U.S. counts 13M Covid-19 cases, its fourth million-milestone of November

The U.S. reached 13 million diagnosed cases of Covid-19 on Friday, another milestone in a month riddled with them.

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It was the fourth such marker the country has counted in November, which has seen 3.8 million cases of the coronavirus. The U.S. is on pace to tally more than 4 million cases this month alone, more than doubling the previous record of 1.9 million cases set in October.

More than 264,000 people in the U.S. have died of the disease according to NBC News’ count.

The U.S. crossed the 12 million-case threshold less than a week ago, on Nov. 21.

The most-recent million was driven by surging case counts in Texas and Illinois, each which saw more than or close to 80,000 new cases in the previous six days. More than half the states counted 10,000-plus cases in that time.

Thanksgiving Day saw Arkansas and Nebraska setting single-day case count records, part of a surge that has touched most of the country. Outbreaks have been reported everywhere from weddings to nursing homes, and while the news of vaccines brings hope, experts say it’s the first step in a long process.

The CDC had recommended Americans avoid traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, but U.S. air travel hit a new pandemic peak Wednesday, following a peak over the preceding weekend.

After urging residents to stay home, Denver’s mayor Michael Hancock traveled for the holiday.

Cowboys Next Game Moved Due to COVID-19 Scheduling Domino Effect

The Cowboys' game slated for Thursday against the Ravens has been postponed as part of a scheduling domino effect triggered by positive COVID-19 tests in the Baltimore organization -- an outbreak that reportedly includes quarterback Lamar Jackson.

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Baltimore's Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was initially scheduled for Thanksgiving night but was first postponed to Sunday afternoon due to an outbreak of the coronavirus in the Ravens organization early in the week.

 

After Jackson was among four more Ravens to test positive Thursday, according to ESPN and the Baltimore Sun, the NFL decided to push the game to Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on NBC 5.

 

The Cowboys were scheduled to play Baltimore Thursday, Dec. 3 as part of the league's Week 13 slate, but the game has been moved to Monday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m.

"These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts," the NFL said in a written statement.

The Ravens and Steelers have both already had their bye week, as have the Cowboys.

6,142 more COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths reported for Thursday and Friday in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 6,142 with 15 more deaths reported for Thursday and Friday, according to the Utah Department of Health.

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The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 2,764 according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 21.3%.

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Friday's totals give Utah 190,044 total confirmed cases, with 7,948 total hospitalizations and 849 total deaths from the disease.

 

Of the 569 confirmed COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, 205 are in intensive care units. About 88% of all ICU beds in Utah are filled as of Friday, including about 91% in the state's referral hospitals, which are the 16 health care facilities in Utah with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 care, according to state data.

 

Utah's case count was not updated Thursday. On Friday the department reported 3,829 of the new cases were from Thursday, with 2,313 cases from Friday.

Those deaths from Thursday and Friday were:

 

  • A Box Elder County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Cache County man over 85 years old who was a resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Carbon County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Davis County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Davis County man between the ages of 25 and 44 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Salt Lake County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was a resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Salt Lake County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was a resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Salt Lake County woman between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Salt Lake County man between the ages of 45 and 64 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Sevier County man between the ages of 65 and 84. It's unknown if he was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Summit County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Utah County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Washington County woman between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Weber County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death
  • A Weber County man between the ages of 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized at the time of death

 

There is not a COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Friday.

Holiday season starts under pall of more than 100,000 new Covid-19 cases. And 20 states did not report numbers on Thanksgiving Day

Traditionally the start of a time of shopping and giving, the final days of November have seen record highs in the worsening pandemic -- surpassing previous surges and showing no signs of slowing down in the precarious winter months.
The US on Thursday marked the 24th day in a row with more than 100,000 new cases. Hospitalizations hit a new high -- for the 17th consecutive day -- with more than 90,400 Covid-19 patients nationwide, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The country's death toll since the pandemic's start is now more than 263,000. And nearly another 60,000 people could lose their lives over the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.
 
The number of daily deaths will likely double in the next 10 days, prolonging a sense of loss and isolation in a season traditionally spent with family and friends.
"So, we'll be seeing close to 4,000 deaths a day, which is how you get another 60,000 deaths in only about 20 days," Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University, said Wednesday.
Thanksgiving gatherings could fuel the already ferocious surge, officials had warned, urging Americans to avoid travel and celebrate with immediate household members only. Many listened, a poll showed this week, but millions boarded planes across the country since last week.
"In a week, more likely two weeks, we will see a surge upon a surge," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, said Wednesday. "We're in for a tough time."
Statistics reported in the days right after the holiday will likely show a relative dip in Covid-19 case numbers, followed by a surge. This reflects government agencies' lag in reporting over the long weekend. And given coronavirus' incubation time and how long it takes someone to test positive, cases related to Thanksgiving are unlikely to showing in public data until the first full week of December at the earliest.

TREASURIES-U.S. yields tumble on virus woes as investors see soft data next week

U.S. Treasury yields dropped on

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Friday in thin post-holiday trading, weighed down by persistent
concerns about the continued surge in coronavirus cases and
possibly weaker economic data next week amid renewed lockdowns
in several U.S. states and around the world.

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Markets were closed on Thursday for the U.S. Thanksgiving
holiday.

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The yield curve also flattened for a second straight day, as
long-end yields continued to fall, with investors mulling the
prospect that the Federal Reserve could extend purchases to
longer-dated maturities possibly at this month's Fed meeting.
The surging COVID-19 numbers though remained a market focus
despite positive news on the vaccine front.


"The Fed minutes on Wednesday were obviously talking about
its asset purchase program, potentially doing a number of
things," said Gregory Faranello, head of U.S. rates at AmeriVet
Securities in New York.
"But certainly if you listen to the Fed...they like the
vaccine in the medium term, but short term, they are concerned
about COVID. This is certainly enough of a dynamic to peel away
the euphoria over the vaccine in the short term," he added.
U.S. coronavirus deaths were now at more than 260,000, while
cases continued to grow, nearing 13 million.
Next week's heavy slate of U.S. economic data, which
includes non-farm payrolls for November, could reinforce
expectations of a setback in the U.S. recovery as several states
instituted shutdowns to prevent the spread of the virus,
analysts said.
In early afternoon trading, U.S. benchmark 10-year yields
fell to 0.842%, from 0.878% late on Wednesday.
U.S. 30-year yields slid to 1.575% from
Wednesday's 1.62%.
On the front end of the curve, U.S. two-year yields dropped
to a two-week low of 0.154% and was last at that level
from 0.16% on Wednesday.
The yield curve flattened, with the spread between the
two-year and 10-year notes narrowing to 68.8 basis points
.
Fed policymakers in November discussed how the central
bank's asset purchases could be modified to maximize support for
the markets, according to the Fed minutes released on Wednesday.
Some participants said they expected the Fed to eventually
lengthen the maturity of the bonds purchased.
Some investors already were raising their expectations that
the Fed may increase its government bond purchases or adjust the
maturity of bonds purchased.
"The Fed has been very clear that the next step if anything
is on asset purchases," said Amerivet's Faranello. "Do I think
there is a lot of buying in the market to get in front of this
potential long-end change that the Fed could make? I think it
has been enough to quell the sell-off in rates."

November 27 Friday 1:45PM New York / 1845 GMT Price Current Net
Yield % Change
(bps)
Three-month bills 0.0825 0.0839 -0.002
Six-month bills 0.095 0.0964 0.005
Two-year note 99-241/256 0.1544 -0.006
Three-year note 100-40/256 0.197 -0.011
Five-year note 100-8/256 0.3687 -0.020
Seven-year note 100-20/256 0.6136 -0.032
10-year note 100-80/256 0.8422 -0.036
20-year bond 100-48/256 1.3642 -0.043
30-year bond 101-44/256 1.5758 -0.044

DOLLAR SWAP SPREADS
Last (bps) Net
Change
(bps)
U.S. 2-year dollar swap 9.50 0.00
spread
U.S. 3-year dollar swap 9.75 0.75
spread
U.S. 5-year dollar swap 6.50 0.00
spread
U.S. 10-year dollar swap 0.25 0.25
spread
U.S. 30-year dollar swap -32.25 -0.50
spread (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
Editing by Alistair Bell and Chizu Nomiyama)

DC family holds first Thanksgiving without three who died from COVID, pleads for people to follow guidelines

WASHINGTON — A D.C. family had to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with three empty seats because of COVID. Shanta Leake-Cherry lost her mother, sister, and brother to coronavirus in the spring.

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It started when her older sister, 45-year-old Enekee (or "Nicky"), got sick and died from COVID-19 on April 11. Then, her older brother, 44-year-old John Jr., and her 74-year-old mother, Leslie (who live together), contracted the virus and died at the end of April...two days apart.

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 Since then, Leake-Cherry said she has been taking it one day at a time.“It’s heavy, it’s heavy, but we’re pressing on," she said. "That’s all we can do.”

According to CBS, more than 2,200 COVID deaths were reported Wednesday in the United States -- the highest one-day toll in six months.

On that day, Leake-Cherry's sister would have turned 46.

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RELATED: 'Love on your family while you can' | Coronavirus kills three members of one DC family

Typically, Leake-Cherry said all of her family would gather at her parents' house to celebrate together. But this year, they came up with a creative and safe solution, which she's calling meals on wheels.

She said she and other family members have cooked at home and then they're going to set up a delivery station at her parents' for people to roll through and pick up food to eat in their individual homes.

Her mother, brother and sister, of course, are top of mind.

“It’s heavy, as expected, and I’m just taking it one day at a time and just trying to push through, as my family would want me to do or want my entire family to do," Leake-Cherry said. "And allowing myself to feel every emotion, allow myself permission to feel every emotion, whether that’s sad or joyful whatever the emotion is, just allowing myself to feel that. And not staying there, but basking in the memory with my family to kind of bring us some sense of comfort.”

She said she especially feels her mom and brother's presence in the kitchen. She said John used to cook a special stuffed chicken for Thanksgiving -- so she did her best to replicate it in his honor.

"It brought some sense of comfort because I was talking to him as I was making it and I was like please guide me and help me to remember the recipe," she said. "I’m just grateful for those moments and memories that we shared together.”

 
 
 


She said since their deaths, her family has continued to get closer and support each other day-by-day.

"I want to be intentional about continuing our family’s legacy," she said. "It’s pretty much about living, laughing, and loving, because we did a lot of laughing. I’m going to miss those moments where we would just come together laughing and going down memory lane."

As coronavirus cases surge again, and thousands continue to travel for the holidays, she's pleading with people to be smart -- and selfless.

“We would rather sacrifice gathering than to spend your next holiday without a loved one because you were selfish and wanted to have fun, so I think we need to be mindful of that, because COVID is invisible," she said. "You just have to follow the rules...and just know that you're doing it because you love yourself and you love your loved ones and everyone in the community, and I just think it’s selfish for people not to think about others.”

She said she's looking forward to creating new traditions with her family, like hosting a virtual paint party -- which they started Thursday.

Even though it's tough, Leake-Cherry said she's grateful for the wonderful memories she was able to make with her mom, sister, and brother before they passed.

“Even though this year looks different for everybody, many families are gathering around the table with empty seats, so just try to make the best of it," she said. "Try not to argue. Try not to fight.”

And -- wear a mask, she said.

 

Pandemic likely cause of low Thanksgiving dinner turnout at Hendersonville Rescue Mission

The coronavirus pandemic likely played a major role in a greatly diminished turnout for the Hendersonville Rescue Mission’s free Thanksgiving Day dinner that’s open to anyone in need.

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Mission officials said earlier in the week they didn’t know how many guests to expect, primarily because of the pandemic and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths across the country.

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The Rev. Tim Jones, a longtime Rescue Mission COO, sounded disappointed two hours after the first round of ham and turkey meals had been served to 45 men and women enrolled in the mission’s residential program.

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By 1 p.m., 90 minutes after the doors were opened to the general public, Jones estimated that only 80 additional meals had been served in 30-minute dining intervals to allow for social distancing – a figure “way below” the 300 dinners served by that time in recent years.

 

“Usually it’s just packed in here,” he said, adding that more people might show up late Thursday afternoon or in the early evening.

 

“With as much publicity as the pandemic has had lately - with all these surges (in diagnosed cases) and especially with the new orders about masks and not going out - I think that’s impacted some of it,” Jones added. “I think there are a lot of older folks who stayed away” because they’re at higher risk of complications if they become infected.

Despite the possibility of a low turnout, Jones said canceling the dinner – an annual event since the Rescue Mission opened in 1981 – wasn’t an option.

“We felt like we needed to have it for folks that wanted it,” he said. “It’s kind of reflective of our whole year.”

And what a year it has been, Jones said – one marked by the challenge of simply staying afloat financially while protecting the health and well-being of those the Mission serves.

 

“It feels like I’ve aged 10 years in the last six months,” he said. “Keeping up (with the demand for service) requires constant adjustments to operations.”

Since March, when the pandemic began, the Mission has seen steady increases in homelessness, mainly because there are fewer “exits” from homeless shelters due to clients’ lack of income from job loss.

 

Jones also has seen an increase in clients with mental health issues who can’t afford treatment, or have been placed on waiting lists at health care agencies already overwhelmed by the growing demand.

“COVID has closed a lot of doors,” he said. “Many of those people are in crisis.”

Several men and women in the residential program declined to talk about the circumstances that led them to the Rescue Mission Thursday, as well as two men who were waiting outside for the doors to open at 11:30.

But for many of those who showed up, Thanksgiving dinner provided a brief respite from the daily hunger they endure. For others, including the homeless and disenfranchised, it was time spent inside a clean, warm building, free from the judgment and disapproving looks they often receive.

And for those addicted to drugs or alcohol, it was a time to socialize with friends they had lost touch with on the streets - perhaps to talk about how and where they might find the help they need.

 

Somehow, Jones finds reasons to be thankful.

“If it weren’t for places like Blue Ridge Community Health Services, which has been a godsend for providing hundreds of COVID tests, I don’t know what we’d do,” he said. “This community is so generous and so large, it’s the reason we’ve been able to stay open.

“Some of my peers at other agencies like mine think I’m making it up when I tell them things like that.”