COVID-19 Pandemic Update: California Suffers Fewest COVID-19 Cases Since June; Texas Positivity Rate Climbs For 3rd Day

Summary:

• Global COVID outbreak slowest spread in 3 weeks
• Texas positivity rate climbs for 3rd day
• California cases fall to the lowest since June
• Novavax vaccine trial data shows strong antibody response
• NYC health chief quits in a major blow to de Blasio
• 45 Florida hospitals see ICUs hit capacity
• Poland weighs lockdown after another record COVID reading
• UCLA releases plans for fall
• Global death toll nears 700,000
• US deaths finally start to edge lower
• Hong Kong extends lockdown measures, builds temporary hospitals
• Tokyo reports 300+ new cases
• India reports more than 50,000 new cases
• China reports 36 new cases
• The Philippines suffers another record jump in new cases
• RI added to tri-state quarantine list, visitors from Rhode Island, must quarantine for 14 days when traveling to the state, or risk stiff fines
• There are now 35 states and territories on the list (including Puerto Rico). Delaware and Washington DC, both previously on the list, were taken off. NY and NJ are also adding RI to their lists. States listed typically have a positivity rate of higher than 10% over a 7-day rolling average. Here’s the full quarantine list, as of Aug. 4:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• Nevada
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin