Joe Biden speaks Saturday evening outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Joe Biden on Saturday vowed to work to unify the nation after a bitterly fought campaign against Donald Trump, telling Americans in a spirited victory speech that he would be a president for all.
I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify, the former vice president said, who doesnt see red states and blue states, only sees the United States.
Biden was joined by his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, hours after the Associated Press and major U.S. networks called the race for the former vice president over President Trump. The pair spoke in Wilmington, Del.
Read: Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump to become 46th U.S. president
Harris, who will become the nations first female vice president, spoke before Biden and said voters had ushered in a new day for America.
You chose hope and unity, decency, science and, yes, truth, said the California Democrat, who began her speech by quoting the late civil-rights leader and congressman John Lewis. Harris will be the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian American to become vice president.
See: Why Kamala Harris as Americas first female vice president completely disrupts the status quo
Even as Biden and Harris spoke, Trump was contesting the election, alleging fraud in the results and promising to fight in court starting Monday. Experts have said, however, that there is no basis for his claims.
Now read: The next steps before Joe Biden is officially declared the 46th president of the United States
The Biden-Trump contest was fought amid the devastating blow dealt by the coronavirus to American workers and businesses, and Biden pledged to prioritize the fight against it.
Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control. We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish lifes most precious moments all the moments that matter most to us, until we get it under control, he said.
Biden said he would on Monday name a group of scientists and experts to convert his pandemic-fighting plans into a blueprint for action after he is inaugurated.
As MarketWatch reports, analysts said U.S. stock prices SPX, -0.02% are poised to move higher in the wake of a declared winner and the end of election uncertainty.
Read: Heres what a Biden presidency spells for stocks, bonds and commodities
Bidens proposals will not automatically have an easy path in Congress, however. Senate control remains undecided but is likely to remain in Republican hands after a pair of runoffs in Georgia in January. A Republican Senate would throw up immediate obstacles to plans like a public option health-care plan and tax increases on corporations and wealthy Americans.
Read on: Democrats longshot bid to win back the Senate rides on a pair of Georgia Senate races
Coronavirus seems to be spreading through small social gatherings, so Health Commissioner Thomas Farley highlighted three cases on Friday that show the potentially dangerous impact of gathering with people outside your household. The cases included a woman who attended a wedding, a woman who went to brunch with friends, and third woman who went to a funeral. In all cases, the women became infected with COVID-19 and exposed or infected at least one other person. In one case study, the spread led to a death. Read about those cases here.
For Immediate Release: November 06, 2020
Espaol
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first serology test that detects neutralizing antibodies from recent or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, which are antibodies that bind to a specific part of a pathogen and have been observed in a laboratory setting to decrease SARS-CoV-2 viral infection of cells. The FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the cPass SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit, which specifically detects this type of antibody.
Although the FDA has previously issued EUAs to more than 50 antibody (serology) tests, those tests only detect the presence of binding antibodies. Binding antibodies bind to a pathogen, such as a virus, but do not necessarily decrease the infection and destruction of cells. Its important to note that the effect of neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 in humans it is still being researched.
The ability to detect neutralizing antibodies can help us gain additional insight into what the existence of antibodies may mean for patients as we continue the fight against COVID-19, said Tim Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health. There are still many unknowns about what the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may tell us about potential immunity, but todays authorization gives us another tool to evaluate those antibodies as we continue to research and study this virus. Patients should not interpret results as telling them they are immune, or have any level of immunity, from the virus.
The FDA cautions patients against using the results from this test, or any serology test, as an indication that they can stop taking steps to protect themselves and others, such as stopping social distancing, discontinuing wearing masks or returning to work. The FDA also wants to remind patients that serology tests should not be used to diagnose an active infection, as they only detect antibodies that the immune system develops in response to the virus, not the virus itself.
The EUA was issued to GenScript USA Inc. for its cPass SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
###
11/06/2020
We're making this important information about the pandemic available without a subscription as a public service. But we depend on reader support to do this work. Please consider joining others in supporting independent journalism in Alaska for just $3.23 a week.
On Friday, the Municipality of Anchorage updated two of its existing emergency orders as COVID-19 case counts continued to rise.
The updated orders take effect at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
The city eliminated some exemptions to the mask emergency order, saying it will make the requirement easier to enforce.
The order still requires that people wear masks or face coverings while inside in public places or outside at gatherings or when physical distancing isnt possible.
Among the new provisions, people who cannot wear masks should now wear face shields, but if they cannot do so, they should instead use services like curbside pickup, delivery or takeout.
The updated mask order also lowers the age requirement for mask wearing without parent supervision, from 12 years old to 5 years old. Children under 2 do not need to wear a mask. Masks are now recommended but not required for children between 2 and 5 years old, including in day care settings for preschoolers.
Masks are also now required at gyms and fitness facilities for everyone at all times, except during swimming or diving activities.
Gatherings or as the city describes them, meetings or other events that bring together people from multiple households at the same time for a shared or group experience in a single room, space or place such as auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference, meeting hall, or other indoor or outdoor space now have more limitations.
Indoor gatherings are now limited to 10 people in a single space if theres food or drink involved. However, if no one is eating or drinking, indoor gatherings can have as many as 15 people. Previously, all indoor gatherings were limited to 30 people.
Outdoor gatherings serving food and drink must be capped at 20 people previously, 50 folks were allowed and groups without food or drink are limited to 30, previously 100.
There are, however, quite a few exceptions still. Just like the last version, farmers markets and food truck events are exempt. Drive-in events are also exempt from the order, provided that nothing like food or drinks are being passed between cars.
Now, kindergarten through 12th grade schools must limit capacity to 50% of the classrooms fire code capacity. That means if a classroom has a fire code capacity of 50 people, only 25 are allowed inside at once. (A spokesman said the Anchorage School District is confident the new restrictions wont disrupt plans to bring some students back into classrooms later this month.) Day cares and day camps are still exempt from the gathering limitations.
Places of political expression and worship are not subject to the indoor or outdoor gathering limitations, as long as people arent consuming food or drinks. But they do have to stick with a 50% capacity limit, and everyone needs to be masked and distanced.
The new order specifies that gathering limitations do not extend to organized sports practices, but it does state that spectators are not allowed unless the total group, including coaches, doesnt exceed the citys gathering limitations.
And masks are required at all times, except during vigorous outdoor exercise or while swimming.
The order still asks that people limit the time they spend around others who arent part of their households and to keep up physically distancing and wearing masks when theyre around people they dont live with.
The order also still asks that people who are at a high risk of complications from COVID-19 and people who live with high-risk individuals take even more stringent precautions.
And people who might be contagious with COVID-19 travelers, people with symptoms of the illness, people with recent positive test results and those who have been asked to quarantine must minimize how much contact they have with others.
The Montgomery County, Maryland, council has requested an investigation into employees receiving improper COVID-19 differential pay.
The Montgomery County, Maryland, council said it is outraged by certain employees receiving improper COVID-19 hazard pay.
The Office of the Inspector General issued a reportFriday revealing that Department of Permitting Services inspectors improperly received COVID-19 differential pay.
During the coronavirus emergency, the Montgomery County government instituted additional hazard pay for county employees required to work onsite during the pandemic. This includes $10 an hour additional pay for work with the public and an additional $3 for back office work that cannot be performed by telework and does not required interaction with the public.
The Officer of the Inspector General for Montgomery County received complaints that the Department of Permitting Services management allowed its inspectors to received the $10 an hour differential pay not only for hours worked onsite, but also for hours worked at home or not with the public.
The office opened an investigation into the matter and found that the Department of Permitting Services did not follow the county policy on differential pay and that inspectors did receive additional pay for hours that work was performed at home or not with the public.
The report additionally found that inspection data performed was not complete and not accurate on the planning or the Data Montgomery websites.
The report states that about half of the inspectors claimed 80 hours of front facing COVID-19 differential pay consistently, according to a investigation of three pay periods covering March 29 through May 9.
The report says that as of Sept. 26, the county spent more than $49 million on COVID-19 differential pay across all departments.
The Council is outraged by the differential pay issues identified in the Department of Permitting Services by the Office of the Inspector General, the Montgomery County Council said in a statement. We are calling for an independent investigation across all Montgomery County Government departments and immediate action by County Executive Elrich to stop improper differential pay. Every dollar that was improperly paid, needs to be recovered immediately, and those who committed these egregious acts must be held accountable.
The Council has an oversight meeting about the issue on Nov. 10 with Inspector General Megan Limarzi and Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno.
More Coronavirus news
Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
2020 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Five members of the Los Angeles Dodgers who were not in close contact with the team in Texas have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.
A family member associated with the team also tested positive, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Test results were posted on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Healths COVID-19 tracking website, the Times reported.
None of the postive patients were identified.
The results come after Major League Baseball announced Dodgers third baseman Justin wont be sanctioned for his conduct after testing positive for COVID-19 during Game 6 of the World Series.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) Thirteen new COVID-19 deaths were announced along with a new active case count record in the latest update from theSouth Dakota Department of Health.
The death toll is now at 523. There have been 91 deaths since Nov. 1 and 350 deaths since Oct. 1. The new deaths were 8 women and 5 men in the following age ranges: 30-39 (1); 50-59 (1); 60-69 (1); 70-79 (2); 80+ (8). The new deaths were reported in the following counties: Brown, Davison, Grant, Lawrence, Lincoln, Oglala Lakota, Roberts, Spink (2), Todd (2) and Turner (2).
There were 1,337 new total coronavirus cases reported on Saturday bringing the states total case count to 53,976, up from Friday (52,639). Total recovered cases are now at 38,403, up from Friday (37,703).
Active cases are at 15,050 up from Friday (14,426).
Current hospitalizations are now at 515, up from Friday (493). Total hospitalizations are at 3,108, up from Friday (3,023).
Total persons tested negative is now at 220,707, up from Friday (219,551).
There were 2,493 new persons tested reported on Saturday. The new person test-positivity rate for Saturday is 53.6 percent.
BANGOR TWP, MI Terry Watson, former Bay City police officer, Bangor Township supervisor, Bay City Fireworks Festival president, and overall promoter of Bay County, has died from coronavirus.
He died yesterday at 5:36 p.m. from complications of COVID, said Doug Clark, current president of the Bay City Fireworks Festival and good friend of Watsons, on Saturday, Nov. 7. Watson was 72 years old.
Over the years, most people who knew him know he had a lot of health issues," Clark said. "He was very, very cautious over the last six, eight, 10 months. He definitely erred on the side of being overly cautious, but unfortunately, COVID still caught up with him.
Watson was born and raised in Bay City. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1968-69. After working for General Motors for a year or so upon his return to the States, Watson attended a police academy and joined the Bay City Police Department, serving with the agency from November 1971 to August 1998.
He also served as Bangor Township supervisor from 2004 to 2015, announcing his retirement from the position in May of that year.
He was, as they say, Bay Citys gem, said his widow, Peggy Watson. He was very, very cautious (regarding COVID). He had actually moved out of our house because I work every day and I work with families that provide essential services so we provide childcare for nurses and doctors and med tech people and home health care workers. Because I was going to be in that environment every day, he knew he would be exposed indirectly through me.
Watson began living outside of his family home with a sister in Bay County.
He was very strong and very tough, but he knew if he got it he probably wouldnt walk away from it, Peggy Watson said.
Terry Watson took a COVID-19 test on Oct. 26 and received word he was positive the next day, Peggy Watson said.
He thought he could battle it from home, where he was living with his sister, but his symptoms werent going away body aches and pains and a little bit of difficulty breathing, Peggy Watson said. In true Terry Watson fashion, he drove himself to the hospital and he never came back.
Watson arrived at McLaren Bay Region hospital on Oct. 31. In addition to his widow, Watson is survived by two adult sons and an adult daughter.
The annual fireworks fest that takes place across three days around the Fourth of July was started by the Bay City Fraternal Order of Police in 1962 and blossomed due largely to Watsons efforts, Clark said.
Terry Watson when he served as supervisor of Bangor Township.
Terry took over fundraising duties as a rookie (officer) and just took the ball and ran with it, Clark said. He built what you see today. Its a direct result of what he did.
In 1982, Watson grew the fireworks display grew from a one-night event to a weekend festival, bringing the event state and national recognition.
To make the event bigger and better, more money was needed, leading Watson to go to extremes to raise funds for the firework festival. He conducted a variety of fundraising stunts during a 15-year period, such as scaling cherry pickers, living in ice fishing shanties and conducting other feats to keep the festival at the caliber the community came to expect.
I needed to get publicity and give the fireworks a shot in the arm, Watson told The Bay City Times in 2012. There were a few things that were probably a little extreme.
Even after Clark took over as festival president, Watson remained close to the event he was instrumental in bolstering.
He was always my sounding board, Clark said. Id always throw ideas off him because he had seen it all and done it all. He knew what worked and what didnt.
Peggy Watson said her late husbands love for Bay City and all he did for the community will have a lasting legacy.
I think most people that knew him would agree that he devoted himself to all kinds of good things for the community, she said. "Whether it was the police department, the City Festival of Lights, crime awareness, the Fireworks Festival, the River Roar. He always devoted himself to the community, to try to improve things. That was his story.
He wanted to promote Bay City at every single opportunity.
In the late 1980s, after Bay Citys fireworks show grew in recognition, Watson was invited to and served as judge at the International Fireworks Festival in Monte Carlo. He also went to France to represent the U.S. as a veteran on anniversaries of D-Day and Operation Jubilee.
Its a devastating loss of a dear friend, added Bay County Executive Jim Barcia, Watsons friend since 1975. Its a vacuum that is going to be felt throughout the community. We were really all pulling for Terry to overcome this once he was hospitalized and we knew because of his underlying health conditions that he was vulnerable to the virus.
In Barcias eyes, the county has lost an icon.
So many thousands and thousands of Bay County residents have been impacted by Terrys efforts throughout his life to improve conditions in the community, he said. Weve lost an outstanding promoter of Bay City and Bay County with his numerous activities. Its impossible to cover in one article all the facets of Terrys involvements in the community.
Former Bay City mayor and state representative Charles M. Brunner echoed Barcias sentiments.
Terry was just somebody that really loved his community, Brunner said. He had a million ideas. Every time you talked to him, he had a different idea about something that he wanted to do. And he was one of those people who actually took those ideas and put them into practice. He led a full life. Were all just going to miss him so much.
The 2020 fireworks fest was canceled due to COVID-19. If the fest is able to resume in July 2021, Clark said some form of tribute will take place in Watsons honor.
Weve discussed some things we want to do for Terry later this year and pay tribute to him in a pretty spectacular way, Clark said.
Peggy Watson said a celebration of life is planned in her husbands honor around the Fourth of July.
Michigan on Nov. 7 recorded 6,225 new positive coronavirus cases, a one-day high for the state. Michigans total COVID-19 cases since the pandemics start in March is now at 207,794 and rising quickly.
So far, 7,578 people have died in Michigan from COVID-19. Daily deaths are at 65.
Read more:
Bay City Fireworks Festival canceled for 2020 due to coronavirus concern
50 years of fireworks: Bay City Fireworks Festival creators, organizers remember history behind one of Michigans largest fireworks shows
Michigan records a new one-day high of 6,225 coronavirus cases
After a Downeast Transportation Inc. employee tested positive for COVID-19, the company announced it would pause all operations through Nov. 15, resuming service on Nov. 16.
Although not required to by the Maine CDC, we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution, Paul Murphy, the executive director of Downeast, said in a press release.
Murphy also said that the company is working with the CDC on contact tracing and will sanitize all buses during the shutdown.
Downeast Transportation offers commuter and scheduled bus service between and within communities throughout Down East Maine.
On Nov. 4, Dare County Schools Superintendent John Farrelly sent a notice that Manteo High School had three laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Dare County Department of Health and Human Service identified 75 stakeholders as direct contacts. The school was closed Nov. 5 for deep cleaning and sanitizing. The stakeholders were to immediately begin quarantine.
On Nov. 5, the superintendent emailed another notice in the late afternoon that one laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 existed at First Flight High School. The health departments contact tracers identified 30 stakeholders who were to immediately begin quarantine. The school was closed Nov. 6 for deep cleaning and sanitizing.
From Nov. 3 through Nov. 6, Dare County reported an additional 55 new cases.
Residents who have contracted the virus now number a cumulative 452 with 393 recovered.
Some 55 residents are in home isolation.
On Nov. 6, Dare County reported four hospitalizations, up one patient. A non-resident is also hospitalized.
In North Carolina, new COVID-19 cases are trending upward. On Thursday, new cases totaled 2,858. On Friday, Nov. 6, new cases registered 2,908.
On Friday, across North Carolina 1,161 people are hospitalized. The number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 is very slowly inching up.
As of Nov. 6, 4,582 North Carolinians have died from the coronavirus.
Hyde County The health department reports on Nov. 6 a cumulative case total of 179, unchanged for three days. Two people have active cases. Five deaths in Hyde County are attributed to coronavirus.
Tyrrell County Martin-Tyrrell-Washington Health District reports that Tyrrell Countys new case number as not changed and remains at 136 with 131 recovered. Two active cases exist as of Nov. 5.
Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank counties As of Nov. 6, 2020, Albemarle Regional Health Services has published the following case information:
Camden: 145 lab-confirmed cases, up by one case. Some six cases are active, and 120 people have recovered. Three deaths have occurred.
Currituck: 240 lab-confirmed cases. Some 18 cases are active. Four deaths are recorded. Pasquotank: 916 lab-confirmed cases. Active cases number 28, while 35 people have died.
READ ABOUT MORE NEWS HERE.
