The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: The Hill’s Reid Wilson says political winners are governors who listened to scientists and public health experts; 12 states record new highs for seven-day case averages
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY
> Is coronavirus airborne? 239 scientists argue it is, push WHO to give more weight to airborne spread of virus
> Seven-day case averages in 12 states hit new highs Sunday; Texas mayors warn of overwhelmed health care system; Florida surpasses 200,000 cases
> White House rejects national mask mandate, Meadows says Trump sees issue as ‘state-to-state’ matter
> FDA chief refuses to defend Trump’s rally claim, says surge in cases is ‘serious problem’
> Congress departs for two-week recess without addressing coronavirus spikes, economic distress throughout country
> Majority of Americans concerned about lack of social distancing, according to new poll
> Federal workforce heads back to the office
> China moves to prevent future zoonotic disease spread
> The Louvre reopens, with considerably fewer tourists
> The Hill’s Reid Wilson says political winners are governors who listened to scientists and public health experts as other states see new cases surge
THE INTERVIEW
Reid Wilson, National Correspondent, The Hill
The Hill’s Reid Wilson says political winners are governors who listened to scientists and public health experts; smart states and smart cities are the ones building contact tracing armies.
Watch the full interview here.
THE HILL’S CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Welcome to The Hill’s Coronavirus Report. It’s Monday, July 6.
Editor’s Note.
Today, I spoke with my colleague Reid Wilson, national correspondent for The Hill and author of the very relevant, compelling 2018 book, “Epidemic: Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak.” I interviewed him for my daily interview, and I wanted to share something he said that captures exactly what I’m thinking at the moment about Republican leadership in the COVID-19 era. While many GOP leaders have made a political issue out of lockdowns and masks, Reid noted that several Republicans governors are instead embracing recommendations from public health experts.
Wilson: I’ll talk about three Republican governors who are doing an excellent job, who are maintaining the lockdowns and therefore seeing their case numbers collapse and getting this virus under control. Gov. Larry Hogan in Maryland, Gov. Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Gov. Chris Sununu in New Hampshire have all done an excellent job, and their case counts are very low and trending downward. Excellent news all across the country. The losers are us. The losers are the people who are still vulnerable to this virus, who are still suffering through not just the potential for becoming infected, but for the economic crisis that continues. Let’s be very clear here. This is something that public health experts and economists agree on across the board: You cannot solve the economic crisis until you solve the public health crisis.
That’s completely right. “You cannot solve the economic crisis until you solve the public health crisis.” This is not a chicken-and-egg problem. Public health has to come first.
— Steve Clemons
Your Coronavirus Report team includes Steve Clemons, editor-at-large of The Hill, and researcher Andrew Wargofchik. Follow us on Twitter at @SCClemons and @a_wargofchik.
Click here to subscribe to The Hill’s Coronavirus Report
Click here to subscribe to our Overnight Healthcare Newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things coronavirus
THE HILL ‘VIRTUALLY’ LIVE
July 9, 2020 | Health Reimagined: The Future of Healthcare
On Thursday, July 9, The Hill Virtually Live hosts Health Reimagined: The Future of Healthcare. We will be bringing thoughtful leaders from across the public and private sector together to talk about lessons from the pandemic, medical breakthroughs, treatments and cures, and eliminating racial disparities. Anthony Fauci, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Patrice Harris and more join Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons. Register Now!
CLICK HERE to register and view our lineup of speakers. Tweet us @TheHillEvents using #TheHillHealth
CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
There are 11,495,412 reported cases of COVID-19 throughout the world and 535,185 deaths as of the time of this newsletter.
The U.S. is reporting 2,897,613 cases and 130,007 deaths. Brazil 1,603,055 cases. India has overtaken Russia for the third-most cases in the world and is now reporting 697,413 cases. Russia 686,777. Peru 302,718. Chile 295,557. U.K. 287,290. Mexico 256,848. Spain 250,545. Iran 243,051. Italy 241,819. Pakistan 231,818. Saudi Arabia 213,716.
Elsewhere throughout the world:
> Australian officials will close the border Tuesday between the country’s two largest states amid surging coronavirus cases in Melbourne, its second-largest city.
> Iran, an early global epicenter of the coronavirus, made wearing masks mandatory on Sunday as cases surge again.
> About 270,000 people in Spain have reentered lockdown, after the country ended its state of emergency on June 21.
> Officials in India postponed the reopening of the Taj Mahal this week.
> Pakistan’s health minister says he has tested positive for the virus.
New York is reporting 397,131 cases. California 264,812. Florida 206,447. Texas 194,932. New Jersey 173,402. Illinois 147,251. Massachusetts 109,974. Arizona 98,103. Georgia 95,516. Pennsylvania 94,855. North Carolina 73,559. Michigan 72,941. Maryland 69,904.
Here at home:
> Seven-day case averages in a dozen states hit new highs Sunday, with the most significant upticks reported in West Virginia, Tennessee and Montana.
> Arizona and Nevada reported their highest numbers of coronavirus-related hospitalizations to date on Sunday.
> More than 2,000 new cases were reported over the weekend in Texas as the mayors of Houston and Austin warn that their cities’ health care systems could soon become overwhelmed.
> Florida has surpassed 200,000 total cases.
The U.S. is reporting the results of 35,512,916 COVID-19 tests and 906,763 have reportedly recovered.
WASHINGTON WATCH
White House chief of staff dismisses need for federal mandate on masks. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Monday that a national mandate requiring Americans to wear masks was “not in order” as coronavirus cases rise in a number of states. Meadows told “Fox & Friends” that the decision to require masks is a “state-to-state issue” and echoed President Trump in attributing the rise in coronavirus cases, in part, to increased testing capacity. (The Hill)
FDA chief on Trump’s inaccurate coronavirus claim: ‘Not going to get into who’s right and who is wrong.’ Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, declined Sunday to defend or criticize President Trump’s inaccurate claim that 99 percent of COVID-19 cases “are totally harmless.” Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Hahn, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said he was “not going to get into who’s right and who is wrong” when pressed repeatedly about Trump’s comments Saturday. But he called the virus and recent surge in cases “a serious problem that we have.” (NBC News)
Congress departs for two-week recess without addressing coronavirus spikes, economic strains. The House and Senate have adjourned for a two-week recess without addressing the alarming new rise in coronavirus infections, setting up an intense struggle when they return over what might be the final major relief package for the pandemic. Ignoring Democrats’ demands for immediate action, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused on other issues in recent weeks, such as an annual defense policy bill and confirming President Trump’s nominees. (The Washington Post)
Federal workers in the U.S. are returning to their offices. As virus cases increase around the United States, some of the federal government’s 2.1 million employees are heading back to their offices in one of the few regions where confirmed infections continue to decline: the nation’s capital. (The New York Times)
LAWMAKERS TWEET
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
@SenDuckworth We’re still in the middle of the #COVID19 pandemic and we need to be looking out for moms and dads who are working and trying to homeschool their kids. I’m living this reality every day. In the next #COVID19 relief bill, we need child care for all Americans.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine)
@SenAngusKing Do your part – wear a mask.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)
@ChrisCoons Good news for Delaware small businesses: This weekend, the President signed a bill I cosponsored to extend PPP and continue sending forgivable loans to businesses who’ve been impacted by the pandemic. Now, your small business or nonprofit has until August 8 to apply!
ACROSS THE NATION
More Americans concerned about lack of social distancing: poll. A majority of Americans for the first time said in a new survey that they are concerned about a lack of social distancing in their area, according to Gallup. The survey, taken from June 22-28, found that 54 percent of respondents said they are now concerned. The level of concern reached a low of 41 percent in late May and percentages hovered in the 40s most of April and May, Gallup noted. (The Hill)
Four Tampa-area hospitals at maximum ICU capacity. Four hospitals in the Tampa area were at maximum intensive care unit capacity over the weekend as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida continued to spike. Florida reported 11,458 new coronavirus cases Saturday, shattering the single-day record the state set for new cases on Thursday. The state reported 10,059 additional new cases on Sunday, bringing the total statewide to 200,111 coronavirus cases and 3,731 deaths, based on data reported by the department of health. (The Hill)
Outlook worsens in parts of the U.S. as July begins with a crush of cases. July in America is off to a miserable start. Over the month’s first five days, the United States reported its three largest daily case totals. Fourteen states recorded single-day highs. In all, more than 250,000 new cases were announced nationwide, the equivalent of every person in Reno, Nevada, catching the virus in less than a week. (New York Times)
WORLD VIEW
After the coronavirus, China moves to kick its exotic meat habit. As the world struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic, China is clamping down on the sale of wildlife for human consumption amid concerns about another outbreak of a zoonotic disease. What began as a temporary ban to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is making legislative leaps to a broader ban on the practice — a move international public health and wildlife experts have been urging for years. (NBC News)
The Louvre reopens, with considerably fewer tourists. The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, reopened on Monday, ending a 16-week coronavirus shutdown that resulted in a loss of more than 40 million euros, or about $45 million, in ticket sales. (The New York Times)
SCIENCE
239 scientists with one big claim: The coronavirus is airborne. The World Health Organization has long held that the coronavirus is spread primarily by large respiratory droplets that, once expelled by infected people in coughs and sneezes, fall quickly to the floor. But in an open letter to the WHO, 239 scientists in 32 countries have outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people, and are calling for the agency to revise its recommendations. (The New York Times)
Regeneron begins coronavirus antibody cocktail late-stage trial. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said it launched late-stage clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of its antibody cocktail in preventing and treating COVID-19, Reuters reported. The company’s joint trial with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will test the therapy’s ability to prevent infection in those who have had close exposure to a COVID-19 patient. (CNBC)
BUSINESS
Markets soar, even as coronavirus cases explode. U.S. stock markets on Monday opened to significant gains even as coronavirus cases continued to break records through the holiday weekend. (The Hill)
Uber acquires Postmates in major food delivery shake-up. Uber is acquiring food delivery app Postmates, a major coup for the ride-hailing company as it aggressively expands its second largest business offering, Uber Eats, amid a global pandemic that has cut sharply into trip revenue. The $2.65 billion all-stock deal announced Monday reduces the industry to three major competitors: Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub. (The Washington Post)
ISSUES, CAUSES, PASSIONS
The coronavirus-climate-air conditioning nexus. This summer, America will be hemmed in by a climate emergency on one hand and a continuing deadly pandemic on the other. Meanwhile, humming away in the background, aggravating our plight, will be that longtime summer friend: air conditioning. (Stan Cox for The Hill)
GENEROUS SPIRITS
Royals celebrate NHS as British lockdown restrictions end. On Sunday, Britain’s National Health Service celebrated its 72nd birthday, and with its workers continuing to serve as front-line heroes during the coronavirus pandemic, the royal family ensured this birthday celebration was a big one. The Queen gave her blessing for Windsor Castle to be lit up in blue, while William and Kate (both dressed in blue) spent Sunday visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Queen’s Lynn, near their home in Norfolk. (Vanity Fair)
ICYMI: STEVE’S INTERVIEWS, 15 MINUTES EACH
> Steve interviews Rep. MARK TAKANO (D-Calif.)
> Steve interviews Sen. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.)
> Steve interviews Rep. RODNEY DAVIS (R-Ill.)
Watch all Coronavirus Report interviews here.
YOUR WORLD, YOUR STORIES
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Send to YourStories@TheHill.com. Our thoughts are with you, our readers, and we hope and trust that no matter the weight of burdens on you now — and it’s not a good story for everyone we know — that we all stand together, resilient and confident, on the other side of this. There will be another side.
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