Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order Thursday requiring all Texans to wear a face covering in public in counties with 20 or more positive coronavirus cases.
Why it matters: It's a dramatic reversal by the Republican governor that underscores the severity of the outbreak in Texas, which set a single-day record on Wednesday with more than 8,000 confirmed new cases. On June 3, Abbott issued an executive order banning local governments from imposing fines on people who don't wear masks in public.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi have shut down the late-stage clinical trial that was testing whether their existing arthritis drug, Kevzara, could improve the condition of COVID-19 patients who were on ventilators.
The bottom line: Kevzara fared no better than a placebo, as it failed to help COVID-19 patients recover or prevent death. Remdesivir remains as the only treatment that has shown any kind of benefit for sick coronavirus patients, although dexamethasone appears to hold the most promise.
The heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, National Retail Federation and other top business organizations wrote an open letter on Thursday urging the White House coronavirus task force to work with governors to make face coverings mandatory in all public spaces.
Driving the news: An analysis led by Goldman Sachs' chief economist found that a national mandate requiring face coverings "could potentially substitute for lockdowns that would otherwise subtract nearly 5% from GDP," the Washington Post reports.
A flu virus found in pigs in China has pandemic potential and should be "urgently" monitored, researchers warn in a study in the peer-reviewed journal PNASthis week.
Threat alert: While it has not been transmitted from human to human, the virus is raising concern because it is a genetic mix of strains that have devastated humans before and there are indications it has "acquired increased human infectivity," the researchers say.
There's plenty of money. It's just not moving to where it's needed.
Driving the news: Thursday's jobs report showed 4.8 million jobs created in June, but those were overwhelmingly people beginning to return to places where they had been temporarily laid off. The number of "permanent job losers" went up, not down, rising 25% in just one month to 2.8 million from 2.2 million.
Nine more NBA players tested positive for the coronavirus after league-wide testing of 344 players from June 24 to 29, the NBA Players Association announced Thursday.
The big picture: With the NBA set to restart on July 30 in Orlando, 25 of 351 players have received positive tests since the league began testing on June 23. The league announced last week after a previous round of testing that 16 players had tested positive.
Adm. Brett Giroir, the Health and Human Services official overseeing the nation's coronavirus testing efforts, told Congress Thursday that the U.S. is "not flattening the curve right now," and that the nationwide surge in new cases is not simply a result of more testing.
Why it matters: President Trump said at a press conference just hours earlier that the U.S. is getting the coronavirus "under control." He and other top members of his administration have sought to downplay the growing surge in infections as largely a product of increased testing.
The U.S. has seen far more deaths from heart disease during the coronavirus pandemic when compared to historical averages, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data.
By the numbers: Five states hit the hardest in the pandemic's early days — Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New York — saw 8,300 more deaths from heart problems during March, April and May than usual, marking a 27% jump.
The Florida Department of Health reported 10,109 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the state's highest single-day increase yet, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Why it matters: The massive surge in new cases comes just days after the state broke its previous record and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the government will not reinstate restrictions or again close businesses to prevent the virus' spread.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on Thursday called for the White House to dissolve its coronavirus task force so that health officials like Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx are prevented from contradicting many of President Trump’s "stated goals and actions" when it comes to the economy.
Why it matters:Maricopa County, part of which Biggs represents, has seen record-breaking spikes in coronavirus cases recently, with more than 52,000 total cases and 817 deaths — the highest in the state.
Nursing homes have been the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, prompting more urgent discussions about alternative housing situations for elderly Americans.
Why it matters: Deaths in nursing homes and residential care facilities account for 45% of COVID-19 related deaths, per the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity — but there are few other viable housing options for seniors.
If Joe Biden wins in November, his coronavirus response would feature a no-expenses-spared federal approach to mitigating the virus and a beefed-up safety net for those suffering its economic consequences.
Why it matters: It’s nearly inevitable that the U.S. will still be dealing with the pandemic come January 2021, meaning voters in America will choose between two very different options for dealing with it.
A federal appeals court has upheld Amgen's patents tied to its blockbuster arthritis drug Enbrel, a decision that will block biosimilar competition until 2029. The FDA approved the first biosimilar to Enbrel in 2016.
The big picture: Amgen is heavily reliant on Enbrel, which brings in more than $5 billion in revenue per year. Now, the company — which has spent more money on stock buybacks than drug research since 2016 — has almost another decade of monopoly control over the drug, which has a net price of roughly $44,000 for a year of treatment.
The number of coronavirus cases increased in the vast majority of states over the last week, and decreased in only two states plus the District of Columbia.
Why it matters: This is a grim reminder that no part of the United States is safe from the virus. If states fail to contain their outbreaks, they could soon face exponential spread and overwhelmed health systems.
The number of people to test positive for the novel coronavirus in the U.S. surpassed 50,000 for the first time ever on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins data shows.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed an executive order closing indoor service at bars in south and central parts of the state "to protect the progress Michigan has made against COVID-19," she said in a statement Wednesday.
Why it matters: It's the latest state to readjust or pause reopening plans as COVID-19 cases soar across the U.S. Daily coronavirus case numbers surpassed 50,000 for the first time on Wednesday.
