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Los Angeles Reports Dramatic Rebound in Coronavirus Cases

[Follow our coverage of the coronavirus on Tuesday, June 30]

The United States has recorded in recent days a record growth in cases of coronavirus. “The window of opportunity to stop” the pandemic “is closing”, the Health Secretary has warned. Even the vice president has urged citizens to wear a mask, despite previous reluctance, especially when experts believe that, even if a vaccine is developed in the coming months, it will only have limited effectiveness in curbing the disease.

These are the main information for this Monday, June 29:

Arizona orders bars, cinemas, and gyms closed after coronavirus rebound

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey ordered Monday, from 8:00 pm local time, the closing of bars, cinemas, gyms and water parks for at least 30 days, after thousands of new cases of coronavirus in the state.

On Sunday, the state recorded a record 3,800 new infections. It was the seventh time in the past 10 days that daily cases passed the 3,000 mark. Ducey also ordered that public schools delay the start of classes until at least August 17.

Since the pandemic began, 74,500 cases and 1,588 deaths from the virus have been reported in Arizona.

“Our expectation is that the numbers will be worse next week,” Ducey said Monday.

Arizona is not the only state that has reversed some of its reopening measures. Places like Texas, Florida and California are receding, closing beaches and bars in some cases amid a powerful resurgence of the virus.

Vice President Mike Pence will visit the city of Phoenix, Arizona, this Wednesday to meet with Ducey and assess the state’s response to the pandemic, the news agency reported. The Associated Press.

These beaches in California and Florida will be closed the weekend of July 4 to avoid infections

Los Angeles police officers patrol Venice Beach during the coronavirus epidemic on May 13, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California announced Monday that it will close all beaches, access points, parking lots, and bike lanes “that traverse the sandy portion of the beach” over the weekend of July 4 – when will celebrate the 240th anniversary of American independence — to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Fireworks shows will also be banned, although it will only apply during the weekend. The order will take effect on Friday starting at 12:01 am and will be effective until 5:00 am on Monday.

There will be fines of up to $ 1,000 for those who fail to comply with the measure, the sheriff’s department said. This will not apply to Long Beach, which is not part of Los Angeles County.

Although it was “a difficult decision to make,” the closings are essential because many people gather to celebrate, which constitutes “a recipe for increased transmission of COVID-19,” the director of Health said in a statement Monday. County Public Barbara Ferrer.

The announcement comes after Los Angeles surpassed 100,000 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, following an acceleration in the rate of contagion and amid concerns over the possible lack of hospital beds in the coming weeks.

For their part, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in South Florida have also issued orders to close the beaches and access points between them, following the surge in cases of coronavirus in that state.

Miami-Dade’s beaches, which includes South Beach, a destination that attracts both residents and tourists, will close Friday, July 3 through Tuesday, July 7, Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced. In Broward, which includes Fort Lauderdale, the closure will take place between July 3-5. While Palm Beach Mayor Dave Kerner confirmed to NBC on Monday that the closure will last from July 2 to 5.

“As we continue to see more positive COVID-19 results among young adults and the increase in hospitalizations, I have decided that the only prudent way to stop this recent increase is to crack down on recreational activities that put our community overall at risk, “Giménez said in a press release on Friday.

Los Angeles Reports Dramatic Rebound in Coronavirus Cases: Hospitals May Run Out of Beds

Los Angeles County health authorities warned Monday that the surge in coronavirus cases has the potential to saturate public and private hospitals, just as the country’s most populous town is moving toward reopening.

Los Angeles, the epicenter of the pandemic in California, has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 3,300 deaths. But one of the indicators that authorities are most concerned about is the increase in hospitalizations, which have recently gone from 1,400 patients in one day to 1,700.

“There is an alarming increase in cases, contagion rates and hospitalizations,” Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said Monday.

This Monday there were 2,903 new cases and at least 22 deaths in Los Angeles County.

“We are seeing an increase in broadcasts. More people getting sick and entering the hospital. This is a significant change in the trajectory of the epidemic compared to recent days. It’s a change for the worse and a reason to be concerned, ”Los Angeles County Director of Health Services Christina Ghaly said Monday.

For the first time since the pandemic began, authorities’ projections indicate that if the situation continues, the availability of hospital beds could be depleted within two to three weeks. Also, intensive care units could be filled by the end of July.

Last week, one in 400 people in Los Angeles had COVID-19, this week the rate is one in 140, Ghaly said.

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“We are likely to deplete our bed availability in intensive care units in the very near future,” said Ghaly, who also warned that mortality is very likely to increase in the coming weeks because of the increase in infections.

Ferrer asked residents to stay indoors whenever possible, to wear a face mask in public, to avoid confined spaces, and to stay informed.

“Transmission is increasing in the state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom during a press conference on Monday. He warned of the possibility of canceling the reopening in at least seven counties, including Los Angeles, where cases have rebounded.

“We are considering many things before we proceed and we will make those announcements accordingly … increasing the orders and implementing even more restrictive ones,” Newsom said.

Remdesivir maker will charge $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 for treatment in the US

Californian biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences reported Monday that it will charge at least $ 2,340 for each six-dose treatment of its drug Remdesivir, the only one so far that has been shown to be effective in recovering the most seriously ill patients with coronavirus.

This price will apply to patients with medical coverage paid for by the federal government; for private insurance users that price will be $ 3,120. For longer therapies, the cost will be $ 4,290.

“We are in uncharted territory with the price of a new medicine in a pandemic,” Gilead chief executive Dan O’Day told The Associated Press news agency.

Treatments the company has donated to the United States and other countries will run out in about a week, and prices will apply thereafter, O’Day added.

However, the Health Department has indicated that it has 500,000 treatments assigned until the end of September, a measure it took in anticipation of the medicine becoming scarce.

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Peter Maybarduk, a lawyer for the consumer group Public Citizen, has called the price decided by the company a “scandal”, stressing that “he received at least 70 million public funds” for the development of the drug. “Remdesivir should be in the public domain,” he added.

Remdesivir has been licensed by the US Drug Administration for use in emergencies for its effectiveness in slowing down the virus’s reproduction.

Scientific studies have shown that patients treated with this drug spend four days less in hospital on average, which is a saving for hospitals, Gilead has argued.

The antiviral medicine Remdesivir that works to treat the coronavirus, POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Fauci assures that a vaccine will not suppose total immunity

The director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and White House expert against coronavirus, Anthony Fauci, has assured this Sunday that a vaccine against COVID-19 will not mean total immunity for the entire population, as it would be effective only among “70 % and 75% ”.

There are also many citizens who refuse to be vaccinated, making it “unlikely” that the United States will achieve sufficient levels of immunity to end the pandemic, according to an interview with CNN.

“The best one we have done is measles, which has an effectiveness of 97% to 98%,” he said, “it would be wonderful if we got there. I don’t think we will. I would settle for [70%], 75% of effectiveness”.

Fauci has previously assured that the vaccine will be ready by the end of the year or the beginning of 2021. However, a third of Americans have already indicated that they will not use it even though it is effective and inexpensive, according to a CNN poll.

With information from CNN

Dr. Anthony Fauci before a Congressional committee this Tuesday.

The Secretary of Health warns that the “window is closing” to control the pandemic

Health Secretary Alex Azar warned this Sunday that the “window is closing” for the United States to control the pandemic, as confirmed cases are rebounding in most of the country and some states are dealing with a record number of hospitalizations.

“Things are very different from two months ago,” he told CNN, “it is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing so we can take action and keep this under control.”

He did suggest, however, that the United States is better positioned to handle the pandemic than before, citing increased testing, contact tracing, hospital capacity, stocks of personal protective equipment and progress toward therapeutics, and vaccines under development. .

“We have to act, and people must act responsibly,” he said in another interview to NBC News, Telemundo’s sister network. “We need social distance. We need to wear masks if we are in environments where we cannot maintain social distance, particularly in these hot areas,” he urged the population.

At a White House coronavirus task force press conference Friday, the first in nearly two months, Vice President Mike Pence said the United States had “flattened the curve.” This Sunday, however, it overstepped the mark. the 38,000 in a single day.

With information from NBC News and CNN

The rebound in cases leads several states to back down on reopening measures

The coronavirus pandemic already reaches the number of 10 million people infectedworldwide and the global number of reported deaths is 500,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.

Approximately one in four of those deaths, more than 126,000, have been reported in the United States, where the number of infected people exceeds 2.5 million. Brazil follows with the highest number of deaths, with more than 57,000, or approximately one in nine.

In at least 26 states there has been a record increase in daily infectionsand 11 have stopped their reopening plans, among them the three most populous and where a large part of the Latino population is also concentrated: Florida, Texas and California.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered Sunday to close all bars that had reopened in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Joaquin, Kings, Kern, Imperial and Tulare counties.

State authorities also asked Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus counties to issue local health orders to close the bars.

“Californians must remain vigilant against this virus,” Newsom said, “it is still circulating in California and in some parts of the state, growing stronger. So it is critical that we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in counties that are experiencing the biggest increases. “

Florida reached a new daily record of more than 9,500 new infections Saturday., and several counties ordered the closure of beaches.

South Carolina, Nevada and Georgia also reported record numbers. And Washington state halted its return to normal due to a growing number of cases and concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

In Texas, 6,000 new cases were reported Saturday, an increase that comes weeks after Governor Greg Abbot authorized the reopening of certain businesses in early May. Bars and restaurants were ordered closed on Friday to mitigate the spread of the virus.

COVID-19 has taken a very fast and dangerous turn in Texas in the past few weeks,” said Abbott.

Unlike Trump, Pence encourages the use of masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday encouraged people living in areas with coronavirus outbreaks to wear masks to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We encourage everyone to wear a mask in the affected areas,” said Pence, “where social distancing cannot be maintained, wearing a mask is a good idea, especially young people.”

President Donald Trump has refused to wear a mask in public places, although he did wear it during a private tour of a Ford plant in Michigan weeks ago.

“The president should be an example. You know, real men wear masks,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, said in an interview with ABC on Sunday. “Be an example to the country and wear the mask,” he added, “It is not about protecting yourself. It is about protecting others and their families.”

With information from NBC News

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Restaurant chain closes two stores because customers refuse to wear masks

Two restaurant premises of a chain of taquerias in Los Angeles were forced to close because some of their clients do not want to obey the orders to wear masks and they even assaulted one of their workers on one occasion.

The Hugo’s Tacos establishments were open during the pandemic but have been forced to close for at least a week due to the refusal of certain people to wear face masks, even one of the employees was attacked.

“They threw a glass of water at one of my employees for telling someone to put on a mask,” said Navor Díaz, manager of Hugo’s Tacos.

The two affected establishments of Hugo’s Tacos are the one in Atwater Village and the other in Studio City.

“One reason is for the safety of our employees and the harassment they have received lately by people who do not want to wear masks,” added Díaz.

Restaurant workers are required to ask customers to wear masks and store by county order, otherwise they may be fined or even have their business closed.

“It is simple, but people think it is their right not to have a mask and obviously that affects employees because we have employees who follow all the guidelines of the health department,” Díaz said.

Both restaurants will reopen in a week if customers respect the obligations to wear masks and social distancing.

The case of Hugo´s Tacos is not an isolated event, many other businesses have experienced similar situations with cClients who get angry when reminded that they are operating in the midst of a pandemic.

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Contagions linked to the reopening of a bar in Michigan increases to 85

Cases of coronavirus linked to people who visited a Michigan bar after it reopened have increased to 85, according to health officials.

The Ingham County Health Department has asked anyone who visited Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, outside of Michigan State University in East Lansing, between June 12-20, to be quarantined for two weeks.

As of Saturday, 85 people who visited the bar between those dates or have been in contact with people tested positive for coronavirus.

When the Ingham County Health Department announced the outbreak on June 23, 14 people who visited the bar tested positive. The next day, 34 more had also developed the disease, the department said.

At that time, all the people who tested positive were between 18 and 23 years old. None had been hospitalized and most had mild symptoms. Four were asymptomatic.

The health department asked everyone who had visited the bar, including those who tested negative, to be quarantined for 14 days, “self-monitor symptoms and stay away from other household contacts such as family and roommates. “

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