Coronavirus live updates: Scientists say new nasal spray can help fight COVID; college football season in shambles; Texas passes 500K cases – USA TODAY

Pac-12 joins Big Ten in not playing college football this fall.
The Pac-12 has actually decided to not play its football season this fall over issues that the sport carries too much risk for athletes, the conference said Tuesday, joining the Big Ten as the second member of the Power Five to elect not to play over the health problems raised by the coronavirus pandemic. Combined, the announcement by the two leagues less than two hours apart foreshadow a series of similar relocations that might ultimately lead to the cancellation of the entire Bowl Subdivision season.
” The health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes and all those linked to Pac-12 sports has been our number one top priority since the start of this present crisis,” stated Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott..
” Our student-athletes, fans, personnel and all those who enjoy college sports wish to have seen the season played this fiscal year as originally planned, and we know how frustrating this is.”.
All Pac-12 sports competitors will be held off until at least Jan. 1, the league stated. The decision came following a conference of the Pac-12 CEO Group.
— Paul Myerberg.

While scientists around the world rush to discover a vaccine for COVID-19, scientists in San Francisco developed an antiviral nasal spray that could battle the coronavirus..
Coronavirus infections have actually surged in Texas as the state surpassed the 500,000 case marker Tuesday. While state hospitalizations have actually reduced, Gov. Greg Abbott said events may have added to the surge in favorable cases.
The federal government is betting another $1.5 billion that Modernas vaccine prospect will be safe, efficient and offered quickly. The Churchill Downs unveiled a plan to host next months Kentucky Derby before a live albeit scaled-down audience of 23,000. In 2015s race drew 150,729.
Here are some substantial advancements:.
What were checking out: Outdoor dining might conserve restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. However are diners at danger from cars and trucks plowing into them?
Outside dining might be conserving dining establishments. Diners might be at risk.
As an option to indoor dining, lots of cities have allowed eateries to set up tables in parking lots, on sidewalks or in fenced-in locations straight on streets to alleviate the coronavirus threat. A group that informally tracks incidents of cars crashing into structures or crowds based on authorities or media reports, the Storefront Safety Council, so far has counted about 20 circumstances of cars and trucks or trucks barging into outside dining locations given that dining establishments reopened after COVID-19-related shutdowns. That compares to about 4 a year over the past eight years.
” In the finest of times, there is some risk connected with walkway dining, curbside dining, and street closings,” said council co-founder Rob Reiter. “This is not the very best of times.”.
— Chris Woodyard.

Churchill Downs reveals crowd strategies for Kentucky Derby.
The strategy consists of no general admission, and the infield will be closed. Temperature checks, medical surveys, physical distancing and compulsory face coverings will be needed upon entryway. The pandemic altered that.
” The opportunity to securely welcome back a restricted variety of guests to Churchill Downs on the first week of September is a privilege that our group doesnt consider granted,” stated Churchill Downs racetrack president Kevin Flanery.
— Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal.

Scientists establish nasal spray to eliminate coronavirus.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, state they have produced a nasal spray that can help ward off the coronavirus– not as a remedy or vaccine, but as an antiviral.
” Far more efficient than wearable kinds of individual protective devices, we think about AeroNabs as a molecular form of PPE that might act as an important substitute until vaccines provide a more permanent option to COVID-19,” stated AeroNabs co-inventor Peter Walter, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF, in a press release.
Nanobodies in the spray are smaller sized than human antibodies, making them simpler to control in a laboratory setting, stated co-inventor Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry. Nanobodies, for this factor, are therefore more economical and simpler to mass fruit and vegetables. The researchers are currently working to get the spray manufactured and medically tested.
— Elinor Aspegren.

US immigration services to furlough two-thirds of its workers.
The federal agency charged with offering citizenship, permits and visas to immigrants is planning to furlough about two-thirds of its employees at the end of the month after Congress stopped working to reach an offer on a coronavirus stimulus bundle. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services informed about 13,400 of its 20,000 workers they would be furloughed Aug. 30 due to spending plan shortages, which the agency hoped Congress would fill out its next relief bundle before settlements stalled last week..
” In the past few months, USCIS has actually done something about it to avert a fiscal crisis, consisting of limiting costs to income and mission-critical activities,” an agency spokesperson said. “Without congressional intervention, USCIS will have to take extreme actions to keep the firm solvent.”.
The agency had actually asked Congress for $ 1.2 billion and the funds were expected to come through its next coroanvirus relief plan. After about two weeks of settlements, talks liquified with Democrats and the White House blaming one another for the stalemate.
— Christal Hayes.

HBOs Hard Knocks gets genuine about COVID-19.
Less than five minutes into the 15th season of HBOs NFL truth series “Hard Knocks,” COVID-19 became the focus. Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn fired up Zoom on his laptop computer and provided stunning news to his players.
” I cant promise you that youre not going to get infected. He is at least the 3rd NFL coach to evaluate positive, following Sean Payton of New Orleans and Doug Pederson of Philadelphia.
” Fellas, this year is not like any year weve had in the National Football League,” Lynn stated. Its going to be change and its going to come every single day.
— Jim Reineking.

High-risk university student fear being left behind throughout pandemic.
Countless university student with weakened immune systems are navigating treacherous back-to-school dynamics. While many institution of higher learnings provided all classes online last spring, some arent doing the very same this fall, leaving immunocompromised students stressed, reorganizing schedules and secured lengthy exchanges with accommodation offices.
Samantha Price, a rising junior at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has Type 1 diabetes. She stated the school anticipates her to drop classes that wont be provided online.
” Thats a problem since I should not need to compromise my classes of choice when an able-bodied student gets to enter into class,” she states.
— Grace Hauck.

Moderna paid another $1.5 billion to crank out dosages of candidate vaccine.
Moderna Inc., a leader in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, has received another $1.525 billion in federal funding to provide 100 million doses of its candidate vaccine. The cash comes on top of almost $1 billion the biotech has actually currently gotten for establishing the science behind its vaccine, referred to as mRNA-1273. The U.S. government will also have the option to acquire another 400 million doses from the business. Americans who receive this vaccine will not have to spend for it, though “as is traditional with government-purchased vaccines, health care specialists might charge for the cost of administering the vaccine.” Not everybody is fascinated with the federal financial investment in Moderna, nevertheless.
” Moderna offers us the privilege of purchasing that very same vaccine we currently paid for with another $1.525 billion and an alternative to pay much more for extra doses,” stated Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. “And there is no sign of just how much Americans will ultimately pay themselves for the vaccine they have financed.”.
— Karen Weintraub.

North Carolina canine dies after testing positive.
The very first North Carolina pet to checked favorable for coronavirus has died, state health officials stated. The Department of Health and Human Services stated the 8-year-old male Newfoundland was taken to state Veterinary Hospital on Aug. 3 after showing signs of respiratory distress and passed away later that day. An autopsy was prepared to figure out if the infection was the cause of death. The first pet to evaluate favorable in the United States was Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd from Staten Island, New York, according to National Geographic. Friend passed away July 11..
” Based on the information readily available, the threat of animals spreading the virus to individuals is considered to be low,” stated a statement from Dr. Carl Williams, a North Carolina public health veterinarian.

Florida constable prohibits masks for deputies, people they are dealing with.
Woods safeguarded his mask restriction, citing “present events when it comes to the belief and/or hatred towards law enforcement in our nation today. This is being done to make sure there is clear interaction and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby.”.
— Austin L. Miller.

Texas surpasses 500K verified cases of coronavirus.
Texas went beyond 500,000 verified coronavirus cases Tuesday as Gov. Greg Abbott suggested household and area gatherings lag a sharp increase in the rate of favorable tests, which has reached record levels just as schools are beginning to reopen across the state. He also continued to say more screening in Texas is likely after dropping off in current weeks, a pattern seen throughout the U.S. even as deaths install. Texas has actually reported more than 1,400 brand-new deaths over the previous week, consisting of 220 on Tuesday.
Although health officials say there are encouraging check in Texas– particularly hospitalization levels that have dropped more than 30% since Julys peak– infection rates have actually been increasing gradually. On Tuesday, the rolling average of favorable cases over the past 7 days jumped to 24%, without a doubt the highest of the pandemic, according to figures from the state Department of Health Services.
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Contributing: The Associated Press.

Moderna Inc., a leader in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, has received another $1.525 billion in federal funding to deliver 100 million doses of its candidate vaccine.” Fellas, this year is not like any year weve had in the National Football League,” Lynn said. The Department of Health and Human Services said the 8-year-old male Newfoundland was taken to state Veterinary Hospital on Aug. 3 after showing indications of respiratory distress and passed away later on that day. Nanobodies in the spray are smaller than human antibodies, making them easier to manipulate in a laboratory setting, stated co-inventor Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry. Texas surpassed 500,000 verified coronavirus cases Tuesday as Gov. Greg Abbott recommended household and community events are behind a sharp increase in the rate of positive tests, which has climbed up to tape levels just as schools are beginning to reopen across the state.