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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Oriana Gonzalez
Oct 21, 2020 - World

Spain becomes first nation in Western Europe to exceed 1 million COVID-19 cases

Photo: Miquel Benitez/Getty Images

Spain exceeded 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, becoming the first country in Western Europe to hit the milestone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The state of play: Spain, which reported 16,973 cases over the previous 24 hours, was one of the most affected countries when the pandemic started, and cases have been on the rise since September, according to NPR.

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Axios
Updated 46 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Chris Christie: Wear a mask "or you may regret it — as I did" — Senate Democrats block vote on McConnell's targeted relief bill.
  2. Business: New state unemployment filings fall.
  3. Economy: Why the stimulus delay isn't a crisis (yet).
  4. Health: FDA approves Gilead's remdesivir as a coronavirus treatment — How the pandemic might end — Many U.S. deaths were avoidable.
  5. Education: Boston and Chicago send students back home for online learning.
  6. World: Spain and France exceed 1 million cases.
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Shawna Chen
Oct 21, 2020 - Health

CDC changes "close contact" guidance for COVID-19

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Noam Galai, Jamie McCarthy, Josep LAGO / AFP, Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP, and Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto, all via Getty Images

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its definition of who is considered a “close contact” of an individual infected with the coronavirus in a report released Wednesday.

Why it matters: The update is likely to pose challenges for schools, workplaces and other group settings as the U.S. prepares for a third coronavirus wave. It also reinforces the importance of masks in the face of President Trump’s repeated attempts to belittle their efficacy.

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