France sees highest daily Covid-19 increase with more than 26,800 cases in 24 hours
From CNN’s Pierre Bairin in Paris
In France, 26,896 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours — another record high for a daily increase in cases.
The numbers were updated late Saturday on the French Health Authority website.
On Friday, 20,339 new cases were reporting, breaking the 20,000-cases-in-a-day threshold.
The positivity rate (number of people testing positive) also keeps climbing. It now stands at 11%, up from 7.6% on October 1 and 4.3% on September 1.
The number of people hospitalized in the ICU is also rising. As of Saturday night, 1,456 people were in intensive care, which is eight more than the day before, according to the French Health Authority website.
Trump chooses denial and recklessness as he’s set to resume campaign rallies
Analysis by CNN’s Maeve Reston
As President Donald Trump stood on a White House balcony Saturday — spewing mistruths about his opponent’s plan for policing and claiming the coronavirus is “disappearing” while hundreds of people watched from below — it was clear that his illness has taught him very little and he will continue to endanger Americans until Election Day.
There was a chance for a strategic pivot by the President after he contracted Covid-19 that would have helped him shore up his flagging approval ratings on the handling of the virus.
After learning a great deal about coronavirus, as he claimed during his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he could have chosen a path of responsibility by using his platform to educate the public about the risks of the virus at a time when US cases are surging and doctors fear that the nation is entering a second wave.
But nine days after he announced his coronavirus diagnosis — and hours before his physician said he is no longer considered “a transmission risk to others” but did not say he had tested negative — Trump chose his familiar tactics of denial, risk and ignorance.
Two weeks after one super-spreader event in the White House Rose Garden, he held another on the South Lawn with no social distancing. This time, it was before an audience of Black and Latino Americans, groups who have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic.
Rather than mitigating risk, Trump is planning at least three campaign rallies next week in Florida, Pennsylvania and Iowa, stating Saturday, “We are starting very, very big with our rallies and with our everything” as he again threw caution to the wind.
Read the full analysis:
India surpasses 7 million Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Vedika Sud in New Delhi
India has recorded more than 7 million cases of the coronavirus, India’s Health Ministry said Sunday.
The ministry has reported 74,383 new virus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing India’s total number of cases to 7,053,806.
India also reported 918 more deaths from the virus. The country’s official death toll now stands at 108,334.
US reports more than 54,600 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Alta Spells
The United States reported 54,639 new Covid-19 cases and 618 additional virus-related deaths on Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
There are at least 7,717,932 cases in the US, whereat least 214,370 people have died from coronavirus.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
A recent uptick in coronavirus cases across the US has some emergency physicians fearing it could represent the start of a second wave.
On Friday, US health officials reported 57,420 new cases — the highest number reported in a day in almost two months, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. On August 14, there were 64,601 new cases.
Saturday’s caseload marks the forth consecutive day of 50,000+ reported cases in the US, according to Johns Hopkins.
CNN is tracking the US cases:
China is winning the global economic recovery
Analysis from CNN’s Laura He
While much of the world scrambles to prevent new coronavirus cases from stalling the fragile recovery from recession, China’s economy is hitting its stride again and will end the year more influential than ever.
The world’s second largest economy was the only major world power to avoid a recession this year as Covid-19 forced lockdowns and crippled businesses. China’s GDP is expected to grow 1.6% this year, while the global economy as a whole will contract 5.2%, according to summer projections from the World Bank.
China built its relatively quick recovery through several measures, including stringent lockdown and population tracking policies intended to contain the virus. The government also set aside hundreds of billions of dollars for major infrastructure projects, and offered cash incentives to stimulate spending among its populace. The payoff has been evident, as tourism and spending rebounded during last week’s busy Golden Week holiday period.
By the end of the year, China’s share of global GDP is likely to rise by about 1.1 percentage points, according to a CNN Business calculation using World Bank data. That’s more than triple the share it gained in 2019. By contrast, the United States and Europe will see their shares dip slightly.
All told, China’s economy is expected to be worth about $14.6 trillion by the end of 2020, roughly equivalent to 17.5% of global GDP.
Read the full analysis:
Read: Letter from Trump’s physician clearing him to return to public schedule
President Donald Trump has been cleared to return to an active schedule, according to a new memo from his physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released Saturday night.
Read the text of the letter below:
October 10, 2020
Memorandum for: Kayleigh McEnany
Assistant to the President and White House press secretary
From: Sean P. Conley, DO, FACEP
Physician to the President
Commander, U.S. Navy
Subject: Saturday Health Update on President Donald J. Trump
I release the following information with the permission of President Donald J. Trump.
This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning’s COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognized standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others. Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever-free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved, the assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus. In addition, sequential testing throughout his illness has demonstrated decreasing viral loads that correlate with increasing cycle threshold times, as well as decreasing and now undetectable subgenomic mRNA.
Moving forward, I will continue to monitor him clinically as he returns to an active schedule.
Read more here:
Hundreds of Brazilian shoppers cram into a department store … despite country surpassing 150,000 coronavirus deaths
From CNN’s Sharif Paget, Jonny Hallam and Sugam Pokharel in Atlanta
Authorities in the Brazilian city of Belem have shut down a department store after massive crowds flocked there Saturday, violating the country’s Covid-19 rules.
Videos showed hundreds of shoppers crammed at the entrance of a Havan department store, as it opened, disregarding the social distancing measures. Some were seen not wearing a mask.
Luciano Hang, the owner of the Havan department store chain and a vocal supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was at the scene as the chain celebrated the opening of its 150th store. Hang posted several videos on his official Instagram page which showed him inside the shop waving at the enormous crowd and banging on the glass to energize the throngs of excited people.
A few hours later, local police closed the store and asked the manager to explain why he had not complied with the World Health Organization’s social distancing measures, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil.
Para is one of the worst-hit Brazilian states with nearly 240,000 infections recorded so far, according to the National Council of Health Departments (CONASS).
Brazil on Saturday surpassed 150,000 coronavirus-related deaths, becoming only the second country after the United States to reach the grim mark.
Highlights from CNN’s “Coronavirus: Facts and Fears” town hall
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta Saturday hosted a Coronavirus: Facts and Fears town hall on Saturday with former directors of the US Centers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts.
Here are the highlights:
US Covid-19 cases expected to surge: The US could record nearly 400,000 coronavirus-related deaths by February 1, according to Dr. Chris Murray, a researcher behind an influential coronavirus model from the University of Washington. Daily deaths will likely peak in the middle of January, he said.
40 million people could be infected in US: Coronavirus infections in the US are likely much higher than the 7.6 million recorded so far by Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project, said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US CDC. “Almost certainly, there have actually been more than 40 million people infected by this virus in the US.”
20,000 people could die by end of the month: Dr. Frieden also predicted that with the current surge in cases, another 20,000 people in the US could die from the virus by the end of the month. “From the infections that have already occurred, we will see something like 20,000 deaths by the end of the month — additional deaths,” he said.
True number of coronavirus deaths in the US over 250,000: Frieden suggested the true number of coronavirus deaths in the US is well over 250,000. He said a lot of the confusion about Covid-19 mortality rates was the result of the way fatalities are listed on death certificates.
Hope over vaccine: Dr. David Satcher, a former director of the CDC, said he hopes a Covid-19 vaccine “can make a difference.” He said: “I don’t think that we are at the point of no return … We’re pursuing some important things as it relates to new vaccines. There’s a lot of hope there, that we can come up with a vaccine that can make a difference.”
Transparency is key for vaccines: If the government wants more Americans to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available, it will have to start telling the truth and being consistent, said Dr. Julie Gerberding. “It is about regaining trust, and trust depends first and foremost on telling the truth, even when it’s hard,” she said.
Why don’t you need a negative coronavirus test to leave isolation?
From CNN’s Arman Azad
President Donald Trump’s doctor on Saturday said he’s met criteria from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to leave isolation. Those criteria don’t generally require a negative test for coronavirus.
Here’s why:
People can continue to test positive even though they’re no longer infectious
Research has shown that PCR tests can still pick up pieces of genetic material from the virus long after someone has recovered. But these people aren’t likely to be infectious 10 to 20 days after symptoms began, according to the CDC.
To figure that out, scientists have taken samples from coronavirus patients and tried to infect living cells. Even though PCR tests can come back positive, patients don’t tend to be infectious after that 10 to 20 day window has passed, research has found.
Think of it this way: A PCR test is looking for the blueprint of the virus — its “genome” — and not the virus itself. In fact, the test is just looking for fragments of that blueprint. It’s like a recipe for chocolate cake; finding the recipe in someone’s kitchen doesn’t mean you’ll find a cake.
Why might Trump not need to isolate for 20 days?
For patients with severe Covid-19, the CDC says up to 20 days of isolation “may be warranted.” But the agency’s recommendations only require that at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
“Consider consultation with infection control experts,” the CDC’s recommendations say. The President’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released a memo Saturday that referenced “advanced diagnostic tests” and stated “there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus” from Trump.
Still, the letter didn’t fully describe those advanced diagnostic tests or their exact findings. Conley also didn’t disclose other vital signs from the President, such as his current oxygen levels — leaving many questions about Trump’s current condition unanswered.
Read more about Trump’s coronavirus status here:
