September 10 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, September 11, 2020
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8:56 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

Another 884,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week

From CNN’s Anneken Tappe

Another 884,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. The number of claims filed was unchanged from the prior week.

That said, the headline number only counts claims for regular benefits that not everyone who lost their livelihood due to the pandemic has access to.

That's why claims for benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, that help workers like independent contractors, are so important. First-time claims under the PUA program totaled 838,916 last week, up from the prior week.

Meanwhile, 13.4 million American workers filed claims for unemployment insurance for at least two weeks in a row.

8:12 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

Majority of Americans believe political pressure will cause FDA to rush a Covid-19 vaccine, poll finds

From CNN Shelby Lin Erdman

President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House on August 5.
President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House on August 5. Stefani Reynolds/Sipa/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A majority of Americans — 62% — believe political pressure from the Trump administration will cause the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to rush approval of a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day on November 3, according to a new Health Tracking Poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)

The KFF poll, conducted between August 28 and September 3, found 85% of Democrats, 61% of independents and 35% of Republicans believe the FDA would cave to pressure from President Donald Trump and push through a Covid-19 vaccine before ensuring it’s safe and effective.

More women than men — 70% compared to 55% — said they worried the FDA would rush approval of a vaccine, the poll found.

If a Covid-19 vaccine was ready and available for free before the upcoming election, just over half of respondents, 54%, said they would not get one, while 42% said they would

However, 81% of those surveyed said they don’t believe a coronavirus vaccine would be available before November 3.

President Donald Trump and members of his administration have suggested in recent weeks that a vaccine could be available before November, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked states to prepare to distribute one.

8:01 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

It's just past 1 p.m. in London and 8 a.m. in New York. Here's the latest on the pandemic

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 27.8 million people worldwide and killed more than 904,000. Here's what you need to know about Covid-19:

  • AstraZeneca confirms vaccine trial was previously halted: The drugs giant has paused its current Phase 3 trial over an undisclosed event. A spokesperson told CNN that the trial was briefly paused in July as well.
  • Thousands of jets needed for vaccine transport: According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), providing a single dose of the vaccine to 7.8 billion people will require the use of 8,000 Boeing 747 cargo aircraft.
  • US will lift some Covid-19 airport limitations: The country plans to stop limiting international arrivals from certain nations to 15 airports and funneling them through enhanced screening. Instead, passengers will be advised about risks.
  • France can't rule out local lockdowns, government adviser says: Scientific adviser Jean-François Delfraissy said the country should avoid going back into lockdown as it fights a resurgence of cases, but added that the government cannot rule out imposing such restrictions at a local level.
  • Colleges across US report cases: Universities are struggling to contain coronavirus outbreaks on US campuses, with more than 40,000 cases among students, faculty and staff reported nationwide.

8:44 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

Julian Assange extradition hearing halted for fear of Covid-19

From CNN's Vasco Cotovio in London

Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protest outside London's Old Bailey court on September 7.
Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protest outside London's Old Bailey court on September 7. Richard Baker/In Pictures/Getty Images

The extradition hearing for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was halted after it was revealed that a lawyer representing the US government may have been exposed to Covid-19, PA Media reported on Thursday. 

The revelation prompted Assange’s defense, joined by lawyers representing the US government, to call on judge Vanessa Baraitser to adjourn the hearing.

"Court staff themselves would be at risk and you yourself may well be at risk,” Assange's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC told the judge.
“Our client Mr. Assange, who is vulnerable you are aware, would be at risk in court.”

Judge Baraitser agreed to the request saying she would suspend the hearing until the lawyer in question – whose identity was not revealed – was tested for coronavirus. 

“Last night I was informed that one of the barristers in the case may have been exposed to the virus,” she said. "I am told the testing process will be known at some time [Friday]. Whilst the situation is uncertain the hearing should be adjourned until the outcome is known.”

The judge also asked both parties for submissions on what to do, should the test come back positive.

7:45 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

Indian company pauses AstraZeneca vaccine Phase 3 trials

From CNN's Akanksha Sharma in Hong Kong

A private biomedical company in India has paused Phase 3 clinical trials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, according to a statement provided by the company to CNN.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) said Thursday that it had "paused the trial in India until further instructions from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on what to do next."

The DCGI heads the government body in charge of approving new drugs and clinical trials in India.

SII is described on its company website as the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by the number of doses produced and sold globally.

The development comes after the drug giant AstraZeneca said Tuesday that it had paused global trials of its coronavirus vaccine because of unexplained illness in one of the volunteers.

"As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow the review of safety data," SII said in the statement sent to CNN.

The trials were taking place at more than a dozen sites in India with more than 1,000 participants, according to a source with knowledge of the trials.

SII received approval from the Drug Controller General of India on August 3 to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

7:39 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

US Senate to vote on bill addressing pandemic, after negotiations falter

From CNN's Alex Rogers

The US Senate will vote on Thursday to advance a Republican party proposal to address the health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic, four months after House Democrats passed their $3 trillion plan.

The narrower Senate bill is expected to fail to reach the requisite 60 votes but could help Republican senators in tough reelection races by giving them a rebuttal to Democratic challengers attacking their delayed response.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the bill after negotiations with Democrats stalled over a month ago. McConnell has acknowledged that the bill "does not contain every idea" that Republicans want but asserted on Wednesday that it is much better than "doing nothing."

It's a vote for senators to say whether they want to move forward toward huge amounts of relief for kids, jobs, and health care, or whether they are happier doing nothing," said McConnell.

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7:01 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

These US restaurants made it out of the Great Depression but couldn't weather coronavirus

From CNN's Madeline Holcombe

Pictured from left to right are Jim Hontalas, Rachel Lelchuk, Helen Hontalas and Louis Hontalas, outside Louis' Restaurant circa 1946.
Pictured from left to right are Jim Hontalas, Rachel Lelchuk, Helen Hontalas and Louis Hontalas, outside Louis' Restaurant circa 1946. Thomas Hontalas

As Thomas Hontalas cleaned out the restaurant he shared with his brother, it was hard to fathom that his 83-year family legacy was coming to an end.

I'm trying to process not having this business I've been working at my entire life. I started working there when I was 10 years old," Hontalas told CNN. "I kind of feel lost right now."

Louis' Café, which sat on a San Francisco cliff overlooking Ocean Beach, was started by his grandfather at the end of the Great Depression. Through World War II, devastating fires and threats of demolition, Louis' held his grandfather's name and stayed in the family through three generations. Until the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Coronavirus shuttered much of the US at the outset of the pandemic, and the hit on restaurants was especially devastating. A recent study showed that nearly two-thirds of New York restaurants could be out of business as soon as January without government aid.

Already, several restaurants across the US that weathered the economic chaos of the Great Depression to become fixtures in their communities have not been able to withstand coronavirus.

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6:26 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

Colleges in all 50 US states report cases as clusters linked to social gatherings grow

From CNN's Faith Karimi and Annie Grayer

As schools begin their fall semester, universities and colleges are struggling to contain coronavirus outbreaks with cases reported at campuses in all 50 states.

There have been more than 40,000 cases of Covid-19 among students, faculty and staff at colleges and universities across the country. The number represents cases that CNN has reported so far -- and is likely higher due to a lag from schools that update their data every few days.

With social life trickling back to life on campuses, coronavirus outbreaks have hit places students congregate such as fraternities and sororities, where some have continued to gather despite remote learning.

A cluster of Covid-19 cases was linked to a fraternity party at the University of New Hampshire last weekend. More than 100 people attended the August 29 party and few wore masks. Eleven people connected to the party have tested positive for the virus, university officials said.

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6:10 a.m. ET, September 10, 2020

US will lift Covid-19 airport limitations imposed on some international travelers

From CNN's Maggie Fox

The United States plans to stop limiting international arrivals from certain countries to 15 airports and funneling them through enhanced screening. Instead, passengers will be advised about risks.

As of Thursday, there were more than 6.3 million coronavirus cases reported and over 190,000 people dead nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"Beginning September 14, 2020, the US government will remove requirements for directing all flights carrying airline passengers arriving from, or recently had a presence in, certain countries to land at one of 15 designated airports and halt enhanced entry health screening for these passengers," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an updated post on its website.
"Currently, enhanced entry health screening is conducted for those arriving from, or with recent presence in, China (excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, the Schengen region of Europe, the United Kingdom (excluding overseas territories outside of Europe), Ireland, and Brazil."

Screening for symptoms doesn't really help much because so many people do not have symptoms, the CDC said.

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