Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for September 21 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members In The News
Member: Julie Swann
Member: Julie Swann
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention returned back to their earlier guidance on coronavirus transmission, by removing their update from this past Friday which warned that the virus is mainly spread through airborne transmission. The agency wrote that the update "was posted in error," and that they are "currently updating [their] recommendations regarding airborne transmission of [COVID-19]."
- Republicans from the House Foreign Affairs Committee released their final report on COVID-19, entitled "The Origins of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, including the Roles of the Chinese Communist Party and the World Health Organization. The report states that the "COVID-19 global pandemic could have been prevented if the Chinese Communist Party [had[ acted in a transparent and responsible manner," and assert that the U.S. "must hold both the CCP and WHO Director General Tedros accountable for the suffering they have allowed the world to endure."
- The Food and Drug Administration updated its guidance for healthcare providers on the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma for coronavirus treatment.
- The Department of Agriculture announced that they would extend flexibilities offered through their Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – in order to allow recipients to "continue receiving the food and health support they need during the COVID-19 pandemic."
- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell encouraged that "[the U.S.] economy will recover fully from this difficult period," promising that the Fed will "do what [they] can for as long as it takes to ensure that the recovery will be as strong as possible, and to limit lasting damage to the economy."
State Update
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state only had 1 COVID-19-related death yesterday, which is the lowest since the start of the pandemic.
- Washington, DC Director of Health LaQuandra Nesbitt announced that the city would have to meet a list of 10 new criteria before the city will able to enter phase three of their reopening process. These enhanced criteria include test positivity rates falling below 3%, a requirement that at least 60% of new cases be traced to other known cases, and more.
Global Response
- The United Kingdom government announced that pubs, bars, and other social venues in the UK would be required to close by 10 PM every night – a step included in the government's effort to increase restrictions due to an increase of coronavirus cases.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that several regions of the country would be required to re-enter lockdown, including the region encompassing their capital city of Madrid.
- German Health Minister Jens Spahn stated that the country would implement more stringent measures this fall to fight coronavirus, including the development of rapid testing sites.
- The Austrian Health Ministry announced several new measures against socializing – ranging from mandating masks be worn in public to implementing a countrywide curfew of 1 AM.
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country would remove their social distancing restrictions throughout the country, except for in its most densely populated city of Auckland.
- Czech Republic Health Minister Adam Vojtěch resigned this morning.
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were on the decline today, with all three indices closing with losses. The Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.13%, the S&P 500 by 1.16%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 1.84%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 6,919,656 cases and 203,077 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 30,653,147 and 955,191 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------