Florida records second-highest day of new cases

Vehicles wait in line at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site on July 8 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Wilfredo Lee/AP

Florida health officials on Friday reported at least 11,433 new Covid-19 cases and 93 deaths related to the virus, according to data posted on the Florida Department of Health website.

The new tally comes as President Trump is making his way to Florida for a fundraiser and a briefing on drug trafficking.

Today marks the second time the state's single-day tally of cases topped more than 11,000, according to CNN's count.

DOH reported 11,458 cases on July 4, according to CNN's tally. 

Florida officials are securing 1,000 nurses for hospitals in the state as the new surge of Covid-19 cases test Florida’s hospital system, Jared Moskowitz, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FLSERT), said in a tweet on Friday. 

On Thursday, FLSERT had already deployed 100 nurses to Jackson Health System in Miami-Dade County. Several more nurses were also deployed to Bay Care hospital system in Tampa.

"The nurses will allow these hospital systems serve more patients," FLSERT said in a Thursday tweet.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine holds up a face mask while speaking with CNN on July 8. CNN

While masks have been a highly politicized issue on state level in many hotspots across the US, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has mandated masks in 12 counties where the coronavirus cases are trending upwards. However, he doesn’t think a statewide mandate is required yet. 

DeWine emphasized the importance of masks and social distancing in keeping the virus in control so people can continue to work and businesses can remain open.

On the issue of reopening schools, DeWine is allowing districts to draw out their reopening plan as well as their solution model in case there is a spike in cases, saying that he would “love to see every kid back in school.”

He admitted that there may not be one simple approach to it but reiterated that it’s important to slow the spread in the coming days.

“Whatever you like to do in the fall is going to depend to a great extent on what we do in the next 30 days. We've got to slow this spread down,” he said. “We have it within our power.”

WATCH:

Detroit Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti speaks about the transition to virtual learning on April 23 in Detroit, Michigan. Carlos Osorio/AP

Detroit Public Schools (DPS) are scheduled to open their doors for a scheduled start of summer classes on Monday. This is the first time schools will welcome back students for face-to-face instruction since districts closed their doors in response to the pandemic.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said he sees a “desperate demand for face-to-face learning” but stated that online learning is not the “one size fits all” approach.  

Vitti said online instruction puts additional stress on working parents and could continue to leave behind thousands of students who don’t have the family support structure to navigate through virtual learning. Online learning caused kids to slip behind he said.

The district attacked the digital divide issue with a $23 million plan. By the end of July, every DPS child in the more than 50-thousand plus student population from K-12 will have a device and internet access. “It’s important for us in Detroit to meet parents and students where they are at right now.”

As a parent himself, he said he doesn’t question the concerns from teachers and parents. But he also doesn’t want to see students fall further behind. 

The district had more than 4,000 parents sign students up for summer school, which is all voluntary. More than half chose face-to-face instruction. In addition, they had more than 300 teachers sign up to teach in-person and only 180 spots. “We need to be flexible and listen to what works for each family," he said.

Vitti said he thinks offering both virtual and in-person instruction is the best solution. He said that opening schools is “very frustrating for superintendents and school boards across the country now because the conversation turned political and we are stuck in the middle.”

He said he continues to work closely with the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's task force. The 2020-2021 school year is still up-in-the-air but is set to begin Sept. 8.

“I continue to hope that the most practical and realistic plan is offer ed and we will follow the direction of the Gov. Whitmer for them right safety measures.”  

Professional associations said that “educators and pediatricians share the goal of children returning safely to school this fall,” in a joint statement released Friday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

They said they are committed to doing everything they can so that students have this opportunity.

They noted that decisions to reopen schools should include local school leaders, public health experts, educators and parents, and they must take into account things including community spread of Covid-19 and the ability of schools to adapt safety protocols.

“For instance, in schools in areas with high levels of Covid-19 community spread should not be compelled to reopen against the judgement of local experts,” the groups said in the statement. “A one-size-fits all approach is not appropriate for return to school decisions.”

The statement listed a number of reasons beyond education why returning to school is beneficial to students. These include learning social and emotional skills, healthy meals, and exercise and mental health support.

The statement also called on Congress and the administration to provide federal resources that schools will need to reopen.

Reopening safely, they said, will require new investments in schools and campuses, and they need to “ensure that inadequate funding does not stand in the way of safely educating and caring for children in our schools.”

They describe withholding funds from schools that do not open for in-person learning full-time “misguided approach,” and state that it would put schools who do not have adequate resources in a position that would threaten the health of students and teachers.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses school openings this fall:

Drugmaker Gilead Sciences released new data on Friday that suggests the drug remdesivir can help hospitalized Covid-19 patients recover faster and reduce their risk of dying. However, the company said the mortality finding requires confirmation by clinical trials.

The analysis compared 312 patients treated with remdesivir as part of a clinical trial to a separate group of 818 patients who didn't receive the antiviral drug. 

In the analysis, treatment with remdesivir reduced risk of death by 62% compared to the current standard of care. The mortality rate for patients treated with remdesivir was 7.6% versus 12.5% for those not treated with the drug.

The analysis also showed that 74.4% of remdesivir-treated patients recovered by 14 days compared to 59% of patients in the other group. 

The findings will be presented Friday as part of a Covid-19 conference at AIDS 2020, the 23rd International AIDS Conference. The data has not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. 

Previously released data about remdesivir showed the drug helped coronavirus patients recover four days faster.

That study suggested patients taking remdesivir might be less likely to die, but there was not a statistically significant difference between those who were treated with the drug and those who were not.

President Donald Trump arrives to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 10 before traveling to Florida. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump just left the White House, and he's making his way to Florida for a fundraiser and a briefing on drug trafficking in South America.

Coronavirus cases have been surging in Florida, and the state has become one of the new epicenters of the pandemic. Here's what you need to know about the virus in the Sunshine State:

Here's a look at the latest numbers from across the state:

CNN on the ground in Florida:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reiterated that efforts are underway to educate people about the importance of getting a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, Fauci said he's especially concerned about communities of color that have been more vulnerable to the virus "because they’ve been mistreated by authority for a very long time.”

Fauci has been vocal about the racial disparities that the pandemic has brought to light.

At a hearing last month, Fauci told members of Congress that institutional racism contributes to a "double whammy" impact on African Americans, as the group is more likely to work in essential services and have a higher prevalence of underlying health conditions.

A customer walks out of the Porch restaurant with his takeout order on July 9 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gene J. Puskar/AP

Officials in Allegheny County — which includes Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — have issued a temporary two-week order banning residents from eating inside restaurants and bars, a release from Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said. 

The ban starts today. This order rescinds previous orders from June 28 and July 2, according to the release. 

This comes after the area saw an increase in Covid-19 cases. 

Restaurants are permitted to serve takeout food and alcohol and provide deliveries, the release says.