Midwest Cases Soar; Massachusetts Imposes Curfew: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus continued its unrelenting surge across the U.S., with cases soaring in key battleground states on the eve of the presidential election. New Jersey has the most patients on ventilators since early July, and Massachusetts shut down nighttime activities.

In Europe, France reported a record 52,518 new cases. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there’s “no alternative” to imposing a coronavirus lockdown across England. Italy laid out new plans to try to halt the spread of the virus, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged people to abide by rules.

A “Fire Fauci” chant erupted at one of Donald Trump’s campaign rallies early Monday, after the White House earlier criticized Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. President Donald Trump said he would wait until after the election to do anything.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases surpass 46.8 million; deaths top 1.2 million
• Trump’s dismissal of Covid risk paved way to White House outbreak
• Toxic air from fires is set to make India’s virus fight deadlier
• The eight airlines most at risk of failure as Covid-19 drags on
• Vaccine Tracker: Clinical trials restart in hopeful sign

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on coronavirus cases and deaths.

Midwest Cases Keep Soaring (4:30 p.m. NY)

Covid-19 continues to spread at alarming rates throughout the U.S. Midwest, with record numbers of infections recorded across the region over the weekend.

Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Monday that her state recorded 2,954 cases, only slightly fewer than the state’s record of 3,004, set on Friday. There has been a 13.4% increase in the number of cases during the past week alone, she said.

Wisconsin reported 3,433 new cases Monday, compared with about 4,000 in California -- which has nearly seven times the population.

And Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate reached 14.5%, more than twice the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases among people 18-40 now account for nearly half of all cases in Iowa; only 19% of cases are people aged 61 or older.

Massachusetts Shuts Nighttime Activities (4:11 p.m. NY)

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered residents to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for essential activities, and will require many businesses to shut starting at 9:30 p.m. Face coverings will now be required in all public places, even if social distancing can be maintained, and indoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people and must disperse by 9:30 p.m.

The state has seen cases soar by 278% since Labor Day, the governor’s office said in a statement Monday.

Colorado Governor Sounds Alarm on Spike (3 p.m. NY)

The governor of Colorado sounded a note of exasperation Monday as the state racks up new virus cases in the thousands.

“We’re not doing a good enough job, my fellow Coloradoans. We need to do better,” Governor Jared Polis said at a news conference in Denver. “Three days in a row with more than 2,500 cases. Now remember, six weeks ago we had 300 to 400 cases a day,” Polis said. “We’re reaching an alarming inflection point. If this trend continues, our hospitals will run out of capacity in the weeks ahead.”

State health officials warned last week that Covid-19 hospitalizations could set a record by Nov. 10.

Cuomo Challenges U.S. Data-Sharing on Vaccine (2:44 p.m. NY)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he won’t enter a data-sharing agreement with the federal government for its vaccine program, saying that the agreement endangers undocumented immigrants.

Cuomo on Monday said he’s asking the Trump administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal offices why they’re requiring ID numbers of those who will receive the vaccine. Cuomo noted that the information could be shared with federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Why would you possibly need a person’s driver’s license number, or Social Security number, or passport number before they receive a vaccine? Why? There is no legitimate health reason,” he said on a conference call with members of the media.

“This is just another example of them trying to extort the state of New York to get information that they can use at the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to deport people. That’s what this is,” Cuomo said. “I will not do it.”

Cuomo said he would allow the name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, and sex to be released, as they are relevant for health reasons.

N.J. Sees Increase in Ventilator Use (2 p.m. NY)

New Jersey, with six straight days of more than 1,000 hospitalizations, is seeing an increase in the sickest patients. On Oct. 31, 101 virus patients were breathing with the aid of ventilators, marking the first time since July 8 that the state has had more than 100 of the most critical cases. In late April, New Jersey had 1,327 patients on ventilators.

France Reports Record New Cases (1:15 p.m. NY)

France reported record daily coronavirus cases on Monday after a slowdown over the weekend, with 52,518 confirmed new infections. Deaths increased by 416 to 37,435, with the seven-day average of fatalities climbing to the highest since April.

Court Tosses Covid-19 Lawsuit Against Amazon (12:30 p.m. NY)

A federal judge dismissed New York warehouse workers’ lawsuit against Amazon, ruling that their allegations about the company’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic should have been brought to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration instead.

The lawsuit filed in June accused Amazon of creating a “public nuisance” by exacerbating Covid-19 risks, including by maintaining a “culture of workplace fear” in which workers are told to “work at dizzying speeds, even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitizing their work spaces.”

Johnson Says ‘No Alternative’ to England Lockdown (12:30 p.m. NY)

Boris Johnson said there is “no alternative” to imposing a coronavirus lockdown across England to stop the health service being overwhelmed and doctors having to choose which patients to treat.

The U.K. prime minister rejected criticism he was too slow to act, telling lawmakers he makes “no apology” for doing his “level best” to avoid national measures that are set to come into force on Thursday.

Georgia to Allow Infected People to Vote in Person (11:50 a.m. NY)

The Georgia health department ordered counties Monday to allow people exposed or infected with Covid-19 to vote in person on Election Day, instead of staying in quarantine.

The order came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the exposed could vote, as long as certain protocols were followed. The protocols require voters to tell poll workers their condition.

“Voters who are sick with Covid-19 and are in isolation or those who are quarantined after being in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 should take steps to protect poll workers and other voters,” the health department said.

The directions to let the infected or exposed vote followed an announcement three days ago that Republican Governor Brian Kemp had been exposed and was going into quarantine. Kemp hadn’t yet voted, and it was too late to vote absentee.

Richard Barron, director of elections in Fulton County, home of Atlanta, said the order will be difficult to communicate across the state. “We are trying to get the word out at the last minute, but they implemented this the day before an election.”

NYC Says Hospital Use Under Control for Now (11 a.m. NY)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s concerned about the number of Covid cases and percentage of positive test results but that the hospital situation remains under control.

The city’s seven-day average of daily cases is 593, higher than the city’s early-warning level of 550. Daily positivity of 2.08% also is a concern, though the seven-day average remains under 2%, below the city’s 5% threshold. A positive rate of 3% citywide triggers a shutdown of the school system.

“We are keeping a very close eye on the situation,” de Blasio said Monday at a press briefing.

Eighty people were in city hospitals for Covid-like illness as of Oct. 31, well below a warning trigger of 200. Of those, 17% tested positive for Covid. During the height of the outbreak in New York City, three out of four of these hospital admissions tested positive, raising concern about capacity to handle the patients

Slovakia Tests Two-Thirds of Nation (10:20 a.m. NY)

Slovakia tested two-thirds of its population for the coronavirus over the weekend in a bid to measure the scope of the resurgent pandemic.

About 3.6 million of the country’s 5.5 million people underwent rapid antibody tests, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said Monday. More than 38,000 people, or 1.1%, were found positive, with rates varying between 0.3% to more than 3% in the most affected areas such as Cadca near the Polish border.

Slovakia protected its population better than any other European Union state when the virus first broke out in spring. While other nations have shown success in mass testing, with China canvassing cities with populations far exceeding Slovakia’s, none has yet tried to test all of its citizens.

Germany’s Merkel Pleads for Compliance (9:45 a.m. NY)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the pandemic a once-in-a-century challenge, urging people to abide by hygiene and distancing rules so that health-care services don’t collapse. The government imposed a partial lockdown, which started on Monday, aimed at reducing social contact with measures including closing bars and restaurants.

“If we stick it out rigorously for a month, then this can be a wave breaker,” Merkel said Monday.

A key concern is the rapid increase in severely sick patients. Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care has almost tripled in the past two weeks to over than 2,000.

Italy to Limit Travel to High-Risk Regions (7:30 a.m. NY)

Italy is set to create a three-tier system for regional curbs, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in parliament on Monday. Shopping malls are set close at weekends across the country, while secondary schools will be shut with pupils moving to online lessons. Museums will close nationally. Still, for now, Conte continues to resist a full national lockdown.

CureVac Vaccine Shows Good Immune Response in Early Trial (7:15 a.m. NY)

A coronavirus vaccine under development from CureVac NVshowed a good immune response in early trials, validating the biotech company’s research into messenger RNA’s ability to train the body’s defenses. The most promising vaccine dose produced an immune response comparable to that found in recovered patients in an early-stage test on more than 250 volunteers, the German company said Monday. Chief Executive Officer Franz-Werner Haas said advanced clinical trials are on track to start by year-end. The company’s shares jumped as much as 5% in German trading.

Greece Imposes Lockdown on Second-Largest City (7:05 a.m. NY)

Greece is placing Thessaloniki into a general lockdown as the virus takes hold again. Movement is restricted to and from the city, the local airport will remain closed during the lockdown. The city’s schools will remain open. Residents must to send text messages to a special number in order to leave their homes. A curfew will also apply. The measures, which also apply to the northern city of Serres, will last for two weeks.

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