COVID-19 Update

There's that damned uptick again. 200,000 dead Americans by late August.

Meanwhile, Congress (ie: dog ass Republicans) can't get the fuck outa the way and let the adults run the show.

WaPo:

Roughly 30 million Americans will see their incomes plunge dramatically, worsening a coronavirus-induced recession that has already led to the steepest drop in U.S. economic output on record. The Senate adjourned for the weekend on Thursday without reaching an agreement on a new aid bill, meaning that most out-of-work Americans will go from receiving $930 a week to $330 as emergency unemployment benefits expire.

The House passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief plan in May that Senate GOP leaders have rejected. The Senate’s inaction comes as new jobless claims are once again rising, business closures are becoming permanent and tens of millions of Americans say they didn’t have enough to eat in the past week.

On Friday, three of the Trump administration’s top health officials are expected to be pressed by a Democratic-led House panel on whether there is a national plan to address the crisis. In joint testimony submitted in advance of the hearing, the officials — including infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci — renew a warning about the difficulties ahead if the virus is still spreading during flu season.

Here are some significant developments:

• Thursday marked the fourth consecutive day that the United States reported more than 1,000 coronavirus-related fatalities, bringing the nationwide death toll closer to 150,000. New infections have started to level off in some of the hardest-hit states, but there were still nearly 70,000 new cases reported nationwide.
• The United States announced a $2.1 billion vaccine deal with two European drugmakers on Friday — the government’s largest contract yet as part of Operation Warp Speed.
• Days-long backlogs of mail caused by new cost-cutting efforts are prompting fears that the U.S. Postal Service may not be able to deliver ballots on time for the November election. Meanwhile, President Trump suggested Thursday that the election should be delayed, drawing outrage from across the political spectrum.
• Despite experiencing milder symptoms, children may carry as much of the coronavirus in their respiratory systems as adults, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
• The head of the largest retail-workers’ union says U.S. businesses have unfairly placed the burden of enforcing mask mandates on low-paid employees, who are increasingly facing violence, abuse and threats.
• Two staff members of the Philadelphia Phillies tested positive for the virus, in yet another blow to Major League Baseball’s attempt to hold a regular season. The team’s weekend series has been postponed.