November 13 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Steve George, Zamira Rahim, Emma Reynolds and Roya Wolverson, CNN

Updated 11:46 a.m. ET, November 14, 2020
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3:58 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

Study finds more evidence that a new, mutant coronavirus strain spreads more easily, but it's not more dangerous

From CNN Health’s Maggie Fox

Researchers say they have found more evidence that a mutant version of the coronavirus that has overtaken an older strain to spread across much of the world is in fact more easily transmitted, but does not appear to be any more dangerous.

Also, because it hasn’t changed its physical shape, it should be just as vulnerable to the body’s immune response -- whether natural or induced by a vaccine.

Scientists have been reporting about this new variant of the virus -- so-called D614G -- since April.

The research team tested the strain in lab animals and in lab dishes containing the cells that line the human respiratory tract.

“The variant exhibits more efficient infection, replication, and competitive fitness in primary human airway epithelial cells,” they wrote. 

The findings validate earlier studies showing the new strain spreads more easily and support evidence the change has not made the virus more likely to cause severe disease. 

What the mutation may do is help the virus thrive better in the nose and upper respiratory tract -- something that would help it spread among people. 

3:35 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

In areas of the US hit hard by Covid-19, schools are going back to virtual learning

From CNN's Theresa Waldrop

An art teacher gives a lesson to students remotely at a public charter school in Provo, Utah, on August 20.
An art teacher gives a lesson to students remotely at a public charter school in Provo, Utah, on August 20. George Frey/Bloomberg/Getty Images

As Covid-19 cases soar to alarming levels around the United States, some schools are moving back to online-only instruction.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District, Michigan's largest, is one of the latest to announce the move back to digital learning. In-person instruction will be suspended Friday until January 11 or possibly sooner, school officials said on Thursday.

In New York, a one-time hotspot where cases are again rising, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday the city is preparing to shut its schools down if the Covid-19 test positivity rate continues to rise.

And in especially hard-hit Utah, the board of education of the Jordan School District in Salt Lake County called an emergency meeting Wednesday night that resulted in the decision to transition 14 schools to online-only.

Read more:

3:16 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

Germany reports more than 23,000 coronavirus infections in a single day

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin

Health personnel breaks a swab to put it into the collection tube after taking a smear at a drive-in coronavirus testing station in Nuertingen, southern Germany, on November 10.
Health personnel breaks a swab to put it into the collection tube after taking a smear at a drive-in coronavirus testing station in Nuertingen, southern Germany, on November 10. Thomas Kienzle/AFP/Getty Images

Germany has recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections in a single day, according to data from the country’s Center for Disease Control.

According to the figures published this morning, 23,542 cases of Covid-19 were identified in the past 24 hours. The previous high was announced Saturday.

Another 218 people died from the virus on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 12,200.

Germany is just one of many European countries seeing a new spike in cases as winter approaches.

To date, there have been 762,832 cases of Covid-19 in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University's global tally.

2:53 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

Sen. Mitch McConnell rejected Democrat's demand for big Covid relief package

From CNN's Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett and Clare Foran

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the media after the weekly policy luncheons at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 10.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the media after the weekly policy luncheons at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 10. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday continued to reject the call from Democrats for a big coronavirus stimulus package, saying, "that's not a place I think we're willing to go" and reiterated his push for a bill that's "highly targeted at what the residual problems are."

McConnell said of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, "I gather she and the Democratic leader in the Senate still are looking at something dramatically larger. That's not a place I think we're willing to go."

Pelosi and Schumer signaled during a news conference earlier on Thursday they're not willing to change their call for a large coronavirus package even as efforts to negotiate remain stalled. The Democratic leaders instead argued that the result of the presidential election was a mandate for Joe Biden, which in turn strengthens their position in an effort to get a Covid package in the lame duck session.

Read more:

2:40 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

India's capital region, which includes New Delhi, recorded its highest number of Covid-19 deaths in a single day

From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi

Family members in personal protective equipment (PPE) kits along with other relatives perform the burial of a person who died of Covid-19, at Jadid Qabristan Ahle- Islam graveyard, in New Delhi, on November 12.
Family members in personal protective equipment (PPE) kits along with other relatives perform the burial of a person who died of Covid-19, at Jadid Qabristan Ahle- Islam graveyard, in New Delhi, on November 12. Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Authorities in the Indian capital region of Delhi said 104 people died of Covid-19 on Thursday, the highest number of fatalities there in a single day.

At least 7,228 people have now died in Delhi from the novel coronavirus.

Delhi reported 7,053 cases on Thursday, bringing the total in the capital region to 467,028. Of those, 43,116 cases are considered active. 

While cases are picking up in Delhi, the number of reported coronavirus infections in the country as a whole have dropped since September. India recorded 44,879 new cases across the country Thursday, the sixth day in a row that number was fewer than 50,000.

India hit its current peak on September 17, when authorities report 97,894 new cases in a 24-hour period.

To date, 8,728,795 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in India, 93% of whom have recovered.  

2:27 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

More than 150,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the United States on Thursday

From CNN's Alta Spells

The United States reported 153,496 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University -- the country's highest daily caseload and the first time the number of coronavirus infections have exceeded 150,000 in a single day.

It's also the tenth consecutive day cases have topped 100,000.

To date, the US has identified 10,552,821 Covid-19 cases and least 242,423 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. At least 919 deaths were reported Thursday. 

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

CNN is tracking cases in the US here:

2:09 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

More than 10,000 people have now died from Covid-19 in Massachusetts

From CNN’s Mirna Alsharif and Sahar Akbarzai

Eunice Lopez, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, looks at the COVID-19 Empty Chair Memorial on display at Campagnone Common, on Wednesday, November 11.
Eunice Lopez, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, looks at the COVID-19 Empty Chair Memorial on display at Campagnone Common, on Wednesday, November 11. Elise Amendola/AP

A total of 10,015 people have died of Covid-19 in the US state of Massachusetts since March, according to state Department of Public Health data

Twenty-one new deaths were reported by the state on Thursday, bringing the death toll past 10,000.

Cases have spiked dramatically in Massachusetts. Governor Charlie Baker said earlier this week that Covid-19 infections have increased by more than 300% and hospitalizations by 200% since Labor Day.

“Trends are obviously going in the wrong direction and show no sign of changing,” Baker said at the time. 

The state is preparing for this surge by increasing hospital capacity and building field hospitals "where and when the needs are,” Baker said.

 

These numbers were released by the Massachusetts’s 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.

 

1:55 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

Experts say you shouldn't expect a coronavirus vaccine before December

From CNN's Maggie Fox and Elizabeth Cohen

This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. 
This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.  Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP

Pfizer released surprisingly positive data about its experimental coronavirus vaccine this week and may hope to apply for regulatory approval by the end of the month, but it will take several weeks more to get a vaccine through the approval process, experts noted.

Americans should not be hoping for any authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration before the last half of December, experts agreed.

That's because Pfizer, which appears to be the first company to be getting its vaccine trial data to the finish line, could not possibly get it together before the end of next week, which is already the end of November. After that, weeks of FDA review remain.

Dr. Larry Corey of the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who is leading the coronavirus vaccine trials network in the United States, told CNN he thinks it will take about 10 days for the FDA to review Pfizer's clinical trial data. The agency also needs to review Pfizer's manufacturing data to make sure the facilities where the vaccine is being made are up to standard.

"I'm not sure how long that review will take, but it could be two weeks. I think that's reasonable," Corey said.

Read more:

1:35 a.m. ET, November 13, 2020

Disney's CEO accused the California governor of applying "arbitrary standards" in its decision to close Disneyland

From CNN's Cristina Alesci

Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Experiences, speaks during a media preview of the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, California, on August 22, 2019.
Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Experiences, speaks during a media preview of the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, California, on August 22, 2019. Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Disney CEO Bob Chapek blasted California officials for the state’s restrictions on theme parks, which the company blames for Disneyland’s continued closure. 

“Unfortunately, we're extremely disappointed that the state of California continues to keep Disneyland closed despite our proven track record,” said Chapek during the company’s earnings call Thursday afternoon. “Our health and safety protocols are all science based and have the support of labor unions representing 99% of our hourly cast members.”

Last month, California officials released strict guidelines for how theme parks in the state can safely reopen. Orange County, where Disneyland is located, is currently in the second "red" tier of the state's four-tier reopening system, which represents a "substantial" spread of the virus. Under state guidelines, all theme parks must remain closed under this tier. 

Chapek accuses state leadership of using “arbitrary standards” without considering how Disney is “successfully” operating its other parks around the world. Disneyland has been closed since March.

The chief executive also suggested that the state’s restrictions are “decimating small businesses in the local community.”

CNN has reached out to California Governor Gavin Newson's office for comment.