A version of this story appeared in the November 3 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.
More than 100 million voters have already cast their ballots in today’s US election, held in the shadow of a pandemic that has infected more than 9.2 million people in the country. The US has been battered by relentless surges of Covid-19 and the election has partly turned into a referendum on President Donald Trump’s handling of the outbreak.
In just one month, the country’s seven-day case average jumped by more than 97%. Last week, the US reported the highest single-day number of infections recorded for any country (with 99,321 new cases).
The pandemic is going from bad to worse in Arizona, one of several election battleground states that have witnessed a surge in new cases and hospitalizations. CNN’s Dan Merica spoke to more than three dozen voters in Arizona’s Maricopa County, the largest swing county in the country, about Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Despite Trump routinely downplaying the outbreak, some were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, arguing he was being unfairly maligned. Kyle Schmidt, a high school senior who cast his first ever ballot for Trump, said people criticizing the President were unfairly using hindsight to damage him politically. His mother, Kristen Clark, agreed. “The President did the best with the information that he had,” he said.
Those who backed Biden often said Trump’s response to the virus was a key issue, citing personal experiences with the pandemic as a reason for rejecting the President. Jacob Martinez, a 19-year old who was formerly the chairman of the Arizona Teenage Republicans, left the party because of Trump and is now working as a Democratic organizer during his sophomore year at Arizona State University. “At this point, everyone knows someone that has died (of Covid-19). It speaks to the ineffectiveness of Trump,” Martinez said.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED
Q: Can you vote in person if you are currently recovering from Covid-19 or quarantining from being exposed to the virus?
A: Yes, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in an email to CNN. “CDC’s recommendations for isolating someone who has Covid-19 or quarantining someone who was in close contact with a person with Covid-19 would not preclude them from exercising their right to vote,” a CDC spokesperson wrote Monday.
Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
Pregnant women with Covid-19 face higher risk of death, study says
Pregnant women infected with coronavirus are more likely to become severely ill and die from Covid-19, and they’re at increased risk for premature delivery, according to a pair of reports released Monday by the CDC.
Although the overall risk of severe illness or death remains low, CDC researchers found that pregnant women with coronavirus are more likely to need intensive care, ventilation and heart and lung support than non-pregnant women with the virus.
Hundreds arrested at anti-lockdown protest
Police in the Australian state of Victoria arrested 404 people at a protest against lockdowns in Melbourne on Tuesday – more than a week after the state began lifting stringent pandemic measures that had been in place for months. The protesters occupied the state capital’s central business district and called the virus, which has killed more than 900 Australians and at least 1.2 million people worldwide, a hoax.
Melbourne was the epicenter of Australia’s coronavirus epidemic this summer, with Andrews declaring a “state of disaster” at one stage to stem an outbreak that saw as many as 725 people in Victoria test positive for the virus in a single day. But from a public health standpoint, Andrews’ decision appeared to have worked. While cases in Europe and the United States are surging, on Sunday Australia didn’t register a single new Covid-19 infection for the first time since June.
What Europe needs to get right in second lockdowns
Lockdowns are multiplying throughout Europe as Covid-19 cases rise exponentially, threatening to push health services across the continent to a breaking point. Experts are calling on European governments to rethink their pandemic approach, fix its blind spots, and prevent another spiraling rise in illness next year.
It requires looking at the basics: find all the cases and make sure people comply with self-isolation and quarantines, Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, told CNN. Europe is seeing some movement on the testing front. From Friday, residents and workers in the British city of Liverpool will be tested for Covid-19 regardless of whether they have symptoms. This follows Slovakia, which tested more than half its population last weekend, to help avert a second lockdown.
The world can learn from how Africa handled Covid
Epidemiologists had expected weak health systems in Africa to crumble under the weight of Covid-19. Yet eight months into the pandemic, the continent with a population of 1.3 billion, reported nearly 1.8 million Covid infections, while the US has reported more than 9.2 million infections.
Some of this low reporting could be attributed to poor testing, but Africa as a continent appears to have handled the pandemic more effectively than the US has. While underlying factors – such as young populations – may contribute, there are striking differences in the quality of leadership, disaster preparedness, conformity to scientific advice, and coherence in pandemic response strategies that appear to have played important roles.
ON OUR RADAR
- Why wasn’t the UK public told about Prince William’s Covid diagnosis?
- Court orders California church to stop large indoor services against restrictions
- El Paso to get fourth mobile morgue
- Massachusetts governor targets social gatherings in new stay-home order
TOP TIPS
10 tips for voting safely in person on Election Day
Millions of American are heading to the polls today to exercise their cherished voting rights. Having a plan to reduce your risk before you set out for that marathon wait is critical. Here’s a cheat sheet to a safer voting experience.
It includes:
- Spend most of your wait outdoors
- Vote at a less busy time of day
- Avoid crowded ride-sharing services, buses or trains
- Carefully choose your mask
TODAY’S PODCAST
“It’s sort of like you’re exercising the art of being human. So just be human.” – Jeff Warren, author and meditation teacher
The stress of the pandemic is getting to us, and today’s election is only heightening the anxiety for some. On today’s podcast, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares some tips for coping. Listen Now.