October 14 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton and Angela Dewan, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, October 15, 2020
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1:10 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

Here's the latest on Florida's coronavirus numbers

From CNN’s Gregory Lemos

The Florida Department of Health reported 2,869 new cases of Covid-19 and 66 deaths on Wednesday, which includes both residents and non-residents of the state, according to Covid-19 dashboard. 

This marks the 10th day in October that the health department has reported at least 2,200 new cases in a single day, CNN's tally shows.  

The state now has a total of 741,632 coronavirus cases, the department's data shows. The Florida death toll now stands at 15,788, the data shows.   

One thing to 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. 

4:44 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

Idaho college investigates reports of students intentionally contracting Covid-19 to sell their plasma

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham Young University-Idaho

Officials at Brigham Young University-Idaho say they are looking into accounts of students intentionally contracting Covid-19 to sell their plasma with antibodies for profit.

The university said it condemns this behavior and is actively looking for students who might have engaged in this alleged activity.

"Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed," a statement on BYU-Idaho's website said Monday.

The statement went on to warn the student body that reckless activities and the rise in Covid-19 cases in Idaho could force the university to move to a fully-remote model.

"We urge all members of the campus community to act respectfully and responsibly by observing all public health and university protocols and placing the well-being of others above personal benefit or convenience," the statement said.

A spokesperson for Eastern Idaho Public Health said that they have no evidence that this is happening. 

Based on what she has heard from their partners at the school, the school put out the statement as a pre-emptive measure to keep students from getting any ideas and to squash it if it was happening. 

12:51 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

Denver public schools are pushing back in-person learning for middle and high schoolers

From CNN's Elizabeth Stuart

In-person learning for middle school and high school students, which was expected to start on Oct. 21 at Denver public schools, is being pushed back for at least three weeks after a rise in Covid-19 cases in the Denver area, Mayor Michael Hancock and Superintendent Susana Cordova announced Tuesday night.

Elementary schools will still open for in-person learning next week as planned, according to the announcement, but middle and high schools will continue with all remote learning until at least Nov. 6.

"Older students have a higher COVID risk, and given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Denver, we have determined that most middle and high school students will continue with remote instruction for the first three weeks of the second quarter," wrote Cordova in an email sent to family and staff.

Cordova said the situation will be re-evaluated in late October.

"This was not an easy decision to make. Yet given our overriding focus on health and safety and the current COVID conditions and guidance we are receiving, we feel this is the right decision," Cordova said.

12:43 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

Catalonia will close bars and restaurants for two weeks as Covid-19 cases surge

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in London

Bars and restaurants in Catalonia will close for two weeks as the regional government imposes new restrictions to contain a surge in Covid-19 infections. 

“It is a painful but necessary measure if we do not want the pandemic to spread even faster than it is doing now,” Catalan Vice President Pere Aragonès said as he announced the new restrictions.

Hotel restaurants will still be allowed to open for their guests only but the remaining establishments can only operate on a take-away basis. Aragones also promised funds to help bars and restaurants affected by the measures, which are expected to be in effect by Friday.

The government also mandated that shops reduce the number of customers allowed to enter at a time to 30% and common areas in malls will remain closed. Amateur sports events will be suspended for two weeks and gyms must reduce the number of clients to 50%. Theaters and other cultural venues will must reduce their capacity to 50%.

Classes at universities will be held mostly online, with the exception of practical classes such as the ones in laboratories, and generally, the government in Catalonia is encouraging people to work from home if they can, as well as to reduce their movement and social contacts. 

12:42 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

“Most transmission is actually still happening in households,” WHO says

From CNN Health’s Amanda Watts

Maria Van Kerkhove speaks during a press conference on July 3 at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva.
Maria Van Kerkhove speaks during a press conference on July 3 at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

The World Health Organization on Wednesday underscored that most transmission of Covid-19 is still happening in households.

Speaking during a social media Q&A, Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, said if someone tests positive for Covid-19, that they should be cared for in a medical facility – but she said she understands that cannot always happen.

“We realize that that is not possible globally, with so many cases that we are seeing, but it is important that if you are in a high risk group – if you are over 60, if you have any underlying conditions – that you are cared for in a medical facility,” she said. “The reason for that is because you are at a higher risk of developing severe disease and of death.”

If an infected person is cared for at home, “There's the possibility that the virus will spread within the household,” she said.

“Most transmission is actually still happening in households,” Van Kerkhove said. “This we knew from the beginning, from the outbreaks that were detected in China. And one of the most important things that they did in China was recognizing this, and then isolating individuals who are infected outside of the home.”

12:18 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

More than 216,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US

There are at least 7,864,910 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 216,060 people have died from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

So far today, Johns Hopkins has recorded 8,305 new cases and 173 reported deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

 

11:50 a.m. ET, October 14, 2020

New York state will withhold funding to local governments not enforcing closures in cluster areas

From CNN's Julian Cummings

The State of New York will withhold funding to local governments that have not enforced school and places of worship closures, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo cited local news reports where yeshivas were operating and religious gatherings exceeded guidelines as the reason for the threat of withholding funding.

"I don’t like to do that, budgets are tough across the board, I don’t know how else to get them to actually do the enforcement they need to do. So hopefully that will motivate them,” Cuomo said.

The areas that will be given notifications about the new enforcement rules include New York City, Orange, Rockland, Ramapo, and Spring Valley.

Additionally, a letter will be sent to all schools in the red-zones saying that if they do not follow the orders to close that they will also lose funding from the state.

Schools that the state has identified as already violating the closure order will be served with a notice to close today and will lose funding until the state is satisfied the matter is resolved, according to Cuomo.

“We do not know when that will be,” Cuomo added.

11:46 a.m. ET, October 14, 2020

New York's positivity rate in "red zones" is at 6.2%, governor says

From CNN's Julian Cummings

New York State reported a positivity rate of 6.2% in red zones where testing is being oversampled, and .95% excluding clusters, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on a phone call with reporters. 

When the cluster areas and the state data is combined New York state reported a 1.1% positivity rate. 

“That number is lower than many states positivity rates right now. We call 6.2% a red zone,” Cuomo said. 

Cuomo said that he expects clusters of Covid-19 to continue to flare up for at least a year.

“This could go on for multiple years unless you assume 100% of the population is vaccinated”, Cuomo said. 

New York reported 7 new deaths related to Covid-19, and 15 people were admitted to hospitals because of coronavirus. 

NOTE: These numbers were released by the Governor of New York and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

12:17 p.m. ET, October 14, 2020

Pelosi and Mnuchin had a "productive" stimulus call, her spokesperson tweets

From CNN's Phil Mattingly and Manu Raju

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reconnected for the first time in several days this morning for a “productive” call, according to Pelosi’s spokesperson.

The two still have a major outstanding disagreement on the Democratic push for a detailed national testing strategy, among several other issues.

The call comes as prospects for an agreement before the election have shrunk to near zero in recent days. The two are scheduled to speak again tomorrow and staff will continue to work on negotiations in the meantime.

 Read the tweet: