College issues stay at home order after 80 students test positive for Covid-19 in two days
Providence College in Rhode Island is moving to remote learning for at least a week after more than 80 students tested positive for Covid-19 in the past two days, according to College President Reverend Kenneth Sicard.
A stay-at-home order will also come into effect during that period, Sicard said. All students living on campus will be tested for Covid-19 and may not leave campus, while off-campus students may not leave their apartments, Sicard said.
Remote learning and the stay-at-home order are in effect at least through Saturday, September 26, he added.
“We recognize how serious and difficult these directives are, but this is our last chance to remain together in person for the fall semester. Between these actions and the serious steps we already have taken – especially in the past few days – we have used virtually every tool at our disposal,” Sicard wrote in an email to students.
“We are out of options. If we are not successful, we will have no alternative other than to shut down our campus for the remainder of the fall semester. This also will likely affect our ability to reopen for the spring semester.”
House passes resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The final vote was 243-164, with 14 Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues.
Though the resolution is nonbinding, House Democrats said they hoped it would show support for the Asian community and send a message that such bigotry would not be tolerated.
“Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Asian Americans have been forced to endure demeaning and disgusting acts of bigotry and hate, consisting of everything from verbal assaults to physical attacks,” Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York, who introduced the resolution, said in a statement after its passage.
“The House needed to take a strong and public stand against this appalling intolerance, discrimination, and violence that has taken place all across the country during this public health crisis, and today it did just that,” she added.
The resolution calls on “all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form” and says that “use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric related to COVID-19, such as the ‘Chinese Virus’, ‘Wuhan Virus’, and ‘Kung-flu’ have perpetuated anti-Asian stigma.”
While the resolution doesn’t name any individuals, Democrats called out the White House during the House debate Thursday and alluded to President Donald Trump’s and their Republican colleagues’ use of the terms.
Trump, some GOP lawmakers and administration officials have continued using terms like “the Chinese virus” or “the Wuhan virus,” even after the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the official terminology for the virus in February. WHO has advised not to use geographic locations in naming diseases because it creates a stigma.
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Global coronavirus cases surpass 30 million
From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel
At least 30,067,758 cases of Covid-19 have now been recorded globally, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases at 11:10 p.m. ET Thursday.
The bleak milestone comes nine months after initial cases were first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in mid-December, before continuing to spread across the globe.
The world recorded 1 million cases more than three months later, on April 2. The tally hit 10 million cases on June 28 and took just twelve weeks to triple the figure.
The global death toll stands at 944,856.
Grim distinction: The United States has recorded the most Covid-19 infections and deaths worldwide. There are at least 6,674,411 cases and 197,633 deaths from the disease in the country, according to the university’s count.
The US, India and Brazil together account for more than 50% of the world’s coronavirus cases, the university’s figures show.
CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:
What you need to know today about the race for a coronavirus vaccine
There’s been a lot of news lately about a possible coronavirus vaccine, as researchers around the world continue their work.
If you’re just reading in now, here’s what we know about the race for a potential vaccine:
- Vaccine concerns persist: Only 51% of Americans surveyed now say they would get a coronavirus vaccine, a 21 point drop from May, the Pew Research Center said Thursday. The survey found that 51% will “definitely or probably” get a Covid-19 vaccine if available today, down from 72% in May.
- It could be mid-2021 before the US sees vaccine results… Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a Senate hearing yesterday that the American public could expect to start seeing results from widespread coronavirus vaccination in the second or third quarter of 2021. Even if a vaccine for Covid-19 was released today, it would take six to nine months for enough people to receive it to create immunity, he said.
- …But Trump disputes that timeline: Later in the day, the President told reporters Redfield was “confused” when he said that. “I think he made a mistake when he said that. It’s just incorrect information,” Trump said.
- Vaccine efficiency depends on how many people get it: If not enough Americans get a Covid-19 vaccine whenever it becomes available, it won’t help reduce the spread of the deadly virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. Even a third of Americans getting vaccinated against the coronavirus won’t be enough, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.
- Wealthy countries have already bought up the expected vaccine: For when a vaccine does arrive, rich nations including the United States, Britain and Japan have already bought up more than half the expected supply. That’s about 51% of available vaccines for about 13% of the world’s population.
CDC forecast now projects up to 218,000 total US coronavirus-related deaths by Oct. 10
From CNN’s Ben Tinker
An ensemble forecast published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects there will be 207,000 to 218,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Oct. 10.
Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections a few weeks into the future. The previous ensemble forecast, published Sept. 10, projected up to 217,000 coronavirus deaths by Oct. 3.
At least 197,615 people have already died from Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases and deaths:
Some European countries are reporting coronavirus spikes
The World Health Organization has warned that a “very serious situation” is unfolding in Europe, as “alarming rates of transmission” of the coronavirus surge across the continent.
Weekly cases are now exceeding those reported in March — when the pandemic first peaked, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge said during a news conference on Thursday.
Here’s a look at some of the European countries reporting increases in coronavirus cases recently:
- Portugal reported 770 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily increase since April 10. The country’s health authorities also reported 10 deaths, the highest single-day death toll from Covid-19 since July 9.
- The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in England has risen by 167% since the end of August, the national public health body reported today. Positive cases have been rising since the start of July and are now double the number recorded when the country’s Test and Trace initiative launched on May 28.
- On Saturday, France recorded more than 10,000 new cases of coronavirus for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
- At least 1,210 Covid-19 cases were recorded in Italy on Sunday — the highest figure since May 12, according to government data. That spike came after 1,071 cases were recorded Saturday.
