Live updates: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he has tested positive for the coronavirus

By Antonia Noori Farzan, Teo Armus, Jennifer Hassan, Rick Noack, Lateshia Beachum, Kim Bellware, Hannah Knowles, Hannah Denham and Miriam Berger July 15, 2020 at 11:56 a.m. CDT

Breaking: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) told reporters on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He said he has experienced only mild symptoms and will continue working from home while self-isolating. Stitt said he is not considering issuing a statewide mandate to wear masks, though he had previously encouraged that Oklahomans wear them in public.

It’s not just Florida, Arizona, Texas and California anymore. States including Oklahoma and Nevada are reporting record numbers of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. More than 62,000 new infections were reported nationwide on Tuesday, pushing the total count since the pandemic began past 3.41 million.

Outside of the United States, that kind of explosive growth can be found only in the developing world, in countries that lack the wealth and resources of the United States. The number of new cases reported in Florida alone over the past week outstrips the total count in most European nations.

At least 133,000 Americans have died of covid-19 to date, with Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Nevada and Utah reporting record numbers of fatalities Tuesday.

Here are some significant developments:

·        It’s time to file your taxes, if you haven’t done so already. Taxpayers must file or seek an extension by Wednesday — after the traditional deadline of April 15 was postponed by the coronavirus outbreak — or face penalty.

·        The White House moved to distance itself from an extraordinary op-ed in USA Today in which Peter Navarro, President Trump’s trade adviser, heavily criticized Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, for his handling of the pandemic.

·        Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced it would require all shoppers to wear face masks, a policy that will apply to all of its 5,000-plus stores in the United States.

·        Some parts of the world could see baby booms during the pandemic, while others could see the opposite, early trends suggest.

·        An experimental coronavirus vaccine prompted immune responses in the first 45 people to take part in human trials, and it appeared to be safe, according to early findings published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

·        CDC Director Robert Redfield said Tuesday that the coronavirus could be “under control” in the United States within a month or two if everyone wore masks.

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