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Covid-19 crashes Fourth of July weekend

July 03, 2020
QuickTake
Bloomberg

Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Epstein friend Ghislaine Maxwell arrested for conspiracy, dozens killed in landslide at Myanmar jade mine, and a new glove can translate sign language into speech.

U.S. sets alarming new record

The U.S. reported 56,800 new coronavirus infections Thursday, surpassing Wednesday's record of 52,789 and jumping the most since May 9, as the curve rose in 40 states heading into Fourth of July weekend.

The CDC forecast on Thursday that up to 160,000 people could die from the virus by July 25 and 11 states are likely to report more deaths in the next month than the previous four weeks.

Ahead of the holiday weekend, some states are calling off Independence Day celebrations out of fears they could be super-spreader events. Likewise, young Americans are partying especially hard and more often, adding to the virus's spread, data shows. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned the pathogen may be mutating in a way that speeds transmission.

Four states reported a combined 28,000 new cases Thursday:

  • Arizona reported 3,333 new cases, an increase of 4% to 87,425. Deaths increased by 37, to a total of 1,757.
  • California reported 7,538 new cases, rising 1.7% to 240,195, while deaths rose 1.2% to 6,163.
  • Florida reported 10,109 new cases, up 6.4% for a new single-day record, and imposed an overnight curfew for Miami-Dade County.
  • Texas reported 7,915 new cases, its second-worst day of the pandemic, and the governor made face masks compulsory. 

In the meantime, President Trump said Thursday three Covid-19 vaccine candidates are "looking really, really good" in trials and said three more vaccines will begin trials "shortly," without elaborating.

$ignificant figures

162. At least that many people were killed in a landslide, "smothered by a wave of mud," at a jade mine in northern Myanmar in the most deadly accident in a series of fatal disasters at such sites in recent years.

4.8 million. The U.S. added that many jobs in June and the jobless rate fell to 11.1%, but experts say the numbers were compiled before a new wave of shutdown orders, and the rise of Covid-19 may hamper recovery.

3.9 million. That many background checks to purchase or possess a firearm were completed in June, the FBI said, with gun sales skyrocketing in the face of the pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality.

Highly quotable

"The center of that sex trafficking ring." Ghislaine Maxwell, a close friend to Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested by the FBI for playing a "critical role" in helping groom dozens of minor victims for abuse from 1994 to 1997.

"A relatively common virus." Chinese officials said the new type of swine flu that researchers said may trigger another pandemic is genetically similar to the 2009 H1N1 strain and comparable to the seasonal flu.

"Worse than the worst scenario imagined." Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily newspaper that's known for heavily criticizing China, said the Hong Kong he once knew "is dead" after the enactment of the security law.

This is not normal

Harmful heat. Climate change may impact the world's fish more than previously thought after a new study of 694 species found that warming seas could make it impossible for fish to reproduce in their current habitat.

The future is now

Self-interpreter. Engineers at UCLA developed a high-tech glove that can instantly translate American Sign Language into English speech via a smartphone app to help the deaf community communicate with anyone.

What's good

Deep breaths. Police in Bangladesh have begun incorporating yoga into their morning routines to keep them mentally and physically healthy while coping with the stress of enforcing the country's Covid-19 lockdown.

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BTW: Twitter said users could have a long-sought-after edit button, but offered one big caveat: "When everyone wears a mask."

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Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach

 

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