Coronavirus updates: Study finds hydroxychloroquine won't prevent COVID, Children are 10% of US cases - USA TODAY

Coronavirus updates: Study finds hydroxychloroquine won't prevent COVID, Children are 10% of US cases - USA TODAY
The U.S. is 'not in a good place' as daily coronavirus cases grow beyond 40,000, Fauci says - CNBC
Donald Trump ensures first presidential debate is national humiliation - The Guardian

Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:18 AM PDT

Here are 4 tips on how to get your kids to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic. USA TODAY

The pandemic is wreaking financial havoc on families with children, and 10% of all COVID-19 cases are now kids, a pair of new surveys reveals.

Children represented only 2% of cases in April.

The reports come as big-city public schools make news with efforts to get kids back in classrooms. New York City began offering in-class learning to elementary students on Tuesday and invites older students back Thursday. Los Angeles County officials voted this week to allow some schools to resume in-person instruction.

The elephant – and donkey – in the room Tuesday night was the presidential debate, and the virus played a major role. President Donald Trump shrugged off criticism from Democratic challenger Joe Biden of his soft position on wearing masks and his large, non-socially distant political rallies.

Asked why he continues to hold large rallies against the advice of his own health experts, Trump responded: "Because people want to hear what I have to say." He claimed that his rallies have had no negative effect on Americans, explaining "so far, we have had no problem whatsoever." Biden countered that Trump was a "fool."

Some significant developments:

Indoor dining opened — with social distancing and contact tracing measures in place — for New York City Wednesday. The reopenings come as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio reports that the citywide positivity rate over 7 days had risen to 1.46%.
Public elementary schools reopened across New York City on Tuesday for 300,000 students for the first time since March as the city struggled with a bump in positive COVID-19 test results.
Disney parks plan to lay off 28,000 workers in California and Florida. "These layoffs mean that Disney's planning to keep its park and resort operations about where they are now," said park expert Len Testa, including reduced hours and less perks.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 7.1 million cases and 206,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been more than 33 million cases and more than 1 million fatalities.

📰 What we're reading: As American, United and other airlines roll out passenger testing for COVID-19, here's what you need to know.

🗺️ Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak, state by state.

This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.

What Disney's layoffs mean for theme park guests

Disney's layoffs will alter already topsy-turvy theme park visits for guests, if they even choose to go at all.

Attendance at all parks that have reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic has generally been disappointing. Florida's Walt Disney World, which was already operating its four theme parks with reduced hours, moved to an even shorter daily schedule this month.

"In particular, it means that we're not likely to see the return of longer, pre-pandemic park hours, no special perks like extra time in the parks for people staying at Disney hotels, and no widespread use of Disney's FASTPASS ride reservation system," said park expert Len Testa.

There may also be cutbacks in special events, such as fireworks displays, themed holiday shows and parades.

– David Oliver

Cruises will look very different when they resume

Cruise ships have been idled in North America since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, and could resume in November or December, pending approval of ending a "no-sail order" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cruise experience is "going to be much more structured and regimented" after cruise lines get the go-ahead to resume operations, Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said. But, he added, a cruise still can be enjoyable for passengers.

That includes "tight" testing procedures, lots of physical distancing and dedicated isolation cabins, among plenty of other measures intended to prevent the spread of COVID.

– Dave Berman, Florida Today

Study finds hydroxychloroquine won't prevent COVID-19

A clinical trial of healthcare workers found that hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug repeatedly touted by President Donald Trump as a coronavirus cure, did not help prevent coronavirus. University of Pennsylvania researchers studied 125 health care workers who took either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo for 8 weeks. Eight of them — four on the anti-malarial drug, four on a placebo — tested positive for COVID-19, all of whom were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. Their findings were published Wednesday in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.

This study further corroborates previous findings about the inefficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment or preventative measure against COVID-19.

A British trial in June found the drug did not help mortality outcomes in hospitalized patients, while a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a statistically insignificant difference in COVID-19 positivity rates between non-hospitalized individuals exposed to the virus who took a placebo or hydroxychloroquine.

Fact check: Hydroxychloroquine has not worked in treating COVID-19, studies show

NFL postpones Steelers-Titans game after positive tests

The NFL has postponed the Tennessee Titans' home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the wake of a rash of positive COVID-19 tests. The league announced Wednesday it was moving the game back "to allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel." The game will be played on either Monday or Tuesday. As of Wednesday, four Titans players and five team personnel tested positive for COVID-19.

The postponement marks the first NFL regular-season schedule change stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

– Erik Bacharach, Nashville Tennessean

NYC to host testing 'block parties' amid case uptick

New York City plans to host testing "block parties" in its neighborhoods where COVID-19 cases have creeped up in recent days. Six sites across the city will have sidewalks and streets converted into block parties with testing tents where 500 tests per day can be processed, Dr. Mitchell Katz, the head of the city's hospital system, said Wednesday.

The goal is to "saturate" with tests the neighborhoods that are contributing disproportionately to New York's overall caseload. The city is monitoring a number of neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn that have seen positive test rates well above 3%. If the citywide test rate were to exceed 3% on a 7-day average, Mayor Bill de Blasio previously said he would close the city's public schools.

"Constantly people say, 'What can I do to help? How can I help New York City?' You can help New York City by going out and getting tested today," de Blasio said.

– Ryan W. Miller

Survey peers into crushing impact of pandemic on families

More than 60% of U.S. households with children report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a survey released Wednesday. Nine in 10 households with children where someone has been diagnosed with COVID-19 report serious financial problems and serious problems caring for their children, the survey says.

The poll, from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, highlights some of the major challenges families face during the pandemic. More than one-third of households with children report serious problems keeping their children's education going and six in 10 report at least adult household member has lost a job, been furloughed, or had wages or hours cut.

South Korea discourages travel as major holiday begins

A sharp rise in new virus cases across South Korea put authorities on edge as the country began its five-day Chuseok holiday celebration that began Wednesday. Tens of millions of people normally to travel across the country to gather with family and friends for the celebration. This year health authorities urged people cancel travel plans in favor of communicating with their loved ones via telephone and video chat applications. And mass transit authorities said they would halt subway services at six stations in downtown Seoul if rallies draw crowds for National Foundation Day on Saturday.

We "are observing Chuseok at a difficult time," President Moon Jae-in said in an address Wednesday. "Normal and precious days will certainly return."

North Dakota, South Dakota, northern tier continue record struggles

Seven states set records for new cases over a seven-day period while three states had a record number of deaths in a week, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Tuesday shows. New case records were set in Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin, and also Puerto Rico. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota. We've had deaths totaling more than two 9/11s just since America hit 200,000 dead a week ago.

– Michael Stucka

Thailand opens tourism door a crack

Thailand, annually among the world's top 10 tourism destinations, is preparing to receive the first group of foreign tourists since scheduled commercial passenger flights into the country were halted in April. A new system of coronavirus testing and transport facilities has been installed at the airport at the resort island of Phuket to welcome the first 150 Chinese from Guangzhou province on Oct. 8, Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said. At least three groups of foreign tourists will arrive in October – two from China and one from Scandinavia. All will be subject to a 14-day quarantine and other restrictions on their movements.

Thailand, where efforts to combat the virus have drawn praise from World Health Organization officials, has had 3,564 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 59 deaths.

COVID-19 widespread testing is crucial to fighting the pandemic, but is there enough testing? The answer is in the positivity rates. USA TODAY

Joe Biden, Donald Trump talk mask wearing, political rallies amid COVID-19

The first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden quickly went off the rails Tuesday night, including when the pair debated the use of masks and holding large political rallies amid COVID-19.

Trump defended his rallies and mocked Biden's more modest, cautious efforts. Biden slammed Trump for the way he has responded to the coronavirus pandemic and specifically criticized his reluctance to wear a face mask in public.

"He has been totally irresponsible in the way he has handled the social distancing, the people wearing masks – basically encouraging them not to," Biden said. "He's a fool on this. He's not worried about the people."

– Christal Hayes

Moderna's vaccine may work equally well in older people, younger adults

Moderna's coronavirus vaccine appears to create as strong an immune response in older people as it does in younger adults. That's a positive sign as many vaccines don't work as well in the elderly. A small study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine elicited an immune system response almost as strong in people over 56 as in adults ages 18 to 55.

Older people are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People 50 to 64 years old are four times more likely to be hospitalized and 30 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people 18 to 29. Those 65 to 74 are five times more likely to be hospitalized and 90 times more likely to die. The older the person, the higher the risk.

– Elizabeth Weise

Notre Dame football reports 25 players in COVID-19 isolation

Six days after starting an indefinite hold for all football activities beyond Zoom meetings, Notre Dame on Monday released its latest COVID-19 testing numbers. The six-sentence statement from the athletic department's Twitter account revealed that there were 25 players in isolation as of Monday because of positive tests, and 14 others in quarantine as the result of contact tracing.

The athletic department said that as of now there has been no change in status for the next game on the Irish schedule – an Oct. 10 home date for fifth-ranked Notre Dame against Florida State. Notre Dame has resumed conditioning activities, according to the statement. Last Monday, there were 13 players in isolation and 10 in quarantine, two days after the Irish beat South Florida at Notre Dame Stadium. Players are required to spend 10 days in isolation after a positive test and undergo cardiac testing, per ACC protocols. The quarantine period is 14 days.

– Eric Hansen, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune

Arizona to receive 2 million rapid antigen COVID-19 tests from feds

The federal government is sending 2.19 million rapid COVID-19 tests to Arizona, and schools will be among those prioritized for using them, Gov. Doug Ducey announced. The first shipment of the tests is expected to arrive within the next seven to 10 days. The Abbott rapid point-of-care tests can get results within 15 minutes.

The number of tests in the shipment is significant – it's more than the total number of diagnostic tests completed in Arizona since the pandemic began, state data shows.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that his administration will distribute more than 150 million rapid Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Point of Care tests around the country in the coming weeks and that of those, roughly 50 million tests will target vulnerable communities including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice care and tribal nations.

– Stephanie Innes, Arizona Republic

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Mayor Bill de Blasio: New York City to fine people who refuse to wear masks

Alarmed by a spike in coronavirus infections in a few Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, New York City officials will start issuing fines in those areas to people who refuse to wear masks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. De Blasio said he was sending teams of hundreds of outreach workers and contact tracers to nine Brooklyn and Queens ZIP codes that have seen an upswing in positive COVID-19 tests in hopes of avoiding harsher enforcement measures.

Those workers will be handing out masks but also insisting that people put them on if they are in a place where they could be within 6 feet of other people.

Some Los Angeles elementary schools to resume in-person learning

Some Los Angeles elementary schools will be able to apply to resume in-person instruction up to second grade under a vote Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors.

"As October approaches it's critical that we begin the process of reopening our schools at limited capacity," said board Chairwoman Kathryn Barger, according to local reports. She cited inequities in distance learning that affect the education of low-income, Black and Latino students.

On the other coast, New York City school's reopening is in jeopardy. In a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the most recent rate of positive tests was 3.25%, the highest since June. De Blasio has said he will shut down classrooms, which are all supposed to be open by Thursday, if the test positivity rate exceeds 3% over a seven-day average.

– Elinor Aspegren

Disney parks to lay off 28,000 workers in Florida, California

Disney's park division is laying off 28,000 employees in California and Florida in the wake of the pandemic. Two-thirds of the planned layoffs involve part-time workers, but they ranged from salaried employees to nonunion hourly workers, Disney officials said.

In a letter to employees, Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experience and Product, said his management team had worked hard to try to avoid layoffs. They had cut expenses, suspended projects and modified operations, but it wasn't enough given limits on the number of people allowed into the park because of social distancing restrictions and other pandemic-related measures, he said.

– Josh Rivera

COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY

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Contributing: The Associated Press

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The U.S. is 'not in a good place' as daily coronavirus cases grow beyond 40,000, Fauci says - CNBC

Posted: 28 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, testifies during a US Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine Covid-19, focusing on an update on the federal response in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2020.

Graeme Jennings | AFP | Getty Images

The United States is "not in a good place" as colder months loom and the number of newly reported coronavirus cases continues to swell beyond 40,000 people every day, White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday.

Covid-19 cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a weekly average to smooth out daily reporting, in 26 states as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming reached record-high averages.

Cases grew by nearly 9% nationwide compared with a week ago, moving just above 44,300 new cases on average as of Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said for weeks that the U.S. is reporting an "unacceptably high" number of new coronavirus cases every day. The country should aim for daily new cases below 10,000, not around 40,000 as it currently stands, he said.

"There are states that are starting to show an uptick in cases and even some increase in hospitalizations in some states," Fauci told the ABC program "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Monday.

"And I hope not, but we very might well start seeing increases in deaths," Fauci said. He added that he's concerned about being in "a position like that as the weather starts getting cold."

The coronavirus has killed nearly 1 million people worldwide, a grisly milestone in the pandemic that arose late last year. The U.S. accounts for roughly 20% of the world's Covid-19 deaths but less than 5% of the global population, according to Johns Hopkins data.

"The numbers globally are very serious," Fauci said.

Cases grow in Midwest and West

Wisconsin reported a record 2,817 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins data. The state has reported four consecutive days of more than 2,000 new Covid-19 cases as of Sunday — a first for Wisconsin since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Wisconsin is now experiencing unprecedented, near-exponential growth of the number of Covid-19 cases in our state," Gov. Tony Evers said in a video posted Friday on Twitter, adding that the spike has been driven by people between the ages of 18 and 24.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced last week that the state would roll back reopenings in the cities of Provo and Orem, just south of Salt Lake City, as the area continues to report "discouraging trends" in cases. Utah reported a record 1,411 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins data.

"This is the first time we've rolled backwards," Herbert said during a press briefing Tuesday.

Sun Belt cases decline

Meanwhile, coronavirus outbreaks that ripped across America's Sun Belt states over the summer months continue to subside.

New coronavirus cases, based on a weekly average, dropped nearly 15% compared with a week ago in Florida and more than 40% in Arizona as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data. California also reported a modest decline in coronavirus cases.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he would lift restrictions on businesses statewide intended to curb the coronavirus's spread. Bars and restaurants would be allowed to operate at full capacity.

DeSantis said local officials can implement restrictions, but they can't be too burdensome and they must justify the restrictions to the state.

"That is very concerning to me," Fauci told GMA on Monday in regard to Florida's reopening. "That is something we really need to be careful about because when you're dealing with community spread and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you're really asking for trouble."

Top U.S. health officials have warned that a majority of the U.S. population remains susceptible to the coronavirus, dispelling theories of "herd immunity." U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield told lawmakers last week that more than 90% of the nation's population remains vulnerable to infection.

— CNBC's Will Feuer contributed to this report.

Donald Trump ensures first presidential debate is national humiliation - The Guardian

Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:19 PM PDT

Cry, the beloved country. Donald Trump ensured Tuesday's first US presidential debate was the worst in American history, a national humiliation. The rest of the world – and future historians – will presumably look at it and weep.

More likely than not, according to opinion polls, his opponent Joe Biden will win the November election and bring the republic back from the brink. If Trump is re-elected, however, this dark, horrifying, unwatchable fever dream will surely be the first line of America's obituary.

Only one man looked remotely presidential on the debate stage in Cleveland, Ohio, and it was not the incumbent. He interrupted, ranted, raged, spewed lies and interrupted some more. Oh, and he passed on an opportunity to condemn white supremacists, instead telling them to "stand back and stand by".

The debate moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, did not cover himself in glory either. He was a like a school supply teacher, hopelessly out of his depth as unruly children run riot. He did not enforce the rules or cut the president's mic.

Facing this asymmetric bullying, Biden showed self-control and stood his ground. He spoke for tens of millions of Americans when he demanded: "Will you shut up, man?" – the Biden campaign rushed out this slogan on a T-shirt before the debate was even over.

US presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace struggles to contain Trump – video

Five weeks before the election, the debate pitted an ageing white male against an ageing orange male sweating like Richard Nixon in 1960. Anyone hoping for elegant verbal jousting or rapier-like wit was in for a disappointment.

Perhaps it was just as well that coronavirus guidelines ensured the men stood apart at separate lecterns on blue carpeted stage beneath an eagle symbol with the words "The union and the constitution forever". No handshakes, no prowling by Trump as he did behind Hillary Clinton's back in 2016, no physical violence. Katie Hill, a former Democratic congresswoman, tweeted: "I literally don't know how Biden is not running over and punching him in the face."

Trump looked more like a challenger than an incumbent, butting in and hurling petty insults such as: "Don't ever use the word 'smart' with me … There's nothing smart about you, Joe." The hapless Wallace struggled to gain control as viewers heard only a cacophony of voices. "I am the moderator of this debate, let me ask my question," he almost pleaded.

Sometimes Wallace was too easy on Trump, though he did tell him at one point: "Frankly, you've been doing more interrupting."

Biden mostly kept his cool, preferring to laugh in world-weary bemusement. "That was really a productive segment, wasn't it?" he said sarcastically early on. "Keep yappin', man."

Biden and Trump trade insults in frenzied presidential debate – video highlights

Other memorable lines included: "You are the worst president that America has ever had"; "The fact is that everything he's saying so far is simply a lie. I'm not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he a liar"; "It's hard to get any word in with this clown – excuse me, this person"; "President Trump wouldn't know a suburb unless he took a wrong turn."

And, on the coronavirus crisis, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the US: "'It is what it is' because you are who you are," Biden said as he blamed Trump for mishandling the pandemic, and added: "Maybe you can inject some bleach into your arm, that would take care of it." At moments Biden cut through the chaos by looking directly at the camera and appealing to voters: "This isn't about his family or my family," as the attacks turned highly personal. "It's about your family."

He also avoided some of the missteps that plagued his Democratic primary debate performances. He brushed off the Trump campaign attack that he is beholden to the far left, insisting: "I am the Democratic party right now."

Biden condemned Trump over recent reported comments denigrating dead soldiers as "losers" and "suckers". He said of his late son Beau, who served: "My son was in Iraq. He spent a year there. He got the Bronze Star. He got Conspicuous Service Medal. He was not a 'loser'. He was a patriot."

Trump interrupts Biden's tribute to late son to raise unfounded accusations – video

Trump clumsily tried to change the subject to Biden's son Hunter. Biden retorted: "I'm talking about my son Beau Biden," and then addressed the attack on Hunter, in which Trump falsely claimed he was dishonorably discharged from the military.

"My son, like a lot of people … had a drug problem," Biden shot back. "He's overtaken it. He's fixed it. He's worked on it. And I'm proud of him."

There was not on iota of sympathy from the president or effort to pay tribute to Beau Biden, who died of a brain tumor in 2015.

It was a brief moment of emotional clarity in an otherwise nightmarish, incoherent mess. Worst of all, when Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups, the president couldn't do it, saying: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by! But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."

Trump namechecks Proud Boys as he refuses to condemn white supremacists in debate – video

It is hard to imagine Trump won over a single voter in the suburbs, where he is particularly trailing Biden, or anywhere else. Most viewers will have probably been left feeling angry or sad and may have switched off long before the end.

Wallace mused earlier this week: "If I've done my job right, at the end of the night, people will say, 'That was a great debate, who was the moderator?'"

The near universal verdict was - expressed in the words of CNN's political correspondent Dana Bash – a "shitshow".

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