US sees record Covid-19 numbers for second day straight

Figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, the United States saw a record high number of new daily Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday, as warnings grew over its spread.   

The country reported 88,973 new infections between 8:30 pm Friday and 8:30 pm Saturday, the figures showed, substantially above the previous day’s 79,963. 

 
A total of 8,568,625 cases have been reported in the United States with 224,751 deaths, the highest in the world in absolute terms. The worst current outbreaks in the country are in the north and midwest, and some 35 of the 50 states are seeing an increase in case numbers.   

The number of deaths over 24 hours has remained broadly stable since the beginning of autumn, with between 700 and 800. On Saturday the US recorded 906 deaths, the Johns Hopkins tracker showed.   

President Donald Trump has sought to beat back harsh criticism of his handling of the health crisis ahead of the November 3 election, particularly from his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.  
 -WASHINGTON AFP Oct25, 2020   

Covid-19 vaccine verdict due by early December: Dr. Fauci 

London, (Reuters), Oct 25, 2020 -  US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday it would be clear whether a Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective by early December, but that more widespread vaccination would not be likely until later in 2021.   

“We will know whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the end of November, the beginning of December,” Fauci told the BBC.