Coronavirus live updates: New York City delays in-person classes again; Texas starts reopening after summer surge

Weekly jobless claims, though better than expected, remain staggeringly high at 860,000 as concerns grow that mass layoffs are on the horizon as relief funds dry up for major industries and small businesses alike.

The situation is particularly dire for the major airlines. Executives from the big carriers were meeting with Trump administration officials at the White House to lobby for billions more in assistance to avoid sacking or furloughing more than 30,000 employees come October. 

The path to reopening the U.S. remains rocky with New York City postponing in-person classes, again, for the nation's largest school district. Texas is now attempting to reopen businesses, despite leading the nation in new cases, after a false start in the spring led to a summer surge that forced a second round of closures.

Here are some of the biggest developments Thursday:

The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:

• Global cases: More than 29.9 million
• Global deaths: At least 941,363
• U.S. cases: More than 6.63 million
• U.S. deaths: At least 196,831