Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY

U.S. unemployment dropped sharply in August to a still-high 8.4% from 10.2%, with about half the 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus outbreak recovered so far, the government said Friday in one of the last major economic reports before Election Day. Employers added 1.4 million jobs last month, the Labor Department said, down from 1.7 million in July and the fewest since hiring resumed in May. The economy has recovered barely half the 22 million jobs that vanished when the pandemic paralyzed the nation in early spring.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub Find AP Virus Alerts here

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: U.S. unemployment dropped sharply in August from 10.2% to a still-high 8.4%, with about half the 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus outbreak recovered so far, the government said Friday in one of the last major economic reports before Election Day. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST and ECONOMY-JOBS REPORT-5 TAKEAWAYS.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LABOR DAY: Americans are heading into Labor Day weekend amid warnings from public health experts that backyard parties, crowded bars and other gatherings could cause the coronavirus to come surging back. The rise in infections, deaths and hospitalizations over the summer was blamed in part on Americans behaving heedlessly over other long holiday weekends. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA VACCINE: Russian scientists have belatedly published their first results from early trials into the experimental Sputnik V vaccine that received government approval last month and drew considerable criticism from experts both at home and abroad, as the shots have only been tested on several dozen people. SENT: 940 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN: Madrid is further restricting family reunions and social gatherings to curb a sharp spike in confirmed coronavirus cases as schools are set to reopen. SENT: 820 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BERLUSCONI: A top aide to Silvio Berlusconi says the former Italian premier has been admitted to a Milan hospital as a precaution to monitor his coronavirus infection. SENT: 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: The number of people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in India rose by another 83,000 and is near Brazil’s total, the second-highest in the world. SENT: 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAYOR'S DEATH: The death of a longtime mayor has brought about a reckoning in the Alabama town where he spent his entire life. Residents around Clanton, Alabama, thought of COVID-19 as a distant threat until Mayor Billy Joe Driver died of the illness at age 84 in July. SENT: 870 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: The stock market ended a second straight day of turbulent trading with more losses Friday, but managed to recoup some lost ground by the end of the day. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-PREGNANCY POWERS: It was an overpowering scent of plumeria flowers while setting out for a run that gave a Hawaii reporter the first hint she could be pregnant. SENT: 650 words, photos.

ITALY-VENICE_FILM-THEATERS: Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has joined a chorus of voices at the Venice Film Festival urging the reopening of movie theaters and a return to cinema normality after coronavirus lockdowns, saying films are meant to be seen on the big screen, not at home. SENT: 620 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VISUAL ARTISTS: Affected by the global pandemic, many visual artists are taking refuge in their work in search of sense and solace. Some have suffered the horror, the sickness and the loss firsthand. Others, are channeling their anguish and their fear, their feelings of loneliness. SENT: 990 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO VACCINES: The head of the World Health Organization says the U.N. health agency will not recommend any COVID-19 vaccine before it is proved safe and effective, even as Russia and China have started using their experimental vaccines before large studies have finished and other countries have proposed streamlining authorization procedures. SENT: 400 words, photos.

TROOPER FIRED-FACE MASK: A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper who was fired after a man filming a traffic stop accused him of ripping off his face mask has now been charged with assault. SENT: 200 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HISTORIC RESTAURANT: A restaurant built along a stagecoach route in 1784 has closed permanently — another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.SENT: 200 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-KENYA-CLASSROOM TO COOP: Chickens have replaced students in one Kenyan school as struggling educators make what money they can after the country’s studies were called off until January. SENT: 210 words, photos.

BRITAIN-VIRGIN ATLANTIC: Virgin Atlantic has completed its 1.2 billion-pound ($1.6 billion) restructuring plan and cut 1,150 jobs as the airline seeks to rebuild following the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 360 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from Portugal, Spain, Brussels, Kenya, Malawi, China, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.