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IHME slightly lowers US coronavirus death projection
From CNN Health’s Maggie Fox
The University of Washington has slightly lowered its projection of how many people are likely to die from coronavirus in the United States by October 1.
The university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) now forecasts 175,168 total deaths by October 1, based on the current scenario. But if almost everyone wears a face mask, that number would fall to just over 150,000, the IHME projected.
Last week, the IHME forecast 179,106 deaths by October 1 if nothing changed but said that would drop to 146,000 if 95% of Americans started wearing masks in public.
The current model shows daily deaths leveling out starting this week -- at 630 or so deaths a day -- and staying fairly constant if states continue to ease their restrictions on economic activity. It shows daily death rates dropping fast to just 71 deaths a day with universal mask requirements, however.
So far, according to Johns Hopkins University, more than 2.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with coronavirus infections and at least 126,000 have died.
No proof partial closures will help stop resurging coronavirus, infectious disease expert says
From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman
There’s no proof reclosing bars and night clubs and other businesses will slow the resurgence of coronavirus in parts of the United States, according to Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist and dean of the school of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
“So they’re trying to see if they can do this surgically, meaning just close bars or 50% restaurants and encourage use of masks or in some cases mandate masks and stop short of that full lockdown,” he said.
Many states such as Florida, Texas and Arizona are taking piecemeal steps on the local level in lieu of full lockdowns to try and flatten the curve again. Some cities and counties are mandating mask use while others are not.
Hotez said they’re trying to “have their cake and eat it,” too.
“So what they're trying to do is they're trying to keep the economic opening going, hoping that the surgical measures might also work,” he said.
Hotez also expects the thousands of new cases throughout the country will result in deaths over the upcoming weeks and he expects, once again, low-income minority communities will fare the worst.
“I'm pretty convinced that most of these cases, or a lot of these cases and deaths that will follow them over the next three weeks are happening in low-income neighborhoods, so African American populations, Hispanic, Latinx populations, Native American populations,” Hotez said.
China reports 19 new coronavirus cases
From Vanesse Chan in Hong Kong
China recorded 19 new cases of coronavirus on the mainland on Monday, the country's National Health Commission (NHC) announced Tuesday.
Out of the new cases, 11 were imported and eight were locally transmitted. The local cases include seven from Beijing, along with a case from Shanghai. No new deaths were reported.
The capital continues to post new cases despite local officials last week calling an outbreak at a wholesale food market “basically contained."
In addition, four new asymptomatic cases were reported by the NHC. Currently 99 asymptomatic patients are under medical observation.
China has, to date, registered 83,531 coronavirus cases, with 4,634 deaths.
A total of 78,469 patients have been discharged so far, the health agency said.
This comes as 400,000 residents in Anxin County, Hebei province have been placed under new lockdown measures amid a small increase in cases.
Anxin, a relatively rural and sparsely populated county, is located around 90 miles (145 km) south of Beijing, which had seen a spike in coronavirus cases linked to the Xinfadi market in the past two weeks.
Mexico tops 220,000 coronavirus cases
From journalist Karol Suarez and CNN’s Matt Rivers in Mexico City
Mexico reported 3,805 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 220,657.
The Mexican health ministry also reported 473 new deaths, bringing the country’s coronavirus-related death toll to 27,121.
Mexico City began a gradual reopening process Monday. Sports clubs and outdoor physical activities, the use of domestic workers and retail are among the activities now permitted.
CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:
WHO is sending a team to China to research "how the virus started"
From CNN Health’s Amanda Watts
The World Health Organization is sending a team to China to better understand how the novel coronavirus started, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing on Monday.
“Knowing the source of the virus is very, very important,” Tedros said. “We can find the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started.”
“We will be sending a team next week to China to prepare for that,” he said.
Tedros said he hopes the visit will lead to “understanding how the virus started and what we can do for the future to prepare.”
Tedros said the team will head to China next week.
WHO director-general says the pandemic "is not even close to being over"
From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard
The coronavirus pandemic is far from coming to an end any time soon, according to World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"This is not even close to being over," Tedros said during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday.
"Although many countries have made some progress globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up. We're all in this together and we're all in this for the long haul," Tedros said. "We have already lost so much but we cannot lose hope."
Tedros also said that Tuesday marks six months since WHO first received reports of cases of pneumonia in China from an unknown cause -- which would later be identified as caused by novel coronavirus infection.
"This is a moment for all of us to reflect on the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned, and to recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to save lives," Tedros said. "Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world -- and our lives -- would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus."
