Where cases stand in Washington
- 8 new coronavirus deaths reported Wednesday in Washington among 551 new cases overall, according to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
- Total: 1,724 deaths among 64,702 overall cases in Washington state.
- The state had previously reported the total number of COVID-19 tests submitted in Washington state, and the percentage of tests that came back positive. However, the state has not supplied that data since August 5.
- The state Department of Health reported that it is resolving issues with the reporting of negative tests, which had previously been overcounted resulting in total test count that was too high.
American Airlines will ban the use of face masks that have exhaust valves or vents, joining almost every major airline in the U.S. with this updated policy. Masks with valves and vents can defeat the purpose of preventing a coronavirus-infected person from spreading the virus.
Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United airlines also recently updated their mask policies to exclude masks with vents, valves or both as acceptable for travel.
Most major airlines are now requiring passengers -- with exceptions only for very young children -- to wear a face covering from airport to airport except when eating, drinking or taking medicine. Those who wear face shields must also wear masks. Passengers who refuse to comply may be banned from future travel on the airline.
Zero players testing positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks since NHL teams arrived at their two respective playoff hub cities. And a powerful opening night statement on social and racial justice issues made by the league and its players.
Given the uncertainty professional hockey faced in placing its season on pause in mid-March, NHL Players' Association chief Don Fehr couldn't have envisioned a better resumption of play five months later with the first round of the playoffs getting under way.
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them.
Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking there’s an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up.