May 16, 2020 - World

Churches, mosques and temples livestream religious services

Pope Francis livestreams his Sunday Angelus blessing from his private library in Vatican City on May 10. Photo: Vatican Media/Vatican Pool via Getty Images

Churches, mosques and temples around the world — including the Vatican — are continuing to livestream religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic, AP reports.

Zoom in: In the U.S., some pastors in Maryland and Virginia are hesitant to reopen their doors as states begin to relax stay-at-home orders, per the Washington Post.

What's happening: Jerusalem's Western Wall, Japan's Todaiji Buddhist temple and Vaishno Devi, a revered Hindu shrine in India, are all live-streaming prayers, AP reports.

  • In Texas, the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research is uploading YouTube videos, per AP, drawing 20 million views over the last six weeks.

The other side: Churches in Italy and Spain — two European countries with some of the highest known coronavirus death tolls in the world — have reopened as the countries continue phased economic reopenings.

Women pray in the church of San Policarpo in Rome's Tuscolano district on May 10. Photo: Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Getty Images
Priest Antonio Gomez gives the holy communion to worshippers at the San Miguel Basilica in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on May 11. Photo: Jaime Reina/AFP via Getty Images

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Axios
Updated Oct 7, 2020 - Health

World coronavirus updates

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

New Zealand now has active no coronavirus cases in the community after the final six people linked to the Auckland cluster recovered, the country's Health Ministry confirmed in an email Wednesday.

The big picture: The country's second outbreak won't officially be declared closed until there have been "no new cases for two incubation periods," the ministry said. Auckland will join the rest of NZ in enjoying no domestic restrictions from late Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, declaring that NZ had "beat the virus again."

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Orion Rummler
Updated Oct 19, 2020 - Health

8 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week

Data: Compiled by Axios; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

8 states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project (CTP) and state health departments. Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming surpassed records from the previous week.

Why it matters: Cases and hospitalizations are rising in Michigan, a state that initially fought the pandemic with strict mitigation efforts, alongside states that took less action against the spread of the virus this spring.

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Fadel Allassan
Updated Aug 24, 2020 - Health

Florida surpasses 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

Emergency at Coral Gables Hospital near Miami on July 30. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Florida's confirmed coronavirus cases exceeded 600,000 on Sunday, the state's health department data shows.

Why it matters: Florida joins California as the only two states to surpass this milestone. Texas, which is reporting the third-most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is not far behind, according to state figures and Johns Hopkins data. Florida has added over 100,000 cases since Aug. 5.

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