'Very unlikely' world can eradicate or eliminate virus in current situation, WHO says

WHO Health Emergencies Programme head Michael Ryan attends a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on July 3. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

It is unlikely that the world can eradicate or eliminate coronavirus any time soon, a World Health Organization official said on Friday.

"We’ve seen countries who’ve managed to get to zero or almost zero re-import virus from outside. So there’s always a risk — either from within or from bringing disease back in — and therefore, it is a given that there is always a risk of further cases," Ryan said. "The transmission that occurs in that situation can be single, sporadic cases, which can be relatively easily isolated and quarantined. A more worrying pattern is large clusters of cases that could occur in association with super spreading events — events in which large crowds gather."

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for coronavirus response and head of its emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, also said in Friday's briefing that "this is something we all need to anticipate — that there's the possibility that there could be a resurgence, there could be these small outbreaks."

People wearing face masks shopping inside a retail store in New York on July 8. Braulio Jatar/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The American Apparel & Footwear Association sent a letter to President Trump requesting that the administration institute federal face mask guidelines to assist retail stores as the country continues efforts to safely reopen.

The organization, which represents hundreds of clothing and footwear companies and their suppliers, added that “with differing standards throughout the country, out members are facing situations where their employees need to educate customers on what is required to enter their stores, or even turn customers away.

One simple, consistent standard at the federal level, mandated and enforced at the state and local level, would go a long way in addressing this confusion and keeping the economy open.”

Versions of the letter were also sent to the heads of the National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, and the US Conference of Mayors.

Technical lead head for Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove attends a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on July 3. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

The World Health Organization said Friday it will keep a close eye on the impact of Covid-19 during pregnancy, as some recent studies point to pregnant women with underlying health conditions being at higher risk of getting severely ill from the virus.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for coronavirus response and head of its emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, said during a news briefing that pregnant women "don't seem to develop a different type of disease than women of the same age who are not pregnant."

In a recent report, the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said pregnant women who get infected with novel coronavirus are more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit and put on a ventilator. While the CDC said the study included the largest cohort of pregnant women with lab-confirmed coronavirus, it's not clear whether the pregnant women who were hospitalized were in the hospital because of complications related to Covid-19 or for pregnancy-related reasons.

"We need to ensure that we keep a close eye on [this] and ensure that pregnant women have the right care throughout their pregnancy," Van Kerkhove said at the briefing.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced they will only seat about 25% capacity for all 2020 home games due to Covid-19 concerns. 

The team revealed their decision — which complies with state and local health authorities — in a statement to season ticket holders on Friday. Updates on new health protocols put in place prior to the season were also included in the announcement. 

Here's what to expect this season: 

All season tickets will be returned and paid funds will be credited to those associated accounts. Members will have the chance to “apply credited funds towards the purchase of tickets this season or in 2021.” 

TIAA Bank Field seats 67,167 fans at max capacity. The Jaguars average attendance during the 2019 season was 63,085, according to ESPN.

Jacksonville’s first home game of the 2020 is scheduled for August 29 against Washington. 

Mayor of Miami-Dade Carlos A. Gimenez (Right) listens as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Left) speaks during a press conference in Miami on July 07. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida has allocated 550 contact tracers to Miami-Dade County, according to Alberto Moscoso, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Health. 

This comes after reporters grilled Gov. Ron DeSantis on contact tracing early this week and a group of mayors in Miami-Dade County demanded Thursday that the state provide at least 500 contact tracers.

Mayor Carlos Giménez announced Thursday that he signed a contract for 250 contact tracers. According to Moscoso, Miami-Dade already had 300 contact tracers allocated to the county by the state.

Arizona only has 993 inpatient hospital beds remaining today as it fights off a surge of Covid-19 cases, state health data shows.

This is the lowest number of available inpatient beds the state has had available, according to records that go back to late March.

The previous record for the lowest number of beds available was 1,057 reported yesterday.

Currently, 6,955 of the state’s inpatient hospital beds are in use – 88% of its capacity, state data shows. About half of those patients, 3,432, are being treated for Covid-19, the data shows.

The state also continues to set records for ventilator usage, with just more than half of the state’s ventilators in use all of this week. Today, 615 — or about two thirds of all the state’s ventilators — are being used to treat Covid-19 patients, state data shows. This is a record high for the state.

Arizona has led the nation for over a month with the highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Miami International Airport in Miami on July 10. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump has landed in the coronavirus hotspot of Miami-Dade County, the epicenter of Florida’s crisis, where intensive care unit beds are in short supply and the positivity rate is over 33%.

There are no coronavirus-related events scheduled at this time. The trip’s focus, in part, will be to shore up Florida’s Hispanic vote with an appeal on supporting the people of Venezuela, and also promoting his law and order message when he talks drug trafficking. He’ll attend a private fundraiser, as well.

In a FiveThirtyEight podcast yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, reiterated that the US is “just not” doing great on coronavirus, and criticized Florida, among other states, for reopening too early: “Certainly Florida I know, you know, I think jumped over a couple of checkpoints.”

Here’s a look at Trump's schedule:

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on July 8. Leon Neal/Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government is likely to become increasingly insistent that people wear face masks in confined spaces. 

“I do think we do need to be stricter in insisting that people wear face coverings in confined spaces where they are meeting people that they normally meet,” Johnson said during an online question-and-answer session with members of the public.

Johnson said the “balance of scientific opinion” is in favor of wearing face masks, but added that he wants to return to a situation where people feel able to shake hands again.

Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks on June 30. Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the United States is in the middle of a “very serious problem.”

Speaking at the AIDS 2020 Conference, Fauci said Covid-19 is “a true historic pandemic.” 

At the conference, Fauci showed a heat map of how the cases across the world have risen since the beginning of 2020.

Referencing the dark red United States on the map, Fauci said, his home country "is in the middle — right now, even as we speak — in a very serious problem.”