September 14 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Jack Guy, Ed Upright, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, September 15, 2020

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10:43 p.m. ET, September 13, 2020

Pfizer CEO says there is "a good chance" company will know if a vaccine works by the end of October

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

CEO of Pfizer Inc. Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D. attends the 2019 Forbes Healthcare Summit at the Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 5, 2019 in New York. Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said there is “quite a good chance” the team testing his company’s vaccine candidate for Covid-19 will know whether it works by the end of October.

“In our best case, we have quite a good chance, more than 60%, that we will know if the product works or not by the end of October,” he said on CBS today. “But of course, that doesn’t mean that it works. It means that we will know if it works.”

When asked whether people would have to wait until 2021 to receive the vaccine, Bourla said that he didn’t know how long it would take for regulators to approve the drug.

“We have a good chance that we will know if the product works by the end of October. Then, of course, it is (the) regulator’s job to issue (a) license or not," he said.

Pfizer has started manufacturing the vaccine and Bourla said hundreds of thousands of doses have already been made.

More details: Bourla said vaccine distribution will be a problem. Shipping medicines is complex, particularly when they need special storage conditions. But he said Pfizer already knows how to do it very well.

As for who gets the vaccine, Bourla said that is something the authorities should decide, for example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

10:04 p.m. ET, September 13, 2020

WHO reports highest single-day increase in Covid-19 infections since pandemic began

From CNN’s Sharif Paget

The World Health Organization received reports of 307,930 new Covid-19 cases worldwide in the past 24 hours -- the highest single-day increase in global infections since the pandemic began.

The previous daily high was set on September 6, when 306,857 cases were reported.

The total number of cases that have been reported to the WHO from around the globe now stands at 28,637,952.

There were also 5,537 new coronavirus deaths reported to the WHO over the past 24 hours, bringing the global death toll to at least 917,417.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

Tracking coronavirus' global spread

9:55 p.m. ET, September 13, 2020

Israel approves second general lockdown as Covid-19 cases surge

From CNN's Oren Liebermann and Amir Tal

Israel approved a second general lockdown on Sunday evening as coronavirus cases surge across the country. The lockdown, which is expected to start Friday afternoon, will see the country return to many of the same severe restrictions of the first lockdown back in April.

Schools, restaurants (except delivery), and entertainment venues will all close, as well as other businesses, for an initial period of three weeks. The public sector will operate with a limited workforce, while private sector businesses can operate as long as non-employees do not enter the workspace.

People will be required to stay within 500 meters of their home. Emergency services, pharmacies and food stores will remain open. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 20 people, while indoor gatherings will be limited to 10.

Restrictions will be eased once Israel records a sharp decline in infection rates, though no number has been put on what might constitute such a decline.

At a cabinet meeting earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country's coronavirus czar had raised "a red flag regarding the ability of the health system to handle the challenges that are upon us, and (thus) the need to take the necessary steps as a result."

By the numbers: Netanyahu announced the lockdown after coronavirus cases surged last week, hitting a new daily high of 4,217 cases in 24 hours on Thursday, the third straight day with more than 4,000 new cases recorded.

The number of patients in serious condition has also steadily climbed, reaching a high of 513 serious cases and 138 on ventilators as of Saturday.