Expert: Kids may spread Covid-19 like the common cold

Every Friday, Carolyn Freyer-Jones encourages her family and friends to participate in #thefridayminute to honor her father Hugh and others who have died from the coronavirus pandemic.

The idea came out of a discussion with her brother about how sometime down the road, there may be a national day of mourning for those who have lost a loved one to Covid-19.

At noon eastern time, she wants people to take a minute to reflect and pray, and even send love and support to families who have been affected by coronavirus this year.

"The minute is a way to remind ourselves that we are all connected regardless of situation or circumstance. My father is everyone's father, or husband, or grandfather, or friend," Carolyn Freyer-Jones told CNN.

During this minute and several times throughout the past few weeks, Carolyn has been thinking about her own father, who she said died from coronavirus complications on his 86th birthday.

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At least 5,094,400 coronavirus cases and 163,463 virus-related deaths have been identified in the United States since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.

On Monday, Johns Hopkins reported 49,536 new cases of Covid-19 and 525 reported deaths.

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

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

A US Customs and Border Protection officer speaks to people as they cross the border from Mexicali, Mexico, to Calexico, California, on July 22. Gregory Bull/AP

The Trump administration is considering ways to restrict entry on the US-Mexico border that could include US citizens and lawful permanent residents over coronavirus concerns, according to a source familiar with the matter.

It's the latest attempt by the administration to seal off US borders, citing the virus. In March, the administration invoked a public health law to swiftly remove migrants, including children, who are apprehended at the border. That action, including a series of other travel restrictions, has been extended over the course of the pandemic.

The options being weighed by the administration would also likely rely on authorities from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the source said. The New York Times first reported on the possibility of barring Americans from returning to the US on a limited basis amid fears they may be infected with the coronavirus.

CNN reached out to the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security, which declined to comment.

A draft memo obtained by the Times says any move to block citizens and legal permanent residents must "include appropriate protections to ensure that no Constitutional rights are infringed" and would apply "only in the rarest of circumstances."

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Airline staff walk past empty baggage carousels at the Sydney Domestic Airport Terminal arrivals area on August 7 in Sydney. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Australia’s states and territories will remain closed off from one another in the coming days, state and federal leaders said, as authorities continue to try to stop the latest wave of coronavirus cases in the country.

The state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, has been dealing with a major upswing in cases in recent weeks. Authorities in Victoria identified 321 new Covid-19 cases Monday and 19 deaths.

New South Wales detected 22 new cases on Monday -- the highest in a single day since April.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday that “it's unlikely that we were able to move back to a restriction-free society” by Christmas. 

Here are some of the regional policies:

Victoria remains closed to all of Australia’s states and territories.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said Tuesday that he plans for an 18-month border closure between his region and anywhere considered a hotspot -- including Australia's two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney.

Western Australia and Tasmania remain closed to people from all other states.

Queensland and South Australia are closed to residents of Victoria and are quarantining anyone traveling in from New South Wales. 

The Australian Capital Territory requires anyone traveling to the capital from Sydney or the state of Victoria to undergo a quarantine upon arrival.

People wait for a train at Shinjuku station on August 4 in Tokyo. Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

The Japanese Ministry of Health said 842 new cases of Covid-19 were identified on Monday, the first time in 13 days that the number of infections reported in a day dropped below quadruple digits.

Positive signs also emerged in Tokyo, where many of the new cases have been recorded. The Japanese capital recorded 196 infections Monday, the first time the daily case count there has dropped below 200 in two weeks.

Five coronavirus-related deaths were reported throughout the country on Monday, authorities said.

To date, 49,630 cases of the virus have been identified in Japan and at least 1,065 people have died.

An important caveat: Economic Minister Yasunori Nishimura, who is in charge of the nation's coronavirus policies, said in a news conference on Tuesday that the drop in cases could be due to the fact that fewer tests were conducted over a holiday weekend.

Nishimura called for continued vigilance and asked citizens to abide by safety measures in their daily lives, as the recent infections have been taking place more in offices, schools and during social activities.

Children may be able to spread Covid-19 just as easily as they spread another type of coronavirus -- the common cold, said William Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School.

Haseltine warned that children can be infected and infect others, so they should wear masks.

He said that children up to 5 years old can be “highly infectious to other people."

The number of known cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed 20 million globally on Monday at 8:10 pm ET, according to data held by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

JHU reports the current number of known cases around the world is now 20,001,019. At least 733,897 have died globally.

The United States has reported the most deaths and the most confirmed cases worldwide. At least 5,085,821 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the US, including at least 163,370 deaths.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

There has been a 90% increase in the number of Covid-19 cases among US children over the past four weeks, according to a report published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

According to this new report, expected to be updated weekly, there were 179,990 new Covid-19 cases among US children between July 9 and August 6. The data comes from case numbers provided by state health departments of 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. 

Some of the increase may be due to more testing, AAP said. Early in the pandemic, testing was reserved for the sickest. A broader number of tests may be identifying children that have fewer or milder symptoms than those who were tested earlier in the pandemic.

Children make up just over 9% of the total cases in states that report cases by age, according to the report. At least 380,174 total child Covid-19 cases had been reported as of August 6.

It still appears that severe symptoms are rare among children with Covid-19 infections. Children were between 0.5% and 5.3% of total hospitalizations, according to data from the states that record that information. Children were 0% to 0.4% of all Covid-19 deaths. 

Nineteen states have reported no child deaths. In states that tracked the details, 0% to 0.5% of all child Covid-19 cases resulted in death.

The AAP called for an effective testing strategy so that communities can make the right choice about opening schools. 

“In areas with rapid community spread, it’s likely that more children will also be infected, and these data show that,” AAP President Dr. Sally Goza said in the news release.  “As a pediatrician, I urge people to wear cloth face coverings and be diligent in social distancing and hand-washing. It is up to us to make the difference, community by community.”

The World Health Organization said last week that the pandemic is starting to move into the younger population globally, while most cases, by far, are among people ages 25 to 64. 

US President Donald Trump said he has asked that the G7 meeting be postponed until after the US presidential election in November, after a previous delay due to Covid-19 concerns.

The summit was slated to be held at Camp David in June, and after a tentative plan to postpone the meeting and switch to a virtual conference, Trump had floated in May the idea of doing it in person in the fall.

Trump said the White House had not yet formally invited leaders. 

“We haven’t sent out invitations. We’re talking to them,” he said. He noted he planned on inviting countries that aren’t formal members of the group of seven.

Asked whether he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said he would do so because Putin is an “important factor.”

“I certainly would invite him to the meeting. I think he’s an important factor.”