Coronavirus updates: US tops 200K deaths in less than 8 months but toll could double by year's end; FDA to set high bar for vaccine

 The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus quietly surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday, less than eight months after the first American fatality.

The U.S. reached 100,000 deaths in May. Now, some experts estimate the death toll could almost double by year's end.

Fatigue for social distancing and the push to get back into offices and schools could fuel new cases – and deaths – in the coming weeks and months. Experts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington



 predict 378,321 deaths by Jan. 1.

The nation marches on. Hollywood is primed to make a comeback after months of filming delays, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidelines for relatively safe Halloween celebrations. Traditional trick-or-treating gets the thumbs-down.

Some significant developments:

  • Our travel writer David Oliver checked in at a few hotels to check out their coronavirus protocols. Here's what he found.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention walked back changed guidance on how the coronavirus spreads. On Friday, the CDC posted an update on its website saying 6 feet may not be sufficient to keep people safe and that ventilation was key to easing transmission indoors. But on Monday, the agency said the new guidance was a "draft version" that was "posted in error."
  • Some economists say the U.S. could fall into a double-dip recession if Congress fails to pass another coronavirus stimulus package.📈 Today's numbers: Minnesota, Montana, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Puerto Rico set records for new cases in the week ending Monday. The U.S. has reported more than 6.8 million cases and 200,700 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been more than 31.4 million cases and 968,000 fatalities. 

The FDA granted emergency authorization to hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma, two treatments for the virus touted by Trump but questioned by public health experts.

Notre Dame postpones football game against Wake Forest over positive tests

Seventh-ranked Notre Dame halted all its football activities and postponed Saturday's road game at Wake Forest after seven Irish players tested positive for the coronavirus. Notre Dame said in a statement that 13 players are in isolation, with 10 in quarantine. The schools may reschedule the game for Oct. 3, an open date for both.

"We managed an increase in positivity rates in August, and the players handled it wonderfully,'' Irish coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. "We knew COVID would present challenges throughout the season, and we'll always put student-athlete health and safety at the forefront of our decision making.''

– Eddie Timanus

200,000 in US dead as widely available vaccine still months away

The U.S. death toll reached 200,000 on Tuesday as states grapple with opening schools, restaurants, gyms and other small businesses. In March, President Donald Trump said keeping the death toll between 100,000 to 200,000 people would have indicated that his administration had “done a very good job.” As the number has continued to climb and a vaccine available to the masses does not appear imminent, Trump has sought to reshape the significance of the death tally.“If we didn’t do our job, it would be three and half, two and half, maybe three million people,” Trump said Friday, leaning on extreme projections of what could have happened if nothing was done to fight the pandemic. “We have done a phenomenal job with respect to COVID-19.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scheduled a moment of silence Tuesday in memory of the 200,000-plus Americans killed by COVID-19. 

– Adrianna Rodriguez

California opens testing to all

With turnaround times for coronavirus tests in California down to an average of 1.2 days, the state no longer sees a need to prioritize who gets tested. State Health Secretary Mark Ghaly said Tuesday that California is urging counties to open the screenings to anyone who wants them, including people without symptoms.

Ghaly also said nail salons, which Gov. Gavin Newsom pinpointed as the origin of the state's initial outbreak, will be allowed to open, although the final decision will be up to the county health departments.

On Monday, California officials said the state's positivity rate had dipped below 3% for the first time, down to 2.8%.

Nicole Hayden, Palm Springs (Calif.) Desert Sun

Donald Trump blasts WHO, says China 'unleashed this plague onto the world'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday used his speech to the United Nations General Assembly to call on the global organization to hold Beijing accountable for the coronavirus pandemic, saying China "unleashed this plague onto the world."

Trump said China locked down domestic travel while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. Trump again referred to COVID-19 as the "China virus" and berated the World Health Organization, which the U.S. has begun withdrawing from, for being "virtually controlled by China." Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke shortly after Trump, calling for global cooperation and saying "any attempt of politicizing the issue or stigmatization must be rejected."

– Courtney Subramanian

North Carolina may soon allow fans in stadiums

College and professional sports teams in North Carolina may be allowed to host a few thousand fans in outdoor stadiums as soon as Oct. 2, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday, adding that the decision would hinge on the state's coronavirus numbers continuing to improve or remaining flat.

Places that can seat more than 10,000 people outside would be able to operate at 7% of capacity while adhering to the recommended 6 feet of physical distancing, Cooper said. 

COVID-19 outbreak at California immigration center forces mass testing

Hundreds of detainees and staff at one of the largest federal immigration detention centers in the country are being tested for the coronavirus amid an outbreak.

As of Sunday, 53 of 394 people had tested positive for COVID-19 at the 1,940-bed Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, California, according to a court filing citing Gabriel Valdez, assistant field office director of enforcement and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE previously designated 20 of those 53 people as being at greater risk of complications from COVID-19 due to their age and preexisting medical conditions.

"I'm afraid of dying here," Jose Ricardo Viveros Rodriguez said in Spanish. Viveros Rodriguez, 72, has diabetes and high blood pressure and went on a hunger strike to raise awareness of the risk he faces at the facility.

Rebecca Plevin, Palm Springs (Calif.) Desert Sun

Study: Up to 70% of KN95 masks from China don’t meet filter standards

The KN95 mask is meant to filter out 95% of aerosol particles. However, the nonprofit patient safety organization ECRI issued an alert against the masks after an analysis found that up to 70% of the KN95s imported from China did not meet these filtration standards. U.S. hospitals were forced to purchase hundreds of thousands of KN95 masks produced in China over the past six months. ECRI tested nearly 200 masks from 15 different manufacturer models purchased by some of the largest health systems in the country. There was not only variability among the different brands but also inconsistencies among masks made by the same manufacturer.

“We are concerned about the safety of health care workers and patients when using KN95s in high-risk procedures and that’s why we sent out the hazard alert,” said Dr. Marcus Schabacker, ECRI’s president and chief executive officer. “We don’t use this lightly; we reserve that for immediate risk.”

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Ex-White House task force member says Donald Trump's views were 'frightening'

Former White House coronavirus task force member Olivia Troye says “it was frightening” when President Donald Trump said the virus would disappear "like magic."

Troye, an ex-aide to Vice President Pence, told NBC News’ "TODAY" show the task force was aware of how big COVID-19 would be in late January, before the first U.S. death. Troye said the president appeared dismissive of the virus.

“He said, 'When you're a politician, you have to shake a lot of hands. You have to shake a lot of hands. And these people are disgusting. It's gross. And so maybe, COVID'S probably a good thing, right? I don't have to shake hands. I don't have to do that anymore.'”Pence has described Troye as a disgruntled employee while Trump says he does not remember ever meeting her.

Roger Goodell on $100K fines for NFL mask violations: 'You can't let up'

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no qualms about harshly penalizing coaches who violate the NFL’s protocols mandating that they wear face masks while roaming the sidelines. The NFL on Monday fined three coaches – San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, Denver’s Vic Fangio and Seattle’s Pete Carroll – at $100,000 each for disregarding the policy. Their respective teams were docked $250,000 apiece.

“It’s consistent with the message,” Goodell told USA TODAY Sports. “You can’t let up. We’ve got to consistently do the things that have gotten us to this place and not think, ‘OK, things have gone so well, so it’s OK now.’ It’s not. You’ve got to stay on your toes and we’ve got to continue to be disciplined.”

– Jarrett Bell

Boo! CDC says trick-or-treating is ill-advised

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines  highlighting different levels of risk for Halloween fun.

Pumpkin carving at home or outside at a distance from others, participating in a virtual costume contest or having a "scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search" at home are all considered lower risk.

Moderate-risk activities include leaving grab-and-go goodie bags outside for trick-or-treaters, having a small, outdoor and socially distant costume parade and visiting a one-way, socially distant haunted forest with masks (greater distance is advised "if screaming will likely occur").

The CDC recommends avoiding higher-risk activities such as traditional trick-or-treating and indoor costume parties or haunted houses.

–  Erin Jensen

Hollywood unions, studios reach agreement on return-to-work rules

Lights, camera, action: After months of planning and negotiating, Hollywood's unions and major studios have reached a return-to-work agreement. On Monday, The Directors Guild of America, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Basic Crafts unions and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists jointly announced the deal reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

“The protocols pave the way for creative workers, who have been hard hit by the pandemic, to resume their crafts and livelihoods in workplaces redesigned around their health,” the unions said in a joint statement.

COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY

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Contributing: The Associated Press


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