'We will ultimately get back to normal,' Fauci says

US Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the US will one day "get back to normal." 

 “We will ultimately get back to normal,” he added.

Fauci said the US has been "going through this very difficult period for the last five and a half, six months," but assured people "it will end."

“Sometimes you get so exasperated and run down by it, that you think is never going to end. It will end. It will end through public health measures and science, I can tell you, will come to our rescue," he said.

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A healthcare worker collects a sample at a temporary testing center for coronavirus in Getaria, Spain, on July 15. Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images

Spain recorded 628 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since May 8, the Spanish Health Ministry’s data showed on Friday.

The total number of cases in Spain has now reached at least 260,255. The data also shows that more than half of those new cases were registered in the outbreak-hit regions of Catalonia and Aragon.

The country's Covid-19 death toll rose by 4 in the last 24 hours and 10 in the last 7 days, in line with the past few weeks. A total of 28,420 people have died of Coronavirus in Spain to date.

Florida’s health officials reported 11,466 new cases of Covid-19 and 128 new deaths on Friday, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health.

The state has reported more than 100 deaths for four straight days now.

This brings the state’s total cases to at least 327,241, Health Department data shows. The statewide resident death toll is now 4,805, the data shows.  

You can find the the state's latest data here.  

US Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is speaking live now during a US Chamber of Commerce virtual event, said the United States needs to concentrate on what’s happening right now with coronavirus cases. 

Fauci said the US is “essentially still in the first wave.” 

“When you're having up to 70,000 new infections in certain areas of the country, that's something you need to focus on right now, as opposed to looking at what's going to happen in September or October,” he said. 

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Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez speaks during a roundtable discussion with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade County mayors on July 14 in Miami. Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said today that the county has not exceeded the ICU capacity, although the county's dashboard showed that the capacity is at 107%.

Giménez said in a news conference this morning that the 107% number is of the "normal capacity" but that they have not reached "absolute capacity."

He explained that hospitals have the ability to add hundreds of ICU beds by not having elective surgeries, which allows for the hospitals to convert the recovery rooms into ICU rooms. He also said that the number of beds available is a rolling number.  

While the number of hospitalizations were not available during the news conference Friday, Gimenez said that the increase of hospitalizations has somewhat plateaued over the past four days. 

"We still have capacity here in Miami Dade County," Gimenez said. 

He did say that the county needs additional medical personnel to staff the additional beds and that Gov. Ron DeSantis is helping with that request. 

Health workers carry out Covid-19 tests in Bogota, Colombia, on July 15. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Colombian doctors are urging president Iván Duque to impose a strict lockdown in the city of Bogota and the most affected areas of the country after record increases in both Covid-19 cases and related deaths were reported on Thursday. 

Dr. Herman Bayona, president of the College of Doctors of Bogota told CNN on Friday: "It's evident that the virus is spreading faster than our capacity to treat patients and test them. This week has been a remarkable acceleration."

ICUs occupancy rate is over 90% in Bogota, Bayona added. 

Bayona also stressed that thousands of new Covid-19 cases have been reported from regions that so far were lightly affected by the pandemic, signaling Covid-19 is no longer confined in the main two hotspots in Bogota and the Atlantic coast. 

The country's president has so far resisted calls to re-impose lockdowns after they were partially lifted at the beginning of June.

“To think that the only alternative is only a total lockdown clearly cannot be the solution” Duque told a local radio station on Thursday responding to recent criticism. 

Some context: Earlier in the week, 14 medical associations published an open letter calling authorities for a total lockdown to be imposed in Colombia’s capital with immediate effect. 

Several of Colombia's largest cities — such as Bogota, Barranquilla and Cartagena — are currently under localized lockdowns imposed by local authorities rather than a centralized plan mandated by the government. 

On Thursday evening, Colombia’s Ministry of Health reported a total of 173,206 Covid-19 cases with 8,037 new cases in the last 24 hours. The country death toll reached 6,029 deaths with 215 new deaths. 

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez speaks during a news conference on July 7. Lynne Sladky/AP

The mayor of the city of Miami, Francis Suarez, told CNN on Thursday that the city is a few days away from a possible shutdown. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said today the county is not there yet.

In a press call today, Giménez said that while he doesn't think Suarez meant that he was thinking of shutting down today or tomorrow, they'll be discussing the statement later today in a meeting with all of the county mayors.

He said that while the city of Miami is the biggest city in the county, it only represents 15% of the population.

Giménez said that the decision to implement a shut down will be driven by the data.

Latest figures: Miami-Dade, considered Florida's epicenter of the virus, has seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients being hospitalized (46%), in the number of ICU beds being used (54%) and in the use of ventilators (86%), according to the county's latest data.

Earlier today, a spokesperson for Giménez said in a statement to CNN's Rosa Flores that Miami-Dade's "hospitals have more Covid patients in ICU beds than they have available ICU beds." The ICU capacity "figure is above 100 percent," the statement says.

Larry Kudlow during a television interview outside the White House on July 17. Stefani Reynolds/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow took one quick question from reporters this morning after a pre-taped appearance on Fox News, and essentially echoed what he’s said before on provisions for the next stimulus bill. 

“There will be unemployment insurance. For some reason some people in the media have said we’re ending it, that’s just not true," he said of the next stimulus package.

Negotiations are expected to begin in earnest next week when Congress returns. 

How next week will play out: A viscerally divided Congress (and White House) facing a roughly three-week deadline to reconcile diametrically opposed visions of what the economy needs to survive the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Republicans are slated to release their plan and actual talks will, for the first time, kick into gear. All sides acknowledge the stakes are enormous. What nobody seems to agree on is how — and when — Congress and the White House will come together on an agreement.

People sit in a white circle and watch others play volleyball in Domino Park in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on July 16. Noam Galai/Getty Images

New York City is on track to enter phase four of reopening on Monday with specific modifications, including continuing to stall the restart of indoor dining, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Indoor dining will not resume in phase four as its considered “high risk," de Blasio said. 

Malls and museums will also be “still closed for now," he added.

Here's what will open in phase four: Low-risk outdoor entertainment activities, including things like botanical gardens and zoos, can reopen at a reduced capacity of 33%. 

Production of movies and TV shows can proceed, the mayor said, and sports can come back but without audiences.

He also announced the city is adding 40 more blocks for restaurants on open streets beginning this weekend.