COVID Live Updates: Cases in US likely 8 times higher than reported, CDC says

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Cases in US likely 8 times higher than reported, CDC says

COVID cases across the U.S. may be 8 times higher than previously reported, according to a researcher at the CDC.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Health officials warn the coronavirus pandemic will likely get much worse in the coming weeks.

They also say that it could be a while before pandemic-weary Americans see any significant relief.

This as total confirmed cases topped 13 million in the U.S. In addition, 91,635 people are currently hospitalized according to the COVID Tracking Project.

California alone has averaged more than 13,000 cases a day for the past week.

What to know about coronavirus:

Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut

Coronavirus by zip code - New York City

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

Here are more of today's headlines:

NY daily positivity rate up again to 4.27%

New York's daily COVID-19 positivity rate went up once again to 4.27%, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. The governor said the state reported more than 157,000 test results on Saturday.

NYC schools to reopen in phases

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city's public schools will reopen in phases, beginning on Monday, December 7. The phased-in approach will start with 3-K, Pre-K, and grades K-5, who will return to in-person learning on December 7. D75 schools, all grade levels, will return to in-person learning on Thursday, December 10. In addition, schools must increase testing from monthly to weekly, and testing consent forms will be required for attendance.

1M passengers traveled through US airports Saturday

Nearly 1 million passengers traveled through U.S. airports Saturday and officials are expecting even more Sunday despite surging coronavirus cases. According to Transportation Security Administration data, 964,630 travelers passed through TSA checkpoints on Saturday, a bump from 560,902 on Thursday and 820,399 on Friday. Yet travel industry groups expect Sunday -- as everyone heads home from their holiday destinations -- to be the busiest day of travel since the pandemic-related shutdowns began in March.

NJ Health Dept. employee tests positive

An employee working in the New Jersey Health Commissioner's Office recently tested positive for COVID-19, the health department said in a statement. The employee was last in the building on Tuesday, November 24 and is currently isolating at home. Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and some members of the staff who work in the Office of the Commissioner at the Department of Health in Trenton will work from home and voluntarily quarantine through December 8. The contact tracing process has begun.

Illegal club with nearly 400 people inside shut down

An illegal club with nearly 400 people inside was shut down early Saturday, the New York City Sheriff said. In a post on Twitter, the sheriff's office said deputies discovered more than 393 people inside of a building on West 36th Street in Midtown.

Rockland County to begin testing schools within yellow zone

One week of coordinated testing will begin for school districts within Rockland County's yellow zone. The Rockland County Department of Health has partnered with Good Samaritan Hospital to provide the testing, which will being on Monday. November 30. Schools within the yellow zone are required to test 20% of students, faculty and staff over the two-week period immediately following the announcement of a yellow zone designation in order to remain open for in-person learning.

New Jersey reports 24 new COVID deaths

New Jersey reported 3,924 new positive cases on Saturday. That number is slightly down from Friday. However, more deaths were reported Saturday, 24, compared to 19 the previous day. Overall, the total number of reported COVID cases has surpassed 330,000 and the total number of deaths now sit at 15,136.

Newark COVID Task Force shuts down 8 businesses for violations

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announces eight businesses have been cited for COVID violations. The mayor was and Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose made the announcement on Saturday. They say that within the first two days of Mayor Baraka's 10-day lockdown, the Newark's COVID-19 Task Force issued eight summonses to businesses that violated Governor Phil Murphy's Executive Order.

NYC COVID daily numbers

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Saturday, 136 new patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID. In addition, 1,589 new cases were reported and the 7-day positivity rate average now stands at 3.64%.

Los Angeles issues stay-home order as coronavirus surges

The three-week order takes effect Monday. It came as the county confirmed 24 new deaths and 4,544 new cases of COVID-19. The five-day average of new cases was 4,751. Nearly 2,000 people in the county are hospitalized. "We know we are asking a lot from so many who have been sacrificing for months on end," Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. "Acting with collective urgency right now is essential if we want to put a stop to this surge." The order advises residents to stay home "as much as possible" and to wear a face covering when they go out. It bans people from gathering with people who aren't in their households, whether publicly or privately.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

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