For the First Time, the U.S. Reported 100,000 New Cases in a Single Day
As your attention was fixed on the final stretch of the race between President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden this morning, you might have missed that the U.S. passed a devastating new milestone yesterday: reporting more than 100,000 new daily cases of COVID-19.
If you had any doubt left that the weeks ahead will be a devastating part of the pandemic, this new figure should disillusion you. As we head into the holiday season and the days get darker and colder, I wish I could tell you that it’s ok to gather with friends and family to reconnect after months of separation. But the fact is, the U.S. is now averaging 88,000 new cases a day—compared to 67,000 two weeks ago—and over 800 deaths a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As Dr. Leana Wen, a public health expert at George Washington University, warns, the U.S. is in an “extremely dire place.”
“Every metric that we have is trending in the wrong direction,” Wen recently told the Associated Press. “This is a virus that will continue to escalate at an accelerated speed and that is not going to stop on its own.”
Regardless of who wins the presidency, it seems unlikely that Americans will face any kind of mask mandate or national stay-at-home order that could turn social-distancing recommendations into national imperatives. But a few days after placing ballots, it might be the right time for U.S. citizens to reflect on what is really meant by “civic duty.” No matter what party is leading the country, Americans all know that COVID-19 has been devastating. It’s scarred the economy, could cause more than 400,000 deaths by the end of the year, and has left an untold number of patients with life-altering neurological problems and other side effects. As a people, Americans like to praise sacrifices made by our forefathers or our military, but in the here-and-now, American individualism can make us short-sighted when it comes to making minor sacrifices in everyday life, like wearing a mask or skipping a family party. That mindset has failed us in the pandemic so far, and it’s going to continue to fail us if we don’t take action against the pandemic in the coming weeks.
The fact that the pandemic hit in an election year is just one more misfortune brought on by this public health disaster. Party politics has corrupted the conversation around the virus, turning basic protections like face masks into flags of political partisanship. Once the last votes are tallied, the U.S. must unite against the real enemy: the coronavirus.
More than 48 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 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 Nov. 4, there were 685,295 new cases and 11,467 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 600,000 confirmed cases:
England buckled down to adhere to a new lockdown that began today and is expected to last until Dec. 2. With limited exceptions, residents were urged to stay home and to avoid meeting with other people socially, and non-essential businesses were ordered to close. England has reported a spike in coronavirus cases this fall, including nearly 22,000 new cases on Nov. 4; for comparison, the nation averaged about 1,000 cases a day in August.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also announced today that his country will undergo a second national lockdown starting Saturday to stem a surge of patients at hospitals, the AP reports. Residents will only be allowed to leave home for work, exercise and medical reasons, and when they do, they must carry a government form (which can be handled via a text-messaging system) stipulating their approved reasons to be out. Retail businesses besides food stores and pharmacies must close; primary schools and special education will also remain open.
Denmark is planning to cull all of the country’s 15 million mink after a mutated version of the coronavirus was found in the animals at farms, whose fur is used to make garments, the Guardianreports. The same mutation had been found in 12 people, according to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Humane Society International praised the move, calling it an “essential and science-based step to protect Danish citizens,” and said that it was an opportunity for farmers to move away from the industry.
A number of mourners who attended the funeral of Serbian Orthodox Church Bishop Amfilohije Radovic in Montenegro have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the BBC reported today. Radovic reportedly died from pneumonia connected to the viral infection. Mourners reportedly gathered at the bishop’s funeral mass without masks and kissed the bishop’s body as it lay in an open coffin on Sunday. Among those who were confirmed to be infected is Patriarch Irinej, the 90-year-old head of the church, who was hospitalized yesterday.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded nearly 9.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 233,700 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 Nov. 4, there were 102,831 new cases and 1,097 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Now that the election is drawing to a close, the possibility of a new stimulus deal is gaining ground—despite the fact that the odds of a divided government are rising. That's because a pandemic stimulus could be attached to a bill needed to fund the federal government past Dec. 11, the New York Times reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday that the stimulus deal will be “job one” once lawmakers are back in session on Monday.
About 751,000 unemployment claims were made last week, a slight decrease from the 758,000 revised count from the previous week, according to Department of Labor data released today. The Wall Street Journalreports that this slight decrease in claims is a sign that the recovery of the U.S. labor market is “cooling” as coronavirus cases rise in some states.
If you camp out to score the PlayStation 5 next week, you’ll be out of luck—the new game console will only be available through online orders, Sony said today. Customers can likely still pick up pre-ordered consoles at retailers at appointed times, although they should confirm that option with their retailer.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Nov. 5, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
How to Manage Your Coronavirus Fatigue
Many people are tired of the pandemic and of all the precautions we need to take to protect ourselves. ABC News lays out steps we can take to make it feel a bit easier. Read more here.
Understanding One of the Most Dangerous COVID-19 Symptoms
Scientists have gotten closer to understanding why COVID-19 can lead to blood clots, which can cause patients to have lung blockages, strokes or even die. Researchers have found that a type of antibody that appears in half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients caused blood clots in mice. Read more here.
The U.S. Faces N95 Face Mask Shortages
As COVID-19 cases surge once again, some health care facilities in the U.S. are again running short on N95 face masks, reports the Wall Street Journal. Although manufacturers have stepped up production, many facilities are still rationing and reusing the protective gear, and mask stockpiling is cutting into the supply. Read more here.
The Disruption of Women’s Retail Careers
The coronavirus pandemic has imperiled employees working the most common job in the United States: retail. For these employees—a majority of whom are women and a fifth of whom are 55 or older—the pandemic poses a risk not only to their health, but to their financial wellbeing, reports NPR. 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 Tara Law and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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