COVID-19 Update: July 20, 2020: Flying Blind

The pandemic rages throughout most of the US. The president, in a controversial interview, displays little interest in and no ownership of the situation. Indeed, he is trying to block new funding for testing and contact tracing. As the links below demonstrate, different states and communities are struggling to patch together an effective response to the coronavirus.

The latest:

The United States smashes another record, with 77,000 new coronavirus cases in one day: cnn.it/3fFkV74.

The world also breaks records, with 260,000 new cases in 24 hours: bbc.in/3hetE0l.

The president says we have "the best testing in the world." Here are the facts: bit.ly/32wKh3p.

And yet the White House is trying to block funding for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing: wapo.st/2DTvUvD.

The conventional wisdom is that the coronavirus has grown less fatal over time, but death rates are rising again: wapo.st/2ZGkO5J.

New research shows the COVID-19 results in heart abnormalities in half of those infected: bit.ly/2BdRWbH. Kidney failure is also a possibility: bit.ly/3eKC667.

Inside Johnson & Johnson's search for a COVID-19 vaccine: nyti.ms/2ZGbEWZ.

The former head of music at William Morris (and a co-founder of Lollapalooza) predicts concerts won't be back until 2022: bit.ly/2Ba5HrI.

Food for thought:

What is herd immunity? Is it a good idea? Is it even possible with the coronavirus? bit.ly/2OBz49y.

Around the country:

In California:

New cases continue to surge in Los Angeles County: bit.ly/2OCaPIb.

Early in the pandemic, some claimed that COVID-19 was less prevalent than the flu. In San Diego, that's not true: bit.ly/2ZFMLL4.

How testing delays, inadequate resources, and reopening too soon allowed the pandemic to flourish in the state: bit.ly/2BhRbym.

San Francisco's reopening is put on hold, as the number of coronavirus infections heads in the wrong direction: bit.ly/32DPgiC.

In San Diego, some businesses are defying orders to close: bit.ly/2Bc8YqF.

Schools remain closed in 32 counties this fall: bit.ly/3fIIHiu.

In Colorado:

"The national testing scene is a complete disgrace," the governor says: bit.ly/39aADou.

In Florida:

On Friday, the state adds 10,328 new cases; the death toll reaches 5,000: bit.ly/2OEOPwl.

On Sunday, the state reports another 12,478 infections and 83 deaths: bit.ly/30u8rcf.

It isn't even over, but July is the deadliest month for COVID-19 in the state so far: bit.ly/3eKtnR8.

New cases are surging in the state's nursing homes: bit.ly/3jk8XSv.

The Orlando Magic lays of 31 full-time workers: bit.ly/3eIwJ7s.

The state and Miami-Dade County can't agree how to count positive test results for COVID-19, spreading confusion: hrld.us/30o5Dxl.

A data scientist in the state's department of health, fired for insubordination, files a whistleblower complaint, saying she was let go for refusing to falsify data: bit.ly/32DjUJj.

Orange County schools will open August 21, with on-campus and online options available: bit.ly/2WuFGec.

An entire family is infected, and the father hospitalized, apparently because as 21-year-old son went out with friends: nbcnews.to/2OEN8Pv.

Disney World bans eating and drinking while walking: bit.ly/2OHEmR6.

How the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami plans to host a presidential debate: hrld.us/2CpISkv.

A Central Florida theatre reopens, with a production of Assassins in a shopping mall: bit.ly/2WBi87D.

In Illinois:

A Chicago theatre announces a production to be staged indoors: bit.ly/2WzZHAa.

In Kentucky:

The state sees an alarming rise in new cases: bit.ly/30uzHXZ.

In New York:

New York City continues on the path to reopening, with zoos and gardens opening up on Monday; no indoor dining yet, however: bit.ly/2WwcILa.

Deaths in the state from the coronavirus reach a new low: bit.ly/3hhLkIx.

The governor announces a three-strikes-and-you're-out policy for bars and restaurants that ignore social distancing rules: bit.ly/32yRGPI.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says that New York is the model for fighting the coronavirus: cnb.cx/39fcuNG.

The story of the Washington Square pianist, an only-in-New-York character, his career halted by the pandemic: nyti.ms/3jjx5F6.

In Texas:

Four out of five people are living in COVID-19 red zones: bit.ly/32IuT3Q.

Why did the state remove 3,500 coronavirus cases form its overall total? bit.ly/2CMkycw.

In Utah:

Citizens stage rallies against masks and for in-person school attendance: bit.ly/2OCh7HV.

The Hale Center Theatre suspends its production of Mary Poppins after a second cast member contracts COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yxgjwem9.

Around the world:

In the Bahamas:

American tourists are now banned, for health reasons: bit.ly/2WBEeH9.

In China:

Audiences are trickling into the reopened cinemas: bit.ly/2OII9NL.

In India:

The number of COVID-19 infections reaches one million; the country is now third in the number of cases, behind the US and Brazil: bit.ly/2WyJKu0.

In the UK:

The Oxford vaccine produces a positive immune response: tinyurl.com/y3jhp7w9.

A common multiple sclerosis drug may help treat the coronavirus: bit.ly/2COx5vW.

Entertainment:

Ten years after presenting Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in its first complete staging produced in the city of Los Angeles, music director James Conlon and LA Opera invite online audiences to experience these historic performances through a marathon audio stream of all four music dramas back-to-back on July 25. Listen via LA Opera's Facebook channel (@LAOpera) or at www.LAOpera.org/Ring. Das Rheingdld begins at 8:00am PT, with Die Walkere following at 11:00am PT, Siegfried at 3:00pm PT, and Götterdämmerung at 7:00pm PT.

This week's streams from the Metropolitan Opera include Il Barbiere di Siviglia, with Isabel Leonard; Tannhäuser, with Eva Marton, Tatiana Troyanos, and Richard Cassily, conducted by James Levine; Macbeth, also conducted by Levine; Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, with Anna Netrebko, Roberto Alagna, and Nathan Gunn, conducted by Plàcido Domingo; Falstaff, with Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, and Paul Plishka, conducted by Levine; Der Rosenkavalier, starring Renée Fleming and Susan Graham, conducted by Edo de Waart; and La Fanciulla del West, starring Eva-Maria Westbroek and Jonas Kaufmann, conducted by Marco Armiliato. bit.ly/2COPZme.

Also available from the Met Opera: Jonas Kauffman in a recital of Puccini, Bizet, and Gounod, among others: bit.ly/3hf9ovS.

For your pleasure:

The New York Philharmonic in "We Shall Overcome," orchestrated by 13-year-old Jordan Millar, who is clearly going places: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJstIEx6EnU.

That's all for today. Stay safe. -- DB

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Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources.