The world reached another milestone in the pandemic early Sunday morning. According to Johns Hopkins University’s tally, global deaths from coronavirus hit 400,000.
The United States’ death toll exceeded 112,000 on Sunday, as crowds in protests around the death of George Floyd and police brutality continue to expand. While cases are slowing in hot spots such as New York, the U.S. is still seeing roughly 20,000 new cases of coronavirus each day. Several states hit record high infections this weekend, including Texas, Utah, Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, and California.
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A survey taken by the Pew Research Center finds that Black Americans are showing a more intense interest in the pandemic compared to their white counterparts.
Twenty six percent of Blacks surveyed say they discuss the virus “almost all the time” with others, while only 10 percent of whites say the same. Forty-eight percent of Blacks also say they were closely following news about the local availability of coronavirus tests, compared to 25 percent of whites.
Although wearing protective eye coverings to ward off COVID-19 has not been recommended to the general public by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, evidence is growing that shows the virus can be transmitted through the eyes via droplets from coughing, sneezing and even yelling. Studies show that face shields, goggles and glasses were at a 6-16% lower risk of infection compared to no eye covering. [READ MORE]
Researchers are suggesting that those at high risk of contradicting the disease should wear eye protection in addition to practicing social distancing and wearing a nose and mouth covering.
As the U.S. meat industry struggles to contain COVID-19 outbreaks among employees at their facilities, Pacific Northwest seafood companies are experiencing the same just as harvest season has begun.
This week, Seattle-based American Seafoods confirmed that 92 crew from its American Dynasty ship had tested positive for COVID-19, nearly three-fourths of the 126 people onboard. American Seafoods is one of the biggest producers of Alaska pollock, which goes into products like McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches.
The Trump administration is now requiring that all labs include detailed demographic data when reporting coronavirus test results to the federal government. This data includes age, sex, race and ethnicity. The administration has faced criticism from public health experts for its failure to collect the crucial data used to provide adequate access to testing and treatment in African American and other minority communities. The requirement will go into effect on August 1.