Covid updates: U.S. coronavirus cases soar, deaths top 1,000 for fourth consecutive day

Here are some significant developments:

• While millions of people are days away from losing unemployment benefits — and a federal eviction moratorium ending — a new stimulus package has been delayed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said it may take several weeks to complete a deal.
• Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said states hit hard by the virus in recent weeks needed to halt or walk back their reopenings as they grapple with surges of infections. During a live interview with The Post, Fauci also said a vaccine would likely not be “widely available” until “several months in” to 2021.
• The Supreme Court denied a Nevada church’s plea that coronavirus-related restrictions on houses of worship unlawfully treats them worse than the state’s famous casinos.
• Many people with milder covid-19 symptoms continue to report health issues two to three weeks after testing, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that at least 77 hand sanitizer products may contain methanol, a toxic compound that can cause blindness or even possible death.

Globally, coronavirus-related deaths reached 640,000 Saturday morning, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. More than one-fifth of those deaths were reported in the United States, where total confirmed cases surpassed 4 million this week, based on data tracked by The Washington Post. More than 400,000 new cases had been added in the United States over seven days.

In states where cases have ballooned, officials are weighing additional public health measures to slow the spread of the virus in their communities.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell doubled-up on restrictions against the sale of alcoholic beverages, prohibiting takeout drinks effective Saturday, she said in a news briefing Friday. The mayor’s announcement comes after Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) ordered bars closed for on-premise consumption statewide earlier this month and the state tallied 2,084 new cases Friday.

A legal challenge of the emergency orders by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) was denied by a federal judge Friday. While Republican state lawmakers argued for a preliminary injunction against the governor’s use of emergency powers, which they said was unconstitutional, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington Judge Benjamin Settle ruled that Inslee wasn’t enforcing the orders.

As measures to protect public health have been flouted by those who argue for individual liberties, nearly 800 bar owners in Texas will participate in “Freedom Fest” on Saturday, an event where bars will openly defy a June 26 order by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to shut down. Hundreds of bars will reopen, serving alcohol and offering live entertainment, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

Local TV news stations across the country are set to air a baseless conspiracy theory that Fauci was involved in the creation of the coronavirus, a claim publicized by the medical researcher in the debunked “Plandemic” conspiracy online film.

Sinclair stations will show the interview by “America This Week,” hosted by Eric Bolling, with researcher Judy Mikovits, who argues that Fauci “manufactured” the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated.

A chyron during the segment reads, “DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?”

Although Bolling doesn’t challenge Mikovits, he told CNN that he brought Fox News medical contributor Nicole Saphier on the show after to “provide an opposing viewpoint.”

A Sinclair spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.