preston will be added to restrictions on social life starting Saturday.
The move comes a week after the government barred different households from meeting indoors in nearby Greater Manchester and surrounding areas of Lancashire and West Yorkshire counties.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says infection rates in those areas have not fallen and restrictions will continue.
Britain’s official coronavirus death toll stands at more than 46,000, the highest in Europe and fourth highest in the world.
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MADRID — Spain reported 1,895 new coronavirus cases Friday, more than 200 from the previous day.
It’s the highest daily increase in coronavirus infections since the country ended a lockdown in June.
The Health Ministry says the Madrid region, with 567, and the Basque country, with 403, accounted for around half of the new cases in the last 24 hours.
But the report didn’t include the Aragón region, which on Thursday had the highest number of new cases with more than 300. The Health Ministry says Aragón had technical problems in reporting.
Since the outbreak began, Spain has confirmed 314,362 cases and more than 28,500 deaths.
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ROME — The number of daily new coronavirus cases in Italy has surged, with 552 confirmed infections on Friday.
That’s a 38 percent increase from the previous day’s new caseload. Italy hasn’t seen a such a high daily figure since late May.
The northeastern region of Veneto, which performed some 16,500 swab tests since Thursday, registered roughly a third of the new cases at 183, according to Health Ministry on Friday. Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia says the new infections were found in residents who recently returned home from travel to Spain, Peru, Malta, Croatia and Greece.
Italy’s total known infections stand at 249,756. Three more deaths since Thursday raised Italy’s overall confirmed death toll to 35,190.
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ATHENS, Greece — Greek authorities have reported 151 confirmed coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, one of the highest daily numbers since April, but no new deaths.
Data released Friday showed 12 of the new cases were people visiting from abroad, while another 17 involved a wedding in the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis.
The country of about 11 million has a total of nearly 5,300 confirmed cases and 210 deaths. On Thursday, 153 new infections were recorded, prompting a partial tightening of restrictions.
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SAVANNAH, Ga. — A 7-year-old boy with COVID-19 has become the youngest known person to die in Georgia since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The African-American boy had no other chronic health conditions, according to data released by the state. The case is from Chatham County, which includes Savannah, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported.
The boy’s death comes amid nationwide debate ahead of the school year about the risks that children face for infection or spread of the coronavirus. There is no indication in the health department’s reports about where or when the child contracted the virus.
Georgia’s previous youngest death involved a 17-year-old African American in Fulton County who had undisclosed health issues in addition to COVID-19. More than 30 people in their 20s have died, state data shows.
Georgia recently topped 4,000 deaths and more than 200,000 confirmed cases.
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BERLIN — Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has apologized for posing for a picture with five other people without a mask and no social distancing during a vacation in northern Italy.
The Neue Suedtiroler Tageszeitung newspaper published a picture showing Steinmeier standing with a group of four musicians and the governor of Italy’s German-speaking South Tyrol region, Arno Kompatscher, in late July.
In comments Friday to German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Steinmeier described it as the result of “five seconds of inattentiveness that I blame myself for and shouldn’t have happened.”
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NEONTA, Ala. — The entire football team and marching band at a small-town Alabama high school are under quarantine after exposure to the coronavirus.
Oneonta High School coach Phil Phillips told WBMA-TV that a fifth player has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. It’s the second quarantine of the summer for the team.
“I looked my wife in the eyes Monday night before I went to bed and I said, ’You know I sure hope we didn’t kill anybody’s grandmother today by having a football practice,” Phillips said. “You’re torn because the kids want to play so bad.”
The team stopped summer workouts in late July after two coaches and four players tested positive for the coronavirus. The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms for most people but can be deadly to the elderly or people with other health problems.
Band director David Bearden says one of 135 students tested positive in his group, so a band quarantine was needed.
The town of 6,600 people is located about 35 miles northeast of Birmingham.
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ZACHARY, La. — A Louisiana school district will delay the reopening of its schools by one week after nearly 20 teachers were infected or exposed to the coronavirus and other staff members quit.
The Zachary Community School Board voted unanimously Thursday to postpone its first day of classes to Aug. 17. Classes werer originally set to begin Aug. 10 under a hybrid model of in-person and virtual learning.
Seven teachers in the district outside of Baton Rouge have either tested positive for or are suspected of having the coronavirus and 12 reported possible exposure, according to Zachary Superintendent Scott Devillier. Some tested positive before reporting to work on Monday, while others were identified afterward, he says.
Devillier asked those at the special meeting to consider applying to work for the district, saying its schools are facing a teacher shortage for the first time, The Advocate reported. Some substitute teachers have requested removal from the district’s list.
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CAIRO — Egypt is requiring non-citizens to test negative for the coronavirus before traveling to the country.
The new regulation, announced by Prime Minister Mostaf Madbouly, says arrivals should have a test for the virus no more than 72 hours before traveling.
Egypt confirmed more than 95,000 total cases of the coronavirus and 4,951 deaths as of Friday, according to the country’s health ministry. Deaths have declined in recent weeks.
Egypt reopened its borders to tourists in July after months of an international flight ban. Foreigners were allowed access to its coastal resort towns, but regulations kept most from Cairo and other urban hotspots where there have been more cases.
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MILWAUKEE — Three workers hired to help set up the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the event’s organizers.
Daily screening began last week for people working at the Wisconsin Center in preparation for the Aug. 17-20 convention, which will be largely virtual because of the coronavirus.
The Journal Sentinel reports the staff at the Wisconsin Center “followed the guidelines set forth by our client regarding daily health screens,” the center district said in a statement.
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ATHENS, Greece — The United States has issued a travel advisory calling on Americans to “reconsider travel to Greece” due to the coronavirus.
Similar advisories were issued by the U.S. for many European countries. However, Greece has seen an increase in new daily confirmed cases of the virus, with lockdown restrictions eased and the summer holiday season is in full swing.
There were 153 new cases on Thursday, one of the highest daily spikes in Greece since the outbreak began. The increase is partly attributed to people ignoring protective measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.
On Friday, a partial lockdown went into effect on the island of Poros, where a cluster of 13 cases had been reported. So far, Greece has a total of 5,123 confirmed infections and 210 deaths.
