Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

200,000 dead as Trump vilifies science, prioritizes politics

Sep. 23, 2020 12:58 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — “I did the best I could,” President Donald Trump said. Huddled with aides in the West Wing last week, his eyes fixed on Fox News, Trump wasn’t talking about how he had led the nation through the deadliest pandemic in a century. In a conversation overheard by an...

$FILE - In this Monday, June 29, 2020, file photo, men in face masks walk past a hair product billboard on the street in Soweto, South Africa. The coronavirus pandemic has fractured global relationships as governments act in the interest of their citizens first, but John Nkengasong, Africa's top public health official, has helped to steer the continent's 54 countries into an alliance praised as responding better than some richer nations. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)$

As US struggles, Africa's COVID-19 response is praised

Sep. 22, 2020 2:27 PM EDT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At a lecture to peers this month, John Nkengasong showed images that once dogged Africa, with a magazine cover declaring it “The Hopeless Continent." Then he quoted Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah: “It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems,...

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, file photo, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield puts his mask back on after speaking at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on a

CDC changes, then retracts, web posting on how virus spreads

Sep. 21, 2020 8:23 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The top U.S. public health agency stirred confusion by posting — and then taking down — an apparent change in its position on how easily the coronavirus can spread from person to person through the air. But officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say their...

FILE - The Symphony of the Seas cruise ship is shown docked at PortMiami, in a Wednesday, May 20, 2020, file photo, in Miami.Major cruise lines say they will test all passengers and crew for COVID-19 prior to boarding as part of their plan for resuming sailing in the Americas. The Cruise Lines International Association says its members will also require masks onboard and on shore excursions whenever physical distancing can’t be maintained. No date has been set for the resumption of cruising in the Americas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a no-sail order for U.S. waters through Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

US cruises vow 100% testing in plan for resuming sailing

Sep. 21, 2020 5:00 PM EDT

Major cruise lines say they will test all passengers and crew for COVID-19 prior to boarding as part of their plan for resuming sailing in the Americas. The Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group that represents 95% of global ocean-going cruise capacity, said Monday that its members will also...

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, during a hybrid hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)

Watchdog: Millions in danger of missing virus relief payouts

Sep. 21, 2020 4:34 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans are in danger of missing coronavirus relief payments of up to $1,200 per individual because of incomplete government records, a government watchdog said in a report issued Monday. The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ auditing arm, said that possibly...

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 file photo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield pauses while speaking at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on a

CDC drops controversial testing advice that caused backlash

Sep. 18, 2020 3:59 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially returned to its previous testing guidance, getting rid of...

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 file photo, Buildings in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada are obscured due to the heavy smoke in the air from the wildfires burning south of the border. On Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting maps of recent wildfires in the Pacific Northwest show the fires stop abruptly at the Canadian border. Maps circulating on social media with this claim include only American data. Canada has its own fire mapping system, which shows there are fires burning in British Columbia, just north of the western U.S. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

Sep. 18, 2020 3:25 PM EDT

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ CLAIM: Maps of recent wildfires in the Pacific Northwest show the fires stop...

Medical staff prepare to take a COVID-19 tests at a drive through community based assessment centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. Health authorities in New Zealand are scrambling to trace the source of a new outbreak of the coronavirus as the nation's largest city, Auckland, goes back into lockdown. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The Latest: First case-free day for New Zealand in 5 weeks

Sep. 17, 2020 11:15 PM EDT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has reported no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than five weeks as hopes rise that an outbreak discovered in Auckland last month has been stamped out. Friday’s report also marked the fourth consecutive day without any cases of...

In this Aug. 31, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington. Most Americans are deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country and skeptical of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. That's according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey shows that roughly 7 in 10 Americans think the nation is on the wrong track. And as the nation nears 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, just 39% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the health crisis. Americans have a more favorable views of public health officials, as they have throughout the pandemic. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

AP-NORC poll: Trump faces deep pessimism as election nears

Sep. 17, 2020 2:59 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than seven weeks before Election Day, most Americans are deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country and skeptical of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Roughly 7 in 10 Americans think the nation is on the wrong track, according to a new...

FILE - In this June 5, 2020, file photo, a surfer walks on a sparsely populated Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Hawaii's governor says that starting Oct. 15, travelers arriving from out of state may bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement if they test negative for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

The Latest: Hawaii again sets plan for pre-testing tourists

Sep. 16, 2020 11:04 PM EDT

HONOLULU — Hawaii’s governor says that starting Oct. 15, travelers arriving from out of state may bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement if they test negative for the coronavirus. Gov. David Ige said Wednesday that travelers will have to take the test within 72 hours before their flight arrives in...

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