After virus surges from July 4th, Fauci is worried about another one following Labor Day

The United States recorded 39,670 new Covid-19 infections and 1,056 virus-related fatalities on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The country's total now stands at 6,114,406 cases, including at least 185,744 deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

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Brian Schwartz had little landscaping experience prior to his new venture. Courtesy Brian Schwartz

When Brian Schwartz was laid off from his job in mid-June, he was shocked.

The 39-year-old worked hard as a New York City digital advertising executive -- so hard his wife would often pull him away from his computer.

But the ramifications of the pandemic took a toll on the economy -- and millions of Americans remain jobless.

Although his life was upended, Schwartz realized that senior citizens and veterans in his community were fighting greater battles against Covid-19. And he wanted to help.

Schwartz decided lawn mowing was a socially distanced service he could provide -- at no cost -- to those over the age of 65. And so, his free service "I Want To Mow Your Lawn" was born.

He got his first customer at the end of June. Since then, Schwartz, who had little landscaping experience prior to his new venture, has provided for more than a dozen seniors.

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Peter Hotez, founding dean and chief of the Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on March 5. Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A potential coronavirus vaccine should not get an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, said Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

In a series of social media posts on Wednesday, Hotez listed a dozen reasons why an EUA on a potential Covid-19 vaccine may be a bad idea.

An emergency use authorization allows the FDA to greenlight unapproved medical products -- but this involves substandard reviews, and falls short of the lengthy process needed for full approval.

“How can you justify a substandard or lesser review for something that would be injected in tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of Americans?” he asked. “I understand EUAs for ventilators, or PPE, etc, but not for a widely administered vaccine."

Hotez urged federal health agencies to “follow that process" of a full FDA review.

He also argued that the White House’s lack of science communications strategy is another reason to follow the standard vaccine development process, saying the operation team has allowed "inadequate puzzling interviews" and "misleading press releases."

Actors Anna Foglietta and Roberta Armani arrive for the opening ceremony in cloth masks matching their dark green and vivid blue looks. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

The red carpet at this year's Venice Film Festival is proving to be unlike any before it, with celebrities arriving on the island of Lido in face masks and gowns to a muted reception.

The 77th edition of the festival is one of the first major cultural events to take place in Europe since the coronavirus pandemic took hold on the continent.

Those safety measures include mandatory face masks, temperature checks, physical distancing during screenings and a wall built around the red carpet to keep the public away.

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The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Los Angeles has fallen to its lowest level since early April, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Wednesday.

Garcetti thanked residents for continuing to do their part to combat spread of the virus, pointing out the “good news” that L.A. County ranks 19th in California in the number of confirmed cases per 100,000.

However, he also warned that residents should not confuse the improved hospitalization and infection rate with “going back to normal,” reiterating that county-wide restrictions will remain in place.

On Wednesday, L.A. County reported 1,457 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the total since the start of the pandemic to 243,935.

The county also reported 51 new deaths -- 12 of which were in the city of L.A. -- bringing the total to 5,878.

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and 12-time all-star, has died at the age of 75, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, citing Seaver's family, and Major League Baseball said Wednesday.

Seaver died Monday in his sleep of complications of Lewy body dementia and Covid-19, the National Baseball Hall of Fame said.

Seaver, known as "Tom Terrific," won 311 games and had a 2.86 earned-run average over a 20-year major league career that spanned from 1967-1986.

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Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain is interviewed after the UEFA Champions League quarter final match between Atalanta and PSG at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on August 12, in Lisbon, Portugal. Michael Regan/UEFA/Getty Images

Brazilian soccer star Neymar is one of three Paris Saint-Germain players to have contracted coronavirus, according to multiple reports, including the New York Times which cited people familiar with the matter.

French media said that the 28-year-old, along with Argentine midfielders Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes, all tested positive after returning from a vacation in Ibiza, Spain.

Earlier on Wednesday, PSG had confirmed in a news release that three unnamed players tested positive and "have undergone the appropriate health protocols. All players and staff will continue to be tested over the next few days.” 

CNN has reached out to each of the three players’ representatives for comment. The club declined to confirm the identity of the players to CNN.  

Neymar is the world’s most expensive soccer player, having signed for PSG for $263 million in 2017. Ten days ago, the Brazilian was part of the PSG team that lost in the Champions League final.

Neymar, along with the other two players, now faces the prospect of missing the start of the new season, due to begin on September 10. There are strict protocols requiring players that have tested positive for the virus to self-isolate.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the White House Coronavirus Task Force is not discussing herd immunity as a strategy to control the coronavirus pandemic, even though President Donald Trump frequently mentions it as a means of making the pandemic “go away.”

Herd immunity occurs when enough people are infected or vaccinated in a community that a pathogen stops circulating.

“That's not a fundamental strategy that we're using,” Fauci said in an interview Wednesday with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “We're not there yet."

“The fundamental strategy that we clearly articulate and go by, through the task force, is to try to prevent as many infections as you possibly can prevent,” he added. “When you get someone who's infected, you do the identification, isolation and contact tracing and you do the kinds of things to prevent infections.”

Fauci said he didn’t understand what Trump was referring to in his comments about herd immunity.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on July 31 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/AFP/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made a “plea” to Americans to continue coronavirus mitigation efforts as Labor Day weekend approaches.

Surges in coronavirus were recorded after Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July.