(CNN) It's being called the "great American surrender." On Sunday, President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows admitted that the United States was "not going to control the pandemic," arguing in a stunning statement that "proper mitigation factors" like therapies and vaccines should be the priority, as new Covid-19 cases continue to spike.
But there is a problem with that logic. Even if a potential coronavirus vaccine is approved by regulators in the coming months, Americans won't be able to get it until well into next year. And letting the coronavirus rage unchecked in the interim, medical experts argue, is akin to a policy of herd immunity that would cost many thousands of lives.
Meadows' comments come as the White House contends with yet another coronavirus outbreak of its own. Vice President Mike Pence is refusing to accept CDC guidance on quarantining after his chief of staff and a 'body man' personal assistant were among five people in his orbit to test positive. The White House has declared Pence an "essential worker" -- a designation normally reserved for first responders and front-line medical staff -- so that he can continue campaigning.
It's the latest sign of the Trump team putting its own political priorities ahead of a duty of care to the American people as the country enters the final stretch before the election, Stephen Collinson writes. Despite a surge in cases in 35 states, the President is continuing his campaign blitz, criss-crossing the US in a frantic week of packed rallies that flout social distancing and mask-wearing measures.
Meanwhile, the latest surge of Covid-19 infections has brought the US' seven-day average of new daily cases to heights not seen since the pandemic began.
Q: Will workers at the election places be tested for Covid-19 before the election?
A: Election site rules vary by state. Visit your secretary of state's website for details. But getting tested before working at an election site is a good idea, especially because many poll workers are over age 60. According to Pew Research Center, 58% of election site workers in the 2018 general election were age 61 or above.
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Groundhog day in Wales as country enters second-wave lockdown
Friday nights are usually heady and vibrant in the Welsh capital Cardiff; its people are famous for being fiercely proud and incredibly hospitable, Sebastian Shukla writes. That was until last Friday, when Wales' two-week "firebreak" lockdown began, forcing schools, shops, pubs and hotels to close.
Wales has joined Ireland as the countries with the strictest stay-at-home orders to be enforced since the pandemic first hit Europe. As cases rise across the continent, other nations are weighing up doing the same. Spain has declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency. Austria is considering a second lockdown. Meanwhile, Italy has announced its harshest restrictions since the spring, but has stopped short of a nationwide lockdown, which the prime minister said the country could not afford.
Australia's coronavirus epicenter records no new cases as the US and Western Europe struggle to contain the pandemic
Melbourne, the city at the epicenter of Australia's coronavirus epidemic, will move out of lockdown this week after the state of Victoria reported no new cases and no Covid-related deaths for the first time in more than four months.
As cases began skyrocketing this summer, Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews put in place the type of strict anti-epidemic measures that governments in western Europe and the United States have been hesitant to enact out of fear of damaging the economy and trampling on civil liberties.
From a public health standpoint, it appeared to work. While cases in Europe continue to skyrocket and the White House admits it "will not be able to contain the pandemic" in the US, Victoria appears to have done just that, Joshua Berlinger writes.
Chinese leaders meet to plan next five years as coronavirus rebuilding begins
China's top leaders were meeting behind closed doors in Beijing on Monday to map out their economic and political agenda for the next five years, as the ruling Communist Party looks to capitalize on its containment of the coronavirus epidemic, Ben Westcott writes.
While Europe and the US have struggled to contain Covid-19, China, where the outbreak first emerged, has largely brought the virus under control inside its borders through targeted lockdowns and widespread testing, allowing life to return to normal in much of the country. On October 18, the government announced that China's economy had grown by 4.9% between July and September at a time when many other countries have seen output fall.
The pandemic has created a second crisis in India -- the rise of child trafficking
In India, children are allowed to work from the age of 14, but only in family-related businesses and never in hazardous conditions. But the country's economy has been hit hard by the pandemic and many have lost their jobs, forcing some children to work to bring in anything they can.
In recent years, India has strengthened its laws on child labor, but in the past six months -- with Covid-19 taking a toll on the economy -- that work has started to unravel. Traffickers have exploited the situation, Jessie Yeung and Priyali Sur write.
Dining indoors can be a stressful experience, especially in a city like New York where Covid-19 killed more than 500 people a day at its peak in April. Here are nine tips to keep in mind when you're eating out.
"I'm really recommending that people consider non-contact trick-or-treating if they're going to do it. So sort of like a non-contact delivery. You know, put the candy outside your house, stay inside." -- Epidemiologist Dr. Tista Ghosh
This Halloween, don't let the coronavirus scare you away from having fun. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Ghosh about alternatives to trick-or-treating and why it's still important to (safely) celebrate. Listen Now.