Dear Reader:

Worldometer (July 31): over 17.5 million cases and over 678 thousand deaths worldwide. Over 4.6 million cases and over 155 thousand deaths in the US, over 68 thousand new cases and over 1.4 thousand new deaths were reported yesterday.

Yesterday (July 30), Almost 10 thousand new cases were reported in Florida, over 8.8 thousand new cases were reported in Texas, and over 8.1 thousand new cases were reported in California.

The following were reported for yesterday: a pandemic record high in Texas: 322 new deaths, a pandemic record high in Florida: 252 new deaths, and 114 new deaths were reported in California were reported .

Over 2.6 million cases and over 91 thousand deaths in Brazil; over 1.6 million cases in India- a pandemic record high of almost 55 thousand new cases were added yesterday, and over 36 thousand deaths,  783 new deaths were added yesterday.

msn. com/ en-us/ health/ medical/ us coronavirus cases on cusp of hitting 4-5 million (Friday, July 31): “Thirty six states had more deaths in the past week than they had the week prior.. On 11 of the past 14 days, more than 900 deaths have been reported across the U.S. On seven of those days, more than 1,000 deaths were reported… That has pushed the seven day average of deaths in the U.S. to 1,056…

“Infections and fatalities continued to surge in California.. Florida.. has the second highest infection total in the U.S.. In New York, where cases exploded early in the pandemic, city officials on Thursday laid out the conditions that will force the temporary closure of a school building as schools prepare to open this fall. Schools will switch to distance learning if, for example, two students in different classrooms who get the virus have some link, like using a locker room at the same time.

“But even as the city looks to reopen schools in the fall, regulators are struggling to get residents and businesses to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Authorities cited nearly 40 establishments in the city on Wednesday, half of which occurred at bars and restaurants in Manhattan, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday…

“Outside the U.S., infection rates continued to rise in areas that had seen early success in containing the virus.. Vietnam reported 45 new coronavirus cases Friday, the highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic… It has sparked serious concern in the country known for one of the fastest and fiercest government responses the coronavirus. Vietnam has recorded a total of 509 cases.

“The British government announced new lockdown requirements across parts of northern England after an increase in coronavirus infections raised fears that another wave of contagion could arrive. More than 4 million people were ordered not to visit other people in their homes in the Greater Manchester area, along with areas of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, though they could still visit pubs and go to work. Thursday’s move came after the U.K. announced its higher number of infections in more than a month. On Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expanded a requirement to wear masks in indoor pubic places.. He also delayed, until Aug. 15, plans to further ease restrictions on opening of more of the economy, including casinos and bowling alleys..

“Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, reported another 2,040 coronavirus infections Friday and 73 new deaths.. Kuwait, meanwhile, will allow citizens and some residents to travel in and out of the country beginning Saturday, nearly five months after it suspended all international passenger flights to slow the spread of the virus. The Gulf state is slowly reopening its economy..

“Case numbers in Australia’s southeastern Victoria state remained high. Authorities reported on Friday 627 new cases- just shy of a new nationwide record of 723 that the state set the day before… China recorded 127 new confirmed cases… In the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, a city- commissioned study found that more than half of the residents of the city’s densely populated slums had been exposed to the coronavirus.. 57% of people in those areas had been exposed to the virus and developed antibodies. That was the case for only 16% of samples taken from outside the densely packed areas…

“Tokyo on Friday reported 463 new cases, topping 400 for the first time, and Japan had a daily tally of more than 1,000 each day for the past two days as infections spread across the country. Hospitalizations and the number of seriously ill patients are also rising, officials said”.

msn. com/ en-us/ news/ politics/ Fauci to tell house panel it is unclear how long coronavirus pandemic will last (July 31): “Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Friday is expected to tell a House panel on the coronavirus pandemic hat it is ‘unclear’ how long the crisis will last. Fauci is expected to urge lawmakers to embrace social distancing and mask-wearing, a public health guidance that has become a partisan issue across the country.”

Another virus news: msn. com/ en-us/ health/ medical/ LA County announces 1st human cases of West Nile this season (July 31): “As people around the world deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles County is reporting its first two human cases of West Nile virus this season. An older adult with no underlying health conditions was hospitalized with West Nile earlier this month and is now recovering. The second case was detected in late July in a healthy person identified as a blood donor… The virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, and health officials are warning residents to take preventative steps such as disposing of standing water that can attract the insects

Wikipedia on the West Nile Virus: “In humans, West Nile virus can cause a disease known as West Nile fever. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 80% of infected people have few to no symptoms, around 20% of people develop mild symptoms (such as fever, headache, vomiting, or a rash), and less than 1% of people develop severe symptoms (such as encephalitis- inflammation of the brain, or meningitis- acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and the spinal chord, with associated neck stiffness, confusion, or seizures)… The risk of death among patients with nervous system symptoms is about 10%. Recovery may take weeks to months. Risks for severe disease include age over 60 and other health problems… While there is no specific treatment, pain medications may be useful…

“All ages are equally likely to be infected but there is a higher amount of death.. in people 60-89 years old. People of older age are more likely to have adverse effects of being infected… Despite the commercial availability of 4 veterinary vaccines for horses, no human vaccine has progressed beyond phase 2 clinical trials… The best method to reduce the risk of infections is avoiding mosquito bites. This may be done by eliminating standing pools of water.. Mosquito repellent, window screens, mosquito nets, and avoiding areas where mosquitoes occur may also be useful.”

anita