Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for September 9 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members in the News
Member: Tinglong Dai
Member: Sheldon Jacobson
Member: Julie Swann
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- Homeland Security Chad Wolf delivered the 2020 State of the Homeland Address during which he discussed the DHS COVID-19 response, including FEMA's nationwide emergency declaration.
- The Department of Health & Human Services issued an authorization for state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer the COVID-19 vaccine once available.
- The Department of Housing & Urban Development announced that they would offer new flexibilities for CARES Act funding under its Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program in order to combat the threat of eviction for tenants impacted by the pandemic.
- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams announced that the Department of Health & Human Services is planning to issue additional guidance to states – stating that the department "needs to help people understand that vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective, and vaccines are how we achieve health equity and social justice."
State Update
- California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill expanding the state's COVID-related assistance programs specifically for small businesses and also establishes a hiring tax credit.
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that indoor dining in New York City will be able to resume starting on September 30th – to be opened at 25% capacity while adhering to strict restrictions.
- West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) cautioned the state's residents, stating that the numbers are "getting worse by the day," adding that "this situation right now is very critical."
- Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) announced that the state health department has partnered with hospitals in the state to enhance their COVID-19 testing capacity by 20%.
- Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez stated that he is pushing the area's curfew back from 10 PM to 11 PM. However, he also announced that their bars and nightclubs will not be reopening anytime soon, as these spaces encourage "highly dangerous activity."
Global Response
- World Health Organization Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan emphasized that the safety of any potential COVID-19 vaccine must come "first and foremost" – adding that "just because [they] talk about speed and scale doesn't mean [they] start compromising or cutting corners on what would normally be assessed."
- Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech announced that the government would reimpose their mandate requiring citizens to wear masks indoors – effective tomorrow.
- The Hong Kong government announced that it will extend the universal COVID-19 testing program for an additional three days – which will now last through September 14th.
- The European Union announced that they have proposed an agreement with German pharmaceutical company BioNtech and U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer to provide 200 million doses of their potential coronavirus vaccine to the EU.
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were on the rise today, with all three indices closing the day with increases. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 2.71%, the S&P 500 by 2.01%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 1.60%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 6,509,287 cases and 193,919 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 27,710,400 and 900,619 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------------------------------