US records more than 44,000 new Covid-19 cases

When Ahmad Ayyad woke up, he was delirious. He didn't realize where he was, why there was a tube down his throat, or how long it had been since he last fed his dog.

And when he looked down, he couldn't recognize himself. Once a 215-pound athlete with chiseled muscles and astounding strength, the 40-year-old looked like a completely different person.

Ayyad is a coronavirus survivor.

Doctors had placed him in an induced coma for 25 days to save his life.

It's been a little over two months since those touch-and-go days and he's still recovering. Still out of breath at times. Still nursing the damage to his lung and heart.

But he has a message -- for those who refuse to wear a mask during this pandemic, for those dismissive of public health guidance, for those in the prime of their health and feel invincible against coronavirus.

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At least 44,766 new coronavirus cases and 1,277 deaths were reported in the United States on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Some 2,635,538 Covid-19 infections, including at least 127,425 related fatalities, have now been recorded nationwide, per JHU's tally of cases.  

The totals 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:

Wearing face masks and coverings is recommended, or in some places mandatory, in public spaces to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

But what kind of DIY face covering offers the best protection?

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have experimented with different materials and styles of non-medical masks and found that a well-fitted stitched mask made from two layers of quilting fabric was the most effective in stopping the spread of droplets from emulated coughs and sneezes.

They also compared a loosely folded homemade face mask, such as one you could make with a handkerchief or T-shirt, a bandana-style face covering and a cone-style non-sterile commercial mask that is usually available at pharmacies.

The researchers said they chose to test these styles of face covering because they are readily available to the general public and do not draw away from the supply of medical-grade masks and respirators for health care workers.

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This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

It’s still unclear to what extent children may spread the coronavirus, but a new study suggests it is possible they can transmit it as easily as infected adults, Swiss researchers reported Tuesday.

Fewer children than adults contract Covid-19, fewer develop severe forms of the illness and they don’t seem to be “major drivers of transmission,” but children of all ages have been infected, researchers said.

In the survey, 23 children ranging in age from 7 days old to 16 tested positive for Covid-19 and all but two carried the same amount of virus as adults. 

“Our data show that viral load at diagnosis is comparable to that of adults and that symptomatic children of all ages shed infectious virus in early acute illness, a prerequisite for further transmission,” the authors wrote.

However, children do not seem to spread the virus in the same way adults do.

“Considering the relatively low frequency of infected children, even in severely affected areas, biological or other unknown factors could lead to the lower transmission in this population,” the authors surmised.

They said more research is need to fully understand the role of children in spreading the virus. 

The study had some limitations, including its small size and the use of virus samples left over from routine diagnostic tests.

The research was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Most Presidents would try to stop the United States from barreling toward disaster. But Donald Trump has nothing to say and no answers to mitigate a calamity unfolding on his watch that he seems resolved to ignore.

On the day when the government's top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would not be surprised to see the US record 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day, Trump refused to break his deafening silence.

And the day after his White House described record-breaking new infections that are sweeping the nation as "embers that need to be put out," Trump's campaign claimed credit for the "phenomenal" success of his botched pandemic leadership.

Trump is now pretty much the sole figure in authority in either party -- including his major Republican allies -- who refuse to wear or endorse face masks that are proven to slow the spread of coronavirus but that he has stigmatized as a liberal plot to harm him politically.

But Trump on Tuesday tweeted cryptically "THE LONE WARRIOR!" -- apparently embracing his isolation from even political allies and the scientific approaches that have proven elsewhere to at least slow the spread of the coronavirus in the short term.

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In many places, as countries reopen, Covid-19 cases are on the rise. Here are the latest developments from around the world:

The European Union has formally agreed a set of recommendations that will allow travelers from outside the bloc to visit EU countries, months after it shut its external borders in response to the outbreak of Covid-19.

As had been widely expected, the list of 14 countries does not include the United States, whose current Covid infection rate does not meet the criteria set by the EU for it to be considered a "safe country."

The criteria requires that confirmed Covid cases in countries on the list are similar or below that of the EU's per 100,000 citizens over the previous 14 days (starting from June 15).

Countries must also have a "stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 days," while the EU will consider what measures countries are taking, such as contact tracing, and how reliable each nation's data is.

The recommendations are expected to come into force as early as July 1, however, it remains up to member states to decide exactly how the implement any changes in border policy.

Read more for the answers to some key questions about the new rules:

People arrive at Tokyo Disneyland on the reopening day on July 1, in Tokyo, Japan.  Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images

All of Disney's Asia parks have now officially reopened, with Tokyo Disney Resort welcoming visitors to its two theme parks from July 1.

Both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have been closed since late February due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Shanghai Disneyland was the world's first Disney park to reopen, welcoming guests from May 11 with protocols about social distancing and mandatory mask wearing, and Hong Kong Disneyland followed suit a month later.

Oriental Land, the company that operates the Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea parks in Japan, has announced its own guidelines for ensuring guest and staff safety going forward. These include advance ticket booking, mandatory temperature checks and social distancing while enjoying the attractions.

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A worker feeds the piglets in a hog pen in southwest China's Sichuan province on February 21. Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty Images

The release of a study on a new strain of the swine flu in China is evidence the communist nation learned a lesson from initially withholding information on the coronavirus, according to Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, the director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Chinese researchers discovered the G4 virus during a years-long pig surveillance program and published their findings in a scientific journal this week. Lipkin said it’s unclear whether this new virus is a threat.

 “We don't know that it's going to become a pandemic. We do know that it has infected some human beings. But that doesn't mean that it's going to extend and cause large amounts of disease.”

Read more about the new swine flu here.