With a shockingly small number of days left until election night (four!), you’ve probably already decided who to vote for—or, like record numbers of Americans, cast your vote already. But whether you’ve voted or not, you may still be wondering how, exactly, former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris plan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic if elected. (Even after the presidential debates and 10 months of writing about the outbreak, I wasn’t totally sure, either.)
Biden and Harris have circulated a seven-point plan for fighting the coronavirus. Most of its elements probably won’t surprise you. In broad strokes, Biden promises to:
Increase U.S. testing capacity
Expand production of personal protective equipment
Establish clear, science-backed guidelines for reopening
Protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly and people of color
Invest $25 billion in an equitable and free vaccine distribution program
Restore U.S. membership in the World Health Organization and other global health programs
Encourage universal mask-wearing by calling on governors to implement state-level mandates
Health experts I spoke to said the plan is right on target, as far as public health is concerned. “I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘What if we had this all along during the pandemic?’” said Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, after reading it. “What a different place we would be in.”
But experts also said the plan doesn’t go deep enough into what would arguably be Biden’s biggest challenge—and responsibility—if he takes office: convincing Americans to trust scientific guidance, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.
The U.S. pandemic response has so far been complicated by fierce partisanship and a failure to let scientists take center stage. If Biden wants to get the pandemic under control, experts told me, he needs to figure out a way to stop that, and fast. Letting scientists hold daily briefings could help, as could partnering with celebrities, influencers and community leaders who could speak to specific populations. People are already wary of the COVID-19 vaccines in development, and, in some cases, deeply opposed to wearing masks. If a Biden administration can’t convince them otherwise, even their best-laid plans may falter.
These are anxious times. TIME's newest newsletter, It's Not Just You, from editor-at-large Susanna Schrobsdorff, has big-hearted advice and wellness tips to help you cope. Subscribe here to get this week's interview with Sarah Silverman, who shares her thoughts on finding connection in a divided world.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 45 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 1.2 million people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Oct. 29, there were 536,687 new cases and 7,020 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 500,000 confirmed cases:
If clinical trials go well, some Germans may be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year, the Wall Street Journalreports. Germany, which is home to vaccine maker BioNTech SE, reportedly has 60 million doses of the BioNTech vaccine (which is being produced in collaboration with Pfizer, and is currently in phase 3 testing) in storage at a secret location, and is prepared to begin distributing them within hours of regulators approving the shot. Elderly people, health care workers, those in law enforcement and people with medical or environmental susceptibility to the virus would get immunized first, while the general public would likely have to wait a few months.
So far, Africa seems to have avoided the worst of the pandemic. But now, as in many parts of the world, cases are on the rise and may only get worse, officials from Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned yesterday. About 1.7 million people across Africa have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and almost 42,000 have died; cases are now rising steadily in countries including Kenya, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In the European Union, where cases are soaring, officials have set aside more than $250 million to pay for cross-border patient transfers if necessary. If a particular country’s hospital systems become overwhelmed, the money would allow patients to be moved to facilities with open beds. The plan is part of a larger E.U. effort to coordinate viral response, including by streamlining vaccine distribution when one becomes available.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 8.9 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 228,656 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Oct. 29, there were 88,521 new cases and 971 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Yesterday marked a new high—or new low, depending on how you look at it—in the U.S. outbreak. With more than 88,000 new cases reported—more than one per second—the country hit a new record for single-day diagnoses. The situation is particularly bad in the Midwest, but cases are on the rise in nearly every part of the country. While COVID-19 death rates so far remain far below where they were in March and April, a spike of that magnitude will inevitably lead to a subsequent spike in deaths—and with families likely to gather for Thanksgiving in a few weeks, the situation may only worsen.
About 750,000 people in the U.S. began filing for unemployment insurance last week, the U.S. Labor Department announced yesterday. That’s a massive number, obviously, but also the lowest recorded since the pandemic began—suggesting that businesses are laying off fewer people than they were in the outbreak’s early months. The total unemployment rate is still around 8%.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of October 30, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Virus Antibodies May Last Longer Than Researchers Thought
Encouraging new research suggests COVID-19 antibodies—proteins that help the body respond to the virus, and which may provide protection against future infections—may last as long as five months, considerably longer than previous estimates of three months. Read more here.
The Travel Industry Is Looking for Loopholes
With travel between the U.S. and most of Europe essentially nonexistent right now, airlines are looking for ways to revive certain routes. Currently, health officials recommend quarantines on both ends of a transcontinental flight—but airlines are hoping rapid testing can offer a way around that logistical headache, the Wall Street Journal reports. Read more here.
Trump Rallies Are Correlated with Coronavirus Spikes
Fourteen of 17 counties where U.S. President Donald Trump hosted campaign rallies this year saw coronavirus spikes during the following month, according to a CNN analysis. Read more here.
Important Hospital Data Isn't Being Made Public
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services keeps granular records showing which hospitals are nearing capacity due to COVID-19, as well as how many patients are in their ICUs and how many are on ventilators. But these valuable data are not shared beyond a list of a few dozen government employees, NPR reports—secrecy that could conceal the extent of local COVID-19 outbreaks. Read more here.
No Commutes Equals Longer Work Days
For many people, eliminating their commute was one of the few bright spots that came with lockdowns. But what did Americans do with that extra time? Crafts? Cooking? Exercise? Family bonding? Nope—just more working, according to recent survey data, the Wall Street Journal reports. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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