October 23, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Samara Heisz/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 41.9 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country to country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.4 million diagnosed cases and at least 223,381 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 894,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 871,000 cases and over 771,000 cases, respectively.

Nearly 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.

Here’s how the news developed Friday. All times Eastern:

Oct 23, 1:54 pm
Delta puts 460 passengers on ‘no-fly list’ due to mask violations

Delta has added 460 people to its “no-fly list for refusing to comply with our mask requirement,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an internal memo to employees.

“Wearing a mask is among the simplest and most effective actions we can take to reduce transmission, which is why Delta has long required them for our customers and our people,” Bastian wrote Thursday.

Oct 23, 12:10 pm
Washington Football Team to allow 3,000 fans at stadium

The Washington Football Team will allow about 3,000 season ticket holders to attend its Nov. 8 game against the New York Giants, the team said Friday.

Everyone must wear a mask, use mobile ticketing, follow social distancing rules and pay without cash. Tailgating won’t be allowed, the team said.

The decision was made with “the state of Maryland’s approval and under the supervision of Prince George’s County,” the team said, adding that it’ll continue to re-evaluate fan numbers for future games.

ABC News’ Leonardo Mayorga contributed to this report.

Oct 23, 11:54 am
Santa’s visit to Macy’s will be virtual this year

Despite a tradition started in 1861, Santa won’t be making his yearly trip to Macy’s New York City store this year due to the pandemic. Instead, his visit will be virtual.

From Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, families can take part in an “interactive, virtual experience” on the Macy’s website, Macy’s said in a statement Thursday.

“A special greeting from Santaland elves at the North Pole-bound train station kicks off the interaction,” Macy’s said. “From there, the Elves will lead the way through Santa’s Village and Workshop, stopping to see the sights and play interactive games. At the finale of the journey, kids will meet Santa through a whimsical interactive video where they will be able to share their holiday wish list followed by snapping a selfie with Santa.”

“Santa will also drop by @macys handles on a number of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to engage with fans in his uniquely whimsical way,” Macy’s added.

Oct 23, 11:48 am
Trump administration delivering 125 million masks to states to help reopen schools, but still not tracking school outbreaks

The U.S. government is on track to distribute 125 million cloth masks to states and territories by the end of November to help reopen schools, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.

The 125 million masks were split evenly among adult and youth sizes. The distribution of adult-sized masks is complete, while the child-sized masks are being distributed as soon as they are manufactured. State governments are expected to handle distribution of the masks to schools.

The initiative is a small step in what remains a heavy lift for most local areas — devising metrics that decide when a school opens or closes, and figuring out how to keep the novel coronavirus away from teachers, bus drivers and parents who could spread it throughout the broader community.

There is still no coordinated effort by the federal government to track COVID-19 outbreaks at schools nor to examine how students are — or aren’t — contributing to community transmission. Most studies are limited in scope, often relying on schools that are willing to self-report cases. The lack of a nationwide tracking effort has prompted widespread frustration and confusion among parents and teachers on what benchmarks should be used for schools.

In a call with reporters Friday, a senior official with the U.S. Department of Education confirmed there was no effort underway by the administration to conduct a nationwide examination of school outbreaks.

“We feel that that option is, of course, best left to local leaders, those decisions,” said Aimee Viana, principal deputy assistant secretary for the office of elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.

President Donald Trump falsely claimed at Thursday night’s debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden that “the transmittal rate to the teachers is very small.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the role children play in community transmission of COVID-19 isn’t fully understood, but its recently update guidance notes a “body of evidence is growing” that kids “might play a role in transmission.”

The CDC and other health officials largely agree that if a community can get the virus under control, schools are safe to open.

Schools haven’t been studied as closely because many remain closed and not every school is reporting outbreaks. One concern is that children might be transmitting the virus without exhibiting symptoms, and testing people without symptoms remains limited.

“That doesn’t mean that communities are on their own,” Viana said. “The Trump administration will continue as we’ve done since the beginning of the outbreak to extend flexibilities and freedom to open safely and to ensure that that learning continues in each community.”

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

Oct 23, 10:14 am
Poland sees record rise in new cases ahead of nationwide ‘red zone’ restrictions

Poland confirmed 13,632 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the country’s highest figure since the pandemic began.

An additional 153 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide, down from a peak of 168 a day earlier. The cumulative total now stands at 228,318 cases and 4,172 deaths, according to the Polish Ministry of Health.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that, starting Saturday, the entire nation of 38 million people will be placed in a “red zone” of strict measures aimed at curbing further spread of the novel coronavirus, just short of a lockdown. The measures include wearing masks at all times outdoors, switching all primary schools to remote learning and the closure of restaurants except for takeaway and delivery services.

“We absolutely must cut the means of transmission of infection,” Morawiecki said.

Oct 23, 9:34 am
Halloween still on at the White House, but with ‘extra precautions’

The White House grounds will open to costumed trick-or-treaters on Sunday for the annual Halloween festivities, but with “extra precautions” in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement from the first lady’s office.

All guests are required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing during their visit. All personnel working the event must wear a face covering, while any staff passing out candy will be required to wear gloves. Guest capacity will be limited, with extended event hours.

Social distancing measures will be in place, and hand sanitizer will be available throughout the event route. Each department will utilize a “no-touch approach” when distributing product in their area.

The statement said President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will “greet” trick-or-treaters as they pass by the South Portico of the White House. In previous years, the couple have handed out candy themselves.

Oct 23, 9:11 am
France hits new record of over 41,000 new cases in a day

France confirmed 41,622 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, its highest single-day count since the start of the pandemic.

The country’s public health agency also registered an additional 165 fatalities from COVID-19 in 24 hours. The cumulative total now stands at 999,043 cases with 34,210 deaths.

France has the seventh-highest case count in the world, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 10,000 patients remain hospitalized for COVID-19 across France, including 1,627 in intensive care, according to the public health agency.

COVID-19 patients now take up more than 60% of all intensive care beds in hospitals across the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France, a spokesperson for the regional health agency told ABC News. That figure is up from 59.3% on Tuesday.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday that a 9 p.m. curfew already in place in Paris and eight other major cities would be extended to cover 54 of the country’s 94 administrative departments. Some 46 million residents will be under the curfew by Saturday night.

Oct 23, 8:16 am
Russia reports over 17,000 new cases for first time

Russia confirmed 17,340 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the coronavirus response headquarters.

It’s the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that Russia’s daily case count has surpassed 17,000. The country’s previous record of 16,319 new cases was set on Tuesday.

An additional 283 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered in the last 24 hours, down from a peak of 317 on Wednesday, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Almost a third of the new cases — 5,478 — and nearly 21% of the deaths — 61 — were reported in the capital, Moscow, the epicenter of the country’s outbreak and recent surge.

The cumulative totals now stand at 1,480,646 cases and 25,525 fatalities, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The Eastern European country of 145 million people has the fourth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India and Brazil, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Oct 23, 7:32 am
A quarter of US hospitals have 80% of ICU beds full, HHS memo says

A quarter of hospitals across the United States have intensive care units that are more than 80% occupied, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Thursday night.

That figure is up from the summertime peak, when 17-18% of U.S. hospitals had 80% of ICU beds full.

The memo, which is circulated among the highest levels of the federal government and is used to determine daily priorities for the agencies working on a COVID-19 response, said 41 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while five jurisdictions are at a plateau and nine others are in a downward trend.

There were 417,899 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 15-21, a 14% increase from the previous week. There were also 5,413 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 10.6% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.

Meanwhile, the national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests increased from 5.1% to 5.8% in week-to-week comparisons, the memo said.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alaska reached a four-month peak, with the state’s daily average increasing to 8.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 people during the period of Oct. 12-18, compared to 5.9 per 100,000 the previous week. Adults in their 20s and 30s were said to be driving the state’s outbreak, according to the memo.

Idaho’s positivity rate for COVID-19 tests increased to 16.7% during the week ending Oct.14, more than triple the national rate of 5.4% for that time period. The state’s ICU hospitalizations related to COVID-19 reached a record high of 61 patients on Oct. 15, the memo said.

Montana reported 393 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week, more than triple the national average of 117 per 100,000. The state has the third-highest rate of new infections in the country, according to the memo.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico increased by 101% in the first half of October. The state reported a 51.9% jump in new cases and a 21.1% increase in new deaths in the week ending Oct. 18, compared to the prior week, the memo said.

Oklahoma saw a record high of 821 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 20, according to the memo.

In Oregon, cases are at the highest point they have been since the start of the pandemic, the memo said.

South Dakota has the second-highest rate of new cases in the country and the fourth-highest test positivity rate. The test positivity rate is on the rise in 45 counties, suggesting it has not yet peaked. Out of all South Dakota counties, 82% have moderate or high levels of community transmission, with 71% having high levels of community transmission, according to the memo.

Tennessee reported 3,317 new cases on Oct. 19, its highest single-day increase to date. The previous record of 3,314 new cases was reported on July 13.

Texas’ cumulative total of cases surpassed 800,000 on Oct. 13, becoming only the second state in the country to do so.

Oct 23, 6:54 am
US reports over 70,000 new cases for first time since July

There were 71,671 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Thursday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

It’s the highest daily tally the country has reported since mid-July, almost surpassing the national record of more than 77,000 new cases in a single day. The latest case count was also nearly 9,000 more than the previous day.

An additional 856 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Thursday, down by from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.

A total of 8,409,312 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 223,051 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.

The daily tally of new cases has gradually come down since then but has started to climb again in recent weeks and is now averaging around 60,000 per day.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

narvikk/iStockBy ERIN SCHUMAKER, ABC News

(MILWAUKEE) — Wisconsin admitted its first patient to a field hospital in the Wisconsin State Fair Park, near Milwaukee, on Wednesday, the same day that the state reported a record 48 deaths from the novel coronavirus.

The field hospital, a 530-bed facility which opened last week, is meant to relieve pressure on local hospitals, which have been rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients as Wisconsin’s outbreak worsens. In some areas, 90% of ICU beds are full, according to the governor’s office.

“We are thankful to have this facility available to Wisconsinites and our hospitals, but also saddened that this is where Wisconsin is at today,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.

“Folks, please stay home. Help us protect our communities from this highly-contagious virus and avoid further strain on our hospitals.”

In Wisconsin, COVID-19-testing positivity rates, daily new cases and deaths are all climbing, according to ABC News’ analysis of the COVID Tracking Project’s data.

Wisconsin reported 3,413 new infections Thursday, according to the state health department, compared with 4,205 new infections Wednesday and a record 4,951 new cases on Tuesday.

In addition to rising case counts, an average of 27.6% of tests returned positive every day in the past week in Wisconsin as of Wednesday, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project, which is more than five times the rate that health experts recommend.

A high positivity rate can be a sign that a state is only testing its sickest patients and failing to cast a net wide enough to accurately capture community transmission, according to Johns Hopkins University. The World Health Organization recommends that governments get their positivity testing threshold below 5%.

More than 1,700 people in Wisconsin have died of the virus so far, according to the health department.

During a Thursday press briefing, Evers doubled down on his message about the severity of Wisconsin’s outbreak.

“To those who say this pandemic has been blown out of proportion, or that there isn’t a real risk, folks, that’s just flat out wrong,” Evers said. The governor pointed to families who have had loved ones died of COVID-19 and to the health care workers putting their personal health and safety on the line, while working emotionally exhausting hours to care for COVID-19 patients.

“Make no mistake,” he said. “This is an urgent crisis.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 41.4 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country to country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.3 million diagnosed cases and at least 222,577 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 887,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 869,000 cases and over 762,000 cases, respectively.

Nearly 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.

Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:

 

Oct 22, 1:49 pm
New Jersey numbers ‘not pretty,’ governor warns

In New Jersey’s battle against the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy is warning that “the overnight numbers are not pretty.”
 
The state reported 1,182 new cases and 18 more deaths on Thursday, Murphy said.

New Jersey now has over 224,000 people diagnosed with the coronavirus and at least 14,474 confirmed fatalities.

Hospitals have 852 COVID-19 patients, including 74 on ventilators.

“We need to push these numbers back down,” Murphy stressed.
 
“We are seeing trouble with gatherings in private homes,” Murphy added. “We urge you to follow @CDCgov guidance and not gather in a private home with anyone outside your immediate family. Keep gatherings outside. Practice social distancing. Wear a mask, even outside.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

Oct 22, 1:41 pm
Walgreens testing now available to kids ages 3 and up

Walgreens said Thursday that it’s expanding its COVID-19 testing sites to now be available for children ages 3 and up. Testing was previously available to people ages 18 and over.

Walgreens said it has about 620 COVID-19 testing sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with another 80 sites expected to open this week.

“Walgreens pharmacy team will provide instruction to the parent on how to administer the COVID-19 test to a child,” Walgreens said in a statement. “Adolescents may self-administer the COVID-19 test if desired.”

Test results will usually be available within 24 to 72 hours, Walgreens said.

ABC News’ Eric Strauss contributed to this report.

Oct 22, 1:11 pm
Utah hospitals ‘overwhelmed,’ governor says

In Utah, hospitals are “overwhelmed” and Gov. Gary Herbert is warning that “the stress they are experiencing is unsustainable.”

Caregivers are “tired” and “emotionally spent,” a state official said at a Thursday news conference.

“This is why we have required masks in high and moderate transmission areas and also asked residents in these areas to limit gatherings to 10 or fewer,” Herbert tweeted Thursday.

“Many Utahns have been taking this virus seriously and are abiding by precautionary measures. But some who haven’t seen the full range of ill effects coronavirus can have are unaware of the issues it causes within our medical and business communities,” he said.

Utah has over 99,500 cases and at least 563 deaths.

Oct 22, 12:18 pm
Fauci suggests kids trick-or-treat by saying hello to neighbors

Dr. Anthony Fauci is suggesting a new twist on trick-or-treating during the pandemic.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recommends kids in costume go to a neighbors home, knock on the door and stay six or more feet away.

“Wear a mask, say hello,” Fauci said in a livestream interview last week with Chrisi Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general for Health and Human Services.

But when it comes to the question of accepting candy, Fauci may disappoint the kids of America.

“The question of taking things like candy and stuff. You know, to me, it would be just. ‘Hello, I’m giving you a virtual trick-or-treat,’ as opposed to getting involved in people that you don’t know,” he said.

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty and Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.

Oct 22, 11:17 am
Biden tests negative for 13th time since last debate

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for the upcoming presidential election, has tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of Thursday’s final debate in Nashville, according to his campaign.

“Vice President Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” the campaign said.

Biden has tested negative for the disease 13 times since his campaign began releasing the results of every test, following the last presidential debate in Cleveland on Sept. 29.

President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, two days after debating Biden in Cleveland.

ABC News’ Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

Oct 22, 10:52 am
US weekly unemployment filings dip to 787,000

The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday that weekly unemployment filings have dipped below the 800,000 mark for the first time in months, falling to 787,000 last week.

It’s the lowest number of weekly jobless claims since March, when the coronavirus pandemic clobbered the U.S. labor market and the tally of initial unemployment filings peaked at some 6.9 million in a single week.

While the drop is a welcome sign for an economy still entrenched in a pandemic-induced financial crisis, the figure still remains well above pre-pandemic levels. It also dwarfs the previous record for initial claims set in 1982.

ABC News’ Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.

Oct 22, 9:50 am
Germany’s daily case count soars past 11,000 to new record high

Germany confirmed 11,287 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, its highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic.

The latest daily tally soared past the country’s previous record of 7,830 new cases set on Saturday.

An additional 30 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered Wednesday. The cumulative totals now stands at 392,049 cases and 9,905 deaths, according to the latest data from the country’s public health institute.

Germany has broken its own record for daily case counts several times this month. While testing has increased since then, the country is among several in Europe that have seen a sharp uptick in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.

Oct 22, 8:55 am
Analysis shows hospitalizations rising in 41 US states plus Guam

An ABC News analysis of COVID-19 trends across all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam found there were increases in hospitalizations over the past two weeks in 41 states plus Guam.

The analysis also found increases in the daily positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in 27 states plus Guam and increases in daily COVID-19 death tolls in 17 states.

Meanwhile, case numbers are higher — a daily average of at least 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — and staying high in 31 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam, and case numbers are lower — a daily average of under 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — but are going up in nine states.

One state — North Dakota — hit a record number of new cases in a 24-hour reporting period. Nine other states — Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and West Virginia — saw a record number of current hospitalizations in a day.

The United States is rapidly approaching an average of 60,000 new cases a day, with no signs of slowing. At its peak in July, the country reported an average of 66,000 new cases per day.

Over the last five-and-a-half weeks, new cases across the nation have surged by more than 72%. More than one million cases have already been registered in the month of October alone, with over 412,000 reported in just the last seven days.

States across the Midwest such as Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin all continue to consistently report high numbers, while other states such as Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Ohio continue to trend upward.

Additionally, nearly 40,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest in almost two months.

The trends were all analyzed from data collected and published by the COVID Tracking Project over the past two weeks, using the linear regression trend line of the seven-day moving average to examine whether a state’s key indicators were increasing, decreasing or remained flat.

Oct 22, 7:48 am
Belgium’s foreign minister admitted to ICU for COVID-19

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes was hospitalized for COVID-19 and admitted to an intensive care unit on Wednesday evening, a spokesperson told ABC News.

The 45-year-old’s condition remains stable, the spokesperson said.

Wilmes, who was the caretaker prime minister of Belgium during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, announced via Twitter on Saturday that she had tested positive for COVID-19, saying that the “contamination probably happened within my family circle given all precautions taken outside of my home.”

She is the country’s first woman foreign minister, as well as the first and only woman prime minister in Belgian history.

Oct 22, 7:22 am
Czech Republic sees another record surge in new cases as restrictions tighten

The Czech Republic confirmed 14,968 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, setting a new record for the second straight day.

The country’s cumulative total now stands at 208,915 confirmed cases, about a third of which have been registered in last seven days. More than 124,000 cases were active, including 4,417 patients who remained hospitalized for COVID-19, while over 83,000 have recovered from the disease, according to data from the Czech health ministry.

So far, 1,739 people have died from the disease in the Czech Republic. The country’s highest single-day death toll of 97 was recorded on Monday, according to the health ministry data.

The Czech Republic has the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in Europe. Over the past two weeks, the nation of 10.7 million people has reported 1,066.3 cases per 100,000 population, according to data published Thursday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

New restrictive measures, including mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and in cars, went into effect across the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Further restrictions, such as limits on movement and the closure of many businesses, will be imposed Thursday.

Oct 22, 6:18 am
COVID-19 patients fill up 60% of ICU beds in greater Paris region

COVID-19 patients now take up more than 60% of all intensive care unit beds in hospitals across the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France, a spokesperson for the regional health agency told ABC News.

That figure is up from 59.3% on Tuesday.

There were 669 COVID-19 patients listed in critical condition as of Wednesday night, according to the spokesperson.

France is among several countries in Europe seeing a rise in COVID-19 infections as a second wave of the pandemic hits the region.

So far, France’s public health agency has confirmed a total of 957,421 cases, including at least 34,048 deaths. The country has the seventh-highest case count in the world, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Oct 22, 5:44 am
New cases up by double digits across US, HHS memo says

The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the United States increased by double digits in week-over-week comparisons, while deaths and intensive care unit admissions are also on the rise, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Wednesday night.

The memo, which is circulated among the highest levels of the federal government and is used to determine daily priorities for the agencies working on a COVID-19 response, said 41 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while six jurisdictions are at a plateau and seven others are in a downward trend.

There were 414,004 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 14-20, a 15.1% increase from the previous week. There were also 5,168 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 4.2% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.

The national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests dropped slightly from 6% to 5.8% in week-to-week comparisons. Meanwhile, 23% of hospitals nationwide have more than 80% of their ICU beds full. That figure was 17%-18% during the summertime peak, the memo said.

In Illinois, the number of new cases increased 41.1% on Oct. 18 compared to the prior week, over twice the national growth in infections — 14.8% — during the same period. Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to climb, with the state reporting a seven-day average of 17.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 people on Oct. 18. The state is also experiencing a shortage of health care professionals, particularly nurses, according to the memo.

Indiana saw a 22.4% increase in new cases and an 8% uptick in new deaths between the weeks ending Oct. 11-18. The state reported a record high of 2,521 new cases on Oct 17, one day after surpassing a daily tally of 2,000 new cases for the first time. The state also reported its highest seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations — 20.1 per 100,000 people on Oct. 18. During that time, an average of 63% of inpatient beds and 66.4% of ICU beds were full. Indiana has reissued a call for retired health care professionals to volunteer as hospitals across the state face staffing issues, the memo said.

Michigan’s Washtenaw County saw a relative increase of 110.9% in new cases between Oct. 11-18. The surge may be driven by the University of Michigan, where the school’s quarantine and isolation housing was at 52.8% occupancy as of Oct. 20, according to the memo.

Minnesota reported a record high of 126 new COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 20. The number of new cases increased 24.9% across the state in the week ending Oct. 19, while new deaths climbed by 53.5%, the memo said.

North Dakota reported 587 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week, the highest rate in the country, compared to a national average of 117 per 100,000 people, according to the memo.

Ohio registered 2,234 new cases on Oct. 17, its highest number since the coronavirus pandemic and marking the fourth straight day the state’s daily tally was over 2,000. Ohio also reported a record high of 1,145 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 19. The state’s seven-day average of hospitalizations has continued to climb over the past three months, reaching a rate of 13.2 per 100,000 population on Oct. 18, the memo said.

Oct 22, 4:40 am
US reports highest daily death toll since mid-September

An additional 1,124 fatalities from COVID-19 were registered in the United States on Wednesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily death toll is the highest the country has reported since Sept. 15 but still less than the record 2,666 new fatalities registered on April 17.

There were also 62,735 new cases of COVID-19 identified nationwide Wednesday, up by more than 2,000 from the previous day but down from a peak of 77,255 new cases on July 16.

A total of 8,337,204 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 222,201 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.

The daily tally of new cases has gradually come down since then but has started to climb again in recent weeks and is now averaging around 60,000 per day.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

sabther/iStockBy LAUREN LANTRY, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — The American Civil Liberties Union said in a court filing submitted on Tuesday that they have been unable to contact parents of 545 children who were separated at the border by the Trump administration, leaving the children living with sponsors throughout the United States.

“We haven’t found all the families,” Lee Gelernt of the ACLU told ABC News’ Chief National Affairs Correspondent Tom Llamas. “We are still searching for approximately 545 families that we haven’t reached the parent.”

Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump imposed a crackdown on families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border that ultimately led to thousands of family separations. Children were placed in shelters, often unaware of what was happening to their parents, who were detained and likely deported.

While the government eventually placed the children with sponsors, a federal judge ordered the government to track the whereabouts of the parents — a difficult task because the government failed to adequately track the families in the first place, according to a government watchdog office.

Gelernt said that close to 5,500 families were separated.

“Each one of these children is its own story,” Gelernt said. “And those stories are absolutely heartbreaking.”

“One 4-year-old from Honduras had glasses,” he continued, telling the story of one family. “The boy’s parents had been able to get him a case to protect the glasses.” Gelernt said the “glasses case became the most important thing in their life because they knew if the glasses broke, they might not be able to get him another pair.”

When the boy was separated from his mother, he had his glasses, but he didn’t have the case.

“All day long, all the mother thought about was, ‘Can my little boy see?'” Gelernt said.

The ACLU and other groups sued the Trump administration over the practice of separating families. The court filing is a part of the ongoing effort to reunite the families that were separated. But the reunification process has often been unsuccessful due to the government’s poor tracking system.

A court-appointed “steering committee” has tried to locate the families of 1,030 children. Court documents estimate that approximately two-thirds of the parents are believed to be in their “respective countries of origin.”

But Chad Jennings, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said DHS, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Health and Human Services have “taken every step to facilitate the reunification of these families where parents wanted such reunification to occur.”

“The simple fact is this: after contact has been made with the parents to reunite them with their children, many parents have refused,” Jennings said in a statement provided to ABC News. “In the current litigation, for example, out of the parents of 485 children whom Plaintiffs’ counsel has been able to contact, they have yet to identify a single family that wants their child reunited with them in their country of origin. The result is that the children remain in the U.S. while the parents remain in their home country.”

In line with DHS, White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said the administration has “done everything we can to bring these families together.”

“It’s very sad, the administration wants the families to be reunited, but for various reasons the families just have not accepted the children back in many of these cases,” Morgenstern said.

In response, Gelernt referred back to the court document that says that the steering committee has “not yet reached the separated parents” of the 545 children.

“We have not even found these 545 parents so neither we nor certainly the administration can know whether they want to be reunited,” Gelernt told ABC News.

Ahead of Thursday’s presidential debate, Vice President Joe Biden released a statement calling the reports “an outrage, a moral failing, and a stain on our national character,” adding that the principle that “families belong together” will be at the “core” of his immigration policy if he is elected in November.

Biden has pledged to create a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals living in the United States.

The judge ruling over the case has scheduled a hearing for Thursday.

“The child doesn’t know whether they’ll ever see their parent again,” Gelernt said, adding that the separation of these families is both historic and can never be forgotten.

“This can never be repeated again.”

ABC News’ Johnny Verhovek, Bonnie McLean, Victoria Moll Ramirez, Anne Flaherty and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

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By MORGAN WINSOR and CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 40.7 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country to country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 221,076 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 883,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 862,000 cases and over 760,000 cases, respectively.

Nearly 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.

Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:

Oct 21, 1:15 pm
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy self-isolating after close contact with someone who tested positive

New Jersey’s governor said Wednesday he will self-isolate after he was in close proximity to someone who just tested positive for coronavirus.
 
Murphy walked away from a news conference at Camden County Community College in Blackwood, New Jersey, on Wednesday shortly after learning he was close to someone Saturday who has since tested positive

Murphy tested negative Monday and will get tested again today.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

Oct 21, 12:44 pm
Germany’s health minister tests positive

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently self-isolating, the DPA News Agency reported Wednesday, citing a Health Ministry announcement.

Spahn has developed cold symptoms so far, the ministry said.

The Robert Koch Institute reported that Germany recorded 7,595 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 380,762. The death toll increased by 39, now totaling 9,875.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Oct 21, 12:37 pm
NYC mayor says health care personnel, essential workers and vulnerable will get vaccine priority

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a two-phased vaccination plan for the city during a news conference Wednesday.

In Phase 1, when the vaccine is in limited supply, de Blasio said health care personnel, front-line and essential workers, and vulnerable groups will be prioritized.

Phase 2 comprises of the general public, the mayor said.

“The vaccine will be a crucial part of our rebirth and open the economic bridge to our recovery,” de Blasio said.

He added that he does not have an exact date of when the phases would happen, and it remains contingent on an approved vaccine, but promised “it will be sooner rather than later.”

New York City’s rollout plan is in line with proposed federal prioritization plans, as the push for first dibs on a vaccine is already underway.

Oct 21, 11:23 am
Boston Public Schools to suspend in-person learning amid rising positivity rates

Boston will suspend all in-person learning for its public school system, effective this Thursday, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced on Wednesday in a letter to employees obtained by ABC News’ local affiliate WCVB.

The move came after local health officials said that the citywide seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate had increased to 5.7% — a jump from 4.5% last week, and 4.1% two weeks before.

“We remain committed to providing in-person learning opportunities to our students as soon as it is safe to do so, and will continue to prioritize out students with the highest needs for in-person learning,” Cassellius wrote.

Boston will resume in-person learning for high-need students in public schools once the seven-day positivity rate is below 5% for two consecutive weeks. A phased-in approach will also begin for the districts youngest students when the positivity rate is below 4% for two consecutive weeks.

The seven-day average of new cases in Massachusetts has been on the rise for nearly seven weeks, increasing by 86% just in the last month.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.

Oct 21, 9:32 am
Russia reports record high of 317 deaths in a day

Russia registered a record 317 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The previous record of 286 fatalities from COVID-19 in a 24-hour reporting period was set just last week.

An additional 15,700 new cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed nationwide in the past 24 hours, down from a peak of 16,319 the previous day.

Nearly 28% of the new cases — 4,389 — and almost 20% of the deaths — 63 — were reported in the capital, Moscow.

The cumulative totals now stand at 1,447,335 cases and 24,952 fatalities, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Although Russia has been breaking its own records for daily case counts and deaths almost every day since Oct. 9, authorities there are resisting shutting down businesses again. Few measures have been imposed in Moscow, the epicenter of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak and recent surge.

The Eastern European country of 145 million people has the fourth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India and Brazil, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Oct 21, 8:53 am
US surgeon general says herd immunity could ‘lead to many complications/deaths’

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Wednesday that a “herd immunity” approach to combating COVID-19 could “lead to many complications/deaths.”

Adams posted the comment on his official Twitter account, along with a link to a recent article from The Journal of the American Medical Association entitled “What is Herd Immunity?”

“The summary: Large numbers of people would need to be infected to achieve herd immunity without a vaccine; this could overwhelm health care systems and lead to many complications/deaths,” Adams tweeted. “So far, there is no example of a large-scale successful intentional infection-based herd immunity strategy.”

Instead, Adams urged people to “wear masks,” “wash hands” and “watch distances.”

The surgeon general’s comments come after the White House embraced a controversial declaration by a group of scientists calling for an approach that relies on “herd immunity.”

The so-called Great Barrington Declaration, which claims on its website to have been signed by more than 9,000 medical and public health scientists around the globe, opposes lockdowns and argues that authorities should allow the novel coronavirus to spread among young, healthy individuals while protecting the elderly and the vulnerable.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, has called the concept “ridiculous” and “total nonsense.”

Oct 21, 7:11 am
Czech Republic reports nearly 12,000 new cases in record high

The Czech Republic confirmed 11,984 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a new record for the Central European country.

The Czech Republic has shattered its own record already several times this month. The country’s previous record of 11,105 new cases was set last Friday.

The cumulative total now stands at 193,946 cases, about one third of which were registered in the past seven days, according to data from the Czech health ministry.

More than 113,000 cases were active, including 4,064 patients who remained hospitalized for COVID-19, while over 79,000 have recovered from the disease, according to the health ministry data.

So far, 1,619 people have died from the disease in the Czech Republic. The country’s highest single-day death toll of 97 was recorded on Monday, according to the health ministry data.

The Czech Republic has the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in Europe. Over the past two weeks, the country of 10.7 million people has reported 975.8 cases per 100,000 population, according to data published Wednesday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

New restrictive measures, including mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and in cars, are slated to take force across the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The government was expected to meet early Wednesday to discuss additional measures.

Oct 21, 5:32 am
Analysis shows rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in 42 US states

An ABC News analysis of COVID-19 trends across all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico found there were increases in hospitalizations over the past two weeks in 42 states.

The analysis also found increases in newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 40 states plus Puerto Rico, increases in the daily positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in 27 states and increases in daily COVID-19 death tolls in 17 states.

Since Oct. 1, there have been 972,902 cases reported nationwide. More than 400,000 of those cases have been reported in just the last seven days. The country is on track this week to exceed one million cases for the month of October, making it the fourth month on record to surpass the grim milestone.

Cases are undoubtably surging nationally. The United States is currently averaging 57,000 new cases a day — the highest it has been in 11 weeks. That average has increased by 67% since Sept. 12.

Two states — Kansas and Tennessee — hit a record number of new cases reported in a 24-hour reporting period, while five states — Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio and Wyoming — saw a record number of current hospitalizations in a day.

The trends were all analyzed from data collected and published by the COVID Tracking Project over the past two weeks, using the linear regression trend line of the seven-day moving average to examine whether a state’s key indicators were increasing, decreasing or remained flat.

Oct 21, 5:13 am
US reports over 60,000 new cases, nearly 1,000 deaths

There were 60,315 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Tuesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily tally is up by almost 2,000 from the previous day but remains under the country’s record set on July 16, when there were 77,255 new cases in a 24-hour-reporting period.

An additional 993 coronavirus-related fatalities were also recorded Tuesday, more than double the previous day’s death toll but still down from a peak of 2,666 new fatalities reported on April 17.

A total of 8,274,797 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 220,133 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July. The daily tally of new cases has gradually come down since then but has started to climb again in recent weeks.

The number of new COVID-19 cases recorded in the United States increased by more than 12% in week-over-week comparisons, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Tuesday night.

Oct 21, 4:29 am
COVID-19 cases among US children surge 13%, new report says

The number of children diagnosed with COVID-19 across the United States increased by 13% in the first two weeks of October, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

There were 84,319 pediatric cases of COVID-19 reported nationwide from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15. The overall rate of infection is 986 cases per 100,000 children in the population, according to the weekly report, which was published Tuesday.

“While children represented only 10.9% of all cases in states reporting cases by age, over 741,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic,” the report said.

Even so, the report noted that severe illness and deaths due to COVID-19 appear to be rare among children at this time. As of Oct. 15, children accounted for 1%-3.6% of total reported hospitalizations and 0%-0.27% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Fourteen states reported zero pediatric deaths from the disease, according to the report.

“However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age and race/ethnicity so that the effects of COVID-19 on children’s health can be documented and monitored,” the report said.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.