Category: Corona Virus

Another four Mainers have died as health officials on Wednesday reported 158 new coronavirus cases across the state.

Wednesdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 9,519. Of those, 8,599 have been confirmed positive, while 960 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Tuesdays cumulative total to 9,361, down from 9,363, meaning there was a net increase of 156 over the previous days report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the states cumulative total. The Bangor Daily News reports on the number of new cases reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (17), Cumberland (31), Franklin (7), Hancock (11), Kennebec (16), Knox (1), Lincoln (4), Oxford (4), Penobscot (18), Piscataquis (3), Sagadahoc (1), Somerset (5), Waldo (4), Washington (3) and York (29) counties, state data show. Information about where four additional cases were reported wasnt immediately available

Only one county Aroostook reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 191.7, up from 190 a day ago, up from 164.7 a week ago and up from 30.9 a month ago.

Since the latest surge in virus transmission began a little more than three weeks ago, Maine has seen nearly 3,500 new cases and 24 deaths. It took Maine until early July to record as many cases, four months after health officials confirmed the virus presence here.

Health officials have warned Mainers that forceful and widespread community transmission is being seen throughout the state. Five counties are seeing high community transmission: Franklin, Knox, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

The statewide death toll now stands at 170. The latest deaths involved a woman in her 90s from Knox County, a man in his 80s from Kennebec County, a woman in her 80s from York County and a man in his 90s from York County. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 600 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 85 people are currently hospitalized, with 30 in critical care and 10 on ventilators.

Meanwhile, 204 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 7,229. That means there are 2,120 active confirmed and probable cases in the state, which is down from 2,172 on Tuesday. Its the first decline in the active case count Maine has seen since the latest surge began in late October.

A majority of the cases 5,654 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Wednesday, there have been 776,159 negative test results out of 787,840 overall. About 1.4 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

As of Tuesday, there have been 230 cases of COVID-19 in students at Pre-K-12 schools in the last 30 days 205 confirmed and 25 probable. Fourteen schools currently have open outbreaks with the most cases being nine at Thornton Academy in Saco.

There are currently 43 known cases among students, faculty and staff in the University of Maine System out of 30,000 individuals, according to UMS spokesperson Dan Demeritt.

Thirty-one cases are at UMaine with two new cases involving commuter students and one employee completing isolation; One case is associated with University of Maine at Augusta; One case is associated with University of Maine at Machias; One case was announced at the University of Maine at Presque Isle involving a student living in a residence hall through the schools asymptomatic testing program; And nine cases are associated with the University of Southern Maine with one non-resident student completing isolation.

Five of the 43 cases at UMS are residence hall students with two at UMaine, one at UMPI and two at USM.

On Tuesday, officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle announced that the first known cases of COVID-19 at the school was declared a false positive. The Vault PCR test that the university uses has a 1 percent false positive rate nationally.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 3,361 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 70 have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,248), Aroostook (88), Franklin (170), Hancock (188), Kennebec (619), Knox (172), Lincoln (117), Oxford (252), Penobscot (533), Piscataquis (28), Sagadahoc (123), Somerset (366), Waldo (199), Washington (159) and York (1,890) counties. Information about where an additional six cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

As of Wednesday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 11,485,176 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 250,029 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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4 more Mainers die as another 158 coronavirus cases are reported across the state - Bangor Daily News

Several forms of government aid have been granted to Americans and their businesses in response to the pandemic. But anyone who recently received their property tax bills in Florida they started going out at the end of October may have noticed there were no adjustments made because of the coronavirus.

So is property tax relief a possibility, and if so, who would get it, and when?

Pinellas Property Appraiser Mike Twitty spoke with us to answer those questions, which he said are being discussed by every property appraiser both around Tampa Bay and throughout the state. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity:

Lets start with the basics. Property owners in Pinellas and throughout Florida are starting to get their property tax bills for the year, and some may be wondering why theres no pandemic relief in them. What is the explanation for that?

The explanation is that property taxes are always paid in arrears, meaning youre paying after the fact. So when we value properties, its always based on an effective date of January 1 for that tax year. So that predated the pandemic. The first two cases of coronavirus were reported in Florida in early March. So those values were effectively already set prior to that date because were always analyzing data from the prior year. We were using 2019 data to set that January 1, 2020 value.

But youve mentioned that your office is talking with some state officials to get sales and bed tax data to determine who might be eligible for a discount in next years taxes. Can you tell me more about that, and what types of property owners that might affect?

We already do receive sales and bed tax data, but its not as regular as we would like to really analyze impacts to particular commercial property owners and businesses. So if we have (more of) that data, well be able to better see who, essentially, the winners and losers were during the course of the pandemic.

We have a pretty good gut feel as to who those are, but we want to actually see real numbers to back it up. So Ive been in discussions with the governors office and the Department of Revenue in order to allow that flow of information. The other thing that were trying to do is encourage all of our income-producing commercial property owners and businesses to provide their profit and loss statements for 2019 versus 2020 so that we have tangible evidence showing their potential impact at their location or their business type.

We have two different things to look at. We have not only real estate values, we also have tangible personal property values, and that would be all your business equipment. Some business owners may be renters, so they dont own the real estate, but they own equipment thats in that location, and theyre paying tangible taxes on those items. So we would like to see their information as well to help with potential relief efforts there.

As far as identifying the property types were most concerned about on the commercial side, hospitality is a big one. So your bars, your restaurants, your hotels, your theaters, live music venues. And then your local multi-tenant office and retail. We do foresee there could be some impacts to multifamily (apartment buildings). We dont think theyll be as deep but we do know that there are some issues there with with tenants' ability to pay.

In order to provide relief based on all that information youre gathering, would that require action from the Legislature?

It could.

Lets back up. A tax bill is derived from two variables. You have value and you have tax rate, or millage. The tax rates are set by your taxing authorities, which are your county, your various municipalities, your school board ... So those rates against value are what create peoples tax bills.

With that in mind, the only piece we have control over in the property appraisers office is the value piece. So if its one of these property types that were talking about that is impacted in a manner that the value decreases for January 1, 2021, essentially, there would be automatic relief built in by value reduction.

A lot of residential (value) is likely to increase, because we have not seen a downturn in residential whatsoever. The pandemic has actually created a shortage of supply through most of Florida. Supply is down to the tightest amount weve likely ever seen, the lowest supply Ive seen in my 30 years in real estate here in Pinellas County.

So that has obviously resulted in prices moving up. In those situations, then, any sort of relief would have to come from in that other side of the equation, that other variable, which would be the millage. So that would have to come from the taxing authorities, or you have to have legislative action that would grant certain property owners some form of a credit.

Theyve done that for hurricanes. They have had a formula (to subtract) the number of days that you couldnt occupy your residence because you were displaced by the hurricane. This is tougher to quantify, because you dont see necessarily physical damage to justify it. It would have to be vetted in a different manner. Thats why I think the importance of having profit-loss statements and things like that, to justify the fact that people have been impacted at that level.

So youre saying that for single-family homeowners to receive a tax break next year, that will likely require government action, since their property values are going up?

Right. Thats a generality, but overall, the market is on an upswing on the residential side.

Is there anything else you think is important to know ?

If people want more information, they can go to our website, pcpao.org. On our homepage, we have a little section that says, communicating with our office, and theres a link there for important information regarding COVID-19 and property values. Theres a little infographic that explains the importance of January 1, when relief would potentially be considered and it has an FAQ.

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Will property taxes around Tampa Bay be reduced because of the coronavirus? - Tampa Bay Times

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Another Mainer has died as health officials on Thursday reported 217 new coronavirus cases across the state.

Thursdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 9,734. Of those, 8,732 have been confirmed positive, while 1,002 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Wednesdays cumulative total to 9,517, down from 9,519, meaning there was a net increase of 215 over the previous days report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the states cumulative total. The Bangor Daily News reports on the number of new cases reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (21), Aroostook (1), Cumberland (50), Franklin (9), Hancock (4), Kennebec (11), Knox (2), Lincoln (10), Oxford (15), Penobscot (39), Sagadahoc (5), Somerset (5), Waldo (2), Washington (10) and York (31) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional two cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

Only one county Piscataquis reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 194.3, up from 193.3 a day ago, up from 173.1 a week ago and up from 31 a month ago.

Thursdays report comes as the Maine CDC announced it will no longer investigate suspected coronavirus cases until confirmed by testing. That could result in fewer probable cases being reported, but Director Nirav Shah said Wednesday it doesnt mean the virus poses a lesser risk.

That move is partly to cope with a more than three-week-long surge in new coronavirus cases and as the flu season approaches when Mainers may start to develop similar symptoms to the coronavirus.

Thursday also marked the fifth time in 10 days when more than 200 new cases have been reported.

Health officials have warned Mainers that forceful and widespread community transmission is being seen throughout the state. Five counties are seeing high community transmission: Franklin, Knox, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

The latest death involved a Kennebec County resident, bringing the statewide death toll to 171. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 613 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Information about those who are currently hospitalized wasnt immediately available.

Meanwhile, 174 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 7,403. That means there are 2,160 active confirmed and probable cases in the state, which is up from 2,120 on Wednesday.

A majority of the cases 5,806 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Wednesday, there have been 776,159 negative test results out of 787,840 overall. About 1.4 percent of all tests have come back positive, the most recently available Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 3,415 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 70 have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,269), Aroostook (89), Franklin (179), Hancock (192), Kennebec (629), Knox (174), Lincoln (174), Oxford (267), Penobscot (573), Piscataquis (28), Sagadahoc (128), Somerset (370), Waldo (200), Washington (170) and York (1,921) counties. Information about where an additional three cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

As of Thursday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 11,531,451 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 250,548 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

Correction: An earlier version of this report misstated the number of new cases reported in Androscoggin County over the previous 24 hours.

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Another Mainer dies as 217 new coronavirus cases are reported across Maine - Bangor Daily News

I think every groups probably trying to get assistance at this point, said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association. The thing about this industry, though, is it has been the tip of the spear since day one, and they have sacrificed the most of any industry.

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With $1.3 billion in coronavirus cash left to spend, the Pa. government might be the big winner - The Philadelphia Inquirer

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Roughly two months ago, Gov. Kristi Noem posted on her Governors Facebook page that South Dakota had peaked with COVID-19. Noem said South Dakotas COVID-19 spread peaked the latest of just about any state, on Sept. 22.

If the peak was on Sept. 22, its been a heck of a second wave.

South Dakota had 18,624 COVID-19 cases on Nov. 17. The state had 582 people in the hospital, 644 deaths, 67,284 total cases, 48,016 recovered individuals and 3,769 total people who have been hospitalized. Most deaths were in the 80 plus age range (362), followed by the 70 to 79 range (129).

But after Noems peak post on Sept. 22, South Dakota Department of Health Officials said during a Sept. 24 news briefing that it was too soon to say if the state had peaked with COVID-19.

The state had 178 people with COVID-19 in the hospital, 2,817 active cases and 202 deaths, on Sept. 22.

Fast forward to Nov. 4 when DOH epidemiologist Dr. Joshua Clayton said he expected hospitalizations to keep increasing.

With the increasing cases that weve seen, the models from CDC are a showing that were gonna be seeing level, if not short term increases in, hospital bed use and then start to decline from there, Clayton said in a Nov. 4 KELOLAND News story.

Noem will have a news conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday, but her office did not state what she will address.

The Governor has not had a COVID-19 related news conference since July 28 when she talked about the need for South Dakotas K-12 students to be in school for in person instruction.

Noem has repeatedly stressed since the pandemic started that the state goal was to flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19 to make sure hospitals have the capacity to care for sick people.

The numbers as of Nov. 17 are far below what was originally projected as possibilities in March.

On March 23, Noem said that early projections showed that up 30% of South Dakotans could get COVID-19. That would be about 265,398individuals or about the combined populations of Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

But that estimate was early in the pandemic in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control projected in March that between 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die from COVID-19. The death toll as of Nov. 17 was 248,462. The projections for the U.S. and South Dakota were made before any advances in treatment for COVID-19 or before, or just at the start, of measures such as mask wearing, crowd restrictions, shelter in place and others were required, recommended or put into practice.

The state finished August with 76 people in the hospital with COVID-19 and a total of 1,029 who had been hospitalized.

On Oct. 5, she boasted in a Facebook post that the state had met that goal and also slowed the spread of COVID-19.

While Noem said in her Oct. 5 post that the goals were met, COVID-19 kept spreading and increasing the number of deaths and hospitalizations.

On Oct. 5, the state had 241 people in the hospital with COVID-19, according to the DOH. On Oct. 9 there were 277. There were 4,274 active cases on Oct. 5.

As the number of cases increased, so did the number of recoveries. On Oct. 9, there were 27,215 total COVID-19 cases and 21,750 individuals identified as recovered.

And in an Oct. 9 post from Noem, it appeared she was claiming victory over COVID-19.

But doctors and health officials around the state were not claiming victory over COVID-19 in October.

During an Oct. 5 news briefing in Sioux Falls, David Flicek, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avera McKennan and Dr. Mike Wilde of Sanford said COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients were straining their available ICU and overall staffed beds.

The state had 241 people in the hospital with COVID-19. There were 4,274 active cases.

Surge plans had been already been activated by both health care systems.

In mid- April, doctors from Avera and Sanford said their systems had surge plans in place to handle COVID-19 patients and others. But, here was one scenario that was possibility back in April which was that Sioux Falls and the state would have different COVID-19 peaks.

In a media briefing on April 17, South Dakota Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said while the state was planning for 1,300 Intensive Care Unit beds, the most recent models showed the state would need 650 beds.

On Sept. 24, the DOH said the state had 245 ICU beds.

The DOH website lists the available capacity for ICU and general staffed beds in the state. As of Nov. 17, 38.9% of the staffed ICU beds were available, according to the state.

But, the DOH ICU staffed beds also include neonatal intensive care beds (NICU) which are designed for infants.

On Nov. 18, the DOH website broke down the adult ICU and the pediatric beds. The DOH said 18.1% of adult ICU beds were available on Nov. 18.

As of Oct. 6, the DOH said the state had 293 staffed ICU beds. Two organizations have South Dakota with 113 or 128 NICU beds which would leave 180 or 168 ICU beds for adults, based on the states 293 staffed ICU beds count.

In October, health care officials were reporting that they were using surge plans, which includes adding patient hospital beds. Health care officials said COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients needed ICU and other patient beds.

On Oct. 22, Noem posted on her Governors Facebook page that South Dakota has the hospital capacity to care for those who need it. She also highlighted that lockdowns dont stop COVID-19 from spreading but they do decimate the economy.

Deaths continued to increase in October. The state ended the month with 214 deaths.

November started with significant increases in deaths. As of Nov. 17, there have been 219 COVID-19 deaths for the month.

Active hospitalizations reached 607 on Nov. 10 and were at 582 on Nov. 17. There have been 644 total deaths.

Recoveries were at 48,016 and total cases were at 67,284 on Nov. 17.

Health officials across the state continue to sound the warning about hospital capacity in South Dakota.

On Nov. 17, the South Dakota Medical Association said it supported a statewide mask mandate.

Dr. David Basel of Avera said on Nov. 17 that Averas main campus had doubled its ICU capacity and patient levels were at historic levels.

Doctors from Sanford and Avera announced again on Nov. 17 that their systems were using surge capacity to add more beds for COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients.

On Nov. 17, Noem appeared to shift her attention to COVID-19 testing as she pointed out increased testing in the state on her Governors Twitter account.

The increased testing for Nov. 10 through Nov. 14 can be attributed in part to the U.S. Surgeon Generals office selecting South Dakota as one of the state the federal government would provide free COVID-19 testing at 10 sites around the state.

Communities across the state were selected for mass testing to augment current community testing options, South Dakota Department of Health spokesman Derrick Haskins said in an email to KELOLAND News. for a Nov. 9 story.

The mass testing organized with the help of federal officials and the South Dakota National Guard are the first such community mass testing program in the state since the pandemic started.

There was mass testing conducted in April when there was coronavirus outbreak linked to Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls. The city of Huron had a mass testing event in September related to the state fair.

When the Governor shares test records she appears to be sharing recorded total tests. The DOHs daily reports include total number of tests and positive and negatives. The total number of tests each day do not equal individuals because some individuals may be tested more than once.

The free community COVIDF-19 tests started on Nov. 10 in Pierre. KELOLAND News breaks down the number of new persons tested from the DOH Data reported each day. It is not yet known how many tests can be attributed to the community testing program.

The DOH has a news conference slated for Nov. 18.

There were 2,421 new persons tested on Nov. 11. Heres the breakdown for each days report starting with Nov. 12 and ending on Nov. 17: 2,968, 2,573, 3,162, 2,291, 2,033, and 2,212.

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Your Guide To Coronavirus

KELOLAND News is covering the COVID-19 pandemic. This is your guide to everything you need to know to prepare. We also have the latest stories from across the globe feeding into this page.

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Whats happened since Governor Noem had a news conference about the coronavirus pandemic? - KELOLAND.com

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 56.2 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 1.34 million.

South Asia has passed 10 million confirmed cases, according to a Reuters tally. India has the highest number of cases, where officials are concerned that Diwali celebrations could see cases rise again.

New York City has returned to at-home learning for all students, as it closed schools after a jump in COVID-19 infections.

A gauge of global stocks climbed to a record high for the third straight day, as further upbeat vaccine news outweighed concerns about rising cases and the economic impact.

US land borders with Canada and Mexico are expected to remain closed to non-essential travel until at least 21 December.

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen again in France, with 28,383 reported yesterday, compared to 45,522 on Tuesday. The number of people in intensive care units has fallen in three of the past five days.

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to disrupt manufacturing and supply chains, with severe consequences for society, businesses, consumers and the global economy.

As the effects of coronavirus unfold, companies are asking what short-term actions they need to take to ensure business continuity and protect their employees. How should they be preparing for the rebound and increasing their manufacturing and supply systems resilience?

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Kearney, brought together senior-level executives from various industry sectors to identify the best response to the COVID-19 crisis. Their recommendations have been published in a new white paper: How to rebound stronger from COVID-19: Resilience in manufacturing and supply systems.

Source: How to rebound stronger from COVID-19: Resilience in manufacturing and supply systems.

Read the full white paper, and more information in our Impact Story.

Companies are invited to join the Forums Platform for Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Production. Through the Platforms work, companies can join with other leaders to help find solutions that support the reconfiguration of global value chains post-COVID-19.

Pfizer said Wednesdaythat the final results from the late-stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine showed it was 95% effective. The company also said it has the required two-months of safety data and is set to apply for emergency US authorization.

Moderna announced similar preliminary results for its own vaccine's effectiveness on Monday.

Both companies have said they could have emergency approval in the US and Europe by next month, with deliveries underway before the end of the year.

If all goes well, I could imagine that we gain approval in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if all goes positively, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Reuters TV. BioNTech partnered with Pfizer in the development of its vaccine.

This view was supported by US Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, who said: We now have two safe and highly effective vaccines that could be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and ready to distribute within weeks.

Organizations, such as airline Air France-KLM, are gearing up for the challenge of vaccine delivery. Its going to be a major logistics challenge, said Air France cargo chief Christophe Boucher, citing the massive volume of vaccines to be distributed globally.

Another difficulty is the temperature control, Boucher said in an interview at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

3. US deaths pass 250,000

Confirmed COVID-19 deaths have passed a quarter of a million people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The United States is reporting 1,176 daily deaths over a 7-day average - more than the daily average deaths in India and Brazil combined - the two countries next most affected, reports Reuters.

The US has recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other country.

Image: Our World in Data

States have introduced new restrictions and measures in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, after cases accelerated in recent weeks. In Cleveland, people have been asked to stay home, while in Minnesota, all restaurants, bars, fitness centers and entertainment venues have been closed for four weeks.

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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 19 November - World Economic Forum

Just a few weeks ago, Kem Kemp, a high school teacher in Houston, knew no one personally who had tested positive for the coronavirus. Then her roommate came down with a deep cough and was diagnosed with Covid-19. Her brother, a dentist in Amarillo, Texas, also tested positive. A neighbor fell sick with the virus. Two faculty members at the private school where she teaches were required to quarantine. And in the last few days, so were two of the students she advises.

Before, we were watching the numbers on the news, said Ms. Kemp, 62. Now its started creeping into my neighborhood, my school, my home right where Im existing.

As Covid-19 cases surge in almost every part of the country, researchers say the United States is fast approaching what could be a significant tipping point a pandemic so widespread that every American knows someone who has been infected. But, as reflected in the polarized response to the virus, the public remains deeply divided about how and whether to fight it, and it is unclear whether seeing friends and relatives sick or dead will change that.

Many who have seen people close to them seriously affected say they are taking increased precautions. Others, though, are focusing on how most people recover and are shrugging off the virus and calls for concerted efforts to combat it.

The United States surpassed 11 million reported virus cases on Sunday, with one million of those tallied in just the last week. The daily average of new cases is up by 80 percent from two weeks ago. More than 69,000 people were in American hospitals with Covid-19 on Saturday; more than 1,100 deaths are being reported each day on average.

Those alarming numbers the highest case numbers and death toll in the world underscore a reality found in small towns, big cities and sprawling suburbs alike: The coronavirus has become personal.

Researchers estimate that nearly all Americans have someone in their social circle who has had the virus. About a third of the population knows someone from a close relative to a neighbor to a co-worker to a friend of a friend who has died from the virus, researchers say. But not everyone is hunkering down in fear or taking precautions as simple as wearing a mask.

As more and more people know someone who gets sick and dies, more and more Americans are likely to take this disease seriously, said Nicholas A. Christakis, a Yale sociologist and the author of Apollos Arrow, a new book about the impact of the virus. But the effect of knowing people who survived it may lead people to misread Covid as not being as bad as it is.

Ms. Kemp, for one, has become more vigilant since listening to her roommate cough herself to sleep at night. She wears a mask when she walks her dog, and notices when others do not. Wessie and John Dietz, of Sauk County, Wis., wear masks even in their car since their 20-year-old grandson, an electricians apprentice, appeared to have contracted the virus from a friend he took a ride with. I hadnt even thought about it before that, Ms. Dietz said.

And April Polk, of Memphis, has urged all young people to follow restrictions to curb the spread of the virus since her 24-year-old sister, Lameshia, died this summer.

I was one of the ones that didnt take it seriously, and it took for me to lose my little sister to realize how real this virus is, Ms. Polk said. Every day were suffering, and we have to be reminded of what happened and how it happened to her.

Nearly 2.2 million Americans have lost a close family member to Covid, research has shown, with troubling emotional and financial effects for children, widows and parents. Kristin Urquiza, 39, of San Francisco, said she continues to have nightmares about her fathers death from the disease in late June in Arizona. Rosie Davis, a skin laser technician in Carrollton, Texas, has been attending remote grieving classes since her mother died in May at a hospital: I will never have closure because I was not able to be next her when she passed, Ms. Davis said.

Kerry Knudson, of Sioux Falls, S.D. has been a wreck, she said, after people in her circle died and her daughter, Jadyn, 13, contracted the virus. With the virus percolating fast through Jadyns middle school three months later, Jadyn is still battling waves of exhaustion and fever.

But for Dennis Rohr 77, even learning that an acquaintance had died from Covid-19 a few days after sitting beside him at a dinner table has not changed his opinion that the disease is relatively benign.

His grandsons family has all been infected, Mr. Rohr said, as have his granddaughters. The guitar and piano player in his rock n roll band both got the virus recently, and one was hospitalized. But, he notes, most people recover.

Fear and hysteria have created more problems than the virus itself, said Mr. Rohr, a city commissioner in Mandan, N.D., the state with the highest rate of known cases in the country. Most people I know have had sniffles and loss of taste.

Ken Weigel, 57, also knows many people who have been infected with the coronavirus. The list includes himself, his wife and their son, and his 83-year-old mother, who is currently infected.

But there is more to consider, he said, than a simple calculation about health risks, like the side-effects of shutting down the economy, stifling individual freedom and isolating people from one another.

Theres so many people dying from suicides and depression and alcoholism and drug overdose, and its just wrong, said Mr. Weigel, who works as a hot shot driver for Halliburton at the oil fields in Minot, N.D.

For some, the lessons learned have as much to do with faith as public health.

Gabriel Quintas accepts the death of his favorite uncle, Joel Quintas, from Covid-19 complications at the age of 39 as the will of God and says that he harbors no anger or resentment. Joel, who worked in a bakery in Champaign, Ill., was not the only one in his family to contract the coronavirus, but he was the only one to die from it in the United States. Gabriels own parents and two of his brothers tested positive and so did both of Joels young sons, though they all made full recoveries.

We dont want to blame anybody, Gabriel, 20, said. It is something tragic that happened and we want to move on.

Research has shown that the lessons people draw from their social networks can be more powerful than anything they read on the news or receive from a government or educational institution they may not trust. How Americans perceive the threat of the virus in the lives of their friends and acquaintances will likely influence their willingness to be vaccinated, researchers said.

The perceived threat of the virus may also depend on how close someone is to a person who has died or suffered a long-term disability as a result of the virus. While about a third of Americans know someone who has died of Covid-19, only a small percentage can count a virus victim among their 20 closest contacts, according to a calculation by James Moody, director of a network analysis center at Duke University.

Its the old joke about Facebook friends, Dr. Moody said. How many of them will help you move your couch? If youre talking to a friend of a friend about someone who died, at that point its not impactful in the way that tends to shape peoples behavior.

Mike Weinhaus, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 in St. Louis this spring at the same time as his wife, has actively sought to share their cautionary tale with friends, family and wider social network. His wife, Jane, went on a ventilator, then off, then back on again. Neither had pre-existing conditions. Two of his children and a daughter-in-law have also had Covid-19.

But Mr. Weinhaus knows his personal experience can only go so far as a means of persuasion.

When I see people that arent practicing social distancing and refuse to wear masks, I do not go up to them and say, Youre making a big mistake, because you arent going to win that battle, Mr. Weinhaus said.

The virus tore through Jennifer L. Stacys family over a nine-month stretch, with an older brother, a younger sister and a nephew among those infected. On Friday, Ms. Stacys immediate family went to get tested after possible exposure from another family member.

Like many Americans gripped by Covid-19, Ms. Stacy, 57, a budget analyst, had learned to live with technology as a stand-in for visits to her mother in Charlottesville, Va. An hour away at her home in Locust Grove, Va., she created a bubble with her husband and close relatives, forging a routine of sanitizer, masks and social distancing.

And when Virginia relaxed some restrictions over the summer, she worried that it would eventually lead to an increase in cases. Now, as Ms. Stacy awaits her own test results, the virus feels closer than ever and the need to be cautious more urgent.

I used to mask up and go to the grocery store, she said. Now I am ordering online with curbside delivery, She added: I still did not anticipate Covid would come into my own house.

Reporting was contributed by Julie Bosman, Jack Healy, Melina Delkic, Dan Levin, Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, Rick Rojas, Simon Romero, John Eligon and Mitch Smith.

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With 11 Million Cases in the U.S., the Coronavirus Has Gotten Personal for Most People - The New York Times

This is a breaking news blog for all of the latest updates about the coronavirus pandemic. Get our complete coronavirus coverage here

What is triggering closings? Check out the KPBS Trigger Tracker

COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rise Over Weekend In Riverside County

6:17 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, 2020

The number of coronavirus infections confirmed in Riverside County increased by 1,668 over the weekend, with seven additional deaths stemming from virus complications, amid a general statewide upswing in COVID cases that prompted the governor Monday to announce a tightening of economic restrictions.

"California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet -- faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "The spread of COVID-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes."

He said he has applied an "emergency brake" on the color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which entails a four-stage tier structure to lower the regulatory bar and allow economic sectors to reopen.

The county is already in the lowest tier, "purple," impacting offices, gyms, restaurants, movie theaters and places of worship.

The Board of Supervisors will discuss the governor's action during its meeting Tuesday. City News Service

WATCH: San Diego Businesses Hold Rally Downtown Against New COVID-19 Restrictions

3:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, 2020

Supervisor Jim Desmond holds a rally outside of the County Administration Building to urge the Board of Supervisors and Gov. Gavin Newsom to allow San Diego County businesses to remain open despite the state-mandated restrictions brought on by the purple tier.

San Diego Reports 6th Consecutive Day Of 600-Plus New Coronavirus Cases

2 38 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, 2020

San Diego County health officials reported another huge jump in COVID-19 cases 833 but no additional deaths Monday, bringing the county's total to 65,501 cases, with the death toll remaining at 926.

Monday was the sixth consecutive day that more than 600 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county. The 833 cases reported Monday are the second most the county has announced in a single day during the pandemic, following a record high of 1,087 reported Sunday and a then-record 736 Saturday.

On Wednesday, a then-record 661 cases were reported in the county surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Thursday.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced Monday that 55 of 70 inmates in the 1C module of the George Bailey Detention Facility had tested positive for COVID-19.

Newsom Pulls 'Emergency Brake' On State's Reopening Plan As Virus Cases Surge

2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, 2020

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was pulling the emergency brake Monday on the state's efforts to reopen its economy as coronavirus cases surge more dramatically than they did during a summer spike.

We are sounding the alarm, Newsom said in a statement. California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer. The spread of COVID-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes."

The action that Newsom called the emergency brake in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy will impose more restrictions on businesses across most of the state. He said masks would now be required outside homes with limited exceptions.

The troubling rise in cases in November has come at a faster pace than a spike in mid-June and could quickly surpass the peak of the hospitalizations at the time, health officials have said. The state became the second in the U.S. last week to surpass 1 million case of the virus as the U.S. has now recorded more than 11 million cases.

The new rules are certain to rankle business owners such as restaurateurs and gym owners who have been struggling to get back on their feet after lengthy shutdowns followed by reopenings that have at times been curtailed as cases have risen. Associated Press

SD County Reports Record Of 1,087 New COVID-19 Cases

5:36 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020

San Diego County health officials have reported a huge jump in COVID-19 cases a record 1,087 and no additional deaths, bringing the county's totals to 64,768 cases and the death toll remaining at 926.

Sunday was the fifth-consecutive day that more than 600 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county.

On Saturday, the county set a record of 736 new cases. On Wednesday, a record 661 cases were reported in the county surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Thursday.

"We have not seen cases this high in months, and it's a clear indication that COVID-19 is widespread," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. City News Service

SD County Reports Record 736 New COVID-19 Cases, Five More Deaths

5:36 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020

San Diego County health officials have reported a record 736 new COVID-19 cases Saturday and five more deaths as nonessential businesses moved to outdoor-only when the county went from the red to the purple tier of the state's four-tiered coronavirus reopening plan.

The data increases the total caseload since the start of the pandemic to 63,681, with the death toll rising to 926. This is the fourth consecutive day that more than 600 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county.

On Wednesday, a record 661 COVID-19 cases were reported in the county surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Thursday.

"We have not seen cases this high in months, and it's a clear indication that COVID-19 is widespread," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

"These totals also show people are not following the public health recommendations that we know work to prevent getting and passing COVID-19."

Wooten added that in the weeks following Halloween, this record case jump is a warning sign people "need to follow public health guidance throughout the upcoming holiday season."

This comes as state data has landed the county in the most restrictive tier of the state's COVID-19 reopening plan. The restrictions associated with the purple tier went into effect just after midnight Saturday. City News Service

U.S. Adds 184,000 Coronavirus Cases In 1 Day, With No End In Sight

4:01 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020

The U.S. added more than 184,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, the fourth day in a row that the country has set a record for daily infections, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

It has been about four weeks since the U.S. overtook India to see the most daily cases of any country in the world. While India's case numbers spiked in September, they have largely been on a downward path since then. But cases in the U.S. continue to surge. For the first time, the country's seven-day moving average of new cases has surpassed 150,000.

America is also the world leader in coronavirus fatalities, with over 244,000 COVID-19 related deaths. More than 1,400 people died from the virus in the U.S. on Friday the most deaths that day of any country.

For the moment, daily deaths are below the peak of around 2,200 daily fatalities the U.S. saw in April. But deaths are known to lag behind rising infection rates, as it often takes several weeks for the virus to become fatal. Matthew S. Schwartz, NPR

San Diego Has Third Straight Day Of 600-Plus New COVID-19 Cases

5:35 p.m, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

San Diego County health officials reported an additional 611 COVID-19 cases and three more deaths Friday as nonessential businesses prepare for another closure at midnight as the county prepares to enter the purple tier of the state's four-tiered coronavirus reopening plan.

The data increases the total caseload since the start of the pandemic to 62,945, with the death toll rising to 921. This is the third consecutive day that more than 600 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county.

On Wednesday, a record 661 COVID-19 cases were reported in the county surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Thursday.

"We have not seen cases this high in months, and it's a clear indication that COVID-19 is widespread," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

"These totals also show people are not following the public health recommendations that we know work to prevent getting and passing COVID-19."

Wooten added that in the weeks following Halloween, this record case jump is a warning sign people "need to follow public health guidance throughout the upcoming holiday season." City News Service

Local Restaurants, Gyms, Sue County And State Over COVID-19 Shutdowns

3:21 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

Four local restaurants and gyms are suing the state and county over its coronavirus restrictions as a shutdown of indoor operations looms for many county businesses.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop, Home & Away Encinitas, Fit Athletic Club and Bear Republic.

The suit comes as San Diego County is slated to shut down indoor operations for nonessential businesses at midnight due to its recent entry into the most restrictive, purple tier of the state's coronavirus reopening plan.

The businesses allege that San Diego's increased case numbers are not a result of exposures at restaurants, gyms and other types of businesses that will be impacted by the impending closures. The lawsuit cites recent figures indicating restaurants/bars, retail businesses, places of worship, schools and gyms make up a small percentage of confirmed community outbreaks. City News Service

Newsom Says He Should Not Have Attended Dinner Party

3:15 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he should not have attended a birthday dinner for a dozen people at the posh French Laundry restaurant last week, saying that he should have set a better example for a virus-fatigued state that is seeing steep increases in coronavirus cases.

Newsom, who has pleaded with residents to avoid social gatherings that mix households, said in a statement Friday that while our family followed the restaurants health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday of the Nov. 6 dinner to celebrate the 50th birthday of Newsom's longtime friend and political adviser Jason Kinney. The outdoor dinner at The French Laundry in Yountville in Napa County brought together 12 people, including the governor and his wife.

State guidelines limit gatherings, defined as social situations that bring together people from different households at the same time in a single space or place, to no more than three households. It's unclear if the rule applies to restaurants, however, which follow different guidance.

The California Republican Party said in a tweet that the governor seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth. Associated Press

Live Blog: WATCH: California Health And Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly Gives Update On COVID-19 In California

12:00 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

California, Oregon, Washington Issue Virus Travel Advisories

11:45 a.m., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued travel advisories Friday urging people entering their states or returning from outside the states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said.

The advisories urge people to avoid non-essential out-of-state travel, ask people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country and encourage residents to stay local, a statement said.

California just surpassed a sobering threshold one million COVID-19 cases with no signs of the virus slowing down, Newsom wrote. Increased cases are adding pressure on our hospital systems and threatening the lives of seniors, essential workers and vulnerable Californians." Associated Press

SD County Reports Additional 1,281 COVID-19 Cases Over Two-Day Period

11:43 a.m., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

San Diego County health officials have reported an additional 620 COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, increasing the total caseload since the start of the pandemic to 62,334, with the death toll rising to 918.

On Tuesday, a record 661 COVID-19 cases were reported in the county surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7.

"We have not seen cases this high in months and it's a clear indication that COVID-19 is widespread," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

"These totals also show people are not following the public health recommendations that we know work to prevent getting and passing COVID-19."

Wooten added that in the weeks following Halloween, this record case jump is a warning sign people "need to follow public health guidance throughout the upcoming holiday season."

This comes as state data has landed the county in the most restrictive tier of the state's COVID-19 reopening plan. The restrictions associated with the purple tier will go into place just after midnight tonight, Wooten said. City News Service

Escondido's Pioneer Elementary Suspends On-Campus Activities After 3 COVID-19 Cases

6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020

All on-campus activities, including in-person classes, at Pioneer Elementary School were suspended after three people tested positive for the coronavirus, the Escondido Union School District (EUSD) announced Thursday.

The district said the cases were separate, unrelated to each other and happened off-campus. The temporary suspension was done out of an abundance of caution and will last through Nov. 30.

We understand that an interruption of on-campus activities causes a huge disruption to our families and staff. But this action is necessary to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community, EUSD superintendent Luis Rankins-Ibarra said. The safety and security of our students and staff continue to be at the forefront of all decisions.

The distribution of free, to-go meals, however, will continue, the district said.

To date, there have been 17 COVID-19 cases at EUSD impacting nine campuses, resulting in 165 students and 33 staffers being quarantined. Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News

California Surpasses 1 Million Coronavirus Cases Mark

4:05 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020

California has become the second state to record 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections. Texas reached the mark earlier this week.

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed Thursday that California surpassed the grim milestone. It comes nearly 10 months after the first cases were confirmed in the most populous state.

California was the first in the nation to implement a statewide stay-at-home order on its nearly 40 million residents in March.

After spiking in the summer, the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in California declined markedly into the fall but now is surging again, like much of the nation. This week, 11 counties had rates high enough that state restrictions were reimposed on certain businesses and activities. Associated Press

San Diego Courts Not Closing Despite Countys Purple Tier Status

1:40 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020

San Diego County's recent dip into the most restrictive tier of the state's coronavirus reopening plan will not lead to additional court closures or changes to local court operations, the San Diego Superior Court announced Thursday.

Rising case rates led the state to place San Diego County into the purple tier of the reopening plan, meaning indoor operations will cease at many nonessential businesses starting Saturday.

While court operations were initially put on hold at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, court officials said its essential status will not lead to further modifications even with this latest development. Precautions such as temperature screenings, increased cleaning, social distancing and facial covering requirements remain in place. City News Service

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Live Blog: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rise Over Weekend In Riverside County - KPBS

With the coronavirus crisis worsening by the day, The Colorado Sun reached out to three people who survived the disease in the spring to hear how their recovery is going and see what advice they have for their fellow Coloradans as the state weathers this latest surge.

Doug Summerfield, a 75-year-old Arvada man who spent a month on a ventilator, said he gets that people may be tired of coronavirus restrictions. But he said they are nothing compared to the effects of COVID-19.

Believe me, they are not inconveniences compared to trying to recover from this, compared to trying to deal with the financial expense that hits you, he said. You dont want to get it.

Click the audio files below to hear from the survivors.

About five months after being released from a rehab center, Doug Summerfield remains pretty weak. His wrist is still in excruciating pain from nerve damage and has required surgery. He sometimes struggles to breathe.

Not real great, is how he said he feels. I had hopes when I got out of rehab that in a couple months Id be back to normal. Everybody is telling me its going to take a year. Im afraid theyre right.

Summerfield fell ill with COVID-19 in late March and spent about a month on a ventilator. Doctors thought he wouldnt live, especially given his battles with asthma. But in May, he awoke he calls it a miracle and began what has turned into a long recovery.

Emotionally, Summerfield says he is doing OK, but he gets choked up when discussing the anxiety his friends and family contended with as he lay in a hospital bed on the edge of death.

MORE: 75-year-old Arvada man who spent a month on ventilator after coronavirus infection returns home from hospital

I didnt go through a month sitting on the couch like my wife did counting the seconds in the night, he said. My wife, my children, my friends all of those people went through a horrible time. Some of them cant even talk about it. That tears me up.

He thinks people who refuse to follow social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines even now are not being very intelligent.

Just the first week in the hospital was astronomically expensive, he said. Thank God I had decent insurance. For people who dont have insurance good insurance for Gods sake you dont want to catch this if for no other reason (than) it will financially ruin you. It will kill you.

Lisa Merck, a 51-year-old nurse practitioner in Crested Butte, was one of the first people in Colorado known to catch the coronavirus, but she still hasnt totally shaken the effects of the disease.

She estimates she is about 95% of her normal self. In the months following her infection, she dealt with sore throats, headaches and hair loss. In August, she felt like she had a mini relapse of COVID shortness of breath, a racing heart and chest pain.

My sense of smell hasnt totally come back yet, she said.

Merck started feeling ill on Feb. 18 Colorados first confirmed case wasnt until March 5 as she and her husband were returning from a medical conference in Hawaii. Her symptoms worsened to the point that she went to the hospital on March 8 and received a pneumonia diagnosis. She was tested for COVID-19, and the results came back positive.

Since Merck is a nurse with her own clinic, she wanted to receive two negative COVID-19 test results before returning to work. That took a difficult two months as she kept getting conflicting readouts.

MORE: A Crested Butte woman came home from Hawaii with sniffles. Then she found out it was coronavirus.

Im frustrated with the whole way the entire way that the coronavirus has been handled, honestly, she said.

The latest from the coronavirus outbreak in Colorado:

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If all Americans would just wear masks, she thinks businesses could stay open and infection rates would drop. She understands how hard it is for people to stay apart from each other, but its crucial that they be careful.

Even though you think youre healthy, and youre immune to it, youre not immune to it, she said. We dont know how its going to affect each person. Everybody is different. Merck pointed to the fact that her husband also caught coronavirus, but his infection was mild and only lasted a few days compared to her months-long ordeal.

Merck still hasnt resumed seeing patients in person at her clinic in Crested Butte for fear of catching the virus again.

Honestly, I am afraid of getting reinfected, she said. Im not opening my clinic doors until we see corona go down.

Dan Michaelec believes he caught COVID-19 at the end of February during a Vail ski trip. Just over a week later, the 55-year-old Parker man checked into a hospital.

He doesnt remember the three and a half weeks that followed. His condition had deteriorated enough that doctors put him into a medically induced coma and on a ventilator.

Michaelec stayed in five different hospitals and rehab centers as his health improved, worsened and improved again. After nine weeks of treatment he was finally well enough to return home and see his wife and kids in person.

But Michaelecs path to recovery has not been linear. While hes hesitant to call himself a long-hauler as other coronavirus survivors with lasting symptoms are known, some of the effects of the virus remain to this day, including lung scarring, high blood pressure, kidney dysfunction, spotty memory, motor and balance issues, and fatigue.

Despite setbacks, Michaelec is focused on finding markers of success: his first breath sans ventilator, his first bite of real food in weeks a giant sub sandwich and pushing himself to regain his strength through physical therapy sessions.

Im very blessed and very proud of where Im at, Michaelec said. My goal is to be that if you ever saw me on the street, you would never know what I went through.

Michaelec doesnt want to preach, but he does want people to feel a sense of social responsibility when it comes to living in a pandemic.

Educate yourself and make the best decisions for you, while you still continue to enjoy this beautiful thing we have called life, he said. But also remember that your decisions can impact others as well.

If anything, Michaelec says, his wife is more intent on fighting the pandemic than he is; after all, she experienced the moment-to-moment stress and trauma of his hospital stay.

What she had to go through, and what my daughters had to go through, its very sad, and I dont wish that upon anybody ever, Michaelec said. Ever.

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These Coloradans survived coronavirus during the first wave. Here's what they want you to know now. - The Colorado Sun

The new coronavirus was circulating in Italy since September 2019, a study by the National Cancer Institute (INT) of the Italian city of Milan shows, signaling that COVID-19 might have spread beyond China earlier than previously thought.

The World Health Organization has said the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes, were unknown before the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, in central China, in December.

Italys first COVID-19 patient was detected on Feb. 21 in a little town near Milan, in the northern region of Lombardy.

But the Italian researchers findings, published by the INTs scientific magazine Tumori Journal, show that 11,6% of 959 healthy volunteers enrolled in a lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020, had developed coronavirus antibodies well before February.

A further specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies test was carried out by the University of Siena for the same research titled Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the pre-pandemic period in Italy.

It showed that four cases dated back to the first week of October were also positive for antibodies neutralizing the virus, meaning they had got infected in September, Giovanni Apolone, a co-author of the study, told Reuters.

This is the main finding: people with no symptoms not only were positive after the serological tests but had also antibodies able to kill the virus, Apolone said.

It means that the new coronavirus can circulate among the population for long and with a low rate of lethality not because it is disappearing but only to surge again, he added.

Italian researchers told Reuters in March that they reported a higher than usual number of cases of severe pneumonia and flu in Lombardy in the last quarter of 2019 in a sign that the new coronavirus might have circulated earlier than previously thought.

Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

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Coronavirus: When was the first COVID-19 case in Italy? - World Economic Forum