• Respiratory syndromes in children associated with COVID-19
  • Hundreds of previously healthy children in the US experienced a critical inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19- becoming so ill that most needed intensive care (CDC).
    • The potentially deadly syndrome has further increased divisions regarding school reopening in the fall.
  • The children affected were disproportionately people of color, similarly echoing the pattern of adults who have been affected by COVID-19.
    • 40% were Hispanic or Latino, 33% were black, and 13% were white.
    • About 25% of the patients had obesity before becoming sick.
• Trump prepared to act on his own amidst divisions on economic recovery packages
  • Democrats and Republicans remain deeply divided on an economic relief package as crisis negotiations are on the brink of collapse.
  • Trump claimed he was prepared to act on his own in terms of providing relief, although it is unclear whether or not he has the authority to do so.
    • He continued by stating that if Democrats couldn’t cooperate, he would sign executive orders on deferring student loans “until further notice” and “enhancing employment benefits” until the end of the year.
  • Trump’s claims face opposition from both Democrats and Republicans as they wouldn’t help unemployed people alongside the fact that he was vague on how the deferral of loans would work.
• Illicit parties in NYC
  • At large, New York has adhered to social distancing and mask guidelines- which allowed them to keep their outbreaks under control, especially in comparison to the South and West. However, through the summer, increasing reports of parties (densely packed and mask free) threaten to topple New York’s hard-earned stability.
  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo states that the parties are “illegal” and that they “not only violate public health but violate human decency.”
    • The images of large raves in New York contrast heavily with the brutal spring they faced which left tens of thousands dead, again disproportionately impacting low-income communities with Black and Latino people.
  • Due to worries that nightlife activity might fuel further spread, led Cruaçao (an island country in the Caribbean) to close its bars and clubs for two weeks since Friday (ANP). The nearby island Aruba has been confirmed to have almost 300 new cases over the past week.
• Belgium’s rise in COVID-19 cases alongside government struggles
  • Belgium’s political parties have been factitious even amidst a pandemic. The Saturday afternoon deadline for forming a government was rolled over- this being more than a year and a half after the last government has collapsed.
    • The country has been operating with an emergency minority coalition throughout the coronavirus epidemic. However, Belgium has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world.
    • The country is polarized along regional and linguistic lines, making governing perpetually difficult.
  • This is now the longest period without a formal government in Belgian history. “I hope to form a government as soon as possible,” said Paul Magnette, the head of the French-speaking Socialists. “Our country needs it to effectively combat the epidemic, which sadly is rising again.”
• COVID-19 cases stabilizing in Victoria, Australia due to strict lockdowns
  • The Australian government has reported on Saturday that the state of Victoria has begun to stabilize thanks to strict lockdown measures.
  • A total of 446 new cases and 12 deaths were recorded Friday, according to Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton stated that the government's models showed the lockdown measures prevented about 20,000 cases.
    • Australia was held up as a global model in May for its handling of the outbreak, starting from early measures to barring entry from high-risk countries.
    • As COVID-19 cases suddenly and recently rose in Victoria, authorities responded by instituting some of the most stringent movement restrictions in Australia's history.
• German virologists endorse mandatory masks in classrooms
  • As schools in Germany reopen after summer break, top virologists have urged mandatory maskwearing in schools, including during classroom lessons.
  • In an open letter published on the website for the Society of Virology, the German virologists wrote, “Due to the real danger of infections between students who are asymptomatic, we urge strict maskwearing in all grades, including during lessons.”
    • The experts also recommend smaller learning groups to avoid too much cross-contact among students, increased measures for air circulation in classrooms, and a potential extension of winter break in case the coronavirus spikes during the winter season.“We are warning of the error to think that children do not play a role in the pandemic and infections. Such ideas are not in line with scientific data,” the virologists additionally wrote in their letter.

Official WHO Statistics

• Worldwide
  • New Cases - 104,868
  • Confirmed Cases - 19,637,400
  • Deaths - 725,871
  • Recoveries - 12,615,426
• United States of America
  • New Cases - 15,949
  • Confirmed Cases - 5,111,473
  • Deaths - 164,461
  • Recoveries - 2,618,440
• Countries w/the most cases
  • United States of America
  • Brazil
  • India
  • Russian Federation
  • South Africa