Nearly 62,000 people were in hospitals with COVID-19 Tuesday, according to the COVID Tracking Project, the highest such total for the United States in the pandemic, eclipsing the initial outbreak in the spring. The reported case count, nearly 131,000, was also the highest of the pandemic.
The death toll was 1,347, the highest since mid-August.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the recent uptick in the coronavirus test positivity rate a “warning sign” that the former hot spot could experience a deadly second wave.
“This is our last chance to stop a second wave,” de Blasio said on Tuesday. “If we aren’t able to stop it, there will clearly be lots of consequences that will remind us too much of where we were before.”
The citywide test positive rate has nearly doubled since the week ending Sept. 13, reaching an average of 2.31% over the past seven days. The overall increased positivity rate is driven largely by outbreaks in specific neighborhoods in Staten Island. Last month, clusters of outbreaks were also reported in some Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods, prompting Gov. Andrew Cuomo to order some business and school closures.
De Blasio also announced that if the test positivity rate in the city surpasses 3%, all in-school learning will have to shift to digital platforms and school buildings will close. If the positivity rate continues rising at its current rate, public schools could be closed by Thanksgiving.
“If these numbers we’re reporting today continue to grow, then people are going to have to get used to more and more restrictions and going back to some of the ways we had to live in the spring,” de Blasio said.
To date, more than 10.2 million infections and over 239,000 deaths due to COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S.
In an effort to alleviate staffing concerns in North Dakota hospitals, which have reached full capacity, Gov. Doug Burgum announced that nurses with asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 will be allowed to continue treating coronavirus patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Since only patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 would be treated by providers with the virus, the risk of further spread is minimal, Burgum said. He also said that providers asked the state for the rule change, which aligns with crisis guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying that “apparently some [providers] had the ability to do this in other states.”
Most states do not have a plan in place to distribute Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine if authorized by the federal government, ProPublica reported. The vaccine, which is administered in two doses 28 days apart, must be stored at around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit in dry ice casings that can only keep the doses viable for up to 10 days. Distributing it would be especially difficult in rural areas, many of which are now contending with surges in cases.
Health authorities have not been able to figure out how they will deliver the doses to more remote areas far from large cities. Needing to use 1,000 doses within a few days may be fine for large hospital systems but less so for providers who don’t treat that many people at once. It’s especially challenging in smaller towns, rural areas, and Native communities on reservations that are likely to struggle to administer that many doses quickly or to maintain them at ultracold temperatures.
In North Dakota, for example, authorities are considering whether to break down the 1,000-dose packages and independently distribute smaller quantities to individual hospitals and clinics. Oregon, meanwhile, said it still needs to “develop a plan” for how to handle 1,000-dose orders in “remote Oregon locations, while maintaining the ultracold chain and avoiding wastage.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he will take the coronavirus vaccine once it’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Fauci, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and a national expert on infectious diseases, said he trusts Pfizer. The doctor encouraged the government to approve the vaccine once it’s closely looked at to be secure.
“I trust Pfizer. I trust the FDA. These are colleagues of mine for decades, the career scientists,” Fauci told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday. “I will take the vaccine, and I will recommend that my family take the vaccine.”
Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of presumptive President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, warned that the worst spikes in coronavirus cases would be coming in the next few weeks.
“Over the course of the next 12 to 14 weeks are likely to be the darkest period in this entire pandemic,” Osterholm told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, adding the upcoming holiday season may prove to be detrimental for the spread of the virus.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. The move was made after he was deemed to be in close contact with tight end Vance McDonald, who tested positive for the coronavirus Monday.
Three other Steelers were put on the list for their contact with McDonald, including offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels, and linebacker Vince Williams. Roethlisberger and the other three players must isolate for five days after their last contact with McDonald. They will participate in team meetings remotely but will not be at practice. Roethlisberger and the other three players will be tested throughout the week. If they continue to test negative, they could play on Sunday.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and first lady Susanne Shore are in quarantine Tuesday after learning that a person they met with over the weekend has tested positive for COVID-19, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The governor and first lady will quarantine for 14 days, said Taylor Gage, the governor’s director of strategic communications.
“Neither the governor or first lady are showing any symptoms, and they will get tested at the appropriate time,” he said. “The governor will host his Tuesday and Thursday coronavirus briefings virtually.”
The Danish government has pulled back on its order to cull mink farms. The decision came after authorities realized that they did not have the legal authority to enforce the order on mink farms that have not been affected by the coronavirus.
Denmark has been moving to cull all minks after a mutated strain of the coronavirus that may be resistant to vaccine was found on farms in the north.
The government now only recommends that farmers kill all mink. Mink that are infected are still being culled.
