WASHINGTON, 24 July. - (ANA) - President Donald Trump cancelled the Republican presidential convention in Jacksonville. “There’s nothing more important than keeping our country safe,” he said. Delegates will still travel to North Carolina for the nomination, he said.

 

U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 4 million, doubling over a span of six weeks after infections surged in Sun Belt states. Deaths in California and Florida rose to records on Thursday.

 

With the U.S. coronavirus case count zeroing in on 4 million, health experts ramped up their calls for a stronger federal leadership, as the world’s largest economy’s struggles against the virus underscored the urgency of the situation.

 

Led by epicenters in Brazil, India and the U.S., skyrocketing cases around the world are nearing 15 million, even as new developments in the search for a potential vaccine are stoking optimism. On Monday, AstraZeneca (AZN) said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was safe and produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials.

 

According to the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, a slowing number of deaths are due to a variety of treatment protocols that include Gilead’s (GILD) remdesivir, the generic drug dexamethasone as well as convalescent plasma therapy; still, there are new reports of increased casualties which are lagging the surging cases.

 

Meanwhile, cases do appear to be leveling off in some hard-hit states like Arizona and Florida and California — all of which reported slower case rates on Monday that were lower than the prior 7-day average. The Sunshine State, which has seen roughly 10,000 new cases daily, and the Lone Star State are among the biggest concerns, yet Idaho has also emerged as a new worry.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/24 July 2020 - - -