Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	40,635,825	+338,379	1,122,763
USA	8,456,653	+57,327	225,222
India	7,594,736	+46,498	115,236
Brazil	5,251,127	+15,783	154,226
Russia	1,415,316	+15,982	24,366
Spain	1,015,795	+12,214	33,992
Argentina	1,002,662	+12,982	26,716
Colombia	965,883	+6,311	29,102
France	910,277	+13,243	33,623
Peru	870,876	+2,201	33,820
Mexico	851,227	+4,119	86,167
UK	741,212	+18,804	43,726
South Africa	705,254	+1,461	18,492
Iran	534,631	+4,251	30,712
Chile	493,305	+1,545	13,676
Iraq	430,678	+4,044	10,317
Italy	423,578	+9,338	36,616
Bangladesh	390,206	+1,637	5,681
Germany	373,731	+6,750	9,899
Indonesia	365,240	+3,373	12,617
Philippines	359,169	+2,638	6,675
Turkey	349,519	+2,026	9,371
Saudi Arabia	342,583	+381	5,201
Pakistan	323,452	+433	6,659
Israel	304,876	+1,767	2,263
Ukraine	303,638	+4,766	5,673
Netherlands	236,226	+7,992	6,768
Belgium	222,253	+9,138	10,413
Canada	201,437	+3,289	9,778
Poland	183,248	+7,482	3,614
Romania	182,854	+2,466	5,931
Czechia	181,962	+8,077	1,513
Morocco	175,749	+2,117	2,976
Ecuador	153,423	+134	12,395
Bolivia	139,771	+61	8,481
Nepal	136,036	+3,790	757
Qatar	129,671	+240	224
Panama	125,181	+436	2,574
Dominican Republic	121,667	+320	2,203
Kuwait	116,832	+686	710
UAE	116,517	+915	466
Oman	110,594	+641	1,114
Kazakhstan	109,508	+102	1,768
Egypt	105,547	+123	6,130
Portugal	101,860	+1,949	2,198
Guatemala	101,599	+239	3,541
Costa Rica	97,075	+632	1,204
Japan	93,127	+471	1,674
Ethiopia	89,860	+723	1,365
Honduras	88,425	+831	2,568
Belarus	88,290	+592	933
Venezuela	87,161	+525	741
China	85,685	+13	4,634
Bahrain	78,224	+322	302
Moldova	67,302	+252	1,600
Austria	65,927	+1,121	904
Armenia	65,460	+766	1,091
Uzbekistan	63,523	+399	531
Lebanon	62,944	+658	526
Nigeria	61,558	+118	1,125
Singapore	57,915	+4	28
Paraguay	55,452	+728	1,207
Algeria	54,616	+214	1,865
Kyrgyzstan	52,526	+482	1,111
Ireland	50,993	+1,031	1,852
Libya	49,949	+1,159	732
Hungary	47,768	+1,478	1,173
Palestine	47,616	+481	413
Ghana	47,372	+62	310
Azerbaijan	45,295	+331	630
Kenya	45,076	+195	839
Tunisia	42,727	+2,185	687
Jordan	38,937	+1,364	380
Myanmar	37,205	+1,180	914
Serbia	36,282	+122	778
Denmark	35,844	+452	686
Slovakia	30,695	+860	92
Bulgaria	30,527	+1,024	1,008
Australia	27,399	+8	905
Croatia	25,973	+393	374
Greece	25,802	+432	520
S. Korea	25,275	+76	444
North Macedonia	23,788	+160	846
Cameroon	21,506	+65	424
Malaysia	21,363	+865	190
Ivory Coast	20,324	+1	121
Georgia	18,663	+1,186	143
Albania	17,350	+295	454
Norway	16,603	+147	278
Zambia	15,897	+44	346
Montenegro	15,760	+145	240
Senegal	15,432	+14	319
Sudan	13,724	+27	836
Slovenia	13,679	+537	190
Finland	13,555	+131	351
Namibia	12,326	+33	131
Maldives	11,232	+22	37
Mozambique	11,080	+214	75
DRC	11,052	+46	303
Luxembourg	11,010	+122	135
Uganda	10,691	+101	97
Tajikistan	10,533	+40	80
French Guiana	10,268	+25	69
Jamaica	8,321	+47	173
Zimbabwe	8,159	+12	232
Angola	7,829	+207	248
Cabo Verde	7,800	+48	87
Lithuania	7,726	+205	113
Malawi	5,860	+3	181
Eswatini	5,788	+8	116
Bahamas	5,773	+70	123
Botswana	5,609	+367	21
Trinidad and Tobago	5,298	+1	97
Hong Kong	5,257	+15	105
Suriname	5,133	+3	109
Malta	4,737	+109	45
Aruba	4,334	+12	34
Thailand	3,691	+5	59
Cyprus	2,687	+43	25

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

UK signs contract to conduct first coronavirus human challenge trials

From CNN’s Mick Krever, Phil Black and Sharon Braithwaite in London 

 

The United Kingdom government has signed a contract with Open Orphan allowing the Irish pharmaceutical services company to conduct the first human challenge studies for the novel coronavirus, in which healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with the virus in a controlled setting. Some participants will receive an experimental vaccine.   

Up to 19 volunteers at a time will take part in the trials, which will be held at the Royal Free Hospital in London, which houses a biosafety ward. The trials will be run by hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, in partnership with Imperial College London. 

“We look forward to working with our partners to develop a Covid-19 human challenge study model which will be used to safely accelerate the discovery of effective vaccines and antivirals against Covid-19,” Open Orphan Chairman Cathal Friel said Tuesday in a statement.  

The first steps will take place early next year, the company said. It expects to be able to test the efficacy of up to three vaccine candidates sometime next year. 

In a statement, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the “ground-breaking but carefully controlled studies” mark an “important next step” in Britain’s fight against coronavirus.  

“We are doing everything we can to fight coronavirus, including backing our best and brightest scientists and researchers in their hunt for a safe and effective vaccine,” he added.  

While the study will still need to get ethics approval from UK regulators, England's Heath Research Authority said it has already set up an ethics committee to assess any challenge trial proposals. 

Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-10-20-20-intl/index.html

 

 

One quarter of American workers have considered quitting their jobs amid pandemic, new poll shows

By Antonia Farzan

 

A staffer wears a mask while taking orders at a small restaurant in Grand Lake, Colo., in August. (David Zalubowski/AP)

One quarter of American workers have considered quitting their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and software company SAP.

A majority of survey respondents — 71 percent — said they were continuing to report to work in person, with 68 percent saying they were considered essential workers. But most seemed satisfied with the precautions being taken by their employers. Fifty-seven percent said they felt their employer was “doing the right amount” in response to the crisis, while 24 percent said their bosses were “going above and beyond.” Only 18 percent felt the response had fallen short.

A larger worry seems to be balancing work with other responsibilities during the pandemic, something that 68 percent of those surveyed described as a concern. Nearly 70 percent said it was “extremely” or “very” important for employers to offer flexibility to parents and other caregivers — a larger share than assigned the same level of priority to hazard pay, expanded health care benefits and expanded sick leave. Notably, however, 57 percent said the amount of work they get done had stayed the same, and only 24 percent felt their productivity had declined.

Overall, survey respondents were more likely to deem the pandemic a major source of stress than the national economy or the presidential election, and 54 percent said their stress levels were higher than usual. A majority said their employers had done a good job of providing personal protective equipment, ensuring that the work environment complies with public health guidelines and communicating updates about safety measures, but far fewer were satisfied by the availability of mental health counseling and resources for parents.

 

 

Trump mocks Biden’s willingness to trust Fauci on coronavirus response

By Antonia Noori Farzan and Jennifer Hassan

 

Asserting that Americans were “getting tired of the pandemic,” President Trump attempted to attack opposition candidate Joe Biden on Monday by saying that his rival would accept guidance on the coronavirus crisis from the nation’s top infectious-disease expert.

“You know, Biden wants to lock it down,” Trump told supporters at an Arizona rally. “He wants to listen to Dr. Fauci.”

Fauci has not advocated for a return to stay-at-home measures like those imposed in many states this spring, telling CBS News on Sunday that things would have to “get really, really bad” first.

Earlier Monday, in a call with campaign staff, Trump described Fauci as a “disaster” and other public health officials as “idiots.” He also said Sunday that Biden would “listen to the scientists” and claimed that doing earlier this year would have led to “a massive depression.”

 

Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/20/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

 

 

 

Ireland to impose 5km travel limit in strict new Covid lockdown

Rory Carroll in Dublin

 

Pubs, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to serve takeout meals only. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

Ireland is to close much of its economy and society in a second Covid-19 lockdown that imposes some of the severest restrictions in Europe.

Non-essential shops will close and people are asked to stay at home, with a 5km (3 mile) travel limit for exercise, to curb surging infection rates, the government announced on Monday evening.

From midnight on Wednesday the country will move to its highest lockdown tier for six weeks. Visits to private homes or gardens will not be permitted and there are to be no gatherings except for tightly controlled weddings and funerals.

A graduated fine system for those who breach the 5km travel limit – with exceptions for work and other purposes deemed essential – will be announced later this week. People who live alone or are parenting alone can pair with one other household as part of a support bubble. Two households can meet outdoors within the travel limit. Public transport will operate at 25% capacity.

Non-essential retail will close along with barbers’ shops, beauty salons, gyms, leisure centres and cultural amenities. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to serve takeout meals only, a devastating blow to an already weakened hospitality sector.

In a sombre address to announce the restrictions the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said he understood there would be disappointment, loneliness and despair but that there was hope.

“If we pull together over the next six weeks we will be able to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way … the journey will not be easy but the future is in our hands. We must each dig deep and persevere.”

Martin said the government had rejected a strategy of zero Covid as unrealistic and a strategy of herd immunity as unethical. Periodic lockdowns may become the norm, he suggested. “We work to suppress the virus when it is growing, and we work to reopen as much of our society and economy as possible when it is safe to do so. Until we have a safe vaccine, we must continue in that pattern.”

Schools and creches are to remain open but Martin Marjoram, the president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, said his members were anxious, and more rapid coronavirus testing was needed for schools to remain open.

Construction and most manufacturing can continue operating. Hotels and guesthouses can remain open to supply essential services.

The pandemic unemployment payment is to be restored to €350 (£320) a week for those with prior earnings of €400 a week and above. Wage subsidy rates are also to be improved.

Supermarkets and grocery stores across Ireland reported unusually busy trading on Monday even though they will remain open.

Health officials reported 1,031 new infections on Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 50,993. The death toll remained unchanged at 1,852.

Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 261, less than Britain’s, France’s and Spain’s, and around the middle of Europe’s table. But Ireland’s health service has little spare capacity, especially for intensive care.

Opposition parties broadly supported tighter restrictions but several business groups warned of a wave of bankruptcies and job losses.

The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, requested a level 5 lockdown two weeks ago but the coalition government rejected the recommendation, citing the damage that it would inflict on the economy and state finances and expressing hope that level 3 restrictions would contain the virus.

Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister, accused Holohan and his emergency health team colleagues of not thinking through the recommendation. Several ministers said a second lockdown may lack the social cohesion and widespread public compliance of the first.

However, with virus numbers spiralling, Holohan got a different response when he again requested level 5 last weekend, prompting some to say Varadkar had gone from Dr No to the Yes Minister.

Two days of intense talks between health officials and leaders of the three ruling parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens, led to the decision to return to a draconian set of rules similar to those imposed in March.

Holohan appealed to the public to get back to basics and to self-isolate if they had symptoms of Covid-19 or were waiting for test results or had tested positive. “Self-isolation means staying in your room, away from other members of your household. If you live in a house with a confirmed case, do not go to work or school. You must stay at home and restrict your movements for 14 days,” he said.

Health officials cited the example of a person who did not restrict his movements after returning from abroad, leading to the infection of 56 individuals in 10 households.

The highest infection rates are in counties bordering Northern Ireland, which has some of the UK’s highest rates. Last week Northern Ireland closed schools, pubs and restaurants in a set of new restrictions to last four weeks, with the exception of schools, which will shut for two weeks.

The divergence in rules between north and south, especially over schools and travel, will amplify calls for an all-island response.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/19/ireland-to-impose-5km-travel-limit-in-strict-new-covid-lockdown

 

 

 

Coronavirus: Has the pandemic really peaked in India?

Soutik Biswas
India correspondent

 

Has the coronavirus pandemic already peaked in India? And can the spread of the virus be controlled by early next year?

 

A group of India's top scientists believe so. Their latest mathematical model suggests India passed its peak of reported infections in September and the pandemic can be controlled by February next year. All such models assume the obvious: people will wear masks, avoid large gatherings, maintain social distancing and wash hands.

India has recorded some 7.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 114,000 deaths so far. It has a sixth of the world's population and a sixth of reported cases. However, India accounts for only 10% of the world's deaths from the virus. Its case fatality rate or CFR, which measures deaths among Covid-19 patients, is less than 2% - among the lowest in the world.

India hit a record peak in the middle of September when it reported more than a million active cases. Since then the caseload has been steadily declining. Last week, India reported an average of 62,000 cases and 784 deaths every day. Daily deaths have also been falling in most states. Testing has remained consistent - an average of more than a million samples were tested every day last week.

The seven scientists involved in the latest mathematical study commissioned by the government include Dr Gagandeep Kang, a microbiologist and the first Indian woman to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London. Among other things, the model looks at the rate at which people are getting infected, the rate at which they have recovered or died, and the fraction of infected people with significant symptoms. It also maps the trajectory of the disease by accounting for patients who have shown no signs of infection.

The scientists suggest that without the lockdown in late March, the number of active cases in India would have peaked at more than 14 million and that more than 2.6 million people would have died from Covid-19, some 23 times the current death toll. Interestingly, based on studies in the two states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the scientists concluded that the impact of the unchecked return of out-of-work migrants from the cities to the villages after the lockdown had "minimal" impact on case numbers.

"The peak would have arrived by June. This would have resulted in overwhelming our hospitals and caused widespread panic. The lockdown did help in flattening the curve," Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, and also a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, who led the study, told me.

But India's busy festival season is around the corner. This is when families get together. So a few "superspreader" events and increased mobility could still change the course of the virus in two weeks. Kerala, for instance, recorded a sharp uptick in cases in September following celebrations of Onam, a harvest festival.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54596707

 

 

 

Iran's daily death toll hits new record amid 'third wave'

 

Authorities in Tehran have made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public

Iran has reported its highest daily death toll from Covid-19, as the country grapples with what officials have called a “third wave” of its outbreak.

Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 337 people had died in the past 24 hours, exceeding the previous daily high of 279 set last Wednesday and bringing the total since February to 30,712. She also announced 4,251 new confirmed cases.

"In recent days, we have witnessed an unprecedented increase in mortality from the disease," Ms Lari was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

The surge in infections and deaths since early September was the “result of [people] neglecting to comply with health protocols, reduced use of masks, and dangerous social behaviour”, she added.

The situation in Tehran is particularly bad, with intensive care units reportedly running at full capacity.

Authorities have closed schools, mosques, shops, restaurants and other public institutions in the capital and made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public. Travel into and out of Tehran and four other major cities has also been banned.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk