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- More than 52 million people have contracted COVID-19 worldwide and at least 1,290,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- News of a successful Pfizer vaccine has given people hope, though its price and availability are still being debated as US states rush to purchase ultra-cold freezers for storage.
- US President Donald Trump speaks publicly for the first time in eight days about vaccination efforts.
- The governments of the Americas and Europe continue to report alarming numbers of infections as lockdown measures increase.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. This is Creede Newton.
Trump says his administration ‘will not go into lockdown’
During a speech on Operation Warp Speed at the White House, Trump promised that his administration would not impose strict lockdown measures while the United States sets records for the number of viruses.
“The ideal is that we do not go to a confinement. I will not go, this administration will not go to a lockdown. “
Trump, who questions the results of the November polls that saw a Biden victory, made an unclear reference to a future administration.
“Hopefully … whatever happens in the future, who knows what administration it will be, I guess time will tell, but I can tell you this administration will not be closed.”
Chile hopes the Biden administration will ease tensions over medical supplies
Enrique Paris, Chile’s health minister, told Reuters on Friday that he believed Biden’s leadership would allow countries to present a more “united” front against the pandemic as vaccines become available, avoiding trade battles by nations like United States to ensure ventilators, masks and personal protective equipment seen earlier this year.
“There was a trade war in which those who could pay more got more and those who could get things out or even break distribution chains did,” Paris said in the interview.
He said that Chile had to charter or send military planes to collect supplies and keep flight plans secret.
“It was horrible and I hope it doesn’t happen again,” Paris said. “I think Mr. Biden has another vision of what is diplomacy and global understanding between countries.”
Dozens of U.S. Secret Service Officers Affected by COVID-19
More than 130 U.S. Secret Service officers assigned to protect President Donald Trump have been sidelined by COVID-19, The Washington Post reported on Friday, the latest evidence of an outbreak at the White House.
The Post did not say how many officers tested positive for the virus compared to those who had to isolate themselves due to close contact with an infected coworker. He said that about 10 percent of the central security team had been sidelined.
Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early October and received experimental treatments in government-provided care.
Read more here.
Biden: ‘Urgent action is needed today’ to stop the spread of the pandemic
Biden met with his transition team’s advisory board on the pandemic and said the current administration must work to address the issue now.
This crisis demands a strong and immediate federal response, which has sadly been lacking, ”said Biden, who will not ascend to the presidency until January 2021, in a statement released shortly before Trump’s speech on Operation Warp vaccine efforts Speed.
“The crisis does not respect dates on the calendar, it is accelerating right now. Urgent action is needed today, now, by the current administration, starting with a recognition of how dire the current situation is. “
Biden also called on American citizens to increase hand washing, social distancing, and the use of masks.
Italy extends blockade as Naples and Florence enter ‘red zone’
The regions of Italy that include the cities of Naples and Florence are ‘red zones’ as of Friday, a designation the Italian government has created as part of a tiered system to limit the spread.
It is a three-level color-coded system, with red as the least restrictive, orange in the middle, and yellow as the most serious upper level. Regions designated as red zones are subject to partial closures under which only grocery stores, pharmacies, newsstands, and other stores deemed necessary can remain open.
The director of the National Institute of Health, Gianni Rezza, said that the stricter measures were justified by a “worrying increase in hospitalizations”, as the rate of new confirmed cases in Italy reached 650 per 100,000 people.
The situation has escalated in the Campania region, where Naples is located. Hospitalizations jumped from 421 on Oct. 1 to 2,153 on Friday and 183 people are currently in intensive care, up from 38 six weeks ago.
US states rush to buy ultra-low temperature freezers for vaccine storage
U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers that can safely store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US (CDC) Recommend that you wait.
The Pfizer vaccine, which has shown promising results, should be stored at temperatures of -70 ° C (-94 ° F).
The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a cold vaccination campaign. Some specialty freezer manufacturers warn of waiting months for units.
NEW: After the president’s longest streak of no appearances during his tenure, the WH announces that it will deliver a vaccine update at 4pm in the Rose Garden.
– Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) November 13, 2020
It also marks the widespread mistrust of the CDC’s advice, which on Aug. 26 urged healthcare providers not to buy ULTs, saying it was working on solutions to Pfizer’s “very complex storage and handling requirements.”
Biden’s team pushes for access to intel and COVID information
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has requested access to intelligence and information on current efforts against the coronavirus pandemics.
“There are areas where, as much as President-elect Biden has been working on policy issues from national security to health for decades, real-time information is needed to deal with the crises of the moment,” said Jen Psaki. , advisor to Biden Harris Transition. quoted by Associated Press.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks at the Queen Theater, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster)The administration of President Donald Trump has kept Biden out of the Presidential Daily Brief (PDB), the top-secret daily report of the nation’s most sensitive intelligence, is a key part of keeping the president fully informed and, in recent years, the President. -Choose fully prepared.
“So there are areas, on the COVID front, like access to ongoing work on distribution plans, vaccine development, that direct engagement with agencies would significantly help our preparations to govern,” Psaki said.
Russia begins nightly closing of bars and restaurants as cases grow at record rates
Russia reported a record 21,983 new coronavirus infections on Friday as Moscow prepared to close restaurants and bars overnight in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite a recent spike, Russian authorities have resisted imposing lockdown restrictions as they did earlier this year, emphasizing instead the importance of hygiene, social distancing and the adoption of specific measures in certain regions.
Moscow, which reported 5,974 new cases in the past 24 hours, ordered bars, restaurants and nightclubs to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Friday to mid-January. Officials warned of searches and fines for establishments that do not comply.
Israel Signs Agreement With Pfizer For Possible COVID-19 Vaccine
Israel has signed an agreement with Pfizer to receive eight million doses of the drugmaker’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover about half of Israel’s population.
PM Netanyahu: “This is a great day for the State of Israel and a great day on the road to our victory over the coronavirus. Right now, we are signing the agreement with @Pfizer receive 8 million doses of vaccine for 4 million Israeli citizens. “
https://t.co/IZtjhpalrn pic.twitter.com/MMTDoCQxxi– Israel PM (@IsraeliPM) November 13, 2020
The potential vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE is likely to be a two-dose treatment, meaning that 8 million doses would cover 4 million of Israel’s nearly 9 million people.
Italian construction industry suffers virus slowdown
Italian infrastructure group Atlantia worsened its outlook on Friday, saying the coronavirus would cut its 2020 revenue by 3.5 billion euros ($ 4.1 billion) compared to last year.
In August the group had signaled a possible drop in sales due to the three billion euro pandemic.
The group also said that operating cash flow, after capital expenditures, would be reduced by 2.2 billion euros.
Schools around the world return to distance learning
Faced with grim numbers on COVID-19 infection and hospitalization, school systems in the US and abroad are beginning to cancel classroom instruction in favor of remote learning.
Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis and Philadelphia are among those closing classrooms or abandoning plans to offer in-person classes later in the school year, and New York City may be next.
Patrons enjoy food and drink at The Brass Rail in Hoboken, NJ, as school systems in several states are forgoing face-to-face classes and some governors are re-imposing restrictions on bars and restaurants. [File: Seth Wenig/AP Photo]
Virus transmission does not appear to be widespread within the schools themselves. Instead, many of the infections that are proving so damaging are believed to be occurring in the community.
Educators fear that things could get worse during the next vacation, when students and staff meet with family and friends or travel to other hot spots.
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