Will the coronavirus ever go away? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)WASHINGTON – Will the coronavirus ever go away? But many experts believe it’s likely the disease will eventually ease from a crisis to a nuisance like the common cold. The only virus that’s ever been eradicated from the human population is smallpox. __The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series.

Medical personnel of a nursing home awaiting French Health Minister Olivier Veran in Clamart, south of Paris, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. Virus pressure is mounting at French nursing homes, where more than 400 people with the virus have died in the past week. “I cry every day,” said Patricia Deliry, 81, whose daughter usually provides daily assistance at her Paris care home but has been kept away for the past two weeks as part of the home's virus protection efforts. Germany launched a similar antigen test effort at nursing homes this week. France is currently under a new partial lockdown as overall virus hospitalizations and deaths have risen sharply in recent weeks, but nursing homes are allowed to stay open if they take precautions.

The popular Tropical Chinese Restaurant employees have been using donations to deliver warm food to health care employees in Miami-Dade County. His face was covered when he grabbed the jar with the cash and took off running to the getaway car. Mei Yu, the co-owner of the Tropical Chinese Restaurant, had a message for the thief: “I don’t understand. Why do you have to steal?” She said she wants the thief to use the money for something good. Miami-Dade police officers are asking anyone with information about this thief to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Ron DeSantis said COVID-19 testing during the coronavirus pandemic is free of charge in Florida, the Larkin Community Hospital’s Cardiotropic Labs has been charging $150 per test. Dr. Jack Michel, the CEO of Larkin Community Hospital, released a statement on Friday saying the lab has charged the city of Hialeah and federal prisons for tests. She said her son was experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms when he decided to go get tested outside of the Larkin Community Hospital campus in Hialeah. Michel said Larkin Community Hospital is cooperating with local and state authorities. Here is Larkin Community Hospital’s statement:Dr. Jack Michel, the CEO of Larkin Community Hospital:There appears to be some kind of misunderstanding regarding the services provided by Cardiotropic Labs, a Larkin Community Hospital subsidiary.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Two doctors in Miami-Dade County are among the new wave of healthcare providers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Whitehead, a surgeon and critical care physician, and Ramirez, an anesthesiologist, are married and live in Miami Beach. Whitehead is taking care of Ramirez, who was feeling really ill on Monday. "We don’t know ... we’re told that equipment’s on the way from our government when we listen to these press briefings. However, when we talk to the hospitals, we really don’t think that stuff is coming to us.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach, a mecca that draws tourists, is already feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the closures of local businesses and beaches to curfews designed to keep the community safe. On Friday, the city of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County took even larger emergency measures by closing all commercial lodging establishments. This means hotels, suite hotels, hotel units within apartment-hotels, hostels, dormitories, motels, and temporary vacation/short term rentals are ordered to shut down operations and tell guests they must leave. But right now, as painful as it may be, the reality is we just cannot be a tourist destination,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber in a statement. Miami Beach mayor declares state of emergency to deal with COVID-19 threatGelber apologized to the operators and employees of the properties.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The U.S. government says a new rule disqualifying more people from green cards if they use government benefits will not apply to immigrants with coronavirus or virus symptoms if they seek care. Advocates say they have been fielding panicked calls from immigrants who are worried about the impact on their status if they seek health care. As the coronavirus began to spread more widely in the U.S., supporters and lawmakers cautioned it could be detrimental to public health if some immigrants were too afraid to seek care. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, said the rule scares away people from seeking care, posing a public health risk for everyone. She tweeted after the new statement on Friday: “This is a huge win for immigrants, public health AND everyone!”___Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin contributed to this report

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced on Friday Miami-Dade County public schools will be temporarily closed starting Monday, but the community feeding plan for children will be open and running at school cafeterias. Carvalho said a COVID-19 case applied to a patient who interacted with children in Miami-Dade County public schools. This is a developing story.

This newest coronavirus, COVID-19, has been making headlines nonstop ever since it arrived in the United States. The virus has infected 98,000 people and killed more than 3,300 globally — even though in the U.S., those numbers are much smaller. There’s a lot to know about how to protect yourself from the coronavirus, but one of the most important things to be aware of is how it spreads. The first infections were linked to a live animal market, but it’s now spreading from person to person, health officials said. The CDC recommends keeping infected and possibly infected people quarantined so that the virus can’t spread anymore.

“This is due to the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout China and the [World Health Organization] determinations that the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter. Many governments have warned against unnecessary travel to China, as efforts to contain a new and deadly coronavirus virus intensify. Travelers are already feeling the effects of public health measures. Miami International Airport screening for coronavirus at quarantine stationItaly suspended all China flights, and North Korea, Mongolia and Russia banned crossings to and from China. The Florida Health Department is working with the CDC and local public health authorities to investigate, confirm, contain and report any suspected cases.

(Peng Ziyang/Xinhua via AP)Scientists are starting to fill in some key gaps in what's known about the new virus from China. In 2002, one called SARS caused an outbreak of severe pneumonia in China and spread to other countries. The new virus is 75% to 80% identical to SARS, scientists have reported. It's not known whether anyone who is infected but not showing symptoms can spread the virus. There is one, but health authorities in China, the U.S. and elsewhere are working to make it more widely available.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said seven other people were in critical condition among a total of 41 who were suffering from pneumonia caused by a "preliminarily determined new type of coronavirus” as of Friday. The patient who died was identified as a 61-year-old man who had been hospitalized after suffering shortness of breath and severe pneumonia. Possible cases of the same illness have been reported in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan involving recent travelers to Wuhan. Health authorities elsewhere in China have yet to announce similar cases, despite the high population density around Wuhan and its role as a travel hub for central China. "So we have to take every measure and closely monitor the situation,” Yuen said, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.

Researchers with RMC Pharmaceutical Solutions found the virus can survive on hard, non-porous surfaces for as long as eight hours and possibly longer when there is blood. They also said they had one documented case of a person who contracted the virus through laboratory exposure. The researchers also looked into how to kill the virus when its on a hard, non-porous surface. Disinfectants such as isopropyl alcohol and quaternary ammonium/alcohol were generally effective, according to the researchers who were on consultancy for Microbac Laboratories. The research was presented Tuesday at the 2016 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists annual meeting and exposition in Denver.