US cases down in August, but deaths high
New COVID-19 cases are down about 20% since early August, but deaths remain alarmingly high, with nearly 1,000 Americans a day still dying from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
That’s according to data from Johns Hopkins University. A closer look at testing reveals similarly mixed news: Positive tests rates are falling but less tests are being done.
A growing awareness of how the virus spreads and more mask-wearing are likely helping curb the number of new cases, experts say. But reopening schools and universities continues to be a challenge.
Most universities are unlikely to be able to reopen safely, said A. David Paltiel, a professor at Yale’s School of Public Health, who recently built a mathematical model to track the spread of the virus on college campuses. He found scenarios in which universities can open safely, he said, but “it’s an incredibly high bar. It’s probably one that most universities can’t reach.”
The U.S. has more than 5.7 million confirmed infections and 177,000 deaths. Worldwide, there have been more than 814,000 deaths and 23.7 million cases, according to John Hopkins University data.
Lawsuit challenges Wis. governor’s mandate
Wisconsin’s statewide mask mandate should be immediately ended because Gov. Tony Evers didn’t have the legal authority to order it, three western Wisconsin residents represented by a conservative law firm argue in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
It’s the first legal challenge to the mask order Evers issued to help slow the spread of the coronavirus after cases began to spike again in mid-June. Evers issued the order on July 30, it took effect Aug. 1, and is set to run until Sept. 28. The order requires everyone age 5 and older to wear a mask while indoors, except at home. Violators could be fined $200.
The three plaintiffs are represented by the conservative law firm the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. Evers’ spokeswoman Britt Cudaback accused Republicans and their allies of trying to prevent the governor from keeping people healthy and safe.
The lawsuit contends that the legal challenge is about Evers’ authority, not whether the state should act to slow the spread of COVID-19 or whether there can be a mask mandate. If Evers wanted to enact a mandate, he could have done so with the Legislature’s approval, not by issuing an executive order, said Rick Esenberg, president of the law firm bringing the challenge.
FDA commissioner apologizes for overstating plasma’s effect on COVID-19
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday apologized for overstating the life-saving benefits of treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma.
Scientists and medical experts have been pushing back against the claims about the treatment since President Trump’s announcement on Sunday that the FDA had decided to issue emergency authorization for convalescent plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the virus and rich in disease-fighting antibodies. The announcement raised suspicions that it was politically motivated to offset critics of the president’s handling of the pandemic.
Hahn had echoed Trump in saying that 35 more people out of 100 would survive the coronavirus if they were treated with the plasma. That claim vastly overstated preliminary findings of Mayo Clinic observations.