November 13 coronavirus news

The United States reported 153,496 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University -- the country's highest daily caseload and the first time the number of coronavirus infections have exceeded 150,000 in a single day.

It's also the tenth consecutive day cases have topped 100,000.

To date, the US has identified 10,552,821 Covid-19 cases and least 242,423 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. At least 919 deaths were reported Thursday. 

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

CNN is tracking cases in the US here:

RELATED

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

A total of 10,015 people have died of Covid-19 in the US state of Massachusetts since March, according to state Department of Public Health data. 

Twenty-one new deaths were reported by the state on Thursday, bringing the death toll past 10,000.

Cases have spiked dramatically in Massachusetts. Governor Charlie Baker said earlier this week that Covid-19 infections have increased by more than 300% and hospitalizations by 200% since Labor Day.

The state is preparing for this surge by increasing hospital capacity and building field hospitals "where and when the needs are,” Baker said.

These numbers were released by the Massachusetts’s 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.

Pfizer released surprisingly positive data about its experimental coronavirus vaccine this week and may hope to apply for regulatory approval by the end of the month, but it will take several weeks more to get a vaccine through the approval process, experts noted.

Americans should not be hoping for any authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration before the last half of December, experts agreed.

That's because Pfizer, which appears to be the first company to be getting its vaccine trial data to the finish line, could not possibly get it together before the end of next week, which is already the end of November. After that, weeks of FDA review remain.

Dr. Larry Corey of the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who is leading the coronavirus vaccine trials network in the United States, told CNN he thinks it will take about 10 days for the FDA to review Pfizer's clinical trial data. The agency also needs to review Pfizer's manufacturing data to make sure the facilities where the vaccine is being made are up to standard.

"I'm not sure how long that review will take, but it could be two weeks. I think that's reasonable," Corey said.

Read more:

RELATED

Don't expect a coronavirus vaccine before December, experts caution

Disney CEO Bob Chapek blasted California officials for the state’s restrictions on theme parks, which the company blames for Disneyland’s continued closure. 

Last month, California officials released strict guidelines for how theme parks in the state can safely reopen. Orange County, where Disneyland is located, is currently in the second "red" tier of the state's four-tier reopening system, which represents a "substantial" spread of the virus. Under state guidelines, all theme parks must remain closed under this tier. 

Chapek accuses state leadership of using “arbitrary standards” without considering how Disney is “successfully” operating its other parks around the world. Disneyland has been closed since March.

The chief executive also suggested that the state’s restrictions are “decimating small businesses in the local community.”

CNN has reached out to California Governor Gavin Newson's office for comment.

The South Korean capital of Seoul will establish a 24-hour rapid response team tasked with helping enforce the city's mask mandate, the Health Ministry said in a press release.

The announcement comes a day before some 15,000 trade union members plan to hold rallies throughout South Korea. Authorities have asked the union to refrain from gathering and to follow disease prevention guidelines.

Gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited in the Seoul metropolitan area, and those of more than 500 people are prohibited anywhere in the country.

South Korea has to date put in place one of the world's most effective anti-epidemic response plans. As of Friday, a total of 28,133 Covid-19 cases had been confirmed, and 488 virus-related deaths -- remarkably small numbers for a country of more than 50 million people.

California just became the second state to surpass 1 million Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic -- closely following Texas, which hit the grim milestone earlier this week.

More than 5,000 new cases and 18 new deaths have been reported so far on Thursday, for a total of 1,000,631 confirmed cases and 18,126 deaths statewide, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Like most other states in the country, health officials are reporting that California's Covid-19 numbers are trending in the wrong direction.

RELATED

California becomes the second US state to top 1 million Covid-19 cases, after Texas

An influential Covid-19 model is projecting that 438,941 people will have died from Covid-19 by March 1, 2021.

The projection is from the the team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine. They said the new figure accounts for a reduced infection fatality rate.

This is the first time the model has made projections as far out as March 1.

The model predicts 36 states will see “extreme or high stress” on hospital beds by mid-December through February, with extreme stress meaning 20% of beds are filled by Covid-19 patients and high stress reflecting 10% to 19% are occupied by Covid-19 patients. This could lead to a reduction in elective surgeries, similar to what happened last spring, the IHME said. 

The death toll could hit a staggering 587,000 by March 1, the IHME said if states relax social distancing measures and mask mandates.

What about a vaccine: A potential coronavirus vaccine, which could be available to some populations by next month, has not yet been factored into the model.

Dr. Chris Murray said his group plans to build the Pfizer vaccine into the model in the next couple of weeks -- as well as any other vaccines that might be ready for emergency use authorization.

The United States currently has more people hospitalized with Covid-19 than ever before, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP).

There were 67,096 people in hospital on Thursday across the entire United States, according to the CTP. This is now the third consecutive day that that nation has topped 60,000 current hospitalizations.

Last Thursday, the US reported 53,322 current hospitalizations.

Eighteen states and one US territory reported record high Covid-19 hospitalizations Thursday, according to the CTP.

Those states are: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.

Record high hospitalizations are expected to continue as new Covid-19 cases continue to skyrocket.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought the US economy to a screeching halt, and while it has started its long road to recovery, the economy we knew is probably a thing of the past, said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday.

"We're recovering, but to a different economy," Powell said during a virtual panel discussion at the European Central Bank's Forum on Central Banking.

The pandemic has accelerated existing trends in the economy and society, including the increasing use of technology, telework and automation, he said. This will have lasting effects on how people live and work.

While technological advances are generally positive for societies over the long term, Powell said, on a short-term basis they create disruption, and as the market adjusts to the new normal the pain isn't shared evenly.

For example, it's likely that lower-paid workers, as well as those in jobs requiring face-to-face interactions, such as retail or restaurant workers, will shoulder most of the burden of this shift. These groups, heavily skewed towards women and minorities, have already been among those most affected by pandemic layoffs, Powell said.

The post-pandemic economy is also at risk of being less productive: women have been forced to quit their jobs due to child care responsibilities during the crisis, and children aren't getting the education they deserve, Powell said.

Read more of Powell's remarks here:

RELATED

The economy as we knew it might be over, Fed Chairman says