Coronavirus Updates: Governors say national cases threaten progress in NY, NJ

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Governors of NY and NJ concerned over national COVID numbers

Governor Murphy said he hasn't ruled out a statewide curfew.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Governor Andrew Cuomo is warning that New York State's progress against COVID-19 is being threatened by the national surge in cases.

The overall test positivity rate is now 1.81%, but in hot zone areas it stands at 2.63%.

The governor says the state's micro-cluster approach has been effective in containing the virus's spread.

But, it's a different story in New Jersey where the latest positivity rate is now 5.31%.

Governor Phil Murphy says all options are on the table to fight the spread, including a possible statewide curfew and another lockdown.

What to know about coronavirus:

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker

Here are more of today's headlines:

10 new COVID cases connected to Suffolk County polling site

Long Island officials announced 10 new COVID cases that are connected to a polling location in Southhampton. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone made the announcement on Wednesday. He says that six of those positive cases were workers at the polling site.

New daily record

The United States has set another record for daily confirmed coronavirus cases as several states posted all-time highs Wednesday, underscoring the vexing issue confronting the winner of the presidential race.

Public health experts fear potentially dire consequences, at least in the short term.

Daily new confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged 45% over the past two weeks, to a record seven-day average of 86,352, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

COVID cases linked to polling site

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said 10 new cases of the coronavirus are connected to a Southampton polling site. Six of the 10 cases were workers at the polling site.

Oxford vaccine

A COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford may have late-stage trial results by the end of the year. The chief trial investigator said Wednesday that it's still unclear if the vaccine would be rolled out before Christmas.

The data will then have to be carefully reviewed by regulators who would also have to figure out who should get the vaccine first.

New travel rules go into effect

New York State's new travel entry rules went into effect Wednesday. Under the new system, people have to get tested within three days prior to arrival. Then they have to quarantine for at least three days.

On day four, they have to get another test. The rules replace a requirement to quarantine for 14 days.

Murphy says NJ going in 'wrong direction'

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced Wednesday 2,472 new positive cases and 9 additional deaths, with a positivity rate of 8.22%. "We are not out of the woods on COVID folks," Murphy said. "Another bad day of numbers. This is going in the wrong direction, and we are going to have to stay together. And by the way, it should be the ultimate bi-partisan responsibility. And i promise you, I know that's exactly how we are going to treat this."

Restaurants closed down after violating COVID-19 orders

Health officials announced it has closed two businesses in Stamford for violating the State's Executive Orders directing health and safety guidelines during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Both businesses had previously been contacted by the city's citation officers to correct violations. Café Luna on West Broad Street and Reyes Bar & Restaurant on Stillwater Avenue were both closed by the Department of Health for violating health and safety guidelines relating to overcrowding, wearing masks, and serving alcohol without food. Stamford's Department of Health is authorized to close businesses under the Governor's Executive Order 7PP.

Study says 20% of NYC residents infected with COVID-19 by April

Using plasma samples from urgent care centers and a general patient population, researchers from Mount Sinai found that COVID-19 may have been present in New York City as early as mid-February and that nearly 20% of the population had been infected by the virus by April 19, representing approximately 1.7 million residents.

Researchers from Mount Sinai found that COVID-19 may have been present in NYC as early as mid-February and that nearly 20% of the population had been infected by the virus.

A team of researchers from the Mount Sinai Health System conducted antibody tests to look for evidence of past infection using over 10,000 plasma samples from two sets of patients seen in their hospital system. The first "sentinel" set of patients were seen in Mount Sinai's urgent care centers or admitted to the hospital, while the second "screening" set of patients were seen other departments in the health system and were meant to represent the general population.

Based on their antibody testing, the authors found that plasma samples from as early as mid-February showed evidence of COVID-19, suggesting that the virus may have been present in New York City earlier than had previously been determined.

Nearly 60% of "sentinel" group patients' samples demonstrated evidence of prior infection by mid-April and appeared to plateau thereafter. Additionally, the researchers report that 19.2% of samples from the "screening" group tested positive for infection at the study's last timepoint, April 19.

By extrapolating this finding to New York City's larger population, the team predicts that 1.7 million of New York City's residents had been infected by the virus by April 19, with an estimated case-fatality rate of about 1% - 10 times higher than that of the common flu.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

You can find your COVID zone at NYC.gov/covidzone.