这部小说冠状病毒大流行现在已经在全球范围内造成超过621，000人死亡。
据报道，全球已有超过1510万人被诊断患有由新型呼吸道病毒引起的COVID-19数据由约翰·霍普金斯大学系统科学与工程中心编辑。实际数字是据信要高得多由于检测短缺，许多未报告的病例，以及怀疑一些政府隐瞒或淡化本国疫情的范围。
这美国已成为受影响最严重的国家，确诊病例超过390万，至少有143，147人死亡。
晚上10点19分:西南要求2岁以上的人都戴口罩
西南航空公司宣布将要求所有2岁以上的乘客在飞机上戴口罩。
该航空公司补充说，不会有例外。其他航空公司已经允许那些有某些健康问题的人不戴口罩。
该公司在一份声明中表示:“如果客户因任何原因无法佩戴口罩或口罩，西南航空很遗憾我们将无法运送此人。”“在这种情况下，我们希望客户允许我们在将来欢迎他们登机，如果公共卫生指南或其他与安全相关的情况涉及到面罩的更换。”
该政策将于7月27日生效。
晚上9:19:白宫自助餐厅因阳性检测而关闭
消息人士向美国广播公司证实，白宫工作人员在周三晚上被告知，在一名工作人员在设施中检测出COVID呈阳性后，两个校园自助餐厅已经关闭。
这两个自助餐厅不在白宫内，而是在艾森豪威尔行政办公楼和新行政办公楼内。
这封电子邮件是这样写的:“没有理由恐慌或惊慌。”该公司补充称，两家工厂的员工都戴着口罩和手套。这封电子邮件接着说，白宫医疗部门已经进行了接触追踪，认为没有必要对任何白宫校园工作人员进行自我隔离。
白宫过去已经有工作人员检测呈阳性，包括副总统的新闻秘书。
晚上9:03:洛杉矶县不打算再重新开放
洛杉机市长埃里克·加希提宣布，目前没有关闭任何企业或关闭活动的计划。
他说，威胁等级仍然是橙色——第二高的等级——并且不会变成红色。
2020年7月22日，星期三，在洛杉矶的查尔斯德鲁大学医学与科学中心，两名妇女和一名儿童在流动检测点等待接受冠状病毒检测。
该县的阳性率从上周的13.6%下降到本周的10%，这是几周来的首次下降。
但是加尔塞蒂也重申，现在说最近的下跌会有什么影响还为时过早，直到下周左右。
他说:“我们将永远把手指放在调光开关上，我们不怕使用它。”
周三，该县报告了64例新死亡病例和3266例病例。
晚上7点39分:南方出现创纪录的COVID-19死亡
根据COVID追踪项目的最新数据，韩国连续第二天出现创纪录的COVID-19死亡人数。
该地区报告的死亡人数为725人，高于前一天的592人，占美国新增死亡人数的65%。西方为24%，264人;中西部9%，104人;东北2%，26%。
根据该项目，周三美国新增病例中，南方占近60%，为39，812例。
下午7:04:特朗普说，他对儿子、孙子亲自上学感到“舒服”
唐纳德·特朗普总统表示，在周三的冠状病毒简报会上，他会对自己的儿子和孙子亲自回到学校感到“舒服”。
“我对此很满意，”他在回答美国广播公司记者乔恩·卡尔的问题时说。特朗普有10个孙子，他最小的儿子巴伦14岁。
对于孩子们可能会在家里传染给他们的祖父母和其他人的担忧，特朗普回答说，孩子们“不太容易传染”，而且“我们正在非常努力地学习，乔恩。”
2020年7月22日，星期三，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普抵达华盛顿，参加在白宫举行的新闻发布会。
简报会后不久，白宫冠状病毒应对协调员黛博拉·比克斯博士出现在福克斯新闻上，当被问及特朗普所说的是否属实时，她指出，尽管一项韩国研究表明属实，但还需要更多的研究。
她说:“仍然有悬而未决的问题，这就是为什么总统总结说，‘我们正在非常努力地研究这个问题，’”
下午6:45:德克萨斯州死亡人数，住院人数创新高
德克萨斯州周三报告了创纪录的COVID-19死亡和住院人数。
该州新增死亡人数近200人(197人)，总计4348人。
周三，COVID-19的住院人数达到10，893人，标志着近两个星期每天住院病人超过10，000人。
下午4:20:美国国家橄榄球联盟比赛需要面具
美国国家橄榄球联盟负责通信的副主席布莱恩·麦卡锡周三在推特上说，球迷们将被要求在本赛季的比赛中戴上口罩。
比赛的能力，或者球迷是否被允许参加，由每个队决定。
纽约巨人队和喷气机队周一表示，他们将在空看台前比赛。
下午3:30:加州每天的病例数是有史以来最高的
加利福尼亚州在过去24小时内报告了12，807例新病例——这是一天内的最高数字。
2020年7月22日，发型师特拉维斯·伍在明岛位于加州喷泉谷的户外发廊为他理发。
该州的七天阳性率现在为7.6%，并且还在上升，加文·纽瑟姆州长称这是一个令人担忧的问题。
加州现在已经超过纽约，成为全国患艾滋病人数最多的地方——19例。
2020年7月20日，星期一，在加州亨廷顿海滩，一些海滩游客戴着面具，而其他人则不在外面，在码头上进行娱乐活动。
加州58个县中的35个现在在观察名单上，这意味着他们必须关闭像理发店和电影院这样的室内服务。
下午3点05分:俄亥俄州强制要求戴口罩，并发布旅行建议
俄亥俄州州长迈克·德温周三表示，从周四下午6点开始，该州将强制要求佩戴口罩。他同时宣布，该州的新增病例数已达到日均第二高水平。
2020年7月11日，克利夫兰，人们围着一场抗议面具禁令的游行。
印第安纳州和明尼苏达州周三也发布了强制性口罩订单。
周三，德温还宣布了一项旅行建议，为那些从阳性率高15%的州来到俄亥俄州的人提供。
从这些州前往俄亥俄州的人必须自我隔离两周:佛罗里达州、乔治亚州、南卡罗来纳州、阿拉巴马州、密西西比州、德克萨斯州、亚利桑那州、内华达州和爱达荷州。
DeWine在推特上写道:“去那些高阳性率的州，比如南卡罗来纳州和佛罗里达州，会导致俄亥俄州的疫情爆发。”
DeWine在推特上写道:“几周前，我们谈论了一个由45名学生组成的小组，他们一起从贝尔蒙特县(俄亥俄州)来到默特尔海滩(南卡罗来纳州)。”“最初有16人的COVID19检测呈阳性。今天，我们知道有28名旅客检测呈阳性。”
下午2:50:疾控中心更改了隔离患有COVID-19的成人的指南
这疾病控制和预防中心周三更新了指南患有COVID-19的成年人应该隔离多久。
疾控中心表示，目标是“限制不必要的长期隔离”和“实验室检测资源的不必要使用。”
疾控中心称，大多数COVID-19患者在症状出现10天后可以停止隔离。疾病预防控制中心表示，症状必须得到改善，发烧必须在至少24小时内消除，而不使用退烧药。
那些从未出现症状的人可以在第一次阳性检测后10天停止隔离。
疾病预防控制中心说:“数量有限的严重疾病患者可能会产生超过10天的复制能力病毒，这可能需要在症状出现后延长隔离和预防措施的持续时间，最长可达20天。”
下午2点:亚利桑那州的教育工作者、杂货店的工作人员可以获得免费的抗体检测
亚利桑那大学周三表示，亚利桑那州的教育工作者、杂货店工作人员和儿童护理人员是现在有资格接受免费的抗艾滋病病毒19抗体检测的基本工作人员。
该州免费检测的扩大是在“接触过COVID-19的亚利桑那州人的数量显著增加”之后进行的，该大学说，基本工作人员“被认为处于高接触风险中。”
2020年6月27日，医务人员准备对数百名在凤凰城西部玛丽维尔社区排队的人进行免费的COVID-19测试。
现在符合条件的还有:农业和食品服务工作者;酒店员工;固体废物收集工人;国民警卫队成员;和运输服务人员。
该大学表示，卫生保健工作者和急救人员将继续获得免费检测。
下午1:25:世卫组织警告说，疫苗永远不会“100%有效”
世界卫生组织(世卫组织)紧急事件负责人迈克·瑞安博士周三表示:“疫苗从来都不是100%有效的。”
“因此，我们将在2-3个月内研制出一种(COVID-19)疫苗，然后这种病毒会突然消失...我很想在这里对你说这些，但那是不现实的。”
世卫组织表示，截至周二，有24种候选疫苗正在临床评估中。
Ryan说开发一种COVID-19疫苗需要时间，并且将采取一切预防措施来确保它的安全性和有效性。
但是他警告说，疫苗的有效性以及保护作用的持续时间还需要时间。
瑞安说，疫苗在“大多数”人身上产生免疫力，他指出麻疹疫苗是“高效”疫苗的一个例子，它能为大约95%的人提供免疫力。
他谈到一种潜在的COVID-19疫苗时说:“我们不知道我们在这方面的进展如何。”
瑞安补充说:“我们现在可以做的事情太多了，如果我们已经抑制了这种病毒，那么用疫苗来消灭它就容易多了。”
Ryan说:“当你把对手打得筋疲力尽时，击败对手就容易多了。”“现在尽我们最大的努力，尽我们最大的努力研制疫苗，把两者结合起来。”
下午12:40:面具在DC是强制性的
市长穆里尔·布瑟周三表示，由于华盛顿特区的病例有所增加，口罩在华盛顿特区是强制性的。
布瑟表示，例外情况包括积极饮食、尊重社交距离的剧烈运动，或者独自呆在封闭的办公室里。3岁以下的儿童可免交学费。
2020年7月19日，华盛顿特区，一群骑自行车的人在国家广场的人行道上休息。
布瑟还表示，她将延长该地区的紧急状态令，该法令将于7月底到期。
下午12:05:迈阿密海滩将对不戴面具的人罚款
官员们说，随着COVID-19在佛罗里达州激增，那些在迈阿密海滩公共场所不戴面罩的人将从周四开始被罚款50美元。
2020年7月20日，佛罗里达州迈阿密海滩，一名男子跑过救生员站。
市长丹·盖尔伯在周三的一份声明中说:“我们都需要认真对待消除这种致命病毒的问题。”"请尽你的本分，戴上面具。"
上午11:30:佛罗里达州有4个县没有重症监护室床位
根据佛罗里达州医疗保健管理局的数据，在受灾严重的佛罗里达州，周三早上该州仅有15%的成人重症监护室床位可用。
该机构称，门罗、拿骚、奥卡罗萨和普特纳姆四个县没有重症监护室床位。
随着医院和医疗中心提供最新信息，这些数字预计会全天波动。
截至周三上午，佛罗里达州的阳性率为10.55%。
2020年7月21日，佛罗里达州迈阿密花园，医护人员在硬石体育场停车场进行COVID-19测试，休息一下
2020年7月21日，在佛罗里达州迈阿密花园的圣莫尼卡天主教堂，奥斯卡·阿穆兹和志愿者们一起，在一次食品分发活动中将食品装入汽车
该州目前共有379，619例病例和5，458例死亡病例。
上午10:35:加利福尼亚现在是冠状病毒病例最多的州
根据约翰·霍普金斯的数据，加利福尼亚的冠状病毒病例已经超过了纽约。
截至周三上午，加州有超过409，000例，而纽约有超过408，000例。
2020年7月20日，在加利福尼亚州的新港海滩，人们在人行道上走着，踩着滑板走过商店。
2020年7月21日，加利福尼亚州索拉那海滩，在冠状病毒疾病(COVID-19)爆发期间，理发师尼古拉斯·唐斯和鲍勃·卡斯特罗在唐斯理发店前的人行道上给顾客理发。
据该州称，加州的阳性率和住院率在两周内呈上升趋势。
与此同时，据州长安德鲁·科莫称，周二纽约的乐观率仅为1.29%。
2020年7月20日，纽约市进入重新开放的第四阶段，人们戴着面具观看一只海狮在中央公园动物园的水池中跳跃。第四阶段允许户外艺术和娱乐，体育赛事没有球迷和媒体生产。
包括加利福尼亚在内的31个州在纽约的旅游咨询名单上。来自31个高病例州的旅客在抵达纽约时必须隔离两周。
上午9:40:儿童冠状病毒病例上升
根据美国广播公司新闻获得的联邦应急管理局内部备忘录，儿童冠状病毒病例正在稳步上升，接近65岁或以上患者的水平。12至17岁的儿童似乎比更小的儿童感染率更高。
2020年7月14日，德克萨斯州怀利市怀利高中，阿尔玛·奥东戴着面具打扫教室。
备忘录还概述了特定州面临的冠状病毒问题。
备忘录称，在南卡罗来纳州，测试阳性率超过15%，并且还在上升。
备忘录称，查理斯顿、朱古力小灵精和格林维尔县报告了过去三周的最高新发病例数，占该州新发病例的38.4%。
2020年7月18日，在南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿，人们戴着防护面罩沿着国王街行走
备忘录称，在内华达州拉斯维加斯地区，死亡人数正在上升，尤其是65岁以上有潜在健康问题的居民。
备忘录称，在38家急症医院中，有6家报告出现严重的人员短缺，另有6家医院预计下周将出现严重的人员短缺。
路易斯安那州正在经历“广泛的社区传播”。备忘录称，东巴吞鲁日、卡尔卡西乌和杰斐逊教区在过去三周内新增病例最多，占新增病例的26.5%。
备忘录说，拉斐特和查尔斯湖报告说，测试用品严重缺乏。
上午8:25:疾控中心主任“绝对”会送他的孙子们回学校
疾病控制和预防中心主任罗伯特·雷德菲尔德博士称口罩是对抗冠状病毒的“最强有力的工具”。
雷德菲尔德在周三接受《早安美国》采访时说:“这是我们国家一个多世纪以来面临的最大的公共卫生危机。”“如果所有美国人都接受这种(面具)作为他们应对疫情的个人责任的一部分，我们实际上可以在未来4、6、8、10、12周内对全国范围内的疫情产生非常重大的影响。”
2020年7月21日，在加利福尼亚州的核桃溪市，徽章发廊的造型师里贾纳·穆斯里莫娃在发廊后面的停车场理发。在加州州长加文·纽瑟姆宣布指导理发店和发廊在户外理发的一天后，发廊重新向客户开放理发。根据新的指导方针，“室外作业可以在帐篷、遮阳棚或其他遮阳棚下进行，只要不超过一侧关闭，允许足够的室外空气流动。”
但是，当谈到国家面具授权的想法，雷德菲尔德说，“问题是如何激励所有美国人这样做。”
“一些州长已经这样做了，显然是有授权的。其他州长已经通过例子做到了。我认为我们的关键是让美国公众知道这有多重要。”
2020年7月21日，在得克萨斯州埃尔帕索的埃尔帕索社区学院瓦莱维德校区，护士们在一个新开的大型得来速测试点为冠状病毒测试做准备。
随着新学年的临近，雷德菲尔德说他会“绝对”放心让他的孙子们回到他们的教室。雷德菲尔德补充说，他对患有囊性纤维化的孙子可能只有“一些保留意见”，这“取决于他如何在学校适应。”
他说:“我认为让我们的学校开放是非常重要的。”“这不是公共卫生与开放学校或经济的对抗，而是公共卫生与公共卫生的对抗。我认为，关闭学校确实给我们的K-12学生带来了许多负面的公共健康后果。”
他继续说:“因此，现在非常重要的是与学区合作，找出他们如何能够接受我们的指导方针，并以一种切实可行的方式，以一种安全的方式实施这些指导方针。”
上午5:11:法国称其在全国有208个COVID-19活跃集群
据卫生总局称，截至周二，法国目前已有208起活跃的冠状病毒爆发。该机构指出，“冠状病毒的传播正在增加。”
卫生总局表示，自5月份以来，已发现9，547起群体病例，但339起已结案。
2020年7月21日，人们在普罗旺斯艾克斯市的米拉博广场观看巴尔塔萨·诺伊曼管弦乐队录制的音乐会视频投影。
至少有6，482人因COVID-19而住院，其中包括455名重症监护患者。
全国只有四个地区——法兰西岛、大东部、上法兰西和圭亚那——占重症监护病人的70%。
在其他地方，在法国拥有的海外领土上，共有202人住院，其中34人在重症监护室。
自大流行开始以来，该国已有106，296人住院，79，734人返回家园。
到目前为止，法国共有30，165人死亡，其中19，649人在医院，10，516人在护理院。
凌晨4:50:总理希望俄罗斯冠状病毒疫苗能在秋季上市
俄罗斯总理米哈伊尔·米什廷说，俄罗斯当局希望在秋季获得可靠的国内冠状病毒疫苗。
米什廷周三在国家杜马表示:“我真的希望我们能在秋季收到我们自己的俄罗斯可靠的冠状病毒疫苗。”
与此同时，该国报告的新感染人数连续第三天保持在6000人以下。
俄罗斯周三确认了5862例新的冠状病毒感染，使该国的官方病例数达到789190例。
在过去的24小时内，已经有165人死亡，使这个国家的总死亡人数达到12745人。
在过去的24小时内，共有9669人康复，使康复总人数达到572053人。
凌晨2:10:RNC出席者在杰克逊维尔参加活动前的“家庭”测试，没有要求戴口罩的承诺
将近一个月前，共和党人将在佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔举行唐纳德·特朗普总统第二次提名大会，共和党全国委员会更详细地概述了将实施的安全程序。
根据美国广播公司新闻获得的一份备忘录，参加大会的人在夏洛特或杰克逊维尔的集会之前，预计要参加一次“家庭COVID-19测试”，费用由共和党全国委员会支付。
备忘录称，杰克逊维尔的活动将分布在室内和室外场地，计划者将使用包括每日广场弹性场地、TIAA银行场地和每日广场圆形剧场在内的场地。
该党还在为一个规模较小的集会做准备，组织者通过限制候补代表和代表嘉宾在杰克逊维尔的出席人数来减少出席人数。
在特朗普预计于周四发表演讲的当晚，不允许替代代表的客人进入会场。根据备忘录，在杰克逊维尔的现场，各种健康和安全预防措施将到位，并将“包括但不限于现场温度检查、可用的个人防护设备和积极的消毒协议，以及可用的COVID-19测试。”
但是，共和党人并没有承诺在大会上要求戴面具，在长达九页的备忘录中也没有提到社交距离。
备忘录写道:“我们将遵循大会召开时当地和各州的卫生指南。”
上午12点26分:59名美国国家橄榄球联盟球员的COVID-19测试呈阳性
美国国家足球联盟周二宣布，迄今已有59名球员检测出新型冠状病毒呈阳性。
与此同时，美国国家橄榄球联盟和美国国家橄榄球联盟协会周一宣布，他们已经就COVID-19测试协议达成一致。在训练营的头两个星期，球员和队员每天都要接受测试，然后每隔一天，只要他们球队的阳性测试率在5%以下。
档案-在这个星期一，2019年7月29日，档案照片，堪萨斯城酋长队主教练安迪·雷德在密苏里州圣约瑟夫的NFL足球训练营观看训练。这应该是一群睁大眼睛的菜鸟和堪萨斯城酋长队一起报道他们第一次训练营的日子，他们拖着电视、风扇和其他舒适的物品进入密苏里西部州立大学的宿舍。相反，他们接受了COVID-19测试，然后被送回家。
联盟新的基于症状的检测指南于7月17日更新。
如果下周全美橄榄球联盟训练营开始，按照目前的计划，球队的名单将包括最多80名球员，而不是通常的90名，以帮助加强球队设施中的社会距离措施。这是根据周二晚上美国国家橄榄球联盟球员电话会议上的消息来源，他们讨论了联盟关于冠状病毒协议的最新提案的细节。
消息来源还称，美国国家橄榄球联盟和联盟周二正式同意联盟取消2020赛季所有季前赛的计划。该协议是在联赛因为冠状病毒大流行而向联盟提出今年夏天不打季前赛的第二天达成的。
因此，随着周二的进展，联盟和球员联盟正慢慢接近就在这种困难的环境下管理训练营和赛季的规则达成一致。数周的谈判似乎走到了尽头，周二晚上球员们打电话的消息来源称，双方在几个问题上达成了一致，但在其他问题上仍有工作要做。
据报道，目前关于球员的一个主要问题是，如果他们属于高风险类别，或者他们在这场流行病中根本不舒服，他们可以选择退出2020赛季。
一位消息人士称，联盟已经向那些因为属于高风险类别而选择退出的球员提供津贴——现役球员25万美元，训练队10万美元，但自愿退出的球员没有任何津贴。
消息人士称，联盟的提议是，选择退出的球员将得到他们的合同“补偿”，也就是说，只需倒退一年，明年就能恢复到现在的水平，但同时球队将保留他们根据现有合同释放或交易这些球员的任何权利。
由于前所未有的情况，球员们正在寻求更好的保护。
Coronavirus updates: South sees record daily death toll for 2nd straight day
The novelcoronaviruspandemic has now killed more than 621,000 people worldwide.
Over 15.1 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according todatacompiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers arebelieved to be much higherdue to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations' outbreaks.
TheUnited Stateshas become the worst-affected country, with more than 3.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 143,147 deaths.
10:19 p.m.: Southwest to require masks for everyone over 2 years old
Southwest Airlines announced it will require all passengers over the age of 2 to wear a face mask on board.
The airline added that there will be no exceptions. Other airlines have allowed those with certain health concerns to not wear a mask.
"If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual," the company said in a statement. "In those cases, we hope the Customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes."
The policy will go into effect on July 27.
9:19 p.m.: White House cafeterias shut down due to positive test
White House staff were informed Wednesday night that two of the campus' cafeterias have been shut down after an individual that works in the facilities tested positive for COVID, sources confirm to ABC News.
The two cafeterias are not within the White House itself, but instead in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and New Executive Office Building.
"There's no reason for panic or alarm," the email, as described to ABC News, reads. It adds that staff in both facilities have been wearing masks and gloves. The email goes on to say that the White House Medical Unit has already performed contact tracing and sees no need for any White House campus staff to self-quarantine.
The White House has already had staffers test positive in the past, including the vice president's press secretary.
9:03 p.m.: LA County not planning to roll back any more reopenings
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that at present there are no plans to close any more businesses or shut down activities.
The threat level, he said, remains at orange -- the second-highest level -- and is not moving to red.
Positivity rate in the county has decreased from 13.6% last week to 10% this week, the first decline in weeks.
But Garcetti also reiterated that it's too early tell what effect the recent rollbacks have had until next week or so.
"We will always have our finger on the dimmer switch and we are not afraid to use it," he said.
There were 64 new deaths and 3,266 cases reported in the county on Wednesday.
7:39 p.m.: South sees record COVID-19 deaths
The South had a record number of COVID-19 fatalities for the second day in a row, according to the latest data from The COVID Tracking Project.
There were 725 deaths reported in the region, up from 592 the day before, accounting for 65% of new fatalities in the U.S. The West had 24%, with 264; the Midwest 9% with 104; and the Northeast 2% with 26.
The South accounted for nearly 60% of new cases in the U.S. on Wednesday, with 39,812, according to the project.
7:04 p.m.: Trump says he's 'comfortable' with son, grandchildren attending school in-person
President Donald Trump said he would be "comfortable" with his son and grandchildren returning to school in person at his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday.
"I am comfortable with that," he said in response to a question from ABC News' Jon Karl. Trump has 10 grandchildren, and his youngest son, Barron, is 14.
In response to the concern that children could reinfect their grandparents and others at home, Trump said that children "don't transmit very easily," and that "we're studying, Jon, very hard, that particular subject."
Soon after the briefing, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx appeared on Fox News and -- when asked whether what Trump said was true -- noted that while one South Korean study suggested it was, more research was needed.
"There's still open questions there, and that's why the president concluded with, 'we're studying this very hard,'" she said.
6:45 p.m.: Texas death toll, hospitalizations hit new highs
Texas reported a record number of COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations on Wednesday.
There were nearly 200 new deaths -- 197 -- in the state, for a total of 4,348.
COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 10,893 on Wednesday, marking nearly two weeks with the number of hospitalized patients above 10,000 each day.
4:20 p.m.: Masks required at NFL games
Fans will be required to wear masks at NFL games this season, Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, tweeted Wednesday.
Capacity at games, or if fans are allowed to attend at all, is left up to each team.
New York's Giants and Jets said Monday they will play in front of empty stands.
3:30 p.m.: California sees highest number of daily cases ever
California reported 12,807 new cases in the last 24 hours – its highest number ever for one day.
The state's seven-day positivity rate is now at 7.6% and is rising, which Gov. Gavin Newsom called a concern.
California has now surpassed New York to have the nation's highest number of COVID-19 cases.
Thirty-five of California's 58 counties are now on the watch list which means they must shut down indoor services like barbershops and movie theaters.
3:05 p.m.: Ohio makes masks mandatory, issues travel advisory
In Ohio, masks will be mandatory as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday, as he announced that the state reached its second-highest daily new case count.
Those under 10 years old are exempt from the mask order.
Indiana and Minnesota also issued mandatory mask orders on Wednesday.
DeWine on Wednesday also announced a travel advisory for people coming into Ohio from states where positivity rates are 15% are higher.
Those traveling to Ohio from these states must self-quarantine for two weeks: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho.
"Trips to states where there are high positivity rates, such as South Carolina and Florida, are leading to outbreaks here in Ohio," DeWine tweeted.
"A few weeks ago, we talked about a group of 45 students who traveled to Myrtle Beach [in South Carolina] together from Belmont County [in Ohio]," DeWine tweeted. "16 people initially tested positive for COVID19. Today, we know that 28 travelers have tested positive."
2:50 p.m.: CDC changes guidance on isolating adults with COVID-19
TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday updated its guidanceon how long adults with COVID-19 should isolate.
The goal is "limiting unnecessary prolonged isolation" and "unnecessary use of laboratory testing resources," the CDC said.
Most people with COVID-19 can stop isolating 10 days after symptoms began, the CDC said. Symptoms must be improved and a fever must be resolved for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medicines, the CDC said.
Those who never develop symptoms can stop isolating 10 days after the date of their first positive test.
"A limited number of persons with severe illness may produce replication-competent virus beyond 10 days that may warrant extending duration of isolation and precautions for up to 20 days after symptom onset," the CDC said.
2 p.m.: Arizona educators, grocery store workers can get free antibody testing
Arizona's educators, grocery store workers and child care workers are among the essential workers who are now eligible for free COVID-19 antibody testing, the University of Arizona said Wednesday.
This expansion of the state's free testing comes after a "significant increase in the number of Arizonans who have been exposed to COVID-19" -- and essential workers are "considered at high risk for exposure," the university said.
Also among those now eligible are: agriculture and food service workers; hospitality employees; solid waste collection workers; National Guard members; and transportation services workers.
Health care workers and first responders will continue to have access to the free testing, the university said.
1:25 p.m.: WHO warns vaccines are never '100% effective'
"Vaccines are never 100% effective," World Health Organization (WHO) emergencies chief Dr. Mike Ryan said on Wednesday.
"So the idea that we're going to have a (COVID-19) vaccine in 2-3 months, and then all of a sudden this virus is going to go away ... I would love to be here saying that to you, but that's just not realistic," he said.
As of Tuesday, there are 24 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluation, the WHO said.
Ryan said developing a COVID-19 vaccine will take time and that every precaution will be made to ensure that it is safe and effective.
But he warns that it'll take time to see how effective the vaccine will be, and how long protection will last.
Vaccines generate immunity in "most" people, Ryan said, pointing to the measles vaccine as an example of a "highly effective" vaccine the provides immunity to approximately 95% of people.
"We don't know where we are with this," he said of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
Ryan added, "There is so much we can do now, and it will be so much easier to get rid of this virus using a vaccine if we've already suppressed it," he said, citing wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
"It's easier to beat your opponent, when you have exhausted your opponent," Ryan said. "Work as hard as we can now, and work as hard as we can on the vaccine, and put the two together."
12:40 p.m.: Masks now mandatory in DC
Masks are now mandatory in Washington, D.C. as the district sees a rise in cases, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday.
Bowser said exceptions will include actively eating and drinking, vigorous exercise that respects social distancing, or being alone in an enclosed office. Children under 3 years old are exempt.
Bowser also said that she will extend a state of emergency order in the District that was set to expire by the end of July.
12:05 p.m.: Miami Beach to issue fines for not wearing a mask
As COVID-19 surges in Florida, those not wearing face coverings in public spots of Miami Beach will be fined $50 beginning on Thursday, officials said.
"We all need to be serious about flattening the curve and putting this deadly virus behind us," Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement Wednesday. "Please do your part and wear a mask."
11:30 a.m.: Florida has 4 counties with no ICU beds
In hard-hit Florida, just 15% of the state's adult ICU beds were available Wednesday morning, according to the state's Agency for Healthcare Administration.
Four counties -- Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa and Putnam -- had no available ICU beds, the agency said.
These numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day as hospitals and medical centers provide updates.
Florida's positivity rate was 10.55% as of Wednesday morning.
The state now has 379,619 total cases and 5,458 fatalities.
10:35 a.m.: California is now the state with the most coronavirus cases
California has surpassed New York's number of coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.
As of Wednesday morning, California had over 409,000 cases, while New York had over 408,000.
California's positivity rate and hospitalization rates are trending upward in the two-week average, according to the state.
Meanwhile, New York's positivity rate was just 1.29% Tuesday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Thirty-one states -- including California -- are on New York's travel advisory list. Those traveling from the 31 high-case states must quarantine for two weeks when arriving in New York.
9:40 a.m.: Coronavirus cases rising in kids
Coronavirus cases in children is steadily rising and nearing the level of patients 65 or older, according to internal FEMA memos obtained by ABC News. Children ages 12 to 17 appear to become infected at a higher rate than younger kids.
The memos also outlined coronavirus problems that specific states are facing.
In South Carolina, the test-positivity rate is above 15% and rising, the memos said.
Charleston, Horry and Greenville counties reported the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks, representing 38.4% of new cases in the state, the memo said.
In the Las Vegas, Nevada, area, fatalities are on the rise, particularly among residents older than 65 with underlying health conditions, the memos said.
Out of 38 acute-care hospitals, six reported experiencing critical staffing shortages, while another six hospitals anticipate critical staffing shortages in the next week, the memos said.
Louisiana is experiencing "broad community spread" across the state. East Baton Rouge, Calcasieu and Jefferson parishes had the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks and represent 26.5% of new cases, the memos said.
Lafayette and Lake Charles are reporting a significant lack of testing supplies, the memos said.
8:25 a.m.: CDC director 'absolutely' would send his grandkids back to school
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), called masks the "most powerful tool" against the coronavirus.
"This is the greatest public health crisis that our nation has faced in more than a century," Redfield told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "If all Americans would embrace that [masks] as part of their personal responsibility to confront this outbreak, we could actually have a very significant impact on the outbreak that we're seeing across the country in the next four, six, eight, 10, 12 weeks."
But when it comes to the idea of a national mask mandate, Redfield said, "the issue is how to motivate all Americans to do that."
"Some governors have done it, obviously with mandates. Other governors have done it through example. I think our key is just to let the American public know how important this is," he said.
As the new school year nears, Redfield said he would "absolutely" be comfortable with his grandchildren heading back to their classrooms. Redfield added he only may have "some reservation" about his grandson with cystic fibrosis, "depending on how he could be accommodated in the school."
"I think it's really important to get our schools open," he said. "It's not public health versus opening the schools or the economy -- it's public health versus public health. I think there really are a number of negative public health consequences that have happened to our K-12 [students] by having schools closed."
"So it's so important now to work together with school districts to figure out how they can take our guidelines and operationalize them in a practical way and to do it in a way that is safe," he continued.
5:11 a.m.: France says it has 208 active clusters of COVID-19 across the country
France has 208 currently active coronavirus outbreaks as of Tuesday, according to the General Directorate of Health, which notes that "the circulation of the virus is increasing."
Since May 9, 547 grouped cases -- or clusters -- have been detected but 339 have been closed, said the Directorate General of Health.
At least 6,482 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, including 455 patients in intensive care.
Just four regions in the country -- Ile de France, Grand-Est, Hauts-de-France and Guyana -- account for 70% of patients in intensive care.
Elsewhere, in overseas territories owned by France, there are a total of 202 hospitalizations, including 34 in intensive care.
Since the start of the pandemic, 106,296 people have been hospitalized in the country and 79,734 people have returned home.
A total of 30,165 people have died so far in France, including 19,649 people in hospitals and 10,516 in nursing and care homes.
4:50 a.m.: Prime Minister hopes Russian coronavirus vaccine will be available in fall
The Russian authorities are hoping to receive a reliable domestic coronavirus vaccine in the fall, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.
"I do hope that we will receive our own Russian reliable vaccine against coronavirus in the fall," Mishustin said in the State Duma on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the number of reported new infections in the country remained below 6,000 for the third day in a row.
Russia confirmed 5,862 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the country's official number of cases to 789,190.
Over the past 24 hours 165 people have died, making the total death toll in the country 12,745.
A total of 9,669 people recovered over the last 24 hours, which brought the overall number of recoveries to 572,053.
2:10 a.m.: RNC attendees in Jacksonville to take 'in-home' tests before event, no commitment to requiring masks
Almost a month before Republicans are set to gather in Jacksonville, Florida, for President Donald Trump's second nomination, the Republican National Committee outlined in more detail the safety procedures that will be in place.
Convention-goers are expected to take an "in-home COVID-19 test" before the gatherings in either Charlotte or Jacksonville, paid for by the Republican National Committee, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.
The Jacksonville-based event will be spread across indoor and outdoor venues, the memo says, with planners set to use venues including Daily's Place Flex Field, TIAA Bank Field and Daily's Place Amphitheater.
The party is also preparing for a smaller-scale gathering, with organizers cutting back the number of attendees by limiting the attendance of alternate delegates and guests of delegates in Jacksonville.
On the night of Trump's anticipated speech, which is slated for Thursday, guests of alternative delegates won't be permitted inside the convention venue. On-site in Jacksonville, various health and safety precautions will be in-place and will "include, but are not limited to, on-site temperature checks, available PPE, and aggressive sanitizing protocols, and available COVID-19 testing," according to the memo.
But still, Republicans did not commit to requiring masks at the convention and there was no mention of social distancing throughout the nine-page memo.
"We will follow the local and state health guidelines in place at the time of the convention," the memo reads.
12:26 a.m.: 59 NFL players test positive for COVID-19
The NFL announced on Tuesday that 59 players have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the NFL and the NFLPA announced Monday that they had agreed on COVID-19 testing protocols. Players and team personnel will be tested every day for the first two weeks of training camp, then every other day, as long as their team's positive test rate is and remains under 5%.
New symptom-based testing guidelines from the league were updated on July 17.
If and when NFL training camps open next week, as currently scheduled, teams' rosters will include a maximum of 80 players, as opposed to the usual 90, in an effort to help enforce social distancing measures in team facilities. This is according to sources who were on an NFLPA players call Tuesday night discussing details of the league's latest proposal on coronavirus protocols.
Sources also said the NFL and the union officially agreed Tuesday to the league's plan to drop all preseason games for the 2020 season. The agreement came a day after the league offered to the union to play no preseason games this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thus, with Tuesday's developments, the league and the players' union are inching closer to an agreement on rules that will govern training camp and the season under these difficult circumstances. Weeks of negotiations seem to be coming to a head, as sources who were on the players' call Tuesday night said there has been agreement on several issues but work remains to be done on others.
A major issue reportedly concerning players right now is the procedure under which they can opt out of the 2020 season if they are in a high-risk category or they're simply not comfortable playing amid the pandemic.
One source said the league has offered to give stipends -- $250,000 for active roster and $100,000 for practice squad -- to players who opt out because they're in high-risk categories but nothing for players who opt out voluntarily.
The source said the league's proposal would be that players who opt out would have their contracts "toll" -- meaning just slide back a year and pick up next year where they are now -- but that the teams would in the meantime retain whatever rights they had to release or trade those players under their current contracts.
The players are seeking better protections due to the unprecedented circumstances.
