Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members in the News
Member: Irv Lustig
Member: Chris Tang
Member: Scott Nestler
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- As emergency unemployment benefits are set to lapse this Friday, Congress and the White House have been in negotiations to determine a solution to extend the enhanced benefits. As of today, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that he and President Trump "had discussed a possible short-term extension for unemployment benefits." Secretary Mnuchin added that this short-term possibility would be considered if lawmakers are unable to reach a consensus on the recently-unveiled coronavirus relief package prior to Friday.
- The Federal Reserve announced that they will leave interest rates at their current near zero value. The bank issued a statement warning that "the ongoing public health crisis will weigh heavily on economic activity, employment, and inflation in the near term, and poses considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term."
- The White House published remarks from Vice President Mike Pence during a roundtable in North Carolina regarding phase III coronavirus vaccine trials that are currently underway in the U.S. The White House also published remarks from Vice President Pence's roundtable regarding safely reopening schools.
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci endorsed "five key principles" that will bring down the coronavirus surges around the country: 1) social distancing of at least six feet, 2) practicing hand hygiene, 3) wearing masks, 4) avoiding crowds, and 5) closing bars when and where it's possible.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that she would implement a mandatory mask requirement for all members and staff in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stated this afternoon "there's not a need for a national plan for reopening [schools]," emphasizing that there is a reason that "there's not a national superintendent."
- Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) tested positive for COVID-19, but confirmed that he's asymptomatic.
Global Response
- The European Commission announced that it has signed a $74 million contract with pharmaceutical company Gilead to procure additional doses of their antiviral drug remdesivir, which is "the first treatment authorized by the bloc against COVID-19."
- The United Kingdom announced that they have signed an agreement with pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to procure up to 60 million doses of the their coronavirus vaccine. This is the fourth vaccine agreement the UK government has entered.
- The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs announced a new set of guidelines, which are part of the government's efforts to ease coronavirus restrictions in the country. These new guidelines include allowing gyms to open and permitting individuals to move around at night, but all high-contact areas will remain closed.
- World Health Organization Spokeswoman Margaret Harris stated that "season does not seem to be affecting the transmission of this virus currently," adding that the virus is presenting itself "as one big wave that is going to go up and down a bit."
State Update
- Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced that the state will not be moving to phase four of their reopening process, due to a continued uptick of cases in the state. She stated that their contact tracing efforts have found that residents are "partying too much and social gatherings are too large."
- Alabama Governor Kay Ivey urged that school districts in the state resume in-person instruction in the fall, stating that they "don't have the luxury of not getting [their] young people in school."
- South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced that the state will mandate face masks to be worn in all government buildings and offices.
- The Denver Public Schools system announced that they will be extending 100% remote instruction from the beginning of the school year up until the conclusion of the first quarter.
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced that he would issue an emergency regulation to close all indoor bar areas in the city beginning August 1st, stating that "data has become clear in both urban and rural areas that bars are very high-risk locations for COVID-19 outbreaks."
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were on the rise today with all three indices reporting gains. The Nasdaq Composite closed up by 1.35%, the S&P 500 by 1.24% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.61%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 4,560,511 cases and 153,588 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 17,163,725 and 669,110 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------