Fauci says Covid-19 symptoms last “well beyond what you’d expect” from a viral syndrome

11:29 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Fauci says Covid-19 symptoms last “well beyond what you’d expect” from a viral syndrome

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a committee hearing in Washington, D.C, on Wednesday, September 23. Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States government's top infectious disease expert, said lingering Covid-19 symptoms last much longer than those from other viral syndromes like influenza.

Between 25% and 35% of Covid-19 patients have lingering symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sleep disturbances and “brain fog.”

“We do know for absolutely certain that there is a post Covid-19 syndrome -- referred to sometimes as long Covid, chronic Covid, long haulers. It’s got different names," Fauci said on Saturday during an event with the American Medical Association.

It's unclear exactly how long symptoms can last, as the virus was discovered less than a year ago, but Fauci said symptoms have been observed for months after an initial infection.

"A proud moment for the medical profession:" Fauci also said medical professionals should be proud of the work they've done in the past several months, as they have been “really putting their lives and their safety at risk” by continually taking care of people who have a disease that is highly transmissible and has the potential to kill.

“We all should be very proud of is what our physician population at the local level is doing,” he said. “People in the towns, the counties, the cities who are in the hospitals, be they local hospitals or big city tertiary care centers.”

Why the death rate is going down: Fauci said the United States' Covid-19 death rate has been declining in recent months because due to three factors: “age, experience and better drugs.”

“We just get better at treating people. More experience. You (know) what works," Fauci said. "You know what doesn’t work, including just fundamental, non-pharmacological approaches.”

There are also now treatments that can help people, like dexamethasone and remdesivir, Fauci said.

The fact that younger people are now getting infected -- but not dying -- is also a factor bringing the death rate down, he said. However, Fauci noted that college kids are going back to school, getting infected and then "infecting people in the community"

"They’re the ones that are sort of driving the infection,” he said.

10:19 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

The Australian state of Victoria, once the country's Covid-19 epicenter, is easing even more anti-epidemic restrictions

A view of a crowded Bourke Street mall in Victoria where it has recorded no new coronavirus cases or deaths for an eighth consecutive day on November 7. Diego Fedele/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Australian state of Victoria will lift even more Covid-19 restrictions as the virus there appears to be under control.

Starting at 11:59 p.m. Sunday:

Restaurants, bars and cafes can host up to 40 customers indoors and 70 outdoors.
Entertainment venues can open and host up to 20 people.
Gyms and sporting facilities can host up to 20 people, but with strict limits on density
Indoor religious ceremonies and funerals can be attended up to 20 people indoors, or 50 people outdoors

Australia's former epicenter: In early August, Victoria was recording hundreds of cases per day, leading state authorities to implement the type of strict anti-epidemic measures that governments in Western Europe and the United States have been hesitant to enact out of fear of damaging the economy. This included placing Melbourne residents under a strict seven-week lockdown and barring nearly all trips outdoors.

Though the decision to lockdown Melbourne was unpopular with some people, by late September, cases had declined to low double-digits, allowing the government to begin lifting restrictions.

9:46 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Wisconsin reports more than 7,000 new coronavirus cases

From CNN’s Claudia Dominguez

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard operate a mobile COVID-19 test center at Miller Park on October 29, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Authorities in Wisconsin reported another 7,065 confirmed Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the state's Department of Health said.

Another 45 deaths were recorded.

Since the pandemic began, at least 263,130 people in Wisconsin have been diagnosed with the virus. At least 2,301 people have died.

9:42 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Washington state just set another Covid-19 record

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Washington state Secretary of Health John Wiesman speaks during a press conference on January 21, in Shoreline, Washington. David Ryder/Getty Images

Washington state reported another 1,777 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the highest identified in a single day in the state since the pandemic began.

The previous record was set on Friday, when the Washington Department of Health identified 1,691 cases of the virus.

“Covid-19 is currently spreading very quickly in Washington state,” Secretary of Health John Wiesman said Saturday. “We are very concerned that disease transmission will only grow over the next few weeks with the holidays coming up.”

Washington state was the site of the first major Covid-19 outbreak in the United States.

9:37 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

North Dakota reported 500 new cases of Covid-19 for the 3rd day in a row

From CNN’s Claudia Dominguez

A medical staff member performs a Covid-19 test in Fargo, North Dakota, on Thursday, October 15, 2020. Dan Koeck/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Authorities in North Dakota reported 511 new cases of Covid-19 and 15 virus-related deaths on Saturday -- the third day in a row the state has recorded more than 500 new infections.

North Dakota has a total of 53,204 cases and 628 deaths, according to the North Dakota Department of Health.

9:32 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

France marks grim milestone of over 40,000 coronavirus deaths

From Barbara Wojazer and Jen Deaton

A medical worker wearing a protective protective equipment speaks with a patient at the SNCF "MobilTest" COVID-19 test center at the Gare de Lyon station on November 5, in Paris, France. Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images

France's overall coronavirus death toll surpassed 40,000 on Saturday.

The country's total death toll now stands at 40,169 after 306 new deaths were registered in a 24-hour period, according to the French Public Health Agency. France has the world's seventh highest coronavirus fatality count, according to official data from Johns Hopkins University, but that is still only a fraction of the death toll seen in the worst-hit countries: the United States and Brazil.

This grim milestone comes after France had two consecutive days of record new daily coronavirus cases, with more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases announced on Friday alone. The French Public Health Agency has not yet specified the daily case count for Saturday to reflect the previous 24 hours.

As Europe experiences its second wave of coronavirus cases with winter approaching, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that his country needs to live with the virus in the longterm.

"When I listen to the scientists, and the Scientific Council, we foresee [living with the virus] at best until next summer," Macron said, speaking during a visit to a health center.

6:52 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Illinois governor and staff test negative for Covid-19, on the state's third record high day of cases

From Brad Parks

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker at a press conference at the James R. Thompson Center on September 22. E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Getty Images

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and his staff tested negative for Covid-19, after being exposed to someone who tested positive in a meeting on Monday, according to a statement released by the governor's office on Saturday.

The statement says, per the CDC, that the group will not be required to quarantine for 14 days, since they are not considered "close contacts because they met with the individual prior to 48 hours before symptom onset."

This was the second time the group tested negative, after undergoing a test on Wednesday.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported 12,438 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus and 76 deaths on Saturday, making this third consecutive day of record high coronavirus case numbers and the second day that Illinois has reported over 10,000 daily coronavirus cases.

Illinois underwent "resurgence mitigations" earlier this week, after test positivity rates soared in all regions of the state. All indoor restaurant and bar service has been banned, and all meetings, gatherings or social events are limited to 25% capacity or a total of 25 guests, whichever is fewer.

These numbers were released by the Illinois 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

CNN is tracking cases of Covid-19 across the US here:

5:12 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Dozens of election workers who risked their health during pandemic are now self-quarantining

From CNN's Devan Cole

A poll worker holds a stylus for voters so they don't have to touch the voting machines at Park Tavern on November 3 in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan Varner/Getty Images

Election workers risked their health this year to staff polling and ballot counting centers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, more than two dozen are self-quarantining after being potentially exposed to other workers who recently tested positive for the virus.

The reported cases underscore lingering concerns about the impact of in-person voting amid a troubling spike in the severity of the pandemic. The fall surge has seen some of the highest days of newly reported Covid-19 cases in the US. On Election Day alone, the US reported about 85,200 cases.

Democrats and public health officials advocated for mail-in ballots in the run-up to the election, urging voters to avoid polling centers to reduce risk of spreading the virus.

Read more:

Election workers risked their health during pandemic. Now dozens are self-quarantining.

4:38 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

At least 236,300 people have died in the US from Covid-19

From Hollie Silverman

There are at least 9,796,902 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 236,360 people have died from the disease, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

As of 1:30p.m. ET Saturday, 36,086 new cases have been reported across the country.

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

CNN is tracking cases of Covid-19 across the US here:

November 7 coronavirus news