UT: COVID-19 cases in Alpine School District

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PLEASANT GROVE, Utah (KUTV) — Pleasant Grove High School in Utah County will be moving to a modified class schedule after multiple COVID-19 cases were identified ...

“I’m bummed that I’m not going to see like half of my friends, but whatever keeps us safe, then I’ll do it," said Madeleine Weight, a senior at the high school ...

https://kutv.com/news/coronavirus/modifications-made-after-covid-19-cases-in-alpine-school-district

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1. TX: Nerve damage in COVID-19 patients

by Alejandra Guzman-Tracy
Monday, August 31st 2020

... "Definitely, we've seen nerve damage be part of COVID," Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez said.

Doctor Verduzco-Gutierrez is the Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UT Health. She said she’s seeing COVID-19 survivors suffering nerve damage in their hands and feet.

"It can affect things from your ability to walk, especially if it’s affecting part of your legs and your feet, some of those patients,” Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said. “Good part of the therapy might be wearing braces to help the foot that may be dropped, if it’s something in their hands and they might have trouble with feeling, grasping, opening things, which can affect someone's life, especially if they work with their hands” ...

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/doctors-admit-to-seeing-nerve-damage-in-covid-19-patients-after-hearing-mans-story

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2. MO: Reported COVID-19 deaths increase 83% in August

Sara Bannoura
Updated 4 hrs ago | Posted on Aug 31, 2020

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- After seeing a decrease in reported COVID-19 deaths in June and July, Missouri saw 304 deaths in August, an increase of 83% from July.

In total, more than 1,500 people have died in the state since the beginning of the outbreak. The state reported 399 COVID-19-related deaths in May, 173 deaths in all of June and 166 deaths in all of July.

Deaths went down in June and July as infections rose substantially among younger people. This wasn't the case at the beginning of the outbreak, when infections swept through long-term care facilities ...

https://www.kmov.com/news/missouris-reported-covid-19-deaths-increase-by-83-in-august/article_0fa18166-eb1c-11ea-b0ce-6bbd45931a68.html

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3. OK: Stillwater surges to over 250 active COVID-19 cases

Beau Simmons and Michelle Charles 7 hrs ago

Positive COVID-19 cases are surging in Stillwater with five-straight days of at least 35 cases per day.

On Monday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 40 new cases in Stillwater, the largest single-day caseload for Stillwater since the beginning of the pandemic.

Stillwater now has 940 total positive cases reported, which makes it sixth in the state. Its 276 active cases is also sixth in the state.

While cases have coincided with the start of public school and college classes, new data from the college will update Tuesday for the previous week on the Oklahoma State University COVID-19 dashboard. The OSU Athletics Department reported 5 active cases in testing through Aug. 27, with 2 in football and 3 in all other sports. It reported 82 cumulative cases since June 1 ...

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/stillwater-surges-to-over-250-active-covid-19-cases/article_98c41b86-9ae1-5a59-a71d-0e8fde38fe73.html

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4. HI: 1.7K people from botched COVID-19 tests at Kaneohe and LCC

Just six days into the COVID-19 surge testing program, over 1,700 Oahu residents have been told to retake their COVID-19 tests because of test tube mislabeling at Kaneohe District Park and Leeward Community College testing sites.

Honolulu Kirk Caldwell said today people who had “incomplete tests” should be expecting to receive two emails from the testing company eTrueNorth, which will inform testers what occurred and where to receive their follow-up tests.

“Approximately 1,776 vials were not labeled correctly,” Caldwell said, adding that names and birthdates were not included on the labels due to miscommunication. Caldwell said test tubes will be labeled correctly moving forward ...

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/31/breaking-news/watch-live-honolulu-mayor-kirk-caldwell-discusses-covid-19-surge-testing/

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5. MT: Big Horn Co. reports 16th COVID-19 death

MISSOULA, Mont. — Big Horn County health workers say a man in his 70s died of COVID-19, marking that county's 16th death from the disease.

Officials say the man had been hospitalized before he died.

County health workers also confirmed nine new cases that are not yet reflected on the state's map ...

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/big-horn-co-reports-16th-covid-19-death

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6. MN: Informal gatherings are driving COVID-19 spread

Written By: Paul John Scott | Aug 31st 2020 - 5pm.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — State health officials say they had "sobering conversations" with federal coronavirus task force head Dr. Deborah Birx this weekend about Minnesota passing a point of no return, from a case-containment standpoint, should recent case increases not reverse.

During a call Monday with reporters, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm singled out statewide private gatherings as the primary driver of escalations in case growth outpacing increases in testing in the state.

Malcolm and state Director of Infectious Disease Kris Ehresmann said a rising number of weddings, funerals and parties in which Minnesotans abandon rules they otherwise follow in public could soon put the state in a situation like that faced recently by Florida and Arizona.

"We do see good compliance in general with social distancing and mask-wearing in public places," Malcolm said. "The really alarming issues are the personal get-togethers, the informal gathering that we're doing on weekends and evenings with friends and family, be that indoors or in close proximity outdoors with large numbers of people and not wearing masks" ...

https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/coronavirus/6640686-Minnesota-health-officials-Informal-gatherings-are-driving-COVID-19-spread

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7. IN: 13 more NIU students test positive

By KELSEY RETTKEEmailFollow
5:44 pm

DeKALB – On Monday, 13 more cases of the novel coronavirus linked to Northern Illinois University were reported, representing cases identified over the past three days, the largest jump in cases since students returned to campus.

A second student who contracted the virus over the past week recovered though, according to NIU's data.

The total number of cases linked to NIU campus is now 25, according to NIU's COVID-19 website, which is updated daily.

In total, 23 students and two employees have tested positive for the viral respiratory disease, and two students have recovered ...

https://www.daily-chronicle.com/2020/08/31/niu-covid-19-update-13-more-students-test-positive-one-more-recovery-reported/aoxkpwx/

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8. VT: Killington private party sparks outbreak

A private party in Killington has sparked an outbreak of 14 Covid-19 cases.

About 40 people, mostly from Rutland County, attended the Aug. 19 event at Summit Lodge in Killington, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

Positive test results started to trickle in from event guests last week, and the Department of Health identified the first signs of community spread, according to spokesperson Ben Truman. Contact tracers for the department have begun contacting all of the party’s attendees ...

https://vtdigger.org/2020/08/31/killington-private-party-sparks-covid-19-outbreak-14-cases-and-counting/

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9. VA: Total student COVID-19 cases near 150 at VCU

By NBC12 Newsroom | August 31, 2020 at 6:27 PM EDT - Updated August 31 at 7:27 PM

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia Commonwealth University is reporting 45 new COVID-19 cases since Friday, bringing the total to 146.

There are currently 97 active student cases and seven active employee cases. A total of 13 employee cases have been reported.

VCU is also reporting a percent positivity rate of 1.6 percent ...

https://www.nbc12.com/2020/08/31/total-student-covid-cases-near-vcu/

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10. GA: 1500+ new cases, 28 more deaths

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Monday reported 28 additional coronavirus-related deaths. The state’s total number of reported deaths reached 5,632.

The state on Monday reported an additional 1,523 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of those, 30 were reported in the last 24 hours in the six counties that News4Jax tracks in Southeast Georgia.

As of Monday, a total of 270,471 confirmed cases had been reported by the state Department of Public Health ...

https://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia/2020/08/31/1500-new-cases-28-more-covid-19-deaths-confirmed-in-georgia/

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11. NH: Two Bedford students test positive

By Kimberly Houghton
Union Leader Correspondent

School officials in Bedford have confirmed two positive cases of COVID-19 among students after three days of classes.

The school district was notified over the weekend that a student who attended Riddle Brook Elementary School on Friday had tested positive on Saturday.

The student was asymptomatic, and the infection was related to a sports camp held outside of Bedford, according to Superintendent Mike Fournier.

A second case of COVID-19, a student who attended McKelvie Intermediate School on Thursday, was also announced on Monday; officials say that infection did not occur at school either ...

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/two-bedford-students-test-positive-for-covid-19/article_8f8e72d5-54bf-5d4a-abde-62d36540b409.html

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12. IL: Chicago's Rising COVID-19 Cases

Marissa Nelson | August 31, 2020 5:02 pm

As the summer nears its end, Chicago, like cities across the country, is seeing COVID-19 cases rise.

This comes amid fears the flu season could exacerbate the pandemic, and as the Illinois Department of Public Health adds suburban Cook County to a list of 29 other counties at a warning level for the virus.

“We don’t have a wall around Chicago,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “I worry not just about suburban Cook, but many places in Illinois are seeing some surges of COVID.”

She recommends that residents continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and exercise caution even when with close friends and family, which is where COVID-19 has been spreading the most ...

https://news.wttw.com/2020/08/31/chicago-s-top-doctor-chicago-s-rising-covid-19-cases

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13. TN: Deaths from COVID-19 now at 30 in Montgomery County

By Chris Smith August 31, 2020 5:20 pm

... Here are the rest of the local statistics as of Monday at 2 p.m., according to state and local data:

2,411 lab confirmed and 64 probable cases for a total of 2,475 since March 6
30 total deaths
1,388 total recovered
1,057 currently active
279 total school-age cases (5-18)
52 school age cases (last 14 days)
103 total hospitalizations
31,667 total negative lab results ...

https://clarksvillenow.com/local/deaths-from-covid-19-now-at-30-in-montgomery-county-with-3-deaths-in-last-week/

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14. NM: 9 new deaths, 73 additional COVID-19 cases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reported nine additional COVID-19-related deaths on Monday ...

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/new-mexico-reports-9-new-deaths-73-additional-covid-19-cases/5846677/

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15. OH: Solon Schools employee tests positive

By Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com

SOLON, Ohio -- A member of the Solon City Schools district office team has tested positive for COVID-19, it was disclosed Saturday (Aug. 29) on the district’s website.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has confirmed the test result, according to a message on the website.

The Solon Schools are working with the county Board of Health on the necessary contact tracing and public health investigation. The infected employee will stay home from work until no longer infectious, the message stated ...

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2020/08/solon-schools-employee-tests-positive-for-covid-19-contact-tracing-underway.html

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16. FL: More kids catching COVID-19

Aug. 31, 2020, 2:32 PM EDT
By Corky Siemaszko

It was back to school for thousands of Florida students Monday while President Donald Trump's new pandemic adviser dismissed teachers' and parents' COVID-19 concerns as "hysterical" amid reports of a big jump in the number of kids who have tested positive in districts that resumed in-person instruction ...

“The recent August numbers represent a whopping 191% increase in children infected in Florida from only about six weeks earlier on July 9,” the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported ...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-students-head-back-class-amid-pandemic-reports-more-kids-n1238888

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17. WV: Mercer County Schools announce death of employee

By MetroNews Staff August 31, 2020

MONTCALM, W.Va. — The Mercer County school system announced an employee died over the weekend due to complications from COVID-19.

The Mercer County Schools Facebook page posted on Monday, “A Mercer County Schools’ employee from Montcalm High School passed away over the weekend from complications from Covid-19.

“This is a devastating loss for the school system, students and staff of such a close-knit community school. We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, loved ones, and colleagues.”

The death would mark the 24th in the county but the first non-nursing home-related death in the county. The 23 prior COVID-19 deaths in Mercer County were associated with the Princeton Health Care Center ...

https://wvmetronews.com/2020/08/31/mercer-county-schools-announce-covid-19-death-of-employee/

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18. WI: Wood Co. Health Department reports third death

By Ashley Hommer
Published: Aug. 31, 2020 at 5:38 PM EDT|Updated: 11 hours ago

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WSAW) - The Wood County Health Department reported its third COVID-19 related death Monday.

According to a news release, the person had underlying health conditions.

To date, 462 people in Wood County and more than 75,603 people in Wisconsin have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported there have been 1,122 deaths in Wisconsin.

https://www.wsaw.com/2020/08/31/wood-co-health-department-reports-third-covid-19-related-death/

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19. KY: Five more cases in Boyd County

By WSAZ News Staff
Published: Aug. 31, 2020 at 4:17 PM EDT|Updated: 12 hours ago

BOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) - Five new positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported.

According to the Boyd County Emergency Operations Center, the new cases include a 43-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man, a 64-year-old man, a 36-year-old man, and a 91-year-old man have tested positive.

Four of the cases are isolating at home. The 91-year-old man is isolating in the hospital ...

https://www.wsaz.com/2020/08/31/five-more-cases-of-covid-19-in-boyd-county/

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20. WA: Kitsap breaks 1,000 COVID-19 cases; 61 reported from hospital

Josh Farley, Kitsap Sun
Published 2:05 p.m. PT Aug. 31, 2020 | Updated 4:02 p.m. PT Aug. 31, 2020

BREMERTON — The number of COVID-19 cases in Kitsap County surpassed 1,000 over the weekend, including a growing number identified as part of an outbreak at the county's primary hospital.

Kitsap Public Health District officials said Sunday that 61 people at St. Michael Medical Center — 40 staff members and 21 patients — have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the 10th death to COVID-19, an adult under 65 with underlying health conditions, was also reported by health officials Monday. It hasn't been reported whether the death was related to the outbreak at St. Michael.

More than 2,200 employees at the hospital, previously known as Harrison Medical Center, have been tested for the novel coronavirus, thanks to a joint effort with the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management's emergency operations center. An effort between public health officials at the state and local level is still responding "to identify the full extent of the outbreak and control its spread," the health district said Sunday ...

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/08/31/kitsap-breaks-1-000-covid-19-cases-60-reported-st-michael/3447956001/#

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21. MI: Health department reports COVID-19 death in Emmet County

Steve Foley
12 hrs ago

PETOSKEY — The Health Department of Northwest Michigan reported one death in Emmet County Monday as a result of novel coronavirus, which is the third death in the county since the virus outbreak in March.

The individual was a male in his 70s who was hospitalized, the health department said in a press release Monday ...

https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/health-department-reports-covid-19-death-in-emmet-county/article_7155431c-8d40-5547-8633-9043de5d3955.html

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22. NC: Medical Board warns CaroMont Health PA over hydroxychloroquine

The N.C. Medical Board has warned a CaroMont Health physician assistant against “stockpiling” a controversial drug related to the treatment of COVID-19.

Brian Joseph O’Connor, a certified physician assistant at CaroMont Heart and Vascular, called in a prescription for Plaquenil, or hydroxychloroquine, in March for himself and family members.

The state’s medical board, which licenses and oversees medical professionals in the state, began investigating O’Connor after receiving a complaint.

“During the board’s investigation you admitted to prescribing Plaquenil to yourself and several family members after reading an article about its potential treatment and prevention of COVID-19,” states the board’s public letter of concern dated Aug. 28 ...

https://www.gastongazette.com/news/20200831/medical-board-warns-caromont-health-pa-over-hydroxychloroquine-for-covid-19

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23. AK: 39 new cases reported Monday

Alaska on Monday reported 39 new cases of COVID-19, including two among nonresidents in the state.

Of the new resident cases, 29 were in Anchorage, four were in Fairbanks, one was in North Pole, two were in the Nome Census Area, and one was in Juneau ...

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/08/31/tracking-covid-19-in-alaska-39-new-cases-reported-monday-no-new-deaths/

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24. KS: Cases in Douglas County increase

Douglas County has reported 1,375 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, an increase of 72 cases since Friday ...

https://www2.ljworld.com/news/general-news/2020/aug/31/covid-19-cases-in-douglas-county-increase-to-1375-465-are-active/

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25. AL: Did COVID-19 cause only 6% of coronavirus deaths?

By Chasity Maxie | August 31, 2020 at 7:59 PM CDT - Updated August 31 at 7:59 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - There’s been plenty of chatter on social media after the CDC released data saying only 6% of COVID-19 deaths were caused by the virus, and the other 94% had other contributing factors that lead to death ...

“The message that people are taking from it…because I’ve been reading online, they’ll say, ‘Oh, only 6% of people are “real deaths due to COVID-19”’ and that’s just ridiculous,” said Medical Director of Disease Control for the Jefferson County Department of Health, Dr. Wesley Willeford.

“All that means is that…only 6% of the cases of COVID-19 that did not have any other reported comorbidities,” Dr. Willeford said.

Dr. Willeford, said before you jump to conclusions about the data, you must understand many people in The United States have other underlying health conditions ...

https://www.wbrc.com/2020/08/31/did-covid-cause-only-coronavirus-deaths/

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26. Golfing and rallies causing outbreaks among Secret Service

As President Trump and Vice President Pence insist on hosting rallies as usual during the worst global pandemic in a century, they not only risk exposing their supporters to the virus but also the Secret Service agents assigned to protect them.

According to a report in the Washington Post, “dozens” of Secret Service agents have contracted the virus or have been quarantined in the last two months after being exposed while planning security for Republican political rallies or accompanying the president, often in states with out-of-control outbreaks like Florida.

“Never before has the Secret Service run up against a president so intent on putting himself first regardless of the costs, including to those around him,” Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and national security expert told the Post. “And by maintaining a rigorous travel schedule and otherwise flouting public health guidance, he is demanding that agents add to their already considerable professional risk in ways that are qualitatively different than what they signed up for” ...

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-rally-golf-coronavirus-secret-service-1052771/