Florida reported a record-high 156 new coronavirus deaths overnight, breaking its previous record of 132 deaths set only one day ago.
State health officials on Thursday also reported 13,965 new cases overnight, bringing the statewide numbers up to 315,775 cases. A total of 19,825 hospital admissions were reported, up from Wednesday’s 19,334, and a total of 4,677 deaths, up from 4,521 reported on Wednesday.
Also Thursday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he will meet with business leaders Friday to determine whether to shut down the city in the wake of rising coronavirus cases and deaths.
With Florida’s significant increases in confirmed cases, Jacksonville instituting a face-covering mandate and the state limiting gatherings to 50% of a venue’s capacity, the Republican National Committee is sharply restricting attendance on three of the four nights of its convention next month, as it looks for ways to move forward with the event while coronavirus cases are spiking in the state.
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RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a letter to RNC members that only the roughly 2,500 regular delegates to the convention would be permitted to attend the opening three nights of the convention. Delegates, their guests and alternate delegates would be permitted to attend the final night, Aug. 27, when President Donald Trump is set to deliver his acceptance speech.
The move comes after the GOP was forced to move most of the convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, after local officials ruled out a full-capacity crowd amid the pandemic.
“When we made these changes, we had hoped to be able to plan a traditional convention celebration to which we are all accustomed,” McDaniel said. “However, adjustments must be made to comply with state and local health guidelines.”
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday -- as the shots are poised to begin key final testing.
“No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press.
The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step about July 27: a 30,000-person study to prove if the shots really are strong enough to protect against the coronavirus.
But Tuesday, researchers reported anxiously awaited findings from the first 45 volunteers who rolled up their sleeves back in March. Sure enough, the vaccine provided a hoped-for immune boost.
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