New U.S. Cases Again Top 120,000; WHO Eyes Minks: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. had more than 120,000 new cases for the second day in a row, and Illinois, Ohio, Nebraska and North Dakota were among states to report record new case numbers. Hospitalizations may be headed for all-time highs, and deaths are mounting as the presidency hangs in the balance.

New York reported the most new cases since early May, and Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City is “really threatened with a second wave.” The World Health Organization said six countries, including the U.S., have found the virus in farmed minks.

England, which began a lockdown this week, said the virus’s spread is slowing. France reported a record for the third time in a week and Italy’s infections spiked as new lockdowns began. Global infections neared 50 million. Australia’s Victoria state had zero new cases for the eighth day in a row.

Key Developments:

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U.S. has more than 120,000 new cases for second day (10:08 a.m. H.K.)

The U.S. had more than 120,000 new cases for the second day in a row, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News from sources including Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization. Case numbers rose 120,700, compared with 126,403 a day earlier.

Nationwide, 58,678 beds were occupied by Covid-19 patients, according to Department of Health and Human Services data analyzed by Bloomberg News. Almost 11,000 patients are being treated in intensive care units, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Hospitalizations have soared.

Colorado Sees Record Cases as Denver Sets “Home By 10” Order (10:01 a.m. H.K.)

Colorado reported a record 3,102 new cases Friday, with Denver imposing a 30-day overnight “Home By 10” public health order to curb the outbreak effective Sunday. Restaurants and most other businesses will be required to close by 10 p.m. Neighboring Adams County went a step further, imposing a full nighttime curfew for 30 days.

Australia’s Victoria has Zero Cases for Eighth Straight Day (9:50 a.m. H.K.)

Australia’s Victoria state, which ended a three-month lockdown in its capital Melbourne last week, recorded an eighth straight day with no new coronavirus cases.

The stringent restrictions, which shuttered hospitality and retail and included a nighttime curfew, have seen new Covid-19 infections drop from a daily peak of around 700 in early August. The economic and social impact of the lockdown has been enormous, with the government estimating 1,200 jobs have been lost on average a day across Victoria state, and demand for mental health services has surged.

China Reports Imported Cases; South Korea Tally Rises (9:25 a.m. H.K.)

China said it found 33 new cases for Nov. 6, with all of them being imported. South Korea confirmed a further 89 cases, bringing its total to 27,284.

Mexico, Argentina Report More Cases, Deaths. (9.12 a.m. H.K.)

Mexico reported 5,931 more cases, bringing the total to 955,128. Deaths rose 551 to 94,323. Argentina reported 11,786 more cases, bringing its total to 1,228,814. There were 371 additional deaths.

WHO Says Six Nations Found Virus in Farmed Minks (8:12 a.m. H.K.)

The WHO weighed in on the outbreak of Covid-19 in minks, which has prompted Denmark to announce a cull of its farmed population of the animals. The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the U.S. have all reported finding the virus in farmed minks, the WHO said.

The WHO said more study is needed of the “cluster 5” variant found in the Danish outbreak, but that preliminary findings indicate it “has moderately decreased sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies.” It called for all countries to enhance surveillance for Covid-19 at the “animal-human interface” where susceptible animal reservoirs are identified.

Newark to Impose ‘More Drastic Measures’ (5:53 p.m. NY)

Newark, the most populous New Jersey city, will enact “more drastic measures” starting next week to combat the virus, Mayor Ras Baraka said in a Facebook live appearance.

Citywide, the positivity rate is 19%, compared with the state’s 7.74%, he said. In the East Ward, whose Portuguese-American community makes it a dining destination, positivity is 32.5%, he said.

Oregon Imposes Two-Week ‘Pause’ (5:49 p.m. NY)

Oregon tightened health restrictions on five counties, limiting the capacity of restaurants, gyms and other recreational facilities, and banning visits at long-term care homes. Cases reached a daily record of 805 on Thursday. “It’s extremely concerning,” Governor Kate Brown said. “We have to go on the offense to stop the spread.”

Illinois Governor Weighs New Curbs As Cases Keep Rising (4:41 p.m. NY)

Illinois on Friday reported a record 10,376 cases, up from 9,935 a day earlier, and its seven-day rolling positivity rate jumped to 9.6% from 9.1%, according to state department of health data. Given the resurgence, all of the state’s regions are already operating under some mitigation measures such as bans on indoor dining and Governor J.B. Pritzker is considering more limits to bend the curve again. “It’s the last thing I want to do but I am ready to do it,” Pritzker said Friday during his daily press conference.

Pritzker’s office subsequently said the governor is isolating and awaiting test results after being notified he may have been exposed to the virus at a meeting with an external party on Monday. The office is conducting contact-tracing and following public health guidance.

Covid-19 Hurting Wyoming Services, Paper Reports (4:36 p.m. NY)

Wyoming’s surging Covid-19 outbreak is hampering the state’s ability to provide basic services, Governor Mark Gordon said in a memo to state workers, according to the Casper Star Tribune. This week alone, 20 state employees have tested positive, the paper said, and 1,857 requests have been made for administrative leave. Several buildings have been closed for decontamination.

Statewide, a record 996 confirmed and probable cases were reported Friday, more than double the prior record, the newspaper said.

Cigna Sued in Early Test of Benefits Law (4:05 p.m. NY)

Cigna Health & Life Insurance Co. wrongly refused to reimburse more than $4.6 million in Covid-19 testing costs on behalf of more than 4,400 patients, a Connecticut medical practice alleged Friday in a federal lawsuit.

Murphy Medical Associates LLC, which says it has tested more than 28,000 people for Covid-19 at a dozen drive-through and walk-up testing sites in Connecticut and New York, accuses Cigna of failing to pay more than $4.6 million in valid medical claims tied to the tests.

The lawsuit is an early instance of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act being used in coronavirus coverage litigation, but it also brings claims under the major Covid-19 relief law and state law.

Nebraska Health Officials Raise Alarm as Record Set Again (3:49 p.m. NY)

Nebraska Medicine, the state’s top health care system, urged residents to heed anti-virus measures as daily cases hit another record, 2,124, and hospitalizations reached a high.

Ohio Hits Record Again (3:20 p.m. NY)

Ohio set a record again Friday, passing 5,000 daily infections for the first time. The state hit a record three times this week. Gov. Mike DeWine, one of President Donald Trump’s Ohio re-election co-chairs, has acted aggressively against the virus, though he has faced boos for mandating masks and other measures. Hospitalizations were also at a record high, he said.

“It’s up to us all to help push this virus down,” he said Friday on Twitter.

South Dakota Reports Second Day of Record Deaths (2:52 p.m. NY)

South Dakota reported 28 deaths, the second consecutive record after more than two months of rising cases in a state that has mandated no anti-virus measures. Deaths and hospitalizations lag behind reported cases as a percentage of patients become acutely ill. Hospitalizations have surged from 81 on Sept. 6 to 475 on Thursday, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

North Dakota, a day after hitting a record number of fatalities, reported its highest number of infections ever, 1,765. Hospitalizations have almost quadrupled over the last month.

U.S. Hospitalizations Head to Record (1:55 p.m. NY)

Current U.S. hospitalizations rose Thursday to the highest since Aug. 5, Covid Tracking Project data show. That’s about 11% below previous peaks in April and July, although the data didn’t capture all states until shortly before the July peak.

The hit to the health-care system is getting worse fast: The number of coronavirus patients is up 16% in the past week. Nationally, Covid-19 cases reached a record 126,403 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University data, which shows that at least 235,000 Americans have died of the virus.

N.Y. Cases Surge Above 3,000 as Upstate Drives Second Wave (1:40 p.m.)

Upstate New York is driving a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, as cases surged above 3,000 for the first time since May.

The number of cases statewide is increasing, with 1.9% of tests coming up positive on Thursday. Hot spots have cropped up in western and central New York, and along the Pennsylvania border, he said. State officials will consult local authorities over the weekend to create tailored responses, he said.

France Posts Another Record (1:38 p.m. NY)

France reported a record number of new virus cases for the third time in a week.

Confirmed infections increased by 60,486 on Friday to 1.66 million, French health authorities reported. Deaths increased by 828 to 39,865, boosted in part by the inclusion of several days of data from nursing homes.

France started a second lockdown a week ago in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, with limits on movement and closures of some stores. Even though it’s less strict than the prior one, the new lockdown is already hurting the economy. The French car lobby PFA said on Friday that orders were down about 70% over the week compared to a year earlier.

New Jersey Set to Reach 250,000 Infections (12:56 p.m. NY)

New Jersey is on track this weekend to report 250,000 total cases since March. That means about 3% of the state’s population of 9 million people has had a laboratory-confirmed infection.

For 10 straight days the state has reported 1,000-plus hospitalizations; on one day in September, just 389 Covid-19 patients were in the hospital. In the past 24 hours, intensive-care units had 274 patients, more than three times the number under such treatment two months earlier.

NYC Mayor Worries About ‘Second Wave’ (12:16 p.m. NY)

Health officials are increasingly worried by New York City’s continuing increase in infections, and may require stricter enforcement of testing travelers entering or returning to the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The seven-day average of positive test results reached 1.96%, an increase from 1.81% a day earlier, de Blasio said in a WNYC radio interview. New cases on a seven-day average rose to 702, well above the 550 public-health warning threshold established several months ago.

“That says we are now really threatened with a second wave here in New York City if we don’t quickly get a handle on this,” he said.

Russia Says Deaths More Than Double Earlier Figure (12:04 p.m. NY)

Russia’s Federal Statistics Service said Friday 55,671 people died with Covid-19 from April through September, more than double the direct toll reported earlier.

September’s total was 9,798, up 25% from August. The data from Rosstat, as the agency is known, include lethal cases directly attributed to Covid-19 and those where the coronavirus was reported as an “important condition.”

U.K. Virus Cases, Deaths Above 7-Day Average (11:37 a.m. NY)

Both cases and deaths in the U.K. were above the seven-day average on Friday. Another 23,287 cases were reported, about 700 more than the weekly average, with 355 deaths, compared to 309 over the past week.

The rate of increase of infections in England is slowing, according to new figures published Friday by the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics.

The total rate of infections rose to one in 90 in the week through Oct. 31 in England. While this is up from the previous published rate of 1 in 100, the increase is less steep compared with previous weeks, it said.

Italy’s Infections Spike 10% to Record (11:24 a.m. NY)

Italy’s new cases jumped 10% Friday to a record 37,809 as daily testing also hit a record 234,245. Daily fatalities were 446, in line with the previous day. Patients in intensive care units rose by 124 to 2,515, compared with an early April peak of more than 4,000.

Tougher restrictions kicked in around the Milan region and key industrial hubs in the north as of Friday. All shops were shut excluding pharmacies, supermarkets and essentials, while no movement is allowed except for work, health or justified reasons.

Portugal Reports Record (10:26 a.m. NY)

Portugal on Friday reported the biggest daily rise in confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak. There were 5,550 new cases in a day, more than the previous record of 4,656 reported on Oct. 30, taking the total to 166,900. The number of patients in intensive-care units rose 20 to 340.

The government this week extended curbs to more regions and will hold a cabinet meeting on Saturday to discuss other possible measures.

Swiss Spread May Be Slowing (10:08 a.m. NY)

Newly diagnosed cases of Covid-19 in Switzerland hit a record this week, though data suggest the outbreak might be slowing.

While the absolute numbers are still concerning, “one does get the sense that this rise is tending to flatten or stabilize,” said Stefan Kuster, who heads the infectious disease department at the Federal Office for Public Health.

Oslo Shuts Cinemas, Training Centers, Bans Alcohol Service (7:51 a.m. NY)

Norway’s capital ordered that cinemas, training centers and swimming halls be closed and banned the serving of alcohol to slow a rise in infections. The curbs come after Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Thursday introduced tighter rules nationwide and implored people to stay home.

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