This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the global outbreak. Sign up here to get the briefing by email.
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The number of virus-related deaths worldwide has topped 700,000.
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Florida has surpassed 500,000 cases of the coronavirus, joining California as the only states to reach the grim milestone.
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Johnson & Johnson will receive $1 billion from the U.S. government to fund development and distribution of its experimental vaccine.
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Get the latest updates here, as well as maps and trackers for U.S. metro areas and vaccines in development.
A tale of two cities
Chicago, the nation’s third-largest school district, will begin the academic year remotely, after teachers and parents opposed a hybrid plan that would have sent children into classrooms two days a week.
“When we announced the potential for a hybrid model some weeks ago, we were in a very different place in the arc of the pandemic,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. The city’s reported coronavirus cases have steadily increased in recent weeks, to more than 250 a day.
Chicago’s shift leaves New York City as the only major school system in the country that is still planning to offer in-person classes this fall. But New York — which has some of the lowest viral transmission rates in the country — is confronting a torrent of logistical issues and political problems.
There are not yet enough nurses to staff schools, and ventilation systems in aging buildings are in urgent need of upgrades. There may not even be enough teachers available to offer in-person instruction. Some teachers are threatening to stage a sickout — teacher strikes are illegal in New York — and their union has indicated it might sue over reopening.
“The entire country is watching how New York City handles this,” Eliza Shapiro, who covers education for The New York Times, told us. “If the city can pull off a safe reopening, it could provide a blueprint for scores of other districts trying to figure this out. But if the city halts or delays its plan, or has to close schools quickly after they open in September, it could be a warning shot to other districts.”
Are you a student or teacher? We would like to hear what coronavirus measures your school or college is taking this fall. Please tell us here. We will feature a selection of the responses in an upcoming newsletter.
Kenya’s radical school solution
Faced with the mounting challenges of reopening schools, Kenya chose a drastic option: cancel the entire academic year and make students repeat their grades. The decision was made not just to contain the virus, but to also level the playing field for students who lack access to remote learning.
“It was a sweeping move that surprised many students, parents and educators but came as a relief to others who were worried that their children might fall behind,” Abdi Latif Dahir, the East Africa correspondent for The Times, told us.
For most students, particularly those from poor and rural households, following lessons was not possible once schools started teaching online. “By the time they go to class next year, a lot of these kids who were at home and didn’t have access to these facilities will just not be able to compete,” Abdi said.
A cautionary tale. When Israel reopened schools in May, after largely containing the virus, the number of new infections quickly increased and rippled out to students’ homes and neighborhoods. The resurgence eventually forced some 240 schools to shutter and more than 22,500 students and teachers to quarantine.
Private school choice
With cases on the rise in Maryland, public schools in the state’s most populous county decided to begin the school year online. Officials told private schools, including some of the country’s most elite institutions, to do the same. But then this week, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, abruptly overruled the order, saying that private schools should be able to make their own decisions.
The Coronavirus Outbreak ›
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 4, 2020
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I have antibodies. Am I now immune?
- As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time.
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I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief?
- The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all.
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What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work?
- Employers have to provide a safe workplace with policies that protect everyone equally. And if one of your co-workers tests positive for the coronavirus, the C.D.C. has said that employers should tell their employees -- without giving you the sick employee’s name -- that they may have been exposed to the virus.
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Should I refinance my mortgage?
- It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards.
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What is school going to look like in September?
- It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community.
The dispute over whether private schools should be able to teach in person, even if nearby public schools remain closed, represents a contentious new front in the discussion about inequality in America.
Public schools, which educate about 90 percent of U.S. children, tend to have less money, larger class sizes and less flexibility to make the necessary changes to prepare for the virus. They must also negotiate with teachers’ unions, many of which have pushed for schools to remain closed.
Resurgences
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Germany has begun to see cases tick up again, and began requiring tests for travelers who enter the country from coronavirus “hot spots.”
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In Japan, a pandemic policy that denies re-entry to many permanent and long-term residents has upended many lives.
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Afghanistan’s health ministry said that about one-third of the country’s population, or roughly 10 million people, have probably been infected by the virus and recovered, based on a household survey that deployed rapid tests for antibodies.
Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states.
What else we’re following
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The Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers to avoid 115 hand sanitizers because the products used the wrong type or amount of alcohol.
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Thousands of Covid-19 patients have been treated with blood plasma, but the unexpected demand for plasma has hampered scientists’ ability to research whether the therapy actually works.
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New York City will set up checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings to inform travelers about the state’s quarantine requirements.
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Since the pandemic hobbled the U.S. economy, the cost of groceries has shot up at the fastest pace in decades, The Washington Post reports.
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Some companies that purchased “business interruption” insurance were told by their providers that they wouldn’t receive a cent for the pandemic. Now, more than 400 companies are taking their insurers to court.
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The symptoms of the coronavirus can be varied and strange. A new Times guide can help you understand and identify them.
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Interested in volunteering for a coronavirus vaccine trial? Here’s everything you need to know.
What you’re doing
We signed up for Spot The Station alerts so we’d know when the International Space Station would pass by. My family and I would go outside to the front yard and look for it. We’re envious of those on the ISS, and wonder what they think when they see Earth from so far away.
— Diana Yen, Santa Clara, Calif.
Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter.
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