Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for November 13th below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members In The News
INFORMS Member: Julie Swann
INFORMS Member: Sheldon Jacobson
INFORMS Member: Julie Swann
INFORMS Member: Tinglong Dai
INFORMS Member: Ed Kaplan
INFORMS Member: Oguz Alagoz
Federal Policy Update
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) responded to yesterday's joint release from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on a broader COVID package – stating that while he "gathers that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer still are looking at something dramatically larger, that's not a place that [Senate Republicans] are willing to go."
- President Donald Trump stated during his remarks this afternoon that while the administration "asks all Americans to remain vigilant," they will not be mandating that the country enters a lockdown.
- Furthermore, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who co-chairs presumptive President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus task force, also stated that the Biden administration is looking towards targeting restrictions on hotspot areas – not to impose a wide shutdown for the entire country.
- Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar cautioned that the Pfizer vaccine candidate currently under development "presents unique challenges that the federal government, the military, and the distribution channel are working out with governors."
Global Response
- The South Korean Health Ministry announced that they would dispatch a 24-hour rapid response team to enforce the mask mandate in the capital city of Seoul.
- Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced that the country is going to be taking a staged approach to easing out of its COVID-19 lockdown.
- The Czech Republic Education Ministry announced that they would be reopening first and second grade classes, starting next week.
- The Northern Irish government announced that they would extend their current partial lockdown until November 27th.
- Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas announced that they would be implementing enhanced coronavirus protocols, ranging from mandatory face masks in public to curfews for bars and restaurants.
- The Spanish government announced that they would be lifting restrictions on 10 of the 41 regions in the country, due to infection rates declining.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged citizens that that "reducing their contacts and reducing their gatherings are going to be the most important," and that "what they do in the coming days and weeks will determine what they get to do at Christmas."
State Response
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under its Public Assistance Program, provided the state of Utah with $45 million in funding for the state's COVID-19 response.
- Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) issued two-week freeze on all social gatherings, and is closing certain business sectors to counter against the spike in coronavirus cases in the state.
- The Colorado Department of Health announced that they have reached a record-high number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 1,183 patients hospitalized yesterday alone.
- The state of New York will be mandating a 10 PM curfew for bars, restaurants, and gyms across the state. In response, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio (D) urged that instead of focusing on gyms and restaurants, it would be "much more decisive if we can successfully limit travel and limit indoor gatherings during the upcoming holiday season."
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were on the rise today, with all three indices closing with gains. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 1.02%, the S&P 500 by 1.36%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 1.37%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 11,055,975 cases and 249,493 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 53,717,443 cases and 1,308,426 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
------------------------------
Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------