There are currently 9,121,337 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, around the world and 2,312,302 confirmed cases across the country. The global total number of deaths stands at 472,683, and the United States’ at 120,402. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University has been keeping up-to-date information through an interactive map.
As of Tuesday morning, Virginia had 58,465 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 5,869 people hospitalized, 1,620 deaths and 555,607 people tested. Fairfax has the highest total number of cases, with 13,499 to date, with 1,563 hospitalized and 438 deaths. Arlington has reported 2,424 cases with 412 hospitalized and 126 deaths. Alexandria has 2,236 cases with 231 hospitalized and 49 deaths. Loudoun County has 3,612 cases with 255 hospitalized and 84 deaths and Prince William County has 8,684 cases (including Manassas and Manassas City), with 763 hospitalized and 154 deaths. You can keep up with the commonwealth’s daily updates here. (Virginia Department of Health)
Regional
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, tallied in at 133,126 in the DMV on Tuesday morning. Maryland reported 64,603 cases, Virginia reported 58,465 and Washington, DC reported 10,058. The death toll has reached a total of 5,100, with 2,945 in Maryland, 1,620 in Virginia and 535 in DC. (Virginia Department of Health; Maryland Department of Health; Stay Home DC!)
Local
WMATA is reopening 15 stations as coronavirus restrictions are being lifted across the region and around the U.S. The changes are a sudden switch from what was originally expected in the organization’s pandemic plan, where Metro didn’t expect to ramp up service until fall and children started returning back to school. The following stations will be reopening on Sunday, June 28: Federal Center Southwest, Federal Triangle, Mount Vernon Square, Judiciary Square, Archives, Smithsonian, Eisenhower Avenue, Virginia Square, Van Dorn Street, Clarendon, Cleveland Park, Grosvenor-Strathmore, Cheverly, College Park and Morgan Boulevard. (The Washington Post)
Statewide
After several months of having to cancel and postpone elective surgeries, Virginia hospitals could see losses of up to $3.6 billion this year. On Monday, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association said hospitals across the state were seeing a collective net revenue loss of $25 million a day. “Freeing up those beds and canceling those non-emergency procedures meant a significant loss of revenue,” said Julian Walker, VHHA spokesperson. “Now, many people are putting off necessary care.” (WUSA9)
National
President Trump is expanding earlier restrictions on work visas and U.S. immigration after making a proclamation on Monday. The ban expands restrictions made earlier this year to include work visas that many companies use (especially those in the technology sector), landscaping services and the forestry industry. “It excludes agricultural laborers, health-care professionals supporting the pandemic response and food-service employees, along with some other temporary workers. The restrictions will prevent foreign workers from filling 525,000 jobs, according to the administration’s estimates. The measures will apply only to applicants seeking to come to the United States, not workers who already are on U.S. soil,” reported The Washington Post. The White House says the expansion will protect U.S. workers from job losses during the coronavirus pandemic. (The Washington Post)
National
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will return to Capitol Hill today to testify before a House committee, alongside the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the top official at the Department of Health and Human Services. (The Washington Post)
National
Major League Baseball could still be returning (with the reigning World Series Champion Washington Nationals) as the organization is set to announce a potential schedule in the coming weeks. The season’s delay, as well as deals with the player’s union, have made scheduling and executing a new season nearly impossible, with lack of agreements about the end of the season (projected on Sunday, Sept. 27), how many games should be played, the existence or not of postseason playoffs and more. So for now, fans are still left to wait. (The Washington Post)
National
Georgia infections have reached a new peak, where a seven-day average of cases has been trending upward since the beginning of June, and it reached its highest total yet on Monday. The state was one of the first to begin reopening in April, but now in the past week, 1,073 Georgia residents were confirmed to have contracted the virus, with almost 66,000 having been infected across the state, and 2,600 lives lost. (The Washington Post)
National
Los Angeles International Airport is testing a new screening process amidst the pandemic, which tracks and monitors passengers and guests before security checkpoints. The pilot program uses cameras to flag travelers with potential fevers, a symptom of the novel coronavirus. Those who show an elevated temperature—above 100.4 degrees—will be pulled aside for a secondary screening to confirm. The pilot program is voluntary and passengers who are tested (even if they are found to have an increased temperature) will not be stopped from traveling. (The Washington Post)
National
Thousands of Disney World employees have signed a petition to call for the delaying of the park’s reopening, as Florida sees a record number of confirmed coronavirus cases. The petition has gathered 4,000 signatures (only a small portion of the park’s 78,000 workers), to delay the reopening beyond the proposed July 11 date. At Disneyland in California, workers have gathered 45,000 signatures on their own petition, calling for the amusement park to delay its reopening as well. (The Washington Post)
National
According to a new study written by researchers at Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania, large colleges and universities are going to need to make some big changes if they plan to welcome students back to campus this fall. Schools should plan for widespread testing, limited class sizes, mandated mask-wearing and limited social interaction outside of classes, and professors should prepare for students who could potentially test positive for the virus and not be able to attend classes. (The Washington Post)
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