Mexico becomes just fourth country to surpass 100,000 coronavirus deaths

Mexico this week surpassed 100,000 fatalities from COVID-19, becoming only the fourth country in the world to reach the grim milestone.

José Luis Alomía Zegarra, Mexico’s director of epidemiology, announced on Thursday that the country had 100,104 confirmed deaths from COVID-19, The Associated Press reported, following only the United States, Brazil and India worldwide.

Mexico last week confirmed 1 million cases of COVID-19 in the country. However, officials have warned that the number could be higher due to low levels of testing, according to the AP.

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Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell criticized reporters when asked about Mexico reaching 100,000 fatalities, the outlet reported.

“The epidemic is terrible in itself, you don’t have to add drama to it,” López-Gatell said, accusing the media of “being alarmist.”

“Putting statistics on the front page doesn’t, in my view, help much,” he said.

Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has been criticized by some for downplaying the spread of the virus and his handling of the pandemic, according to multiple reports.

Mexico has performed approximately 2.5 million COVID-19 tests, the AP reported. The country’s capital, Mexico City, has been hit hardest amid the ongoing pandemic, documenting more than 183,200 COVID-19 cases. Nuevo León, Sonora and other areas in the country have also documented tens of thousands of cases.

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G-20 leaders pledge access to COVID-19 vaccine worldwide

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations pledged Sunday that they would work to ensure that “all people” had access to an eventual vaccine for COVID-19 amid concerns that a vaccine could become inaccessible to the world’s poorest people.

In the communique Sunday, the world leaders who assembled for the virtual summit pledged to “spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivize innovation.”

Ensuring that as many people as possible received a vaccine in a timely fashion was a recognized shared goal, according to the statement.

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“We commit to addressing the remaining global financing needs, welcome the efforts made by the multilateral development banks to strengthen the financial support for countries’ access to COVID-19 tools, in line with existing multilateral efforts, and encourage them to do more,” it read. “We recognize the role of extensive immunization as a global public good.”

The statement comes at the end of the virtual Riyadh summit, held this weekend as numerous nations including the U.S. continue to face sharply rising rates of new COVID-19 infections.

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Despite the U.S. passing more than 250,000 deaths and 12 million total confirmed cases this month, President TrumpDonald John TrumpBiden to nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield for UN ambassador: reports Scranton dedicates ‘Joe Biden Way’ to honor president-elect Kasich: Republicans ‘either in complete lockstep’ or ‘afraid’ of Trump MORE touted the country’s efforts to control the virus’s spread during remarks early Saturday.

“President Trump highlighted how the United States marshaled every resource at its disposal to respond to the crisis, as well as the unprecedented economic recovery of the United States on a foundation of tax and regulatory cuts, energy independence, and fair trade deals,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

The president has repeatedly said that the U.S. military will be involved with distribution of a vaccine.  President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden to nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield for UN ambassador: reports Scranton dedicates ‘Joe Biden Way’ to honor president-elect Kasich: Republicans ‘either in complete lockstep’ or ‘afraid’ of Trump MORE has warned that Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 election and allow a White House transition to begin could hamstring the U.S. response.

Trump administration pulls out of Open Skies Treaty with Russia

The Trump administration has officially withdrawn from the Open Skies Treaty, six months after starting the process to leave.

“On May 22, 2020, the United States exercised its right pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article XV of the Treaty on Open Skies by providing notice to the Treaty Depositaries and to all States Parties of its decision to withdraw from the Treaty, effective six months from the notification date,” State Department deputy spokesperson Cale Brown said in a statement.

“Six months having elapsed, the U.S. withdrawal took effect on November 22, 2020, and the United States is no longer a State Party to the Treaty on Open Skies,” Brown added.

The post-Cold War agreement was struck to allow nations to conduct flyovers of other allies in an attempt to collect military data and other intelligence on neighboring foreign enemies. 

In a statement issued on Sunday, Sen. Bob Mendez (D-N.J.) called the administration’s withdrawal “reckless” and encouraged President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump campaign files for new recount in Georgia GOP senator congratulates Biden, says Trump should accept results Judge dismisses Trump camp’s Pennsylvania lawsuit in scathing ruling MORE‘s administration to rejoin the pact once he is inaugurated.

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“I strongly believe that President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump campaign files for new recount in Georgia GOP senator congratulates Biden, says Trump should accept results FDA grants emergency approval to coronavirus antibody treatment given to Trump MORE’s decision to withdraw from the Treaty is a violation of domestic law,” the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said. “In the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress reaffirmed its support for the Open Skies Treaty and specifically mandated the administration justify a withdrawal four months before any formal notification of withdrawal took place. President Trump brazenly ignored the law and is unilaterally imposing a politically-charged withdrawal, even after losing a presidential election.”

President Trump first announced in May he would withdraw from the treaty, with Secretary of States Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoTibetan political leader makes visit to White House for first time in six decades At least 8 killed, 30 wounded in Kabul rocket attack The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC – Pence, Biden wage tug of war over pandemic plans MORE formally submitting a notice of intent to withdraw from the pact a day later

“While the United States, along with our Allies and partners that are States Parties to the treaty, have lived up to our commitments and obligations under the treaty, Russia has flagrantly and continuously violated the treaty in various ways for years,” Pompeo said at the time. “This is not a story exclusive to just the treaty on Open Skies, unfortunately, for Russia has been a serial violator of many of its arms control obligations and commitments.”

In June, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioned the legality of the Trump administration’s desire to withdraw from the pact. 

“The timing of your decision — less than five months before an election — is also suspect. Beginning the U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, without complying with U.S. domestic law or constitutional practice, is an obvious political maneuver in an attempt to bind a future administration,” senators wrote in a letter to Pompeo and former Secretary of Defense Mark EsperMark EsperThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC – Trump, Biden clash over transition holdup, pandemic plans President is wild card as shutdown fears grow Trump seeks to settle scores in final days MORE. “As such, we demand that you immediately discontinue your efforts to initiate the withdrawal process until Congress is provided with the requisite notification under the [National Defense Authorization Act], and the Senate has had an opportunity to weigh in on the withdrawal.”

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During his first term in office, Trump and his allies have boasted they have been tougher on Russia in recent years than any previous administration, despite claims of an inappropriately friendly relationship between the president and his Russian counterpart. 

In August, the Trump administration pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, an agreement banning nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers that was signed in 1987.

At the time, the administration accused Russia of violating the terms of the treaty after saying U.S. officials had “tried everything possible since May 2013” to stop Russia from building up its nuclear capability.

–Rebecca Kheel contributed to this report, which was updated at 12:08 p.m.

 

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US military reports record 1,300 coronavirus cases in one day

U.S. officials recorded more than 1,300 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 among members of the armed forces on Tuesday, a new record for the military over a 24-hour period, CNN reported.

Officials also told the network that the test positivity rate among the armed forces is now 6.8 percent, lower than the U.S. national average.

A dashboard operated by the Defense Department indicates that more than 69,000 cases have been confirmed among active members of the military, while tens of thousands more have been recorded among contractors and civilian members of the Defense Department.

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The new totals come as the U.S. coronavirus outbreak has surged in pace over the last several week, with health officials recording more than one million new cases over the past seven days and the U.S. passing 250,000 deaths from the virus on Wednesday.

News of rising case members among the armed forces also comes a month after an audit was launched by the Pentagon’s inspector general to determine whether the agency allocated funds it received under the coronavirus stimulus CARES Act appropriately.

Thanksgiving gatherings could inflame COVID-19 crisis

Millions of Americans are likely to gather with their friends and families for Thanksgiving despite rising COVID-19 cases, prompting fears the holidays will only add fuel to the fire and spiral the pandemic further out of control.

The U.S. is confirming record-breaking numbers of new cases every day, and millions more people are infected, many unknowingly, posing great risks of community spread.

Deaths and hospitalizations are increasing across the country, and because deaths lag behind cases, fatalities are expected to continue increasing in the coming weeks with no signs of stopping.

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That creates high risk for the holiday season when millions of people will seek solace in visiting their friends and family after a long, stressful year, but experts caution that the safest thing to do, for individuals and society as a whole, is to stay home.

“People have to realize we’re nearly at the end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It would be a real shame if someone got sick now before vaccine … and didn’t make it to the next Thanksgiving,” said Aaron Glatt, chief infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau.

The risk is so great the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a rare press briefing Thursday to strongly recommending people avoid traveling and celebrating Thanksgiving with anyone outside their households. 

“One of our concerns is people over the holiday season will get together and they may actually be bringing infection with them to that small gathering and not even know it,” said Henry Walke, COVID-19 incident manager for the CDC, noting the U.S. has confirmed 1 million cases in the past seven days.

“What is at stake is the increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then being hospitalized and dying around the holidays,” he added.

But the U.S. has struggled to get the public to follow public health guidelines throughout the pandemic, particularly in some red states where governors have taken hands-off approaches to the pandemic and rejected calls to require mask-wearing in public.

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Some governors ignored those guidelines in their messages to constituents Friday.

“I think Oklahomans should be with their loved ones over Thanksgiving,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said Friday at a press conference.

Stitt, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year, added that he would also be attending a football game and spending time with his parents, whom he doesn’t live with.

Gov. Kristi NoemKristi Lynn NoemMore GOP governors embrace mask mandates, but holdouts remain Sturgis rally blamed for COVID-19 spread in Minnesota Joe Biden must understand South Dakotans if he wants a national mask mandate MORE (R) of South Dakota, which has one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks right now, tweeted Friday that she won’t “stop or discourage” people from spending time together this Thanksgiving.

“I’ll continue to encourage each and every one of you to exercise personal responsibility and make smart choices,” she said.

In an acknowledgment that many people will travel anyway, and celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and extended family, the CDC advised people who do so to move their gatherings outside, where better ventilation helps disperse the virus before it is inhaled.

The guidance also states people should also stay 6 feet apart, wear masks when not eating or drinking, and only invite a small number of people.

The stakes are high. The U.S. is rapidly approaching 200,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, a once unthinkable number that is more than twice as high as the number of cases seen in the summer.

The U.S. has already reached its highest level of hospitalizations with no signs of slowing down as cases continue to rise, threatening to overwhelm an already buckling health care system.

Deaths are quickly approaching the level of 2,000 per day.

Similar surges in cases were seen after other holidays this year, but experts worry Thanksgiving will bring far worse outcomes, given the widespread transmission of the virus and the colder weather that forces people to spend more time indoors.

“We’re in the worst-case scenario, more or less,” said Michael Mina, an assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“I think we should have expected people will go home for Thanksgiving and probably what that means is three or four weeks after Thanksgiving, we’ll see more people dying that otherwise would have, we’ll see more people get infected, and unfortunately it will probably be a lot of older people, who are gathering together with their families.” 

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FDA grants emergency approval to coronavirus antibody treatment given to Trump

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday granted emergency authorization for the antibody treatment administered to and later praised by President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump campaign files for new recount in Georgia GOP senator congratulates Biden, says Trump should accept results FDA grants emergency approval to coronavirus antibody treatment given to Trump MORE for his past COVID-19 diagnosis.

The antibody cocktail from Regeneron is authorized for treating mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults, as well as pediatric patients at least 12 years old who have a high risk of progressing to severe disease.

The company said it could have enough doses for around 80,000 patients by the end of November, and enough for approximately 300,000 patients in total by the end of January.

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Regeneron CEO Leonard S. Schleifer said in a statement that the emergency authorization is “an important step in the fight against COVID-19,” adding that “the science and technology investments Regeneron has made over three decades positioned us to move rapidly to invent, study and maximize production” of the cocktail.

The company filed for emergency approval of the treatment in October after the president praised its efficacy in a video posted on Twitter. The treatment was one of several that he received during his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat his COVID-19 diagnosis last month.

The FDA issued a similar emergency use authorization earlier this month for an Eli Lilly antibody drug to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 cases.

Monoclonal antibodies like Regeneron’s treatment are lab-generated versions of one of the human body’s main defenses against pathogens.

The Trump administration has already placed an order for over one million doses of the treatments. Previously, Regeneron inked a $450 million deal in July to sell enough doses of its drug, REGN-COV2, to the federal government for the treatment of about 300,000 people.

The latest FDA approval comes days after Pfizer and BioNTech also filed for similar emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine.

G-20 leaders stress importance of united response to coronavirus pandemic

World leaders stressed the importance of having a comprehensive and international response to the coronavirus as the pandemic forced them to conduct this year’s Group of 20 summit virtually.

Leaders who spoke during the online confab underscored the importance of working together to combat a historic pandemic that has put virtually every country at risk, killing over 1.37 million people and infecting nearly 58 million.

“This has been an extraordinary year. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented shock that affected the entire world within a short period of time, causing global economic and social losses. Our peoples and economies are still suffering from this shock,” Saudi Arabia King Salman, who hosted the conference, said in his opening remarks. “However, we will do our best to overcome this crisis through international cooperation.”

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“We have a duty to rise to the challenge together during this summit and give a strong message of hope and reassurance,” he added.

The timing of this year’s conference coincides with an international rise in cases, exacerbating a pandemic that beyond its human toll has also wreaked havoc on some of the globe’s largest economies. The International Labor Organization estimates roughly 225 million full-time jobs were lost in G-20 countries just during 2020’s third quarter. 

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The virus has shown no signs of letting up, with the spike sparking leaders in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere to reimpose restrictions to try to blunt the spread of the highly-infectious virus. The speed with which the virus has spread in recent weeks has alarmed public health experts, who note that the current crisis could be exacerbated during the winter months when social events are moved to indoor settings where the virus can spread more easily spread.

The World Health Organization reported that more cases of COVID-19 have been tallied in roughly the past month than in the first six months of the outbreak.

The attendance of the G-20 put into stark relief how no person is safe from the virus. Three G-20 leaders – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and President TrumpDonald John TrumpBen Carson says he’s ‘out of the woods’ after being ‘extremely sick’ with COVID-19 Biden will receive @POTUS Twitter account on Jan. 20 even if Trump doesn’t concede, company says Trump to participate in virtual G-20 summit amid coronavirus surge MORE – have all tested positive for COVID-19 and have since recovered.

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“As I’ve said before, it’s only by joining forces and working together that we will defeat coronavirus and build back better from this crisis. Our fates are in each others’ hands,” said Johnson.

French President Emmanuel MacronEmmanuel Jean-Michel MacronCzech president says Trump should quit after election loss and ‘not be embarrassing’ India’s prime minister says Kamala Harris’s ‘success is a matter of great pride and inspiration’ Macron says English-language media legitimizing violence in France amid Muslim protests MORE said the G-20 faces a “historical responsibility that requires us to move towards uniting international efforts to ensure an effective international response to this crisis,” noting that with studies indicating a vaccine could be available in the coming months, the world must ensure equal distribution of a shot.

“Will we be prepared when the first vaccine is launched on the market that will be available to everyone and avoid a scenario where only the rich will have access to it and be able to protect themselves and return to their normal life? Will our strategy be to distribute the first doses of the vaccine to critical cases and those in need of health care, or will it be according to the purchasing power of the countries?” he asked. 

Saturday’s conference is the second time the G-20 has met this year to address the coronavirus, with the last meeting occuring in March to address the virus’s initial outbreak. While that conference included commitments to share information and material to better understand the virus, leaders said this conference must include commitments to policies to actively combat COVID-19.

“I am confident that the Riyadh summit will deliver significant and decisive results and will lead to adopting economic and social policies that will restore hope and reassurance to the people of the world,” Salman said.

Arizona parents sue to allow changing gender on birth certificates without surgery

Three Arizona families have reportedly filed a lawsuit to allow their children to change the gender listed on their birth certificates without gender-affirming surgery.

The legal guardians are challenging the Arizona Department of Health over a state law on behalf of three unnamed children, including a 13-year-old transgender boy and two transgender girls who are 10 and 6. The lawsuit filed last week alleges that surgeries can end up not being needed if a transgender person takes drugs to stop puberty and its associated changes, the Arizona Republic reported Tuesday.

The lawsuit points to the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual that says children can develop gender dysphoria after becoming aware of their gender between the ages of 2 and 5. 

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Asaf Orr, a senior staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights who is representing the families, said the current law is unconstitutional and a form of discrimination.

“They never need surgery, so this will effectively be a lifetime ban,” Orr told the Arizona Republic.

“This provision discriminates against transgender people by denying them access to the ability to correct and have a birth certificate that matches their gender identity, which is something that non-transgender people have,” he added.

Asaf said more states are permitting transgender people to adjust their birth certificate with a letter from their doctor that says the person has received treatment for gender transition.

The Arizona Department of Health declined to comment on the litigation. 

This lawsuit follows another one filed in August against the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System for not covering gender-affirming surgery, according to the Arizona newspaper.

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Brian Cage On WWE's Plans For Him Before Firing Him, Re-Naming X-Division Title

Brian Cage recently spoke with the folks from The Roman Show to promote his upcoming X-Division Championship match at the upcoming Slammiversary XVI pay-per-view in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this Sunday. Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On Cody Rhodes telling him he needed a character change: “I am out there having awesome matches with Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Trent Barreta, and Dusty Rhodes pulls me to the office and goes, ‘Let me tell you something baby. You are a phenomenal worker. You got to have something else. You can’t be that. Hey Matt, what’s that guy called the Honey Badger The Wolverine yeah. But you can’t be the Wolverine because that’s a trademark, so give me something else.'”

On what WWE had planned for him before he was released: “I went back, and I was looking through my trading cards and comics, and I said, ‘I’ll be like the Dark Claw which is Batman and Wolverine. I made my attire off that, and they were going to bring me up, and then Hurricane came up and Dusty said, ‘OK, we are thinking of feuding or teaming you with Hurricane.’ So I started doing a bunch of heel promos but I got released.”

On his plans to win the X-Division Championship this Sunday and re-name the title: “He will lose the title, and I’ll change it to the Weapon X Division title. It’s a play on Wolverine, and I’ll remain supreme, until I move over to another title.”

Check out the complete Brian Cage interview at MiamiHerald.com.