Coronavirus updates: New cases, deaths see double-digit increases in past week: HHS

October 27, 2020October 28, 2020 WKXA

Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 43.6 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 226,606 deaths.

Here’s how the news developed Tuesday. All times Eastern:

Oct 27, 9:28 pm
New cases, deaths see double-digit increases in past week: HHS

New COVID-19 cases and deaths saw double-digit increases in the past week in the U.S., according to an internal Health and Human Services memo obtained by ABC News.

The number of new cases reported nationally from Oct. 20 to 26 increased 22.7% compared to the previous seven-day period, and recorded deaths increased 10.5% during that time period, HHS found.

The national test-positivity rate increased to 6.2% from 5.8% in week-to-week comparisons, as 41 states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new cases, according to the memo.

Across the country, 20% of hospitals have more than 80% of their ICU beds filled. That number was 17% to 18% during the summertime peak.

In Montana, new deaths increased by 50% in the week ending Oct. 20, compared to the prior week.

And in Minnesota, more than 70 outbreaks and 600 cases of COVID-19 have been tied to weddings, the memo noted.

Oct 27, 4:30 pm
Belgium reports 21.1% positivity rate

COVID-19 cases in Belgium have increased by 38% in the last week and the nation’s positivity rate stands at 21.1%, according to the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health.

Hospitalizations have hit a record high with 689 new admissions in the last day, surpassing the record of 629 set in March.

Hospitalizations have now reached a total of 5,554. During the first wave, the highest was 5,715.

Germany will take in Belgian patients if needed, German ambassador Martin Kotthaus said on Belgian TV.

Europe accounts for the great proportion of new cases, contributing nearly half of all new cases reported globally in the last week, according to a report from the World Health Organization. In Europe deaths have increased by 37% over the previous week.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 4:09 pm
Cases skyrocketing in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has now surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 cases. While it took Wisconsin a little over seven months to reach 100,000 cases, it took a fraction of that time — just 36 days — to reach 200,000, Gov. Tony Evers said.

With 5,262 new cases and 64 more deaths, Tuesday marked Wisconsin’s largest single-day increase for cases and fatalities, said Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm.

Hospitals across the state are strained and operating with critical and imminent staffing shortages, Palm said.

Evers urged residents to avoid gatherings and only leave their homes when absolutely necessary.

ABC News’ Rachel Katz contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 4:08 pm
New Yorkers urged to stay home for Thanksgiving
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is urging New Yorkers to avoid traveling over Thanksgiving to keep high COVID-19 numbers from returning to the city.

“You could be putting your family and yourself in danger and bringing the disease back here,” the mayor said, according to ABC New York station WABC. “Everyone is going to make their own decision, I know there are painful choices. I get it. But my recommendation is to avoid travel this holiday season. Stay safe, to keep us all safe.”

Oct 27, 3:21 pm
California added to New York’s travel advisory list
California has been added to New York’s growing travel advisory list, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

Forty-five states and territories now meet the travel advisory requirements, Cuomo said. Those who come to New York must quarantine for two weeks if they travel from areas with positive test rates above 10 per 100,000 residents over a one-week average, or an area with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a one-week average.

These are the states and territories on the list: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania meet the criteria for the travel advisory list, but Cuomo said it’s not practical to enforce a quarantine with neighboring states. New Yorkers are discouraged from nonessential travel to those states.

ABC News’ Josh Hoyos contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 3:04 pm
Greece, Italy report record rise in cases
Greece reported 1,259 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a record 24-hour increase, surpassing the 935 new infections reported on Saturday, according to the National Public Health Organization.

The small Mediterranean country now has over 32,000 cases.

Twelve new deaths were reported on Tuesday, pushing Greece’s fatality total to 593.

Meanwhile, Italy on Tuesday also reported a record 24-hour increase — 21,994 newly diagnosed cases — breaking a record set on Sunday, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

Italy now has more than 564,000 cases and at least 37,700 fatalities.

Walter Ricciardi, a top Italian physician and adviser to Health Minister Roberto Speranza, called for Naples and Milan to be locked down on Tuesday, saying “in Milan and Naples you can get COVID by walking into a bar or a restaurant or catching a bus.”

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 1:04 pm
Greece, Italy report record rise in cases

Greece reported 1,259 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a record 24-hour increase, surpassing the 935 new infections reported on Saturday, according to the National Public Health Organization.

The small Mediterranean country now has over 32,000 cases.

Twelve new deaths were reported on Tuesday, pushing Greece’s fatality total to 593.

Meanwhile, Italy on Tuesday also reported a record 24-hour increase — 21,994 newly diagnosed cases — breaking a record set on Sunday, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

Italy now has more than 564,000 cases and at least 37,700 fatalities.

Oct 27, 12:25 pm
Birx blasts ND city for having lowest mask use of anywhere she’s visited

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx visited shops and restaurants in Bismark, North Dakota, on Monday, where she said she saw the lowest make use of anywhere she’s visited, local TV station KFYR-TV reported.

“There is not only evidence that masks work, there is evidence that masks used as a public health mitigation effort works,” Birx said, according to KFYR-TV.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is against a statewide mask ruling, instead leaving it up to local governments, KFYR said. In Bismark, the city commission is expected to vote on a mask order Tuesday night, according to KFYR.

Oct 27, 9:57 am
New cases are up 26% in US while deaths increase 15%, HHS memo says

The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded across the United States has increased substantially, as has the number of new deaths from the disease, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Monday night.

The memo, which is circulated among the highest levels of the federal government and is used to determine daily priorities for the agencies working on a COVID-19 response, said 40 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while nine jurisdictions are at a plateau and seven others are in a downward trend.

There were 488,498 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 19-25, a 26% increase from the previous week. There were also 5,615 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 15.1% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.

The national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests increased from 5.6% to 6.1% in week-to-week comparisons. Meanwhile, 22% of hospitals across the country have intensive care units that are more than 80% occupied. That figure is up from the summertime peak, when 17-18% of U.S. hospitals had 80% of ICU beds full, the memo said.

Arizona reported 848 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 21, its highest count since Aug. 26, according to the memo.

In the U.S. territory of Guam, which continues to be classified as a “red zone” for COVID-19 infections, an average of 89.7% of inpatient beds and 80.2% of ICU beds were occupied in the week ending Oct. 20, the memo said.

North Dakota saw a record high of 1,036 new cases on Oct. 20, surpassing the 1,000 mark of daily incident cases for the first time, according to the memo.

New Jersey reported 852 daily COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 22, its highest since late July, the memo said.

Oklahoma reached a record 956 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 22. The previous record was set just two days earlier, according to the memo.

Utah reported an all-time high of 314 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 21, as several hospitals in the state reached capacity, the memo said.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 9:23 am
Indian minister says he’s been hospitalized after testing positive

India’s Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and, per doctors’ recommendations, has been hospitalized for a few days.

“Those who have come in contact with me are advised to get COVID-19 tests done,” Athawale wrote on his official Twitter account.

It’s the latest Indian minister to contract the virus, as the country’s cumulative case count nears eight million. Only the United States has a higher tally of diagnosed cases.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed 36,470 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day tally since mid-July. The ministry also registered another 488 fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the country’s death toll to 119,502.

Oct 27, 8:24 am
Violent protests erupt in Italy over new restrictions

Protesters took to the streets in Milan, Turin and several other Italian cities on Monday in anger over the latest COVID-19 restrictions, which have shuttered cinemas, gyms and other leisure venues and have forced cafes and restaurants to close early.

The protests, at times, turned violent as some people smashed storefront windows, looted shops, set fires and hurled objects at police, who used tear gas to clear the tumultuous crowds.

A number of people were detained overnight in connection to the violence and vandalism in various cities and towns. More than two dozen people were reportedly arrested in Milan alone.

Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen an increase in infections in recent weeks. Over the weekend, the country’s civil protection agency confirmed a record 21,273 new cases of COVID-19. As of Monday night, the cumulative total was 542,789 cases with 37,479 deaths.

Oct 27, 7:28 am
Study stops using Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment for COVID-19 patients due to ‘lack of clinical benefit’

Researchers have stopped testing a combination of remedesivir with one of Eli Lilly and Company’s experimental antibody treatments in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, after an independent review of results found a “lack of clinical benefit.”

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is funding the clinical trial, said in a statement Monday that it plans to test other experimental drugs as COVID-19 treatments in the study.

Eli Lilly and Company said that all other studies of its monoclonal antibody drug, bamlanivimab, will continue, including one in recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate cases and another in people at risk of infection.

“While there was insufficient evidence that bamlanivimab improved clinical outcomes when added to other treatments in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, we remain confident based on data from Lilly’s BLAZE-1 study that bamlanivimab monotherapy may prevent progression of disease for those earlier in the course of COVID-19,” Eli Lilly and Company said in a statement Monday.

Earlier this month, the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of bamlanivimab in non-hospitalized individuals with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

Oct 27, 6:07 am
Russia’s daily death toll reaches all-time high

Russia registered 320 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The country’s previous record of 317 deaths in a 24-hour reporting period was set less than a week ago.

An additional 16,550 new cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed in the past day, down from a peak of 17,347 the day prior, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Moscow remains the epicenter of the country’s outbreak and recent surge. More than 26% of the new cases — 4,312 — and over 19% of the new deaths — 61 — were reported in the capital.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,547,774 cases with 26,589 deaths, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The Eastern European country of 145 million people has the fourth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India and Brazil, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Oct 27, 5:10 am
US reports more than 66,000 new cases

There were 66,784 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Monday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily tally is nearly 6,000 more than the previous day but still less than the national record of 83,757 new cases set on Friday.

An additional 481 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Monday, almost half the previous day’s count and down from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.

A total of 8,704,524 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 225,735 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 80,000 for the first time on Oct. 23.

Oct 27, 4:34 am
Analysis shows COVID-19 positivity rates rising in 37 US states

An ABC News analysis of COVID-19 trends across all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam found there were increases in the daily positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in 37 states.

The analysis also found increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations in 35 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as increases in daily COVID-19 death tolls in 27 states.

Meanwhile, case numbers are higher — a daily average of at least 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — and staying high in 33 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam, and case numbers are lower — a daily average of under 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — but are going up in nine states.

Six states hit a record number of current hospitalizations in a day, while 16 states saw a record number of current hospitalizations in a week. Twenty states plus Puerto Rico reported a record number of new cases in a week. Six states reached a record number of new deaths in a week.

The United States is rapidly approaching an average of 70,000 new cases a day, the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic. Just a week ago, the country was averaging 57,000 new cases a day. That average has doubled in the last six weeks. Friday and Saturday marked the two highest days on record for the country, with a combined 165,678 new cases over the 48-hour reporting period.

The month of October is now on track to become the second-highest month on record for COVID-19 cases in the United States. Nearly 1.4 million daily cases have been reported since Oct. 1, and nearly half a million of those cases have been reported in the last seven days alone.

Midwestern states continue to struggle, reaching record-high daily figures on Saturday. But the Midwest is not alone. Since Oct. 3, the seven-day average of new cases in the South have risen by 45%, and the West is now reporting daily case numbers not seen since mid-August.

Even the Northeast, which had consistently reported improving trends after COVID-19 struck in the spring, has seen a concerning resurgence of the virus. Rhode Island hit an all-time high of new cases last week, and the average rate of positivity has now surpassed 5% in Massachusetts.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized nationwide continues to hover around 41,000. Just in the last month, current hospitalizations have increased by 40%.

In the Northeast, hospitalizations are nearing the 4,000 mark. The number of patients hospitalized in the Midwest is now the highest on record.

The trends were all analyzed from data collected and published by the COVID Tracking Project over the past two weeks, using the linear regression trend line of the seven-day moving average to examine whether a state’s key indicators were increasing, decreasing or remained flat.