Forbes - States Scramble As Cases Grow

Plus: 8 people infected with Covid-19 at Canadian mink farm

Last week, there were a record number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the United States, and the numbers continue to grow. In the past seven days alone there were more than 1.3 million new cases of Covid-19 recorded in the country, and 15,426 Americans died from the disease. There continues to be no clear course of action from the Federal government, so states are scrambling to take matters into their own hands to avoid an even bigger surge. In New York, regions will begin to shut down if data shows that hospital capacity could reach 90%-- a tactic similar to one that California announced last week. Speaking of the Golden State, California has launched a Covid-19 contact tracing app from Apple and Google, but experts caution that it may be difficult to get enough people to opt-in to the program. And in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania, local lawmakers are trying to get tested for Covid-19 after President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting these states.

Business

On Wednesday, the House will vote on a one-week stopgap spending bill that will hopefully buy more time for a stimulus deal. 

Sinovac Bio, a Chinese biotech company, plans to ramp up production of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in anticipation of Chinese regulatory approval. 

CVS pharmacy is in the middle of a hiring spree in order to have enough people to begin administering millions of Covid-19 vaccinations. 

Science & Health

What is ECMO? Here’s what you need to know about a Covid-19 treatment for severely ill patients. 

A new study found that the longer adults are in Covid-19 lockdown, the more they continue to binge drink. 

New research shows that pregnant people aren’t receiving the mental health support they need during the pandemic. 

Speaking of mental health: many Americans are struggling with grief right now but having trouble admitting it. 

On The Upside

Pets To The Rescue: A new study shows that pets can help combat loneliness and stress for people who are isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic.