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Coronavirus Updates: Biden Launches COVID Transition Team As He Warns Of "Dark Winter" Ahead
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Karen Yi
and
Sydney Pereira
Published Nov 9, 2020
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By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Karen Yi
and
Sydney Pereira
Published Nov 9, 2020
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This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Monday, November 9th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here.
New York City is in Phase 4 of reopening now, which includes zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and gyms. Certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens are under a zoned shutdown. Get answers to questions you may have with our "Ask An Epidemiologist" series, or learn more about NYC COVID-19 testing options with our explainer. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Here's the latest:
- Pfizer Announces 90% Effective Rate For Vaccine, Will Seek FDA Approval This Month
- NJ Governor Says He Will Announce New Restrictions Monday
- NY Post Photographer Alleges Newspaper Fired Him In Retaliation For Requesting PPE During Pandemic
- NYC's Pandemic Ventilation Plan For Winter In Public Schools Involves Space Heaters, Air Purifiers, And Lots Of Layers
1:35 p.m.: President-elect Joe Biden announced a slate of health experts who will make up his COVID-19 transition advisory task force on Monday morning—marking the first major action the Biden-Harris transition team has taken under the transition phase.
"The challenge before us right now is still immense and growing," Biden said in a brief speech on Monday. "And although we are not in office yet, I'm just laying out what we expect to do and hope can be done—some of it between now and the time we are sworn in."
"We're still facing a very dark winter," he added.
The new 13-member advisory board will advise on coronavirus response plans that will be, as Biden describes it, "built on a bedrock of science and to keep compassion, empathy, and care for every American at its core."
"There is so much good work at state, local levels across the country," Biden added. "The advisory board will listen and learn lessons from their experiences."
Over the weekend, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris listed four critical priorities for the incoming administration: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. The Biden-Harris administration plans to increase testing availability nationwide, implore Americans to wear a mask, and ensure a vaccine is available to all Americans for free.
The Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board will be compromised of three co-chairs—Dr. David Kessler, who served as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration 1990 to 1997, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th Surgeon General of the U.S. from 2014 to 2017, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a Yale University professor and researcher on health equity for marginalized groups. A full list of the advisory board members and their bios is here.
Throughout his remarks on Monday, Biden urged the politicization of mask-wearing to end, asking everyone to start wearing a mask in order to save lives. Mask-wearing throughout the pandemic has become a political flashpoint, despite health experts insisting the measures widespread mask use would drastically slow the spread of the virus.
A "mask is not a political statement, but it is a good way to start pulling the country together," Biden said, pledging unity between parties.
Governor Murphy at a press event on Friday.
Edwin J. Torres/Governor’s Office
NJ Governor Says He Will Announce New Restrictions Monday
11:15 a.m. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy plans to issue a new round of restrictions on Monday that will target restaurants and interstate sports in an attempt to curb the second wave of COVID-19.
After a round of interviews, Murphy announced his intentions on Twitter.
“Those are areas we are looking very closely at and we'll tweak some of the rules of the road,” Murphy said earlier on Fox5 Monday morning.
The state reported more than 5,200 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, capping off a week of daily case counts not seen since early May.
Murphy did not detail what measures he planned to take but said he would not issue a lockdown.
NJ Advance Media reported that Murphy planned to order bars and restaurants to close indoor services by 10 p.m. and ban interstate youth sports.
The governor has previously blamed much of the rise in COVID-19 cases on private, indoor gatherings—which remain capped at 25 people. But health officials have also said areas in the south and central part of the state have seen cases increase due to loosened rules around youth sports.
Pfizer Announces 90% Effective Rate For Vaccine, Will Seek FDA Approval This Month
In September, a man wearing a face mask walks past a Pfizer logo at their headquarters.
John Nacion/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Monday delivered the most promising news to date about a coronavirus vaccine, revealing that its vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a small study of participants without evidence of a prior infection.
The vaccine, which Pfizer is developing with the German drugmaker BioNTech, is currently undergoing a phase 3 trial, the final stage that will determine its efficacy and safety. All told, four drug manufacturers are in phase 3 trials in the United States.
In a statement, Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said Monday marked "a great day for science and humanity."
“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen," he added. "With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis."
The company plans to seek Federal Drug Administration approval for the vaccine candidate later this month after more safety data is received. Based on current projections, Pfizer said it should have 50 million vaccine doses available in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
Like those of two other drugmakers, Pfizer's vaccine involves two doses. Under the study, which involved 94 people, the vaccine was found to be more than 90% effective seven days after the second dose. That means that protection is achieved 28 days after the initial dose.
"As the study continues, the final vaccine efficacy percentage may vary," the company cautioned.
There are other questions too: the study of 94 patients was relatively small and not yet peer reviewed. Scientists also do not know how long the vaccine will last.
But if it holds up, the efficacy rate suggests the vaccine has the potential to vanquish the pandemic. Some experts had speculated last month that the first generation of vaccines would only be average. But a 90% efficacy rate would put the coronavirus vaccine close to that of the measles vaccine. Currently, one dose is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective at preventing measles.
Tagged
covid-19 updates
coronavirus
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Sydney Pereira
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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