October 20 coronavirus news

The Florida Department of Health is reporting 3,662 new cases of Covid-19 and 86 additional deaths on Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health (DOH).

The state now has a total of 760,389 coronavirus cases, DOH data shows. 

The resident death toll now stands at 16,308, DOH data also 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.

The percent of people who tested positive for Covid-19 citywide is at 2.52%, under the 5% threshold, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

The seven-day rolling average is 1.58%, he said. 

The daily number of people admitted to hospitals for Covid-19 is at 62, under the 200 threshold. The confirmed positivity rate for Covid-19 for those patients is 19.7%

With regard to new reported cases on a seven-day average, with a threshold of 550 cases, NYC reports 496. 

One thing to note: These numbers were released by the citys 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

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that testing across the city’s public schools have shown “remarkable” results, as he marked a 0.17% percent positivity rating across all open schools.

After more than 16,000 test results have come back from hundreds of schools, only 28 students and staff have tested positive in the entire school system.

The city has a mandatory testing program which tests once a month in every school. The tests were administered between Oct. 9 through Oct. 16 in 377 schools.

“The proof is in the results, and these are amazing results,” de Blasio said, adding this really “bodes well for the future of our schools and our ability to fight and overcome this disease.” 

US stocks opened modestly higher on Tuesday. The chance of a stimulus deal before the election is shrinking fast, but at least there still is a chance for now.

Wall Street was propped up by this hope at the start of Monday’s session, too, but by midday began trading lower.

In economic data, both building permits and housing starts for September were as strong as expected.

Here's where things opened:

India reported fewer than 50,000 new Covid-19 cases for the first time in three months, according to a statement issued by the country’s health ministry on Tuesday.

A total of at least 46,790 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to at least 7,597,063 cases.

The last time the country reported figures in that range was on July 28, with 47,703 new cases.

The number of active cases has fallen below 10% at about 748,538, while the number of recovered cases stands at 6,733,328 with the national recovery rate rising to 88.63%.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the country via a prerecorded message, which comes ahead of the Hindu festive period that began with Navaratri, or “nine nights" on Saturday. Also known as Durja Puja, it ends with Dussehra on Oct. 27. The celebrations coincide with the harvest season and culminate with Diwali, the five-day festival of lights celebrating the triumph of good over evil, on Nov. 14.

He urged citizens to maintain social distancing, personal hygiene and to wear a mask, saying, “Until success is achieved, do not be negligent. Until the vaccine of this pandemic comes, we should not let our fight weaken.”

“Keep in mind, whether it is America or other countries in Europe, the cases of coronavirus were decreasing in these countries but suddenly they have started rising again,” he added.

A vaccine scientist warns that the next four to five months could be the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, as more than half of states report a rise in new infections.

“The key is now hanging on now for the next four or five months, where we're going to enter what may be the worst period during this epidemic. As bad as it's been, it's about to get worse,” Peter Hotez said on CNN’s “New Day.”

Hotez, the dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, recommends creating a “unit” with friends or family members for the next few months.

Make sure you aren’t alone during this time, and consider having access to mental health counseling as well, he said. 

“People are going to feel abandoned; they're going to feel on their own. This is going to be one of the darkest chapters in modern American history, and get ready for it, but just remember it will get better,” he said. 

Watch:

Yesterday saw a major rise in case numbers for the US, with at least 58,387 new cases reported on Monday. 

This was the highest number of cases reported on a Monday since July 20, which was during the peak of the summer wave, and was 40% higher than last Monday’s total

Why Mondays matter: Monday is traditionally one of the lowest reporting days of the week, even though it can often contain unreported cases from the weekend.

More than 400,000 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the US over the past 7 days – the highest weekly total since Aug. 4.

Meanwhile across the country, at least 31 states are reporting more new cases than the previous week, according to Johns Hopkins data. Only one state – Hawaii – is trending in the right direction.

 Here's a look at where cases are rising:

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing him of adopting a controversial declaration that advocates for herd immunity.

He said it would lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.

While the state’s case level remains stable, Gelber said he is concerned about not being able to enforce mandatory mask orders and curfews for bars. He said he also worries about visitors to his city spreading Covid-19 to their home states. 

“We are trying to literally protect our residents from their government at this point, because we can't even impose a requirement that people get citations for not wearing a mask. And that's become a real problem, because I worry about the uptick becoming a surge,” Gelber said.

Watch:

As the Republic of Ireland prepares for some of the most stringent lockdown measures in Europe, the country's postal service says it will deliver letters, cards, and packages to nursing and care homes for free. 

Ireland’s An Post says the initiative "is about reaching out with compassion, staying connected and sending love to each other."

Visits to long term residential care facilities will be suspended under the country's new coronavirus restrictions, with exceptions made for those in critical and compassionate circumstances.

Customers in Ireland who want to send cards, letters or parcels to care home residents just need to write FREEPOST where they would normally affix a stamp, and then send the items through mailboxes or at the post office as usual, An Post says. 

Ireland’s new restrictions: Under the level 5 lockdown, which come into effect at midnight on Wednesday for 6 weeks:

But unlike during the level 5 lockdown implemented earlier in the pandemic, schools and childcare services will remain open. 

Ireland's Taoiseach, or prime minister, Micheál Martin said Monday that the decision to keep schools open was a necessity: "We cannot, and will not, allow our children and young people's futures to be another victim of this disease."

Ireland recorded 7,495 new cases and 26 deaths last week, a considerable jump in cases from the week before, when 4,510 cases and 17 deaths were recorded.  

On Monday, the total number of cases recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic surpassed 50,000 and the death toll was 1,852, according to the health department.