INFORMS Open Forum

6-22 Daily COVID-19 Update

  • 1.  6-22 Daily COVID-19 Update

    Posted 06-22-2020 21:07
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    Good evening,

    Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for June 22 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

    Thank you,

    Jeff Cohen



    INFORMS Members in the News

    Member: Julie Swann


    U.S. Federal Policy Update
     

    • Today, President Trump issued an executive order limiting visas for the following programs: H-1B visas for high-skilled workers, H-2B visas for seasonal employees, L-1 visas for corporate executives, and J-1 visas for research scholars and exchange programs. The measure will go into effect on Wednesday, and is authorized through December 31st. In his announcement, President Trump stated that the order is in response to "the extraordinary circumstances of the economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak," as "programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers." The executive order was accompanied by a fact sheet.
    • The White House published a readout from Vice President Mike Pence's briefing with governors on their ongoing recovery work to respond to the pandemic.  
    • Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement in response to President Trump's order at his rally on Saturday "to slow coronavirus testing to keep case numbers low." In her response, Speaker Pelosi emphasized that "testing, tracing, treatment, and social distancing are the only tools we have to stop the spread of the coronavirus."
    • White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro stated that the federal government is "filling the stockpile in anticipation of a possible problem in the fall," adding that they're "doing everything [they] can beneath the surface."
    • The National Institutes of Health announced that they are halting their hydroxychloroquine trial – issuing a statement that their data and safety monitoring board "determined that while there was no harm, the drug study was very unlikely to be beneficial to hospitalized patients with Covid-19." 

     

    Global Response 

    • World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that "the greatest threat [the world] faces now is not the virus itself, it's the lack of global solidarity and global leadership" – adding that "the politicization of the pandemic has exacerbated it."
    • South Korean health authorities announced today that they have entered the second wave of the pandemic. Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jeong Eun-kyeong stated that the "second wave was triggered by the May holiday," while "the first wave was from February to April."
    • French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the government would move forward with lifting additional coronavirus restrictions, with various amusement venues and casinos being permitted to reopen today, while following safety and distancing precautions.
    • United Arab Emirates officials announced that the city of Dubai would once again allow travel to enter into and out of the country beginning July 7th – as long as they provide a negative coronavirus test result.
    • The Saudi Arabian government removed their curfew and lockdown restrictions, but travel into and out of the country is still banned. 
    • The Spanish government announced that they would lift their state of emergency. Furthermore, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya announced that travelers from Britain will no longer be forced to quarantine upon entry into Spain – effective on Sunday.

     

    State Update 

    • According to data reported today of the seven-day averages over the past week, 29 U.S. states and territories recorded an increase in the number of new coronavirus infections. 
    • On Saturday, the Texan government reported the record-high number of new coronavirus cases in one day nationwide – with 4,430 new cases. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stated that "additional measures are going to be necessary," as "COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas."
    • New York City entered phase two of their reopening process today.
    • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that "even with the testing increasing or being flat, the number of people testing positive is accelerating faster than that" – so this is "evidence that there's transmission within those communities."


    Economic Update (as of close of the markets) 

    • U.S. stocks were on the rise today, with all three indices reporting overall gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.59%, the S&P 500 by 0.65%, and the Nasdaq Composite by 1.11%. 

      

    Latest Impact Data 

    • In the United States: Over 2,388,050 cases and 122,608 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
    • Worldwide: Over 9,179,919 and 473,460 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.

     

    In the News                



    ------------------------------
    Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
    Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
    INFORMS
    jeff.cohen@informs.org
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