COVID-19 Update, October 26, 2020: "We're Not Going to Control the Pandemic"

So says White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, admitting the current administration's strategy for dealing with the pandemic is do nothing until a vaccine is available? What does the president say? It's the media's fault: "A plane goes down, 500 people dead, they don't want to talk about it. 'Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid'." He adds that he'd like to outlaw pandemic coverage before the election, because it is hurting his numbers. All this as hospitals in the Midwest and West are overwhelmed and infection numbers spike to heights not seen in months. And oh yes: There's an outbreak among the vice-president's staff. The VP continues to campaign. Without a mask.

The latest:

The US sets another distressing new record, with 85,000 COVID-cases in a single day tinyurl.com/y2kox6e6. It also sets the biggest seven-day average number since the pandemic began: tinyurl.com/yxevu3us. The worst outbreaks in the US are now in rural areas: tinyurl.com/y4ahspd7. The CDC reports that the true number of coronavirus deaths is closer to 300,000: tinyurl.com/y5xln9b3.

In a bruising interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff says, "We're not going to control the pandemic:" tinyurl.com/y4huotp7. To prove the point, five aides to the vice-president test positive for the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/yymdno4h.

The president argues that media coverage of the pandemic ahead of the election should be illegal: tinyurl.com/y6x2akgz.

The White House last year shut down the vaccine safety office; now we need one: tinyurl.com/yxcfh4ny.

AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson restart their vaccine trials after pausing for safety checks: tinyurl.com/yxbnlldf.

Interestingly, reopening schools doesn't seem to be driving a resurgence of the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y43f47ta.

Universal mask use could save 130,000 lives by next spring, a new study finds: tinyurl.com/y3eyu4c/8.

The CDC offers new safety advice for voting: tinyurl.com/y496ytg7.

The stimulus bill appears to be dying on the vine again: tinyurl.com/y5vysq49.

Ice rinks around New England are closed, to combat COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yxjo2okf.

The spread of the pandemic in swing states may undo the president's attempts to discourage voting by mail: tinyurl.com/y5qstt7c.

Several Fox News personalities are advised to quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y3l8koq2.

With the stimulus bill currently residing in Nowheresville, Senator Chuck Schumer keeps pushing for the Save Our Stages Act: tinyurl.com/y47z6eh6.

Food for thought:

Winter will bring new COVID-19 challenges, but it need not be a disaster: tinyurl.com/yxqunpn9.

There's no vaccine yet, but drug companies are already reaping the profits: tinyurl.com/y3j4uslv.

It's best to think of the vaccine as a tool, not a cure-all: tinyurl.com/yyvppovv.

America and the virus: A remarkably complete, and damning, summing up how to we got to this point: tinyurl.com/y5xw24m7.

Around the country:

In California:

Could the new oft-postponed James Bond picture No Time to Die, which was supposed to jumpstart the box office at American cinemas, end up being streamed? tinyurl.com/y28lnc5y.

In Florida:

Another bad day as the state reports 4,471 new coronavirus infections: tinyurl.com/yxgghpka. It adds another 3,377 cases today: tinyurl.com/y6fbzcoz.

Why is the governor sitting on CDC recommendations for fighting the coronavirus? tinyurl.com/y2d6fsv9.

The state rolls out rapid coronavirus tests: tinyurl.com/y3j4uslv.

COVID-19 cases reach 200 in Miami-Dade schools: tinyurl.com/y56b78le.

The Miami Beach commissioner tests positive for COVID-19: t.ly/oYn0.

Illinois:

The state posts a staggeringly high new daily record of coronavirus infections -- 6,161: tinyurl.com/y6zrbwll.

Worried about another wave of shortages from worried customers, grocery stores are stocking up: tinyurl.com/y66pfqqx.

In Nevada:

This is hardly the ideal time to open a hotel casino in Vegas, but Circa is doing it anyway: tinyurl.com/yxrbxdsp.

In New York:

New York City's storied Strand Bookstore struggles to survive: tinyurl.com/y2pulbzt.

Artists and staff of the Dance Theatre of Harlem set up a bubble: tinyurl.com/y3n7qgq3.

New York City Ballet won't return to live performances until fall 2021: tinyurl.com/yyxc3ojd.

Monitoring micro-clusters -- that's the key to the governor's next-stage battle plan for the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y6a53zbj.

In Utah:

As the coronavirus fills the state's hospitals, plans emerge for rationing care: tinyurl.com/y69pz78v.

Around the world:

In Australia:

Melbourne will emerge from 112 days of lockdown: tinyurl.com/y4yvsunj.

In Belgium:

The new surge of COVID-19 leads to a critical shortage of police, teachers, healthcare workers: tinyurl.com/yymufyel.

In Brazil:

After rejecting the Chinese vaccine, the president decides to import it after all: tinyurl.com/yxm6kw7h.

In Colombia:

The country reaches one million confirmed COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/yxgua2nn.

In France:

The country passes one million COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y2pfc6ko.

In Iran:

The government's inconsistent response has left it unable to combat the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y3yd6w5c.

In Italy:

The country imposes stringent new restrictions for at least a month: tinyurl.com/y5oxlpq3.

In Poland:

The president tests positive for the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y45xry6t.

In Spain:

The country is put under curfew for possibly as long as six months: tinyurl.com/y4g7ydwv.

In Sri Lanka:

As the coronavirus surges, the harbors are closed: tinyurl.com/y3bjxnuz.

For your entertainment:

The Metropolitan Opera's streaming service features politically themed operas this week: www.metopera.org/.

For your pleasure:

As early voting begins around the country, Brian Stokes Mitchell offers "Make Them Hear You," by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty: tinyurl.com/jh4h3yw.

That's all for today. Stay safe. Vote. -- DB

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