September 30 coronavirus news

Female doctors get paid less than male doctors, but a new study shows it’s not because they work less.

In fact, female doctors spend more time with patients, order more tests and spend more time discussing preventive care than their male counterparts, a team of researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Ganguli and colleagues looked at billing and time data covering more than 24 million visits to primary care doctors in the US in 2017.

Read more here:

Related article Study finds female doctors work harder for less money

A general view of AstraZeneca on August 19, in Sydney, Australia.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine trial in the United States is still on hold after a participant developed a serious illness, but the Food and Drug Administration commissioner won’t say why.

At the US Pharma and Biotech Summit hosted by the Financial Times Wednesday, US FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn was asked why the trial was still on pause in the US, even though it has resumed in Europe. Hahn said he couldn’t answer.

Hahn said he could not talk about a “specific issue” that may involve the AstraZeneca trial. 

An AstraZeneca spokesperson told CNN earlier that regulators in Britain, Brazil and South Africa had all decided to resume the trials. “We are continuing to work with the FDA to facilitate review of the information needed to make a decision regarding resumption of the US trial,” the spokesperson said.

A pilot walks by United Airlines planes as they sit parked at gates at San Francisco International Airport on April 12, 2020 in San Francisco, California.

United Airlines said it will begin to furlough more than 13,000 employees Thursday.

Like American Airlines, which announced earlier this evening that it too will begin furloughing workers tomorrow, United said it would recall furloughed employees if Congress reached a stimulus deal soon.

The letter added: “To our departing 13,000 family members: thank you for your dedication and we look forward to welcoming you back.” 

Some context: Earlier this evening, American Airlines announced it will begin to furlough 19,000 workers tomorrow.

The health department in King County, Washington, said at least 25 cases of Covid-19 have been connected to a spa in the city of Snoqualmie, near Seattle.

The outbreak was reported at Salish Lodge & Spa and includes 23 staff members and two guests.

The health department has asked anyone who visited the spa between Sept. 16 and Sept. 30 to get a coronavirus test and avoid contact with others for 14 days. The agency said Salish is cooperating and has agreed to temporarily suspend operations. Contract tracing has been hampered by the fact that the spa does not keep records of its visitors, except for those who stay overnight.

University of Denver campus.

The University of Denver has suspended 38 swimming and diving athletes from all team activities for violating state and public health order, and university policies “designed to address the spread of Covid-19,” according to a message on the university’s website. 

According to the message, possible outcomes for the violations could include suspension from the university for one or more academic terms. 

“We will continue to swiftly pursue disciplinary action if members of our community disregard the protocols and public health orders designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” read the message. 

All 38 student-athletes are required to retest for Covid-19, according to the website. The university “imposed location restrictions until negative test results are received.”

Jets are parked on runway 28 at the Pittsburgh International Airport on March 27, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

American Airlines says it is poised to furlough 19,000 workers starting tomorrow. But, the airline says it is ready to reverse the furloughs should Congress strike a deal soon. 

In a new letter to employees, American CEO Doug Parker says he was hopeful that Wednesday talks between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would result in an 11th hour deal to extend airline payroll support by six months, avoiding furloughs. 

Some context: A CNN analysis found that roughly 50,000 flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, and gate agents will face losing their jobs at the stroke of midnight. 

The latest forecast from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects between 219,000 and 232,000 Americans will have died from coronavirus by Oct. 24.

The so-called ensemble forecast, based on more than three dozen other forecast models, shows a large variation in predictions of how many people are likely to die in the coming three weeks.

Some of the variation depends on how people are expected to comply with social distancing measures.

The last CDC ensemble forecast, released Sept. 24, projected 214,000 to 226,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Oct. 17.

Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections a few weeks into the future. 

According to Johns Hopkins University, 206,825 people have died from coronavirus in the US, with 7.2 million reported cases.

The Phillie Phanatic shows off the foul ball he caught amongst the cardboard cutout fans during an MLB baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 16, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A limited number of fans will be able to attend the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the World Series in Texas next month, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Wednesday in a statement.

Both best-of-seven game series will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

MLB will make about 11,500 tickets available for each game with 10,550 fans spread throughout the ballpark and 950 in suites. Tickets go on sale on Oct. 6 at 11 a.m ET.

MLB said it has received approvals to host fans and will implement health and safety protocols in conjunction with state and local regulations such as:

Game 1 of the NLCS is Oct. 12 and will be the first time fans will attend any game during the 2020 season.

The 116th World Series begins on Oct. 20. The Fall Classic will be the first neutral site World Series in modern baseball history.

Gov. Reeves speaks at a news conference on Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said the statewide mask mandate will end on Wednesday given that the numbers for average new Covid-19 cases have declined.

Covid-19-related hospitalizations declined in the state to below 600 patients, from approximately 1,250 patients at the peak of the pandemic in July, according to the governor. The number of patients in intensive care unit beds has also declined to 138 from 337 at its peak.

Reeves said that while the mask mandate was lifted, he would still be wearing a mask and said he expected Mississippians to do the same.

“It is the smart, prudent, and wise thing to do,” he said. “I believe this is the right decision to make at this time. I believe that this will protect my fellow Mississippians and give us the opportunity should things not continue to improve or stay relatively flat, it gives us more opportunity in the future.”

Reeves said a new limited executive order would go into effect immediately to prevent “rampant Covid-19 transmission.” 

The new order keeps limitations on large gatherings, bars, parties and stadiums. Indoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 20 people, outdoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 100 people.

Social distancing rules would also remain and mask requirements will still be in place at schools, the governor said.

Reeves also urged schools that were closed to reopen.

“It can be done safely,” he said. Reeves also said a small increase in K-12 activities would be allowed.

Some more context: Thirty of Mississippi’s 82 counties have reported an increase in cases from the previous two weeks, Reeves said. 

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said at the news conference that while there was general decline in most counties, some counties have seen “modest increases.”

“Jones, Lamar and Lee counties saw a 5% increase in cases over the previous week,” Dobbs said.  

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp walks away after greeting Vice President Mike Pence as he arrived on Air Force Two at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 30.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order today extending the state’s current Covid-19 restrictions and the public health state of emergency, according to a news release from his office.

The governor’s new executive order takes effect on Oct. 1 at 12 a.m. and runs through Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. The public health emergency has been extended until Nov. 9, the release said.

With the new executive order, workers at restaurants and bars can return to work once they have been symptom-free for 24 hours following a known or suspected positive Covid-19 diagnosis, according to the release.

Georgia will also allow certain SAT and ACT test score deadlines to be extended for HOPE and Zell scholarship eligibility.

Nearly all other previous guidelines and restrictions pertaining to the state of Georgia’s Covid-19 pandemic response remain unchanged, according to the release. 

Members of the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit wearing protective gear prepare to disinfect the Lope de Vega Cultural Center in the Vallecas neighborhood where rapid tests for Covid-19 were conducted to residents of the area, on September 30 in Madrid.

The Spanish government has announced new coronavirus restrictions to be implemented in the next 48 hours which will largely force Madrid into a form of lockdown.

The new measures, agreed by simple majority after a meeting between the government and the heads of the various Spanish autonomous regions, were announced by Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa during a news conference on Wednesday.

According to Illa, the restrictions apply to municipalities with more than 500 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days, where the number of positive cases surpasses 10% of all PCR tests or regions that have an intensive care unit occupation above 35%.

Some context: There are currently 10 municipalities which fall under the criteria, including Madrid and people living in the wider Madrid autonomous region. 

The new restrictions require people to stay at home except to go to work, classes, and to meet legal obligations or due to extreme circumstances.

Shops, bars and restaurants will be forced to reduce their capacity by 50% and to close earlier.

Gatherings will remain restricted to no more than six people, in both public or private spaces.

The move comes after a steady increase in the number of coronavirus infections in the Madrid area over the past couple of months and, according to Illa, was approved with 13 votes in favor, one abstention and five votes against. Among the regions that voted against are Catalonia, Andalusia, Galicia, the north African enclave Ceuta and the capital Madrid.

There are at least 7,210,067 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 206,494 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

So far on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins has reported 19,837 new cases and 508 reported deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Track Covid-19 cases in the US

A sign in New Orleans asks people to wear a mask, in this photo taken in July.

The White House coronavirus task force continues to issue recommendations to states via weekly reports, this week again strongly recommending mask usage in some states that still do not have statewide mask mandates.

The task force told Georgia that “mitigation efforts must continue including mask wearing,” called on Iowa to “Institute mask requirements statewide,” and suggested Wyoming require “face coverings in indoor, public, and commercial spaces in all red, orange, and yellow zone counties.” 

College towns in Colorado and Maryland were encouraged to more strictly limit bar and restaurant alcohol sales and indoor dining beyond their state’s respective guidelines. The task force warned that reopening the University of Wyoming was “ill-advised” amid local outbreaks. Hot spots in Idaho were encouraged to consider moving to online schooling, despite the administration’s overall push to reopen schools.

And in Wisconsin the task force warned of “rapid worsening” of cases and recommended increased social distancing “to the maximal degree possible.”

Reports for many states recommended “on-site inspection of infection control practices” in both correctional facilities and nursing homes.

CNN has reached out to all 50 states for a copy of each state’s Sept. 27 report and has received responses from 16 states as of Wednesday afternoon. 

A doctor arrives to attend a passenger being tested for COVID-19 at a testing facility at Newark Liberty International Airport on September 8, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. 

New Jersey’s Covid-19 positivity rate — the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested — is now at 3%, the highest since mid-July, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. 

In addition to the rising test positivity rate, the state announced 772 additional cases of Covid-19 and 9 additional deaths from the virus, Murphy said. 

One thing to note: The numbers listed were released by the state of New Jersey and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project. 

The reopening of New Jersey schools has been running smoothly, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday at a press conference. 

“Over the past three weeks we have had minimal disruptions reported,” Murphy said. 

Out of the more than 802 reopening plans across the state, 403 school plans are operating under a hybrid education plan, 81 are open for in-person instruction, 278 plans are utilizing all remote learning and at least 40 plans are using a combination of the plan, Murphy said. 

The state also announced they will be adding a school Covid-19 case tracker to the state’s dashboard to monitor Covid-19 cases in school. 

The school Covid-19 tracker will be available on the dashboard shortly, the governor said. 

Wisconsin reported its highest number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations on record Wednesday.

They have 646 Covid-19-related hospitalizations and just 18% of hospital beds are available, according to the state’s Covid-19 website. Thirty-two percent of hospitalized Covid-19 patients are in intensive care units, according to the website.  

The state reported its highest seven-day percent positive on record Monday at 17%. 

Wisconsin also reported 17 additional deaths Wednesday. For context, the state reported its highest death count on May 27 at 22.

At least 1,317 people have died in total of Covid-19 in Wisconsin. 

Bill Gates speaks at a World Health Organization briefing on September 30.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has signed a new joint agreement, along with 16 pharmaceutical companies, to commit to scaling up manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines at “an unprecedented speed” and making sure that approved vaccines reach broad global distribution as early as possible.

“The only way to eliminate the threat of this disease somewhere is to eliminate it everywhere,” Microsoft founder Bill Gates said during a World Health organization briefing.

The 16 pharmaceutical companies to sign this agreement are AstraZeneca; Bayer; bioMérieux; Boehringer Ingelheim; Bristol Myers Squibb; Eisai; Eli Lilly; Gilead; GSK; Johnson & Johnson; Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada); Merck KGaA; Novartis; Pfizer; Roche; and Sanofi. 

“The next component we need for global elimination is the funding to pay for those vaccines. The pharmaceutical industry has already made significant commitments in this area as well. The companies involved in the agreement are committed to using donations for going profits, and using tiered pricing to make their products as affordable as possible,” Gates added. 

The state of Missouri hit another high since July for hospitalizations, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. Hospitalizations were at 1,139 Tuesday, according to the state’s website.  

Hospitalizations have been increasing every day since Sept. 6, when the state reported 930 people hospitalized.  

The National Football League has announced that Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Tennessee Titans game has been postponed.

The league says it will reschedule the game to either Monday or Tuesday so that additional time can be allocated for coronavirus testing. 

The Titans have had four players and five staff members test positive for Covid-19. 

The NFL said in a statement that details on the new game date and time will be announced as soon as possible.  

Samantha DiStefano, owner of Mama Fox, looks at an air purifier on September 29 in Brooklyn, New York. She'll need the air purifier when she opens the indoor portion of her restaurant and bar.

As New York City began indoor dining Wednesday at 25% capacity, mayor Bill de Blasio said there will be “rigorous” inspection efforts particularly in the zip codes with clusters.

“There is going to be a very rigorous inspection effort in those zip codes and we are going to be looking carefully to make sure every restaurant is following the rules,” he said.

Violations will lead to immediate summonses, De Blasio said

Health department professionals and other staff will be visible in restaurants Wednesday through the evening.

Asked whether he would engage in indoor dining, Mayor de Blasio said, “My outdoor dining experiences have been amazing, I’m going to keep doing that for the foreseeable future and then of course shift to indoor when the outdoor isn’t as prevalent because of the weather.” 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is reporting a rate 0.94% positivity in testing of Covid-19 – down from over 3% the day before – as he detailed the “intense efforts” and a “huge amount of focus” on neighborhoods of concern.

The 7-day rolling average is 1.46%, he said.

In six of the target neighborhoods, the rate of percent positivity is continuing to go up, the mayor said. 

The percent positivity’s in those nine key zip codes range from more than 6% to more than 3%.

The city is also monitoring four other zip codes with percent positivity’s under but close to 3%.

Steny Hoyer, House majority leader, attends a news conference on July 22 in Washington, DC.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, on a private call with the House Democratic caucus on Wednesday, said the House would vote today on the $2.2 trillion stimulus proposal *if* no deal is reached between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin this morning, according to two people on the call.

Hoyer’s comments underscore just how crucial the discussion between Pelosi and Mnuchin will be this morning. Should Democrats move forward on a vote, it is all but certain to put an end to bipartisan negotiations until after the election.

What happens next: House Democratic leaders have teed up the bill in case talks fall apart, as has happened repeatedly over the course of the last few months, amid pressure from frontline Democrats who want to show they are taking action to address pandemic-driven economic shortfalls in the weeks before the election.

Pelosi, for her part, made clear on the call that this won’t be the last opportunity for Democrats to consider a broad stimulus deal and noted that the major outstanding issues are funds for state and local governments and liability protections.

Pelosi and Mnuchin are slated to talk before noon today, according to people familiar with their schedules. Mnuchin is planning to present a counter-offer somewhere around the $1.5 trillion range, one of the people said.

Mnuchin, on CNBC this morning, said he and Pelosi are “going to give it one more serious try to get this done. We’re hopeful.”

A fourth Tennessee Titans player has tested positive for Covid-19, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tells CNN.

There are now nine total cases within the team – four players and five staff members. The club’s facilities remain indefinitely closed. 

The Titans are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday. When asked about the status of the game, McCarthy relied, “we are taking this day by day.”

People in Paris are tested for Covid-19 on September 1.

Data from hospitals in the Paris region is not looking positive, the head of the Paris region health authority said Wednesday on French radio France Inter. 

Aurelien Rousseau said 34% of ICU beds are occupied by Covid patients in the Paris region, with 30% ICU Covid bed occupancy for the city of Paris. 

He added the incidence rate is very high for 20- to 30-year-old with 450 cases per 100,000 people. Rousseau said the incidence rate for people over the age of 65 is over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants. 

With worsening numbers, the government may decide that Paris, like Marseille and the overseas department of Guadeloupe, become a zone of “maximum alert,” meaning bars and restaurants close. 

The French minister of Health, Olivier Veran is expected to announce an update of measures in a press conference before the end of the week. Many bars and restaurant owners in Paris fear closure and the economic impact. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a press conference on September 29 in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced an array of new measures aimed at stopping a recent spike in novel coronavirus infections in the country. 

At a news conference following a meeting with Germany’s state governors, Merkel announced that gatherings in public venues would be limited to no more than 50 people in areas with a large number of coronavirus infections.  

“We know that a more difficult time is coming, fall and winter,” Merkel said as she justified the new restrictions, which also include fines of at least 50 euros ($60) for patrons in bars and restaurants who provide false contact data used by authorities for tracing.  

Merkel also issued a strong warning, saying that if the current trajectory of rising coronavirus infections continues unabated, Germany could see up to 19,200 new infections per day in in the winter months.

Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, arrives for a meeting at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 28.

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he will be speaking with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi later today to deliver a response stimulus proposal he described as “very reasonable” and “very similar” to the previously-released proposal from the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. 

“We’re going to give it one more serious try to get this done and I think we’re hopeful that we can get something done,” Mnuchin said during an appearance at a CNBC investor conference on Wednesday morning.

He again listed PPP, money for schools, economic impact payments, back to work credits, retention credits, and more money for the airlines as areas of agreement, later adding that he’s been speaking with airline CEOs on a “constant basis” and will give them an update following his conversation with Pelosi. 

Mnuchin described his relationship with Pelosi as “all business,” and said they are effective at communicating together. He expressed hope they would reach a package.

The Treasury Secretary suggested there will be a “compromise” on money for state and local governments, citing a desire to pay first responders and critical emergency workers: “We will be allocating some more money in a compromise package to pay for that.”

Mnuchin noted that he and chief of staff Mark Meadows spoke with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, but wouldn’t say whether they were open to a compromise package yet: “Let’s see if we can get a compromise agreement with the speaker, something that works, and then we’ll continue to work with both sides.”

Two Italian Five Star Movement senators have tested positive for Covid-19, a party spokesperson told CNN. 

The party’s other senators will be tested if they came in contact with the two who tested positive. Previously, a party official said all senators would be tested.

The party told CNN that the two senators had met with their colleagues in the last few days, but had not attended physical senate floor gatherings. 

Italy was one of the worst affected European countries during the first wave of the pandemic. The country has reported 313,011 cases and 35,875 deaths overall.

A person in Stuttgart, Germany, is tested for Covid-19 on September 29.

The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1 million people worldwide and infected more than 33 million. Here’s the latest on the pandemic:

Debate clash: US President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden argued over Covid-19 and the 200,000 Americans who have died during the chaotic first debate of the 2020 election campaign.

Europe struggles with second wave: Belgium’s death toll crossed the 10,000 threshold on Tuesday while German Chancellor Angela Merkel pleaded with citizens to observe the pandemic restrictions.

More than 63 million Indians may have had Covid-19: Health authorities in the country suggested the true case count could be 10 times higher than official reported figures.

Notre Dame coach says virus spread like wildfire: Team doctors have traced an outbreak of Covid-19 on the Notre Dame football team to two specific events, including a pregame meal, head coach Brian Kelly has said.

President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden take part in the first presidential debate on September 29 in Cleveland. At center is moderator Chris Wallace.

Tuesday evening saw US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden take to the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2020 campaign.

The event quickly went off the rails and the global pandemic was among the many topics the two clashed over.

Biden criticized Trump’s handling of the crisis and his failure to produce a health care plan.

In turn, Trump openly said the vaccine process is political and mocked Biden for wearing a mask.

The scaled-down audience at the event also brought the health crisis into the debate hall. And Biden made multiple references to the 200,000 Americans who have died.

Instead of a robust defense of his record, Trump sought to claim a hypothetical President Biden would have done worse.

But despite Biden’s attempts to inject the health crisis back into the discussion, the debate devolved into arguments and bickering that ultimately did not center on Covid-19, which has now killed 1 million people.

Dr. Gupta discusses on CNN: 

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01:51 - Source: cnn

People in Brussels, Belgium, on September 9. The country's death toll surged past 10,000 on Tuesday.

Cases in Europe continue to rise as the continent struggles with a second wave of Covid-19.

Belgium’s death toll surpassed 10,000 on Tuesday, according to Yves Van Laethem, inter-federal spokesman for the country’s public health institute Sciensano.

The country has reported 117,115 cases in total.

In Germany, Angela Merkel struck a reflective note while addressing the country’s parliament Tuesday, as she spoke about life during the pandemic.

The German Chancellor said that what she personally misses the most are “spontaneous encounters.”

Merkel also appealed to Germans to obey the pandemic rules as winter approaches. “I am sure: life as we know it will return, but now we have to be reasonable,” Merkel said.

Elsewhere on the continent cases are spiking in Spain, the Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark and Hungary.

People ride a train in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on September 28.

As 2020 slides into and probably infects 2021, try to take heart in one discomfiting fact: Things are most likely never going “back to normal.”

It has become a well-worn phrase our politicians, officials, experts, even family, like to lean on – an ultimate, elusive prize.

Perhaps it’s nostalgia for the world of January, a place where daily life more closely resembled our past decades. Perhaps it’s a bid to show control, to revert to a time when change was not so universally imposed upon us.

But January is long gone, and it’s not coming back. And, psychologists will tell you, that’s only bad if you can’t come to terms with it.

We are slowly learning if this year’s changes are permanent. If work – for the lucky among us – will remain from home. If we will visit the grocery store less but spend more. If we will find wearing a mask on the metro to be just part of life. If shaking hands and embracing will become less common. If most of your daily interactions will occur via video conference (rather than in person).

“Five years’ change in six months” is a common slogan for the pandemic. The disruption has upended lives in jobs lost and relatives who live alone or perhaps died without saying the right goodbyes.

Yet permanently severing ties with January is not necessarily a bad thing, psychologists say. The danger comes from hankering for normality again, rather than getting on with working out how to deal with whatever is ahead.

Read the full story:

People wear protective face masks while shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 26, 2020 in New York City. The fourth phase allows outdoor arts and entertainment, sporting events without fans and media production.

Related article There is no getting 'back to normal.' We need to accept it

Communities across the US are loosening restrictions meant to curb the spread of Covid-19 ahead of a fall and winter season that experts warn could be especially challenging.

Florida this week reported a spike in new cases just days after the governor cleared the way for bars and restaurants to fully reopen.

In Nevada, the governor bumped the limit on public gatherings from 50 to 250 participants, though groups are still not to exceed 50% capacity of a venue.

Wyoming, which last week set a record for new Covid-19 cases, loosened rules around restaurants after the governor said data showed dine-in restaurants have “not significantly contributed” to the spread of the virus in the state.

And several California counties were given the green light to move into less restrictive tiers of the state’s reopening plans, officials said.

The announcements come after the US topped more than 7.1 million infections and more than 205,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Read more here:

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: People seen partying at the Elbo Room as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that effective immediately, Florida moves to phase 3 of coronavirus reopening plan with bars and restaurants at full capacity on September 26, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Credit : mpi04/MediaPunch /IPX

Related article As US states sound alarm on Covid-19 trends, some communities loosen restrictions

Eighty-two Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in south Wales, in a major outbreak at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. Much of the region is under local lockdown due to surging cases.

Officials have imposed temporary restrictions on the hospital, causing surgeries to be suspended.

Patients who would usually be taken to the hospital in an emergency will now be sent to other hospitals in the region, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said in a statement Tuesday.

“We have taken a range of swift and decisive actions to try to manage this outbreak which include immediate closure of affected wards, risk assessments of affected and at-risk wards, reviews of infection prevention and control measures and their implementation, increased testing of healthcare staff and testing of all hospital admissions,” Paul Mears, CEO of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said in a statement Tuesday.

Seven former commissioners of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) joined forces Tuesday to condemn increasing White House pressure on the agency they once headed.

The administration pressure is eroding the faith Americans have in an agency set up to protect them from bad drugs, contaminated food and other dangers, Drs. Robert Califf, Scott Gottlieb, Margaret Hamburg, Jane Henney, David Kessler, Mark McClellan and Andy von Eschenbach wrote in a commentary in the Washington Post.

The former commissioners, who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, said the actions were undermining 114 years of work the FDA has done to build trust.

If people doubt the safety of any coronavirus vaccine, they won’t get immunized, the seven argued.

Kessler now advises the Biden campaign. Gottlieb, who was FDA commissioner under Trump until last year, is on the board of Pfizer, which is working on a Covid-19 vaccine and McClellan, who served under George W. Bush, is on the board of Johnson & Johnson, also developing a coronavirus vaccine. 

Editor’s Note: Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and author of the book “OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely her own.

Unless we act now, the US could be in for a long, hard, deadly winter.

Covid-19 cases have ticked up in 21 states. In New York City, positive Covid-19 tests have increased so significantly that they’ve driven the city’s positive rate above 3% – lower than in other parts of the US, but still the highest daily rate New York has seen since June.

And Europe is already in its second wave, with the UK and France recording the most cases since the beginning of the pandemic and sobering signs from other countries such as the Czech Republic and Spain, where the health minister said Friday his government has recommended a total lockdown in Madrid.

A perfect storm for a major Covid-19 resurgence looms in many parts of the world. With rates down and life returning to something resembling normal, a false sense of security seems to have taken hold, especially in the United States.

Masks are coming off. Gatherings are getting bigger and personal safety protocols looser. Schools, gyms, salons and indoor restaurants are reopening. Many students have returned to college campuses, where they are already socializing in groups and spreading the virus.

Temperatures outdoors are dropping, which will inevitably push many more people inside to dine, exercise, celebrate and socialize. Cases in some parts of Brooklyn and Queens “continue to grow at an alarming rate,” said the New York City health department Monday. Part-time in-person learning just began Tuesday for New York City schools, which as of a week ago had already seen Covid-19 cases in 100 buildings, according to The New York Times.

The question, experts say, isn’t whether a second wave is coming; it’s how devastating a second wave will be.

Read the full opinion:

A woman is seen with face mask on in Brooklyn of New York City, United States on September 28, 2020. New York, which contained the nation's worst Covid-19 outbreak, reported more than 1,000 new cases for the first time since early June. New U.S. cases crept above the pace of recent days.

Related article Opinion: NYC's rising Covid-19 cases are a warning

What happens to the world’s best airport when the aviation industry comes to a halt?

That’s a question that the operators of Singapore’s Changi Airport have had to answer amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Changi – which has a hawker center, butterfly garden, movie theater and more among its offerings – is so beloved by travelers that it has won the “best airport” award from Skytrax, an airline industry group, every year since 2013.

But as the country went into lockdown and tourists could no longer enter, those amenities risked going to seed. That’s when Singapore Airlines (SIA), the city-state’s national carrier, decided to get creative.

The airline is unveiling several activities, including a meal served inside of a parked Airbus A380.

Read the full story:

Singapore Airlines is launching a program where locals can have a meal served inside a parked Airbus A380 plane.

Related article How Singapore's Changi Airport is adapting during Covid

Cases of Covid-19 surged among college-age individuals in August and September, just as schools were opening across the United States.

Two new studies released on Tuesday take an in-depth look what may be driving the numbers up.

Study 1: In the first study, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at nearly 100,000 coronavirus cases reported to the agency between August 2 and September 5.

The study found that during that period, weekly Covid-19 cases among people aged 18-22 increased 55% nationally. Researchers found the greatest increases in the Northeast at 144% and the Midwest at 123%.

Study 2: The second study, led by a team at the North Carolina Department of Health and the University of North Carolina, showed what happened in real time as students began to return to campus on August 3. The university tried to make moving in safe, spreading it out over a week, reducing crowding in dining halls and taking other measures. But the students gathered and partied, anyway.

The university quickly determined the virus was spreading too fast and moved all classes online. It also asked students to move back home or off-campus.

By August 25, 670 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed, almost all of them in people under the age of 22.

The largest cluster was at an off-campus apartment complex affiliated with the university.

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - AUGUST 18: Students walk through the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on August 18, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.The school halted in-person classes and reverted back to online courses after a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past week. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Related article Coronavirus cases surge among college-aged individuals just as universities reopened, studies say

The United States recorded 42,185 new coronavirus infections and 914 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The nationwide totals now stand at 7,190,230 cases, including 205,986 fatalities, per JHU’s tally.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

CNN is tracking the cases:

More than 63 million people in India may have contracted Covid-19, health authorities said on Tuesday – about 10 times higher than the official reported figures.

A national survey of more than 29,000 people across 700 villages and wards found that about one in 15 people above the age of 10 had antibodies against the coronavirus, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. The survey was conducted from mid-August to mid-September.

Antibody tests, also known as serology tests, check for proteins called antibodies in the immune system, which indicate if someone has been exposed to the virus.

Of the country’s 1.3 billion citizens, more than 966 million are aged 10 or above, according to the government’s most recent census in 2011. If one in 15 people of this group have been infected with Covid-19, that’s a total of 63.78 million people.

As of Wednesday, India has reported more than 6.1 million cases and 96,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The survey suggests that for every one infection officially reported, there are actually 26 to 32 people infected who slip through the cracks, said Dr. Balram Bhargava, director of the medical council, at a news conference on Tuesday.

This falls in line with what many experts have warned for months – that India’s coronavirus crisis may be much more dire than official figures suggest.

There are numerous reasons for this: People simply aren’t getting tested enough. There are sometimes errors in reporting and registering cases. Changing government strategies can muddle the numbers and paint a misleading picture of the situation.

The government began rolling back restrictions in May after a months-long lockdown, with ministers turning their attention to reopening the economy and public services. But experts, including Bhargava, warn that it’s too soon to relax.

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TOPSHOT - A medical representative (L) collects a swab sample from a resident for the COVID-19 coronavirus test in a residential area in Mumbai on September 7, 2020. - India overtook Brazil on September 7 as the country with the second highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, even as key metro train lines re-opened as part of efforts to boost the South Asian nation's battered economy. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article More than 60 million people in India may have caught Covid-19, survey finds

The coronavirus is leading to a secondary pandemic – hunger.

The need for emergency food has exploded since March of 2020. According to an Oxfam report, this hunger crisis could soon kill more people each day than the infection itself.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates about 821 million people were suffering from chronic undernourishment before the pandemic. Globally this hunger crisis has already been exacerbated by climate change, existing conflicts, and inequalities. But now, coupled with Covid-19, people worldwide have hunger and malnutrition to worry about even more.

Here is how you can help:

A worker distributes orange juice at a food shelf organized by The Campaign Against Hunger in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn on April 14, 2020 in New York City. Food insecurity is one of many economic threats posed by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, which has shuttered nonessential businesses and caused unemployment claims to rise dramatically.

Related article How you can help fight the hunger crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci goes everywhere, including on Fox News, to spread his messages about the public health measures that are necessary to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

But he sees Fox’s prime time coverage of the pandemic and says some of it is “outlandish.”

Fauci made the comments about Fox, unprompted, during an interview with me in conjunction with World News Day on Monday.

He also said he is concerned that misleading information about the virus is making its way to President Donald Trump.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is also sometimes a target of Fox News personalities such as Laura Ingraham.

Fox’s opinion shows have sown doubt about the value of masks and defended Trump’s downplaying of the crisis.

Fauci said it is vital for public health officials to publicize “a consistent message as often as you possibly can, because there is so much misinformation during this very divisive time that we’re in.”

“The public really needs to know the facts,” he added, “in going through this extraordinary experience that we’re all going through.”

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Related article Dr. Anthony Fauci says some Fox News coverage of the pandemic is 'outlandish'

Team doctors have traced an outbreak of Covid-19 on the Notre Dame football team to two specific events, including a pregame meal, head coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday.

The University of Notre Dame announced Monday that 18 players had tested positive for the virus. Kelly told ESPN the team doctors are the ones who traced the infection to their game against South Florida 10 days ago.

Ahead of the September 19 blowout win, the team congregated for a pregame meal, and during the game, one player was treated for dehydration after throwing up on the sideline. That player later tested positive for coronavirus, according to Kelly.

“Throughout our entire time together, we had not had one meal where we sat down together. Everything was grab and go,” Kelly told said.

Stemming from their recent testing results, Notre Dame said Monday that 25 football players were in isolation with 14 others in quarantine.

“Shifting sands”: After the sideline incident in the South Florida game, Kelly disclosed the challenges of containing the virus.

“We have to think about giving antigen tests on the sidelines for stuff that we never thought of,” he said. “That’s the kind of shifting sands in this whole thing, learning in-game what do you do, what don’t you do.”

The positive tests forced the Fighting Irish to postpone last Saturday’s game against Wake Forest University. The team’s next game is scheduled for October 10 against Florida State University at home in South Bend, Indiana.

Biotechnology company Regeneron released some early results of tests using its antibody cocktail in coronavirus patients Tuesday, and said it seemed to reduce levels of the virus and improve symptoms in patients.

The greatest improvements were seen in patients who hadn’t already mounted a natural response to the infection, the company said.

The results only involve 275 patients of the 1,000 they have enrolled in this particular trial, but appear “very promising,” Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the division of infectious diseases at University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN.

The treatment also showed positive trends at reducing medical visits for the patients, none of whom were sick enough to be hospitalized at the start of the trial, the company said. The numbers in this early release of information were small and the data has not been peer reviewed yet. Only topline data was available in a news release from the company.

A company spokesperson said the data validates the treatment as a therapeutic substitute for a natural response to the virus.

Marrazzo said what stood out to her is that the study characterized patients by their immune responses prior to treatment and determined who did and did not benefit.

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New York state based biotech company, Regeneron is working on an antibody therapy to treat, and possibly prevent, Covid-19.

Related article Early data shows promising results from Regeneron's antibody cocktail for coronavirus

Americans over 30 have been drinking more during the coronavirus pandemic compared to this time last year, and there could be consequences to their physical and mental health, researchers reported Tuesday.

Overall frequency of alcohol consumption increased by about 14% from 2019, the researchers reported in the journal JAMA Network Open. That increase averages out to about one additional drinking day per month by 75% of adults.

RAND Corporation sociologist Michael Pollard and colleagues analyzed a nationally representative sample of 1,540 people ages 30 to 80. The participants completed a survey about their drinking habits between April 29 and June 9 of 2019 and then again between May 28 and June 16 of 2020.

The volunteers reported they drank alcohol on more days every week. They also reported increases in the number of drinks they had; the number of heavy drinking days; and the number of alcohol related problems over the last 30 days between 2019 and 2020.

Frequency of drinking increased by 17% among women, 19% among people aged 30 to 59 and by 10% among White people.

Heavy drinking among women increased by 41% – about one additional day of heavy drinking for one in every five women. Nearly one in 10 women, or 39%, reported an increase in alcohol-related problems, the researchers found.

The researchers say it’s important to watch for whether the increases in alcohol consumption persist over the pandemic, and whether there will be physical and mental health consequences as a result.

Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu seen in a file photo from October 30, 2018.

India’s Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for Covid-19, according to a tweet posted on his official Twitter account.

The tweet went on to say that Naidu is asymptomatic and in good health after undergoing a routine Covid-19 test on Tuesday morning. He has been advised to quarantine at home.

His wife, Usha Naidu, tested negative and is in self-isolation.