Coronavirus USA live updates: news, cases, deaths and stimulus checks today
Coronavirus live US updates: Wednesday 9 September
US coronavirus latest: 13:45 PT / 16:45 ET on Wednesday 9 September (22:45 CEST)
Latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University.
Worldwide
Cases: 27,628,190
Deaths: 898,757
Recoveries: 18,590,528
US
Cases: 6,334,158
Deaths: 189,972
Recoveries: 2,359,111
Coronavirus-related stories you might be interested in:
Trump coronavirus response a "betrayal of the American people", says Biden
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says US President Donald Trump committed a "life and death betrayal of the American people" by downplaying the threat of the coronavirus as it began to hit the country earlier this year, despite admitting to journalist Bob Woodward at the time that he knew it was "deadly".
"We’ve just learned [...] that the president of the United States has admitted on tape in February that he knew about Covid-19 that it passed through the air," Biden told a campaign event in Warren, Michigan, on Wednesday. "He knew how deadly it was, that it was much more deadly than the flu. He knew, and purposefully played it down.
"Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months. He had the information, he knew how dangerous it was, and while this deadly disease ripped through our nation he failed to do his job on purpose. It was a life and death betrayal of the American people.
"Experts say that if he had acted just one week sooner, 36,000 people would have been saved. If he had acted two weeks sooner back in March, 54,000 lives would have been spared in March and April alone."
Trump says he "perhaps" misled Americans about Covid-19
US President Donald Trump has told a news conference that he "perhaps" misled the American public over the dangers of the coronavirus, saying he played down the virus' severity "in order to reduce panic".
Earlier on Wednesday, CNN released audio excerpts of interviews with famous investigative journalist Bob Woodward, in which Trump admitted in early February that Covid-19 was "deadly stuff".
These remarks came at the same time as he was publicly declaring that the coronavirus would "disappear" and was "going to work out fine".
Republican bill due for Senate vote on Thursday
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell responds to a question from the news media following the Republican Policy Luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Leader McConnell has announced that a vote on Republicans' $500bn dollar coronavirus relief-bill proposal is to be held in the Senate on Thursday.
(Photo: EFE/EPA/SHAWN THEW)
White House insists Donald Trump has "never lied to the American public".
The White House is aiming to dismiss President Trump's admission that he knew Covid-19 was deadly and downplayed it, according to CNN.
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday that Trump was looking to convey calm when he publicly downplayed the virus while privately acknowledging its severity.
"The President was expressing calm and his actions reflect that," she said, adding later: "The President has always been clear-eyed with the American people."
Protesters call on Congress to push through stimulus
Flight attendants and other aviation workers participate in a march near the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Wednesday, urging Congress to pass a coronavirus relief package.
(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
Trump told Woodward in February virus was "deadly"
It has emerged that US President Donald Trump told legendary investigative journalist Bob Woodward that the coronavirus was "deadly" in February, at the same time as he sought to publicly play down the threat of the virus.
CNN has released audio excerpts of interviews Trump gave to Woodward - best known for his reporting on the Watergate scandal alongside fellow Washington Post journalist Carl Bernstein - for the 77-year-old's new book “Rage”.
Speaking to Woodward on 7 February, Trump said the coronavirus is "more deadly than […] your strenuous flus", adding: "It’s deadly stuff."
The remarks are in contrast to the president’s frequent public assertions that the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 190,000 people in the US, will "disappear" and will "go away".
Later in February, indeed, Trump told a news conference that he believed the pandemic was going to "work out fine".
Mnuchin on relief bill chances: "I don't know. We'll see"
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin struck a pessimistic tone when asked on Wednesday about the possibility of a coronavirus relief bill being passed by Congress this year. "I don’t know. We’ll see," Mnuchin told reporters. "I hope there is. It’s important to a lot of people out there."
Amid an impasse in talks between White House chiefs and Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer over stimulus legislation, Republican senators on Tuesday unveiled a ‘skinny’ $500bn proposal targeting priority issues such as small businesses and enhanced unemployment benefits.
That bill has been described by Pelosi and Schumer as "emaciated", and faces an uphill battle to pass the Democrat-controlled House. It is due to be voted on by the GOP-held Senate this week.
Vaccine conceivable for October maintains Fauci
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters that initial trial results are likely to become available in November or December, but late October remains a possibility. "It is conceivable that if there are enough infections documented early on that you might get that answer earlier," he said.
Vaccines must demonstrate they are at least 50% more effective than a placebo to be considered for approval. To prove that, government officials have said, at least 150 Covid-19 infections must be recorded among trial participants with at least twice as many occurring among the placebo group.
If a vaccine is especially effective, companies could have their answer sooner. Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc , whose U.S. vaccine trials have enrolled thousands of people and are the most advanced, say they may have proof after just a few dozen subjects become infected.
Second stimulus check: Top Senate Democrat says good chance coronavirus bill will pass
Top Senate Democrat says good chance coronavirus aid bill will pass
Chuck Schumer said that he believes there is a good chance Congress will pass a coronavirus relief bill and predicted Republicans will feel pressure to provide help for Americans.
Stimulus check: what is Pelosi proposing and what is McConnell putting forward in the Senate?
Relief payment dispute rumbles on, what is Pelosi proposing and what is McConnell putting forward in the Senate?
The Republican-led Senate returned from recess on Tuesday, while the Democratic-led House of Representatives plans to hold votes on bills starting the following week.
Norwegian lawmaker nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the second time he has put forward the U.S. president for the honour.
Thousands of people are eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides on the award, declined to comment.
"It is for his contribution for peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal," Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of parliament for the right-wing Progress Party, told Reuters.
Tybring-Gjedde, who nominated Trump for the 2019 award for his diplomatic efforts with North Korea, said he also nominated him this year because of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Stimulus Check: what did McConell say about the Democratic proposals?
McConnell: Democrats are playing "Goldilocks games"
Mitch McConnell accused the Democrats of playing ‘Goldilocks games’ with coronavirus relief and urged them to compromise in the search for a stimulus package deal.
Faced with the pandemic Pope Francis urges 'common good'
Pope Francis told visitors at his weekly general audience today that the coronavirus pandemic should spur everyone to work for the common good and should not be exploited for economic or political gain
US Stocks: Futures bounce after tech rout sends Nasdaq into correction
Nasdaq futures bounced on Wednesday following a brutal sell-off in heavyweight technology stocks that sent the Nasdaq Composite index into correction territory in just three sessions.
The tech-heavy stock index tumbled 4.1% on Tuesday, bringing total losses since Sept. 2 to 10%, with declines led by stocks such as Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc and Netflix Inc after a rally dominated by the so-called "stay-at-home" winners.
EU enters final talks for BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine
The European Commission said on Wednesday it had entered final stage talks with BioNTech-Pfizer to purchase up to 300 million doses of a potential vaccine against Covid-19.
This is the sixth potential vaccine for which the EU executive has struck or plans to strike an advance purchase agreement.
The envisaged contract with Germany's BioNTech and U.S.-based Pfizer would lead to an initial purchase of 200 million doses, with an option to buy a further 100 million, the Commission said after the conclusion of exploratory talks.
All EU members would have the possibility to buy the vaccine and could donate to poorer nations or redirect to other European countries.
WHO says vaccine safety top priority, after AstraZeneca pauses study
Safety of a prospective Covid-19 vaccine comes "first and foremost", the World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Wednesday, as a trial of a leading candidate from AstraZeneca was paused due to concerns over side effects.
Rollout of an effective vaccine is seen as a crucial step in helping battered economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
"Just because we talk about speed...it doesn't mean we start compromising or cutting corners on what would normally be assessed," Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said in a social media event.
"The process still has to follow through rules of the game. For drugs and vaccines which are given to people, you have to test their safety, first and foremost," she said.
50% of stimulus checks spent on rent and food
The majority of Americans, around 59%, spent their stimulus checks on essential items and utility bills, according to a recent survey by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In most cases. the one-off stimulus payments, part of the CARES Act relief package, went towards food, electricity bills and rent. At least 66% said that they used part of their checks to pay for food around 28% put their payment towards the rent and 23% to cover their mortgage.
US deaths near 190,000; Iowa and South Dakota emerge as new hotspots
Coronavirus deaths in the United States were approaching 190,000 on Wednesday along with a spike in new cases in the U.S. Midwest with states like Iowa and South Dakota emerging as the new hotspots in the past few weeks.
Iowa currently has one of the highest rates of infection in the nation, with 15% of tests last week coming back positive.
Nearby South Dakota has a positive test rate of 19% and North Dakota is at 18%, according to a Reuters analysis.
The surge in Iowa and South Dakota is being linked to colleges reopening in Iowa and an annual motorcycle rally last month in Sturgis, South Dakota.
Kansas, Idaho and Missouri are also among the top 10 states for positive test rates.
Second stimulus check: 9 million people have not received payment claim IRS
Second stimulus check: 9 million people have not received payment claim IRS
The US Internal Revenue Service will start mailing letters to roughly nine million Americans who despite not filing income tax returns but who may be eligible for an Economic Impact Payment.
AstraZeneca halt global Covid-19 Oxford vaccine trial
AstraZeneca halt global Covid-19 Oxford vaccine trial: (full report and UK reaction)
AstraZeneca Plc has put a hold on the late-stage trial of its highly-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine candidate after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a study participant based in the UK.
Half a million US children have been diagnosed with Covid-19
(CNN) Half a million US children have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. The groups said 70,630 new child cases were reported during the fortnight from 20 August to 3 September. That is a 16% increase in child cases over two weeks, bringing up the total to at least 513,415 cases, the groups said in their weekly report on pediatric coronavirus cases.
Children represent nearly 10% of all reported cases in the US, according to the report. The child cases are likely underreported because the tally relies on state data that is inconsistently collected.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 175 to 188,688 and reported 6,287,362 cases, an increase of 26,146 cases from its previous count.
New York will require kindergarten through 12th grade schools to disclose the number of students and staff testing positive for COVID-19 and may force colleges with more than 100 cases to switch to remote learning, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.
AstraZeneca Plc has put a hold on the late-stage trial of its highly-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine candidate after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a study participant, health news website Stat News reported on Tuesday.
U.S. top infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said it's unlikely there will be a COVID-19 vaccine by the election
Brazil recorded 14,279 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, as well as 504 deaths from the disease, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Brazil eyes coronavirus vaccine rollout in January
(Reuters) Brazil's acting Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Tuesday that a Covid-19 vaccine would be rolled out for all Brazilians in January 2021.
"We are closing contracts with vaccine manufacturers and the forecast is that a vaccine will arrive for us starting in January next year and we will start vaccinating everyone," Pazuello said in a video posted to social media.
Coronavirus relief bill: what does it say about PPP loans and targeted health care?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell presented the Republicans' latest coronavirus relief proposal on Tuesday but senior Democrats immediately rejected it.
White House points to job creation
According to the latest statistics issued by the White House, in just four months the US unemployment rate has gone down by 6.3 percentage points. The Trump administration says it took nearly nine years following the peak of the 2008-09 recession to make the same recovery.
A sign in a hallway at King Elementary School encourages social distancing as the school works to maintain a safe environment during the coronavirus pandemic in Chicago, Illinois. Students at King Elementary and the rest of Chicago public schools started classes on 8 September remotely because of Covid-19 concerns. Teachers have the option of teaching from home or from their classrooms. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP
Surge in demand for air purifier that can kill coronavirus
Hong Kong-based company has developed an air purifier that can kill over 99.9% of Covid-19.
Demand for Aurabeat's air purifier has surged worldwide following the launch of the FDA-certified air filtration device.
Aurabeat CEO, Phil Yuen, told CNBC that he believes the device can complement coronavirus precautions like mask-wearing and social distancing, providing additional protection in residential spaces where masks are less likely to be used.
"We’ve seen a significant increase in orders and distribution requests coming from universities, hospitals, government agencies all looking to provide the same level of protection we’re able to do here in Hong Kong,” Yuen told CNBC’s Street Signs Asia.
AstraZeneca vaccine trial halted
(Reuters) AstraZeneca Plc has put a hold on the late-stage trial of its highly-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine candidate after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a study participant, health news website Stat News reported on Tuesday.
It quoted an AstraZeneca spokesperson as saying in a statement that the "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.”
The study is testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and University of Oxford researchers at sites including the United States and the United Kingdom, where the adverse event was reported.
The nature of the safety issue and when it happened were not immediately known, although the participant is expected to recover, according to Stat News.
A supporter of Donald Trump wearing a Trump 2020 protective face mask because of the coronavirus outbreak listens as the president speaks about the state of Florida during a campaign stop at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Florida, September 8, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Second stimulus check: what money could Trump use for second payment?
While Congress struggles to reach an agreement over a new stimulus package, Donald Trump has revealed a proposal to use Covid relief funds for a second stimulus check.
Covid-19 cases rise in US Midwest and Northeast, deaths fall for third week
(Reuters) Several states in the US Midwest and Northeast have seen new Covid-19 cases increase for two weeks in a row, though nationally both new infections and deaths last week remained on a downward trend, a Reuters analysis showed.
The United States reported more than 287,000 new cases in the week ended 6 September, down 1.4% from the previous week and marking the seventh straight week of declines. More than 5,800 people died from Covid-19 last week, the third week in a row that the death rate has fallen.
Nevertheless, 17 states have seen cases rise for at least two weeks, according to the Reuters tally of state and county reports. They include Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin, where between 10% and 18% of people tested had the new coronavirus.
In the Northeast, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York also reported increases in new cases for at least two weeks, though the positive test rate ranged from a low of 0.9% in New York to a high of 4.3% in Delaware -- below the 5% level the World Health Organization considers concerning.
Second stimulus package: Republicans unveil new "targeted" coronavirus bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has unveiled a new proposed coronavirus bill which includes an extra $300-per-week in unemployment benefits through 27 December.
Qiagen readies launch of rapid Covid-19 antigen test
(Reuters) German diagnostic test maker Qiagen on Tuesday said it planned to launch a Covid-19 antigen test that can provide results in 15 minutes and test about 30 samples in an hour.
The company said it will launch two versions of the antigen test, one for labs and one for use at point-of-care use, such as at airports or stadiums, depending on regulatory clearance.
The test has not yet received authorization from US regulators and the company plans to launch it in November.
Antigen tests are faster than molecular diagnostic tests but generally more likely to fail in identifying positive cases of the virus than the gold-standard molecular diagnostic tests, which are conducted in laboratories.
US Covid-19 latest updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our US-dedicated live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the day we'll bring you all the latest news and updates on the current situation surrounding the Covid-19 crisis in the US as well as major developments from across the world.