Coronavirus Live Updates: Positivity Rate Tops 25% In Some Midwest States; Small Businesses Create Succession Plans

New confirmed cases of the coronavirus are rising by at least 5% in more than half of U.S. states, as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Several states are seeing weekly growth in average daily new cases that far exceeds that 5% benchmark — the seven-day average of new infections in North Carolina is 60% higher than a week ago; in New Mexico, 55% higher; and in Wyoming, 45% higher. Daily infections remain steady in 12 states and are falling in 12 states as well as the District of Columbia. Arizona, which earlier this summer saw a dangerous spike in transmission, now reports a seven-day average of new cases that is 40% lower than the previous period.

National
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:

Global cases: More than 33.1 million
Global deaths: At least 998,380
U.S. cases: More than 7.11 million
U.S. deaths: At least 204,762
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Amazon will kick off Prime Day on Oct. 13 after it was delayed due to the coronavirus
Amazon Prime Day will take place Oct. 13 and 14 this year, the company announced Monday. Members of Amazon’s Prime subscription program will get access to “over 1 million deals across every category,” including toys, electronics and apparel, Amazon said.

The company postponed its biggest shopping day of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which generated unprecedented strain on Amazon’s warehouses and shipping and logistics networks.

Jamil Ghani, vice president of Prime, said Amazon settled on a mid-October Prime Day after it consulted with its global teams and spent several months adjusting operations inside its warehouses to make it safer for employees to continue to work. —Annie Palmer

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Redfield voices alarm over the influence of Trump’s new task force advisor
Director of Center for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield speaks at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing “Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts” on Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S., September 16, 2020.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is worried President Donald Trump is sharing bad information about the pandemic with the public, NBC News reported. He blames the White House’s new coronavirus advisor, Dr. Scott Atlas.

In a conversation with a colleague, on a phone call made in public on a commercial airline and overheard by NBC News, Redfield suggested Dr. Scott Atlas was giving the president misleading data about a range of coronavirus issues, including the efficacy of masks, the virus’ effect on young people and the benefits of herd immunity.

“Everything he says is false,” Redfield was overheard saying during the call.

It’s not the first time Atlas has come under fire for his views regarding the virus. Earlier this month, Stanford University academics wrote an open letter calling out Atlas, a former colleague, for spreading what they called “falsehoods and misrepresentations of science.”

In an emailed statement to NBC News, a CDC spokesman said: “NBC News is reporting one side of a private phone conversation by CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield that was overheard on a plane from Atlanta Hartsfield airport. Dr. Redfield was having a private discussion regarding a number of points he has made publicly about Covid-19.” —Terri Cullen

Positive Covid-19 test rates top 25% in some Midwest states
North Dakota’s positive test rate has averaged 30% over the past seven days. South Dakota’s positivity rate over that period is now 26%, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project. Montana’s positivity rate rose on Sunday to 20%, the wire service reported.

The World Health Organization considers positivity rates above 5% troubling because it suggests the virus is spreading faster than new cases can be tracked, Reuters said.

– CNBC