June 25 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 4:35 p.m. ET, November 23, 2020
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3:16 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

10 times more people likely infected with Covid-19 in the US, CDC head says

From CNN Health’s Maggie Fox

Healthcare workers from University of South Florida (USF) Health administer coronavirus testing at the Lee Davis Community Resource Center in Tampa, Florida on June 25.
Healthcare workers from University of South Florida (USF) Health administer coronavirus testing at the Lee Davis Community Resource Center in Tampa, Florida on June 25. Octavio Jones/Getty Images

The US has probably only counted about 10% of people infected with coronavirus, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday.

The CDC has been looking at antibody tests done across the country to see how many people had past infections that were not diagnosed at the time, and sees many more cases than have been officially reported.

“A good rough estimate now is 10 to 1,” Redfield said in a media briefing.

With more than 2 million official diagnoses, that would mean more than 20 million Americans have been infected.

These numbers are in part because testing was at first limited to people who were very ill and showing up in hospitals or in nursing homes. Now, as more people are getting tested, it’s clear that a large percentage of people did not have any symptoms, or mild symptoms, Redfield said.

“The estimates that we have right now … is that's about 10 times more people have antibody,” Redfield said.

Redfield estimates that between 5% and 8% of Americans have been infected with coronavirus but said that will vary from region to region. New York, which had an intense epidemic, will have a higher percentage of people with past infections than some states in the West, for instance, he said.

But that means 90% or more of Americans have not been infected and are fully susceptible to the virus, he said.

WATCH:

1:20 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Covid-19 cases in Latin America have tripled in the last month. Here's the latest on the figures.

From CNN's Health Gisela Crespo

Covid-19 cases in Latin America have now tripled since the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced the region had become the new epicenter of the pandemic, the organization's director said yesterday.

Cases of Covid-19 in Latin America tripled from almost 690,000 on May 23 to more than 2 million as of yesterday, according to PAHO's director Dr. Carissa Etienne. 

There is now widespread transmission in most of Central America, while the Caribbean has hotspots on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as in northern South America, PAHO has found.

Brazil has surpassed 1 million Covid-19 cases, joining the United States as the only other country in the world with cases in the seven digits, PAHO said.

Watch CNN's correspondents in Mexico City and Sao Paulo report on the latest figures:

1:15 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

California governor declares budget emergency due to Covid-19

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, California on April 14.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, California on April 14. Rich Pedroncelli/AP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a budget emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement from his office.

The state's budget has gone from a $21 billion surplus to a $54.3 billion deficit in a matter of months. It was decimated by the economic demands of the pandemic. 

The governor's proclamation clears the way for the state legislature to use a $16 billion rainy fund to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Expenditures include personal protective equipment, medical equipment, and services to protect vulnerable populations.

California has been in a state of emergency since March 4 when the pandemic began to take hold in the state.

1:13 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Gyms will remain closed in Michigan following federal judge ruling

From CNN's Melissa Alonso 

A closed LA Fitness gym is shown in Plymouth, Michigan.
A closed LA Fitness gym is shown in Plymouth, Michigan. Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

An appeals court has granted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency stay to keep gyms in the state closed, court documents show. 

On June 19, a federal judge ruled that indoor gym facilities could reopen in the state after a lawsuit was filed by the League of Independent Fitness Facilities and Trainers (LIFFT). Whitmer appealed that ruling, court records show.  

"We sympathize deeply with the business owners and their patrons affected by the Governor’s Order. Crises like COVID-19 can call for quick, decisive measures to save lives. Yet those measures can have extreme costs—costs that often are not borne evenly. The decision to impose those costs rests with the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer," said the order from the US Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit. 

“Today three Republican-appointed judges got it right: in the fight against a global pandemic, courts must give governors broad latitude to make quick, difficult decisions. The governor will continue to take the actions necessary to save lives,” a statement from the governor's office said.

Whitmer said she hopes to reopen gyms and other businesses during phase five by July 4, "if current trends continue," according her statement extending the state of emergency. 

12:55 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Iraq reports another new record in daily Covid-19 cases, health ministry says

From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Aqeel Najim

Workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with Covid-19 in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20.
Workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with Covid-19 in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20. Hadi Mizban/AP

Iraq on Thursday registered 2,437 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily tally recorded in the country since the pandemic began, according to the country's health ministry.

Iraq now has a total of 39,193 cases of coronavirus. 

The health ministry also reported 107 new Covid-19-related fatalities, which is also the highest daily tally recorded in the country since the pandemic began, bringing the total to 1,437 deaths across the country. 

12:43 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Portugal to bring back coronavirus lockdown to several areas of Lisbon, prime minister says

From CNN's Vasco Cotovio in London

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa delivers remarks at Palacio Nacional de Ajuda Lisbon, Portugal on June 15.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa delivers remarks at Palacio Nacional de Ajuda Lisbon, Portugal on June 15. Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images

Portugal will bring back coronavirus stay at home orders for several areas of Lisbon, said Prime Minister António Costa on Thursday. 

The reinstated lockdown will apply to 19 boroughs in the Lisbon Metro Area, not including the capital city's downtown area, as local authorities fight a surge in Covid-19 infections in the city's outskirts.

Costa also announced that the rest of the country would continue to ease anti-coronavirus restrictions, transitioning from a "state of calamity" to a "state of alert," on July 1.

12:32 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Multiple Trump campaign staffers are quarantining after Tulsa rally

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20.
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20. Go Nakamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Several of President Trump’s campaign staffers are quarantining this week after attending his rally in Tulsa last weekend and interacting with several colleagues who later tested positive for coronavirus, CNN has learned.

After eight staffers tested positive, several of the campaign’s top officials decided to quarantine for the week instead of going into the office, two sources familiar told CNN. Staff had only recently returned to the office after months of working from home because of coronavirus restrictions. 

The fallout from Trump’s push to hold a rally with thousands of attendees has continued in the days since he returned from Tulsa. CNN reported last night that multiple Secret Service officers were also instructed to self-quarantine after two of their colleagues who were on site for the rally tested positive. 

Several of the campaign’s surrogates who traveled to Tulsa have also undergone coronavirus testing out of an abundance of caution, two sources said. Many of the surrogates — including lawmakers, former lawmakers and campaign advisers — traveled on a chartered plane together without wearing masks. Trump’s campaign had urged many of them to come so Trump could have a show of force for his return to the campaign trail. 

12:16 p.m. ET, June 25, 2020

DC mayor urges residents to celebrate July 4th at home

From CNN’s Nicky Robertson

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 16.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 16. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging residents to celebrate Fourth of July at home this year.

In a news conference Thursday morning, Bowser said that DC will still be in a public health crisis during the holiday, and that “our strong recommendation is that DC residents celebrate the Fourth of July at home or near their home in small gatherings.”

 “We have not eradicated the virus, we are still reporting new cases each day,” Bowser warned.

Although there has been a plateau in coronavirus cases, the government is “still not satisfied” with the number of cases, the mayor said. 

Bowser noted that the National Park service will still conduct the fireworks display at the National Mall, and that the District will continue to support the Park Service as they do yearly, but she added, “We hope that the crowds that come in non-pandemic years won’t materialize this year.” 

More measures — including road closures — for the firework display on the Mall will be announced next week.

11:56 a.m. ET, June 25, 2020

Texas governor pauses additional reopening phases as cases increase

From CNN's Kay Jones and Konstantin Toropin

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced today that he will pause any further phases to reopen the state as Texas responds to the increase in Covid-19 cases. 

All businesses that were permitted to reopen under the previous phases can continue to operate at the level designated by the phase while still adhering to the minimum standard health protocols as stated by the Texas Department of State Health Services, according to a press release issued by the governor's office.

Here's what the governor said about the decision:

“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business," Abbott said in the release. "I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business.”

Where the state stands on reopening: Earlier this month, Abbott announced that the state was moving into its Phase III — meaning that "all businesses in Texas will be able to operate at up to 50% capacity, with very limited exceptions."