September 4 coronavirus news

US states should be ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1 “just in case” one is ready, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said in an ABC News interview Friday.

“We've always said that we are hopeful for a vaccine by the end of this year or beginning of next year,” Adams said. “That said, it's not just about having a vaccine that is safe and effective -- it's about being ready to distribute it.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October or early November. 

Adams said the guidance is “just in case” a vaccine is approved by that time -- reiterating comments by public health officials that such an event is possible but not probable.

He added that data from Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials has been positive, and independent safety boards ensure the vaccine only moves forward if "there is good evidence" of its efficacy.

“The most telling thing I can say to people is that when there is a Covid vaccine available, I and my family will be in line to get it,” Adams said. “I think it will be safe, I think it will be effective and I think it will help us end this outbreak.”

The United States has reported 49,318 new cases of Covid-19 and 920 virus-related deaths so far today, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

Brazil’s health ministry reported 51,194 new Covid-19 cases and an additional 907 virus-related deaths on Friday, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 4,092,832.

The country's death toll from the virus is now 125,521.

Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the world, behind only the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he and his family are still being harassed regularly.

“Things have not gotten better with regard to the hassles from the far extreme people who make threats, both to me, my family, my wife and my daughters,” Fauci told CNN today.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said his wife has been amazing through the pandemic and his children are strong, but he would like the harassment to stop.

“I don’t mind them doing it to me. I don’t really care. That -- I blow off,” Fauci said. “But I don’t really like to see my wife and my children being hassled.”

He blames the divisiveness in society for the problem.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would call out any political interference involving the the approval of a Covid-19 vaccine if he saw it.

“I’m not a regulator, I mean, I just do the science. I’d report the science in an accurate way, and certainly if I saw interference, I would be very disturbed and call it out,” Fauci told CNN today.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he doesn’t think there will be any political interference, because the process is transparent.

“I think the public needs to understand, when the data come in on the vaccine results, you know, they come into what’s called the data and safety monitoring board, which is an independent group of people who evaluate the data, evaluate the safety of it, and report on this,” Fauci said. “This ultimately becomes public knowledge.”

Fauci said he has faith in the system and faith that the Food and Drug Administration will do what’s right.

“And they promise that they will make decisions on a regulatory basis, purely on the basis of the science and the evidence,” Fauci said. “And I’m counting on them to do that.” 

Correct use of masks would help the country prevent the “scary” number of predicted Covid-19 deaths, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN today.

A model often cited by top health officials now predicts more than 410,000 people will die of coronavirus in the US by Jan. 1 – which would mean another 224,000 Americans lost in just the next four months.

Fauci said people should keep in mind that models depend on the assumptions that go into them, but he said such a high number of deaths is possible.

“We don’t want to get to that number by any stretch of the imagination,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. “So what are we going to do to prevent us from getting that number?”

Fauci stressed that “one of the things we can do is a more uniform utilization of masks.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he’s not sure what President Trump is talking about when he told a White House news conference that the country is “rounding the corner” on the pandemic.

“I'm not sure what he means,” Fauci told CNN this afternoon. “There are certain states that actually are doing well in the sense of the case numbers are coming down.”

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said there are a number of states including Montana, Michigan, Minnesota and the Dakotas that are starting to have an uptick in the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive – an indication of spread of the virus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, implored Americans to wear masks, avoid close contact and avoid crowds this weekend as the coronavirus pandemic persists.

"Doing whatever that you can possibly do outdoors as opposed to indoors. If we do that, we should get through the weekend okay," Fauci told CNN this afternoon.

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau told CNN that businesses in the metro area are estimated to lose more than $640 million in 2020, due to the cancellation of conventions. There were 39 citywide conventions planned for 2020, eight of which have actually occurred.

For Labor Day weekend alone, businesses around Atlanta are estimated to lose at least $151 million from the cancellation of two SEC kick-off games at Mercedes-Benz stadium and the Dragon Con Pop Culture Convention going virtual.

Dragon Con was estimated to bring in 87,000 people this weekend, and two SEC kick-off games scheduled for this weekend would have brought in around 72,000 people for each game. A third game scheduled for Sept. 12, would have brought around another 72,000 people, with an estimated economic impact of $33 million.

The SEC College Football Championship and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl currently still plan to host their events later this year and in early 2021.