Fauci to young Americans: 'Don't be the weak link in the chain'

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wears a Washington Nationals protective mask during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on July 31, in Washington. Erin Scott/Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci,  the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said he doesn’t think young people aren’t heeding scientific advice “deliberately and maliciously.” 

During a Thursday webinar with the Alliance for Health Policy, Fauci addressed young people directly:

Fauci continued: “Don't be the weak link in the chain. Be a very strong part of the chain of ultimately getting us down.”

“That's the message we've got to get to young people,” he said. “Obviously they're not doing anything deliberately and maliciously, but what they're doing is inadvertently – they're propagating the outbreak.”

A Delta Airlines airbus plane is seen at the gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on July 30 in Arlington. Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images

Delta Air Lines now says one in five workers have voluntarily left the company as it continues to be clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The departure of 20 percent of our workforce was a difficult but necessary step towards Delta’s transformation into a smaller, more nimble airline,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a new memo to employees.

In July, the airline said it could avoid furloughs if enough employees took voluntary early separation packages. 

Restrictions on a federal bailout have kept airlines from shedding employees until Oct. 1.

Other major airlines, such as American and United, have sent notices of possible furloughs to thousands of workers.

Delta’s Bastian says the airline was burning $27 million in cash each day in June.

“We can’t count on a vaccine being widely available in the near future,” said Bastian. “With this in mind, we continue to plan for a long and somewhat choppy recovery.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said “we hope as a pandemic threat, that we are really on the cusp of seeing the end of it – as we do public health measures and a vaccine.”

Fauci added that much of the responsibility lies in the hands of the population: “That is up to us, as a society.”

“If we do the fundamental things that we've been talking about for so long — masks, physical separation, avoiding crowds, outdoor things better than indoor — you can get the level down low enough that you can then control it much better with or without a vaccine,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell waits for the subway to the Hart Senate Office building in Washington on August 5. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on the Senate floor that he won’t adjourn the Senate for the August recess today, as had been previously scheduled, as negotiations over the next Covid-19 stimulus package limp forward. 

However, he said senators can return home and will be given 24 hours notice to return for a vote on a deal if it is reached. 

McConnell said he would stay in Washington, DC, as the talks continue. But, the GOP Senate leader added he won’t wait forever and will adjourn for August if Democrats make clear they won’t cut a deal.

Pressed if he waited too long to put out a GOP relief proposal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "not too late. This is the perfect time to take a look at it."

McConnell was asked the question in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Remember: Democrats released their plan in May, and there is now urgency to pass a stimulus bill as enhanced jobless benefits lapsed last week.

McConnell has repeatedly defended his decision to wait until July to release the Republican’s next relief plan arguing, “we had no idea” what the economy would look like in the summer months. 

Asked the chances of reaching a stimulus deal in the next 24 hours, the Kentucky Republican told CNBC he would not “speculate about the timing” but thinks a deal would be reached in the “near future.”

“Exactly when that deal comes together I can’t tell you, but I think it will at some point in the near future,” he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says he wishes testing for Covid-19 in the country had worked out better.

Speaking during an interview on the POLITICO Pulse Check podcast published Thursday, Fauci said – when asked about people waiting to get a test result back five or seven days later – that it's been "very difficult" to defend the government's efforts on testing. 

Fauci explained the delay is due to the surge in cases, but said that according to a conversation with Adm. Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force overseeing Covid-19 testing, most tests are coming back within 24 to 48 hours.

"We're talking about hopefully getting, you know, many, many millions of more tests that can be done rapidly within the next month or so. ... I can't guarantee that, because that's not what I do. So, the people who are responsible for that are telling us that we're going to get better and better as the months go by," Fauci said.

People queue in Rio de Janeiro to claim their government allowance on April 27. Bruno Kaikua/AFP/Getty Images

The official unemployment rate in Brazil rose to 13.3% in the quarter that ended in June, reaching 12.8 million people, according to the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE). 

A total of 8.9 million people lost their jobs as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Brazil — representing the sharpest contraction on record. 

By comparison, in the quarter to March, the unemployment number was 12.2%. The latest quarter had the highest unemployment rate since the quarter ended in May 2017.

According to Adriana Beringuy, research analyst of IBGE, the contraction in the number of employed people in Brazil between April and June affected mostly the more vulnerable population. 

“Most of this reduction comes from informal workers, who are the ones with the lowest income," she said.

Almost half of Brazil's population — nearly 30 million families — received emergency cash transfers in June, according to IBGE, but this support is due to expire at the end of August

Stocks were largely unchanged at the opening bell Thursday, but the major indexes had been pointing to losses before better than expected unemployment claims numbers were released.

Investors may be waiting for another catalyst to buy after the Nasdaq hit another new all-time high Wednesday.

Here is where things stood at opening:

The City of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, which starts tomorrow, usually draws about 500,000 people — and it won’t have travel restrictions for those from hotspot states or mask requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen.

“Being prepared is what we put out as a priority for everybody, both for the community and for our visitors. So we prepare for rallies every year, but this one takes a little bit more, and we want to stress personal responsibility to our visitors and our residents as this gathering moves forward,” Carstensen added. 

Though masks are not required, he said that personal protective equipment will be available and he encourages people to stay six feet apart. 

Many visitors have already been coming through the state’s Black Hills region, according to the mayor. 

Even though South Dakota cases are some of the lowest in the country, many residents expressed uneasiness with the event. “My grandma is absolutely terrified because she has diabetes and is in her 80s and has lupus. If she gets it, it's a death sentence,” one resident told CNN.

Carstensen said the city has a program for contactless delivery of supplies for those with pre-existing conditions, and he encouraged at-risk residents to stay home.  

The city will have mass Covid-19 testing after the rally, Carstensen said, adding that he personally feels safe. 

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