BEIJING - Beijing’s main international airport on Thursday began again receiving international flights from a limited number of countries considered at low risk of coronavirus infection.
Passengers flying in from Cambodia, Greece, Denmark, Thailand, Pakistan, Austria, Canada and Sweden, must have first shown a negative nucleic acid test for coronavirus before boarding, city government spokesperson Xu Hejian told reporters.
Passenger arrivals will be limited to roughly 500 per day during an initial trial period and all will need to undergo additional testing for the virus on arrival, followed by two weeks of quarantine. The first flight under the new arrangement, Air China CA746, arrived from Pnom Penh, Cambodia just before 7:00 a.m.
Beginning in March, all international flights to Beijing had been redirected to a dozen other cities where passengers were tested and processed before being allowed to travel on to the Chinese capital.
China has gone weeks without new cases of local infection and on Thursday recorded 11 cases brought from outside the country. China has recorded a total of 4,634 deaths from COVID-19 among 85,077 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, sparking the global pandemic.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
- Italy’s ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi tests positive for virus
- Depression, anxiety spike amid outbreak and turbulent times
- Business owners tap into savings to withstand pandemic
- Health departments say they lack the staff, money and tools to distribute, administer and track millions of vaccines, most of which will require two doses, when a vaccine becomes available.
- The U. S. federal budget deficit is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion due to COVID-19 costs and the recession.
- The Venice Film Festival opened with coronavirus protection protocols, few A-list celebrities and fewer fans on the premises.
- Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LOS ANGELES — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he and his family tested positive for the coronavirus.
Johnson announced their diagnosis in an 11-plus minute video on Instagram on Wednesday.
The actor says he was shocked after hearing their positive tests. He called the ordeal “one of the most challenging and difficult things we’ve had ever to endure.”
The actor said he along with wife, Lauren Hashian, and two young daughters contracted the virus, but have now recovered.
He says his daughters “bounced back” after having sore throats for a couple days. But for Johnson and his wife, he says they both had a “rough go.”
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SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University has halted in-person classes for a month after dozens of students were infected with the coronavirus.
The school announced Wednesday that about 200 course offerings, some of them lab classes, will move to virtual learning. On-campus housing will remain open.
San Diego County health officials say there have been 64 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 among SDSU students since classes resumed last week. Some, but not all, of the infections were linked to other cases at the university. Some involve students who live off-campus.
California State university at Chico also halted classes this week.
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SANTA FE, N.M. — A top state health official is warning that COVID-19 infections are far more prevalent in low-income areas of the New Mexico, potentially straining Medicaid health care.
Human Services Secretary David Scrase said Wednesday that an analysis of infection rates by census tract shows that highly impoverished areas have infection rates seven times higher than the most affluent zones.
Scrase and Children Youth and Families Secretary Brian Blalock gave a briefing on public health trends and the state’s coronavirus response.
State health officials are wary that festivities over the Labor Day holiday weekend could lead to renewed surges in COVID-19 infections.
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URBANA, Ill. - The University of Illinois is ramping up enforcement of restrictions on student activity after more than 330 COVID-19 cases in two days on the school’s Urbana-Champaign campus, school officials said Wednesday.
In an email to students, Chancellor Robert Jones said he expects all undergraduates to “limit their in-person interactions to only the most essential activities” for the next two weeks starting Wednesday evening.
“These include things like taking twice weekly COVID-19 tests, attending class, purchasing groceries and food, going to work, engaging in individual outdoor activity, attending religious services and seeking medical attention,” Jones wrote.
The University of Illinois isn’t the only university in the state seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Illinois State University in Normal is reporting about 1,025 students have tested positive since the start of the fall semester two weeks ago, nearly 5% of the student body.
Since students returned to the Urbana-Champaign campus Aug. 16, more than 1,000 people on campus have tested positive. University officials say about 800 people are currently in quarantine.
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ATLANTA - With more than 3,000 public university students and employees across Georgia testing positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 1, some schools are taking action to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Georgia Tech is encouraging students to convert to single rooms, moving out roommates over coming weeks to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. Both Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia announced they are renting more off-campus rooms to isolate or quarantine students who have been infected or exposed to the virus.
The University of Georgia reported 821 new infections for the week ended Saturday, a number that President Jere Morehead said Wednesday is “concerning.” He urged students to “continue to make every effort to prioritize their health and safety by taking the proper steps to avoid exposure to this virus.
Around 4% of all cases recorded in Georgia in the last month have been associated with university campuses, according to figures kept by The Associated Press. The number could be higher because some schools, including the state’s largest - Georgia State University - are not posting full reports publicly.
The rising campus infection numbers come as new cases in the rest of Georgia decline. The total number of cases rose to near 275,000 Wednesday, according to state data, but the average number of cases has fallen below 2,000 a day.
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BATON ROUGE, La. - Advocates for Louisiana prisoners are calling for the state to select an independent health monitor to track the safety of inmates in the coronavirus outbreak. They also urged Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration to do more furloughs because of the health risks.
Lawmakers on the House criminal justice committee heard the suggestions Wednesday, but it was unclear if the recommendations would be followed.
A furlough program the Department of Corrections used earlier this year released only a few dozen people. It drew criticism that it did too little to lessen the spread of COVID-19 or help those most at risk of serious harm from the coronavirus illness.
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Early results from an experimental coronavirus vaccine show no major safety problems and suggest that it spurs the desired immune system responses, researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The U.S. government has awarded Novavax, a company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, $1.6 billion to help develop and make the vaccine, which is given as two shots, three weeks apart. It includes a protein from the coronavirus to prompt the immune system to make antibodies to fight infection.
The study tested two dose levels in 108 healthy people and compared responses to 23 others who got placebo shots. Most of those given vaccine also received an adjuvant — a substance often included in vaccines to boost the immune system’s response and stretch a limited supply.
The adjuvant seemed safe; those who got it with the lower dose made antibodies in far greater numbers than what’s typically seen in people recovering from natural infection with COVID-19, researchers reported.
The work was sponsored by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a nonprofit focused on increasing vaccine availability worldwide.
Three other experimental vaccines are in late-stage testing in the United States.
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PARIS - New daily coronavirus cases in France have tipped above 7,000 for the second time in five days. The daily count adds weight to French authorities’ worries about the virus spreading further as the nation’s schools reopened their doors on Tuesday and numerous businesses were following suit.
Wednesday’s daily count put new cases at just over 7,000, still below Friday’s count of more than 7,300. Health officials counted 43 new clusters in 24 hours.
The figures remain well under those at the peak of the pandemic that forced France into a strict two-month lockdown until mid-May.
Paris joined with some other cities in requiring everyone to wear masks outdoors and now also is requiring masks be worn in work places.
New cases began climbing again in France with the summer holidays. The coronavirus has killed more than 30,600 people in France.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month has died from COVID-19, Minnesota health officials reported on Wednesday.
The death is the first reported that is possibly linked to the biker rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people. Infections among rallygoers have been reported among 269 people in 12 states spanning coast to coast, according to a survey from the Associated Press.
The rally went forward despite fears it could become a super-spread event, with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem welcoming bikers and the tourist dollars they spend.
Rallygoers crowded into bars and rock shows, mostly ignoring social distancing recommendations. Few wore masks.
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TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University says some students living on the college campus will be moved to other residence halls for social distancing because of an increase in coronavirus cases.
The university says it wants to reduce the density in the dorms. There are 5,000 spaces available in the residence halls to begin shifting students housing arrangements, officials say.
The university reported 775 students and 28 faculty members tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, shortly after in-person classes started Aug. 20.
The state Department of Health Services on Wednesday reported 591 new coronavirus cases and 21 more deaths, raising the statewide totals to 202,861 cases and 5,065 confirmed deaths.
The seven-day rolling average of statewide cases dropped from 883 on Aug. 18 to 438 on Tuesday, while the average of daily deaths went from 47 to 42.
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UNITED NATIONS - The top U.N. official for Libya says the coronavirus pandemic “appears to be spiraling out of control” in the conflict-torn north African country.
Acting special representative Stephanie Williams told the U.N. Security Council the number of confirmed coronavirus cases “has more than doubled in the last two weeks, with 15,156 cases and 250 recorded deaths as at Sept. 1.”
She says the country is at “a critical juncture” and community transmission has been reported in Libya’s main cities, including Tripoli and Sebha.
Williams says constraints in dealing with the coronavirus include a shortage of medical supplies, workers and funding.
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas reported its largest single-day increase in deaths from the illness caused by the coronavirus on Wednesday.
The Department of Health reported 27 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the state’s total fatalities since the pandemic began to 841. Thirteen of the new deaths were late reports, with one of them dating back to May.
Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero also urged college students to avoid large parties and gatherings as the state continues to see a rise in campus cases.
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OKLAHOMA CITY - A face mask requirement in Oklahoma City has been extended by six weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The City Council voted to extend the mandate for masks worn indoors until Oct. 20. Oklahoma City had a reported 11,222 total virus cases as of Tuesday, the highest among cities in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
A similar mask ordinance in Tulsa will expire Nov. 30. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Tuesday that he won’t issue a statewide mask mandate.
The health department has confirmed 60,118 total virus cases and 821 deaths. That includes 719 cases and 12 deaths reported Tuesday.
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NEW YORK - Gyms in New York City can start reopening with a slew of virus-related restrictions, the latest step in a phased reopening.
Gym members must wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart. Gyms can only operate at one-third capacity and group fitness classes are not permitted.
Gyms in other parts of the state opened at restricted capacity on Aug. 24. New York City officials delayed the reopening until Sept. 2 so the health department could conduct safety inspections by video.
Indoor restaurant dining is still prohibited in the city. That’s resulted in more outdoor dining and extended fence-protected dining into the street.
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WICHITA, Kan. - The state’s largest school district in Wichita has overturned its decision to call off all fall sports and activities because of the coronavirus.
The Board of Education for the 50,000-student district reversed itself Tuesday after members were flooded with emails and phone calls that sports be held.
District schools will compete against each other during the regular season but would remain eligible for postseason play. Some of the state’s other large districts called off fall sports, including Shawnee Mission and Kansas City, Kansas. The Lawrence district is allowing sports and re-evaluate on Sept. 10.
Statewide, Kansas reported 1,328 coronavirus cases from Monday to Wednesday, bringing the state’s confirmed total to 43,940. That includes 15 sports clusters with 119 cases.
Health officials reported 12 deaths for a statewide confirmed toll of 458.
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ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey’s health ministry says the country is experiencing the second peak of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak and blamed gatherings at weddings and holidays.
Health minister Fahrettin Koca says the government has been advised to consider expanding restrictions imposed on social gatherings such as weddings, engagement parties and henna nights in more than a dozen provinces to the entire country.
The minister says nearly 30,000 health sectors workers have contracted the virus since the outbreak and 52 have died.
Koca says the capital Ankara has the highest active coronavirus cases, overtaking Istanbul. More than 273,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Turkey since March, including 1,596 in the last 24 hours.
Another 45 have died in the last day, bringing the confirmed total to 6,462.
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ROME - Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for the coronavirus after a precautionary check.
His press office says he’s currently isolated in his Arcore residence, near Milan. He’ll continue to work from there as he completes the necessary quarantine period.
The three-time-premier and media tycoon had been recently pictured with his friend and businessman Flavio Briatore, who was recently hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus last month. The 83-year-old Berlusconi had tested negative at the time.
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ROME - Italy registered a new surge in coronavirus infections, which rose by 1,326 on Wednesday.
That’s up from 978 a day before, according to the latest Health Ministry figures.
The data confirm the rising trend in new cases observed in the country over the past month, but also reflect the wider number of swab tests performed daily, which for the first time topped the 100,000 level. The testing reached almost 103,000 in the past 24 hours.
Italy now has 271,515 confirmed infections and 35,497 known deaths, including six in the last day.
Health experts are encouraging Italy to boost testing and tracing of contacts of the newly infected before schools open on Sept. 14.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The United Arab Emirates has reported 735 cases of coronavirus, the country’s highest one-day increase in over three months.
That brings the total number of recorded infections to 71,540 and 387 confirmed deaths. Students are returning to schools across the country for in-person instruction and tourists are trickling back to the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai.
The steadily rising infections have some concerned that authorities could reinstate lockdowns in parts of the country.
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