Florida and other states hit deadly records
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 was nearing 150,000 on Tuesday as several states set weekly fatality records and Florida reported a one-day record for deaths.
Florida’s 186 deaths raised the toll there to more than 6,000. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who three weeks ago ordered in-classroom learning when schools reopen next month, has eased his rhetoric in recent days. He now wants schools to ensure parents have “the choice between in-person and distance learning” for their kids.
In Tennessee, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, urged Gov. Bill Lee to shut down bars and limit indoor restaurant dining to help curb an explosion of infections among young people. Lee said no.
Several states on Monday set seven-day records for virus deaths; others set records for new cases. Tennessee set records for both.
Hiding from COVID-19? Doctor warns people not to miss their cancer screenings
More than a third of Americans have missed cancer screenings because of COVID-19, concerning health experts who warn this could be another fatal consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prevent Cancer Foundation released survey results of more than 1,000 respondents that found about 35% of Americans have missed routine cancer screenings because of COVID-19 fears. And 43% have missed medical appointments.
“People should understand that they are more likely to die from cancer that has progressed as they sit at home to prevent COVID-19 ... than they are to die from COVID-19,” said Dr. Therese Bevers, medical director of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
– Adrianna Rodriguez
Twitter removes ‘cure’ tweets from Trump and Trump Jr., blocking the latter for 12 hours
Twitter has removed a post that President Donald Trump had retweeted in which a doctor proclaims, without evidence, that “there is a cure” for the coronavirus. The president’s retweet “was in violation of our COVID-19 misinformation policy,” Twitter said in statement.
The social media giant also restricted the account of Donald Trump Jr. after removing a post in which doctors touted the alleged benefits of “hydroxychloroquine” in fighting the coronavirus. The president’s son was blocked from tweeting for 12 hours.
“Big Tech is intent on killing free expression online and is another instance of them committing election interference to stifle Republican voices,” Trump Jr. spokesman Andrew Surabian said Tuesday.
– David Jackson
Head of China CDC gets injected with experimental coronavirus vaccine
The head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention says he has been injected with an experimental coronavirus vaccine in an attempt to persuade the public to follow suit when one is approved.
“I’m going to reveal something undercover: I am injected with one of the vaccines,” Gao Fu said in a webinar Sunday hosted by Alibaba Health, an arm of the Chinese e-commerce giant, and Cell Press, an American publisher of scientific journals. “I hope it will work.”
The Associated Press reported this month that a state-owned Chinese company injected employees with experimental shots in March, even before the government-approved testing in people – a move that raised ethical concerns among some experts.
Gao did not say when or how he took the vaccine candidate, leaving it unclear whether he was injected as part of a government-approved human trial. He did not respond to requests for comment.