USA coronavirus: news summary for 2 November

Price of crude falls

Oil prices lost ground on Tuesday on worries surging covid-19 cases rising in Europe and the US and that supply will increase as Libya rapidly ups output after coming out of an eight-month blockade.

Obama shares his pandemic playbook

In the final hours before Americans go to the polls Barack Obama shared what he and Joe Biden left the Trump administration for dealing with a pandemic.

What will the next pandemic be?

National Geographic explores where the next pandemic may come from in new show Virus Hunters.

Covid-19 may increase premature births 

In an analysis of preliminary data, the rate of premature births was higher in women who had contracted covid-19 than the general population in 2019.  These data are primarily for women with second and third trimester infection and are consistent with other CDC reports.  However, studies comparing pregnant women with and without covid-19 are needed to verify the true risk. 

Small colleges find advantage amidst hardship 

The sense of community and camaraderie that can be developed at smaller centers of higher learning has become an advantage for the institutions as they try to keep their students and surrounding community safe from the pandemic. 

Dominant Covid-19 strain could be deadlier after mutating

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is believed to have mutated several times during the past few months and it is feared that the more dominant mutation be more infectious than the original virus, the Daily Mail reports. A study of over 5,000 Covid-19 patients in Houston, Texas showed that almost all of the cases were caused by the D614G mutation, which first appeared in Europe in February. It is widely believed that the D614G strain was imported to the US by travellers and it now represents around 85% of all infections of the virus.

"Incomprehensible" that so many lives lost in US Covid-19 pandemic - Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an emotional speech at an art installation in Washington DC paying tribute to those who have died from Covid-19 in the US. The memorial, consisting of over 220,000 white flags - each representing a person who has died of Covid-19 in the United States, is the work of local artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg.

 “It’s almost incomprehensible that here in America this would happen,” Pelosi said. “But thank you for giving us this optic, this visual manifestation of it, not only the lives, how horrible all these are, but the families, the families, the communities, that have lost maybe 1,000 health care providers. Health care providers, they risk their lives to save lives and now here they are, here they are in this display.”

Rapid Covid-19 tests inaccurate in asymptomatic group

Some of the rapid Coronavirus tests currently available appear to be less accurate at detecting those who have the virus but are asymptomatic, a new study has found. Experts conclude that the rapid tests are less reliable that standard laboratory tests.

Covid-19 lockdown could fuel surge in travel numbers at Christmas

Bookings are up for the holiday season in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic - at least in the US. United CEO Scott Kirby told CNBC on Thursday that bookings have "flatlined a little bit'' due to rising case counts but said he still expected "pretty strong'' holiday travel demand. However some states still have travel quarantines remain in place. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has urged residents not to travel out of state for the holidays for fear of inviting a second wave of coronavirus.

Leaders face 'critical moment' as Covid-19 cases spike, says WHO chief

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in some countries in Europe and North America presented leaders with a critical moment for action.

"This is another critical moment for action," he said. "Another critical moment for leaders to step up. And another critical moment for people to come together for a common purpose. Seize the opportunity, it's not too late." Tedros was addressing a regular WHO news briefing in Geneva from self-isolation at home after announcing on Twitter that he had been in contact with a person infected with Covid-19.

Difiant Trump threatens to fire Dr. Fauci

Donald Trump claimed that "after November 4 you won't hear too much about Covid" and responded to chants from those attending yesterday's rally in Florida to "Fire Fauci!". 

CureVac's covid-19 vaccine triggers immune response in Phase I trial

CureVac's experimental covid-19 vaccine triggered an immune response in humans, it said on Monday, putting the German biotech company on track to start mass testing this year as the race to end the pandemic heats up.

"We are very encouraged by the interim Phase I data," Chief Executive Officer Franz-Werner Haas said in a statement, The biotech firm is using the so-called messenger RNA (mRNA) approach, the same as Moderna as well as BioNTech and its partner Pfizer, although they started mass testing on humans in late July.

CureVac said its potential vaccine, known as CVnCoV, was generally well tolerated and results strongly supported the company's plans to launch the final stage of testing on humans before the end of the year.

Development of AstraZeneca's potential coronavirus vaccine

AstraZeneca's experimental covid-19 vaccine is one of the most advanced candidates in the race against the novel  coronavirus.

The British drugmaker has signed several supply and manufacturing deals with companies and governments around the world, while data in October showed the vaccine produces a immune response in both old and young adults.

AstraZeneca is also expected to publish eagerly awaited late-stage, phase III clinical trial data in the coming weeks.

Developed by the University of Oxford and licensed to AstraZeneca in April, the vaccine is expected to be one of the first from big pharma to secure regulatory approval, along with Pfizer and BioNTech's candidate.

Although drugmakers and researchers are also working on various treatments, vaccines are at the heart of the long-term fight to stop the virus, which has killed more than a million people, infected more than 46 million and crippled the global economy.

T-cell study adds to debate over duration of covid-19 immunity

A small UK study has found that 'cellular immunity' to the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 virus is present after six months in people who had mild or asymptomatic covid-19 infections - suggesting they might have some level of protection for at least that time.

Scientists presenting the findings, from 100 non-hospitalised covid-19 patients in Britain, said they were "reassuring" but did not mean people cannot in rare cases be infected twice with the disease.

"While our findings cause us to be cautiously optimistic about the strength and length of immunity generated after SARS-CoV-2 infection, this is just one piece of the puzzle," said Paul Moss, a professor of haematology at Britain's Birmingham University who co-led the study.

"There is still a lot for us learn before we have a full understanding of how immunity to COVID-19 works."

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed by other experts but was published online on bioRvix, analysed the blood of 100 patients six months after they had had either mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. It found that while some of the patients' antibody levels had dropped, their T-cell response - another key part of the immune system - remained robust.

Number of coronavirus patients in German ICUs triples in two weeks

The number of coronavirus patients in German ICUs has tripled in the past two weeks, the country's health minister, Jens Spahn, wrote on Twitter on Monday.

There are currently 2,061 patients in intensive care, with 1,086 requiring ventilation, according to official data.

Spahn warned that the country’s health care system could be overwhelmed in a matter of weeks if the current surge continues.

"If we have such tripling another two times, our health system will not be able to cope," Spahn said in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Sunday.  

New study examines genetic sequences of two coronavirus cases linked to White House

CNN - The genetic sequences of two coronavirus cases linked to the White House could ultimately help researchers identify the origins the White House outbreak, and whether it went on to infect others, according to a preprint study posted online on Sunday.

Following several covid-19 cases linked to the White House in early October, including President Donald Trump's, CNN reported that the administration rebuffed offers to help with contact tracing – one tool that could have tracked how the virus spread around and beyond the White House.

In October, a White House spokesman called the origin of the cases there "unknowable." 

The study says the White House covid-19 outbreak seems to descend from a viral lineage that "escaped detection" for the previous six months.

Donald Trump could fire Dr. Fauci

The New York Times - President Trump suggested at a rally early on Monday morning that he might fire Dr. Anthony S. Fauci after Election Day, further escalating the tension between his administration and the nation’s top infectious disease expert as the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States reaches record highs.

Mr. Trump spoke well past midnight at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in Florida at his fifth and final rally of the day. At one point, he began reciting a familiar complaint about the news media’s continued coverage of the virus.

His grousing led the crowd to chant, “Fire Fauci! Fire Fauci!” Mr. Trump listened in silence for a few moments before remarking: “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election. I appreciate the advice.”

Australia reports no new cases for first time in nearly five months

Australia reported its first day of no new coronavirus cases in nearly five months, paving the way for further easing of restrictions.

In the 24 hours between 8 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m., on Saturday the country reported no locally transmitted cases, the first 24-hour period since June 9 without a new case. Late on Saturday, the state of New South Wales reported one new case.

The lack of new cases comes less than a week after Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, emerged from a 111-day lockdown imposed during a second wave that at its peak in August saw over 700 new cases a day. Residents can now sit in cafes, restaurants and pubs for the first time since July. More restrictions are set to be eased this coming weekend.

White House blasts Dr. Fauci after he says US is 'poorly' prepared for covid-19 winter

The White House is strongly pushing back against an interview in which Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's leading infectious disease expert, said the US is in a terrible position to face the coming months of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're in for a whole lot of hurt. It's not a good situation," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Washington Post on Friday. "All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly."

Fauci said the country needs to make an "abrupt change" in its public health practices and behaviors as the holiday season nears. He also said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign "is taking it seriously from a public health perspective," while President Donald Trump is "looking at it from a different perspective," which he said was "the economy and reopening the country."

Coronavirus saw 99% of Ryanair’s fleet grounded for four months

Coronavirus saw 99% of Ryanair’s fleet grounded for almost four months between mid-March and the end of June.

The Irish airline said it is preparing for a “hugely challenging” period to continue as it reported a loss of €197m in the first half of the year. The low-cost carrier said it “expects to record higher losses” in the second half of the year, despite having a lower cost base and a stronger balance sheet.

The company said traffic in the first half of the year fell from 86 million to 17 million passengers.

South Korea to fine people without masks

South Korea will fine people for not wearing masks from later this month, as the country expands its rules on mandatory face coverings. Although South Korea has fared better than many other countries in containing the coronavirus outbreak, daily cases have risen to over 100 in recent days.

India's coronavirus tally rises to 8.2 million

India recorded 45,231 new coronavirus infections, taking its total cases to 8.23 million, the health ministry said on Monday.

New daily cases in India have been falling since September, but experts warn that infections could rise again during the festival season.

The country has the world’s second-highest caseload, behind the United States, which has over 9 million.

There were 496 deaths in the last 24 hours from the coronavirus, taking total deaths to 122,607.

Teen uses Tik Tok to help find donor for toddler 

Chicago-area teen Abby Izaks needed something to do while in quarantine so she turned to Tik Tok. She is now employing her 51,000 followers to find a bone marrow donor for 3-year-old Sloane Caston from Florida. She has used her “Abby’s Tik Tok to Fame Journey” to ask people to get nasal swabs in the hope of finding a suitable match to help the little girl fight a rare form of brain cancer. 

Prince William battled covid-19 in April

As Britain enters a second lockdown palace sources reveal to The Sun that Prince William had contracted the disease after his father and Primer Minister Boris Johnson.  Due to his experience, Prince William realises how important it is to take the new lockdown seriously and that anyone can catch the virus.

Trump supporters cause chaos on the roads

In the latest case of Trump backers showing their loyalty to President Trump as Election Day rapidly approaches a caravan of vehicles blocked the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge across the Hudson River and the Garden State Parkway bringing traffic to a standstill. This just a day after hundreds of motorists waving Trump flags harassed a Biden campaign bus in Texas surrounding it and causing it to slow to a crawl on the highway. Neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris were on the bus, but the campaign staff were shaken. 

Trump rallies super-spreader events

Researchers at Stanford University analysed data from covid-19 infection rates before and after 18 Trump rallies over the summer and compared them with similar counties. Based on that data they extrapolated that the counties where the rallies were held, all but two were outdoors, experienced an increase of more than 250 per 100,000 residents.  Based on this data the rallies could be responsible for around 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and possibly 700 deaths although not necessarily people who attended the events. 

Coronavirus live US updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, US-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, As we begin our coverage at 04:00 ET on Monday 2 November, more than 46.5 million cases and over 1.2 million deaths have been registered worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In the United States, the world's worst-affected country, positive covid-19 cases continue to climb past the 9 million mark, while more than 230,900 people have died from the virus.