Jul 21, 2020 - Health

Texas judge issues shelter at home order for Hidalgo County

Medical workers from New York handle test samples in Houston, Texas on July 17. Photo: Go Nakamura/Getty Images

A judge in Hidalgo County, Texas ordered all county residents on Monday to shelter at home from Wednesday until midnight on August 5 due to rising coronavirus cases in the state.

Zoom in: Hidalgo County is reporting more coronavirus fatalities than all other counties outside of Harris, Dallas and Tarrant, but the the sixth-most coronavirus infections in the state, per Texas' health department.

Details: The order also issues a county-wide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for everyone over 18, unless residents are out for a medical emergency or to render essential services.

  • The order also mandates that everyone under 17 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian when leaving the house, outside of medical emergencies and essential services.
  • Over 10,569 people are hospitalized from the virus in Texas as of Monday, per the state health department.

Driving the news: Texas has set new highs for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day for the past three weeks, according to data compiled by Axios from the COVD Tracking Project and state health departments.

Go deeper: Texas hospitals in danger of being overwhelmed as coronavirus surges

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Orion Rummler
14 hours ago - Health

At least 48 local public health leaders have quit or been fired during pandemic

Former California public health director Dr. Sonia Angell on Feb. 27 in Sacramento, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

At least 48 local and state-level public health leaders have retired, resigned or been fired across 23 states since April, according to a review by the AP and Kaiser Health News.

Driving the news: California public health director Dr. Sonia Angell resigned on Sunday without explanation, a few days after the state fixed a delay in reporting coronavirus test results that had affected reopenings for schools and businesses, AP reports.

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Orion Rummler
8 hours ago - Health

Georgia governor: It's up to schools to enforce wearing masks

Gov. Brian Kemp at a press conference on Aug. 10. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday said the responsibility should be on schools to enforce a mandate on face coverings, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.

Why it matters: Georgia is reporting the fifth-most coronavirus cases in the country, per Johns Hopkins, and the risk of spread in the state is high.

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Axios
Updated 10 hours ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

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

The number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 20 million worldwide on Monday evening, Johns Hopkins data shows.

The big picture: World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference as the world approached the milestone that 750,000 deaths were set to be recorded this week. "Behind these statistics is a great deal of pain and suffering. Every life lost matters," he said. "But I want to be clear: there are green shoots of hope and... it's never too late to turn the outbreak around."

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