Jobless claims, Deborah Birx warnings, Navajo Nation

Nationwide testing for COVID-19 is declining even as daily infections and deaths remain high due in part to Americans growing discouraged over long waits for tests and results.

Another concern is the extent to which a “different” kind of outbreak is spreading into rural America, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says.

Not all the news is bad – New York City has reported zero deaths for three straight days. The city on Thursday began setting up checkpoints to warn visitors about quarantine rules. On the West Coast, Los Angeles are threatening to cut off power and water to party houses.

The nation’s top health official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the country’s overall response to the pandemic has allowed the daily case count to plateau at an “unacceptable level,” warning that the U.S. will continue to “smolder” without a unified effort to stop the virus.

Here are some significant developments:

• More than 8 in 10 teachers are concerned about returning to the classroom this fall, an NPR/Ipsos poll finds.
• Citing their misinformation policies, Facebook and Twitter removed videos of President Donald Trump during a Fox interview where he said kids are “almost immune” to COVID-19. Doctors say children can catch and pass on the coronavirus.
• Last week’s new jobless claims are down: About 1.2 million people filed initial applications for unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.