October 1 coronavirus news

The US Food and Drug Administration won’t allow political pressure to interfere with the agency’s decision-making on a potential Covid-19 vaccine, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said. 

Hahn sought to reassure Americans about the FDA’s vaccine development process at a discussion recorded on Tuesday with the National Consumers League.

When it comes to authorizing or approving drugs and therapeutics, “science will guide our decisions,” he told the group. “FDA will not permit any pressure from anybody to change that." 

Hahn has been responding in recent days to concerns about political pressure potentially influencing the approval or authorization of coronavirus treatments or vaccines in recent days after President Trump said last week that the White House could overrule FDA rules on vaccine development.

But even before that, Hahn was criticized for announcing an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma at a news conference with Trump in August. The agency also revoked an EUA for the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in June, a drug pushed by Trump, because it didn’t work in Covid-19 patients and in fact, may have caused harm, studies found.

“I know that there's been particular attention paid to a few of the decisions reached by FDA scientists over the past few months,” Hahn admitted. “As Commissioner, it's my responsibility to help explain why support for and confidence in the FDA is justified,” he added.

“I want to assure you that every one of the decisions we have reached has been made by FDA scientists based on science and data, not by politics.”

Hahn told the NCL that if and when a Covid-19 vaccine is authorized or approved, Americans “should have complete confidence in that decision.”

“I will fight for science and data to guide our decisions,” he said. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters there will be no agreement on any stimulus deal tonight, but talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will continue. 

Pelosi stressed that the central issue is less about whether they can reach a top line agreement in principle, but about whether they can nail down the actual details in legislative language. 

Pelosi said she was headed back to her office to review documents sent to her by Mnuchin and would figure out where things go next after that. 

As to the odds of reaching an actual agreement, Pelosi said, “I don’t know, it just depends."

Wisconsin teachers unions are requesting that virtual learning be implemented from kindergarten through college across the state due to the increase of new Covid-19 cases, according to a release from Milwaukee’s teachers union.  

The Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association called on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to begin virtual instruction until the community spread is contained, according to a statement posted on its Facebook page on Thursday.

"DHS should confirm that plans are feasible, and the district, school, college or university does in fact have the necessary PPE and resources to accomplish the reopening plan," the statement said. 

Teachers believe authorities have not done enough to keep in-person learning safe.

“Families are knowingly sending COVID-19 positive sick symptomatic students to school,” said Amy Mizialko, a representative of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association.

Traci DeSalvo, with Wisconsin Department of Health Services, told CNN affiliate WKOW they are providing information for schools to make safe decisions.

On Thursday, the state's health department said that 45 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties “meet the threshold of very high activity” for Covid-19 infections, with 41 counties showing cases on the rise as reported in an earlier alert. 

Wisconsin has 122,274 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,327 total virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Pennsylvania House voting session was canceled this morning after a representative tested positive for Covid 19, according to a news release. 

State Rep. Paul Schemel, a Republican, tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday morning after experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining on Wednesday, according to a statement. He was last in the Capitol on Tuesday, he said. 

The House voting session for Oct. 1 was canceled "out of an abundance of caution," House Speaker Bryan Cutler said in a statement. He said human resources is working with Schemel to determine all interactions with members and staff, and those who were exposed will be contacted. 

Cutler also noted that the chamber, meeting rooms and staff work areas are professionally sanitized on a nightly basis. 

The CEO of a defense contractor in Hawaii has been charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with the government’s Paycheck Protection Program.

The US Attorney’s office says Martin Kao inflated the payroll figures of his company, Navatek LLC (which has since changed its name to Martin Defense Group).

Kao is also accused of applying for loans with two different banks, even though the program limited him to one application.

Five counts of money laundering relate to five checks written on the loan funds, two of which were made out to Martin Kao personally. Kao allegedly deposited $2 million into a personal investment account.

Martin Defense Group designs and produces specialty marine equipment.

Kao appeared in court Thursday. Federal prosecutors asked that he be held without bond because of what they say is a “serious risk defendant will flee.”

Kao’s attorney, Victor Bakke, did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.

Martin Defense Group also did not return CNN’s request for comment, but told CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now they were surprised by the charges.

“As a company, we will address the allegations and have retained legal counsel to review these claims,” the company said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan reported that the state had no coronavirus-related deaths for the first time in 187 days.

Hogan said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that this is the first time since March 28 that the state has not had a Covid-19-related death. 

The statewide positivity rate is now at 2.8%, which is down from a high of 26.91% in April, according to Hogan. He said that all jurisdictions in the state currently have positivity rates under 5%. 

Hogan also announced that indoor visitation will begin in all nursing homes that are not experiencing a current outbreak or have not experienced a positive test in the past 14 days. Hogan said that based on federal guidelines, visitation will not be permitted in local jurisdictions that have a positivity rate over 10%. 

Gov. Mike DeWine said despite many Ohioans working hard to keep Covid-19 "in check, unfortunately, we are seeing a rebound in some areas of the state." 

The governor announced 1,327 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday and said the daily positivity rate increased from 3% to 4%. 

Ohio health officials observed that 11 counties had a very high spread, or "red counties," which is more than what the state had in September, DeWine said during a coronavirus briefing on Thursday. 

There were four counties added to the "red" list this week; including Clermont, Hamilton, Muskingum and Richland County.  

DeWine shared several coronavirus cautionary stories, including one of a woman in her 80s who went to a neighboring state to bury her husband and contracted the virus from a funeral director who did not wear a mask; the woman died shortly after.  

Ohio now has 155,314 coronavirus cases and 4,817 deaths, DeWine said.  

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday a new order that allows out-of-state health care workers to practice in the state following "alarming trends" in coronavirus cases.

The governor urged residents to stay home, wear a mask, and practice social distancing.

Secretary-designee Andrea Palm reported 21 new fatalities Thursday in the state, bringing the number of total deaths to at least 1,348.

Palm said 45 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties “meet the threshold of very high activity” for Covid-19 infections.

This means that there are more than 350 cases per 100,000 people. Palm said 41 counties are showing growing trajectory, an indication that cases are on the rise.

Hospitalizations are increasing: ThedaCare president and CEO Dr. Imran Andrabi said his hospital communities are seeing the increases in Covid-19 infection rates and hospitalizations. He said 95% of hospital beds within his system are full at this point and 250 ThedaCare hospital workers did not show up for work Thursday. Andrabi said the workers are getting sick because people are not wearing masks out in the community.

“This is really a responsibility that we all have to take seriously because if some of us do it and others don’t, it doesn’t work,” Andrabi said.

Italy on Thursday reported the highest daily increase in new coronavirus cases since April 24, figures from the country’s health ministry show.

The country recorded at least 2,548 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 317,409.

The number of people that have died from coronavirus is at least 35,918 – an additional 24 fatalities were recorded in the past 24 hours. The number of patients admitted to intensive care has also risen by 11, bringing the total to at least 291.