COVID Live Updates: US surpasses 150,000 deaths

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The COVID-19 death toll in the United States officially climbed over 150,000 on Wednesday.

However, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the percentage of New York City residents testing positive for COVID-19 is holding steady at 2%, while many parts of the nation are seeing an increasing infection rate.

Also on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the statewide infection rate was 1.1%, with five additional deaths from coronavirus.

Meantime, Florida recorded its second day of record-setting deaths. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman joined Governor Cuomo for his conference call briefing with reporters, thanking Cuomo for sending PPE and supplies to his city. He said John Hopkins Children's Hospital needed more iPads, and New York helped deliver them.

"It will impact the kids in this community and the families of these kids," Kriseman said.

Here are more of today's headlines:

DOG DIES OF COVID

A family from Staten Island described the last days of their dog, the first pet canine in the U.S. to test positive for COVID-19, in an exclusive interview with National Geographic.

The family says the most confusing part of it all was the fact that no one seemed interested in learning from Buddy's death or studying what role COVID-19 played in it, considering how few cases had been confirmed in animals.

REP. TESTS POSITIVE

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, forcing him to abruptly cancel his plan to travel to his home state with President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One, a House Republican aide said.

Gohmert, 66, one of the House's most conservative and outspoken members, tested positive at the White House and planned to isolate, according to the aide, who was not authorized to publicly discuss Gohmert's test result and spoke on condition of anonymity.

BACK IN ACTION

Movie and TV production resumes in the Big Apple. On a typical day before the pandemic hit, as many as 100 movies, TV shows, and commercials were in production at the same time across New York City.

NJ POSITIVE TESTS CONCERNS

Over the past four days, New Jersey has reported roughly 2,000 new positive coronavirus test results. Gov. Phil Murphy is blaming indoor house parties for fueling the new growth in cases.

"Over the past four months, we've crushed the curve," Murphy said. "We're now back to where we were roughly a month ago in the daily number of new cases. We cannot go backwards."

The state reported 18 new deaths on Wednesday.

US SURPASSES 150,000 DEATHS

The death toll in the United States has now crossed 150,000 people and now stands at 150,034, according to Johns Hopkins University.

GIANTS PLAYER OPTS OUT OF SEASON

New York Giants left tackle Nate Solder, who started every game the previous two seasons, has opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the team's website.

2ND DAY OF RECORD DEATHS IN FLORIDA

Officials in Florida reported a new high in deaths Tuesday after the health department announced an increase of 217 fatalities since Monday. The total number of deaths now stands at 6,457. Officials reported 9,446 new cases, bringing the total to 451,423. The positivity rate is at 12.26%. On Sunday, the state saw 191 deaths. Not all of these people died in the last 24 hours, officials say. Their deaths were reported to the health department in the last 24 hours.

MTA INSTALLING MASK DISPENSERS ON BUSES

The MTA announced Wednesday that it has launched a pilot program to mount dispensers of free surgical masks inside buses to further protect customers while on board. The agency has already completed the installation of dispensers on 100 buses on six bus routes in three boroughs, with the goal of rolling out the pilot across every borough on more than 20 routes and 400 buses by the end of August.

US OPEN GOLF IN NY

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the U.S. Open Golf Tournament would be held at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck on September 17. He added that there would be no spectators.

SURVIVOR STORY

An 80-year-old woman is back home after a terrible fall broke many bones, but may have ended up saving her life. That tumble back in January broke her hip and femur, but it revealed a string of other life-threatening ailments that would have otherwise gone undetected.

MORE STATES ADDED TO TRI-STATE QUARANTINE LIST

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the state is closely watching the infection rate across the country, which he called "very bad." As a result, Illinois, Kentucky, and Minnesota, along with Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico were added to the quarantine list.

SUMMONSES ISSUED TO MORE BARS IN NYC, LI

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that the state has suspended liquor licenses for 12 New York City bars after finding violations of COVID-19 pandemic-related Executive Orders. Over the weekend, the state's multi-agency task force, led by the State Police and State Liquor Authority, conducted over 1,300 compliance checks, documenting violations at 132 establishments. An additional 644 compliance checks were completed Monday night, with investigators observing 26 violations in New York City.

OVERCROWDING CONCERNS AT HAMPTONS CONCERT

Governor Andrew Cuomo is lashing out after video showed a lack of social distancing at a Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons. Now a health department investigation is underway. Video posted on social media shows massive crowds gathered in front of the stage with little space between one another.

HOW TO TREAT 'MASKNE'

It's a cosmetic casualty of the coronavirus pandemic: acne or irritation on the skin around one's face mask. It's a condition that's being called "maskne." Dermatologists are seeing more people come in who are experiencing the condition.

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7 On Your Side Investigates: Up to 4,000 coronavirus cases prevented by NYC contact tracers

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio along with local health experts have repeatedly called contact tracing a key element in preventing another spike of coronavirus in the city.

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Total count of NYC, Long Island COVID-19 cases based on patient address