October 15 coronavirus news

Twelve residents at a Northern California nursing home have died from the coronavirus, Gilroy Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center confirmed in a news release on Thursday.

Since the start of the pandemic, the nursing home in Santa Clara County has reported 75 confirmed cases of the virus among residents and 54 confirmed cases among staff members, according to the release.

All staff members and 63 residents have recovered.

Santa Clara County has reported a total of 22,859 coronavirus cases and 367 deaths and is currently in the third tier of the state’s reopening system, which represents a “moderate” spread of the virus. 

A Covid-19 vaccine candidate being developed in China is “safe and well tolerated,” a new study published Thursday reports.  

The vaccine, called BBIBP-CorV, is created by China’s state-run pharmaceutical group Sinopharm. Its Phase 1/2 study, involving more than 600 volunteers, showed that they all developed an immune response and none had severe adverse reactions, the researchers reported in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.  

The trial was unable to determine how effective the vaccine is at preventing infection with the virus.

How the vaccine works: The vaccine uses one of the oldest and best-tested approaches to making vaccines – inactivating or “killing” a virus and then using it to train the immune system. 

This vaccine candidate is different from those being designed in the United States, which use pieces of genetic sequence of the coronavirus. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate committee hearing on September 23, in Washington.

As the United States enters the fall and winter months with coronavirus cases on the rise, people must double down on public health measures, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, adding that shutting down the country is “off the table.”

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that his calls for people to strictly follow public health measures do not mean that he wants to shut down the country.

He emphasized five basic public health measures:

In this April 15, 2020, file photo, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham puts on her face mask when not speaking during an update on the coronavirus outbreak in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

New Mexico is reporting the highest infection levels the state has seen since the pandemic began, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news conference on Thursday.

The positivity rate is 8.1%, and hospitalizations are up 74%.

“These are the highest levels we’ve been at, and in a very bad way,” Lujan Grisham said. The state had been doing well before this, she said – “and now, we’re in those columns where we’re leading the country, if not in the number one position, nearing it for uncontrollable spread.”

Emergency order: The governor is extending the emergency public health order, with new mitigation efforts going into effect tomorrow.

These include limiting gatherings to five people or fewer. All establishments serving alcohol must close by 10 p.m. Visitors from high-risk states must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New Mexico.

Hospital beds running out: Hospitals in the state are also running out of ICU beds, said the state’s health and human services secretary.

“Our ICU beds, as was mentioned in Albuquerque, and many of you know, are full, with University over 100% full in ICUs,” said Secretary Dr. David Scrase.

Arkansas and Michigan both reported their highest number of daily new Covid-19 cases today, according to their respective state health authorities.

Arkansas reported 1,278 new cases and 11 virus-related fatalities today. That raises the state’s total to 96,524 confirmed infections and 1,645 deaths.

There are currently 587 Covid patients still in hospital, with 103 on ventilators.

Michigan reported 2,030 new cases and 32 deaths today.

However, the numbers include a backlog of cases from the day before due to a “slowdown in the reporting of electronic laboratory results,” according to a news release from the Michigan State Emergency Operations Center. 

A spokesperson from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services said there’s no way to calculate how many cases reported today were part of yesterday’s backlog.  

An influential model of the coronavirus pandemic predicts 389,087 Covid-19 fatalities in the US by Feb. 1 – 6,000 fewer deaths than the last forecast, even though the researchers behind the model say the spread of the virus is worsening. 

The model, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine, shows the pandemic moving into younger populations – thus the forecast of fewer deaths. The last forecast, released on Oct. 10, projected about 395,000 deaths by Feb. 1.

More data: The model projects just 314,000 deaths by Feb. 1 if everyone uses masks and more than 477,000 deaths if mask mandates are eased. Daily deaths would rise to more than 5,500 if mandates were eased but should settle at around 2,200 at current predictions.

“Expanding mask use remains the best strategy to delay and reduce the magnitude of the surge,” the IHME said.

The worsening spread will likely force many Midwestern states to reimpose restrictions, the IHME said.

The model predicts 2.4 million coronavirus deaths globally by Feb. 1.

The antiviral drug remdesivir has “little or no effect on mortality for hospitalized patients,” with Covid-19, the World Health Organization said Thursday, and it doesn’t seem to help patients recover any faster, either.

WHO says it’s “conclusive evidence” about remdesivir – and the findings are disappointing.

Until now, remdesivir was the only drug that appeared to have specific effects for coronavirus. It was the only drug specifically with an Emergency Use Authorization specifically for Covid-19 from the US Food and Drug Administration. 

Results of the WHO study have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. But WHO posted them to a pre-print server.

The WHO study reviewed remdesivir and three other repurposed drugs: hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon. None of them helped patients live any longer or get out of the hospital any sooner.

The trial was able to generate conclusive evidence on the impact the drugs had on mortality, the need for ventilation, and duration of hospital stay, according to WHO’s press office.

“For each drug in the study, the effect on mortality was disappointingly unpromising,” WHO statement said.

Prior to the WHO study, a large controlled study of remdesivir in the US found that it shortens recovery time by about a third in severely ill, hospitalized adults with Covid-19, but does little to help those with milder cases.

President Trump was given a five-day course of remdesivir as part of his Covid-19 treatment, one of the doctors treating him said on Oct. 3.

The maker of remdesivir, Gilead, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about WHO’s study. 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he has recovered from Covid-19 in a new statement, in which he added that he was wrong to not wear a mask at Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s announcement and during debate prep with the President.

Christie also wrote: “No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others.”

Governor Brian Kemp speaks during a press conference announcing expanded statewide COVID testing on August 10 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order today, extending current Covid-19 restrictions with minimal changes.

The new executive order will take effect on Oct. 16 at 12 a.m. local time and runs through Oct. 31 at 11:59 p.m.

Georgia’s public health emergency remains in place until Nov. 9, according to the governor’s office.

Philadelphia public schools will begin phasing back in-person learning starting Nov. 30.

Superintendent William Hite announced Wednesday that students in grades pre-kindergarten through second grade can resume in-person learning through a hybrid model on Nov. 30. The current plan will allow for students to learn in-person two days a week.

Families of pre-K through second-grade students will be able to choose if they want to enroll their student in the hybrid model, or remain in virtual learning.

The plan further delays in-person learning for the remainder of the student body.

Ninth graders and students participating in a Career and Technical Education are not slotted to resume in-person student learning until late January or early February.

In this July 27 file photo, Nurse Kathe Olmstead prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, N.Y.

Vaccine maker Moderna could possibly finish enrolling their 30,000-person study next week and could have its first data analysis next month, according to company spokesperson Ray Jordan.

The projections are yet another indication that a vaccine will not be on the market by Election Day.

Moderna was the first company to begin its Phase 3 clinical trial, injecting its first study subject on July 27. Half of the study participants are receiving the vaccine and half are receiving a placebo, which is a shot of saline that does nothing. Participants receive two shots spaced 28 days apart. 

The company will have its first data analysis when 53 study subjects become ill with Covid-19. At that point, a monitoring board will look at whether those study subjects received the vaccine or the placebo, and then assess if the vaccine prevented Covid-19.

“We’re still anticipating the 53 cases to potentially emerge sometime in November,” Jordan told CNN.

President Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine could be ready by Election Day. However, even if the 53 cases emerged on Nov. 1, that wouldn’t be nearly enough time for the data to be reviewed by Nov. 3. Also, vaccine experts say it’s unlikely that the vaccine would show effectiveness so early in the trial.

Also, last week the US Food and Drug Administration made clear that they wanted to see two months of follow-up data after volunteers get their second doses, which would also make it impossible for the FDA to give an emergency use authorization for a vaccine by Nov. 3.

Governor Mike DeWine holds a media availability on October 15 to give an update on the status of the coronavirus response in Ohio.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine reported a record number of new coronavirus cases for a second day in a row during a news conference on Thursday.

A record 2,039 new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday.

“Today we are reporting another record 2,178 new coronavirus cases,” DeWine said. “This is in stark contrast to not too long ago. Sept. 20, a month ago, we had 762 cases.”

The governor also reported a sharp rise in hospitalizations.

“Yesterday we had 1,042 hospitalizations, so it basically doubled in a short period of time,” he said.

More data: Ohio currently has a 5.4% positivity rate, DeWine said.

“The percentage of tests coming back positive has doubled,” DeWine said. “We would expect to see some more cases but we have to look at is positivity, we would instead of that we’re seeing a very, very significant increase.”

On Thursday, 13 Ohio counties were added as “high incidence counties,” bringing the total number of high incidence counties to 52, according to the governor. DeWine stressed that now 63% of the population is now living in high incidence, high level spread counties where there are more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents. Ten million Ohioans currently live in a community with high risk transmission, DeWine said.

The governor said there were no plans to implement another lockdown and stressed that Ohioans should follow the Covid-19 guidelines such as wearing masks, washing hands, and avoiding large gatherings.

There is currently an order in place to limit indoor gatherings, but not any gatherings at private homes. 

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, right, delivers a speech after a meeting at Ap-HP headquarters in Paris on October 15.

A curfew will take effect in the Paris region and nine cities across France from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Saturday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday.

“This means that at 9 p.m., everyone should be at home and that, with some exceptions, all places, businesses or public services open to the public will be closed. These rules must of course be applied with common sense,” Castex said.

The curfew will impact these cities:

People working, traveling for health reasons, catching a train or a plane after 9 p.m. or meeting people who need help or who need health care will be allowed to travel during the curfew as long as they have proof. Just like the lockdown earlier this year, people will need to fill out a certificate declaring their movement. People will be allowed to walk their pets after 9 p.m., Castex said.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said a 12,000-strong police force will enforce the curfew and people breaking the curfew will be fined 135 euros (roughly $157) the first time and up to 3,750 euros (roughly $4,387) and three months in jail for the third violation.

Mark Schultz, a bar owner from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, started feeling ill the same day that President Trump revealed he tested positive for the coronavirus, Schultz was then hospitalized, where he experienced serious coronavirus symptoms, including struggling to breathe.

Schultz kept a video diary of his experience and at one point said, “I’m hanging in there. This really sucks… I don’t know if I’m going to make it. I can’t breathe.”

He is still experiencing symptoms and said some days are better than others.

Schultz said President Trump, who has been downplaying the severity of the pandemic, doesn’t want to hear from people like him.

Schultz’s message to the American public is this: “We all got to take this thing very seriously…We’ve got to step up as a team. We’re the United States of America, not the divided states of America.”

Watch more:

A medical worker tests samples for Covid-19 on October 12 at a hospital in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

Iraq’s Ministry of Health reported 3,587 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 416,801.

The seven-day average of new cases has been trending down for the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The health ministry also reported 65 Covid-related fatalities on Thursday, bringing the total death toll from the virus in Iraq to 10,086.  

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) announced Thursday that the football game between No. 8-ranked Cincinnati and Tulsa has been postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases at Cincinnati. 

The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been rescheduled to Saturday, Dec. 5 at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

Tulsa’s football team has only played two games this season following Covid-19-related postponements and cancellations. 

You can read the full statement here.

Travelers entering the United Kingdom from Italy will have to self-isolate starting on Sunday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced Thursday.

In a tweet, he said both the Vatican and San Marino will also drop off the UK’s “Travel Corridor,” a list of countries considered safe enough for travelers to visit without self-isolating on entry to the UK. 

He also announced the UK would add the Greek island of Crete to the Travel Corridor, meaning people entering the UK from anywhere in Greece will not have to self-isolate.

RN Treva Rivers administers a COVID-19 test at the state run free COVID-19 testing site in Reading, Pennsylvania, outside FirstEnergy Stadium on October 13.

Pennsylvania added nearly 1,600 Covid-19 cases, the state health department reported Thursday, marking the 10th consecutive day with more than 1,000 new cases. 

The state reported an additional 21 new deaths. 

Earlier Thursday, the state said it would be adding an outdoor testing clinic in Ralpho Township, Northumberland County, to contain what health officials say is a “recent rapid increase in Covid-19 cases.”

You can read the full release here.

Note: These numbers were released by the state’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database, drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

An ensemble forecast published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects there will be 229,000 to 240,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Nov. 7.

Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections a few weeks into the future. The previous ensemble forecast, published on Oct. 8, projected up to 233,000 coronavirus deaths by Oct. 30.

At least 217,155 people have already died from Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Health care workers greet people as they arrive at a temporary drive-through COVID-19 testing site at East Orange District Park on October 1 in Orlando, Florida.

The Florida Department of Health reported at least 3,356 new cases of Covid-19 and 144 deaths on Thursday, numbers that include both residents and non-residents of the state, according to the Covid-19 dashboard. 

Florida’s case numbers jumped by 487 since yesterday, and the death toll more than doubled, with the state reporting 66 deaths Wednesday.

This marks the eleventh day in October that the state’s health department has reported at least 2,200 new cases in a single day, CNN’s tally shows.   

The state now has a total of 744,988 coronavirus cases, DOH data shows. The Florida death toll now stands at 15,932 DOH data shows.         

Note: These numbers were released by Florida’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database, drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project