November 13 coronavirus news

A co-chair of Joe Biden’s coronavirus taskforce has assured the American people that the President-elect will focus on targeted restrictions based on viral spread in particular areas, rather than a broad shutdown for the whole country.

Dr. Vivek Murthy told the ABC's “Good Morning America” on Friday that restrictions would be tightened or loosened depending on the local situation. The approach is one that several European countries had taken before implementing nationwide lockdowns.

“Right now, the way we should be thinking about this is more like a series of restrictions that we dial up or down depending on how bad [a] spread is taking place in a specific region,” Murthy said. 

He gave New York City as an example, where interventions are being targeted down to the ZIP code. 

 “We’re not in a place where we’re saying shut the whole country down,” he said. “We’ve got to be more targeted.” 

If this doesn’t happen, Murthy said, people will become more fatigued, schools won’t be open to children and the economy will be hit harder. 

“So, we’ve got to follow science, but we’ve got to also be more precise than we were in the spring,” he said. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said his regional government will impose new Covid-19 measures next week to control a rising tide of cases in the Indian capital.

On Saturday, India will be celebrating the annual Hindu festival of Diwali. Experts and politicians have warned people to stay inside their homes as much as possible during the celebratory period.

“Tomorrow is Diwali. To celebrate a safe Diwali, it is important to maintain the appropriate distance from each other. I implore all of you to celebrate Diwali with your family inside your homes. If you step outside your homes, wearing a mask and carrying sanitizer with you is your responsibility," Satyendar Jain, Delhi's health minister, wrote on Twitter.

The national capital region of Delhi reported 104 Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, its highest number of fatalities yet, according to an evening health bulletin issued by the Delhi government.

After the United States, India has the world's second highest number of coronavirus cases, with more than 8.7 million in total.

Multiple European countries have signaled progress in tackling Covid-19 infections, though pandemic restrictions remain across the continent.

France has seen infection numbers drop by approximately 16% this week compared to the end of October and the nation's R number has fallen below 1 to between 0.8 and 0.9.

If the downward trend continues, the peak of the second wave could come next week according to French Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Despite the trend, Castex said it would be “it would be irresponsible to lift or lighten lockdown now.” The country entered a second lockdown on October 30.

The situation in Germany is much the same. The country has been under a partial lockdown since November 2. It is now showing indications of a "flattening" infection rate according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

But the government remains cautious. The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Germany on Friday hit a new record high of 23,542.

A spokesperson for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that Germany is “not yet in the position” to talk of a turnaround.

Belgium has seen a steep decrease in new cases and hospital admissions this week.

The Belgian health authority, Sciensano, said 399 patients were admitted to hospital Thursday, the lowest number since mid- October. Ten days ago, Belgium saw its highest number of daily admissions, of 879 patients.

The provisional number of daily cases has also fallen from its peak of 22,184 in October to 6,247 reported on Tuesday.

In Spain, the capital Madrid is lifting the strictest restrictions on 10 out of 41 districts because the rate of infection has declined. And in the Czech Republic schools are reopening for first and second grade primary pupils from next week, according to a government spokesperson.

President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is using back-channels with governors, the private sector and the medical community to prepare its Covid-19 response, as the Trump administration continues to block Biden's access to federal agencies, sources close to the transition tell CNN.

Less than 10 weeks before Biden will take office, his team is locked out of crucial Covid-19 pandemic data and government agency contacts, which threatens to hamper the federal response amid surging coronavirus cases and the expected mass distribution of a vaccine. The formal transition has not begun because the General Services Administration, led by a Trump appointee, has not granted ascertainment of the election result. President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election.

Biden's team is working around the hurdles Trump has created to be prepared on day one, the sources say. The transition team, which has already named a Covid-19 task force, has been making calls to governors and their staff, as well as the health community, to discuss both the pandemic response and vaccine distribution plans.

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Biden team seeks Covid-19 back-channels with transition locked out

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been in contact with the Russian institute behind the Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine, the WHO confirmed to CNN in a statement Friday morning.

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that an early analysis of data from its Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine suggests the candidate is 92% effective.

The Russian vaccine has attracted substantial controversy during the pandemic. Moscow's claim that it is 92% effective was met with caution by scientists and the vaccine's Phase 3 trials are ongoing. Russia drew criticism from scientific circles earlier in the year after approving the vaccine before Phase 3 trials had begun.

The republic of Georgia reported 3,473 cases Friday, a record daily tally for the small Caucasus nation.

A total of 636 people have died from the virus in Georgia, of which 37 were recorded in the last 24 hours. Georgia has reported a total of 73,154 infections, according to government data.

The country initially had a low number of cases during the spring, though President Salome Zourabichvili declared a state of emergency in March.

Georgia has largely closed its borders to foreigners and implemented measures including the mandatory use of face coverings in public and limits on social gatherings. On November 9, the government declared a nighttime curfew in seven cities, including the capital, Tbilisi, according to the state media service.

Estonia's Prime Minister Jüri Ratas has imposed stricter Covid-19 restrictions on the country as it reports a surge in cases.

Bars and restaurants in the country must close from midnight to 6am from Monday, unless for takeaway.

Face masks are now mandatory in public and people must maintain a two-meter distance from one another, with gatherings limited to ten people.

Estonia's infection rate has risen sharply, from 43 cases per 100,000 people in the two weeks up to October 14th, to 166 as of Thursday.

Estonia recorded 259 new cases on Friday, taking the total number of recorded infections to 7,148. The country has reported a total of 76 Covid-19 deaths.

Germany is “not yet in the position” to ease Covid-19 restrictions, Steffen Seibert, a spokesperson for Angela Merkel's government, said Friday. 

The country's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said Thursday that Germany's Covid-19 infection rate was "flattening," and expressed "cautious optimism."

But Seibert told journalists at government press conference that Germany ''cannot talk about a turnaround in coronavirus infections.''

The number of daily cases in Germany on Friday hit a new record of 23,542, around 1,700 more infections than on Thursday.

According to RKI, Germany's total case tally now stands at 751,095. On Thursday, the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to German ICUs reached an all-time high, according to the Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine.

The country has been in partial lockdown since November 2. Merkel is expected to meet with the country's state leaders on Monday to review the lockdown but Seibert said "no easing of restrictions" was expected.

South Korean biotechnology company GL Rapha will produce over 150 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine per year, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said Friday.

The doses are set to be distributed around the world, the RDIF said.

Russia claims that Phase 3 clinical trials have shown the vaccine to be 92% effective against Covid-19, "based on 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo."

The Phase 3 trial is yet to be completed and will continue for six more months. Scientists have reacted to the early Phase 3 data with caution, especially as Russia's claims are based on just 20 cases.

Moscow drew criticism from scientific circles when it announced the world's first approved coronavirus vaccine for public use in August -- even before the crucial Phase 3 trials had been completed.