USA coronavirus: summary stimulus checks, cases, deaths - 16th october

In pictures: People with an umbrella walk through the rain at Time Square , in New York City October 16, 2020. - The US budget deficit surged 218 percent to a record $3.1 trillion in the fiscal year ended September 30 due to a massive increase in spending to help the economy weather the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced October 16, 2020. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

France reports over 25,000 new coronavirus infections in past 24 hours

The French health ministry reported 25,086 new confirmed coronavirus cases in past 24 hours on Friday, after reporting a record 30,621 on Thursday.

It also reported that 122 people had died from coronavirus infection in hospitals in the past 24 hours, compared with 88 on Thursday. Including deaths in retirement homes - which are often reported in multi-day batches - the death toll increased by 178 on Friday.

The total number of infections since the start of the year now stands at 834,770, the cumulative number of dead at 33,303. 

WHO chief warns of challenges during regular flu season

"The co-circulation of #influenza and #COVID19 may present challenges for health systems & health facilities, since both diseases present with many similar symptoms," WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has tweeted...

US surpasses 8-million cases mark

The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States has surpassed 8 million, with the US accounting for more than a fifth of cases worldwide. 

There have been more than 218,000 covid-19-related fatalities in the US since the start of the pandemic.

The US remains the world's worst-affected nation, although India, which now has registered more than 7.3 million cases, is quickly catching up.

WHO in dialogue with Russia on its second covid vaccine candidate

The World Health Organization said on Friday it had had very good dialogue with developers of a second Russian vaccine candidate against covid-19.

"We will only be able to have a position on a vaccine when we see results of the phase 3 clinical trials," WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a news conference in Geneva.

Twitter CEO says blocking New York Post article without context was wrong

Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey said on Friday his company had been wrong to block links to an article making claims about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's son.

"Our goal is to attempt to add context, and now we have capabilities to do that," he tweeted.

The company sparked an outcry for briefly restricting U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign's Twitter account after it posted a video that referred to the New York Post story on Thursday.

White House election race reaches streets of Tel Aviv

'You have to thank Trump' posters in Hebrew suddenly started appearing on minibuses in Tel Aviv this week, as Republican ads brought the race for the White House onto the streets of Israel.

Democrats are also targeting American-Israelis. They arranged a 40% discount with the courier service DHL for voters whose home states require overseas ballots to be sent by mail.

Votes everywhere are precious as the U.S. election approaches. Israel is in focus because many dual nationality American-Israelis are registered in swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania, which could help decide the race.

There are no reliable statistics on American-Israelis' political leanings, but Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, estimated there were 25,000-30,000 eligible Florida voters in the country.

U.S. retail sales accelerate in September

U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in September, rounding out a strong quarter of economic activity, though the recovery from the recession is at a crossroads as government money runs out and new covid-19 infections surge across the country.

Retail sales jumped 1.9% last month after an unrevised 0.6% gain in August, the Commerce Department said on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales rising 0.7% in September.

Retail sales have bounced back above their February level, with the pandemic boosting demand for goods complementing life at home, including cars, furniture and electronics. Excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, sales increased 1.4% last month after a downwardly revised 0.3% drop in August. These so-called core retail sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product.

Indianapolis Colts close practice facility after positive covid-19 case

The Indianapolis Colts closed their practice facility on Friday after several members of the organization tested positive for covid-19, the National Football League team said.

The Colts did not say how many tests had been positive and added that they were in the process of confirming the results. Indianapolis is scheduled to host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The Colts said in a statement that the team will work remotely while their facility remains closed. The shutdown follows a similar move on Thursday by the Atlanta Falcons, who closed their facility after a second positive covid-19 test

Pfizer vaccine hopes aid world stocks

Global shares rose on Friday while the dollar was on the defensive, after drugmaker Pfizer Inc said it may apply for a U.S. emergency use of its covid-19 vaccine in November, assuaging market fears that a resurgent pandemic may scuttle a fragile economic recovery.

As the global race to develop a coronavirus vaccine heats up, financial markets have tracked every twist and turn, hoping a successful deployment would hoist the world economy into a sustained rebound after a harrowing shutdown in the spring.

Even though financial markets are susceptible to the frequent successes and setbacks that come with vaccine development, analysts say some investors are now looking past the near-term turbulence to focus on a likelier turnaround in 2021.

"I don't think the way he's led through covid has been reasonable or responsible or right"

The coronavirus strain on global economies

As Europe sinks under 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day, it’s not hard to pin the problem down: students are powering Europe’a second infection wave, which also explains why death rates are much lower than the spring. Many French and British cities are in now back in lock-down, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel says “everything” must now be done to avoid a return to spring’s disaster.

The young people now spreading the virus might have to wait until 2022 for a vaccine, according to Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist.

Politico takes a look at ballooning deficits in taxing times.

Wall Street perks up with vaccine hopes

Wall Street bounced back on Friday after three straight days of losses as Pfizer said it could apply for emergency use of its covid-19 vaccine candidate as early as November, Reuters reports, while data showed stronger-than-expected retail sales growth last month.

The drugmaker's shares firmed 1.4% as it expects to provide safety data and file for authorization of the vaccine, which it is developing with Germany's BioNTech SE, as soon as a safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November. BioNTech's US-listed shares jumped 2.8%.

'Amid a stagnating labor market, the jump in retail sales this month suggests consumer strength is pretty robust,' said Mike Loewengart, managing director of investment strategy at E*TRADE Financial LLC in Jersey City. 'While a resilient consumer is a broad positive for the recovery, today's results could reduce the pressure on lawmakers to get any stimulus measure through before the election.'

Policies matter more than personalities

It may seem crazy to think in the current climate, but there was a time when most people voted based on the merits of a candidates policies. And for the betterment of the country.

President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden have very different views on how to tackle America's pressing issues, but how much do you know about what they are proposing? If not enough, this is for you.

NPR Politics has sifted through Trump's and Biden's plans, as released by their campaigns, and narrowed in on a few key issues to show what they're promising and how each man's priorities differ from his opponent's.

UN agencies warn of huge rise in people going hungry

A United Nations (UN) report has warned that the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic may lead to a massive increase in the number of people suffering from chronic hunger.

According to the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, which is published jointly by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the pandemic “could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020”.

In 2019, the report notes, the number of people going hungry worldwide rose by 10 million from 2018, and had increased by 60 million over a five-year period.

US unemployment-benefits claims hit three-month high

In this file photo taken in April, a man picks up unemployment forms at a drive-through collection point outside John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah, Florida.

New applications for US jobless benefits rose against expectations last week to 898,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

The 53,000 increase from the prior week was the sharpest rise in seasonally-adjusted initial claims since the week of 15 August, as the US attempts to recover from mass layoffs caused by business shutdowns earlier this year to stop covid-19.

(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

WHO defends data after concluding Gilead's remdesivir flopped trial

A World Health Organization (WHO) trial that concluded Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir did not significantly help covid-19 patients is reliable, a scientist who evaluated it said on Friday, as the US company criticized its methodology.

"It's a reliable result, don't let anybody tell you otherwise, because they'll try to," Richard Peto, an independent statistician hired by the WHO to evaluate its Solidarity trial, told reporters, adding that any benefit of remdesivir may be due to chance.

Gilead has questioned the findings that concluded remdesivir does not help patients who have been admitted to hospital, saying the "emerging (WHO) data appears inconsistent".

Gilead was given data from the United Nations health agency's trial 10 days ago, to give it an opportunity to react.

(Text: Reuters; photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)

Coronavirus Stimulus Check

Second stimulus check calendar: how long to be passed, signed and paid?

Second stimulus check calendar

The prospect of a new stimulus bill before the election has predictably become a political pawn. What are the possible timelines for passing and delivery?

Full details:

Poverty in US rises as wait for relief goes on

As negotiations continue over a fifth piece of economic aid legislation amid the coronavirus pandemic, two studies have found that the poverty rate in the US is on the up, CNN has reported.

Having dropped to just over 9% in June as a result of the relief provided by the CARES Act, a $2.2tn package signed into law in March, poverty rose to 11.1% in September, according to the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago and Zhejiang University in China. 

Meanwhile, Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy says the rate of economic hardship actually increased far more significantly in September, to 16.7%.

Coronavirus stimulus checks

Stimulus check: what did Americans use the money for?

How did Americans spend CARES Act financial support?

The CARES Act provided Economic Impact Payments for over 160 million Americans, but how was Donald Trump's $300 billion cash injection spent?

Full story:

US cases close to eight million

Cases of the novel coronavirus were close to passing the eight million barrier today, rising by 1 million in less than a month, as another surge in cases hits the nation at the onset of cooler weather. Since the pandemic started, over 217,000 people have died in the United States. According to Johns Hopkins University's figures the total stands at just under eight million, however Reuters is reporting that the case number is already over eight million.

From Reuters: The United States reported 60,000 new infections on Wednesday, the highest since Aug. 14, with rising cases in every region, especially the Midwest. Health experts have long warned that colder temperatures driving people inside could promote the spread of the virus. They have not pinpointed the reason for the rise but point to fatigue with covid-19 precautions and students returning to schools and colleges. According to a Reuters analysis, 25 states have so far set records for increases in new cases in October. 

Biden tested negative

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden did indeed test negative for the coronavirus on Thursday, his campaign have confirmed in a statement. Biden flew earlier this week with a person who subsequently tested positive, but the risk of him catching it from that incident was said to not have been high enough to require quarantining. 

Trump on his infection

At Trump's Town Hall tonight he was asked questions about his infection with covid-19, but didn't give much away. Pressed if he had tested negative before his debate with Biden, he said only that he "probably did". 

Over at Biden's Town Hall, the Democratic presidential nominee has been making the case for a national mask mandate. 

In Pictures: Diana Alvarez (L) and her sister Daisy Alvarez, both of California, are driven through a smoke-filled hallway to the start of the Fright Ride immersive haunted attraction on October 14, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The creative team from the Fright Dome attraction made the new experience after seeing how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was shutting down many Halloween events across the country and decimating the entertainment industry in Las Vegas. Guests are driven through the 75,000-square-foot 'research lab' on electric carts in groups of six or less to maintain social distancing. Other safety protocols in place include face coverings required for all guests, staff and actors, enhanced cleaning procedures and visit-specific entry times for all patrons. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP)

Swimming-Multiple world champion Pellegrini tests positive for covid-19

Multiple world swimming champion Federica Pellegrini has contracted covid-19, the Italian said in a social media post on Thursday.

The 32-year-old, who intends to take part in her fifth and final Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, was due to leave for the International Swimming League event in Budapest but felt unwell after training on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately I have some bad news: yesterday I stopped training because I felt pain and on the way home I also got a sore throat. So this afternoon I took a swab and I tested positive for Covid,' she said in a tearful Instagram post.

"I was supposed to leave on Monday for Budapest to take part in the ISL," added the 200 metre freestyle world record holder.

"I was looking forward to getting back into the water and finally starting a normal season, even more so because I was fine and had trained well.

"Instead I have to stop again and in the meantime I will undergo ten days of quarantine."

Pellegrini won gold in the 200 metres freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the world championship in the same event in 2009, 2011, 2017 and 2019, plus the world title in the 400 metres freestyle in 2009 and 2011. (Reuters)

United Airlines CEO optmistic recovery has begun

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel," said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, who believes the economic recovery is already underway. Check out his interview with CNBC below...

Harris' campaign travel plans cancelled through Sunday

Vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris will cancel all campaign travel until next week after two people in her travelling party tested positive for covid-19. Harris was not in close contact with the two people in question...

In Pictures: Steve Rose of Boston is given a Coronavirus test at a pop up testing center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 15 October 2020. The recent rise in cases has prompted Boston's Mayor Marty Walsh to provide more testing sites for residents. (EFE/EPA/CJ GUNTHER)

Georgia governor extends coronavirus restrictions through Oct. 31

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order to extend current Covid-19 restrictions in the state through 31 October at 11:59 p.m.

Chris Christie says he "was wrong to not wear a mask" after spending seven days in ICU

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he was wrong not to wear a mask at Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's announcement and during presidential debate preparations with Donald Trump. Christie has recovered from coronavirus after spending seven days in ICU. 

“I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that and I and many others underwent every day. I was wrong,” Christie said in a statement (via CNN).

“I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow CDC guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others,” he added.

Pelosi "holding up" stimulus deal, says Trump

Trump has once again blamed House speaker Nancy Pelosi for the fact that a deal has yet to be reached on a new coronavirus stimulus package. Pelosi has rejected Republicans' latest $1.8trn proposal as her party is looking to spend in the region of $2.5trn.

Yesterday, Rep. chief negotiator, Steven Mnuchin said a deal was unlikely before the US presidential election on 3 November. 

No need for Biden to quarantine after flying with person who tested positive for Covid-19 - campaign

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden flew on an airplane with a person who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 but Biden was not in close contact with the person and there is no need for him to quarantine, his campaign said on Thursday.

"Vice President Biden was not in close contact, as defined by the CDC, with this individual at any time," the statement said, adding they both wore masks during the flights, which occurred on Monday and Tuesday.

"Given these facts, we have been advised by the Vice President’s doctor and the campaign’s medical advisors that there is no need for the Vice President to quarantine," it said. (Reuters)

Brazil registers another 713 coronavirus deaths on Thursday

Brazil has registered 713 additional coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 28,523 new cases, the nation's Health Ministry said on Thursday evening.

The South American country has now registered 152,460 total coronavirus deaths and 5,169,386 total confirmed cases.

Coronavirus stimulus checks

Second stimulus check: can a new payment happen in October?

Can a new stimulus payment happen in October?

Negotiations with Nancy Pelosi are still ongoing but Donald Trump faces a race against time to get a financial support package agreed before the 3 November election.

Dr Fauci: expect more than one covid-19 vaccine by end of year

One of the leading infectious diseases experts in the US has said that the US is in a "precarious situation" but that he expects “more than one” coronavirus vaccine to be ready by the end of 2020.

Sky's the limit for Zoom

Video conference app Zoom has been one of the major winners to have emerged during the coronavirus pandemic, with use of the company's platform having skyrocketed during the pandemic as people keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers during lockdown restrictions across the world. 

“There’s a huge opportunity ahead for Zoom," said CFO Kelly Steckelberg, who discussed the company’s growth and new product announcements, in this CNBS segment...