COVID-19 Update: September 21, 2020: Two Hundred Thousand and Counting

By the time you read this, we may have passed the milestone of 200,000 Americans dead from COVID-19; if not, it will happen soon enough. Meanwhile, the president has no regrets, his health experts are executing verbal tap dances for fear of offending him, and the CDC remains embroiled in wrangles between scientists and bureaucrats. And, while the nation mourns Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a looming battle of her replacement threatens to steal focus at a time when a relief bill has yet to be passed.

The latest:

The president once said that if his administration kept the COVID-19 death toll between 100,000 and 200,000, it would have done "a very good job." Well, here we are: tinyurl.com/y3njmnwe. "What will happen nobody knows;" at least 73 countries are seeing surges in COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y4pw3g4k. For those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus, there is no escape: tinyurl.com/y3f5b2dn.

When defending the president, his health experts choose their words carefully: tinyurl.com/y6ydvj2w.

Following revelations that it was posted by the HHS against advice, the CDC has withdrawn the recommendation that the asymptomatic don't need to test for COVID-19. To be clear, they need to do so most of all: tinyurl.com/yxjao3lr. The CDC also admits, quietly and without fanfare, that COVID-19 is mostly transmitted through the air, via aerosols and droplets: tinyurl.com/y46p2w3x. Then it takes it back: tinyurl.com/yy6j5qfw.

"Her aim is to embarrass the president;" inside the HHS effort to rewrite science at the CDC, to please the president: tinyurl.com/y4e5u5kq.

Among other challenges of distributing a vaccine, most of the leading candidates must be kept in temperatures of -80° C: tinyurl.com/y39m76j6.

What happened to November? The president now says, offering no evidence, that Americans will have a vaccine by April: tinyurl.com/y6jsyay7. China and Russia are prepping to roll out their vaccines, before Phase III trials are completed: tinyurl.com/y42jegzv. The Russian vaccine has been approved but has yet to be distributed to large numbers of people: tinyurl.com/y6zmfpku. The search steps up for Black and Latino coronavirus vaccine candidates: tinyurl.com/yxwzf7xx.

Meanwhile:

Industrial bleach is still being sold as a phony COVID-19 miracle cure on Amazon: tinyurl.com/y2klwmpe. But Pine-Sol has been approved by the EPA for killing the coronavirus on frequently used surfaces: tinyurl.com/y2wru3ax.

American teens step up during the pandemic -- distributing masks, teaching classes, and getting groceries to the elderly under lockdown: tinyurl.com/y473p89g.

College newspapers are on the front lines, reporting outbreaks and holding school administrators accountable: tinyurl.com/y3m6znez.

A new study finds that children who die from COVID-19 have the same medical problems -- including asthma and obesity -- as adults; deaths are more common among Black and Latino kids, too: tinyurl.com/y6yjjmgl. The pandemic is driving up adult obesity rates -- which is especially bad, since obesity can worsen a case of COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y57bxkm7.

Experts say a "tsunami" of hotel closures is coming: tinyurl.com/y6pvp7jn.

Interestingly, countries across the southern hemisphere are seeing fewer cases of the flu: tinyurl.com/yxdmp9kf.

If Tenet can't lure audiences of cinemas, what will? tinyurl.com/yxzj7vhc.

Entertainment reporter Giuliana Rancic and actress Vivica A. Fox test positive for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y5sk49as.

Food for thought:

What will the future of theatre look like? Several artistic directors have thoughts about that: tinyurl.com/yy8sfdta. The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego has a concrete plan: tinyurl.com/y5eqrqgm.

How Rhode Island schools reopened for in-person learning and Massachusetts schools did not: tinyurl.com/y6qm2qz4. Inadequate ventilation is proving to be major hurdle in reopening the state's schools: tinyurl.com/yxnxtkgg.

Around the country:

In California:

Officials race to increase testing at San Diego State University, where COVID-19 cases continue to rise: tinyurl.com/y4q8r2ra.

Faced with 100 cancelations, San Diego asks the governor for guidelines allowing conventions to return to the state: tinyurl.com/y4pxn9ud.

In Connecticut:

Representative Jahana Hayes tests positive for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y3dgzsyp.

In Florida:

The pandemic takes a toll on mental health in the central portion of the state: tinyurl.com/y686usk6.

In a reversal, Orange County schools will be permitted to have cheerleaders, marching band, and other performers at football games: tinyurl.com/y2vddplv. West Orange High School is the second Orange County school to close following a COVID-19 outbreak: tinyurl.com/yxbaaxer.

An anti-mask flash mob runs riot through a Ft. Lauderdale Target store: tinyurl.com/y2qj3y6f.

Florida State football coach Mike Norvell tests positive for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y4h2fsgm.

Miami-Dade County has received in $30 million in CARES Act money; it has distributed a little over $400,000: tinyurl.com/y556dlbb.

Attendance at Universal theme parks hovers around 25%: tinyurl.com/yy2d28ht.

In Illinois:

Social-distancing restrictions are eased in counties near Chicago: tinyurl.com/y3hg9j35.

In Missouri:

Another mass motorcycle rally is held, this time in Lake of the Ozarks: tinyurl.com/y6ez6mqc.

In New York:

Senator Charles Schumer and the Broadway League team up to support the Save Our Stages Act, which -- to be clear -- does not provide the small business assistance and enhanced unemployment benefits proposed in the RESTART Act: tinyurl.com/y22enr22.

New York City's film and television industry starts to wake up: tinyurl.com/yyslzslj.

In Rhode Island:

Providence College faces an outbreak of 120 COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y4hzudyl.

In South Dakota:

A healthcare not-for-profit sponsors a Chris Young concert, indoors, for an audience of 5,000, and no masks required: tinyurl.com/yyyr5a9j.

Around the world:

In France:

Public gatherings of more than ten have been banned in Nice: tinyurl.com/y6eorhd3.

In India:

The country passes the 54-million mark of new infections: tinyurl.com/y4jz49e4.

In Iran:

The country records the highest number of daily cases since June: tinyurl.com/y63x5x2o.

In Jordan:

People in gatherings of more than 20 will face fines and imprisonment: tinyurl.com/yyaellhk.

In Spain:

A performance of A Masked Ball at Madrid's Teatro Real is halted by audience members protesting the lack of social distancing: tinyurl.com/y3m5gb96.

In the UK:

The country could face 50,000 COVID-19 cases a day if it stays on the current track, top government scientists warn: tinyurl.com/y4baebca.

Hundreds of anti-vaxxers and coronavirus skeptics stage a protest in London's Trafalgar Square: tinyurl.com/y5stjm6r.

The country struggles to avoid a second lockdown: tinyurl.com/y6orsyc6.

Universities hire "COVID marshals" to break up student parties that break social distancing rules: tinyurl.com/y3p9fgaq.

In Uruguay:

The country sees an influx of Argentinians fleeing the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y43bbyll.

For your entertainment:

It's Puccini Week at the Metropolitan Opera streaming service: tinyurl.com/y3s7l346.

For your pleasure:

Nat King Cole offers one of his signature hits, "Nature Boy:" tinyurl.com/nvv6h3v.

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

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