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Amid a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, Sri Lankan health authorities have ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, casinos, nigh clubs, and spas to try and slow the spread of COVID-19. The first locally transmitted infection in over two months was reported over the weekend which led to a cluster being found at a garment factory, according to The Associated Press. Over 1,000 cases have been linked to the cluster and more than 2,000 have been asked to quarantine at home. Most of those infected were co-workers of the first patient at the garment factory. A curfew has been put into place at neighborhoods where many of the patients live, with schools and public offices also being ordered to close. Sri Lanka has reported over 4,400 cases of COVID-19 in total since the pandemic began.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday that a new global record had been set with a total of 350,766 new coronavirus cases reported in a 24-hour period. Nearly 110,000 of those new cases were reported across Europe, the Geneva-based health agency said, according to The Associated Press. WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan told reporters at a press conference that “The majority of people in the world are still susceptible to this disease.” He also added that despite the ramped-up testing and the rising number of cumulative cases, doctors at the WHO believe far more people have been infected than the more than 36 million cases that have been confirmed. He said the WHO experts believe about 760 million worldwide have contracted COVID-19 – about 10% of the world’s population. The WHO officially declared the coronavirus crisis a global pandemic on March 11 of this year.
A health worker at the San Juan de Dios hospital holds a child during a minute of silence in memory of her colleagues who have fallen victim to COVID-19 in Guatemala City, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
A second wave of the coronavirus is underway in Canada causing health officials to tell residents that they should stay home as much as possible. Last week, there was a 40% rise in cases accompanied by an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths, according to CNN. A majority of the new cases are being reported in Ontario and Quebec. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also urging Canadians to stay home over the holiday weekend with Thanksgiving taking place on Monday, Oct. 12. "This is very hard because friends and family give us comfort and it might feel safer to gather with them, but this is in fact a false sense of security and can increase the risk of COVID-19 for those you love the most," said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer.
Australia reported its second consecutive day without COVID-19 deaths on Friday, the nation’s longest stretch without any fatalities from the virus since early July. Australian states and territories reported only 16 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, a decrease from 28 on Thursday, according to Reuters. The progress has brought hope that Australia has contained its second wave of the coronavirus after the state of Victoria’s intense outbreak. The second most populous state in Australia and the epicenter of the nation’s COVID-19 outbreak, Victoria currently has less than 200 active infections, according to Reuters. “These are the results that come from a really determined effort to defeat this second wave,” Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in the state’s capital, Melbourne.
Once again, hurricane season is colliding with the realities of a global pandemic as officials in New Orleans have closed down drive-through COVID-19 testing sites on Friday and Saturday due to expected impacts from Delta. According to the latest AccuWeather forecast, New Orleans will likely dodge the worst of the storm, but impacts are still expected and the Louisiana National Guard is being mobilized to respond to whatever havoc Hurricane Delta may cause over the coming days in New Orleans, which is under a tropical storm warning, the city announced on Twitter. Follow live coverage of Hurricane Delta here.
As coronavirus cases continue to surge, the Scottish government ordered pubs in Scotland’s two biggest cities to close. Like many other European countries, the U.K. has seen a second wave of coronavirus infections since pubs and restaurants across the country have reopened. Currently, most of the U.K. is under national restrictions, including a 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants, as well as groups limited to six, ABC News reported. However, Scotland went even further on Wednesday, mandating that restaurants and pubs can only open between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Additionally, five areas with high infection rates, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, face tougher restrictions, including a takeout-only rule for bars. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the restrictions will last for 16 days, starting on Friday. “Without them, there is a risk the virus will be out of control by the end of the month,” Sturgeon said.
Biotechnology company Regeneron has requested federal regulators an emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 antibody treatment REGN-COV2. The treatment is a mix of two antibodies that block infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, according to UPI. The company said in a statement, "The two potent, virus-neutralizing antibodies that form REGN-COV2 bind non-competitively to the critical receptor binding domain of the virus's spike protein, which diminishes the ability of mutant viruses to escape treatment." Regeneron says they have doses available for 50,000 patients and is expanding to 300,000 over the months ahead. President Donald Trump was given a Regeneron cocktail last week after testing positive for COVID-19 despite no approval from the FDA.
As the pandemic swept across the world, millions of people transitioned from working in an office setting to telecommuting from home, and one major company has announced that employees can continue to telecommute on a permanent basis. Microsoft has announced that some, but not all, employees will be able to work from home after the pandemic, meaning that they can relocate instead of living near an office building, The Verge reported. Other employees may have the option to work from home for less than 50% of their typical work week. “We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual work styles, while balancing business needs, and ensuring we live our culture,” Microsoft chief people officer Kathleen Hogan said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, speaks during a Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Hearing on the federal government response to COVID-19 on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)
NIAID director Anthony Fauci on Thursday participated in an online “fireside chat” hosted by Berkeley Forum, an arm of the California University. Students were able to ask the infectious disease expert questions about the pandemic, but many students wondered when life would get back to normal on college campuses – and throughout the country at large. Fauci indicated it could be a while before life as we know it in pandemic times returns to some semblance of normal. “If we get a vaccine now, I can see some sort of normality in [the] third quarter or fourth quarter of 2021,” Fauci said. As far as life on college campuses goes, Fauci cautioned that students should be prepared to have testing be a part of their lives for a long time, even once people start receiving an effective vaccine. “Test all the students before they come into campus and the dorms, if colleges are dominated by dormitory life,” Fauci advised. “Then do surveillance testing a couple of times a week.” Fauci also discussed some of the changing guidelines around mask-wearing from the early days of the pandemic, though the present time and why experts like him and others changed their advice on masks. Watch the full 45-minute-long discussion, which begins at about the 12-minute mark, below.
A player on the New York Jest has had a presumed positive COVID-19 test, forcing everyone at the team’s facility to be sent home. The entire team will work virtually as the player is re-tested to confirm the diagnosis, the NFL said on Friday morning. The Jets are set to host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, but it is unclear if this positive test will cause the game to be delayed. The name of the player that has tested positive has not been released.
Country singer Morgan Wallen has been dropped as the musical guest for Saturday Night Live after breaking COVID-19 protocols leading up to the show. Wallen was informed by Saturday Night Live that he would no longer be allowed to play this weekend due to broken protocols. The singer was shown to be partying with a large group of people without masks on a TikTok video, causing the singer to be quickly criticized. SNL boss Lorne Michaels told Wallen that while he would not be able to perform this weekend, he encouraged him that they could find another time for him to perform. Wallen took to Instagram to apologize for these actions, saying, "On a more personal note, I think I have some growing up to do. I think I've lost myself a little bit. I've tried to find joy in the wrong places ... It's left me with less joy." A replacement musical guest for this weekend has not yet been announced.
The Spanish government on Friday declared a state of emergency for Madrid and the region surrounding the capital city, a move that will allow officials to enact tougher restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, The Associated Press reported. The emergency declaration will impact some 4.8 million Spaniards, according to the AP, and will empower police to fine people who leave their homes without a good reason. The Madrid area has seen a surge in cases with a two-week infection rate more than double the national average. The emergency went into effect immediately and will remain in effect for at least 14 days.
The Broadway League announced Friday that theaters will remain closed through the end of May next year, meaning the shutdown for New York City’s theater industry will extend beyond a full year. Broadway performances were first suspended on March 12, 2020, a day after the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. “With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so,” Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League, said in a statement on Friday. “We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again,” she added. Eight Broadway shows were in rehearsals and set to open in the spring when the theater district was planning to reopen.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. could produce enough coronavirus vaccine doses for every American by March to April of next year. Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's coronavirus vaccine program, expects to have 100 million doses by the end of the year to cover vulnerable populations, according to CNBC. The development of a vaccine has continued to accelerate as investments in multiple stages of research continue. but many fear it could all be for nothing if the vaccine ends up not being safe or effective. Doses of all six potential vaccines are currently being manufactured across more than 23 manufacturing facilities. Needles, syringes, bottles, and other needed supplies for immunizations are also being obtained in large quantities.
While many countries around the world are seeing a second wave in cases, Iran is now dealing with its third wave. One of the hardest-hit countries in the Middle East, Iran has seen a spike in recent weeks as at least 3,000 new cases have been recorded every day since September 20, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Thursday’s increase of 4,392 cases marked the steepest increase the country has seen, surpassing high marks set during the initial spike in late March and the second surge in late May. According to BBC, 27 of the nation’s 31 provinces are considered to be “red” zones while the case spikes have deemed the situation in Tehran, the capital city, to be “critical,” as nearly 1,000 out of the almost 5,800 COVID-19 patients in the city are in intensive care units.
Here’s a look at global totals from elsewhere around the world:
Total cases: 36,574,082
Fatalities: 1,062,658
Recoveries: 25,485,712
First it was toilet paper, lately it's been pizza. As the coronavirus continues to impact businesses and restaurants in unique ways, customers have been ordering pizza delivery at a record rate. For Domino’s Pizza, that led to an 18% increase in its quarterly revenue. However, that increase fell short of expectations and led to a shares fall of more than 6% in morning trading on Thursday. While the pandemic has certainly led to more sales, it has also led to higher wages for workers along with the need for personal protective equipment and enhanced sick pay has cost the company an estimated $11 million, according to CNBC. On top of that, prices have risen in the commodity markets, pushing the price of ingredients such as cheese up as much as nearly 4%.
Thousands of tourists flocked to many tourist sites around China to celebrate Golden Week despite coronavirus concerns. China said they would be using the busy holiday as a litmus test to see how it's handled the coronavirus pandemic, according to Global News. The country said they have curbed the spread of COVID-19 and will be putting it to the test as tourists return home after the busy weekend. Chinese citizens were encouraged to visit many destinations including the Great Wall of China at a 75% capacity. Large crowds and tight spaces could be seen at the Great Wall of China in photos shared online. Masks were widely seen in the photos but it wasn't hard to find many without them. China claims there is near-zero local transmission inside the country. It has been estimated that 13 million passenger trips were made just last Thursday, which makes it the highest single-day number seen since February. An estimated 425 million domestic tourist visits were seen in the first four days of Golden Week. The Golden Week holiday is an annual tradition that leads to busy travel. This year it started on Oct. 1 and ran until Oct. 8.
The Tennessee Titans Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills is in doubt after another player has tested positive for the coronavirus. The team facilities for the Tennessee Titans were shut down just after their Week 3 game, forcing their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be postponed. Since then, multiple players have continued to test positive and the facilities remain closed. The team went multiple days without a positive test and then a second wave occurred, according to Sports Illustrated. When team facilities are closed due to an outbreak, gatherings are not allowed between players. The Titans are under fire after breaking this rule and holding a gathering last week. At least 12 players and nine staff members have tested positive. Talks of possible postponement or even cancellation are ongoing but not certain.
Brussels Airport is accelerating preparations and getting ready to distribute potential COVID-19 vaccines, according to CNN. In a statement released on Wednesday, the airport specified that a taskforce at the cargo division at the airport is working “full force on preparing scenarios” so that they can transport the potential vaccine in a “safe and efficient way.” The airport is working with different pharmaceutical companies to evaluate “all scenarios for the various types of vaccines,” which include vaccines that “have to be shipped on dry ice," as well as some that "will demand refrigeration at the customary 2-9 degrees Celsius,” the statement added.
Once again, hurricane season is colliding with the realities of a global pandemic as officials in New Orleans have closed down drive-through COVID-19 testing sites on Friday and Saturday due to expected impacts from Delta. According to the latest AccuWeather forecast, New Orleans will likely dodge the worst of the storm, but impacts are still expected and the Louisiana National Guard is being mobilized to respond to whatever havoc Hurricane Delta may cause over the coming days in New Orleans, which is under a tropical storm warning, the city announced on Twitter.
A sudden rise in cases has German officials worried that “the virus will spread uncontrollably,” as Lothar Wieler, president of Robert Koch Institute, said according to The Guardian. The country initially managed to curb its case surge from April, when daily case increases were routinely over 5,000 per day. But in recent days, those daily increases have begun rising again to over 4,000 and experts fear that could quickly balloon. Wieler suggested that the country could soon see over 10,000 new cases a day and health minister Jens Spahn reiterated that concern.
“The number of coronavirus cases is rising again, and with that uncertainty is also rising,” he said on Thursday in response to the recent spike. While the country has previously been praised for its handling of the virus thus far, Spahn urged people to not get complacent.
"Barely any other country in Europe has managed the crisis as well so far," he said, according to AFP. "But we must not gamble away what we've achieved."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been in the hospital for five days after he announced on Saturday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. Although Christie’s exact condition remains unknown, Matt Katz, a reported for New York public radio station WNYC, said on Wednesday that that he is in good spirits and under good care at Morristown Medical Center. He also added that Christie is “NOT on a ventilator,” despite recent rumors stating that he was. Christie announced his diagnosis a day after President Trump said he was positive for the virus, and since then, more than a dozen officials in Trump’s orbit have also tested positive for the virus, NJ.com reported. In the week before his positive test, Christie spent four days helping Trump prepare for the first presidential debate.
Battling the coronavirus is a marathon, not a sprint. That was the analogy given by Spanish virologist and immunologist Margarita del Val, a member of the Spanish National Research Council. In speaking of the outbreaks around majorly populated Spanish areas like Madrid, del Val focused on heavily congested areas such as public transportation and urged the entire region to be restricted. She said the public needs to take a broad approach and not count on any one measure. From changing the sanitation safety measures of buses and trains to cutting indoor capacity at restaurants, del Val has called for a long-term lifestyle change in the country rather than short-term quick fixes.
“We have to get used to wearing a mask and taking a couple of measures for a couple of years, and integrate them into our daily lives, forget about them, they will turn into something that is useful to you,” she said according to MarketWatch. “We will get over this in some years, but we don’t have to expect this is going to be a hundred-meter run. It’s going to be a marathon.”
In this combination of photos, New Yorkers pose for photos during the coronavirus outbreak in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
President Donald Trump vowed not to participate in next week’s debate after organizers announced it will be held virtually due to Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the decision to host a virtual debate, citing that the goal is “to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate.” However, Trump is not on board with the change. “I’m not going to do a virtual debate,” Trump told Fox News on Thursday. Despite this, the debate is still scheduled to resume, as deputy Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said that “Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people.”
Eli Lilly and Co is seeking emergency use authorization for its experimental COVID-19 antibody monotherapy, Reuters reported. Additionally, the company is also seeking approval to pursue a combination therapy with two of its antibody drugs next months. The drugmaker announced the decision on Wednesday, after reporting promising data from a mid-stage trial testing its combination antibody therapy, which helped decrease hospitalization for COVID-19 patients. Out of the 268 patients who were tested, nearly 1% of those who were given the combination of Lilly’s two antibody treatment had to be hospitalized. For those who received a placebo, the hospitalization rate was 5.8%.
Brazil become the third country in the world to see its total number of coronavirus cases surpass the 5 million mark, joining India and the United States. The nation is continuing to see days with notably high new case reports, including a day earlier this week that saw nearly 60,000 new infections recorded.
Brazil has also had the most COVID-19 fatalities of any country in South America and the 36,000 deaths in Sao Paulo, the country's most populated city, would rank sixth in the world if the municipality were its own country. For comparison, New York City has seen 19,231 fatalities, according to data from NYC Health.
Elsewhere around the world, here are the latest updated global totals from Johns Hopkins University:
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Confirmed cases: 36,200,813
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Fatalities: 1,056,493
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Recoveries: 25,261,037
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that only four U.S. states are declining in coronavirus cases. Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina have seen a decline in daily cases while the rest of the nation has experienced a recent surge. Overall, more than 50,000 cases were reported Friday and Saturday which is the most seen since mid-August. In the last few days, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, and Montana all reported the highest seven-day average for new cases, according to CNN. Mask enforcement will be stepped up in more states such as Kentucky. Wisconsin is averaging 2,400 daily cases, which is just behind Texas and California for most in the country. Cases continue to rise in the Midwest and Northeast.
The coronavirus pandemic won’t keep Santa Claus from making his yearly appearance at malls. However, the experience will be a little different, as kids won’t get to hug Santa this year. Brookfield Properties, the second-largest mall operator in the country, announced that Santa will be visiting 134 of its more than 150 malls. “Santa is an important holiday tradition for many families, but we are looking to pivot the experience for safety,” Rocell Viniard, director of portfolio marketing with Brookfield Properties, told CNN Business. She added that the idea is to enable a “touchless experience” with Santa, which means no sitting on Santa’s lap. “Every [visit] will be contactless. So, kids can sit on wrapped packages near Santa, or across the table from Santa and have a conversation. We can still capture the memory for family photos,” Viniard said.
In some malls, the experience will be a little different. Mall operator Preit, which owns 19 malls primarily in the East Coast, is placing Santa behind plexiglass. “It’s a plexiglass barrier and Santa in each of our locations will sit behind it. It will have a bench in front of it so kids can sit down and take a photo with Santa,” Heather Crowell, a spokesperson for Preit, told CNN Business. Other malls will have a virtual experience and Santa will join guests through Zoom calls. “In lieu of a photo with Santa, you can have a recording of your Zoom call,” Crowell added.
The Italian government on Wednesday issued a decree making mask-wearing mandatory nationwide as coronavirus cases have swelled to numbers that were seen back in April. According to Reuters, the mandate is set to take place on Thursday, applies to all outdoor spaces and violators will face a fine of up to $1,000 for non-compliance. Italy reported 3,678 new cases on Wednesday, the first time the country has recorded more than 3,000 new cases in a day since late April. Overall, though, Italy’s per capita infection rate is well lower than many of its European neighbors, according to The Associated Press. Early on in the pandemic, Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries, though the government was able to slow the spread significantly through significant lockdown measures. More than 36,000 have died there from the virus. The government also extended the country’s COVID-19 state of emergency through the end of January. It was set to expire next week. "We have to be more rigorous because we want to avoid at all cost more restrictive measures for production and social activities," Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte said of the measure, according to the AP.
Tourists wear face masks in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Italy’s health minister said that the government is examining a proposal to make masks mandatory outdoors. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
New England Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for the coronavirus, threatening to throw the NFL season into further turmoil. As a result, the Patriots canceled practice on Wednesday and Thursday, ESPN reported. The team’s next game is scheduled for Sunday at home against the Denver Broncos. Gilmore is the second player on the team to test positive – over the weekend, starting quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, which caused the team’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs to be postponed until Monday. According to the ESPN report, Chiefs players all tested negative for coronavirus on Wednesday. Newton is now in isolation, as is Gilmore, who won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award last season. Gilmore on Wednesday confirmed the diagnosis in a post on Twitter and said he was asymptomatic. “I’ve followed every protocol,” he said in the tweet, “yet it happened to me. Please be sure to take this seriously.” It remained unclear whether this development would impact this week’s NFL schedule.
A second wave of cases in Madrid, Spain, has stretched hospital staffs to their breaking points once again. Many hospitals in the country have had to expand their critical care areas outside of the normal hospital walls and into gyms and surgery rooms. According to officials, hospitals in the Madrid region are seeing a surplus of over 40% capacity in intensive care units being used to treat COVID-19, a result of what Dr. César Carballo called a slow reaction from Spanish politicians.
“In Madrid, there has been no real action until the data on hospital and ICU admissions told us how dire the situation was,” he said according to The AP. “But that should be the last-resort indicator that we should had been looking at.” Watch the video below for more.
Tensions boiled over in New York City Tuesday night as members of the Orthodox Jewish community took to the streets in protest of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to shut down schools and synagogues in neighborhoods that have been deemed coronavirus hotspots in recent weeks. Cuomo announced new shutdown measures on Tuesday that would impact places of worship, schools and certain businesses in a handful of neighborhoods throughout the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The orders are set to go into effect on Friday. Tuesday night, protesters took over an intersection in Borough Park, Brooklyn, setting a fire in the middle of the street and railing against the governor’s decision. But on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, Cuomo remained undeterred from going forward with the shutdown orders. “There’s always opposition," he told reporters, according to the AP. “And we move forward anyways. And we’ll continue to do that.” Below, watch video footage from the scene of a protest on Tuesday evening.
The annual Grand Magal pilgrimage is taking place this week in Senegal’s holy city of Touba, and some officials worry the event, which draws devout Muslims from neighboring Gambia, and all over the world, could fuel an outbreak of the coronavirus. Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims this week traveled to Touba, where the primary events took place on Tuesday. In order to enter the Grand Mosque of Touba, pilgrims were required to wear face coverings and use hand sanitizer. To date, Senegal, one of the first African nations to report a case of the coronavirus, has recorded more than 15,000 cases and more than 300 deaths. Despite the precautions and lower numbers of pilgrims to attend this year, The Associated Press reported, some fear that the virus could be spread as those who attended return home. There were also reports that face-covering policies were not being consistently adhered to.
It is also hot in Touba this week. On Tuesday, as the Grand Magal reached its peak, the temperature hit 94 and high temperatures are headed for triple digits for the remainder of the week, according to the AccuWeather forecast. The average high in Touba this time of year is 96.
The AccuWeather forecast for the holy city of Touba in Senegal from Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, 2020. (AccuWeather)
According to a recent study, 10% of people infected with COVID-19 suffer from the virus far longer than just the two-week incubation period. Victims like Caitlin Barber told ABC's Good Morning America that the virus turned her life “upside down in a day.”
“We kind of call it the corona-coaster because one day I could be OK and the next day I could be on the floor having convulsions, thinking I’m having a heart attack,” Barber said. “You don’t when you’re going to drop.”
Barber, a former dedicated runner, can’t walk on her own, six months after being diagnosed. She is one of many victims considered COVID long-haulers, individuals that suffer from rapid heart rate, fatigue and loss of brain cognition long after initial diagnosis. In New York City, Mt. Sinai Hospital’s post-COVID clinic is seeing over 500 long-hauler patient, with a growing waitlist.
Beatrice Lumpkin wouldn’t let a little thing like a global pandemic stop her from voting in the 2020 elections. Lumpkin, a 102-year-old woman from Chicago, has been voting for 80 years, according to Chicago radio station WBBM. The first ballot she cast was for FDR and she’s never missed voting in an election since, including this year. A photo of Lumpkin dressed in a full PPE as she dropped her ballot in a mailbox was posted on social media by the Chicago Teachers Union last week. Lumpkin taught math in the Chicago public school system for years. Even though this year presents a unique health risk, particularly for people in her age group, Lumpkin said she felt a sense of duty to not miss voting in the 2020 contest. "When I was born, women couldn’t vote,” Lumpkin told WBBM. “And second, because it’s the most important election of my lifetime. The very future of democracy is on the line.”
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are on the rise and in six Midwestern states, those totals are higher than ever. The region continues to be hit particularly hard by the pandemic, as Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin have all reported their highest hospitalization figures, according to Reuters. In the past two weeks alone, Wisconsin has jumped from 433 coronavirus patients to 782. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said the state is “in a crisis right now” and immediate changes need to be made, which includes limiting indoor public gathers to no more than 25% of a room or building’s total occupancy, according to a statement.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the new orders go into effect on Thursday morning and will remain in place until Nov. 6. The news outlet also reported that eight of the country’s top 20 most impacted metro-area hot spots are in the state, including Oshkosh-Neenah and Green Bay, both of which are within the top three.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is willing to participate in the debate against President Donald Trump that is scheduled for next week if health experts believe it is safe, he said on Monday. Trump is currently on his fourth day of receiving treatment after testing positive for COVID-19, and the severity of his condition remains unclear. Officials have said he intends to be released from the hospital on Monday. “If the scientists say that it’s safe and the distances are safe, then I think that’s fine. I’ll do whatever the experts say is the appropriate thing to do,” Biden said, according to Reuters. He tested negative himself over the weekend. The debate between Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris is still scheduled to go on as planned this Wednesday, as they have both tested negative for the virus.
The coronavirus outbreak is now impacting the United States’ elite class of military officials due to Coast Guard vice commandant, Admiral Charles Ray, having tested positive for COVID-19 after a meeting held at the Pentagon last week. On Tuesday, according to a report by Reuters, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff went into quarantine as a precautionary measure. Reuters, citing anonymous defense department officials, said none of the top military officials have tested positive – apart from Ray at the Coast Guard – and they along with Ray are quarantining for a two-week period. The Joint Chiefs of Staff consist of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The group has been in around since World War II and officially has seen its purview change over the decades. These days, its members “are by law military advisers.” Jonathan Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said in a statement to Reuters that anyone who came in close contact with Ray at the Pentagon has been tested and not returned a positive result. “We have no additional positive tests to report at this time,” Hoffman said in a statement and added that all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are continuing their duties from home.
Private contractors hired by Moderna to recruit volunteers for vaccine trials failed to enroll enough Black, Latino and Native American participants needed to determine how the vaccine works in these populations, according to a report by Reuters. As a response to this, Moderna has decided to slow down enrollment of its late-stage trial and asked research centers to focus on increasing participation among minority volunteers. According to five investigators working on the Moderna trial, most of the 30,000 volunteers that are currently enrolled in the study are white, which could lead to a misrepresentation of vaccine efficiency, especially since, according to a report by the National Urban League and other studies, Black Americans are twice as likely to die from the virus as compared to white Americans. “If there’s a problem with recruiting minorities, and there is, you can’t fix it overnight,” said Dr. Paul Evans, chief executive of velocity Clinical Research in Durham, North Carolina. As of Sept. 17, Black Americans made up about 7% of the trial, which is a low number, when taking into consideration that they make up about 13% of the actual U.S. population.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the lives of families throughout the United States, particularly for mothers who have put aside their previous jobs to devote time to homeschooling. Aracelis Bonet, a real estate agent and mother to a 14-year-old son with autism, shared her experience with AFP. “My time is pretty much all about my son right now. It’s all about him,” Bonet told AFP. In a survey conducted in July, researchers found that one-fourth of Americans between the ages of 24 and 44 were sacrificing work to devote time to homeschooling as many schools across the country have postponed or canceled in-person learning due to the pandemic. “It’s so stressful to be a parent at home, being their teacher, their therapist, etc. Being the wife, being the mom, having to have to cook dinner, clean the house. I’ve forgotten to take care of myself,” Bonet shared. Watch the video below.
The NFL doubled down on its COVID policy in a memo sent to teams on Monday, reiterating draft picks or even game forfeiture are at stake for team violations, The Associated Press reported. The memo told teams that schedule adjustments due to team COVID violations may result in games being forfeited, according to Yahoo Sports. New measures were also announced by the league which includes limiting free-agent tryouts and a ban on team gatherings outside club facilities. The memo came after multiple adjustments had to be made to the Week 4 schedule following a slew of positive COVID tests from the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs. The league has also fined several teams and their head coaches for sideline mask violations during games.
A new report by The World Trade Organization predicts merchandise trade will drop by 9.2% this year, which is less of an impact than originally thought from coronavirus. Despite the current impacts being less, recovery may end up slower than anticipated and could be prolonged if cases continue to rise across the globe. The original prediction back in April called for a nearly 13% drop in merchandise trade this year, but the revision has slashed that number down roughly a third due to the rising demand for health care goods and electronic equipment. Trade predictions took a drastic hit compared to April. Originally, a 21.3% bounce back was predicted for 2021 but has since been revised to a mere 7.2% increase.
On Monday, the University of Oregon reported that dozens of students have tested positive for the coronavirus. According to The Associated Press, the university’s website shows that 57 cases have been confirmed in the previous four days alone. Although all of the cases involve students, only one out of the 57 students who tested positive for the virus lives on campus. The spike in cases began onSept. 22, when 15 new cases were reported. Since then, at least six additional cases have been reported on a daily basis. Students who live on campus have been placed in isolation while they recover. In total the university has reported more than 200 cases since June 1.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has shown a new daily record of COVID-19 cases in Alaska with 194 new cases being recorded on Monday. The previous record was set in late July when 185 new cases were recorded. The record in July was attributed to a backlog and an outbreak in the seafood industry, according to The Anchorage Daily News. Officials are attributing the new record to community spread in numerous areas of the state including Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Northwest Alaska. Monday was the 12th day in a row that daily cases exceeded 100 which is the longest streak for the state since the pandemic began. The state has 33 hospitalizations due to the virus and no new deaths to report.
The health minister of Italy recently said that face coverings will be mandatory in all outdoor spaces soon. The Italian government has previously enacted mandates that require face masks in public between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., however those obligations are soon expected to be spread throughout the entire day, according to health minister Roberto Speranza. “We are working on a proposal to make the use of face masks compulsory outdoors,” he said, according to The Local It. “We have to make an extra effort, because masks must be used in any situation where there is a chance of people meeting who do not live together.” The country has seen over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the month and Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte said the nation needs to be on “maximum alert” as “the battle is not won.”
A plan has been approved by the Commission on Presidential Debates to have plexiglass installed between Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris in Wednesday's vice presidential debate. Plexiglass will also be installed for moderator Susan Page. Cleveland Clinic is helping set health protocols for the debate as fears continue to grow amid an outbreak infecting the White House, according to Politico. In addition, the candidates will be six additional feet away from each other during the debate. As a result, Pence and Harris will be distanced by a total of 13 feet.
Two of the country’s largest cinema chains have no plans to shut down theaters even as an increasing number of Hollywood blockbusters postpone their 2020 release dates. On Tuesday, AMC Theaters and Cinemark said that 80% of their U.S. locations are open to the public, with no plans of closing down again. Although both chains have experienced a decrease in market value this year, things are starting to look up, as AMC’s shares were up around 1.5% on Tuesday, while Cinemark experienced a 6% increase in shares. However, not all theater chains are following suit. On Monday, Cineworld said that it would be temporarily closing down all of its U.S. and U.K. locations due to disappointing box office results and postponement of blockbusters, including “Black Widow” and "Wonder Woman 1984.”
For two stranded groups, time in the pandemic has certainly felt like forever. A group of 25 residents from Easter Island and another group of 15 from Tahiti will finally be able to return to their respective homes after being stuck on each's remote islands. Due to the remote nature of the islands, LATAM airlines was the only service to provide a regular route from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island to Tahiti. When LATAM suspended its flights in March, no other airline offered a similar flights, according to The Associated Press.
Many from the Easter Island group arrived in Tahiti in March for a short stay but got stuck when the pandemic forced the cancelation of their flights back home. After months of begging authorities for help, in Spanish, French and English, the group was finally given assistance by the French military, who announced on Tuesday that a military plane would be used to take the groups home. Among the stranded has been a young mother, who gave birth just days ago after being separated from her husband for much of the pregnancy.
A group who have been stranded in Tahiti, pictured from left, Benjamin Baude, Kissy Ika Chavez Baude, Gaïa Baude Ika and Thierry Gourtay in Afareaitu on Moorea Island, Tahiti, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. A group of 25 residents from remote Easter Island has been stranded far from home for six months now. Many arrived in March planning to stay for just a few weeks. But they got stuck when the virus swept across the globe and their flights back home on LATAM airlines were canceled. LATAM says it doesn't know when it will restart the route.(Teraihau Rio via AP)
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, won’t complete the European Union’s recommended 14-day quarantine despite having been in contact with someone positive for COVID-19. Von der Leyen will leave quarantine on Tuesday, a week after the initial contact with the infected person. She made the decision after she tested negative for the virus on Thursday and Monday. Although von der Leyen is following Belgium’s seven-day quarantine rule, her decision to ignore the stricter advice mandated by the EU’s public health body could have an effect on the union's approach in battling the pandemic, Reuters reported. Andrea Ammon, the head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, warned that even the 14-day quarantine may not be enough, as in 3-4% of cases infections could still emerge after two weeks of self-isolation. Across Europe, many countries have started to relax their quarantine rules, even as infections are rising again.
New research has found that wearing a mask can lower the rate of infection and even reduce the viral load an infected person contracts. The research, led by Dr. Joshua T. Schiffer, an infectious diseases specialist, found that when an infected person and another person are both masked, the chance of transmission decreases by 40-80%, Dr. Schiffer wrote in the opinion piece for The New York Times. Additionally, even in the cases when masking does not prevent people from contracting the virus, it still decreases the amount of SARS-CoV-2 to which they have been exposed by roughly 10-fold. This may limit the likelihood of developing a severe form of COVID-19.“These results highlight the primacy of masking relative to other biomedical interventions under consideration for limiting the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic prior to widespread implementation of a vaccine,” researchers wrote in a preprint of the study.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
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Confirmed cases: 35,519,101
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Fatalities: 1,044,633
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Recoveries: 24,777,139
On Monday, Mexico recorded 28,115 positive COVID-19 cases in the country, likely the accumulation of previously unreported cases from past weeks or months. Prior to the Monday figure, the country had never seen a day with more than 10,000 new cases.
According to Bloomberg, health authorities announced at the daily evening presser that another 2,789 deaths were added as well, with both figures accounting for lags in data recording.
Health Ministry epidemiology director Jose Luis previously said the country lost nearly 94,000 tests for various reasons, according to Bloomberg. Mexico's reduced testing, despite having one of the highest positivity rates in the world, has been widely criticized.
Former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ABC Action News. However, Bowden, 90, said on Monday that he is doing pretty good and is waiting to see what is going to happen. He added that all of his household members will be tested again on Monday but did not specify whether they had tested positive. Bowden did not say when he contracted the virus or when he tested positive. Over his 34 years as Florida State’s head coach, he only had one losing season, which was back in 1976. From 1987 to 2000, the Seminoles finished every season in the top 5 of the Associated Press College Football Poll and collected two national championships.
After New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced nine New York ZIP codes would be forced to close all nonessential businesses, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to allow the plan on Monday. Cuomo did, however, approve of the decision by de Blasio to close schools in the neighborhoods in exchange for online learning, and fast-tracked the closure day to Tuesday, The New York Times reported. Cuomo also announced the state would take over mask and social-distancing enforcement in the city, and that the local government would be expected to provide the state with the personnel needed.
On Monday evening President Donald Trump departed for the White House after being discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he has been treated for coronavirus. After three days of treatment for COVID-19, Trump said he feels better than he did 20 years ago and to not be afraid of the virus. Trump’s medical team says the president "may not entirely be out of the woods yet" as he heads back home to the White House, but he and the team "agree that all our evaluations and, most importantly, his clinical status support the president's safe return home, where he'll be surrounded by world class medical care." Doctors say that he will continue to receive his treatments from the White House.
President Donald Trump arrives back at the White House aboard Marine One, Monday evening, Oct. 5, 2020 in Washington, after being treated for COVID-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
First lady Melania Trump has no plans of leaving the White House while sick with COVID-19, while President Donald Trump battles the virus at the Walter Reed Medical Center, an official confirmed to CNN on Monday. "Melania is aware of the dangers of COVID-19," the official told CNN. "Potentially exposing others is not a risk she would take." The first lady tweeted she had mild symptoms on Friday morning. A few days later on Monday, she tweeted she is "feeling good & will continue to rest at home." The first lady also thanked medical staff and caretakers and said she was praying for those affected by COVID-19. "My family is grateful for all of the prayers & support! I am feeling good & will continue to rest at home. Thank you to medical staff & caretakers everywhere, & my continued prayers for those who are ill or have a family member impacted by the virus."
After White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced she tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, two of her deputies have reportedly tested positive as well. The deputies, Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt are among 18 people infected that were tied to recent White House events or President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, CNBC reported. The diagnosis of Gilmartin, who is principal assistant press secretary, and Leavitt, who is assistant press secretary, was confirmed by two sources who are familiar with the situation.
The American Dream megamall in New Jersey reopened its doors to visitors on Thursday, following a six-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The mall, which opened last fall, is a retail and entertainment complex that features a massive DreamWorks-theme waterpark with room for up to 5,600 bathers, as well as 300 shops. “We are filled with joy to have our doors open at American Dream again,” Don Ghermezian, American Dream co-CEO and Triple Five president, wrote in a statement. “It was a difficult decision to close our doors in March, but it was to ensure the safety of our guests and employees.” Although, upon reopening, only a few dozen of the complex’s 300 shops appeared to be open for business, Ghermezian has high hopes for the future of the new complex. “Given its scale and the range of attractions, it will probably succeed in becoming a major destination. However, this won’t be achieved as quickly as the developer hoped,” Ghermezian said, according to The Associated Press. One of the complex's attractions includes Big SNOW American Dream, an indoor skiing park in New Jersey. AccuWeather's Lincoln Riddle paid a visit to the attraction earlier this year, before it closed its doors back in March. Read more about his experience here.
Tens of thousands of New York students could be losing access to their free tuition programs that make attending colleges possible. The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation recently said the ongoing pandemic has caused a significant reduction in state funding and thus, future forms of financial assistance, such as the Excelsior Scholarship, “may have to be reduce and/or prioritized for current recipients,” Angela Liotta, a spokeswoman for New York State Higher Education Services Corporation, said according to CNBC.
The Excelsior Scholarship became the first scholarship in the nation to cover four entire years of college tuition, regardless of academic performance. Previously, the state said that over 940,000 families could qualify for the financial aid assistance, which applies to in the City University of New York network and State University of New York network. Liotta said that the scholarship served over 28,000 students this academic year.
After their starting quarterback, Cam Newton, tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, the New England Patriots game against the Kansas City Chiefs was pushed back until Monday. Although the league had announced a rescheduled start time for kickoff, 7:05 p.m. EDT tonight in Kansas City, fans and players were still wondering if the game would occur as both teams continued to be tested.
On Monday morning, ESPN reported that the Patriots' overnight COVID-19 test results came back negative, thus allowing the team to make a rare day-of flight for its game against the Chiefs. The tests results for the Chiefs, who had a member of their practice squad also test positive over the weekend, came back negative as well. According to ESPN, the Patriots will use two planes to fly to Kansas City and will leave from two separate airports. One plane will hold the approximately 20 players who were in close contact with Newton.
Fans who are attending the game at Arrowhead Stadium will have almost perfect weather for football. The AccuWeather hourly forecast is calling for clear, crisp conditions Monday evening. Fans may want to bring a jacket with them as temperatures will drop from near 70 around 7 p.m. to the low 60s by the end of the game.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, she said via Twitter. According to McEnany, she tested negative for the virus four times before receiving her positive result while experiencing no symptoms. “No reporters, producers, or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit,” McEnany said. “Moreover, I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks’ diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday. As an essential worker I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time.” She announced that she will now begin the quarantine process and work remotely.
Twenty-thousand empty chairs blanket the lawn outside of the White House, each one representing 10 American lives that have been claimed by COVID-19. Organized by the group COVID Survivors for Change, the group also live-streamed an event that had several speakers, including family members of victims along with survivors and frontline workers, according to CBS News. The event was hosted by former U.S. Ambassador for Health Dionne Warwick, according to WUSA. Organizers of the event said they want government leaders to take action and develop a national plan for safety and recovery.
President Donald Trump could potentially be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as early as Monday, doctors at the hospital said. Officials from the White House reported that Trump has been anxiously awaiting release from the hospital after spending three nights there and receiving steroids intended for those severely affected by the coronavirus. “This is an important day as the president continues to improve and is ready to get back to a normal work schedule,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on Monday. Meadows said Trump is “optimistic” to be released on Monday, but that the decision would not be finalized until he has been evaluated by a medical team, The Associated Press reported.
The total tally of over 35 million worldwide COVID-19 cases may already seem like a shocking figure, but the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating the true total may be substantially higher. While experts have long speculated that the number of reported cases is greatly less than the actual figure, the WHO’s estimate that more than 760 million people have been already been infected with the virus, according to The Associated Press. Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergencies for the WHO, said last week that the figure was the organization’s “best estimates.”
“Our current best estimates tell us that about 10 percent of the global population may have been infected by this virus," Ryan told attendees from WHO member governments.
Hundreds of empty chairs who represent a fraction of the more than 200,000 lives lost due the COVID-19 are seen during the National COVID-19 Remembrance, at The Ellipse outside of the White House, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The United Kingdom on Sunday blew past 500,000 total coronavirus cases since the outbreak erupted. More than 42,000 have died from COVID-19 in the U.K., according to statistics kept by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. According to AFP, U.K. health officials reported more than 22,000 new cases on Sunday, more than double what was reported Saturday. The government attributed the sudden spike to a glitch in reporting. Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared on the BBC and warned that a “very tough winter” is ahead for his country. "I know people are furious with me and they’re furious with the government,” Johnson said, responding to critics who are upset with new restrictions that have been implemented since cases have been on the rise again. "But, it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas. It may even be bumpy beyond." Watch a clip from the interview below.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:
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Confirmed cases: 35,220,166
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Fatalities: 1,037,604
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Recoveries: 24,533,728
The resurgence of cases in Russia has continued climbing in recent weeks, as Sunday's increase of 10,376 positive cases in the country marked the first time since May 15 that the nation saw over 10,000 new cases in a single day. One of just four countries with over 1 million total cases, Russia has also seen daily COVID-19 fatality totals continue to rise, as the country has now a seen a total of 21,375 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak.
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