November 18 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Mike Hayes, Melissa Macaya and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, November 19, 2020
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11:12 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Pfizer and BioNtech will file for emergency use of Covid-19 vaccine on Friday

A patient participates in Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on May 4 in Baltimore, Maryland.
A patient participates in Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on May 4 in Baltimore, Maryland. University of Maryland School of Medicine/AP

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which has been working on a Covid-19 vaccine with US Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, will file paperwork for the emergency use of its vaccine in the United States on Friday, the company CEO, Uğur Şahin told CNN in an interview on Wednesday. 

Earlier today, Pfizer announced that a final analysis of the Phase 3 trial of its coronavirus vaccine shows it was 95% effective in preventing infections, even in older adults, and caused no serious safety concerns.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta explains Pfizer's 95% effectiveness rate:

9:41 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

US stock market opens mixed following more good vaccine news

From CNN’s Anneken Tappe 

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Wall Street started mixed on Wednesday, following more good news on the vaccine front. 

Pfizer announced its Covid-19 vaccine was 95% effective in preventing infection, according to a final analysis of its Phase 3 trial.

The Dow opened higher, gaining 0.2%, or 61 points. The S&P 500 was flat at the opening bell. Both indexes closed in the red in the prior session, but hit new record highs on Monday. 

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also opened flat.

8:56 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Coronavirus immunity in some people may last more than six months, early research suggests

From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard

Immunity to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can last for at least six months, and possibly much longer, perhaps even years, when all components of the body's immune memory are taken into consideration, early research suggests.

The pre-print paper, published on Monday to the online server biorxiv.org, appears to contradict previous research that has found immunity to the novel coronavirus wanes over time based on measurements of antibodies, or protein components of the immune system. 

Yet the new study — which has not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal — involves analyzing multiple compartments of immune memory over time: antibodies, B cells and T cells, among other features of immune memory.

About the study: The study included 185 adults, ages 19 to 81, in the United States who had recovered from Covid-19. Most of the adults had mild disease. 

The researchers – from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, University of California, San Diego, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – analyzed blood samples from the adults, collected at various points following the onset of symptoms, with some collected more than six months later.

In the blood samples, the researchers examined components of immune memory. They found that antibodies "were durable" with only "modest declines" emerging at six to eight months, but noted that there was about a 200-fold range in the level of antibody responses among the adults. 

The researchers also found that memory B cells were detected in almost all Covid-19 cases, and there appeared to be an increase in memory B cells over time. "B cell memory to some other infections has been observed to be long-lived, including 60+ years after smallpox vaccination, or 90+ years after infection with influenza," the researchers wrote in their study.

The researchers identified two types of T cells and their data suggest that "T cell memory might reach a more stable plateau, or slower decay phase, later than the first 6 months post-infection," they wrote. 

Remember: The study comes with limitations, including that more research is needed to determine whether similar findings would emerge among a larger group of people across more time points.

12:57 p.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic across Europe

From CNN’s Stephanie Halasz, Katharina Krebs, Sharon Braithwaite and Antonia Mortensen

A person walks in Krakow's nearly empty main square, during the Covid-19 crisis in Poland, on November 16.
A person walks in Krakow's nearly empty main square, during the Covid-19 crisis in Poland, on November 16. Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Coronavirus is continuing to spread in Europe. While World Health Organization data today showed that Europe has recorded a 10% decline in Covid-19 cases over the past week "for the first time in over three months," deaths continued to increase.

Deaths in Europe jumped by 18% during the past week in comparison to the previous one.

Here's a look at where things stand in some countries across the continent:

  • A mink farming ban in Denmark: Mink farming has been temporarily prohibited until Dec. 31, 2021. During the same period it will also be forbidden to import or export live minks to or from Denmark and between herds in Denmark. This temporary ban is part of an agreement reached between the government and parties supporting the government. The move follows fears that coronavirus mutations can pass between minks and humans. 
  • Record deaths in Poland: Poland recorded 603 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday – a new daily record – bringing the total death toll to 11,451, according to state news agency PAP. “112 people died due to COVID-19, while 491 people died due to the coexistence of COVID-19 with other diseases,” the Health Ministry said in a tweet.
  • Protests over restrictions in Germany: An anti-corona measures demonstration is taking place in central Berlin. Several thousand demonstrators assembled near the parliamentary district, according to a Berlin police spokesman. Police are using water cannons at the demonstration, television pictures show. 
  • Christmas plans in the United Kingdom: UK medical adviser Susan Hopkins said on Wednesday that some sort of Christmas is possible this season — however it requires everyone to abide restriction and get the number of cases as low as possible. Hopkins added that the final decision rests with the government. Hopkins stressed that if mixing during the Christmas were to happen, everyone would have to be very responsible and reduce those contacts again. 

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that Poland set a new record for daily Covid-19 deaths.

8:18 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

British doctors' body urges strict new measures when England's lockdown ends

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite

A man walks along a street in Ashton-under-Lyne, England, amid a second nationwide lockdown on November 11.
A man walks along a street in Ashton-under-Lyne, England, amid a second nationwide lockdown on November 11. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

The main body representing UK doctors has urged the government to impose tough new restrictions when England's national lockdown ends on December 2 to prevent a "collapse" of health care services this winter.

Lifting lockdown "without new measures in place risks deepening the crisis in our health service, and will leave hospitals and GP practices overwhelmed, unable to provide even the most critical of patient care," the British Medical Association (BMA) said Wednesday in a statement.

Among the measures the BMA wants to see imposed once England exits lockdown are:

  • replacing the "rule of six’" which allowed mixing of up to six households with a "two households" rule to reduce social mixing.
  • no travel between or across different local lockdown tiers.

The BMA warned that if new measures are not "rapidly" brought in, "the toll on patient care and lives will be severe."

Before the England-wide lockdown ends, the BMA suggests a "widescale reform to the testing and contact tracing programme."

“We must not squander the efforts of the many people who have followed the law, stayed at home, sacrificed freedoms and incurred financial loss in order to contain the virus," the chair of the BMA council, Chaand Nagpaul, said in the statement.
“When the first lockdown ended, there was no coherent plan for keeping Covid-19 at bay, no clear and simple public messaging; this was followed by spiralling infection rates, more businesses failing, new ‘local’ lockdowns, and now we have a death toll at more than 52,000."

Nagpaul said it was "unthinkable that we make the same mistakes again" as England leaves its second lockdown, and warned that the impact would be far worse this time.

"It’s reasonable to conclude, that without these measures, the NHS will not be able to cope with caring for even the most critically ill patients," he added.

8:14 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Iran reports 480 deaths and 13,000 new Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Mourners carry the body of a person who died from Covid-19 at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on November 1.
Mourners carry the body of a person who died from Covid-19 at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on November 1. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Iran recorded 13,421 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, the country's health ministry said, bringing the total number of infections to 801,894.

The Iranian health ministry spokeswoman, Sima Sadat Lari, said there had been 480 more deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of victims to 42,941.

Iran also announced that tougher measures will come into place in 150 towns and cities starting on Saturday and will last for two weeks, due to a recent surge in infections.

8:04 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

PPE suppliers with political connections got fast-tracked contracts, UK watchdog finds

From CNN's Amy Cassidy

Suppliers of personal protective equipment (PPE) with political connections were 10 times as likely to be awarded a UK government contract -- with little to no documentation -- as those without, a report by an official spending watchdog has found. 

The National Audit Office report published Wednesday reaches damning conclusions about the UK government’s lack of transparency in awarding more than 8,600 PPE contracts worth £18 billion ($23.9 billion) to private companies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than half, worth over £10 billion ($13.2 billion), were awarded to well-connected firms labelled “high-priority,” meaning they bypassed the normal procurement process that exists to ensure a level playing field for suppliers to compete for contracts.

The revelation comes after months of cronyism allegations from Labour opposition politicians and transparency activists, who accuse the Conservative government of handing out state-funded Covid-19 contracts to friends.

About one in 10 suppliers processed through the high-priority lane (47 out of 493) obtained contracts compared to fewer than one in 100 suppliers that came through the ordinary process (104 of 14,892), the report says. 

It also found that in some cases there was no paperwork to document why these suppliers had been chosen, and that some contracts had only been drawn up after the companies had already started the work.

"This has diminished public transparency, and the lack of adequate documentation means we cannot give assurance that government has adequately mitigated the increased risks arising from emergency procurement or applied appropriate commercial practices in all cases," the watchdog concluded.
"While we recognise that these were exceptional circumstances, there are standards that the public sector will always need to apply if it is to maintain public trust.'

The report covers the period up to July 31.

CNN has contacted the UK Cabinet Office for a government response.

8:04 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Europe sees decline in Covid-19 cases, but deaths are up, according to WHO

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in Pisa, Italy

A worker disinfects the casket of someone who died from coronavirus at the Fontaine funeral home in Charleroi, Belgium, on November 17.
A worker disinfects the casket of someone who died from coronavirus at the Fontaine funeral home in Charleroi, Belgium, on November 17. Francisco Seco/AP

Over the past week, Europe has recorded a 10% decline in COVID-19 cases "for the first time in over three months", but deaths continued to increase, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed on Tuesday.

The European Region "recorded 46% of all cases and 49% of all deaths reported globally, with nearly 2 million new cases and almost 30,000 new deaths", WHO said in its latest epidemiological report.

Despite the decline in cases, deaths in Europe jumped by 18% during the past week in comparison to the previous one.

The decline in cases is attributed to the "strengthening of public health and social measures across the region," it said.

The countries reporting the highest number of cases in the past week were:

  • Italy
  • France
  • UK
  • Poland
  • Russia

The countries reported to have the highest mortality rates (exceeding 60 deaths per 1m people) were:

  • Czechia
  • Bosnia Herzegovina
  • Belgium
  • N. Macedonia
  • Armenia
7:56 a.m. ET, November 18, 2020

Berlin police deploy water cannon as protesters march against Covid-19 restrictions

From CNN's Stephanie Halasz

Police officers block a road as people attend a protest rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday.
Police officers block a road as people attend a protest rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday. Michael Sohn/AP

Officers are using water cannon and pepper spray as they try to disperse a protest against coronavirus restrictions in the German capital, Berlin police said Wednesday.

The demonstration is taking place near the Brandenburg Gate, a few hundred meters away from Germany's parliament, the Reichstag, which has temporarily locked its doors.

Officers at the demonstration have been targeted with “bottles, stones and firecrackers as well as with pepper spray. In turn, they are using physical coercion and pepper spray and have arrested some of the attackers,” a tweet from the Berlin police said.

A previous tweet said that because the protesters "did not fulfil the obligation to leave the location, people were just rained on by our water cannons.”

Television pictures showed a tense standoff between police officers and demonstrators. Police have been trying to slowly move the demonstrators away from the parliament after tweeting the demonstration was being dissolved.

Parliament is in session and there is a debate going on in the main plenary hall.

Berlin police spokesman Stefan Petersen earlier told CNN that several thousand protesters had gathered near the parliamentary district in central Berlin.

The organizers for several demonstrations asked for permission to demonstrate in the no-protest zone around the German parliament, and that permission was not granted, Petersen said.

TV footage showed many demonstrators without masks and not socially distanced. Some protesters were carrying flags for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, and at least one imperial banner -- a flag now deployed by the far right as the swastika is prohibited in Germany -- could be seen.

The Berlin police force tweeted that requests to wear a mask had not had any effect.

Around 2,200 police officers will be deployed overall Wednesday, Petersen said.