COVID-19 Update: September 8, 2020: The Way We Live Now

Although the media's attention was focused on the controversy surrounding the president's reported remarks about the military, he continues to be obsessed with delivering a vaccine ASAP. Whether this is realistic is another matter. Meanwhile, with no end in sight, the pandemic is taking its toll in multiple ways, putting the country under terrible strain as an election approaches.

The latest:

The president has reportedly become obsessed with delivering a COVID-19 vaccine by November 1, whether that goal is realistic or not: tinyurl.com/y6lnuzlp. He may read with interest the news that Australia is arranging to get the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine -- when it becomes available in January: tinyurl.com/y44x5dpt. Meanwhile, nine leading biopharma corporations sign a "historic pledge," promising to honor the scientific integrity of the coronavirus vaccine development process: tinyurl.com/y6bzvzws.

COVID-19 death rates are rising dramatically among Blacks and Latinos: tinyurl.com/y46qkl2y.

In a sign of the times, 52% of young adult Americans are living with their parents, the highest figure since the Depression: tinyurl.com/y6r3dlll. And the pandemic-induced child care crisis is driving women out of the workforce: tinyurl.com/y3bzdeps.

Surveys conducted by the US Census Bureau indicate rising pandemic-induced anxiety and depression among Americans: tinyurl.com/yxfx7vvs. Another survey finds a rising number of Americans view the pandemic as an economic crisis: tinyurl.com/y2bqjlna.

With Congressional negotiations for pandemic aid going nowhere, many states plan significant budget cuts: tinyurl.com/yybt4puc. This process is forcing some terrible choices: tinyurl.com/yxdkangu.

Meanwhile:

Many businesses that received PPP money haven't hired back furloughed employees: tinyurl.com/y349vkuf.

The UN warns that the pandemic is upping the risk of famine in Africa and elsewhere: tinyurl.com/y6lm6o6r.

Colleges learn to track new COVID-19 cases by analyzing wastewater: tinyurl.com/yxcsfnu4.

In case you were wondering, Joe Biden has tested for COVID-19 and continues to do so, regularly: tinyurl.com/y4eod979.

Food for thought:

One man's story highlights the perilous intersection of COVID-19 and obesity: tinyurl.com/y4cuyejx.

"It's probably the worst-case scenario you could have." What Robert Pattinson's COVID-19 diagnosis on the set of The Batman means for future TV and film production: tinyurl.com/y57p57cj.

An infectious disease doctor on the efficacy of masks: tinyurl.com/y6x2c3l4.

COVID-19 "long-haulers" suffering long-term physical and psychological effects: tinyurl.com/y3ke3k7d.

The struggle to operate theme parks in the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y6swjlhl.

Around the country:

In California:

LA's Center Theatre Group lays off half of its staff: tinyurl.com/y56zc6q7.

The teacher's union for the LA Unified School District opposes reopening for in-person classes: tinyurl.com/y5jm9uha.

Another 120 COVID-19 cases are identified at San Diego State University: tinyurl.com/y3463b2j. Students there are now confined to dorms: tinyurl.com/y2cu46m4.

A San Diego company gets a federal contract for a COVID-19 test that can detect the presence of the coronavirus in thousands of samples at once: tinyurl.com/yybawfqh.

In Florida:

The state experiences its lowest daily number of cases since June: tinyurl.com/y38nnoq5.

The state says it is preparing to distribute five million doses of vaccine by late October. Realistic? tinyurl.com/y63p8m3d.

The pandemic-hit Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino lays of 1,500: tinyurl.com/y4wkvzjk.

SeaWorld Orlando will permanently lay off some of its thousands of furloughed employees: tinyurl.com/yywodujp.

The state is privatizing its COVID-19 testing sites: tinyurl.com/yyowm4l8.

The governor tells the state's counties to submit details of their COVID-19 regulations. Why? tinyurl.com/yyxq888t.

The state passes 12,000 in COIVD-19 deaths: tinyurl.com/y5h4wbkn. Infections in Central Florida top 100,000: tinyurl.com/y5zxs9g4.

In Illinois:

"We're not the mask police:" The owner of two Chicago businesses closes for a mental health day after a week of dealing with confrontational customers: tinyurl.com/y545yo63.

Spirit Airlines announces a contactless bag-dropoff system at O'Hare Airport: tinyurl.com/y5pqy3z2.

In Michigan:

The state joins California, New York, and Washington in refusing to distribute a vaccine that has been inadequately vetted: tinyurl.com/yxcdephv.

In New York:

The struggle to bring back Broadway, a foundational part of New York City's economic: tinyurl.com/y4tn9pj3.

Cornell University sees a rise in COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y38dolte.

In Pennsylvania:

University of Pittsburgh now requires masks everywhere on campus: tinyurl.com/y2ad33e3.

In Virginia:

The pandemic reaches into the state's rural southwest: tinyurl.com/yxk5ghk2.

Around the world:

In Afghanistan:

The country rushes to reopen, often without masks: tinyurl.com/yxdwbnt4.

In Australia:

Melbourne's lockdown is extended through September: tinyurl.com/y3zk987f.

In Brazil:

The government has handed out so much cash to its pandemic-plagued citizens that poverty is a at a low point: tinyurl.com/y6mragyu.

Despite warnings, Brazilians go to their beaches in droves: tinyurl.com/yxdwwbm2.

In France:

The country records the highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since March: tinyurl.com/y5l7sfoc.

In India:

The country's coronavirus caseload passes four million: tinyurl.com/y2wm8uku. It also posts 90,000 cases on Monday, overtaking Brazil and making it second only to the US in total infections: tinyurl.com/y2crkr7h. The pandemic leaves the countryside in misery: tinyurl.com/y5h729x8.

In Ireland:

New COVID-19 cases are rising in both the north and south: tinyurl.com/y4wv65t5.

In Italy:

Silvio Berlusconi is hospitalized with COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yyuuudkk.

In Japan:

The country's games minister doubles down, saying that next year's Olympics must be held "at any cost:" tinyurl.com/y4hfhz63.

In Mexico:

The pandemic drives the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression: tinyurl.com/y5uloq8u.

The country also leads the world in the most COVID-19-related deaths among healthcare workers: tinyurl.com/y5ugjt67.

In Spain:

"Here we go again;" the country faces a second wave of infections: tinyurl.com/y5qhsfmv.

In the UK:

Following a surge in new infections, health experts express fear that the country has lost control of the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y3dnxof2.

Andrew Lloyd Webber makes a urgent call for the government to set a date for the full reopening of theatres: tinyurl.com/y3k2y4tl.

Losses:

Bruce Williamson, lead singer of the Temptations, 49: tinyurl.com/yyogw4v4.

For your entertainment:

It's French opera week at the Metropolitan Opera streaming service: tinyurl.com/y5hwen2j.

For your pleasure:

The Broadway community pays a fond farewell to the late Nick Cordero: tinyurl.com/y5b6anl4.

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

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