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COVID-19 Digest: October 13

COVID-19 Digest: October 13

October 13, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Tuesday, October 13, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the digest will focus on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.

Download COVID Alert NY, the new exposure notification app built by the New York State Dept. of Health and Tech:NYC, here.

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The Latest in New York

The latest: Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly pause clinical trials; new app helps calculate COVID-19 risk; more companies and organizations announce plans to remain remote until summer 2021; the second episode of our Talk:NYC podcast is out now, with Council Member Ritchie Torres!Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 476,708 (+1,393)
New York City: 251,302 (+545)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,598 (+11)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.3 percent (+0.2 percent)

General Updates:

Over the weekend, the US reported more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases per day for the first time since mid-August. (Wall Street Journal)
During the first full weekend of reinstated lockdown measures in NYC’s hotspot zones, more than $150,000 in fines were issued. (New York Times) Among the summons issued were five to houses of worship in the “red zones” where infection rates are highest.
Johnson & Johnson, which is one of the frontrunners in developing a COVID-19 vaccine, paused its clinical trials yesterday after an “unexplained illness” in one of the volunteers being tested. (CNN) Other trials have also run into issues: Eli Lilly had to pause its antibody treatment trial today, and AstraZeneca has yet to resume the US portion of its trials after they were halted in early September. (The Verge) But even when a vaccine is available, Americans will by spring likely have a choice in several versions from several providers, making it difficult to know which one is best. (New York Times)
Early voting is now underway in several states, and in New York, close to 700,000 absentee ballots have already been processed. But all the changes being made in light of COVID-19 can be confusing, so here’s a rundown of the top five voting mistakes (and how to avoid them).
And speaking of voting: there are just 20 days left until Election Day. We’d love to hear how your companies are supporting employees’ voting plans up until and on Election Day. Send us a note about what your company is doing and we’ll share out the ideas we get back!

One good listen: The second episode of our new podcast, Talk:NYC, dropped today, featuring NYC Council Member (and Democratic nominee to US Congress) Ritchie Torres. Listen here or wherever you stream podcasts.

One good read: Governor COVID: Andrew Cuomo tries to make sense of the last seven months. (New York Magazine)

Survey

The latest results: One in three people admitted to showering less during quarantine. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing — one doctor says you’re showering too much. Since the pandemic began and you’ve been working from home, how have your hygiene habits changed?

6.2%: I am showering more than before
32.2%: I am showering less than before
61.6%: I am showering the same amount

Today’s poll: There is growing consensus that summer 2021 is the earliest many workers will return to their offices full-time, with Microsoft and The New York Times among the most recent to announce remote work extensions until then. When do you expect to be back in the office?

*|SURVEY: Before the end of the year|*
*|SURVEY: By summer 2021|*
*|SURVEY: By the end of 2021 or later|*
*|SURVEY: I’m already back in the office|*
*|SURVEY: I plan to work from home permanently |*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

As the weather gets colder, many are trying to figure out if socializing with people indoors is safe. (The Atlantic) One tool that could help: a new app called My COVID Risk allows users to input the type of activity they want to do — whether indoor or outdoor, how many people are participating, where they live, and other factors — and generate a chart that indicates the relative risk of catching COVID-19 based on that activity.
COVID-19 Essentials is the country’s first retail chain dedicated solely to pandemic necessities and products. (New York Times) The first location in NYC is now open in Herald Square. (6sqft)
US officials are aiming to open travel between NYC and London with shortened quarantine requirements as soon as the holidays. (Wall Street Journal) Establishing these travel corridors would require travelers to be tested before their flight and again upon arrival, but other details still need to be worked out.
The New York Philharmonic will postpone all concerts and remain closed down through June 2021. (Details)