The torrid coronavirus summer across the Sun Belt is easing after two disastrous months that brought more than 35,000 deaths. Whether the outbreak will heat up again after Labor Day and the resumption of school and football in the land of Friday Night Lights remains to be seen. Seven of the nine states along the nation’s Southern and Western rim are seeing drops in three important gauges — new deaths, new cases and the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. Alabama is the only state in the region to see all three numbers rising; Mississippi’s deaths are up, but positive rates and cases are dropping.

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: The torrid coronavirus summer across the Sun Belt is easing after two disastrous months that brought more than 35,000 deaths. Seven of the nine states along the nation’s Southern and Western rim are seeing drops in three important gauges — new deaths, new cases and the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. Alabama is the only state in the region to see all three numbers rising; Mississippi’s deaths are up, but positive rates and cases are dropping. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES: A third leading candidate COVID-19 vaccine has entered a final stage of human testing in the United States. AstraZeneca announced Monday its potential COVID-19 vaccine has entered final trials in the U.S. to test the effectiveness and safety of the product. SENT: 1040 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HUNGER: The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in the cities and the countryside. SENT: 590 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS: Millions of children are returning to school across Europe and beyond in a mass experiment aimed at bridging inequalities and resuscitating economies despite the persistent pandemic. SENT: 870 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY ACADEMIES: Under the siege of the coronavirus pandemic, classes have begun at the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. But unlike at many colleges around the country, most students are on campus and many will attend classes in person. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

ISRAEL-CORONAVIRUS CAVALRY: Israel is calling in its army to help as the country struggles to control a coronavirus outbreak. The military has set up a new “task force” that is playing a leading role in contact tracing and breaking the chain of infections. SENT: 1150 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced he will lift the state’s ban on visiting nursing homes. The ban has cut off vulnerable seniors from family since mid-March over fears of spreading the new coronavirus. SENT: 930 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NYC SCHOOLS: New York City is postponing the start of its school year by several days to allow more preparation to reopen classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HONG KONG: Hong Kong has tested thousands of people for coronavirus at the start of a mass-testing effort that’s become another political flash point in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. SENT: 730 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA: Many Indian states are easing lockdown restrictions to reduce economic pain caused by the coronavirus, even as the country’s new daily infections remain the highest in the world and its confirmed cases near 3.7 million. SENT: 500 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Fitness gyms, barber shops and internet cafes were allowed to reopen partly in the Philippine capital as the government further eased quarantine restrictions despite the country having the most coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia. SENT: 950 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-FACE SHIELDS: Can I use a face shield instead of a mask? No. Health officials don’t recommend the clear plastic barriers as a substitute for masks because of the lack of research on whether they keep an infected person from spreading viral droplets to others. SENT: 240 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Stocks are closing higher on Wall Street Tuesday, a day after wrapping up their fifth monthly gain in a row. Technology companies were once again a standout. SENT: 620 words, photos.

ITALY-VENICE FILM FESTIVAL: Venice, one of the first Italian cities hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is reclaiming its place as a top cultural destination with the opening of the Venice Film Festival. It’s the first major in-person cinema showcase of the COVID-19 era after Cannes canceled and other festivals went mostly online. SENT: 820 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIG TEN: The Big Ten Conference, already in court and under pressure from players and parents over its decision to cancel fall football, is now hearing from President Donald Trump. Trump tweeted he has spoken with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren about reinstating the fall season. SENT: 520 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS AID: Congressional investigators say they have identified possible fraud and abuse in the Trump administration’s coronavirus relief program. SENT: 230 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EXPOSURE-NOTIFICATION APPS: Apple and Google are trying to get more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus by building more of the necessary technology directly into phones. SENT: 360 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CUBA QUARANTINE: Cuban authorities launched a strict 15-day lockdown of Havana on Tuesday in order to stamp out the low-level but persistent spread of the novel coronavirus in the capital. SENT: 380 words; photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS ELECTIONS: The Dutch government says that social distancing and hygiene measures to rein in the spread of the coronavirus will be in force for upcoming local and national elections. SENT: 300 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK FIGHT: Authorities say felony charges have been dropped against a Florida man who pointed a gun at another Walmart shopper in a dispute over not wearing a mask. SENT: 200 words, photos.

UBER-FACE MASK SELFIES: If you haven’t been wearing a face mask while taking an Uber, you may be required to take a selfie to prove you are ready to don one the next time you summon a driver on the world’s largest ride-hailing service.SENT: 210 words, photos.

RUSSIA-VIRUS OUTBREAK: Russia’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 1 million, the fourth highest in the world. SENT: 190 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRAG QUEEN DELIVERY: A San Francisco nightclub will bring the food, booze and a drag show to you during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 290 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VATICAN-ENVIRONMENT: Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has shown how the Earth can recover “if we allow it to rest” and must spur people to adopt simpler lifestyles to help the planet. SENT: 410 words, photos.

EUROPE ECONOMY: The unemployment rate across the 19 countries that use the euro currency rose modestly to 7.9% in July as the jobless spike was held down by temporary government job-support programs and the relaxation of some coronavirus containment measures. SENT: 560 words, photos.

UAE-FINANCIAL MARKETS: Dubai is tapping the global financial market to potentially raise billions of dollars for the first time in years. That’s according to a bond prospectus seen on Tuesday by The Associated Press. It reveals the deepening toll of the coronavirus pandemic on Dubai’s economy. SENT: 410 words, photos.

GERMANY-ECONOMY: The German government says the recovery of the country’s economy, Europe’s biggest, is going better than expected.SENT: 470 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 Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Britain, Russia, Gaza, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from France, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Israel, Australia, Hong Kong, India, various US, Latin America locations.