September 4 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Brett McKeehan, Amy Woodyatt, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 12:11 a.m. ET, September 5, 2020
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2:06 a.m. ET, September 4, 2020

New Zealand to remain at Alert Level 2 until September 16

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looks on at the Manukau Institute of Technology on September 3, in Auckland, New Zealand. Hannah Peters/Getty Images
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looks on at the Manukau Institute of Technology on September 3, in Auckland, New Zealand. Hannah Peters/Getty Images Hannah Peters/Getty Images

New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 2 until September 16 to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in a press conference Friday.

"There's still a chance of spread outside of Auckland. If that does happen. Level Two ceilings lessen the impact of any spread. That means we avoid further fall out," Ardern said.

What is Alert Level 2: Face coverings are mandatory on public transportation and no more than 100 people are allowed at gatherings. 

Auckland remains at Level 2.5, allowing for no more than 10 people at gatherings, after the city was linked to a Covid-19 cluster in August.

"At this stage, the Auckland cluster remains contained and there is no indication at this stage that Auckland needs, for instance, to move back to level three," Ardern said.

The government will reevaluate alert levels on September 14, the Prime Minister added. 

New Zealand has 1,413 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus after reporting five new cases Friday. Of the new cases, two were imported and under the age of nine years old, the government said.

1:26 a.m. ET, September 4, 2020

Black Americans, hit hardest by the pandemic, feel they're hurt by both the virus and inequities tied to race

From CNN's Laura Dolan and Jason Carroll

Keith Gambrell feels minorities are getting blamed for dying from coronavirus

"They say, 'Oh, it's because of the way you guys eat. It's the way you guys are living," he said. "I guess it's a blame game for everything that the minorities do. Like, how do you blame someone for dying at home?"

Gambrell, 33, lost his father to Covid-19 and says he had to fight to get treatment for his mother. He is himself still suffering from the effects of the virus that also struck his brothers.

This family is just one example of how hard coronavirus has hit minorities in the United States, and Black people in particular. 

Blacks are dying at a rate 2.4 times higher than Whites, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Native Americans and Latinos are also dying at about 1.5 times the rate of that of Whites and Asian Americans, the data shows. 

In Michigan, nearly 40% of all deaths in the state were Blacks -- including Gambrell's father, Gary Fowler -- even though they make up only 22% of the cases, the Covid Tracking Project data shows.

Read the full story:

12:35 a.m. ET, September 4, 2020

Trump mocks Biden for wearing a mask

From CNN's Paul LeBlanc

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, September 3.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, September 3. Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

US President Donald Trump on Thursday mocked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing a face mask even as the US continues to lead the world in coronavirus cases, with more than 6 million infections.

Speaking to a largely mask-less crowd in Pennsylvania, Trump asked his supporters if they know "a man that likes a mask as much" as Biden.

"It gives him a feeling of security," the President said. "If I was a psychiatrist, I'd say this guy has some big issues." 

Trump's comments, which came the day after the US topped 185,000 Covid-19 deaths, run counter to the advice of public health experts, who have emphasized the importance of face coverings amid the country's reopening, given that people without symptoms could unknowingly transmit the virus.

Masks are primarily to prevent people who have the virus from infecting others.

12:35 a.m. ET, September 4, 2020

Brazil's Bolsonaro challenges validity of coronavirus vaccines

From journalist Rodrigo Pedroso in Sao Paulo

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil speaks during the presentation of a bridge development project over the Ribeira de Iguape River, on September 3.
Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil speaks during the presentation of a bridge development project over the Ribeira de Iguape River, on September 3. Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images

President Jair Bolsonaro has said he won’t approve a Covid-19 vaccine for the public until after the country’s health surveillance agency (ANVISA) gives a second opinion. 

Speaking in his weekly Facebook live video on Thursday -- just hours after Brazil’s health ministry announced the country had surpassed 4 million Covid-19 cases -- Bolsonaro said vaccines developed in the United States, the European Union, Japan and China, while “scientifically proven in these other countries,” would require further examination to be used for immunizations in Brazil. 

On Monday, Bolsonaro was recorded on cell phone video telling a supporter he wouldn’t make a Covid-19 vaccine mandatory in Brazil.

Brazil’s health ministry followed up Wednesday, confirming that no one would be forced to receive the vaccine. Bolsonaro repeated that pledge in Thursday’s broadcast, drawing support from the country’s anti-vaxxer community. 

 “We cannot be irresponsible when putting a vaccine into people's bodies,” Bolsonaro said. “Nobody can force anyone to get a vaccine.” 
11:30 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020

Here's why it's unlikely the US will have a coronavirus vaccine by Election Day

From CNN's Maggie Fox

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking states to get ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by as early as next month. The CEO of Pfizer says he thinks it's possible his company will have enough data to ask the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for authorization by October.

And officials inside the FDA have told CNN that US President Donald Trump has consistently pressed agencies to speed up their timeline for developing a vaccine so he can have a vaccine victory by Election Day.

But is it really possible we could have a coronavirus vaccine by November?

The doctors running clinical trials would know best ... and they don't think so.
"Do the simple math," said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who is leading the team coordinating clinical trials for federally backed coronavirus vaccines in the US.
"We designed the trial to get to 130, 140 endpoints seven months from starting the trial," Corey told CNN. "The first one started in mid-July."

 If you add seven months to July, you get February.

That doesn't mean it's impossible to have an answer before then: If one of the vaccines being tested is highly effective, and there is a high rate of infection among trial volunteers, it's possible many people who got placebo shots would get infected quickly.

"If you had a highly effective vaccine, maybe you'd find that five months from designing the trial," Corey said.

But if you add five months to July, you get December.

Read the full story:

11:30 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020

Trump puts pressure on US FDA for coronavirus silver bullet ahead of Election Day

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins

Facing a persistent polling deficit and a struggling economy, US President Donald Trump has cranked up pressure on administration health officials to expedite work both on a coronavirus vaccine and on treatments that might signal to voters there is an end in sight to the life-altering pandemic that has imperiled his reelection prospects. 

In his public remarks and through private prodding, Trump has pushed for more good news on the pandemic, insisting that even developments considered minor by health experts be expanded into major announcements for which he can claim credit.

And he's looking to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the biggest one.

Facing one of the most critical moments in its tenure since it was founded over 100 years ago, officials inside the FDA say the tension is palpable.

A number of sources familiar with the internal workings told CNN the responsibility feels immense and the environment is akin to that of a pressure cooker. In the last week alone, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn was forced to apologize for an overhyped plasma announcement, subsequently removed a newly installed communications aide, and found himself on the receiving end of criticism from the West Wing.

Read the full story:

11:45 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020

Australian state of Victoria reports 59 more Covid-19 deaths after two-month backlog

The Australian state of Victoria reported 81 fresh coronavirus cases and 59 related deaths on Friday, according to its health department. 

The relatively high number of new fatalities comes after a backlog of deaths was reported from July and August.

"There were 81 new cases and sadly 59 deaths," a tweet from the health department read. "This includes 50 people in aged care who passed away in July - August." 

Victoria had a significant rise in cases over August, with many new infections in aged-care homes and among health care workers. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a state of emergency on August 3.

11:41 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020

Nevada loosens coronavirus restrictions in Las Vegas

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Nevada’s coronavirus task force voted Thursday to allow some restaurants in the Las Vegas area to reopen next week as Covid-19 numbers decline.

Beginning next Wednesday, Clark County restaurants with countertop services, including diners and sushi restaurants, will be able to reopen with social distancing. Bars and taverns that don’t serve food must remain closed.

Despite a substantial drop in new daily cases statewide over the last month, “we have a long way to go considering the fact that we started out so high,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a Thursday briefing.

Clark County has a test positivity rate above 10%, as does neighboring Nye County. 

Sisolak warned Nevadans not to be complacent over the Labor Day holiday weekend. 

“Please, celebrate with your immediate family,” the governor said. “Have a cookout in your backyard, watch some TV, whatever it might be. But please do not have large gatherings.”

11:40 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020

Michigan governor extends Covid-19 state of emergency to October

From CNN’s Rebekah Riess

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has extended Michigan’s State of Emergency until October 1 at 11:59 p.m. due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a release from her office.

In early August, every region in Michigan saw an uptick in new cases which recently put the state past the 100,000 Covid-19 cases mark, though the state’s percent positivity rate remains below the national average at 3.3%, the release said. 

“With over 6,500 deaths, the virus continues to threaten the lives of Michiganders every day. Covid-19 is a novel virus with many unknowns, but we do know that it is widespread, it is easily transmitted, and its effects can be fatal. We must continue to take this seriously and do everything we can to protect ourselves and all Michiganders from Covid-19,” Whitmer said. “By extending the state of emergency, we can continue the crucial work needed to save lives.” 

To note: These numbers were released by the state’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.