November 13 coronavirus news

November has already proven crippling for American communities battling Covid-19 spikes in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Experts warn it will likely get worse before it gets better.

For the tenth day in a row, the US has reported more than 100,000 infections. On Thursday, with its highest number yet at more than 153,000 new infections, the country inched closer to what one expert predicted could soon become a devastating reality -- 200,000 cases a day.

Two states this week surpassed one million total Covid-19 infections. For the third consecutive day, the country set a record for hospitalizations, which now total more than 67,000.

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The US reported more than 153,000 new coronavirus infections and the surge is only accelerating

India will celebrate its biggest festival, Diwali, this weekend, as it battles the world's second-highest coronavirus caseload and enters its annual air pollution season.

Experts fear those factors combined could lead to a surge in coronavirus cases, especially in the capital where infections are already rising rapidly.

Diwali is the five-day Hindu festival of lights, and beginning on Saturday, friends and family will come together to feast, set off fireworks and light colorful lamps. For many of the country's 1.3 billion people, it's the most important festival of the year and is equivalent in importance to Christmas in many Western countries.

But this year, it's being held during a global pandemic.

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New Delhi prepares for Diwali during high levels of pollution and a pandemic

People in England with learning disabilities died from Covid-19 at a far higher rate than the general population, according to new research from Public Health England (PHE).

Researchers at the agency examined data from The English Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) as well as data on deaths in hospital settings from NHS England.

They found that 451 people per 100,000 who had a learning disability died with Covid-19 in the spring wave. The deaths were recorded between March 21 and June 5.

That death rate is 4.1 times higher than that of the general population, but PHE said Friday that the real rate may be up to 6.3 times higher, as not all deaths are registered in the two databases used.

People with learning disabilities are more likely to have other physical health problems, including obesity and diabetes, PHE said Friday. People with underlying health conditions are most at risk from coronavirus.

"Certain kinds of learning disability, such as Down’s syndrome, can make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections, which can increase their risk of dying from Covid-19," the PHE statement said.

Among people with learning disabilities, those in residential care had a higher death rate from Covid-19. PHE noted that this difference was likely to reflect "the greater age and disability" of those in care, at least in part.

The UK's care homes were also hit hard by coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic, a fact which has since caused public outcry.

"There are now regular tests in care homes to make sure cases of coronavirus can be quickly identified and isolated, even if people do not recognise the symptoms themselves," Newton said, adding that it remained essential to practice rigorous infection control.

British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe has died in hospital aged 74 after contracting Covid-19, the UK Ministry of Justice said Friday.

Nicknamed the “Yorkshire Ripper” by UK press, Sutcliffe was convicted in 1981 for murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others throughout the 1970s across the North of England. He was serving a whole life term.

He had been suffering from underlying health conditions prior to testing positive for Covid-19, but the Prison Service could not confirm the cause of death as that is “rightly a matter for the coroner.” 

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP (Her Majesty’s Prison) Frankland prisoner Peter Coonan (born Sutcliffe) died in hospital on 13 November. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.”

Russia recorded 21,983 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest number of infections it has reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the country’s coronavirus response center. 

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Russia as of November 13 is 1,880,551 with an official death toll of 32,443.

The previous highest daily caseload was recorded on November 9, with 21,798 infections.

Some of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers have pledged to help deliver potential Covid-19 treatments to low- and middle-income countries that otherwise might not have the same access as wealthier nations, according to the non-profit Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

The executive director of MPP, Charles Gore, said the agreement is a “breakthrough” and represents “unprecedented cooperation” from 18 companies that are traditionally competitors.

 The drug makers have pledged to produce large volumes of potentially life-saving Covid-19 therapies, when and if they become available to those in need, MPP said in a statement.

The generic drug makers that have pledged to help are: Adcock Ingram, Arene, Aurobindo, Beximco, Celltrion, Desano, Emcure, Hetero, Langhua Pharma, Laurus Labs, Lupin, Macleods, Mangalam, Micro Labs, Natco, Strides Shasun, Sun Pharma, Zydus Cadila.

So far, the only authorized therapies available to treat Covid-19 in the United States are Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody treatment, the antiviral remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone.

United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Thursday that he worried about the future of religious liberty in the country, expressing particular concern as it applies to Covid restrictions and the Supreme Court's decision in 2015 clearing the way for same-sex marriage nationwide.

"It pains me to say this," Alito said, "but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right."

The remarks -- an enlargement of themes he's written about -- came as he was addressing the conservative Federalist Society via Zoom for its annual conference.

The speech was particularly notable because it comes at a fraught time on the heels of a divisive election, when Chief Justice John Roberts has sought to keep the court out of the political fray.

In addressing Covid-19, Alito pointedly noted that he was not trying to diminish the severity of the pandemic, which he said has taken a heavy human toll, leaving "thousands dead, many more hospitalized," but that he wanted to emphasize its impact on the rule of law and individual rights as officials have moved to combat the virus.

"We have never before seen restrictions as severe, extensive and prolonged," he said, and added that the pandemic has resulted in "previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty."

Read more of Alito's remarks:

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Alito raises religious liberty concerns about Covid restrictions and same-sex marriage ruling

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 in Colorado reached an all-time high on Thursday, according to state data.

There are 1,183 patients in hospital with the virus and an additional 134 patients are suspected of having Covid-19.

Authorities also reported another daily high of coronavirus cases -- at 4,591. The previous daily record was 3,890, reported on November 10.

If cases continue to rise, public health authorities could face further issues. The state's intensive care unit beds are 85% full, and 25% of the state's hospital facilities are anticipating a staffing shortage in the next week, according to authorities. 

These numbers were released by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN's database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Japan reported 1,649 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, the highest single-day number of cases in the nation. But Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the current situation still does not require the reintroduction of a state of emergency or the cancellation of the government's campaign to boost domestic tourism.

An expert panel advising Suga said part of the reason the country is not declaring a state of emergency yet is because the virus is not spreading particularly fast and hospitals are not that full.

Hospital bed occupancy is just above 10% and the rate of new infections is fewer than five people for every 100,000.

The country’s northernmost prefecture and island, Hokkaido, saw the highest number of new infections at 236 cases for Thursday. Tokyo posted 393 new cases on Thursday, the Japanese capital's highest since August 8, while Japan’s second biggest city, Osaka, reported 231 new infections.

The nationwide total stands at 114,010 cases.