November 13 coronavirus news

Some of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers have pledged to help deliver potential Covid-19 treatments to low- and middle-income countries that otherwise might not have the same access as wealthier nations, according to the non-profit Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

The executive director of MPP, Charles Gore, said the agreement is a “breakthrough” and represents “unprecedented cooperation” from 18 companies that are traditionally competitors.

 The drug makers have pledged to produce large volumes of potentially life-saving Covid-19 therapies, when and if they become available to those in need, MPP said in a statement.

The generic drug makers that have pledged to help are: Adcock Ingram, Arene, Aurobindo, Beximco, Celltrion, Desano, Emcure, Hetero, Langhua Pharma, Laurus Labs, Lupin, Macleods, Mangalam, Micro Labs, Natco, Strides Shasun, Sun Pharma, Zydus Cadila.

So far, the only authorized therapies available to treat Covid-19 in the United States are Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody treatment, the antiviral remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone.

United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Thursday that he worried about the future of religious liberty in the country, expressing particular concern as it applies to Covid restrictions and the Supreme Court's decision in 2015 clearing the way for same-sex marriage nationwide.

"It pains me to say this," Alito said, "but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right."

The remarks -- an enlargement of themes he's written about -- came as he was addressing the conservative Federalist Society via Zoom for its annual conference.

The speech was particularly notable because it comes at a fraught time on the heels of a divisive election, when Chief Justice John Roberts has sought to keep the court out of the political fray.

In addressing Covid-19, Alito pointedly noted that he was not trying to diminish the severity of the pandemic, which he said has taken a heavy human toll, leaving "thousands dead, many more hospitalized," but that he wanted to emphasize its impact on the rule of law and individual rights as officials have moved to combat the virus.

"We have never before seen restrictions as severe, extensive and prolonged," he said, and added that the pandemic has resulted in "previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty."

Read more of Alito's remarks:

RELATED

Alito raises religious liberty concerns about Covid restrictions and same-sex marriage ruling

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 in Colorado reached an all-time high on Thursday, according to state data.

There are 1,183 patients in hospital with the virus and an additional 134 patients are suspected of having Covid-19.

Authorities also reported another daily high of coronavirus cases -- at 4,591. The previous daily record was 3,890, reported on November 10.

If cases continue to rise, public health authorities could face further issues. The state's intensive care unit beds are 85% full, and 25% of the state's hospital facilities are anticipating a staffing shortage in the next week, according to authorities. 

These numbers were released by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN's database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Japan reported 1,649 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, the highest single-day number of cases in the nation. But Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the current situation still does not require the reintroduction of a state of emergency or the cancellation of the government's campaign to boost domestic tourism.

An expert panel advising Suga said part of the reason the country is not declaring a state of emergency yet is because the virus is not spreading particularly fast and hospitals are not that full.

Hospital bed occupancy is just above 10% and the rate of new infections is fewer than five people for every 100,000.

The country’s northernmost prefecture and island, Hokkaido, saw the highest number of new infections at 236 cases for Thursday. Tokyo posted 393 new cases on Thursday, the Japanese capital's highest since August 8, while Japan’s second biggest city, Osaka, reported 231 new infections.

The nationwide total stands at 114,010 cases.

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 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. 

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:

RELATED

Schools go back to virtual learning in areas hard hit by Covid-19

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.

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:

RELATED

McConnell rejects Dem demand for big Covid relief package, stands by push for 'highly targeted' bill

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.