Category: Corona Virus

A total 3.1 million mink were farmed in the United States in 2018, according to animal welfare charity Humane Society International (HSI). Current advice from the US Department of Agriculture does not recommend culls of mink herds.

The testing has led to the culling of an estimated 2.6 million mink in the Netherlands, according to HSI. While some mink died from coronavirus, most of the animals were culled due to concerns that they could spread the virus to humans.

Although fur farms are banned in many countries, millions of animals are killed every year for their pelts, which are used in clothing. HSI said that 60 million mink were farmed for fur around the world in 2018, with China accounting for 20.7 million of the total.

Studies have shown that ferrets are susceptible to coronavirus, so researchers in the Netherlands decided to look into the taxonomically similar mink during a routine animal testing program, said Koopmans.

"Researchers found that mink do transmit Covid-19 to each other more easily than other animals, Koopmans said. "It is amazing how easily this virus spreads in mink," she said.

Long-term animal welfare issues give way to human concerns

Mink, which are closely related to weasels, otters and ferrets, appear to suffer similar Covid-19 symptoms to humans.

Difficulty breathing and crusting around the eyes are usually seen, but the virus progresses rapidly, and most infected mink are dead by the day after symptoms appear, according to Dean Taylor, state veterinarian for the US state of Utah.

Conditions at the farms mean the virus is able to rip through captive populations, said Jo Swabe, senior director of public affairs at HSI Europe. "The animals are being kept in small wire cages, there's just rows and rows and rows of them," she said. "The animals can't escape each other."

Mink are naturally solitary and semi-aquatic, and it's impossible to provide for their welfare needs on farms, according to HSI, which campaigns for the closure of fur farms on ethical grounds.

In the Netherlands, there is now ongoing transmission between mink farms, as well as evidence that the virus has been circulating for some time at some facilities, said Koopmans.

There are a number of hypotheses as to how transmission occurs, including via workers, semi-wild cats or other wildlife. "We're not really sure what happens," said Koopmans. "There is a missing link."

Koopmans has recommended culling mink populations to reduce the chance that farms become a permanently infected viral reservoir. She emphasized that she is not normally an advocate for mass animal culls but it's the best approach to prevent sustained transmission among mink.

"That's a risk that I think we should not be taking," she said.

If this were allowed to happen, and human-human transmission were suppressed, the virus could be reseeded from mink farms, said Koopman, who added that it's unclear whether the virus would change, with unknown consequences, if it were allowed to circulate in another species.

What next for the industry?

The European Commission has ruled out an European Union wide ban on fur animal farming in connection with Covid-19. But various national authorities have stepped in to mandate the culling of mink populations to prevent farms becoming a source of infection.

In Denmark, mink herds with confirmed or suspected infections will be culled, as will all farms within five miles of those facilities. The culling process will be handled by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Danish Emergency Management Agency, and mink breeders will receive compensation for the loss of their herd along with compensation for their operation losses.

"It is a difficult decision that the government has made, but we fully support it," said Tage Pedersen, chairman of the Danish Mink Breeders Association. "In recent weeks, we have all experienced that more and more farms in North Jutland have been infected, and no one has been able to explain the increase. Human health must come first."

Mink farmers will receive considerable compensation, which has stoked public opposition at a time of economic hardship for many, but the decision has accelerated the end for mink farming in the country and saved millions of animal lives, said Swabe.

Fur farming has been banned for years in countries such as the UK, Austria and Croatia, with other European nations following suit.

France announced last month that it would ban farming mink for fur by 2025. Poland looks likely to ban the breeding of animals for fur after a bill introduced by the ruling Law and Justice party sailed through the lower house of parliament in mid-September.

However, in other fur-producing nations the compensation deals on offer may prove to be a good way out for those involved in the industry, while the effects of the coronavirus pandemic may drive farms out of business even before the recent spate of legislation comes into force.

"I really do hope that will put the final nail in the coffin," said Swabe.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus could drive the last nail into the mink fur trade - CNN

When The Conners returned to set in mid-August after a lengthy pandemic delay, John Goodman had no doubt that every safety precaution had been taken. But his heart still fluttered a bit when it came time to finally get to work.

That moment before the first mask came off, I held my breath, said the 68-year-old actor, who plays patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC sitcom.

Sara Gilbert, who stars as Dans daughter Darlene was also anxious, even though, as an executive producer, she was well aware of the measures the show takes to keep everyone safe. The Los Angeles set is patrolled by two Covid compliance supervisors and the actors are tested five times per week, with everyone else getting tests at least three times a week.

Even so, when they say Rolling, I wait until after the sound cue, Gilbert said. And then at the very last second my mask comes off.

When the coronavirus pandemic intensified in March, it forced Hollywood to shut down production for months. Most shows interrupted by the pandemic were back on set, with coronavirus protocols, by September, though some didnt survive the break series including ABCS Stumptown, Netflixs GLOW and Showtimes On Becoming a God in Central Florida, which all had new seasons planned or in the works, were canceled by their networks.

Those that did return to production had a choice to make: Should they pick up where they left off and resume pandemic-free storytelling? Or should they deal with the coronavirus and its disruptions within their narratives?

For The Conners, which from its earliest days as Roseanne has dealt with everyday difficulties like depression, divorce and job loss, it was never even a question.

Weve always tried to represent blue-collar, middle-class families, Gilbert said. To pretend this isnt happening seems out of touch.

Life and death stories are familiar territory for us, she added. (The shows original matriarch, Roseanne Conner, was killed off via an opioid overdose after Roseanne Barr was fired for comparing a former Obama adviser to an ape on Twitter. The show title was subsequently changed from Roseanne to The Conners.)

When the series returns on Wednesday for its third season, viewers will watch the family grapple with the same issues as the rest of the country: Dan is on the verge of losing the family home. His sister-in-law, Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), is trying to keep the family restaurant alive by making deliveries on her bike (complete with a blinding neon yellow helmet, gloves and face mask). Darlene and her boyfriend, Ben (Jay R. Ferguson), are wondering whether to shutter their start-up magazine. Dans oldest daughter, Becky (Lecy Goranson), is navigating the return of her undocumented husband, Emilio (Rene Rosado), who is caring for her baby while hiding from immigration authorities.

Of course, its hard to avoid incorporating the pandemic when it seeps into every aspect of life on set. Like every other returning series, The Conners, led by the showrunner, Bruce Helford, and executive producers Dave Caplan and Bruce Rasmussen, has had to radically reconfigure nearly every element of its production for pandemic safety.

Before the cast and crew set foot onstage, they have passed two temperature checks, filled out a symptoms questionnaire and passed a Covid test within, at minimum, the last two days. Hair and makeup are done with masks and visors Gilbert said she finishes the area around her mouth herself. Props are sanitized between each take., and the show is filmed without an audience and with a limited crew.

And enforcement, Gilbert said, is rigorous. You cant eat or drink onstage, she said. Not even water. You have to go up to your dressing room.

But processing the approximately 350 weekly tests and installing upgrades like sanitizer stations and HEPA filters does not come cheap, Helford said.

Its well into the six figures, additional, to do this, he said. We had to cut holes in the wall for better ventilation and refit all the AC systems, plus the constant cleaning. More than two months into shooting, the show has yet to see a positive test.

Gilbert said the most difficult on-set restriction to remember is the six-foot rule. The writers tend to just walk over and run an idea by one another, she said. But now we have to be reminded SIX FEET!

Helford said they try to set a good example for viewers watching at home. Characters can pull their masks down if its a scene with someone they live with, he said. But if theyre out in the workplace and around people, they keep their face shields on.

Goodman said not having spectators on set, while dispiriting, can actually be a benefit. We have to maintain the amount of energy the audience naturally provides, he said. But its quite frankly easier to time things when you dont have people to laugh at them.

Gilbert said the series will not dwell on the darkest parts of the pandemic People get that on the news every day, she said but that the show, which is set in the current moment, will reflect real-world events. The second episode of the season airs Oct. 28, six nights before Election Day and three nights before Halloween. She said the Conners will celebrate their favorite holiday with some in-home trick-or-treating and that politics may come up.

But its not through the lens of Im for this guy!, she said. Its How does whats going on affect my family economically?

The writers also drew on their personal experiences in penning the new season, Caplan said. He, Helford and Rasmussen all come from low to middle income working class families, Caplan said. So even if the stories arent exactly ours all the time, theyre emotional and honest.

Helford said they wanted to spotlight the struggles of small business owners through Jackies battle to save her restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, as well as address the increased anxiety the pandemic has created among kids. Mark, the youngest boy, is definitely bothered by this the worst, he said, referring to Darlenes son (Ames McNamara). Hes the one standing outside the door checking everyones temperatures, making everyone crazy.

Other pandemic-focused programs, like the Freeform series Love in the Time of Corona, starring Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife Nicolette Robinson as spouses navigating life during the pandemic, and HBOs Coastal Elites, a series of satirical monologues, have received mixed reviews.

The most notable thing about most of them is that they were done at all, James Poniewozik, the chief TV critic for The New York Times, wrote in a recent appraisal of pandemic shows. But none of them had to sustain the approach for a full season.

But Gilbert thinks The Conners can serve as counterprogramming to a news cycle that highlights rising case counts and political posturing. Theres so much fear and anxiety, she said. But were looking at how the pandemic is affecting this family, and humor is definitely a part of that.

Some of the moments that resonated with the actors were unexpected. Goranson, who has been living alone in Los Angeles since March, said a scene in the third episode proved surprisingly emotional.

Becky is quarantining with her family, and I was not able to, she said. But in the scene, she says something about being alone, and it was almost confessional because it was so true to what I had experienced.

Goransons mother died in January, and she said her family has not been able to hold a gathering for her. One thing my mom told me before she died was So little matters other than people, she said. And that seems like cruel irony right now, because I havent been around anyone I love since she said that.

It is unclear how long the pandemic will infect the Conners fictional town of Lanford, Ill., just as it is uncertain how long masks and social distancing will remain the norm in America. But Goodman said that, despite everything, he tries to remain upbeat.

Its just another damn thing we have to deal with, he said. Im thrilled were able to make a show at all.

View post:

The Conners Return to Confront the Coronavirus - The New York Times

Buy Photo

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard place a test sample in a bag at a COVID-19 testing site located at the United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) building at 2701 S. Chase Ave. in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. As the state's outbreak balloons to one of the nation's worst, the surge of cases and hospitalizationsin Northeast Wisconsin is unlike anything the region has experienced since the pandemic began. - Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has suspended the reporting of new COVID-19 totals until early next week whileits computer system undergoes anupgrade.

The department announced Friday that it is upgrading its Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System in an effort to improve its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The system is used to collect and monitor data on testing, contact tracing and other metrics.

The reporting outage is expected to last until Tuesday, one day after the system goes live with the new updates, the department said in a news release.

Track COVID-19 in Wisconsin:See the latest numbers and trends

How to interpret COVID-19 data:What experts say about positive cases, deaths and hospitalizations

It said the upgrade is expected to improve tools for contact tracing, automatic data entry and security, the agency said.

For an accurate picture of the pandemic while the system is being tweaked, DHS officials suggested monitoring the seven-day averages on its website, instead of daily positivity rates.

RELATED: America had the world's best pandemic response plan. Why did it fail?

The pause in reportingcomes as coronavirus cases continued to soar across Wisconsin. On Friday, the state posted another record with3,861 new cases. The seven-day average cracked 3,000 for the first time, coming roughly three weeks after eclipsing 2,000.

The department also reported another 21 deaths Friday, totaling 1,574 forthe year. More all-time highs included 1,101 people hospitalized with the virus and 274 in intensive care units.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter@elliothughes12.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/10/17/heres-why-wisconsin-wont-report-new-coronavirus-numbers-weekend/3697080001/

More here:

Wisconsin will not report new coronavirus numbers over the weekend. Here's why. - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) Active cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota surpassed 8,000 on Sunday, as eight new deaths due to the virus were announced by the state department of health.

The death toll in South Dakota rose to 323. The eight new deaths included four men and four women. One death was listed in the 40-49 age range, four in the 50-59 age range, one in the 60-69 age range, one in the 70-79 age range and one listed as 80+. The deaths were listed in the following counties: Bennett (1), Meade (1), Minnehaha (2), Moody (1), Pennington (1) and Roberts County (2).

There have been 100 deaths in October, the deadliest month of the pandemic so far.

On Sunday, 658 new coronavirus cases were announced, bringing the states total case count to 33,269 up from Saturday (32,611). Total recovered cases is now at 24,934, up 406 from Saturday (24,528).

Active cases increased to 8,012 from Saturdays 7,768.

Current hospitalizations are now at 300, up from Saturday (295). Total hospitalizations are at 2,119, up from Saturday (2,077).

Total persons tested negative is at 197,778, up from Saturday (196,593).

There were 1,843 new persons tested reported on Sunday.

Continue reading here:

COVID-19 in South Dakota: 658 total new cases; Death toll rises to 323; Active cases at 8,012 - KELOLAND.com

Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.

Utahs sustained spike in coronavirus cases continued on Saturday, as health officials reported that hospitalizations from the virus had again risen to record heights, with 298 patients receiving active care.

The previous high was recorded Friday, when 290 patients were hospitalized. Overall, 4,610 people have been hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic.

In total, the state reported that there have been 93,297 positive cases of the virus in Utah, an increase of 1,340 from Friday. There have also been three new deaths, bringing the total number of people who have died from the virus to 540. The deaths included:

The spike in cases is unsustainable, Gov. Gary Herbert said in a statement released with Fridays coronavirus report. And he urged Utahns, again, to wear masks, socially distance and limit the size of social gatherings.

Unless we do these things, we can expect to see more sobering days, he said.

Dr. Russell Vinik, chief medical operations officer at the University of Utah Hospital, said Saturday that the hospital had a better night and saw its capacity ease up a bit, to 94% full. But he doesnt expect that trend to continue and said he anticipates capacity rates will rise and fall as cases trend upward.

If we had peaked in cases on Friday, which I hope we did, then we expect it to continue to rise for two to four weeks, he said. If [the daily case count] continues to go up through the winter, it could be a really terrible winter.

Vinik said health care workers are exhausted, both physically and mentally" as the coronavirus wears on in the state.

This is very hard on them and then the mental part of not seeing light at the end of the tunnel makes it so much harder, he said, calling on the public to take proper precautions to prevent the hospitals from overflowing. That includes keeping an appropriate distance from people not in your household, wear face masks and get tested if you have any symptoms.

Jess Gomez, a spokesperson with Intermountain Health Care, said Saturday that the hospital is also seeing high utilization of its intensive care unit beds, which are treating both COVID patients as well as a lot of non-COVID patients who are in intensive care for a variety of conditions.

Were getting close to capacity but were just not there yet. But its getting very close," he said.

As hospitalizations reach record highs, Gomez said the health care provider is asking for community to stand with us" and do their part to keep hospitals from becoming overrun with patients.

Now more than ever we really need people to step up and to do everything they can to reduce transmissions, he said. We continue to say the same things but theyre critically important and unfortunately theyre not being universally used.

If people follow public health guidance, he said, we can get a handle on it.

But at this point, Gomez said "the consequences are falling upon our health care community who are struggling to keep up with the people who need hospital care for COVID and other issues.

The state Health Department reported Saturday that of the 298 people who are currently hospitalized, 96 are confirmed to be using intensive care unit beds. Utahs ICU beds were 75% occupied.

There were 9,142 new test results reported on Saturday, as the statewide positive rate remained in the 13% to 14% range that state officials say indicates there are far more people sick than those getting tested. On Saturday, it was at 14%.

For the past week, the Utah Department of Health has tallied 1,236 new positive test results a day, on average, continuing a streak of new record highs.

Visit link:

Coronavirus hospitalizations break another record in Utah as case spike wears on - Salt Lake Tribune

PRAGUE -- At a"Farewell COVID" party in June, thousands of Prague residents dined outdoors at a 500-meter long table across the Charles Bridge to celebrate the end of the lockdown measures.

The Czech Republic was being hailed by the rest of Europe for successfully stopping the virus after closing its borders and putting in place the harshest lockdown on the continent. Now the country is in the midst of a strong outbreak, with case numbers rising above anything recorded in the spring -- and already there are signs renewed restrictions won't be greeted favorably.

The Czech Republic isn't alone. Little affected in the spring, many of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are now experiencing a strong outbreak of the novel coronavirus and officials are scrambling to reverse course on restrictions.

Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia all recorded their highest daily increases in cases on Friday.

"What we see here is what the other countries were facing over springtime and over the summer," Dr. Martin Balik, the head of the intensive care unit at the General University Hospital of Prague, told ABC News.

In the spring, Prague became the first European city to require face masks on public transportation and then all indoor public spaces, according to Prague Mayor Zdenk Hib. The country of 10 million had managed to avoid the full brunt of the first wave with fewer than 12,000 infections and 350 deaths.

Test positivity rates are on the rise in Eastern Europe the first two weeks of October after relatively light case counts in the spring and summer.

"Within a few weeks we were able to really decrease the number of cases to almost ground zero," Health Minister Roman Prymula told ABC News, reflecting on the first wave. "And all the people were respecting ... were wearing masks in their homes, it was great. But recently it's completely different."

Now the Czech Republic is registering new records for daily cases, including more than 11,000 cases in a 24-hour span reported on Oct. 16.

The government announced the reintroduction of restrictions on Oct. 13 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, closing all schools except for kindergartens until Nov. 1, and restaurants, bars and clubs until the end of the state of emergency scheduled for Nov. 3. It has limited indoor and outdoor gatherings to six people at a time and curbed sales of alcohol in public.

Although the initial lockdown measures were successful in Central and Eastern Europe, acceptance of renewed restrictions will likely be hard.

A man runs across an empty medieval Charles Bridge in Prague, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. The Czech Republic has imposed a new series of restrictive measures in response to a record surge in coronavirus infections.

A health care worker puts on personal protective equipment in front of the room for COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Thomayer Hospital on Oct. 14, 2020, in Prague.

"In the spring, everybody was supportive of the countermeasures -- everybody. But recently, it's a political fight," Czech Health Minister Roman Prymula told ABC News.

German authorities have also tried to institute new restrictions after a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, with little success and lots of backlash. An order for bars and restaurants to close at 11 p.m. in Berlin was quickly overturned by local courts and regular protests against recently reintroduced COVID-19 measures have taken place since late August in the German capital.

Bulgaria's Health Ministry eased restrictive rules on nightclubs and certain gatherings, such as weddings, after meeting with representatives of the industries, according to local reports. The rollback was announced just three days after the health minister ordered the closure of indoor sections of nightclubs, bars and discos.

By comparison, in France, which suffered acutely under the first wave with over 28,000 deaths by the end of May, two-thirds of people approve of new curfew restrictions, according to a recent poll. The support comes despite a possible 1 billion euro hit to the economy, according to France's economy minister.

With economies on the brink, populations in Eastern Europe are less willing to cope with new measures. During the lockdown, the Czech economy lost 4 billion Czech koruna per day (about $171 million U.S.).

Restaurants that have been asked to close in Prague are looking to takeout to stay afloat. Olinka Budnik, a chef at the Black Madonna restaurant in Prague, said they have lost 30% of their income from last year. A hotel owner in the center of Prague told ABC News that they were expecting to close soon after the new restrictions. "We have no choice," she said.

Health care workers wear their personal protective equipment in front of the room for COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Thomayer Hospital on Oct. 14, 2020, in Prague.

In the Czech Republic, even health care professionals doubt the necessity of the measures.

Balik, the doctor at General University Hospital of Prague, said reintroducing measures, such as closing schools, is not sound.

"The authorities' response is irrational," he told ABC News. "We had the hardest lockdown ever in Europe, which completely destroyed private enterprises. This country lost its financial reserve ... which led to the almost complete relief of the measures during springtime. ... This country swings between extremes."

A member of the medical staff treats a patient suffering from COVID-19 at the intensive care unit of the Slany Hospital in Slany, Czech Republic, Oct. 13, 2020.

Prime Minister Andrej Babi recently took the blame for lifting the restrictions over the summer. "Even I got carried away by the upcoming summer and the atmosphere in society. That was a mistake I do not want to repeat," the PM told a national audience on TV.

Prague residents "are not afraid of coronavirus, they are afraid of all those restrictions," local journalist Lenka Zlamalova told ABC News.

"We have recently a little bit more of mild course of the disease, so not so many people require treatment in ICU, ventilators, etc. ... [But] the rise is so steep that we may expect some trouble with the capacity, beds, ICUs and hospitals," Prymula said.

Read more:

Eastern Europe largely avoided coronavirus 1st wave, now it's battling outbreaks and outrage over new restrictions - ABC News

Heres what you need to know:A coronavirus warning sign at a Republican campaign rally in Belgrade, Mont., last month.Credit...Tommy Martino/Associated Press

The spread of the coronavirus in the United States in recent weeks has been worse than it seems, not because of how it has been spreading but where.

The virus has been pummeling some of the least populous states in the country, but the relatively low numbers can be deceptive. The surges in rural areas have been just as severe as the spikes in densely populated cities in the Sun Belt over the summer.

North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, for example, have announced the countrys highest number of cases on a per capita basis. Already, the North Dakota and South Dakota numbers exceed the per capita figures seen at the peak of summer surges in the Sun Belt.

Other states with large rural areas including Wyoming, Idaho, West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, Utah, Alaska and Oklahoma have recently recorded more cases in a seven-day stretch than in any other week of the pandemic.

We, as North Dakotans, find ourselves in the middle of a regional Covid storm, Gov. Doug Burgum said Wednesday.

But population can skew perspective.

Wessington Springs, S.D., or Shelby, Mont., are unlikely to produce the same alarming imagery amid a pandemic as New York City or Houston, where mobile morgues and packed E.R. hallways became icons of suffering.

In the last seven days, Florida had the highest number of virus-related deaths in the nation, 764. But the state has more than 21 million residents.

North Dakota had only 78 deaths but it has a population of 762,000.

Governor Burgum warned of additional adversity and perhaps deadlier outcomes after months of watching from afar as other places faced large outbreaks.

And, he said, were doing this at a time when perhaps our citizens and parents and many are fatigued at the stress of managing this for so long.

It is hardly just the countrys less populated regions that have health experts worried. Numbers are up across the country, and around the world.

I dont know why anybody would think its not so bad, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and an expert on contagious diseases. We went to a low of around 35,000 cases per day late in the summer. Now were up to over 50,000, with those numbers climbing every day. Nationally, its going back up, and Im really worried that were seeing a big increase.

But the pattern appears to be shifting.

In the more populous states where case increases are being seen, including Wisconsin and Illinois, the worst numbers are not coming from the largest population centers.

In Wisconsin, rural counties in the states northeast, as well as midsize metropolitan areas like Oshkosh, Appleton and Sheboygan, are reporting the most discouraging data. In Illinois, cases are rising around Chicago, but the per capita figures are much worse around the far-smaller cities of Rockford and Decatur, as well as in rural counties in the states south.

The weekly number of new coronavirus cases in Europe is now at its highest point since the start of the pandemic, a top World Health Organization official said on Thursday, urging governments to impose tighter, targeted controls on social gatherings.

The number of confirmed cases in Europe rose by a million to seven million in just 10 days, Hans Kluge, the WH.O.s director for Europe, told reporters, and the number of daily deaths had passed the level of 1,000 for the first time in months. (An earlier version of this item stated incorrectly the last time daily deaths in Europe had passed 1,000; it was earlier this year, not ever.)

His warning came as Britain announced tightened restrictions on several areas, including London, where people from different households will be barred from meeting indoors starting after midnight on Friday. People will also be discouraged from using public transportation.

The new measures will also apply to the city of York, in northern England, as well as to parts of central and southeastern England.

Many European countries are adopting stricter controls, which Dr. Kluge called absolutely necessary, as increased caseloads are raising fears of another surge as winter approaches.

On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron of France announced that, starting on Saturday, the authorities would impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the Paris region and around eight other major cities. The curfews will run for at least four weeks.

The measure is part of a renewed state of emergency that allows the national government to restrict public gatherings and movement countrywide. It was first declared in the spring but had ended in July.

We need this and if we dont want to take harsher measures in 15 days, or three weeks, or one month, we have to do it and comply with it, Mr. Macron said.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel and state governors have also agreed to nationwide restrictions on social gatherings and domestic travel, in response to a rise in infections.

I am convinced that what we do and what we dont do in these coming days and weeks will be decisive in how we get through this pandemic, Ms. Merkel at a news conference on Wednesday.

Nick Saban, the University of Alabamas coach and one of the most powerful figures in college sports, said Wednesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Sabans announcement came as for the second time this week the Southeastern Conference postponed a game because of the coronavirus, unnerving fans and players less than a month into the season that sustains an economic and cultural juggernaut throughout the South.

During a news conference conducted over Zoom, Saban, seemingly alone and wearing a face mask around his neck, said he had been very surprised to learn he was infected. He was tested as part of Alabamas daily screening of its football program.

I personally think I did a really good job of trying to manage my personal space, Saban said. And that would be what Ive informed our players to try to do, because you have to respect this disease.

Saban said in a statement that he was asymptomatic and staying at his home in Tuscaloosa. Alabamas athletic director, Greg Byrne, also tested positive, the university said.

Both immediately left the facility and went to their homes to self-isolate after receiving that information, Dr. Jimmy Robinson, Alabamas team doctor, and Jeff Allen, the football teams head athletic trainer, said in a statement. At this point in time, the positive tests are limited to those two individuals. All individuals who are considered high-risk contacts have been notified and will follow quarantine guidelines.

Saban, Alabamas coach since 2007, has won five national championships at Alabama and one at Louisiana State. He said that Steve Sarkisian, the offensive coordinator, would oversee game preparations at the football complex while he worked from home.

The second-ranked team is scheduled to play No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.

But the Southeastern Conference said Wednesday that Saturdays game between No. 10 Florida and Louisiana State, the reigning national champion, would not be played until at least Dec. 12, a week before the conference title game.

The postponement came two days after Floridas coach, Dan Mullen, described the football program as a model of safety during the pandemic and a day after the team paused football activities because of an increase in positive tests for the virus.

Floridas game against L.S.U., which was to be played in Gainesville, Fla., is the 29th Football Bowl Subdivision game since last August to be upended because of the pandemic.

The Big 12 Conference announced on Sunday that Baylor and Oklahoma State would not play this weekend because of an outbreak at Baylor. And on Monday, the conference postponed a game between Missouri and Vanderbilt after Vanderbilt concluded that once injuries, opt-outs and virus-related concerns were considered, it would not have enough scholarship players available to compete on Saturday.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, took issue on Wednesday with President Trumps repeated claims that 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine would be ready by the end of the year.

For a vaccine that is proven safe and effective, its not going to be 100 million doses, Dr. Fauci said in an interview streamed live with the CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah ODonnell.

Dr. Fauci agreed that there may be millions of vaccine doses ready by January from the six companies now developing them in partnership with the federal government, but he stressed that they must each be vetted before they would be made available to the public. Right now, there are several vaccine candidates whose safety and effectiveness should be known by November or December, Dr. Fauci said.

He said he expected that there would be widespread distribution of a vaccine by the end of April. The federal governments goal is 700 million doses, he said.

Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has had an increasingly contentious relationship with Mr. Trump as the pandemic has spread. During the interview with Ms. ODonnell, he made no secret of his concerns about Mr. Trumps continued campaign events, which tend to include many maskless participants.

When you have congregate settings and people are close to each other, and you dont have everyone wearing a mask, that is a risky situation, Dr. Fauci said. Even a partially open space, such as an airplane hanger, is not safe, according to Dr. Fauci.

He said he was pleased by Mr. Trumps recovery from the virus, but cautioned that others in the presidents position age 74 and overweight should not assume they would also do as well.

Such thinking, Dr. Fauci said, would be like watching someone drive 95 miles an hour without crashing and thinking, So, I can go ahead and speed and not get into an accident.

There are a lot of people his age and weight that did not do as well as the president did, Dr. Fauci said.

After receiving a heavy infusion of monoclonal antibodies to treat his bout of Covid-19, President Trump declared that he is immune to the virus that causes it and talked privately about wearing a Superman T-shirt under his dress shirt when he left the hospital.

Even as the president has exulted in his supposed imperviousness to the coronavirus that is resurging across parts of the country, he has delighted in portraying former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as vulnerable and cloistered, wearing masks every time you see him.

But if the president is in fact now immune to the virus, he may not remain so, scientists warn. His treatment may have prevented his body from making the antibodies necessary for long-term protection.

The experimental monoclonal antibodies Mr. Trump received were produced by the drug company Regeneron and will wane in a matter of weeks, as the synthetic molecules are known to do. Unless they are replenished, Mr. Trump may be left more susceptible to the virus than most patients who had Covid-19 and recovered, several experts warned.

Moreover, the steroid treatment the president received early in the course of his illness suppresses the bodys natural immune response, including its propensity to make antibodies of its own.

He may be not protected the second time around, especially because he didnt develop his own antibodies, said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University.

Most people who are infected with the coronavirus produce antibodies that should protect them from a second infection. Its unclear how long this immunity lasts. Research into other coronaviruses suggests that it may be up to a year, experts have said.

As New York State continues to fight the apparent resurgence of the coronavirus in several hot spots, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo threatened at one point on Wednesday to withhold state funds from local governments that do not successfully enforce shutdowns on schools and restrictions on gathering.

During a morning call with reporters, Mr. Cuomo specifically mentioned New York City and Orange and Rockland counties in the northern suburbs, including the town of Ramapo and village of Spring Valley, all of which have areas with the highest positivity rates in the state. Mr. Cuomo said he was frustrated by reports of continued gathering in those areas, including at schools and houses of worship, despite restrictions imposed by the state last week.

Hopefully that will motivate them, the governor said of local governments.

The governor did not provide details on what sources of funding could be withheld, or how much money could be denied to local governments, though he said the state could impound all funds. His office later said no withholding of funds was imminent, characterizing Mr. Cuomos comments as a warning. (Later in the day, he issued an executive order authorizing such moves.)

Still, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City criticized the governors comments, suggesting that such tactics were counterproductive.

What drives NYCs COVID response and enforcement is the threat of a second wave, not threats of federal or state funding cuts, the spokesman, Bill Neidhardt, said on Twitter.

The Rockland County executive, Ed Day, said in a statement that he generally supported the governors restrictions and that the county had taken steps to enforce them. But he singled out both Ramapo and Spring Valley, saying that those localities, which have a majority of the countys cases, flat out refuse to enforce the governors executive orders.

Mr. Cuomo also said that the state could withhold funds from both public and private schools that had already violated state orders, including those in red zones, or areas with the most severe restrictions, that had not closed as required. The schools would be notified in letters beginning on Wednesday, he said.

Statewide, the daily rate of positive test results was 1.1 percent, Mr. Cuomo said. But in the red zones, the positivity rate was at 6.29 percent, up from 4.13 the day before.

And hospitalizations in the state increased to 938, up 15 from the day prior, the governor said. The state has seen a sustained increase in hospitalizations over the last 10 days.

transcript

transcript

And what were seeing well go over the indicators in a little bit but were seeing, thankfully, is some leveling off, certainly in the city. Overall, some leveling off in the communities that have been most affected. So far, the overall picture is steady and that is good news. We need to see more progress obviously in the zones of greatest concern. We need to keep an eye on other neighborhoods, surrounding areas. Make sure that the situation is contained. But what were seeing overall, in terms of the city indicators, suggests that we are making some progress. And Ive said, this is a decisive week, truly decisive. We have to stop a second wave from hitting New York City. And we have the power to do it. Its really important to wear that mask regularly. If you go to work. If you go to a store, if you are any place with people you dont live with, wear that mask. It makes a huge difference its the simplest tool. Its made such a difference for the city. Especially with colder weather coming on, more indoor activity, that people cannot let the guard down need to keep that mask as a central part of our strategy. That plus social distancing plus testing will be the key to stopping this threat of a second wave and moving us forward.

In a news conference earlier on Wednesday, Mr. de Blasio said that the citys seven-day average positivity rate was at 1.46 percent. He also sounded an upbeat note on positivity rates in the red zones.

Leveling off is the right phrase, Mr. de Blasio said, without specifying positivity rates in the zones.

At his briefing, Mr. Cuomo also criticized a Sept. 25 birthday party on Long Island that left 37 people infected and 270 in quarantine. Steve Bellone, Suffolk Countys executive, said in a statement that there were 81 guests in attendance, well over the 50 currently permitted under state rules.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Bellone said that there had been multiple complaints about health rule violations at the inn before the party. The owners of the inn, which has closed temporarily, will be fined $12,000, officials said Wednesday.

Decisions about whether to reopen schools in the United States this fall were driven more by politics and teachers unions than by scientific evidence about the risk of coronavirus infection, according to research by political scientists at Boston College and the University of North Texas.

Their working paper, which draws on a database of school reopening plans for more than 10,000 of the nations roughly 13,000 school districts, has not been peer reviewed. But its findings are in line with those of previous research on what has driven decisions about school reopenings during the pandemic.

The authors, Michael T. Hartney and Leslie K. Finger, evaluated the influence of different factors on a districts decision. They found that a school systems size and the share of the vote won there by Donald J. Trump in 2016 were by far the strongest predictors of whether schools opened in person far more so than the average daily rate of new coronavirus cases in the county where a district was located.

Independent public health experts argued that school districts should make decisions about reopening based on local data about the transmission of the virus, as well as schools ability to put in place safety measures like social distancing and adequate ventilation. But the decisions quickly took on a political bent, the authors said.

President Trumps demands that schools reopen and his insistence that the worst of the pandemic was behind the country were embraced by his followers, who pushed for schools to reopen, while hardening the conviction of some educators and parents that teaching in person was unsafe.

Senior White House officials put pressure this summer on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to play down the risks of sending children back to the classroom, frustrating public health experts.

At the same time, as caseloads began to climb again in some parts of the country, teachers unions increasingly sought to protect their members by opposing in-person instruction. As a result, most large districts started the year remotely.

There may not be a Democratic or Republican way to clean the streets, the papers authors wrote, but, according to our findings, there are two distinctly partisan approaches to reopening Americas schools.

More than seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, the rules and regulations that govern daily life in the United States continue to vary widely, forcing people to interpret a checkerboard map of mask requirements, restaurant occupancy restrictions and travel guidelines.

What a person can and cannot do go to a nightclub, throw a Halloween party, get a nose piercing largely depends on where that person lives.

Many residents of Florida are free to work out at indoor gyms, eat inside at restaurants and mingle in crowded bars. But a resident of Los Angeles County, Calif., can do none of those things.

Right now we really have 50 different experiments going on, said L. Scott Benson, a professor at the University of Utahs Division of Public Health.

Throughout the pandemic, discordant protocols across state lines have frustrated governors and public health officials trying to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In March, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky lamented that residents could hop the border into neighboring Tennessee and eat at indoor restaurants. Those types of variations continue today, and even exist within individual states.

Theyre realizing that, well, if bars across the river are open, you can always go over to the bar over there, said Robert D. Duval, a professor in West Virginia Universitys Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership. He added that people have to understand that such behavior prolongs the need for the rules in the first place.

On Tuesday, Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah unveiled new rules that apply on a county-by-county basis depending on the rates of virus transmission. Under the restrictions, a resident of Wasatch County could attend a social gathering of 10 people or fewer, while a person in neighboring Duchesne County could attend a gathering with as many as 50 people.

Mr. Benson and other public health experts said a one-size-fits-all coronavirus response would be impractical. People in rural areas require different rules than those in dense, urban populations, they say.

With cases surging in Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers issued an order last week that would limit indoor dining at most bars and restaurants to 25 percent capacity. But that order was blocked on Wednesday by a county circuit judge over concerns that it disproportionately affected smaller businesses that would be unable to operate profitably under such tight restrictions.

This is a dangerous decision that leaves our state without a statewide effort to contain this virus, said Britt Cudaback, a representative for Mr. Evers. We will be challenging the decision, and in the meantime, we need Wisconsinites to stay home and help us prevent the spread of Covid-19.

This week, two high-profile, late-stage clinical trials Johnson & Johnsons test of a coronavirus vaccine and Eli Lillys study of a Covid-19 drug were put on pause because of possible safety concerns. Just a month earlier, AstraZenecas vaccine trial was paused after two volunteers became seriously ill.

Clinical trials experts said these delays were comforting, in a way: They show that the researchers were following proper safety procedures. But for now, details about the nature of the volunteers illnesses are scant. And although pauses of vaccine trials are not unusual, some experts said that pausing treatment trials like that of Eli Lillys antibody drug is rarer, and perhaps more worrisome.

That trial was testing the treatment on hospitalized patients a group that was already sick, and in which declines in health would not be surprising. So for a trial like that one to be paused, the safety concerns must have been significant, they said.

Ive done 50-plus monitoring committees, and its quite a rare thing to do, said Tim Friede, a biostatistician at University Medical Center Gottingen in Germany, referring to his role as a safety monitor for drug trials.

For now, the companies behind the trials arent saying much. In a statement in September, AstraZeneca said it had paused its trial to investigate a single event of an unexplained illness. But two vaccinated volunteers reportedly developed the same condition, an inflammation of the spinal cord called transverse myelitis.

Johnson & Johnson said that it was pausing its vaccine trial because of an unexplained illness. Eli Lillys trial of the antibody treatment was paused because of a so far undisclosed health difference between the group that received the drug and the group that received a placebo.

When people volunteer for a late-stage trial, known as Phase 3, they randomly get a treatment or a placebo, and neither they nor their doctor knows which one they received. In the weeks that follow, theyre carefully monitored. People in a vaccine trial may get a checkup each month and record any symptoms they experience in a journal. People who get a drug while theyre hospitalized may be given blood tests and medical exams.

Barron Trump, the presidents youngest son, tested positive for the coronavirus at one point, Melania Trump, the first lady, revealed on Wednesday, adding that he has since tested negative.

The White House had previously said that Barron Trump, 14, had tested negative for the virus. But Mrs. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that my fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive.

More here:

As Virus Hits Rural U.S., Numbers May Be Small, but the Impact Is Not - The New York Times

When it's cold outside, is it safe to bring a socially distanced gathering into your house if the windows are open for a short bit and then shut so indoor temperatures don't plummet? We answer this question below. Tessa Bunney/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

When it's cold outside, is it safe to bring a socially distanced gathering into your house if the windows are open for a short bit and then shut so indoor temperatures don't plummet? We answer this question below.

Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."

I live in a cold (North Dakota) climate and will very soon have to give up outdoor socializing. If I want to try indoor socializing, it'll be too cold to keep windows wide open for a long stretch. Would it help to open a window or door for a minute or two every so often?

Brr! Around the U.S., as colder temperatures set in, outdoor social gatherings can be harder to swing. Even our dearest friends would find it hard to join us for a snowy, windy backyard picnic or around-the-block stroll.

So from a comfort perspective, it makes sense to consider moving social activities indoors. But you're definitely incurring more risk: The outdoor air can disrupt potentially infectious exhalations. Is there a way to use open windows, air filters and other strategies to make the indoors more like the outdoors?

Before you go down that road, Sonali Advani, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, warns that there are limitations to focusing on ventilation via open windows as a way to prevent viral transmission.

"Ventilation is one of the many interventions we recommend," she says. "All of these measures, from masks to social distancing, work together in symphony. Relying on one alone will inevitably cause gaps in protection."

Those latter two measures masks and distancing are probably more important than just ventilation alone, Advani explains. So the best way to minimize risk is to mask up and stay 6 feet apart.

If you do end up meeting friends indoors and Advani says you should seriously think about that decision because of the heightened risk of transmission associated with inside spaces she's not sure how meaningful opening the windows for a short spell every 15 to 20 minutes would be when it comes to reducing risk. The total effect, she says, would likely be marginal.

Ventilation itself is only really helpful, she argues, when it's highly robust: windows open on both sides of a room to allow for cross-ventilation and an open, airy space with very few people, for example. Most people can't guarantee that at home. "When we talk about ventilation, what we really care about is air exchanges," or the number of times that air gets replaced in each room every hour. That can be accomplished with a robust air-handling system think airplanes and properly outfitted buildings. But, she says, "there's no controlled way of doing that when opening a window."

Stephen Morse, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University, agrees but adds that some ventilation is probably "better than none." So if you feel inclined to blast open a window in the middle of your North Dakota weather, go for it. Just do so while understanding the severe limitations.

And those limitations? Well, as Morse explains, there are potentially lots of them. For instance: "You can't really tell if the virus is in the air just at the moment when the window is not open in which case, you haven't gotten much benefit."

Plus, since there's little to no data on this, Morse says it can be hard for experts to give a definitive answer on risk.

"Opening windows and doors intermittently may have some effect on helping with creating more airflow, but the specifics of each room and situation would be different," Harvard Medical School physician Abraar Karan says.

But one thing is clear, Morse says: "If people are willing to wear masks and commit to social distancing [inside], that will help quite a bit even [indoors with windows closed] in cold weather."

Does holding your breath while walking by an unmasked (or masked) person help reduce the odds of transmission?

It's every pandemic precautionist's worst nightmare. You've followed all the rules siloing yourself to your house or apartment and leaving only for a CDC-approved walk around the block.

But what if an unmasked person passes by? And stops to ask you a question?

What if that person is infected and expelling viral particles? Would holding your breath prevent you from inhaling any potentially infectious bits?

Chances are sorry to report probably not to a great extent.

To begin with, the chances of transmission from a mini-encounter like the one above are rather small, Advani, of Duke, explains especially if you're outdoors and you don't stop to speak with the person you're passing.

"Transmission is unlikely to happen in seconds, so [holding your breath] likely won't make a difference," Karan, of Harvard, says. "If someone just sneezed in front of you, I wouldn't recommend inhaling that, but generally we believe it takes several minutes at least for transmission to occur."

Advani recommends carrying a mask with you to pop on in case a situation like this occurs.

Would spraying some kind of oil like WD-40 or a silicone or lube-type spray on the outside of my mask help trap viral particles better?

When it comes to DIY upgrades on masks, our sources are skeptical.

For one, Advani worries about the impact that rubbing on such an oil would have on filtration efficiency the main purpose of a good mask. And there might even be added risks.

"Oil may cause bacteria to grow and affect the filtration process of the mask," she says. "That might possibly increase the risk of bacterial infection."

In general, our sources stress that people should stick to the basics of COVID-19 protection and try not to get too fancy with it.

"The virus itself largely travels within droplets or aerosol particles. Using an oil coating on a mask has not been studied in this manner to have any effect. Altering mask materials could negate efficacy," says Karan.

He concludes, "I wouldn't put an oil coating on a mask."

Pranav Baskar is a freelance journalist.

Link:

Would Spraying A COVID-19 Mask With Oil Be A Good Thing ... Or A Bad Thing? : Goats and Soda - NPR

Heres our recap of thepast week inthe coronaviruspandemicfrom our tracking, policy analysis, polling, and journalism.

This week a joint project between KFF and ESPNs The Undefeated explores the publics views and experiences on the topics of health care, racial discrimination, and the coronavirus pandemic, with a special focus on Black adults. Half of Black adults say they would definitely or probably get a coronavirus vaccine available for free and deemed safe by scientists, compared to 61% of Hispanic adults and 65% of White adults. KFF President Drew Altman discusses how systemic racism had led to striking levels of reluctance to get a COVID-19 vaccine among Black Americans in an Axios column.

The national survey also explored the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people of color. Half of Black adults and 57% of Hispanic adults say someone in their household lost a job, was furloughed, or had their hours or income reduced due to the pandemic, compared to 42% of White adults. Two-thirds of Black adults think the federal government would be taking stronger action to fight the pandemic if White people were getting sick and dying from the coronavirus at higher rates than people of color.

Global Cases and Deaths:Totalcases worldwide reached36.3 millionthis week withan increase ofapproximately2.4 million new confirmed cases in the past seven days.There werenearly 39,000new confirmed deaths worldwide and the total confirmed deaths is over 1 million.

U.S. Cases and Deaths: Total confirmed cases in the U.S. surpassed 7.9 million this week. There was an approximate increase of 373,800 confirmed cases between October 9 and October 15. Approximately 4,900 confirmed deaths in the past week brought the total in the United States to approximately 217,700.

Race/Ethnicity Data: Hispanic individuals made up a higher share of cases compared to their share of the total population in 44 of 46 states reporting cases and 13 of 47 states reporting deaths. In 7 states (NH, NC, NE, OR, WA, VA, and PA), Hispanic peoples share of cases was more than 3 times their share of the population. COVID-19 continues to have a sharp, disproportionate impact on American Indian/Alaska Native as well as Asian people in some states. Black individuals made up a higher share of cases/deaths compared to their share of the population in 40 of 50 states reporting cases and 34 of 48 states reporting deaths. In 6 states (MI, MO, WI, KS, and ME) the share of COVID-19 related deaths among Black people was at least two times higher than their share of the total population.

Extensions: AR, CO, GA, HI, IN, MN, SC, VT, WY

New Restrictions: ND

Rollbacks: CA, ME, ND, TX, WI, WV

Enhanced Face Mask Order: ME

Link:

This Week in Coronavirus: October 9 to October 15 | KFF - Kaiser Family Foundation

Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.

Utah shattered its previous record for coronavirus hospitalizations Friday and one of the states largest hospitals said it was forced to set up extra beds because the intensive care unit was full.

University of Utah Hospital was bringing in doctors and nurses for overtime shifts Friday to staff new beds after its ICU reached more than 100% capacity, said hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Winchester.

The hospital in March set up a regular unit to have the monitoring capability of an ICU, said Dr. Russell Vinik, chief medical operations officer.

But we dont have staffing for that ICU," he said. "That is made by doctors, nurses, therapists working extra shifts and extra time.

The hospital normally has room for 111 ICU patients, Vinik said. With the makeshift ICU, there is room for 134 patients but with 115 patients admitted as of Friday, there was room for only 19 more, he said. The hospital had been adding three or four ICU patients each week but with 1,496 new cases Friday, Utah saw its weekly rate of new cases reach unprecedented levels this week, and that means even more new ICU patients are likely on the way.

That makes us that much more concerned in preparing for whats ahead of us for the next month or more, Vinik said. We have dedicated staff and everybodys pitching in, but we cant keep doing this for months and months. We need the publics help to do what they can do.

The spike in cases is unsustainable, Gov. Gary Herbert agreed in a statement released with the daily coronavirus report. Utahns must wear a mask around others, socially distance, and limit social gathering sizes. Unless we do these things, we can expect to see more sobering days like today."

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall called this a deciding moment.

The actions we take in the days ahead will determine whether or not our systems are able to handle our healthcare needs, Mendenhall said. We have to do everything we can.

Herbert said four more counties are expected to be declared high transmission areas next week, a designation that brings heightened restrictions, such as longer-term mask requirements and limits on social gatherings. Six counties were already in that category as of this week.

The 15 moderate transmission counties already were under mask requirements and 10-person limits on gatherings as part of what state officials are calling a two-week circuit breaker intended to reduce infection rates during a weeks-long spike that has made Utahs outbreak one of the worst in the nation. The 15 moderate counties are Box Elder, Carbon, Davis, Grand, Iron, Millard, Morgan, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Washington and Weber.

Its unclear which four of those counties are on track for tighter restrictions; nine of them now have per-capita rates of new cases that exceed the states threshold for high" transmission levels, but another criterion the percentage of tests that come back positive is not reported daily at the county level.

The six counties now under the states highest restrictions are Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch, Cache, Juab and Garfield. A seventh, Piute County, had both the states worst number of new infections per capita and percentage of tests with positive results, but it remained in the low transmission category because its small population made its data relatively unstable, said Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko. It is considered under review but the virus has become so pervasive there that the countys schools were forced to shut down because so many employees were on quarantine.

Utahs new guidelines are more strict than they were, but they remain more lax than other, national models.

For example, the White House Coronavirus Task Force guidelines assign the highest-risk red zone label to any county with more than 101 weekly cases per 100,000 people less than Utahs high transmission two-week infection rate of 325. Under the White House metrics, 23 of Utahs 29 counties would have the most stringent rules. The same White House guidelines place any county reporting more than 10% of its tests as positive in the highest-risk category a lower bar than Utahs threshold of 13%.

Meanwhile, public health teams at Harvard and Brown universities developed metrics that define transmission risks at their highest level when a population confirms an average of 25 daily cases per 100,000 people during one week, or 350 new cases in two weeks. Thats slightly higher than Utahs two-week case threshold but the model also calls for more aggressive restrictions at that level, advising: Stay-at-home orders necessary. If that were to be implemented here, 13 of Utahs counties would be under lockdown.

And the numbers are only getting worse. For the past week, the Utah Department of Health has tallied 1,224 new positive test results a day, on average, continuing a streak of new record highs.

Utahs death toll from the coronavirus stood at 537 on Friday, with eight fatalities reported since Thursday:

Hospitalizations rose sharply Friday, with 290 Utah patients actively getting care, the state reported, far exceeding the previous high of 259. The weekly average also hit a record high at 256.

In total, 4,559 patients have been hospitalized in Utah for COVID-19, up 48 from Friday. For the past two weeks, the state has reported 643 new hospitalizations, by far the most of any 14-day stretch.

Utahs ICUs were 75% occupied as of Friday, above the states threshold to move counties to high restrictions under some circumstances, according to the states guidelines.

The rate of new cases per capita remained higher in Utah County than in any other local health district, but with a record-breaking 696 new cases, Salt Lake County was approaching similar infection rates. Herriman reported the most cases per capita in the past week, followed by Draper and the eastern neighborhoods of West Valley City.

Wasatch and Tooele counties and the Central and Southeast Utah health districts also reported record new cases for the past week.

Statewide, the positivity rate remains in the 13% to 14% range that state officials say indicates there are far more people sick than those getting tested. On Friday, it was at 13.9%.

There were 9,307 new test results reported on Friday, above the weeklong average of about 8,000 new tests per day.

More:

University of Utah Hospital overcapacity as the 'unsustainable' coronavirus outbreak continues - Salt Lake Tribune