BISMARCK, N.D. — National Guard soldiers have helped notify 800 people who tested positive for the coronavirus but initially weren’t told because of a backlog of cases.
The backlog was due to a recent sharp increase in coronavirus cases. North Dakota leads the nation with more than 1,272 new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
This week, North Dakota National Guard soldiers began telling people they tested positive for the virus. They previously were informing people who had contact with someone positive and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms of the virus.
North Dakota reported 886 new infections on Friday, down from a record 1,038 cases on Thursday. Health officials reported nine deaths Friday, increasing the statewide death toll to 440.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— US sets daily record of more than 83,000 virus cases
— Some hospitals in crisis as US nears high for COVID-19 cases
— Poland’s President Duda tests positive for coronavirus
— AstraZeneca resumes late-stage testing of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the U.S.
— Police force in England says it will try to stop people from leaving Wales, which has started a 17-day lockdown to slow a surging rate of coronavirus infections.
— Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua has returned to the highest level of alert and lockdown.
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Follow all of AP’s coronavirus pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah hit the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases with 1,960 in a single day.
Gov. Gary Herbert warned in a statement that the state is “on the brink,” and again pleaded with people to adhere to mask mandates in place in 21 of the state’s 29 counties.
The Republican governor says people should wear masks anytime they are with people outside their immediate family, even if its extended family or friends.
Capacity at the state’s intensive care units reached 76%, with more people hospitalized for coronavirus this week than at any other time during the pandemic.
Four more deaths were recorded Friday, bringing the total to 567. Utah has the seventh-highest rate of confirmed infections per capita, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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ZAGREB, Croatia — The number of confirmed daily cases in Croatia has soared to more than 2,000.
Authorities say 2,242 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours amid a steady surge in new cases. Sixteen people have died. Most of the cases have been confirmed in the capital city of Zagreb where authorities are setting up new testing facilities and adding hospital beds.
Top public health official Krunoslav Capak says “we will do all we can to put the spread of the epidemic under control.”
Croatia has made face masks mandatory, limited gatherings and the hours of bars and restaurants to help contain the outbreak. Much of central and eastern Europe has seen a steep rise in virus cases.
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BALTIMORE, Maryland — The United States has hit a daily record of coronavirus cases with more than 83,000 reported infections, thousands more than the previous U.S. peak in July.
The U.S. death toll has grown to nearly 224,00, according to the tally published by Johns Hopkins University. The total U.S. caseload reported Friday was 83,757, topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16.
The numbers are an ominous sign the disease still has a firm grip on the nation that has more confirmed virus-related deaths and infections than any other in the world. Many states are reporting a surge of cases and say hospitals are running out of space in areas where the pandemic seemed remote only months ago.
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PRAGUE — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have hit a record high, soaring to over 15,000 in one day for the first time.
The Health Ministry says the day-to-day increase of confirmed cases in the hard-hit country reached 15,252 on Friday. The previous record of 14,968 was set on Wednesday.
The record surge has continued for last two months despite tight restrictions, including limits on movement, closing stores, schools and restaurants and banning sports competitions and gatherings of more than two people. Face masks are obligatory outdoors and in cars.
The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital has surpassed 5,000 for the first time, putting the health system under pressure.
The Czech Republic has had over 238, 300 confirmed coronavirus cases, including over 78,000 in the last seven days, and reported 1,971 virus-related deaths.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 41.78 new cases per 100,000 people on Oct. 9 to 104.33 new cases per 100,000 people on Friday.
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BERLIN — Germany on Saturday surpassed 10,000 total coronavirus deaths.
Germany recorded 49 new deaths and a daily high of coronavirus infections with 14,714. However, the new figures on Saturday includes cases from both Thursday and Friday since there was a three-hour data outage at the country’s disease control agency Thursday.
Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel again urged citizens to reduce their social contacts. The chancellor says in her weekly podcast that she is convinced, “if we all obey (social distancing) we will all together survive this enormous challenge posed by the virus.”
In the meantime, the number of intensive care patients almost doubled within a week. On Friday, 1,121 COVID patients were in intensive care in Germany, compared to 690 a week earlier.
In Berlin, some 1,000 police officers were making sure people obey tighter rules on keeping their distance, not gathering in big groups and wearing masks where mandatory.
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ANKARA, Turkey — The mayor of Istanbul has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesman for the city municipality said Saturday.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has undergone treatment in hospital and his condition is good, spokesman Murat Ongun says in a tweet.
Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, has recorded 40% of Turkey’s total number of COVID-19 patients, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. The country recorded over 357,690 people with COVID-19 symptoms as of Friday evening, including 9,658 deaths. Turkey reported 2,165 new patients on Friday, the highest daily figure since May.
Imamoglu, who represents the opposition Republican People’s Party, became one of Turkey’s most recognizable politicians after winning office in June last year. His success was part of a series of opposition victories in major cities such as Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.
He has been among those criticizing the government’s approach to tackling the pandemic, including the decision to only publish data on patients displaying symptoms rather than including asymptomatic cases.
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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia is adopting new strict limits on movement amid a record surge in coronavirus infections.
The number of new confirmed cases in one day reached 2,890 on Friday in the country of 5.4 million, the Health Ministry says, a record high. The EU nation has had over 40,800 confirmed cases and 159 virus-related deaths.
Starting on Saturday, people are allowed to travel only to work, buy food and medicine in the nearest stores, see a doctor, get tested for coronavirus or attend a funeral. They can walk a dog within 100 meters (yards) of their home and if they go to a park, it must be in their county.
On Friday, Slovak authorities started a plan to test almost the entire population for coronavirus. The trials will be carried out until Sunday in the four hardest-hit counties. The antigen tests will then continue in the rest of the country.
Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic joined the medical staff and military personnel at one of the testing stations in the town of Tvrdosin.
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WARSAW — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus, his spokesman says
The spokesman, Blazej Spychalski, said Saturday on Twitter that the 48-year-old conservative leader was tested the day before and his result was positive. He said the president feels well and is in isolation.
Duda’s diagnosis comes amid a huge surge in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths in Poland, a nation that saw only very low numbers in the spring.
The spiking infection rates are pushing the country’s strained health system to the breaking point. The government is preparing to open field hospitals but it is not sure where it will find the doctors and nurses to staff them.
Duda on Friday visited the National Stadium in Warsaw, which is being transformed into one of the field hospitals. He also met Friday with Iga Swiatek, the 19-year-old Polish tennis player who won the French Open this month.
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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Anze Logar has tested positive for coronavirus as the government shut down non-essential shops, kindergartens and hotels Saturday to try to stem the latest outbreak.
The Foreign Ministry says Logar has displayed no symptoms and is self-isolating in the next 10 days.
The official STA news agency says Logar was on a tour of the Baltics this week and attended a session of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg this month. He is the highest-ranking Slovenian official to have contracted the virus.
Authorities say a record 1,963 people have tested positive in the past 24 hours and 19 people have died. That brings the death toll to 234 in the country of 2 million people.
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NEW DELHI — India has reported 53,370 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the overall tally past 7.8 million.
The Health Ministry on Saturday also reported 650 deaths, driving the country’s toll to 117,956.
The highest number of new infections is coming from Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka states. They’re also reporting the maximum number of daily recoveries.
Last month, India hit a peak of nearly 100,000 cases in a single day, but since then daily infections have fallen by about half and deaths by about a third, even as testing has remained consistent.
India is still adding more than 50,000 cases a day as the country prepares for a festival season when large crowds gather. Health officials have warned about the potential for the virus to spread.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Authorities in Sri Lanka closed at least two fishery harbors and many stalls after a surge of 609 cases linked to the country’s main fish market.
The government also widened the curfew in parts of Colombo. At least 11 villages were isolated in the densely populated Western province, which includes the capital.
Health authorities on Wednesday temporarily closed the fish market on Colombo’s outskirts after 49 traders tested positive for the coronavirus. By Saturday, the number of cases went up to 609. Hundreds of traders and fishermen are being tested.
Authorities say the outbreak is related to a cluster in a garment factory early this month, which has grown to 3,426 cases, almost half the country’s total of 6,287. It broke a two-month lull in infections.
Several thousand people have been asked to quarantine at home. Schools and key public offices are closed, gatherings banned and restrictions imposed on public transport.
Sri Lanka has 14 deaths since March.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 77 new cases of the coronavirus, mostly from the greater capital area where officials are scrambling to stem transmissions at hospitals and nursing homes.
Figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the country’s caseload to 25,775, including 457 deaths. Among the 1,484 active cases, 60 are in serious condition.
Fifty-nine of the new cases were reported from densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak since summer.
Hundreds of cases have been linked to a handful of hospitals and nursing homes. Officials are testing thousands of medical workers to stem infections.
Eleven of the new cases were tied to international arrivals, including passengers from the United States, the Philippines and India.
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MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua returned to the highest level of alert and lockdown Friday after coronavirus cases jumped there and hospitals began to fill up.
The Chihuahua state government declared the return to the “red” level of alert Friday, which closes down most non-essential services and encourages people to stay at home.
The Health Department said the state’s hospital beds were now 69% occupied, and that only about 23% of intensive care beds were open. The department said steps were being taken to expand hospital facilities.
The department also said that three other northern states — Durango, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon — were at risk of returning to maximum alert unless infections were brought under control.
Nationwide, 19 of Mexico’s 32 states will be at high alert starting Monday, 11 will be at medium alert and one state was considered at moderate risk level.
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BOISE, Idaho — A hospital in southern Idaho says it can no longer accept any children because it is overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.
St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center announced Friday afternoon that anyone needing treatment who is under the age of 18 will be sent to a hospital in Boise — 128 miles (206 kilometers) away. The hospital will still admit newborns and neonatal intensive care unit patients, however.
The hospital in Twin Falls is like many around the United States that are running out of space and reeling from a surge in COVID-19 patients. One out of every four patients at the Idaho facility is a COVID-19 patient, and hospital leaders spent the week warning Idaho Gov. Brad Little and local public health officials that the state’s healthcare system would soon be swamped until steps are taken to stem the virus’ spread.
Still, neither the governor nor the regional public health department has issued a mask mandate.
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ROME — Protesters in Naples, angry over a new 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. regional curfew and by the local governor’s vow to put the region under lockdown to try to tame surging coronavirus infections, clashed with police on Friday night.
The demonstrators, who Italian media said numbered several hundred, headed toward the Campania region’s headquarters near the southern Italian city’s Mediterranean waterfront.
RAI state TV said local merchants joined the protest, hours after Gov. Vincenzo De Luca told citizens in a televised speech that he was “moving toward closing everything down” except essential services.
Demonstrators threw rocks and smoke bombs, and police officers responded with tear gas, Italian media said. “You close us down, you pay us!” was one of the shouted slogans, the Italian news agency ANSA said.
Unemployment in the south runs double or even higher than the north. Italy’s economy, already sluggish before the pandemic struck in late winter, risks being crippled by another lockdown
On Saturday, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese called the protests “unacceptable” and says Naples prosecutors were investigating.
She noted some police officers were injured in the clashes with protesters, who Italian media said hurled rocks, pieces of broken ceramic tiles and smoke bombs at police. Police replied with tear gas.
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HONOLULU — Hawaii had about 60,000 travelers arrive in the islands in the first week of its pre-travel coronavirus testing program.
That’s a state effort to get the tourism-based economy moving again. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said Thursday that nearly 60,000 returning residents, military members, essential workers, tourists and others had been tested since Oct. 15.
The vast majority tested negative and were allowed to skip the previously required two weeks of quarantine.
Other travelers came to Hawaii without being tested. Nearly 7,300 people were ordered to quarantine upon arrival.
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NEW YORK — The number of people hospitalized in New York because of the coronavirus has climbed back over 1,000.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there were 1,023 hospitalizations around the state as of Thursday. That’s more than double the number that were hospitalized month ago, and the first time since late June that the state has seen that many in hospitals with the virus.
At the pandemic’s peak in April, nearly 19,000 people were hospitalized. Statewide, 1,637 people tested positive for the virus on Thursday, on par with levels for the month.
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