All SC public schools to get rapid COVID-19 testing kits (Source wistv.com) South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he will soon issue an executive order mandating the distribution of COVID-19 testing kits to every public school in the state. The kits will include rapid antigen tests — which take about 15 minutes to diagnose whether someone has COVID-19. The tests are provided by the federal government. Tests will be available to both students and faculty or staff who have symptoms. Students must have permission from their parent or guardian to get tested. The Department of Health and Environmental Control is working with the state Department of Education to determine how many testing kits should go to each school. There should be enough tests available at each school so any symptomatic child who has permission can get tested, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, the interim director of DHEC.

US passes 250,000 deaths from coronavirus

(Source theguardian.com) The United States has seen more than 250,000 deaths due to Covid-19 as a new swath of data was released that pushed the stricken country over the grim landmark on Wednesday. Latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showed that the number of people killed by the virus is now 250,180. The news comes amid record infections across the US, with the Trump administration repeatedly failing to get a grip on the Covid-19 crisis. Most recently Trump has refused to concede he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden who this week said “more people may die” if he continues to hamper his transition. More than 11 million Americans have been infected during the pandemic, by far the largest total in the world; the US also has the highest death toll, and is among the worst-hit of developed nations in terms of its death rate.

‘Attack of the debt tsunami’: Coronavirus pushes global debt to record high (Source cnbc.com)

The coronavirus crisis pushed global debt levels to a new high of over $272 trillion in the third quarter, the Institute for International Finance said, as it warned of the “attack of the debt tsunami.” The institute said global debt would break new records in the coming months to reach $277 trillion by the end of the year. This would represent a debt-to-GDP ratio of 365%. It comes after governments across the world stepped up support for companies and citizens in the face of a global pandemic which led to widespread stay-at-home orders. Businesses also had to look for alternative funding as activity came to a halt in the wake of Covid-19.

Both events translated into higher borrowing and, therefore, more indebtedness. “Spurred by a sharp rise in government and corporate borrowing as the Covid-19 pandemic wears on, the global debt load increased by $15 trillion in the first three quarters of 2020 and now stands above $272 trillion.

The coronavirus crisis pushed global debt levels to a new high of over $272 trillion in the third quarter, the Institute for International Finance said, as it warned of the “attack of the debt tsunami.” The institute said global debt would break new records in the coming months to reach $277 trillion by the end of the year. This would represent a debt-to-GDP ratio of 365%. It comes after governments across the world stepped up support for companies and citizens in the face of a global pandemic which led to widespread stay-at-home orders. Businesses also had to look for alternative funding as activity came to a halt in the wake of Covid-19.

Both events translated into higher borrowing and, therefore, more indebtedness. “Spurred by a sharp rise in government and corporate borrowing as the Covid-19 pandemic wears on, the global debt load increased by $15 trillion in the first three quarters of 2020 and now stands above $272 trillion.

New Push for Second Stimulus Checks: Analysts Predict When Another Relief Package Will Pass

(Source bitcoin.com) Many Americans are in need of second stimulus checks and a new coronavirus relief package. Several analysts have predicted when lawmakers will pass the next stimulus package. Stimulus negotiations have resumed after the presidential election but lawmakers still have not been able to come to an agreement. This has left Americans with little hope of receiving their second stimulus checks to help them cope with the coronavirus-led economic crisis. After the election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continued to push for her $2.2 trillion revised HEROES Act while the White House has reportedly stepped back from negotiations on a new stimulus package. Now, it is up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to revive talks with Pelosi. JPMorgan Chase’s chief U.S. economist, Michael Feroli, wrote last week that “Something in the neighborhood of $1 trillion late in the first quarter is a reasonable expectation.” Morgan Stanley’s strategists also expect a stimulus package of a similar size in early 2021. Goldman Sachs’ analysts are more optimistic, stating that even though the election results are still contested, lawmakers are likely to enact a $1 trillion stimulus package even before Biden’s inauguration in January. However, they believe that this stimulus package will have only a “small” positive impact on U.S. growth in 2021.

‘Positive Signs’ as Holland America Moving Six Ships Toward U.S. (Source cruiseindustrynews.com)

Holland America Line is preparing for a gradual restart and is said to be moving six cruise ships toward the U.S. citing positive signs and a new conversation around the return to service.

The news came in a letter sent to crew from President Gus Antorcha, reported by Crew Center, and also obtained by Cruise Industry News. “Following in-depth discussions with the CDC, other government agencies, and medical and science authorities, we have decided to start moving six Holland America Line ships toward U.S. waters over the next several weeks to begin completing the requirements for conditional sailing.” Antorcha said in the letter sent to crew. The ships heading to U.S. waters are the Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam, and Noordam. Holland America did not specify port information but the line has traditionally had a strong presence in the winter from Port Everglades and Tampa, which would pull from a large drive-to market. “While there is still much to be done, this is an important first step toward our goal of resuming cruise operation,” the letter said.

Nationwide lockdown and mask mandate needed as coronavirus cases surge: doctor

(Source Yahoo) As the number of new coronavirus cases top 100,000 in the U.S. for more than a week, health experts are warning that the situation will get drastically worse if government officials don’t implement restrictions. Dr. Uche Blackstock, CEO of Advancing Health Equity, is calling for a unified response, telling Yahoo Finance Live that a mask mandate is needed, and although it’s not likely, a national lockdown would be a “wise strategy” to mitigate the virus’ spread. “I think it would be dramatically better [if we were to have a national lockdown]… We essentially need a collective response to the crisis we’re in right now to see any change in the numbers that are growing exponentially,” she said. Blackstock is also advocating for a mask mandate as many forecasts are for the outbreak to escalate through the winter months. Colder weather will likely drive people indoors, where the chance of transmission is much higher. A recent study by researchers from Stanford University and Northwestern University listed restaurants and gyms as potential super spreader sites, naming the two venues as places where people are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19. “We haven’t seen the worst of it. it’s going to be a long, hard winter…,” Blackstock said. “In order to see any significant decline in cases, we’re probably going to need to have some non-essential businesses, restaurants, and gyms close for at least four to six weeks, if not more.” The rapid rise in coronavirus cases is playing out in a similar manner to the warnings we’ve been hearing from health officials for months. The U.S. set another record for daily confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, reporting another 144,000 infections, while the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU hit the highest level since May.

‘Are We Getting Invaded?’ U.S. Boats Faced Russian Aggression Near Alaska (Source The New York Times) The crew of the Bristol Leader was laying out its long cod-catching line well within U.S. fishing territory in the Bering Sea when a voice crackled over the VHF radio and began issuing commands: The ship was in danger, it said, and needed to move. The warnings, coming in a mixture of Russian and accented English from a plane buzzing overhead, grew more specific and more urgent. There was a submarine nearby, the voice said. Missiles were being fired. Leave the area. Other U.S. fishing vessels that were scattered over 100 miles of open sea were getting similar messages. Capt. Steve Elliott stood dumbfounded as three Russian warships came barreling through, barking orders of their own. On the ship Blue North, commands from a Russian plane led Capt. David Anderson to contact the U.S. Coast Guard, wondering how to protect his crew of 27. “It was frightening, to say the least,” Anderson said. “The Coast Guard’s response was: Just do what they say.” The Russian military operations in August inside the U.S. economic zone off the coast of Alaska were the latest in a series of escalated encounters across the North Pacific and the Arctic, where the retreat of polar ice continues to draw new commercial and military traffic. This year, the Russian military has driven a new nuclear-powered icebreaker straight to the North Pole, dropped paratroopers into a high-Arctic group of islands to perform a mock battle and repeatedly flown bombers to the edge of U.S. airspace. Russia’s operations in the Arctic have meant a growing military presence at America’s northern door. Rear Adm. Matthew T. Bell Jr., the commander of the Coast Guard district that oversees Alaska, said it was not a surprise to see Russian forces operating in the Bering Sea over the summer, but “the surprise was how aggressive they got on our side of the maritime boundary line.” In the air, U.S. jets in Alaska typically scramble to intercept about a half-dozen approaching Russian aircraft a year, outliers on the long-range nuclear bomber patrols that Russia resumed in 2007. But this year that number has risen to 14 — on pace to set a record since the Cold War era. In the most recent case, last month, the United States responded to the approach of two Russian bombers and two Russian fighters that came within 30 nautical miles of Alaskan shores.

Ticketmaster exploring negative COVID-19 test or vaccination to attend concerts

(Source nypost.com)

The pre-concert checklist for music fans is about to get more complicated, as Ticketmaster is planning to check the coronavirus vaccination status of concert-goers prior to shows once a treatment is approved, Billboard reported . The ticketing giant plans to have customers use their cellphones to verify their inoculation or whether they’ve tested negative for the virus within a 24- to 72-hour window, according to the exclusive report.

The plan, which is still being ironed out, will utilize three separate components, including the California-based company’s digital ticketing app, third-party health information firms like CLEAR Health Pass and testing/vaccination distributors like Labcorp or CVS. Ticketmaster will reportedly not store or access medical records under the plan. If approved, fans would need to verify that they’ve either already been vaccinated or have tested negative as recently as 24 hours prior to the show.

‘We’re calling on all Michiganders to do the right thing’: Hospital leaders urge virus vigilence

(Source woodtv.com)

Michigan hospital leaders are calling on Michiganders to get back to basics to prevent a continuation of the “exponential increase” of COVID-19 in the state. Leaders from five health care systems, in addition to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, made an urgent plea Thursday morning on a joint virtual news conference, asking for vigilant mask-wearing and hand washing and to refrain from group gatherings — even small social or family  gatherings — to slow the spread of the virus.
Experts say Michigan is predicted to top its spring case peak by the end of November.

N.Y.C. Schools May Close Again, a Grim Sign of a Global Dilemma (Source The New York Times)

New York City has more students in classrooms — about 300,000 — than virtually any city in the country. Transmission of the virus in schools has been strikingly low. And one of the city’s top health officials has declared that the public schools are among the safest public places around.

Yet for all those hopeful signs, Mayor Bill de Blasio is on the brink of shutting down all classrooms across the school system, by far the nation’s largest, as New York confronts a second wave of the virus after months when the city’s success at curbing the outbreak made it the envy of the country. The closure could happen by Thanksgiving, if not sooner. The move — which is now regarded by some City Hall officials as a question of when, not if — would be perhaps the most significant setback yet for the city’s recovery since the bleak days of spring, when it was a global center of the pandemic and all the schools were shuttered. New York’s agonizing decision reflects a divisive debate raging in almost every country over the importance of reopening schools while the outbreak grinds on. The city’s approach stands in stark contrast to the strategy adopted in much of Western Europe, where keeping schools open has been a political and societal priority, even as governments have imposed strict lockdowns on public life, shutting or imposing restrictions on restaurants, bars, museums and theaters. Germany, for example, has deemed schools and day care centers “essential services,” allowing them to remain open with precautionary measures like distancing, mask-wearing and open classroom windows.