Category: Corona Virus

Nicknamed the "Yorkshire Ripper" by the UK press, Sutcliffe was convicted in 1981 for murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others during a reign of terror in northern England between 1975 and 1980. He was serving a whole life term.

He had been suffering from underlying health conditions before 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."

Sutcliffe spent many years in Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, before being considered stable enough in 2016 to be transferred to Frankland prison in County Durham, Britain's PA news agency said.

He confessed to police in 1981 but then decided to contest the charges in court. During his trial at the Old Bailey in London he claimed he was on a mission from God to kill prostitutes.

Sutcliffe was born in June 1946 in Bingley, West Yorkshire. Among other jobs, he worked as a truck driver and grave digger.

He carried out his first killing in October 1975, less than a year after he was married. The victim was 28-year-old Wilma McCann, a mother-of-four and sex worker. She was battered with a hammer and repeatedly stabbed.

"After that first time, I developed and played up a hatred for prostitutes in order to justify within myself a reason why I had attacked and killed Wilma McCann," Sutcliffe later told police.

Other victims followed over the course of the next five years, including 42-year-old Emily Jackson and 16-year-old Jayne MacDonald.

'Heartfelt apology'

Sutcliffe was questioned several times by police in the course of their investigation but a series of blunders and a hoax that led detectives to focus their search for a suspect on the wrong area of northern England allowed him to carry on killing undetected.

He was finally arrested in January 1981 after police stopped the car he was driving, having found the number plates were stolen. He had picked up street worker Olivia Reivers as a passenger. Detectives later found a hammer and knife nearby.

In May 1981 Sutcliffe was jailed for 20 life terms at the Old Bailey in London, with the judge recommending a minimum 30-year sentence.

His actions cast a shadow over the north of England for half a decade, with many women and girls afraid to go out after dark.

Richard McCann, the son of Sutcliffe's first victim, had previously called for a formal apology from police over the language used to describe those of his victims who were sex workers.

"On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe's victims," Robins said in a statement.

"Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now."

'Closure' to victims' families

Robins also acknowledged that mistakes had been made by police as they investigated Sutcliffe's crimes.

"The investigation into offences committed by Peter Sutcliffe was, at the time, the largest ever conducted by a UK police force and was subject to two exhaustive reviews in the immediate aftermath," he said.

"Failings and mistakes that were made are fully acknowledged and documented. We can say without doubt that the lessons learned from the Peter Sutcliffe enquiry have proved formative in shaping the investigation of serious and complex crime within modern day policing."

A former police officer who worked on the case, Bob Bridgestock, told BBC Radio 4 earlier Friday that Sutcliffe "wasn't a very intelligent killer, he was just brutal," adding that he would be "detested" long after he was gone.

His death would bring "some kind of closure" to victims' families, he said. "The news today will bring back some very sad memories for a lot of them. And we should remember the victims, not the killer," he added.

Bridgestock acknowledged that mistakes were made by the police, saying senior officers "wore blinkers on the investigation," but also pointed to the limited resources available to investigators then.

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Peter Sutcliffe, UK killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper, dies with coronavirus - CNN

Still, the state has no mask mandate, and on Tuesday night, Mayor Paul TenHaken of Sioux Falls cast the tiebreaking vote to strike down a citywide mask mandate, which he has called simply unenforceable.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kate Dossett, 39, arrived home from a Sioux Falls hospital, still hooked up to a portable oxygen machine. She had spent eight days on a floor that was usually meant for stroke patients but was, she said, overrun with people sick from the virus.

I dont know how the nurses can keep going, she said. Its just day after day after day.

With so many patients, staff members from other departments were stepping in to care for Covid-19 patients, Ms. Dossett said. A physical therapy assistant had helped care for her at one point, she said.

Its clearly all hands on deck, she said.

The state with the most total cases, and the most cases linked to colleges.

More than one million cases have been reported in Texas, more than any other state. And more than 20,000 of those cases have been linked to colleges and universities, also the highest in the country.

While those records are partly a function of the states large population, major outbreaks have emerged this fall in cities like El Paso and Amarillo, as well as on several university campuses.

More than 2,200 cases have been reported at Texas Tech, more than 2,000 at Texas A&M and more than 1,500 on the Austin campus of the University of Texas. Hunter Heck, the student body president at Texas Tech, says there has been a disconnect between life on campus, where students for the most part are socially distanced and wear masks, and raucous off-campus parties.

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What Places Are Hardest Hit by the Coronavirus? It Depends on the Measure - The New York Times

This story will be updated.

Maine marked yet another grim milestone on Friday with 247 new coronavirus cases and three deaths reported across the state.

Fridays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 8,639. Of those, 7,748 have been confirmed positive, while 891 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Thursdays cumulative total to 8,392, down from 8,395, meaning there was a net increase of 244 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 (68), Cumberland (38), Franklin (5), Hancock (14), Kennebec (17), Knox (3), Lincoln (5), Oxford (4), Penobscot (27), Piscataquis (4), Sagadahoc (1), Somerset (9), Waldo (2), Washington (13) and York (34) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional three cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

Only one county Aroostook reported no new cases in the previous 24 hours.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 174.1, up from 165.6 a day ago, 137 a week ago and up from 30.1 a month ago.

Fridays report marked another day of record-high coronavirus cases, surpassing the previous record of 206 set only a day earlier, Maine CDC data show. It comes as the state struggles with an unprecedented surge in virus transmission far outpacing that seen during the earliest weeks of the pandemic.

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 deaths involved two Androscoggin County residents and another from Penobscot County, bringing the statewide death toll to 162. Over the past two weeks, Maine has seen 15 deaths from the virus, the bulk of which have been reported since Saturday. Thats more than Maine saw in the two months prior combined. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 566 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 66 people are currently hospitalized, with 18 in critical care and six on ventilators.

Meanwhile, 136 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 6,428. That means there are 2,049 active confirmed and probable cases in the state, which is up from 1,944 on Thursday. Its yet another record high for active cases.

A majority of the cases 5,082 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Friday, there have been 735,872 negative test results out of 746,314 overall. About 1.3 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 3,138 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 70 have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,149), Aroostook (82), Franklin (139), Hancock (151), Kennebec (542), Knox (158), Lincoln (97), Oxford (223), Penobscot (453), Piscataquis (23), Sagadahoc (113), Somerset (323), Waldo (188), Washington (139) and York (1,717) counties. Information about where an additional four cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

As of Friday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 10,569,558 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 242,477 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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Maine marks another grim record with 247 new coronavirus cases and 3 deaths - Bangor Daily News

The CDC says that when it comes to cloth masks, multiple layers made of higher thread counts do a better job of protecting the wearer. Michael Stewart/GC Images hide caption

The CDC says that when it comes to cloth masks, multiple layers made of higher thread counts do a better job of protecting the wearer.

Wearing a mask protects the wearer, and not just other people, from the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized in an updated scientific brief issued Tuesday. And the protective benefits of masks are stronger the more people wear masks consistently and correctly, the agency says.

When the CDC first recommended that Americans wear cloth face coverings back in April, it cited evidence that the coronavirus could be transmitted by asymptomatic people who might not be aware of their infectiousness a group estimated to account for more than 50% of transmissions. The agency said masks were intended to block virus-laden particles that might be emitted by an infected person.

In a report updated Tuesday, the CDC says that is still the primary intention of wearing masks. But it also cites growing evidence that even cloth masks can also reduce the amount of infectious droplets inhaled by the wearer.

"This messaging is key to increase adherence and interest in mask wearing. I am thrilled!" Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a tweet Tuesday.

Ghandi argued in a recently published paper that wearing masks can reduce the severity of illness with COVID-19, even if the wearer does become infected.

As for which mask to choose? The CDC notes that when it comes to cloth masks, multiple layers made of higher thread counts do a better job of protecting the wearer than single layers of cloth with lower thread counts.

Dr. Scott Segal, a professor and chair of anesthesiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, has been putting various cloth masks to the test since March. He shared this rule of thumb with NPR earlier this year: Hold up the fabric to a bright light or to the sun. He says if you can "see the light outlining the individual fibers in the fabric, it's probably not a good filter. And if you can't, it's probably going to filter better." He and other researchers say a tight-weave 100% cotton material is a good bet.

(If you want more advice on choosing a mask, here's our guide.)

In its new scientific brief, the CDC reviews the epidemiological and observational evidence on the use of masking and the spread of the coronavirus. That includes a study of 124 Beijing households where at least one person had a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19. As we've reported, when everyone in the household wore masks as a preventative measure before the infected person started showing symptoms, the risk of transmission was cut by 79%.

Another study highlighted by the CDC found that among 1,000 people contact-traced in Thailand, those who reported always wearing a mask during high-risk exposures had a greater than 70% reduced risk of becoming infected compared with those who didn't wear masks under those circumstances.

The CDC also pointed to research that found that when mask wearing was strictly enforced onboard long flights, infected passengers did not transmit the virus to anyone else on the plane.

What's more, the CDC notes, "seven studies have confirmed the benefit of universal masking in community level analyses." That includes research on masking in a hospital system, a German city, as well as several U.S. states and the U.S. and Canada nationwide.

"Each analysis demonstrated that, following directives from organizational and political leadership for universal masking, new infections fell significantly," the CDC writes. Two of those studies, as well as other analyses, showed that universal masking policies reduced mortality, the CDC says.

Interestingly, the CDC's scientific brief also cites an economic argument for masks, noting an analysis using U.S. data that found that "increasing universal masking by 15% could prevent the need for lockdowns and reduce associated losses of up to $1 trillion or about 5% of gross domestic product."

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Do Face Masks Protect The Wearer From Coronavirus? Yes, Says CDC : Shots - Health News - NPR

When the ritual concludes, the body is ready for the earth, the soul for the afterlife.

But first the women, members of a Jewish burial society in Pittsburgh, must sing a final prayer.

They press the Mute button.

On Zoom their voices refuse to ring as one, so one singer takes the lead while the undertaker, who is Catholic, wraps the body in simple white shrouds.

D'Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory occupies a building that has cared for the deceased and bereaved in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, since 1897. But this -- a Catholic funeral director participating via Zoom in a centuries-old Jewish tradition -- is likely a first, said Dustin D'Alessandro, the mortuary's supervisor.

It's preferable to perform the ritual in person, said Rabbi Malke Frank, founder of Chevra Kadisha of Greater Pittsburgh.

But many members of the burial society are elderly and fear entering a funeral home before there is a vaccine for Covid-19, the deadly illness caused by this coronavirus. Like so many other events during this pandemic, the taharah, the name for the ritual, is performed virtually, with a bit of ingenuity and help from understanding undertakers.

While Frank and her fellow volunteers visualize washing and drying the body, D'Alessandro walks with them through the ritual step-by-step.

"We consider them partners in what we do," said Frank.

Ancient rituals have been forced to change

Sacred rites evolve over time, said David Zinner, president of Kavod v'Nichum, a national group for Chevra Kadishas, which is Hebrew for "sacred society."

The resurgent pandemic, which has hammered the US with new urgency in recent weeks, has sent that evolution into hyperspeed.

"We went from caring for a person's body the way we have for four hundred years to suddenly not being able to do that anymore," Zinner said.

The coronavirus has changed so much about how we live, it was inevitable that it would alter how we die as well. The graveside gatherings, shoulder-to-shoulder prayers, consoling hugs and timeworn rituals have been canceled or curtailed for fears of contagion.

But grief abhors a vacuum. So traditions have been adapted, as clerics turn to emergency measures prescribed in their religious laws. That's especially true of rituals, as in Judaism and Islam, that rely on touch and intimacy with the deceased. In some instances, funeral home directors and burial societies across the country are crossing religious lines to help perform the sacred rites of passage.

D'Alessandro, who has laid shrouds during 12 ritual purifications, said Frank's burial society taught him about the meaning behind the rituals, imparting a sense of their importance to the living and the dead.

"I'm glad they're allowing me to do it, despite not having a background in Judaism," said D'Alessandro. "It's just an incredible thing to be a part of."

He's insisted on providing full Islamic burials

When Covid-19 raged through New York City earlier this year, Imtiaz Ahmed was proud that his was one of the few funeral homes that still offered ghusl, an Islamic purification ritual performed on the recently deceased. As in the Jewish tahara, the body is cleansed, usually by a close family member and burial expert, then dressed in simple white robes before it is buried.

It was quite a turnaround for the Pakistani-American, who used to drive a cab and was squeamish about touching dead bodies. Now, Ahmed says, he has a clear mission.

"Once Covid started I realized that I had made the right decision," said Ahmed, 39, "because people need my help."

But some of the employees at his Al-Rayyan Funeral Services in Brooklyn's "Little Pakistan" neighborhood were more reluctant. Several quit, citing health conditions or fear of contagion, Ahmed said.

Others, such as Ahmed in Queens, consider Covid-19 victims martyrs, following the Prophet Muhammad's teaching about believers who die in plagues.

"We believe that God forgives you for whatever you are not able to do," said Yasir Qadhi, dean of academic affairs at the Islamic Seminary of America in Dallas and a member of the council of scholars. "If the government is asking you not to wash deceased bodies, as psychologically painful as that might be, it will not affect the disease."

Still, many Muslims feel guilty for not being able to provide full Islamic burials, said Dr. Edmund Tori, a medical doctor and president of the Islamic Society of Baltimore.

"When you modify the prayer, you are messing with something that is very, very dear to people," said Tori, who said his society spent several months educating the community about changes to religious practices because of Covid-19.

Muslims in Baltimore were nearly as upset about alterations to the funeral prayers. In Islam, the funeral prayers, called janazah, are a communal obligation and typically draw large crowds to mosques.

Muslim funeral homes and mosques have tried to accommodate mourners by holding the prayers outdoors, in parking lots or other open spaces hospitable to social distancing.

But the desire and obligation to attend the prayers are so great, Tori said, that the Islamic Society of Baltimore has stopped sending funeral notifications -- or sends them only to a small group of people close to the deceased.

When the architect of the Islamic Societies campus died of Covid-19, Tori said, leaders kept the news quiet, leading to some upset feelings.

"Let's just say people were not happy," said Tori. "Everyone wanted to be there. It took a lot for the community not to come."

This group provides 'midwives for the soul'

Zinner, the president of the national group for Chevra Kadishas, said the risks are too high for Jewish burial societies to perform the ritual purifications in person.

The live people in the room, not the deceased body, pose the greater danger, he said. Taharahs are often performed in small rooms, with people working and singing in close proximity.

"We have to recognize that the risk is high," Zinner said, "and we have to wait until it's reduced."

Instead, Zinner recommends "spiritual taharas" like the virtual service in Pennsylvania.

Grayson said her society has consulted with the National Institutes of Health and CDC and volunteers wear masks, face shields, two gowns and pairs of gloves, rain boots and disposable shoe coverings. Still, 35-45% of the society's volunteers will not perform the ritual in person.

Grayson compared participating in the ritual to going grocery shopping in the pandemic.

"The first time I did it," she said, "it was terrifying."

But Grayson, who belongs to the Orthodox strand of Judaism, said she feels a holy obligation to help Jews on the threshold between this world and the next. One name for burial society volunteers is "midwives for the soul."

When souls meet God, Grayson said, they should be dressed with dignity -- pandemic or not.

And so, the volunteers will continue to perform the rituals. They have survived plagues before.

When the body is properly prepared, Grayson will help place it in the coffin, adding a little soil from Israel, and softly close the lid. The midwife's job is over, and now the soul's must begin.

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How Jews and Muslims are burying their coronavirus dead - CNN

Health care workers at the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on July 2. Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Health care workers at the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on July 2.

If Texas was a country instead of a state, it would rank in the top 10 nations with the most overall coronavirus cases.

That's according to data from Johns Hopkins University, which also revealed that the state, the second-most populous in the U.S., surpassed 1 million cases on Tuesday.

Texas is the first U.S. state to record this number of cases. California is not far behind with 991,162 cases; Florida has 852,174. The rest of the states have each recorded under 600,000.

As of Wednesday, 6,779 patients were in Texas hospitals with the coronavirus, according to state data. More than 18,800 people in the state have died from the coronavirus.

The record number comes as the nation is battling its most widespread surge since the pandemic began. The U.S. recently recorded 10 million cases, meaning the Lone Star state accounts for about 10% of all U.S. cases.

It's also worth noting that Texas' own case dashboard has not yet exceeded 1 million. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services there have been 985,380 recorded as of Wednesday.

El Paso County in Texas is among the hardest hit areas in the U.S.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, and the county has summoned 10 mobile morgues to hold dead bodies, according to The Texas Tribune. The Department of Defense sent medical teams to help in early November.

The El Paso region, which is near the border between west Texas and Mexico, recorded 40% of people in hospitals were positive for the virus, the most in Texas, according to state data.

"Hospitals have been overwhelmed by sick patients pouring into ERs. And local officials there have had to bring in four mobile morgues to deal with deaths," Texas Public Radio health reporter Bonnie Petrie told NPR on Tuesday. "But it's not just an urban problem. Smaller towns and communities all across Texas are getting hit hard, too."

More people have contracted the coronavirus in Texas prisons than any other prison system, according to a new report from the University of Texas at Austin.

The report notes the "prison death curve in Texas has remained stubbornly high" with 231 coronavirus-related deaths occurring in prisons. Most of the people who died did not have a life sentence and were eligible for parole. About 80% who died weren't convicted of a crime.

"COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on prisons and jails across the country, and especially in Texas," said Michele Deitch, the study's lead author and criminal justice policy expert, in a statement.

The data "shows the urgency of taking steps to reduce the risks of additional COVID deaths in Texas prisons and jails."

The death count is likely higher than found in the report, researchers say. Some people in jails died without testing for the coronavirus or from a "pre-existing medical condition worsened by COVID." The report also says some could have died after being released.

"Because of high levels of 'churn' in the jail population, it is possible that individuals contracted the virus in jail, were released, and then died on the outside," the report stated. "Some jails may have intentionally released people at risk of dying so that the death would not be recorded as a jail death."

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized the importance of masks in one of its strongest endorsements of their effectiveness. Wearing masks can both prevent asymptomatic carries from spreading coronavirus, but it also offers protection against the infection, the organization stressed.

Yet as Petrie of Texas Public Radio explains, there's resistance to mask wearing especially in rural areas.

"For instance, in a rural place like Kerr County, there's been a lot of pushback on mask mandates. It's often framed in these areas as an issue of freedom and liberty," she explained.

As the pandemic has stretched along, many people have experienced pandemic fatigue and relaxed precautions.

"In July, everybody's wearing masks. It was 100%. If somebody wasn't wearing a mask, you could just feel the stares at them and you'd see people like picking up their shirts and covering their noses with it," said Galveston County health authority Dr. Philip Keiser in a late October interview, according to The Texas Tribune.

But now, some people wear masks, some pull it under their nose or chin, he said, which renders them ineffective. And occasionally, there's open defiance, he said.

"There are many instances where our personal liberties have been impugned because of greater good. Wearing a seat belt is one. Driving the speed limit is one. Placing a child in a child carrier in a vehicle," said Will Rector, a doctor in Kerr County. "Those are all things that are against our personal liberties, but we do them because we realize that they save lives.

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Texas Reports More Than 1 Million Coronavirus Cases, According To John Hopkins - NPR

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) Allegheny County leaders are warning people that if coronavirus cases continue to climb, national models show the community will lose hundreds of people in the coming months.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, health department Director Dr. Debra Bogen and representatives from AHN, Heritage Valley Health System, St. Clair Hospital and UPMC held a briefing on the lawn of Point State Park Thursday to update the community on the virus.

Although there are no new public health orders planned at this time, we will continue watching the situation in our county closely and we will intervene if necessary, Dr. Bogen says.

It comes as Allegheny County reported a record high number of new daily coronavirus cases 412 Thursday. Statewide, Pennsylvania saw its third consecutive day of record-setting daily numbers.

According to Dr. Bogens data, our cases have been rising since mid-October and have been accelerating. Cases are climbing, and we nearly doubled our weekly case count from about 950 to 1,600 the week ending Nov. 6. Were on pace to hit 2,000 cases this week, she says.

For every 100 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the county, two people have died.

According to national models, if cases continue to increase, we will have hundreds of people die in our community in the coming months, Dr. Bogen says. That is a painful thought as we approach the holidays. Together we can, and we must, ensure that we lose as few members of our community as possible. To do that, we must work to stop the spread of the virus.

Dr. Bogen says case investigations point to gatherings and parties as the source of the surge. Fitzgerald pleaded to fellow parents, asking them to keep their children away from parties because cases are being linked to sleepovers and kids seeing their friends after school.

Halloween was not a good time, says Fitzgerald. He also says its important to limit gatherings ahead of the holidays, as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest nights of the year.

To illustrate the point, Dr. Bogen says there was an outbreak linked to one wedding with 45 guests, saying 18 people have been infected. One person has been hospitalized, and one of the cases is pregnant.

Dr. Bogen says to stop or sharply curtail gatherings and hold them outside if possible. If not, limit the size to just a few people wearing masks and social distancing.

Shes also asking people to answer calls from the health department for contact tracing. She says fewer people are answering calls and some are even treating staff members abusively.

Everyone is urged to answer their phone. The health department has made a few changes to its contact tracing process, Dr. Bogen says. If you get a call, youll be asked fewer questions and youll have the chance to complete a secure online form to provide additional information. Dr. Bogen says this will save time so they can reach more people.

If you have symptoms or are a close contact of a case, get tested, Dr. Bogen says, and make sure you get your flu shot.

Several doctors spoke Thursday, and Fitzgerald asked people to listen to the medical experts, not politicians. Doctors say there have been increases in hospitalizations, although its just a fraction of capacity.

We know thats going to continue through the holidays, so we are prepared for that. We have lots of capacity for those patients, contingency plans in place, said Dr. Don Whiting with AHN.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus In Allegheny County: Leaders Say No New COVID-19 Orders Are Planned, But They Will Intervene If Necessary - CBS Pittsburgh

The owner of LTD Bar & Grill in Fremont said a second COVID-19 shutdown, without government assistance, would likely be the end of his business.

SEATTLE Thursday night at LTD Bar and Grill in Fremont usually means football. But owner Jack Cheung fears this week could be the last Thursday night game hes open for a while.

Weve been trying our best, you know, by going by the rules, and it's just so hard for us, said Cheung.

Gov. Jay Inslee pleaded with Washingtonians on Thursday to "rethink Thanksgiving," because of rising COVID-19 cases.

While no new mandates were announced Thursday, Inslee warned that rising cases could mean tighter restrictions. An announcement could come as soon as next week.

LTD has been one of few businesses to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. Cheung noted theyve gotten creative with outdoor seating, temperature checks, and reservations among other changes. As Cheung watched Inslees address, he worried about the publics fatigue over the virus.

If you know, people aren't more disciplined, then yeah, we're gonna see he will close us down, said Cheung. He will close businesses down and I understand why he will do it, but I just hope he doesnt.

Jon Scholes, the CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, also worries of additional closings.

Our businesses have been through so much, said Scholes. More than 200 [businesses] across the city of Seattle, small businesses, permanent closures that aren't coming back, so we can't afford to go backwards.

Scholes said without government funding amid a second shutdown, more businesses will be forced to close and implores people to have an individual responsibility to save the economy.

We got to get to the other side, we got to continue to do what we've been doing over the spring, said Scholes. And summer to really lead the nation in combating this virus.

Cheung said for him, he knows the reality of another closure.

Our chances of surviving [another shutdown] are very slim, he said.

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Gov. Inslee's warning of coronavirus restrictions worries business owners - KING5.com

All of Northeast Wisconsin in newly created 'critically high' coronavirus category  Fox11online.com

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All of Northeast Wisconsin in newly created 'critically high' coronavirus category - Fox11online.com

Public health experts say this year everyone should get a flu shot, if possible. USA TODAY

The U.S. keeps smashing its own records for COVID-19 cases as the fall surge of the coronavirus is running rampant across the country.

On Thursday, a record 153,496 new COVID-19 cases were tallied in the U.S., just days after it had crossed the 100,000 daily new case threshold.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director ofNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, signaled some hope Thursday: The pandemicwon't be around "a lot longer," he said, butpublic health officials might need to "maintain control chronically" over COVID-19.

Meanwhile states and cities are clamping down and enacting new restrictions to slow the spread. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown will announce new coronavirus measures Friday, while Chicago MayorLori Lightfoot announced Thursdaya stay-at-home advisoryset to go into effect Monday morning.

A day after Texas became the first state to record at least 1 million cases of COVID-19, California also reached the same marker.Eleven counties there were ordered this week to drop a notch on the state's tiered reopening schedule.

Some major developments:

What we're reading: As COVID-19 infections soar, we're tracking new restrictions across the U.S.

Today's numbers:The U.S. has reported more than 10.5million cases and 242,400deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 52.8millioncases and 1.29million deaths.

Mapping coronavirus:Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.

This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe toThe Daily Briefing newsletter.

There's no evidence people are immune from COVID-19 after they're first infected, but U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, once again said they are and advocated against experts' advice Thursday night when discussing people who have already had the deadly disease.

"We should tell them to celebrate," Paul told Fox News. "We should tell them to throw away their masks, go to restaurants, live again because these people are now immune."

In fact, as several doctors have noted and repeated after the Kentucky Republican's remarks, there is no evidence to suggest that those once infected by COVID-19 are immune from getting reinfected.

Ben Tobin, Louisville Courier Journal

After battling a spring surge in COVID-19 cases that devastated their health care system, Italian doctors are once again facing strains on their resources as they treat a new influx of patients amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are very close to not keeping up. I cannot say when we will reach the limit, but that day is not far off, Dr. Luca Cabrini, who runs the intensive care ward at Vareses Circolo hospital, the largest in the province of 1 million people northwest of Milan, told the Associated Press.

Cabrini said that while ICU beds are filling up as they did in the spring, doctors are also facing strains in wards caring for less ill patients who may be younger but require care for longer stretches.

As of Wednesday, 52% of Italys hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, above the 40% warning threshold set by the Health Ministry.The Italian doctors federation called this week for a nationwide lockdown, too.

The United States on Thursday reported more than 150,000 coronavirus cases in a day for the first time, just nine days after it reported 100,000 cases for the first time, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

The United States reported the record 153,496 cases on Thursday. At that rate, the United States reported about 107 cases every minute.

It's not clear how well the case data reflects the size of the fall surge. In South Dakota and Iowa, most tests are coming back positive, data from The COVID Tracking Project suggests. That organization does not release numbers on percentages of tests that come back positive because of wildly different ways they can be calculated, and there is no one U.S. standard.

However, health officials generally have pushed for testing rates under 5%, and by some calculations, 40 states are worse than that mark.

Mike Stucka

The holiday season is upon us and so is another surge of the coronavirus pandemic. So what's a family to do?

While somestate and city officials have advised against large family gatherings, folks may still be trying to find a way to spend time with loved ones this fall and welcoming students back into the fold.

Dr. Adam Jarrett, who serves as the chief medical officer at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey, said that the safest way to try to gather would be to get tested and then truly self-quarantine for 10 days to two weeks.

With Thanksgiving falling on Nov. 26, that means quarantine should begin now.

Thats the only way that we can be pretty close to 100% safe, Jarrett said.

Katie Sobko, The Bergen Record

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Counties in which Power Five schools are located have seen an even larger spike in COVID-19 cases than the nationwide average, adata analysis conducted by Emory's Rollins School of Public Health for USA TODAY found.

Communities in the Big Ten and Big 12 are experiencing the most dramatic increases in their seven-day averages of daily new cases per 100,000 residents, the analysis found.

All told, 59 of the 64 counties that host Power Five schools saw an increase in their average number of daily cases from Nov. 3 to Tuesday. Collectively, the counties reported an increase of 45%.

The spike in cases has wrecked havoc on college football schedules throughout the country particularly this week. In the Southeastern Conference alone, four games involving ranked teams have been canceled in recent days due to COVID-19 concerns.

Tom Schad, and Jim Sergent

By medical standards,Nicole Worthley is considered extraordinarily rare. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 31 and again in September.

But she can't prove she had COVID-19 twice. That requires genetic testing of both infections, which has only happened a few dozen times in the world and never in South Dakota where she lives.

Many states keeptrack of claims of reinfection but they are still considered extremely unusual, according to health experts.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that it is investigating some possible reinfections but has not yet confirmed any. It only considers infections more than 90 days apart to be possible reinfections; otherwise, someone's illness is likely a lingering infection.

How long the body can fight COVID-19 offhas implications for the longevity and effectiveness of vaccines,the possibility of communities developing so-called herd immunitywhere the virus no longer spreads because so many people have already been infected, and how those infected once should feel and behave. Read more here.

Karen Weintraub

A Texas appeals court in El Paso has put a temporary stop toEl Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego's order shutting down nonessential businesses in El Paso County.

The Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso on Thursday granted requests totemporarily halt the order. The requests were made by the Texas Attorney General's Office and a group of 10 El Paso restaurant companies, who argue that Samaniego's order is illegal because it is counter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Oct. 7 order tied to reopening Texas businesses.

The court, in a 2-1 decision,ruled several sections of Samaniego's order cannot be enforced, including shutting down nonessential businesses,until the court makes its final judgment, which is expected Friday.

We exercise our discretion to preserve the status quo as it existed just prior to the issuance of the countys later, more restrictive Stay-at-Home Order until the court makes its final judgment, the court ruled.

Vic Kolenc and Eleanor Dearman, El Paso Times

More than 2,000 nurses represented by a union planto go on strike next week as a surge in coronavirus cases continuesto overwhelm hospitals nationwide.

InBucks County, more than760 nurses atSt. Mary Medical Center will go on strike starting Tuesday unless they reach a contract with the hospital's owner Trinity Health. In Philadelphia, some 500 nurses at St. Christophers Hospital for Children and about 1,000 atEinstein Medical Center have also authorized to strike, the New York Times reported.

Nurses are stretched so thin, and I know theyre not able to get where they need to be," Maria Plano,a nurse at St. Christophers and the unions vice president, told CBS Philly. "We need some kind of guidelines where nurses are in the discussion and helping to make the decisions."

In a statement last week, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals saidnurses are being "pushed to the brink by unsafe staffing that seriously undermines patient safety, the newspaper reported.

With coronavirus cases in the U.S. reaching an all-time highthis week, the Ivy Leagueannounced Thursday that it is shutting down its entire 2020-21 winter sports season.

"With the health andwell-being of student-athletes andthe greater campus community in mind, The Ivy League Presidents decide to forego athletics competition in fall and winter sports, postpone competition in spring sports through February 2021," the league wrotein a statement posted to Twitter.

In July, the Ivy League was the first conference to announce the cancellation of its fall sports seasonas a result of the pandemic. Meanwhile, other conferences have run into multiple roadblocks in an attempt to continue their fall seasons.

Steve Gardner

A man walks past a coffee shop with an informational sign about COVID-19 precautions in Chicago on Thursday.(Photo: Nam Y. Huh, AP)

Costco, which was one of the first retailers to mandate shoppers wear masks amid thecoronavirus pandemic, is updating its face mask policy. Starting Monday, the wholesale club says itwill require all members, guests and employees to weara face mask or face shield with the exception of children under 2.

"Members and guests must wear a face mask that covers their mouth and nose at all times," Costco said on itsCOVID-19 updates page. "Individuals who are unable to wear a face mask due to a medical condition must wear a face shield. ... Entry to Costco will be granted only to those wearing a face mask or face shield."

Costco's original policy went into effect in early Mayand didn't require shoppers with medical conditions to wear masks.

Kelly Tyko

SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream I, oneof the first cruise ships to ply through Caribbean waters since the pandemic began, ended its trip early after at least five passengers tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Thursday.

The SeaDream I is carrying 66 crew and more than 50 passengers, with the majority of passengers hailing from the U.S. according to Sue Bryant, who is aboard the ship and is a cruise editor for The Times and The Sunday Times in Britain.

She told The Associated Press that one passenger became sick on Wednesday and forced the ship to turn back to Barbados, where it had departed from on Saturday. However, the ship had yet to dock in Barbados as local authorities tested those on board. The captain announced that at least five passengers have tested positive, Bryant said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Coronavirus updates: US breaks record again with 153K new cases; states, cities are renewing restrictions; Pennsylvania nurses set to strike - USA...