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COVID-19 Digest: September 14

COVID-19 Digest: September 14

September 14, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Monday, September 14, 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.Below and in our resource guide, you’ll find the latest information on government resources for businesses, city and state reopening measures, and return-to-office preparedness plans. If this can be useful to your colleagues and network, encourage them to sign up here.

The Latest in New York

The latest: US marks six months since national emergency declared for COVID-19; Pfizer says it will know vaccine efficacy by end of October; with one week until reopening, only 0.3 percent of NYC school staff tested positive for coronavirus; Facebook giving workers paid time off to staff Election Day poll sites. Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 444,948 (+583)
New York City: 238,067 (+265)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,394 (+4)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.0 percent (+0.2 percent)

General Updates:

New York’s record low infection rate continues — the state has reached 38 straight days with a rate below one percent. (NYS) By contrast, the WHO reported yesterday its highest one-day increase in new infections globally since the pandemic began, citing more than 308,000 new cases originating mostly from India, the US, and Brazil. (Washington Post)
This week marks six months since Pres. Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus, and in that time, a lot has happened. (Axios)
The global economic hit from the coronavirus has been six times worse than the 2009 financial crisis, according to the OECD. (New York Times) The biggest growth declines were in Britain and India, and growth in the US shrank by more than nine percent.
Pres. Trump, Dr. Fauci, and the CEO of Pfizer, which is running Phase 3 clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine, all have similar timelines for when a vaccine might become available. (Newsweek) Pfizer said it expects to know if its vaccine is effective by the end of October, and depending on the timeline for FDA approval, could be available before the end of the year. (CNBC)
We’re now 50 days away from Election Day. What’s your voting plan?

One good read: ‘COVID Will Not Win’: Meet the Force Powering Brooklyn Hospital Center (New York Times)

Survey

The latest results: Sport venues still can’t permit in-person spectators, but did you tune in to watch any games during the sports equinox?

19.8%: Yes, I watched at least parts of multiple games or matches
19.8%: Yes, I watched one game or match
32.8%: No, I didn’t watch any sports
27.5%: Sports? What are sports?

Today’s poll: The global race to develop a coronavirus vaccine is still on, with many companies conducting late-stage clinical trials in record time. Pfizer has said it will know if its vaccine is effective by the end of October, but doubts have been cast that one will be ready before the end of the year, and most US voters favor a more fully tested vaccine, even if it means a longer, delayed rollout. When do you think a vaccine will be widely available?

*|SURVEY: Before the end of 2020|*
*|SURVEY: The first half of 2021|*
*|SURVEY: The second half of 2021|*
*|SURVEY: In 2022 or later|*
*|SURVEY: Never|*

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

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

NYC students will return to classrooms for in-person instruction one week from today. (NBC New York) 17,000 school-based staff have been tested for COVID-19, with 55 returning positive results.
Most NYC museums have reopened and are presenting new shows. Here’s a roundup of where to go and what to see. (New York Times)
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be moved online and not take place live. (NY1) There will still be balloons flown, but they will be anchored to vehicles instead of the normal in-person handlers. (Gothamist)
Dr. Facui said a vaccine would need to exist for nearly a year before people will feel comfortable returning to live theatre venues unmasked. (New York Times) Some Broadway productions have set dates to reopen in March and April 2021.