RationalWiki:What is going on with the coronavirus?/October 2020

October 2020
England will have a 4 week lockdown, Boris Johnson announces. The announcement comes the same day as the UK passes 1 million confirmed Coronavirus cases. Fauci, in June: Tells US Senate he "would not be surprised if cases reach 100,000 per day soon." US, 30 Oct: There it is. Germany announces a second, although partial, one month lockdown. Oregonian health official delivers daily coronavirus update, including deaths, dressed as a clown. The organisers of a famous Sámi market that happens in the Swedish city of, the Jokkmokk Market, a highlight of the Sámi calendar, have said that for next year’s one in February there will be no physical market or events and it will be held entirely online for the first time. France will go into a second national lockdown, Macron announces. Daily confirmed COVID cases in the US have risen rapidly and surpassed the summer peak (65,000 average vs. 70,000 average). President Trump, meanwhile, insists that COVID is just fake news and that the US is "rounding the turn". New evidence show that antibodies decline rapidly for those who have been infected, suggesting there is no long-term immunity for those who have had Covid previously. Lockdown comes to an end in Melbourne after 112 days. Anti-lockdown protests in Italy turn violent with petrol bombs thrown at officers and tear gas used on crowds. Italy, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, had introduced tough new restrictions to try and combat the second wave of the virus. Poland president Andrzej Duda has tested positive with the coronavirus. Children of Scotland, this Halloween, [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54673808 stay home. That's the advice of Deputy First Minister John Swinney.] But cheer up, kids! Santa Claus is comin' to town! Father Christmas can still bring you a wee gift because First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has declared him an essential worker. [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54661494 From November 2, Scotland will have a five-tier system for local restrictions, ranging from level zero (nearly normal) to level four (full lockdown). Even in areas under full lockdown, schools will remain open.] According to The Sunday Times, the UK government is planning to waive the seven-day COVID-19 quarantine rules for senior bankers, hedge fund managers and high-value executives on the grounds that they are promoting “Global Britain”. The White House's second wave has arrived, as 5 people, including VP Pence's chief of Staff Marc Short have tested positive for coronavirus. Oh, and the 'genius' head of the coronavirus task force will not quarantine, basically claiming presidential election campaign work is 'essential'. Yeah, sure it is. Sorry, sunshine, wrong place: video of former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters rebuking a question from a coronavirus skeptic goes viral The CARES Act covers hospital bills for un-insured COVID patients, but hospitals and health systems aren't telling that to the people who would benefit. [https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_coronavirus-sophie-wilmes-ministre-des-affaires-etrangeres-admise-aux-soins-intensifs?id=10614661 Sophie Wilmes, Belgium’s foreign minister and former prime minister, has been taken into intensive care. However she is currently in a stable condition and it is only a precaution.] Spain has now become the sixth country to have over one million COVID-19 cases. Eight million Americans have slipped into poverty since the start of the pandemic. Argentina becomes the fifth country in the world to have a million confirmed Covid-19 cases. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54596783 Ireland is set to go back under a strict lockdown, expected to last for six weeks. Schools will remain open. Otherwise, things will be a lot like they were back in March.] Wales will have a 3 week ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown to try and curb the rising infection rate. Retailers in the UK [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/18/uk-could-face-shortage-of-trainers-and-leisurewear-as-covid-fuels-surge-in-demand are warning that there may be a possible shortage of leisurewear (hoodies and sweatpants) and trainers as people are rushing out to purchase these items instead of regular workwear. ]  French police raid senior government and health officials' homes as part of an investigation into whether or not they've been criminally negligent in their handling of the pandemic.  Wales closes its borders to visitors from coronavirus hotspots elsewhere in the UK. In a study of 19 high-income countries since May, the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that, per capita, the number of Americans dying from the virus averages 50% higher than in all of the other studied countries. US deaths are 85% higher than in places such as Germany, Israel and Denmark and 29% higher than Sweden, which was criticized for its virus response. [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54533643 New restrictions are to come into force in Northern Ireland. Restaurants will only be able to offer take-aways and deliveries. No alcohol will be sold after 8:00 at night. The school half-term holiday will start a week early and last for two weeks instead of one.] Labour leader Keir Starmer claims the current restrictions are insufficient and urges the government to enforce a 2-3 week "circuit-break" lockdown in England to bring the virus under control. As confirmed infections skyrocket, with hospitalisations and deaths also increasing, Boris Johnson sets out the new ‘tier system’. Everywhere in England will be listed as either ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ and local restrictions will be made based on a cities place on the tier system. Places listed as ‘medium’ will be subject to normal national rules. Places listed as ‘high’ will be banned from allowing indoor household mixing. Places listed as ‘very high’ will have most pubs and restaurants closed, bans on household mixing (inside and outside) and places such as gyms and leisure centres will be closed. So far Liverpool is the only place listed as ‘very high’, with approximately 600 cases per 100,000 people. Conflict between Madrid's city government and Spain's national government as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declares a state of emergency in Madrid in order to stop its leader Isabel Ayuso from lifting lockdown rules. [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54496759 Margaret Ferrier, a Scottish MP who went from London to Scotland by train when she knew she had just tested positive for the coronavirus, calls what she did a "blip" and says, "Covid makes you do things out of character." She refuses to resign as an MP even though she has been expelled from the Scottish National Party and party leader Nicola Sturgeon has urged her to quit.] Brazil under quarantine strain as the coronavirus cases pass five million Signatories to the Great Barrington Declaration on herd immunity include Dr. Harold Shipman, Dr. I.P. Freely, Dr. Johnny Bananas, Professor Notaf Uckingclue, Dr. Johnny Fartpants, at least one representative of the University of Your Mum, 18 homeopaths and a Mongolian khoomi singer. Mitch McConnell avoids the White house these days. In defiance of European Union's humanitarian concerns, the Trump administration imposes crushing sanctions on Iran which will impact food and medicine imports Jewish journalist assaulted by Orthodox Jewish mob at anti-lockdown and pro-Trump protests in Brooklyn Add the White House's most shady resident, Stephen Miller to those that have COVID-19. All pubs and restaurants will be closed across central Scotland, amid a rise in infections. Some of the quacks pushing hydroxychloroquine are very upset that Donald Trump wasn't treated with it. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, and several other senior Pentagon figures, are self-quarantining, after a senior Coast Guard official tests positive. Arkansas Republicans held a maskless event, with Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Louie Gohmert, with tragically predictable results. New Zealand took just 3 weeks to stamp out its 3rd covid outbreak. Hardly anyone even noticed it happening as rapid tracing and quarantine measures limited it to 6 people - 1/3 the current number in the White House. Public Health England failed to log nearly 16,000 new Covid cases, because the (pre-2007) Excel spreadsheet they were using as a database, was full. Matt Parker from StandupMaths summarizes events. Add Kayleigh McEnany to the list of people caught up in the White House super-spreader event. da 'Mooch reckons the White House will have more Covid cases than New Zealand! Approximately 6,373 families have been evicted in Brazil with 18,840 families being under threat of eviction (warning: in Portuguese) Catastrophe - The list of people in around Trump who've tested positive continues to grow: Trump Campaign manager Bill Stepien, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, Kellyanne Conway. EDIT (SAT, 10/3): Chris Christie, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) Trump has been taken to "out of an abundance of caution" following his coronavirus diagnosis. Trump and Melania have COVID. Hope Hicks, a top aide to Donald Trump, tests positive for coronavirus. Just days ago Hicks travelled with Trump on Air Force One to the Ohio TV debate, and after that to Trump's rally in Minnesota. Loss of sense of smell may be a more reliable indicator of Covid-19 than cough or fever, according to new research in London. Early on in the pandemic, loss of sense of smell wasn't really seen as related to Covid, with it only being listed as an official symptom in mid-May.