Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY

U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day. It’s a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results. An Associated Press analysis finds that the number of tests per day slid 3.6% over the past two weeks to 750,000, with the count falling in 22 states. That includes places like Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of positive tests is high and continuing to climb, an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub Find AP Virus Alerts here

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

ECONOMY-PERMANENT JOB LOSSES: A stark sign of the damage the resurgent viral outbreak has caused the economy could come Friday, when the government is expected to report a sharp slowdown in hiring. And as the coronavirus keeps pummeling retailers, restaurants, hotels and other industries, more laid-off workers are reaching a sad realization: That the job they thought was only temporarily lost is likely gone for good. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS BUSES: Reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic means putting children on school buses, and districts are working on plans to limit the risk.SENT: 930 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LONG LOCKDOWNS: Several countries in Latin America – Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina – are living out the world’s longest lockdowns. Each country started a nationwide quarantine in March when cases were low as a preventative measure – but the shutdowns have been repeatedly extended as cases continue to rise. SENT: 1180 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Stocks climbed again on Wall Street, giving the S&P 500 index its fourth straight gain and pulling it within 2% of the record high it set in February. SENT: 980 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-CONVENTION: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will not travel to Milwaukee to accept his party’s White House nomination because of concerns over the coronavirus. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: After more than a week’s worth of meetings, at least some clarity is coming to bipartisan Washington talks on a huge COVID-19 response bill. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRGINIA-APP: Virginia has rolled out a smartphone app to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus. It’s the first U.S. state to use new pandemic technology created by Apple and Google. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-WISCONSIN ELECTIONS: A federal judge questioned whether it would be right to order an easing of Wisconsin’s absentee voting regulations ahead of the November presidential election. SENT: 590 words, photos.

GOVERNORS-LEADERSHIP CHANGE: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is poised to lead the group representing the nation’s governors, which has played a pivotal role in pushing the Trump administration about state needs during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 675 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHICAGO SCHOOLS: Chicago’s mayor has announced that the nation’s third-largest school district will not welcome students back to the classroom, after all, and will instead rely only on remote instruction to start the school year. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA: California’s top health official says figures showing California has slowed the rate of coronavirus infections may be in doubt. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA: State officials say Florida has surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases as testing ramps up following a temporary shutdown of some sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI CHOCTAW INDIANS: As confirmed coronavirus cases skyrocket in Mississippi, the state’s only federally recognized American Indian tribe has been devastated. SENT: 1060 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS BORDER: The U.S. failure to contain the pandemic has been laid bare in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. SENT: 1170 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA: Melbourne’s usually vibrant downtown streets are draining of signs of life on the eve of Australia’s toughest-ever pandemic restrictions coming into force. SENT: 700 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Round up of developments throughout Asia.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-PHILIPPINES BABY: He was heralded in the Philippines as the country’s youngest COVID-19 survivor, a baby who’d become infected with and conquered the coronavirus during his first 16 days of life. Three days later, he was back at National Children’s Hospital with a swollen belly. He died on June 4 from complications of Hirschsprung disease, a rare birth defect. SENT: 875 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa’s health minister is reporting decreasing rates of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but warns that vigilance must continue “to prevent a renewed surge.” SENT: 520 words, photos.

ALSO:

TRUMP-ARIZONA: President Donald Trump is set to host Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey at the White House as he points to the state as a model for the nation for addressing “embers” of the coronavirus. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRAUD CHARGES: Federal prosecutors say a Houston man bilked the government out of $1.6 million in COVID-19 business relief funding and spent some of the money on a Lamborghini, jewelry and trips to strip clubs, among other things. SENT 170 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN: Officials in Scotland ordered bars, cafes and restaurants in the city of Aberdeen to close in response to a cluster of 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area linked to a single bar. SENT: 440 words, photos.

AIRLINES-JOBS: A campaign by airlines and their unions for federal money to keep paying airline workers is getting a boost. On Wednesday, 16 Republican senators endorsed a proposal to give airlines billions so they can avoid layoffs through next March. SENT: 390 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS-MASKS: The Netherlands’ two most populous cities have begun ordering people to wear face masks in busy streets. Wednesday’s new policy comes amid rising coronavirus infection rates. SENT: 370 words, photos.

KENYA-WILDEBEEST-MIGRATION: One of nature’s most spectacular sights, East Africa’s great wildebeest migration, went largely unwatched this year as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are felt as far as the continent’s wilderness. SENT: 370 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TURKEY: Turkey’s interior ministry has announced new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 as daily confirmed cases have peaked back above 1,000. SENT: 210 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORWAY CRUISE: A cruise ship carrying more than 200 people docked in a Norwegian harbor Wednesday and ordered to keep everyone on board after a passenger from a previous trip tested positive for the coronavirus. SENT:430 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPACE CAMP: A fundraising drive has reached its goal of bringing in $1.5 million to save Space Camp from closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 200 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL: The Israeli military says it is establishing a coronavirus task force aimed at cutting the chain of infection in the country. SENT 210 words, photos.

COLORADO STATE-COVID-1- INVESTIGATION: Colorado State president Joyce McConnell says she will launch an investigation into how the athletic department handled COVID-19 safety protocols amid a report that players were told not to reveal symptoms. SENT: 340 words.

KASHMIR-REIMAGINING SCHOOL-PHOTO GALLERY: Decades of insurgency, protests and military crackdowns have constantly disrupted formal schooling in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Now, the coronavirus lockdown is amplifying the problem. SENT: 490 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from Australia, Netherlands, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Norway, South Korea, Japan, various Europe, US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from Sri Lanka, Australia, Philippines, various Europe, US, Latin America locations.