(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 43,121,946
Global deaths: 1,154,746. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 225,239.
Number of countries/regions: at least 189
Total patients recovered globally: 28,989,995
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 8,637,100 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 225,239. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 33,422.
U.S. total patients recovered: 3,422,878
U.S. total people tested: 132,568,375
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 906,705 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. That ranks third in the world after Maharashtra, India, which has 1,645,020- reported cases, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 1,001,980 reported cases.
US COVID-19 deaths exceed 225,000; global cases top 43 million; new US case record set
More than a quarter of a million people in America have now died from COVID-19, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. As of Monday morning, at least 225,239 people had died of the virus, which is more deaths than any other country and constitutes 19.5% of global deaths. The number of reported COVID-19 infections globally has now topped 43 million, with 43,121,946. Of those, the U.S. again has the most reported cases, with 8,637,100, comprising 20% of the global total. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent forecast estimates there will be from 235,000 to 247,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by the week ending November 14.
The COVID Tracking Project’s daily update Sunday reported 1.1 million tests, 65,000 cases and 42,000 people currently hospitalized, with a Sunday death toll of 337. The U.S. on Sunday also set a new record for new cases averaged over a seven-day period, with 68,954. The previous high was 66,844, set on July 23.
Five people close to Vice President Pence have tested positive for COVID-19
ABC News has confirmed at least five individuals in Vice President Mike Pence’s orbit have tested positive for COVID-19. Multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News that in addition to an outside political ally of the vice president, four of his staffers are positive, including Chief of Staff Marc Short and political aide Marty Obst. One senior-level source stresses the three additional staffers have been quarantining since this past week. Among those three staffers is Pence’s “body man,” a position that often represents an individual who is the closest aide to the office holder.
This is the second time someone close to Vice President Pence has tested positive for the coronavirus. Katie Miller, Pence’s press secretary and wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, tested positive for COVID-19 in May. The vice president’s press secretary said both Pence and wife Karen Pence tested negative for the virus on Saturday, and a press report indicated they tested negative again on Sunday morning.
Pence, the head of the White House coronavirus task force, has been crisscrossing the country on the campaign trail for weeks and his office says will continue his schedule, despite the close contact with his chief of staff. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anyone who’s had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days, to ensure they don’t spread the virus should they also be infected.
Two vaccine trials resuming after being paused due to participant illnesses
Pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are preparing to resume their phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials in the U.S., after a brief pause when participants became ill. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement Friday that discussions with the necessary regulatory agencies are underway. That same day, AstraZeneca announced its phase 3 trial had resumed “across the world.” Drug company Eli Lilly has yet to announce the resumption of its COVID-19 vaccine trial after announcing a pause nearly two weeks ago.
Temporary pauses in clinical human trials of new drugs are not uncommon, with most scientists saying it’s a good sign that safety isn’t being sacrificed in the name of speed. According to The New York Times, there are currently 11 ongoing phase 3 human trials of potential COVID-19 vaccines around the world. Several experts have cautiously estimated that one or more COVID-19 vaccinations could be ready for FDA approval before the end of the year. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor for the White House’s Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 vaccination effort, told ABC News last week that he feels “pretty confident” most Americans can be vaccinated by June 2021.
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