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 197,244 people have already died from Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
2:58 p.m. ET, September 17, 2020
Here's how US schools and colleges are responding to the pandemic
University of Idaho students line up for a Covid-19 test on Wednesday, August 13, outside the Student Recreation Center in Moscow, Idaho. Geoff Crimmins/Moscow-Pullman Daily News/AP
Schools and universities are coping with augmented learning styles as Covid-19 infections continue to be reported on campuses around the US.
Here's the latest on schools and universities around the country:
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed in-person openings at K-5 and K-8 schools until Sept. 29.
Since move-in started at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in late August, more than 2,000 students have tested positive for Covid-19, CNN reported. The campus positivity rate is right around 10%.
Baltimore City Public Schools are struggling with virtual class attendance after the first week of school, schools CEO Sonja Santelises said Wednesday in an interview.
Almost 30 teenagers have to quarantine after a child was sent to Attleboro High School in Massachusetts despite knowing they were positive with Covid-19, according to Attleboro Public Schools and the town's mayor.
3:06 p.m. ET, September 17, 2020
Baltimore schools are struggling with virtual attendance during the pandemic
From CNN’s Evan Simko-Bednarski
Baltimore City Public Schools are struggling with virtual class attendance after the first week of school, Schools CEO Sonja Santelises said Wednesday in an interview with non-affiliate WYPR Baltimore Public Radio.
"Official attendance is about 80%, but what we do know is that a lot of the attendance data is dependent on what teachers were actually able to submit," Santelises told host WYPR Sheliah Kast. "We know that our first week daily average of logins — in terms of, you know, students logging in daily, meaning no interruption or anything like that — is at 65%"
Andre Riley, a Baltimore City Public Schools spokesperson, told CNN that since students were able to virtually attend classes without logging on, the 65% figure may not be accurate. He said that, going forward, all students would be required to log on in order to attend class.
Santelises said that unexpected shipping delays meant the district was still waiting on at least 10,000 devices to ensure all students had access to virtual classes.
"We know that there are families at each school that are still awaiting the arrival of devices," she said. "We're hoping by the end of September we'll be caught up."
The district lists its enrollment at 79,187 students citywide.
CNN is seeking additional clarity on the district’s attendance policy and implementation.
WATCH:
1:43 p.m. ET, September 17, 2020
How New York City is trying to speed up Covid-19 test results
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
A sign directs people to a Covid-19 testing site on September 14 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of the “Pandemic Response Lab” — also known as PRL — which will be dedicated to speeding up the return rate of Covid-19 tests for NYC Health and Hospitals.
The lab will be dedicated to processing tests within 24 to 48 hours and will process approximately 20,000 tests per day by November.
“As the need for testing across the country rises, PRL will build on existing capacity as part of the overall NYC testing strategy and provide faster results dedicated to serve the City,” the release said.
“The City has drastically improved turnaround times for COVID-19 tests, with over 80% of tests coming back within 72 hours or less, according to new metrics,” it added.
The new lab will also create 150 new jobs.
12:29 p.m. ET, September 17, 2020
Some European countries are reporting coronavirus spikes
A woman walks in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday, September 15. Pedro Fiúza/NurPhoto/AP
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.
12:42 p.m. ET, September 17, 2020
Trump contradicted the CDC director on masks and vaccines. He isn't considering resigning, official says.
From CNN's Nick Valencia
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield appears at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP
Despite President Trump appearing to undermine him on the issues of masks and vaccine timing, Dr. Robert Redfield has given no indications that he might resign — or has even considered resigning — as the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a federal health official close to the situation tells CNN.
“He’s marching on,” the official said, adding Redfield has “been in this position before where he said something the President didn’t like.”
The official said Redfield is "taking it in stride" and focused on the work at hand, a day after Trump's comments at the briefing.
What this is all about: Redfield 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.
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.
Redfield also said masks may be a more effective protection against coronavirus than any potential vaccine that the President can't stop hyping. ""I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine, because the immunogenicity may be 70%. And if I don't get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will," he said.
Later, the President said Redfield's comments were incorrect and that Redfield may have misunderstood the question.
"Maybe he misunderstood it," Trump said, later adding, "As far as the masks are concerned, I hope that the vaccine is going to be a lot more beneficial than the masks."
John King reports:
11:43 a.m. ET, September 17, 2020
Mumbai police bans people from traveling across the city as Covid-19 cases mount
From CNN's Swati Gupta in New Delhi
People spend time outside on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, on Thursday, September 17. Rajanish Kakade/AP
Mumbai’s police department issued fresh orders today prohibiting movement of people across the city as Covid-19 continues to spread.
"Mumbai city continues to be threatened with the spread of Covid-19. It is considered expedient to issue a prohibitory order restricting any presence or movement of one or more persons in public places or a gathering of any sort anywhere, including religious places,” the order issued by the city police read.
What the order does: The order prohibits any movement in containment zones – sections of the city which are considered hotspots – except for essential activities. For the rest of the city, certain exemptions to the latest order will be in place. A list issued by the state government gives exemption to certain operations, including government offices, service providers, banks, ports and essential service providers.
The order will go into effect by midnight local time on Friday and will continue until the end of September. It will be applicable to the city of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state.
Maharashtra has recorded more than 1.1 million cases, including 30,883 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
10:52 a.m. ET, September 17, 2020
New York City mayor delays in-person learning for most students
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
A classroom at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in New York is pictured on September 8. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed K-5 and K-8 school's in-person openings until Sept. 29.
The mayor also delayed middle and high schools' in-person learning until Oct. 1.
Meanwhile, 3-K, Pre-K and District 75 schools, which serve special education kids, will open for in person learning as planned on Sept. 21.
The decision came in coordination with teacher union leaders.
9:53 a.m. ET, September 17, 2020
New restrictions and rising cases: Here's the latest on the pandemic in Europe
People walk in Madrid, Spain, on September 16. Manu Fernandez/AP
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 press conference on Thursday.
Kluge said that more than half of Europe's countries have reported an increase of more than 10% in new cases in the past two weeks.
Here's what else we know about the coronavirus pandemic across Europe:
A dramatic spike in England: 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.
New restrictions expected in Spain's capital: Authorities in Madrid will announce new coronavirus restrictions on Friday as the country responds to an uptick in the number of cases.
Part of Wales is on lockdown: The Welsh government locked down one of the nation’s biggest regions — barring people from entering or leaving — following a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. Rhondda Cynon Taf, in the south of Wales, is the second county to be locked down. It has a population of nearly 240,000 people.
Reporting from CNN's Amy Cassidy, Laura Perez Maestro, Ingrid Formanek and Samantha Tapfumaneyi
