July 6, 2020

'Trump is in a dreamland': what the US should do now on Covid-19

(Guardian UK) Donald Trump delivered much-needed good news to the American people this week. Coronavirus, he told Fox Business, was “just going to disappear”.

The US president didn’t specify when this vanishing act would take place. One thing is certain, though: it’s not now.

The virus is spreading through a vast area of the American hinterland at a speed not seen since the pandemic began. Across the south and west, and even into California, which had been considered a shining light in its handling of Covid-19, alarm bells are ringing once again.

Hospitals are filling up, ICUs reaching capacity, protective gear falling short. It’s like April all over again, with the ominous difference that this time many Americans are fed up with lockdowns and, with Trump’s warm encouragement, spurning social distancing and masks. ...........(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/05/coronavirus-us-surge-experts-what-to-do

July 5, 2020

Great Lakes temps rise amid summer heat wave

(Detroit News) As Michigan basks in summer heat this month, the Great Lakes also are warming up faster than usual, researchers say.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory predict the water temperatures “rising a few degrees” in early July.

According to the group’s Great Lakes Forecasting System, the average lake-wide surface temperature on Thursday for Lake Superior was 58.23 degrees Fahrenheit, while Huron notched 67.39.

Michigan was 69.77, Erie hit 74.19 and Ontario climbed to 66.58. Readings for Lake St. Clair were not listed or available on the website.

A year earlier, the average temperatures were about 51 for Superior; Huron, 61; Michigan, 65; Erie, 72; and Ontario, 64. ..............(more)

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/07/04/great-lakes-temps-rise-amid-summer-heat-wave/5369227002/

July 5, 2020

Woman falls to death at Grand Canyon after hiking off trail, taking photos

PHOENIX – The body of a 59-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona woman who park officials say accidentally stepped off the rim at the Grand Canyon was recovered Friday afternoon.

Maria A. Salgado Lopez was hiking off-trail and taking photographs with family when she fell from the rim west of Mather Point, park officials said.

The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report about the incident just after 12:30 p.m. Friday. Responding rangers found Lopez's body approximately 100 feet below the rim. .......(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/04/arizona-woman-falls-death-grand-canyon-after-hiking-off-trail/5377310002/

July 4, 2020

How California Went From Coronavirus Success to Hotspot in Just 5 Weeks

(Time) Heading into Memorial Day weekend, California’s mood was celebratory. The state had avoided dire predictions of a coronavirus surge, hospitalizations were starting to decline and restaurants and most other businesses had reopened.

As July 4th approaches, the mood has soured. Infection rates and hospitalizations are rising fast. Most bars have been ordered closed along with inside dining at restaurants. Many beaches are off-limits or have restrictions to limit crowds. Fireworks shows are canceled and Gov. Gavin Newsom is imploring residents to avoid the holiday tradition of backyard barbecues and other gatherings of relatives and friends.

In about five weeks, the nation’s most populous state went from success story to cautionary tale. Health experts say no single thing went wrong, but contributing factors included a populace made complacent by a long stretch of positive trends, the rapid reopening of businesses, a confusing patchwork of local rules and enforcement, and Newsom’s late adoption of a mandatory mask rule, on June 18.

“On Memorial Day, why did we just unleash the floodgates without a statewide mask order in place? I wish I had an answer to that, and it’s alarming to us,” said Stephanie Roberson, government relations director for the California Nurses Association. ..........(more)

https://time.com/5862653/california-coronavirus-hotspot/

July 4, 2020

Sanjay Gupta: America, I hoped never to have this conversation

(CNN) Back in the middle of May, I wrote an essay titled "If the United States were my patient," pondering what it would be like if the United States were a flesh-and-blood person who had gotten sick with an ongoing infection.

Seven weeks later, as we approach the patient's birthday -- July 4th -- I thought it would be a good time to check in and see how the patient's doing.

It turns out the answer is: not well at all.

In fact, with daily infection rates breaking records on many days during the last couple of weeks, we are arguably worse off today than at any point earlier in the pandemic. Consider: This week, 15 states saw their highest seven-day averages, and the country is seeing around 50,000 new cases a day. We have less than 5% of the global population, but about 25% of coronavirus cases and deaths. Several states, including Texas and Arizona, are on the verge of having recently infected patients overwhelm hospital capacity. .............(more)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/03/health/covid-patient-fourth-of-july/index.html

July 4, 2020

Scuba diver killed in Australia shark attack

A 20-year-old scuba diver died Saturday after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Australia's Queensland state, authorities said.

The man was attacked at around 2 p.m. near Fraser Island. Paramedics who arrived by helicopter provided emergency treatment, but the man, who had been bitten around the legs, could not be saved and died at the scene, said the Queensland Ambulance Service.

The attack happened near Indian Heads, not far from where 23-year-old Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba was fatally mauled by a great white shark in April. ..........(more)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-shark-attack-1.5637688

July 4, 2020

Swiss zookeeper dies after tiger attack inside enclosure

A 55-year-old keeper at Zurich's zoo was killed by one of the park's Siberian tigers, officials in the Swiss city said Saturday

Horrified visitors raised the alarm after seeing the tiger attack the female keeper inside the big cat enclosure shortly after 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) Saturday, prompting staff members to rush to her aid.

They were able to lure the Siberian tiger, named Irina, away from their colleague and out of the enclosure while first responders tried to revive the injured keeper.

“Sadly all help came too late. The woman died at the scene,” Zurich police spokeswoman Judith Hoedl said. ..............(more)

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/swiss-zookeeper-dies-tiger-attack-inside-enclosure-71611112

July 4, 2020

Fearful and frugal: Coronavirus wreaks havoc on America's shopping psyche

Fearful and frugal: Coronavirus wreaks havoc on America's shopping psyche


As the U.S. reopens, Americans aren't much interested in going out and spending.

A survey of 2,200 U.S. adults shows how Covid-19 has dramatically changed behavior in the world's biggest economy, potentially for the long haul. The data flashes warning signs for the recovery, showing waning interest in public events and material things, like appliances and clothes, and a new austerity, expressed through pantry stockpiling and delayed big-ticket purchases.

This foreshadows an era of fear and frugality that could push a full economic rebound-one that Washington and Wall Street are banking on-out of reach. The data also raises doubts about how much rising consumer confidence will translate into spending, on which the economy heavily relies. And this survey, polled last weekend, doesn't account for the past week when a spike in cases stalled reopenings in several states, potentially deepening the pandemic's behavioral impact.

"People are generally expressing that they'll do certain things less, or at home, on their own," said Victoria Sakal, managing director of brand intelligence at Morning Consult, Bloomberg News's partner on the survey taken the last weekend of June. "There's also a health component to how safe, comfortable and protected people feel." .............(more)

https://www.chron.com/business/article/Fearful-and-frugal-Coronavirus-wreaks-havoc-on-15386037.php

July 4, 2020

Republican internal polling signals a Democratic rout

(CNN) Whenever I hear an operative complain about public polling, I have just one thing to say: Put up or shut up. Release your own numbers that show the race in a different place than the public polling, or let the public polling stand. This is especially true in House races, where public polling is limited and there's a real chance to shape the conventional wisdom.

Perhaps, it's not surprising then that when one party puts out a lot more internal polls than normal, it is good for their side. Parties tend to release good polling when they have it. Since 2004, there has been a near perfect correlation (+0.96 on a scale from -1 to +1) between the share of partisan polls released by the Democrats and the November results.

Right now, Democrats and liberal groups are releasing a lot more surveys than Republicans, which suggests the public polling showing Democrats doing well is backed up by what the parties are seeing in their own numbers.

Democratic and liberal aligned groups have put out 17 House polls taken in April or later. Republican aligned groups have put out 0. That's a very bad ratio for Republicans.
Interestingly, Republicans were the ones dominating the polling landscape in the first quarter of the year. From January through March, Republican and conservative groups released 10 polls compared with the Democrats' 2. ...........(more)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/04/politics/partisan-polls-analysis/index.html

July 4, 2020

2 Texas counties urge residents to shelter in place as hospitals reach capacity

(CNN)Hospitals in at least two Texas counties are at full capacity heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with county judges urging residents to shelter in place.

Judges in Starr and Hidalgo counties sent out emergency alerts Friday, warning residents that local hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were at capacity.

Judge Eloy Vera said there have been 18 deaths in Starr County due to Covid-19 and two severely ill patients had to be flown out of the area for treatment. One of the patients was taken to San Antonio and the other to Dallas, the judge said in the post on Facebook. .......(more)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/04/us/texas-hospitals-coronavirus/index.html