INFORMS Open Forum

  • 1.  9-4 Daily COVID-19 Update

    Posted 09-04-2020 21:39
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    Good evening,

    Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for September 4 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

    Thank you,

    Jeff Cohen


    INFORMS Members in the News

    Member: Sheldon Jacobson

    Members: Julie Swann 

    Members: Julie Swann 

    U.S. Federal Policy Update 

    • The Labor Department published new data showing that approximately 1.4 million jobs were added to the economy in the month of August, with the monthly unemployment rate falling to 8.4%. This is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that this unemployment rate has been below 10%. The White House also published a release on the numbers, stating that the "economy continues to rebound as unemployment rate drops."
    • The Department of Housing and Urban Development published a press release urging states and localities to allocate funds from Emergency Solutions Grants or Community Development Block Grants towards providing residents with rental assistance and eviction protections. 
    • The White House published a readout from Vice President Mike Pence's briefing with higher education leaders and state & local officials regarding COVID-19 precautions to be taken at college campuses. 
    • Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden stated that he is planning to be tested on a regular basis for COVID-19 for the coming months. 
    • The Transportation Security Administration announced that the agency screened almost 878,000 people yesterday, which is the highest daily level since the beginning of the pandemic.
    • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Americans this afternoon to "whatever that [they] can possibly do outdoors as opposed to indoors."

    State Update 

    • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that the state's COVID-19 infection rate has remained below 1% for the fourth consecutive week.
    • The Nevada state coronavirus task force voted last night to allow restaurants in Clark County (where Las Vegas is located) to reopen with social distancing. This does not apply to any bars or venues where food is not served. 
    • Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo (D) announced that "there definitely will be school sports in the state of Rhode Island this fall" – with a truncated season from September 21st and ending on Thanksgiving.
    • Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) urged all of the state's residents to continue exercising caution for coronavirus restrictions ahead of Labor Day weekend. He stated during his press conference that although he "understands that many, many of us are tired and ready to move on," it is necessary "to hunker down and keep chopping against COVID-19."
    • The Connecticut state government announced that they will likely suspend football in the fall, stating that they are "unlikely to support higher-risk athletic activities (including high school football) during the fall semester."
    • The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that the city is projected to lose over $640 million due to event cancellations in 2020.

     

    Global Response 

    • World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a statement regarding equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine – stating that the WHO's "first priority must be to vaccinate some people in all countries, rather than all people in some countries." However, he added that the WHO is "not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year."
    • Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that they would join the third phase of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial, stating that the tests "will be an extension of the phase 3 studies that are being completed in the United States for which they are foreseeing counting with 30,000 volunteers."
    • New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country will remain at their Alert Level 2 status through September 16th, in order to further mitigate coronavirus spread. At this alert level, facial coverings are mandatory and gatherings are limited to 100 people or less.
    • The South Korean government extended implementation of its social distancing precautions for an additional week – with the restrictions now set to last through September 13th. 

    Economic Update

    • U.S. stocks fell again today, with all three indices closing the day with declines. The Nasdaq Composite dropped by 1.27%, the S&P 500 by 0.81%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.56%. 

      

    Latest Impact Data 

    • In the United States: Over 6,386,449 cases and 192,032 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
    • Worldwide: Over 26,772,043 and 878,061 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.

     

    In the News                

     



    ------------------------------
    Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
    Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
    INFORMS
    jeff.cohen@informs.org
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