Coronavirus Watch: Evidence of airborne transmission

Hospitalizations continued to rise and ICU beds were quickly filling as the nation surpassed 3 million coronavirus cases. The milestone represents roughly a quarter of the world’s cases and the same percentage of its deaths.

Consider these statistics: It took the U.S. a little more than three months to hit 1 million cases on April 28. It took about half that time, 44 days, to get to 2 million on June 11, and only 26 days to reach 3 million on July 8. By that gauge, if no new measures are taken, 4 million cases could be tallied as soon as July 22.

It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the most significant news of the day, as of 1:15 p.m. ET:

• Straining the system: In California, hospitalizations are up 50% from two weeks ago. In Arizona,  more than 90% of its ICU beds were filled. And in Florida, at least 56 hospital ICUs have reached capacity.
• New Zealand officials said they will press charges against a COVID-19 patient who escaped quarantine to go shopping.
• San Francisco has indefinitely delayed reopening plans for outdoor bars and indoor restaurants.
• New York City's public schools plan to open in September with a mix of in-person and remote learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. 
• Evidence of airborne transmission in "crowded, closed, poorly ventilated settings . . . cannot be ruled out," a World Heath Organization infection prevention specialist said. The acknowledgement comes days after 239 health experts in an open letter urged their colleagues to take airborne transmission seriously.
• MIT and Harvard filed suit against ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security challenging the Trump administration decision that international students must leave the country if the college or university they attend switches to online-only classes in the fall. 
• Today's numbers: More than 131,000 people infected with the virus in the U.S. have died. Worldwide, more than 11.8 million people have tested positive for the virus, and more than 545,000 have died. See the numbers in your area here, and see where cases are rising here.

What we're reading: Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to COVID-19 contractors accused of prior fraud. Those contracts range from masks and medical equipment to janitorial cleaning, video productions and even ferryboat services.

Do you have questions about the coronavirus? You can submit them through this form, and we'll answer them. Claudia from Farmington Hills, Michigan, asks: Does a plastic face shield meet the face mask requirement?

While health officials recommend wearing face masks in public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend that the general public use face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings.

"It is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles," the CDC says. "Some people may choose to use a face shield when sustained close contact with other people is expected. If face shields are used without a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend to below the chin."

Disposable face shields should only be worn for a single use, and reusable face shields should be cleaned and disinfected after each use, the CDC says.

No state requires the general public to wear face shields, but more than 20 states require the use of face masks while in public. Have questions about those requirements? We answer those here.

As always, thank you for subscribing! We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck