November 3 coronavirus news

Police in the Australian state of Victoria arrested 404 people who participated in a protest against lockdowns in Melbourne on Tuesday -- more than a week after the state began lifting stringent anti-epidemic measures that had been in place for months.

Protesters occupied the state capital's central business district and called the virus, which has killed 907 Australians and more than 1.2 million people worldwide, a hoax.

In footage tweeted by CNN affiliate 9 News Melbourne, some shouted: "Shame on you, fake news!" at journalists and called for state Premier Daniel Andrews to step down.

The video also showed police deploying what appeared to be pepper spray at the crowd.

Melbourne was the epicenter of Australia's coronavirus epidemic this summer, with Andrews declaring a "state of disaster" at one stage to stem an outbreak that saw as many as 725 people in Victoria test positive for the virus in a single day.

As cases began skyrocketing, Andrews enacted the type of strict anti-epidemic measures that critics worry could damage the economy and trample on civil liberties.

But from a public health standpoint, Andrews' decision appeared to have worked. While cases in Europe and the United States are surging, on Sunday Australia didn't register a single new Covid-19 infection for the first time since June.

Tuesday saw Victoria report no new cases for the fourth day in a row.

A new normal: Andrews' government began relaxing anti-epidemic measures last week. Melbourne residents can now leave their homes, and most businesses in the state can reopen.

Some restrictions remain in place, however, including a 25-kilometer (15-mile) limit on travel and an internal border between Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne. Public gatherings are limited to 10 people.

A church in Northern California has been ordered by a court to stop holding large indoor gatherings in violation of public health orders created to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The Santa Clara County Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order Monday prohibiting the Calvary Chapel in San Jose from holding large indoor gatherings after the church was repeatedly cited by county officials for violating Covid-19 restrictions and accruing more than $350,000 in fines.

Calvary Chapel hosted indoor gatherings with as many as 600 people, posing the threat of a superspreader event, the court said.

Despite repeated warnings and fines, Calvary Chapel has been holding in-person services since May without the use of masks or social distancing, county officials said.

Under the county health orders, indoor gatherings are limited to 100 people and masks and social distancing must be followed.

California has the second highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases out of any state in the country, with more than 940,000 cases confirmed as of Monday night, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid-19 data. In Santa Clara County, where San Jose is located, JHU data shows 25,277 confirmed cases.

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A court has ordered a Northern California church to stop holding large indoor services in defiance of Covid-19 restrictions

There were another 84,089 Covid-19 cases in the United States on Monday, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as well as at least 557 related deaths.

Since the pandemic began, 9,291,064 patients have been identified in the US. At least 231,552 people have died in the country after contracting the virus.

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

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Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

New Delhi reported 4,001 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, authorities said -- breaking a five-day streak of 5,000-plus daily cases in the Indian capital.

Nearly 400,000 people in New Delhi have been diagnosed with the virus. Some 356,459 have recovered, while 6,604 have died, according to government figures.

Authorities have been concerned that New Delhi's healthcare infrastructure might be overwhelmed if seasonal pollution in the autumn and winter exacerbates the effects of the pandemic.

The situation is already dire. More than 40% of hospital beds in the city are occupied and nearly 70% of ventilators are in use. 

The air quality was designated "very poor" for the 10 consecutive days ending Sunday, but improved slightly Monday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday that to limit pollution, the government will bar new manufacturing operations from setting up shop in New Delhi's industrial area.  

A decline nationwide: Cases across India appear to be on the decline. Authorities reported another 38,310 infections Tuesday -- about half the number of daily new cases that were being reported in September.

Certain businesses like malls, movie theaters and gyms have reopened provided they adhere to social distancing restrictions.

India has reported more than 8.2 million cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began. At least 123,000 people have died, according to the country's Health Ministry.

Pregnant women infected with the coronavirus are more likely to become severely ill and die from Covid-19, and they're at increased risk for premature delivery, according to a pair of reports released Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although the overall risk of severe illness or death remains low, CDC researchers found that pregnant women with coronavirus are more likely to need intensive care, ventilation and heart and lung support than non-pregnant women with the virus.

A separate report found that the rate of preterm birth, when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is 12.9% among women with coronavirus, compared to 10.2% among the general population.

The new research adds to a growing body of evidence that pregnant women are at increased risk when it comes to coronavirus, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of the gynecology and obstetrics department at Emory University School of Medicine.

"It also demonstrates that their infants are at risk, even if their infants are not infected, they may be affected," Jamieson noted on a call with reporters Monday.

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Pregnant women with Covid-19 face higher risk of severe illness and death, study says

United States President Donald Trump suggested to a Florida crowd Monday night he may fire Dr. Anthony Fauci after the election, escalating his feud with the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases and providing a window into a potential post-November 3 administration purge.

Speaking after midnight following a full day of campaigning, the President was complaining about news media coverage of Covid-19 when the crowd broke out into a "Fire Fauci" chant.

Later, Trump claimed Fauci is "a nice guy but he's been wrong a lot." Trump has previously claimed Fauci opposed mask wearing earlier in the pandemic, though at the time the administration was concerned about supply levels of medical grade equipment.

Most of the crowd in Florida was not wearing masks; Trump has proceeded with rallies in states with rampant coronavirus outbreaks, believing his message of reopening will resonate with voters.

Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak remains the backdrop of this year's election. At another point on Sunday, Trump lambasted his rival Joe Biden by claiming he wanted to "follow science."

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Trump suggests he might fire Fauci after election

Japan recorded 490 new coronavirus cases Monday, the country's Health Ministry announced today, marking the first time Japan reported fewer than 500 cases since October 26.

Monday's cases bring the total number of Covid-19 cases in Japan to 102,993. As of Monday, 93,383 of those people have recovered, but 163 coronavirus patients remain in a serious condition, the health ministry said. 

The ministry's data shows the number of daily infections in Japan has been hovering below a thousand per day since around August 21, when it reported 1,036 cases.

Japan's nationwide total includes 87 new Covid-19 cases detected in the capital Tokyo Monday, raising the city's total to 31,293. This is the first time the capital recorded fewer than 100 daily cases since October 19.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice says the state’s Covid-19 infection rate is spreading at a high rate, with 5,557 active cases and 254 people currently hospitalized.

Justice pointed to pandemic fatigue as a major reason why the virus continues to spread in the state, adding that most people are abiding by CDC health guidelines but not all.

West Virginia reported seven additional deaths over the weekend, bringing the state’s total deaths to 458. The governor says there are 95 confirmed cases in public schools, 15 outbreaks in churches and 47 cases at long-term care facilities.

The Australian state of Victoria has recorded its fourth day in a row with zero cases, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services, bringing the week-long daily average of new infections to just 1.9.

It's a stark contrast to the situation in Victoria -- and its capital city Melbourne -- just a few months ago, when more than 700 people a day were being diagnosed with the virus in a rapidly spreading local epidemic.

But after a strict lockdown which saw a nightly curfew put in place and limits on public gatherings, the number of new infections plunged. Restrictions in Melbourne have now been relaxed.

On Saturday, Australia registered its first day with no coronavirus cases anywhere in the country since June.

In tweeting his thanks to all Australians for working to bring down the infection rate, Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned the threat was not over yet.

"We've seen here, and are seeing again overseas, how quickly this virus spreads, so please stay COVIDSafe," he said on his official Twitter.