New Jersey sees highest number of new Covid-19 cases since the end of May, governor says
From CNN's Julian Cummings
News 12 New Jersey
The state of New Jersey reported 1,301 new cases of Covid-19, the highest number since May 29, Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference.
New Jersey now has 211,148 total cases of coronavirus.
"That is a sobering number,” Murphy said.
There were 11 deaths reported, bringing the New Jersey statewide total to at least 14,373.
The positivity rate for the state is now at 3.69%, according to Murphy.
New Jersey also reported 652 people were hospitalized due to Covid-19, the highest reported number since Aug. 6.
There were 148 people in the intensive care unit and 52 of them are on ventilators.
NOTE: These numbers were released by the New Jersey Governor’s office and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
1:28 p.m. ET, October 8, 2020
UK records significant jump in new Covid-19 cases
A member of a testing team speaks to a visitor at a COVID-19 testing center on September 18 in Romford, United Kingdom. Leon Neal/Getty Images
The UK has recorded 17,540 new coronavirus cases – a rise of more than 3,000 on Wednesday’s update.
According to government data, the total number of infections has reached 561,815 since the pandemic began.
A further 77 people died within 28 days of a positive test and there are now 3,412 people being treated in hospital.
12:54 p.m. ET, October 8, 2020
There could be up to 233,000 US Covid-19 deaths by the end of the month, CDC’s ensemble forecast says
From CNN's Ben Tinker
An ensemble forecast published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects there will be 224,000 to 233,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Oct. 31.
Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections a few weeks into the future.
The previous ensemble forecast, published Sept. 30, projected up to 232,000 coronavirus deaths by Oct. 24.
At least 212,154 people have already died from Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
2:12 p.m. ET, October 8, 2020
Florida reports more than 3,000 new cases of coronavirus
From CNN's Tina Burnside
Health care workers greet people as they arrive at a temporary drive-through Covid-19 testing site in Orlando on October 1. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The state of Florida is reporting at least 3,306 additional cases of Covid-19 on Thursday – the highest single-day jump in new infections since Sept. 18, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health.
As of Thursday, there has been at least 726,013 total cases in the state.
The state's death toll from Covid-19, which surpassed 15,000 on Wednesday, currently stands at at least 15,254 – about 15,068 of those are residents and 186 non-residents, according to the state's Department of Health dashboard.
On Sept. 18, Florida reported at least 3,557 new coronavirus cases.
Note: These numbers were released by Florida’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
12:25 p.m. ET, October 8, 2020
Pelosi rejects standalone bill for airline aid
From CNN's Sam Fossum
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected the notion of a standalone stimulus bill for airlines on Thursday, saying it would have to go along with a more comprehensive package including Democratic priorities.
“There is no standalone bill without a bigger bill,” Pelosi said. “The comment that I made to the administration last night was we’re happy to review what that standalone bill would look like as part of a bigger bill, if there is a bigger bill. But there is no standalone bill.”
During her weekly news conference, Pelosi slammed President Trump for ending negotiations for an aid package earlier this week, questioning whether Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and top congressional Republicans even knew about his decision beforehand.
“When the President did his strange tweet that said we’re walking away from the negotiations — it was like, what? We’ve all been working very hard to find our common ground, to agree on language so that we have an understanding of what the legislation will do,” Pelosi said.
“I think he surprised a lot of people,” she added.
She said she remains hopeful a deal can be reached, “because it has to be done.”
“We told the White House we’re at the table. We’re at the table,” Pelosi said. “We want to continue the conversation. We’ve made some progress.”
Some context: The airline industry is struggling during the pandemic, having to furlough thousands of workers.
Major US airline stocks fell sharply when Trump tweeted that the Senate would no longer consider the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill proposed by House Democrats. The bill included $25 billion for airlines—new relief that airlines say would have allowed them to bring the roughly 50,000 workers they furloughed on Oct. 1 back on the job.
11:41 a.m. ET, October 8, 2020
Notre Dame president faces university backlash following Covid-19 diagnosis
From CNN's Elizabeth Stuart
University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins speaks during a press conference on October 11, 2019, inside the Morris Inn at the Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune/AP
University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins is facing a student petition pushing for him to resign and a possible "no confidence" by the faculty following his Covid-19 diagnosis.
Students are outraged at Jenkins after he was seen attending the nomination ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett at the White House Rose Garden on Sept. 26 without wearing a mask and not adhering to social distancing practices.
More than 200 students have signed a petition calling for Jenkins to resign, saying, "Fr. Jenkins’ public displays of disregard for public health directly contradict his commitment to the Notre Dame community, directly endanger the safety of students, faculty and staff, and also cast a negative light on the Notre Dame community as a whole."
Two days before Jenkins' diagnosis, an editorial titled "Frankly, this is embarrassing" was published in Notre Dame's student-run newspaper lashing out at Jenkins for breaking the rules he expects Notre Dame students to uphold.
"Jenkins leaving South Bend to flagrantly disobey his own rules while the community he is supposed to lead is suffering creates a sense of separation between himself and everyone else," the Notre Dame Observer editorial board wrote. "A 'do as I say, not as I do' mentality is not one a University president should have in a time of crisis."
Some background: After Jenkins announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 on October 2, he wrote a public apology to the university community.
"I regret my error of judgment in not wearing a mask during the ceremony and by shaking hands with a number of people in the Rose Garden," Jenkins wrote. "I failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so."
On Tuesday night, Notre Dame's Faculty Senate debated a "no confidence" resolution of Jenkins, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times. The motion was narrowly voted 21-20 deciding to postpone further action on the resolution.
But the apology isn't enough for students, who noted that this is the second time Jenkins has had to apologize to the student body since the fall semester began. In early August, Jenkin issued an apology after he was seen engaging with students on campus and not following social distancing protocol.
11:37 a.m. ET, October 8, 2020
Italy records its most new coronavirus cases since since April 11
From CNN's Nicola Ruotolo in Rome
Medical staff hold swabs for rapid COVID-19 tests at a high school in Rome, on September 28. Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse/AP
Italy has recorded another increase in the number of new coronavirus cases – the largest daily rise since April 11.
According to the country’s Health Ministry, at least 4,458 new cases were reported on Thursday. That compares with 3,678 new cases on Wednesday.
Overall, the number of cases has reached at least 338,398 since the pandemic began.
11:31 a.m. ET, October 8, 2020
New York City closes 169 schools as part of new Covid-19 restrictions
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
NYC Media
A total of 169 public school sites are now closed in areas where there are clusters of Covid-19 cases in New York City, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
There were 108 initially closed on Tuesday in conjunction with the state. The new restrictions called for an additional 61 to be closed, he said.
“The school sites that were closed previously will remain closed for that two week period even if they don’t end up under the new state rules… were still keeping them closed because based on our data it was the right thing to do," de Blasio said.
Additionally, there are 308 school sites in the yellow zone that will begin mandatory weekly testing starting October 9.
The earliest the schools closed Tuesday could come back is Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Here are some of the other restrictions in place:
All non-essential businesses in the “red zone” will be closed, restaurants will be takeout only, mass gatherings are prohibited, and houses of worship can operate at 25% capacity, and a maximum of 10 people in side, the mayor said.
Schools in the “orange zones” will be closed – both public and nonpublic. High risk businesses including gyms will be closed. Restaurants are permitted outdoor only with a maximum of 4 people per table. Gatherings indoor or outdoor must be 10 people or less. Houses of worship can function at 33% capacity, and a maximum of 25 people inside.
Within the “yellow zones” schools will be open but subject to mandatory weekly Covid-19 testing. All businesses remain open. Both indoor and outdoor dining is permitted with a maximum of 4 people per table. Gatherings must be 25 people or less, whether they be indoor or outdoor. Houses of worship are allowed to operate at 50% capacity.
10:58 a.m. ET, October 8, 2020
FDA won’t comment on status of Emergency Use Authorizations for two antibody treatments
From CNN's Andrea Diaz
Vehicles drive in front of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, on August 25. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The US Food and Drug Administration told CNN Thursday morning that the agency doesn’t have any comments on the applications for Emergency Use Authorizations for Eli Lilly and Regeneron antibody treatments.
"Per policy, we cannot confirm, deny or comment on product applications," FDA spokesperson Chanapa Tantibanchachai told CNN via email.
Both Eli Lilly and Regeneron have already submitted requests to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization for their single monoclonal antibody therapies.
This comes after President Trump said on Fox Business Thursday morning that both Eli Lilly and Regeneron will both get EUAs.
"Regeneron, I view it as a cure, not just a therapeutic...and Eli Lilly has a great drug," Trump said. "Very much along the lines of Regeneron. It's great, and what I'm doing is I'm going to supply this drug."
