October 17 coronavirus news

By Julia Hollingsworth, Brett McKeehan, Rob Picheta and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 4:06 AM ET, Sun October 18, 2020
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8:36 a.m. ET, October 17, 2020

Wisconsin records its highest number of new Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Chuck Johnston

There were 3,861 new cases of coronavirus reported in Wisconsin on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University, charting a new record high number of cases for the state. 

Wisconsin's previous high was 3,743 cases, which was set on Thursday. 

On Friday, United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned that Wisconsin is a Covid-19 red state, with a rising positivity rate. 

"I want you all to be aware that Wisconsin is currently one of our red states. Meaning, your positivity rates are over 10% and going in the wrong direction. Cases are in the red, going in the wrong direction," he said

"It is critical that we actually understand where this virus is circulating so that we could get cases under control and reverse positivity,” he added. 

Adams spoke at a news conference announcing a new Covid-19 surge testing location in Neenah, Wisconsin. 

The COVID Tracking project reports Wisconsin’s positivity rate at 23.91% as of Saturday morning. 

President Trump is set to hold a rally in Janesville, Wisconsin on Saturday evening.

7:43 a.m. ET, October 17, 2020

Angela Merkel issues appeal to Germans in battle against coronavirus

From CNN’s Fred Pleitgen

Angela Merkel attends an EU summit in Brussels earlier this week.
Angela Merkel attends an EU summit in Brussels earlier this week. FRANCISCO SECO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has appealed to citizens to do more to fight rising numbers of coronavirus infections across the country, urging Germans in a video message to abide by the regulations set out by the government.   

“We must do everything to ensure that the virus does not spread in an uncontrolled way. Every day now counts,” Merkel said as daily infections have hit record highs this past week.  

“How the winter will be, how our Christmas will be, that will be decided in the coming days and weeks,” Merkel added.  

Germany’s strategy against the pandemic has so far centered around effective contact tracing of infected individuals in order to isolate them before they can infect others.  

“Health authorities are doing amazing work in this regard … but where the number of infections become too high, they simply cannot keep up,” the German Chancellor said.  

In an effort to stem the continued spread of the virus, Merkel also urged citizens to “meet with a lot fewer people” both outside and inside their homes, adding that people should try to avoid traveling or attending large gatherings unless absolutely necessary.  

“If each us drastically reduces the amount of contacts outside if their own family, then it is possible to stop and even reverse this trend,” she added.

5:06 a.m. ET, October 17, 2020

Germany sets new daily infections record, as cases surge in Europe

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen

A waitress takes an order at a Berlin restaurant, as cases rise across Germany.
A waitress takes an order at a Berlin restaurant, as cases rise across Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Germany recorded another daily record in new coronavirus infections, the country’s center for disease control reported on Saturday. 

The Robert Koch Institute said 7,830 new infections have been confirmed in a span of 24 hours, an increase about around 500 cases on the day before. 

A total of 33 patients died in that same period, bringing the total number of dead in Germany to 9,767. 

German politicians are trying to bring the situation under control, but the powerful governor of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, told German pubic media outlet ARD that authorities "are in danger of losing control in some areas of Germany."

4:07 a.m. ET, October 17, 2020

Czech Republic sees record rise in cases

From CNN's Tomas Etzler in Prague 

Commuters in Prague wear masks in a metro station on Tuesday, after new restrictions in the Czech Republic came into force.
Commuters in Prague wear masks in a metro station on Tuesday, after new restrictions in the Czech Republic came into force. MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images

The Czech Republic registered 11,105 new coronavirus cases on Friday, new data from the Ministry of Health revealed, marking a new record high in the daily number of new infections across the country.  

The tally is an increase of 1,384 on Thursday’s confirmed total of new infections.

According to the latest government data, the total number of active coronavirus cases now stands at 92,736, while the total number of coronavirus-related deaths has reached 1,283.

The country, which was initially heralded for suppressing the virus in the early days of the pandemic, introduced a new range of restrictions to bring the spread under control on Monday.

All sporting, social and religious events are now limited to groups of 10 people indoors and 20 people outdoors, unless all participants come from the same household. University students are barred from in-person learning, except for practical medical training.

A total of 3,120 coronavirus patients currently remain hospitalized, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

2:25 a.m. ET, October 17, 2020

The US now has at least 8,048,865 reported coronavirus cases

A man gets swabbed by CNA Keila Kelley at a free Covid-19 testing site in Reading, Pennsylvania, on October 13.
A man gets swabbed by CNA Keila Kelley at a free Covid-19 testing site in Reading, Pennsylvania, on October 13. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

There are at least 8,048,865 reported cases of coronavirus in the United States -- including at least 218,575 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.

On Friday, Johns Hopkins University reported 69,156 new cases and 883 additional coronavirus-related deaths in the country. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

For the latest Johns Hopkins University US numbers, check here. CNN’s map, using JHU data, continues to refresh every 15 minutes.

11:59 p.m. ET, October 16, 2020

Worst is still to come for US, warns influential Covid-19 modeler

From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman

Covid-19 modeler Dr. Chris Murray.
Covid-19 modeler Dr. Chris Murray. Source: CNN

US President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida on Friday that the coronavirus pandemic is "rounding the turn."

But that's not the case, says influential Covid-19 modeler Dr. Chris Murray.

“If you look at the map in the US, what's happening is exactly what we expected,” Murray, the director of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “(In) the whole northern half of the US, transmission is on the upswing.
“You look across all the northern countries in Europe, they're already well into the fall, winter surge and that's what's heading our way.”

The US has passed 8 million total cases of Covid-19 and recorded 63,000 fresh infections on Thursday -- a significant uptick from the daily numbers just a few weeks ago. More than 218,000 Americans have died from the virus.

“We expect the death toll, unfortunately, unless we change our behavior, is going to reach 390,000 deaths by February 1,” Murray said, citing IHME’s recent predictions.

“No, it's not over. The worst is still to come unfortunately.”

11:57 p.m. ET, October 16, 2020

NYPD on alert after "uptick" in officer Covid-19 cases

From CNN’s Brynn Gingras with contributions from Mirna Alsharif 

A NYPD officer stands guard on 5th Avenue at Trump Tower during a protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the aftermath over the death of George Floyd on June 12 in New York City.
A NYPD officer stands guard on 5th Avenue at Trump Tower during a protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the aftermath over the death of George Floyd on June 12 in New York City. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

The New York City Police Department is observing “an uptick” in coronavirus cases, Detective Sophia Mason, a spokeswoman for the department, said in a statement to CNN.

“We are watching it very closely,” she said.

There are now 54 uniformed members and 18 civilian members who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are out sick, according to Mason, who declined to provide additional information, such as when the uptick was first observed.

In a local television interview Friday morning, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said the department is doing its best to trace the cases.

11:59 p.m. ET, October 16, 2020

US government wants to deliver vaccine shots within a day or two of FDA approval, officials say

From CNN's Maggie Fox

The federal government hopes to start vaccinating people against coronavirus within a day or two of Food and Drug Administration emergency authorization, officials said Friday.

“We fully anticipate that both Pfizer and Moderna will have data of both safety and effectiveness of their vaccines very shortly. We are very encouraged because their clinical trials are going extraordinarily well,” Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Health and Human Services Department, told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Mango was announcing a plan for retail pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens to distribute any eventual coronavirus vaccine to long-term care facilities such as nursing homes under an agreement – not a contract – with the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed.

“Part of the reason we are doing this is within 24 to 48 hours of the time the emergency use authorization is authorized, we expect to be putting needles into people’s arms,” Mango said. “This is pre-staging for what we believe will be rapid deployment.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr. Jay Butler noted that a third of coronavirus deaths in the US have been among residents of long-term care facilities. “We believe that this plan will be the quickest and easiest way to provide vaccines to long-term care facility residents,” Butler told reporters.

The CDC asked states to submit plans for vaccine distribution Friday. Workers and residents of long-term care facilities are expected to be among the first to get vaccinated.

 

11:57 p.m. ET, October 16, 2020

As US Covid-19 hospitalizations rise, NIH director warns more deaths may follow

From CNN’s Shelby Lin Erdman

Dr. Francis Collins holds up a model of the coronavirus on Capitol Hill on July 2.
Dr. Francis Collins holds up a model of the coronavirus on Capitol Hill on July 2. Saul Loeb/AFP/Pool/Getty

As the number of Covid-19 hospitalizations rises in the United States, an increase in the number of deaths will likely follow, Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, warned Friday.

The US has passed the 8 million mark in total coronavirus cases, with more than 63,000 new infections on Thursday. More than 218,000 people have died.

“I also look at not just the number of cases, but hospitalizations — because that indicates people are really severely sick and they need to be in the hospital. And that curve has also started up again, which is troubling,” Collins told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

“And that probably means, unfortunately, that we may start now to see also an increase in the number of deaths each day — which is the thing we most want to prevent.” 

Collins urged Americans to ask themselves what they can do to help limit the spread of Covid-19. 

“This is a good moment for people to stop and ask themselves, what can I do to try to be sure that we limit the further infections that otherwise seem to be looming in front of us as cold weather is kicking in and people are indoors, and those curves are going upward, in the wrong direction,” Collins said. 

“There’s many reasons to be sorrowful about where we are,” he said. “This is the most significant global pandemic in more than 100 years, but the way in which it has taken a toll on so many individuals and families in the US is truly heartbreaking.

“It’s truly tragic and we should be doing everything we can.”