Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for October 23rd 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
Member: Julie Swann
Member: Anna Nagurney
Federal Policy Update
- Negotiations for a broad coronavirus relief package seem to have reached more of a standstill today – with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stating that "the administration has offered compromises," and "if [Speaker Pelosi] wants to compromise, there will be a deal." While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Secretary Mnuchin seem to have been able to reach a conclusion on virus testing and vaccination strategies, they have reportedly continued to struggle to reach a compromise on aid for state and local governments.
- The Food & Drug Administration authorized pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to restart their Phase 3 clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine. Their trial was previously halted due to a "voluntary pause to allow for the examination of safety data by independent monitoring committees."
- The Department of Defense published their weekly roundup of Operation Warp Speed's efforts in the past week, mainly focused on updates surrounding vaccine and therapeutic development and distribution.
- National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins stated that he is "cautiously optimistic that by the end of 2020, there will be at least one vaccine that has reached that stage of an emergency use authorization." However, he cautioned that "it might not happen and it might take longer."
- As coronavirus hospitalizations and the death toll continues to surge in the U.S., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci urged that federal officials "really need to double down on the kind of public health measures that [they've] been talking about for so long."
State Response
- New research found that the following 14 states have reported their highest seven-day average of new daily cases in the past week: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Global Response
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government will invest $214 million in coronavirus vaccine development.
- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has implemented a five-tier warning system of COVID-19 restrictions – laying out a strategic framework for the country to slowly begin reopening, as some regions are reporting sharp declines in cases.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged the country's citizens that they "must reduce mobility," as "the coronavirus situation is serious."
- Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou announced that the country will keep its borders closed from December through March to avoid an uptick in coronavirus cases.
- Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged the country's Health Minister Roman Prymula to resign this week, due to his mishandling of the country's response to the pandemic.
- The Slovakian government announced a new protocol which does not allow residents to leave their homes unless they have received a negative coronavirus test result within a week – effective tomorrow.
- Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez has tested positive for coronavirus.
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were volatile today, with the three indices closing with varying results. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.10%, the S&P 500 rose by 0.34 and the Nasdaq Composite by 0.37%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 8,744,950 cases and 229,275 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 42,460,973 cases and 1,148,689 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------------------------------