The US CDC has till date reported 7.70 million total cases and 213,614 deaths. The US daily COVID-19 incidence continues to climb, now up to 47,844 new cases per day, the highest since August 18. On Saturday, October 10 (corresponding to October 9 data), the CDC reported 58,302 new cases, the highest daily total since August 7. The US COVID-19 mortality appears to have leveled off at approximately 675-700 deaths per day over the past week or so. Considering that mortality tends to lag 2-3 weeks behind changes in COVID-19 incidence, researchers say they will monitor these trends closely for early signs of increasing mortality stemming from the current resurgence xn--topp-drnare-xfb.se/.

Half of all US states have reported more than 100,000 cases, including California with more than 800,000 cases; Texas and Florida with more than 700,000; New York with more than 400,000; Georgia and Illinois with more than 300,000; and Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Tennessee with more than 200,000. Go to xn--ln-pengar-52a.se/

The age distribution for COVID-19 cases has shifted toward younger adults over the past several months, in the US and elsewhere. Researchers from the US CDC COVID-19 Response Team, in collaboration with state health officials in Wisconsin (US), sought to better characterize potential drivers of this phenomenon by evaluating characteristics of COVID-19 patients between the ages of 18 and 23 in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. The study, published in the US CDC’s MMWR, utilized information from Wisconsin’s Electronic Disease Surveillance System and interviews with young adults, community leaders, and owners of businesses frequented by young adults. The researchers identified exposure to misinformation, conflicting or inconsistent public health messaging, and low perceived severity of disease as factors that may contribute to riskier behavior among young adults.

The researchers also identified numerous barriers to consistent and effective mask use among this age group, including the absence of a local or national mask mandate, social or peer pressure to not wear a mask, and mixed perceptions regarding the effectiveness of mask use. The researchers identified work and social gatherings as principal sites for potential exposure among this age group. Notably, the study was conducted in March-July, prior to the start of the ongoing COVID-19 surge in Wisconsin and the start of classes for the 2020-21 school year, which could affect the volume and type of communication aimed at this age group, the types of exposure they face, and their perceptions of COVID-19 risk. The researchers recommended that future public health messaging be tailored to the young adult population, with a focus on empathy, personal and community responsibility, and peer or social pressure to not wear masks.

The US President Donald Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, issued a statement on Saturday that indicates that President Trump is no longer considered to be infectious. Dr. Conley stated that President Trump is now more than 10 days since the onset of his symptoms and that he has been fever-free for at least 24 hours, which meets the standards outlined by the US CDC for ending the isolation period. Additionally, the statement reports that “advanced diagnostic tests” detected no “evidence of actively replicating virus.” Notably, traditional PRC-based diagnostic tests can detect viral RNA, including fragments of destroyed virus, in a recovered COVID-19 patient, even if s/he is not infectious. This is why the US CDC isolation guidance is based on the time since symptom onset rather than on obtaining negative diagnostic tests. The evidence that the virus is no longer replicating provides evidence that President Trump is recovering and is no longer a transmission risk. Having completed the isolation period, President Trump aims to resume his campaign schedule, including in-person rallies. And while the second presidential debate, originally scheduled for October 15, was cancelled, the final presidential debate currently remains on the schedule for October 22. ( with data inputs from John Hopkins Univrsity)