WH reportedly pushing for herd immunity
As President Donald Trump embarked to a Wednesday campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, a report by the New York Times found that the White House is welcoming a declaration by a group of epidemiologists that calls for young people to re-enter society to stimulate “herd immunity.”
Herd immunity is when a disease stops spreading because the majority of the population has had it.
The Times reported that two senior administration officials cited The Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for schools and universities to reopen, “young low-risk adults” to work normally and restaurants to reopen – a stance that has largely been condemned by most public health officials, who have called it “scientifically and ethically problematic.”
The declaration came out of a meeting from the libertarian-leaning American Institute for Economic Research and its website says it has more than 9,000 signatures, though most names are not public.
“Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it,” WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said Monday, before the report dropped.
Latest infection numbers
A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Tuesday shows 12 states set records for new cases in a week, while five states had a record number of deaths in a week. New case records were set in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. A record numbers of deaths were reported in Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin and North Dakota are also reporting new cases at a rate more than 10 times faster than they did in their worst week of the spring, though changes in testing mean it’s not clear how much cases have actually gone up.
The U.S. has reported more than 7.8 million cases and 215,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data. There have been more than 38 million confirmed cases around the world and 1 million deaths.
Hearing loss may be a possible side effect
A study out of the United Kingdom has found a new possible side effect for COVID-19: Hearing loss.
Researchers from University College London documented the experiences of a 45-year-old man who experienced tinnitus and hearing loss a week after after being discharged from the hospital – where he spent nearly a month intubated following a severe COVID-19 case that required treatment with remdesivir, steroids and plasma.
Tests later found that he had sensorineural hearing loss in his left ear, which takes place when the inner ear is damaged. Steroids partially improved his hearing. The findings were published in BMJ Journals.
Wisconsin judge blocks governor’s order to limit capacity, public gatherings
A Sawyer County judge has, for now, blocked Gov. Tony Evers’ latest order to curb the spread of coronavirus by limiting public gatherings and the number of customers bars and restaurants may serve at one time. The order from Judge John Yackel comes at a time of record hospitalizations, new cases and deaths – and after bars and restaurants have lost a massive amount of revenue as customers stay away while the pandemic rages on in the state.
Democratic state Sen. LaTonya Johnson of Milwaukee said if the decision becomes permanent, the state will be exacerbating the already out-of-control spread. “Make no mistake, if this dangerous decision stands, Wisconsin will be choosing full bars over full classrooms. What a pathetic set of priorities to teach our children,” she tweeted.
Idaho college students intentionally getting COVID-19 to sell their plasma
Brigham Young University’s Rexburg, Idaho campus is warning against students intentionally contracting COVID-19 in order to sell plasma with antibodies for spare cash. The alert comes weeks after the National Institutes of Health expanded clinical trials for convalescent plasma, which has received emergency use authorization by the FDA. Nearby centers are offering as much as $200 per visit for convalescent plasma. according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Students found intentionally spreading COVID-19 will be suspended, the school cautions, and possibly expelled from campus.
CDC head: Small gatherings driving surge
Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cautioned governors during a call that “small household gatherings” are emerging as a key threat during the pandemic as many states report a record number of cases. According to audio obtained by CNN, the agency chief emphasized that people should remain wary of breaking social distancing guidelines as the holidays approach.
“Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, we think it’s really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting,” he said.