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Merkel: Coronavirus situation remains ‘very serious’

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24 min ago

German Chancellor Merkel: Coronavirus situation remains “very serious”

From CNN’s Stephanie Halasz

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media on November 16 in Berlin.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media on November 16 in Berlin. Andreas Gora/Pool/Getty Images

The coronavirus situation in Germany remains “serious, even very serious,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday, adding that restricting contact between people was one of the toughest decisions she has had to make in office.

Speaking at an economic forum hosted by the German daily newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Merkel warned that 2021 was going to be “demanding.”

The way out of the crisis is arduous, and it is up to us all (to make it happen),” Merkel said, adding that Germany would succeed with “consideration, perseverance, reason and confidence.”

The Chancellor also spoke about the vaccine jointly developed by German company BioNTech and American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which was shown to be more than 90% effective in early data released by the drugmakers last week. Merkel said she was happy to have vaccines that are making progress.

1 hr 41 min ago

Austria is entering a stricter lockdown today

From CNN’s Stephanie Halasz

People walk along the Kaerntner Strasse pedestrian shopping zone in Vienna, Austria on November 16, the day before a strict nationwide lockdown came into effect.
People walk along the Kaerntner Strasse pedestrian shopping zone in Vienna, Austria on November 16, the day before a strict nationwide lockdown came into effect. Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

People in Austria will be banned from leaving their houses apart from a few specific reasons as the country imposes stricter lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 from Tuesday.

Here’s what the restrictions mean:

  • People are only allowed to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons, including going to work, shopping for basic supplies, and going to the doctor.
  • Exercise outside is allowed, according to the Austrian Interior Ministry website. 
  • Basic food shops, pharmacies and banks are staying open, but bars, pubs and restaurants are now closed. 
  • Schools are also shut, and all teaching will be done remotely. 
  • People are being urged to work from home if possible. 

The stricter lockdown measures are scheduled to run until December 6, according to the Interior Ministry.

Austria has reported more than 208,000 coronavirus cases, including 1,887 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

2 hr 12 min ago

South Australia places 4,000 people in quarantine to curb new outbreak 

From CNN’s Angus Watson in Sydney

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall speaks to the media during a Covid-19 briefing at the State Administration centre on November 17 in Adelaide, Australia.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall speaks to the media during a Covid-19 briefing at the State Administration centre on November 17 in Adelaide, Australia. David Mariuz/Getty Images

Health authorities in Adelaide, South Australia have ordered 4,000 people into quarantine as the Australian state fights a new coronavirus outbreak.

South Australia reported five new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of the latest cluster to 21. More than 6,000 tests were conducted Tuesday, according to the state’s Premier Steven Marshall.

The cases are all considered to be linked to a worker in a medi-hotel, where international arrivals into Adelaide are required to quarantine for 14 days.

The cluster broke South Australia’s seven-month run without local transmission.

There are currently 34 active cases in the state, including imported cases.

2 hr 39 min ago

Breast milk not a likely source of Covid-19 transmission, CDC says

From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman

In this December 12, 2019 file photo, a 3-ounce serving of breast milk is ready to be shipped out to nearby hospitals from the Mountain West Mothers Milk Bank in Salt Lake City.
In this December 12, 2019 file photo, a 3-ounce serving of breast milk is ready to be shipped out to nearby hospitals from the Mountain West Mothers Milk Bank in Salt Lake City. Natalie Behring/AFP/Getty Images

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued revised guidance on Monday for women who are breastfeeding while they have suspected or confirmed Covid-19, saying breast milk is “not a likely source of infection.”

Previously, the CDC had said it was not known whether mothers could transmit the virus via breast milk.

In the latest guidance, the agency said a woman with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 should follow guidelines on home quarantine or isolation. The child being breastfed should be considered a close contact and be quarantined during the parent’s recommended period of home isolation and for 14 days thereafter.

The guidelines also suggest precautions while breastfeeding for those with suspected or confirmed Covid-19:

  • Wash hands before touching child or expressing breast milk
  • Wear a mask when less than 6 feet from the child
  • Clean and sanitize breast pumps

If the mother prefers not to breast feed or bottle feed their child while sick, the CDC said a healthy caregiver who is not at risk for severe illness from Covid-19 may feed expressed breast milk to the child.

If the child has suspected or confirmed Covid-19, the agency recommends mothers wear masks while breastfeeding and wash hands frequently.

3 hr 11 min ago

Don’t take plasma from people who have been vaccinated to treat coronavirus, FDA cautions

From CNN Health’s Maggie Fox

A lab technician freezes packs of convalescent plasma donated by recovered Covid-19 patients for shipping to local hospitals at Inova Blood Services on April 22, in Dulles, Virginia.
A lab technician freezes packs of convalescent plasma donated by recovered Covid-19 patients for shipping to local hospitals at Inova Blood Services on April 22, in Dulles, Virginia. Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against using blood from people who have received experimental vaccine shots when taking convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients.

“You should not collect Covid-19 convalescent plasma from individuals who have received an investigational Covid-19 vaccine because of the uncertainty,” it said in an updated guidance.

The FDA also extended the enforcement discretion for its emergency use authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma through the end of February. 

Some context: The agency issued an EUA in August for the use of blood plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus infections to treat hospitalized patients with Covid-19. Their plasma is filled with antibodies against the virus and can kickstart a patient’s immune response — although the levels of antibodies and other immune compounds varies depending on the donor. 

3 hr 52 min ago

Packed morgues and excess deaths tell a darker story than Russia’s official Covid numbers suggest

From CNN’s Matthew Chance, Zahra Ullah and Mary Ilyushina

The limbs of a lifeless body hang off a stretcher in a hospital ward as coronavirus patients battle for their lives just a few feet away. An elderly woman gasps for breath, her desperate panting a grim soundtrack to one of many disturbing cell-phone videos emerging from hospitals across Russia.

“This is how our nights look: horrifying,” says a male voice narrating the footage, given to CNN by a prominent opposition-linked Russian doctors’ union, “Doctors’ Alliance,” which says it was recorded in mid-October by a hospital staff member in Ulyanovsk, a city around 500 miles east of Moscow.

“Two more down in our ward,” he says, while filming a corpse. “This is how Covid-19 is killing everybody.”

This grisly video is just one of several obtained by CNN that reveal appalling conditions inside overcrowded facilities. Some footage shows morgues with bodies, stripped naked, piled on top of each other on grimy floors, in scenes that look like war zones more than hospitals.

As Russia struggles to get the pandemic under control, the videos are one of several signs pointing to an actual death toll far higher than official figures suggest.

Russia says as of November 16 more than 33,000 people have died of Covid-19. But that number is disputed by critics who say the Kremlin is underreporting the numbers.

“I think the real figure is (around) 130,000 people,” said Alexey Raksha, a former government statistician who has made his estimates based on official data on excess deaths — the number of fatalities above what would normally be expected — to assess the toll of the pandemic.

Read the full story:

How bad is Russia's Covid crisis? Packed morgues and excess deaths tell a darker story than official numbers suggest

4 hr 18 min ago

US reports more than 166,000 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

The United States reported 166,045 new Covid-19 cases and 995 additional virus-related deaths on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The US has now recorded at least 11,202,980 cases, including 247,202 fatalities.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

CNN is tracking US Covid-19 cases:

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

4 hr 35 min ago

South Korea to strengthen social distancing measures in Seoul

From CNN’s Jake Kwon in Seoul

Visitors wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, sit on chairs while maintaining social distancing in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, November 16.
Visitors wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, sit on chairs while maintaining social distancing in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, November 16. Lee Jin-man/AP

The Seoul Metropolitan Area will strengthen social distancing rules from Thursday, South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said, as the country reported more than 200 Covid-19 cases for a third consecutive day.

“We judge that the disease prevention effort is facing a crisis,” Chung said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said at the same briefing that unlike previous waves of infections, recent trends show small but numerous clusters occurring in restaurants and gatherings.

The city’s social distancing measures have now been upgraded to level 1.5, the second highest of five levels. The new rules include:

  • Only 66% of students will be allowed in classes
  • Religious gatherings outside of regular services will be banned
  • Places of worship will limit the number of attendees to 30%
  • Restaurants will be required to erect dividers
  • Bars and wedding halls must only allow one person per 4 square meters

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in acknowledged the negative impact of these measures on small businesses, but urged the public to cooperate.

“Please understand that it is an unavoidable measure to prevent further spread and damage, and fully cooperate,” Moon said.

South Korea recorded 230 new Covid-19 cases for Monday, of which 137 cases were found in Seoul. The country has recorded a total of 28,998 cases and 494 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

5 hr 8 min ago

Navajo Nation goes into a 3-week lockdown

From CNN’s Andy Rose

A sign warning non-residents to stay out of the Navajo Nation town of Tuba City during a 57-hour curfew, imposed to try to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus through the Navajo Nation, in Arizona on May 24.
A sign warning non-residents to stay out of the Navajo Nation town of Tuba City during a 57-hour curfew, imposed to try to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus through the Navajo Nation, in Arizona on May 24. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

The Navajo Nation began a three-week “stay-at-home lockdown” period on Monday in response to a surge in coronavirus cases,

Residents are allowed to leave their homes only for emergencies and “essential activities” like shopping for groceries or working at an essential business. Those businesses must close each day at 3 p.m.

“We have a three-week lockdown in place now to help isolate those individuals who are positive for COVID-19,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. “When we isolate people, we isolate the virus.”

The Navajo Nation — which is located within parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah — announced 197 new Covid-19 cases on Monday. That raises the tribe’s total number of recorded infections to 13,596 since the pandemic began.

Last week, the Navajo Department of Health identified 34 communities with “uncontrolled spread.” Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that across the US, Native Americans infected with Covid-19 are about 4.1 times more likely to be hospitalized than non-Hispanic White people. 

Read more about the Covid-19 hospitalizations here:

Covid-19 is sending Black, Latino and Native American people to the hospital at about 4 times the rate of others

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