COVID-19 Update, November 17, 2020: Hold Tight

The morning after the blockbuster announcement of a second imminent vaccine, we awake to face the grim daily reality of the pandemic. The good news is that the pandemic is met with a more vigorous response even in parts of the country where it was previously played down or ignored. Still, the daily details are tough to take. Now, more than ever, we all need to hold tight and do what we can until the vaccine arrives -- which may be sooner than we all think.

The latest:

Pfizer tests a vaccine delivery system in New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas: tinyurl.com/y2smmn2l.

Will preflight COVID-19 testing become the new normal? tinyurl.com/y3n8f73t.

Most health experts are urging families not to assemble en masse for Thanksgiving this year; Dr. Scott Atlas thinks people should visit their elderly relatives for the holiday, because they might not live another year: tinyurl.com/yyq9ausg.

US cinemas brace for a long, cold winter: tinyurl.com/y55jb8fp.

Actor Richard Schiff, of the TV series The Good Doctor and The West Wing, has been hospitalized with COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yxqpdjfm.

Food for thought:

Twenty-four hours inside a Marseille ICU in the age of the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y6kzekwa.

Around the country:

In California:

The governor pulls the "emergency brake," rolling back the state's reopening: tinyurl.com/y42n6jdl.

In Florida:

The state reports 4,600 new cases on Monday: tinyurl.com/y42snvdj.

University of Miami postpones its next two football games and reschedules the final three games of the season, all because of COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yxub7ppm.

Senator Rick Scott enters isolation after coming into contact with a person with COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y34bl3dy.

The hip-hop festival Rolling Loud Miami will return in May 2021: tinyurl.com/y2nutqvb.

In Illinois:

Advocate Aurora Health will delay half of its elective surgeries, to better handle the surging number of COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y2c839wm.

In Indiana:

The state records 5,541 new cases and 84 deaths, marking its deadliest day so far: tinyurl.com/yyv7dngt.

In Iowa:

The governor, who once dismissed COVID-19 restrictions as "feel-good" efforts, imposes a mask mandate, adding, "If Iowans don't buy into this, we'll lose:" tinyurl.com/y6922juk.

Senator Chuck Grassley is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y6kmfwl4.

In Maryland:

The state reports 2,149 new cases, the most since June: tinyurl.com/y4umg7ub.

The Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday will be held without in-person fans: tinyurl.com/y2uf8vek.

In Missouri:

The mayor of Kansas City imposes new social distancing requirements: tinyurl.com/y532aely.

In Nevada:

Zumanity, the Cirque du Soleil production, will close permanently after 17 years. The other Cirque shows on the Vegas Strip look set to reopen at some point: tinyurl.com/y5blodnn.

David Copperfield suspends his Vegas show after a crew member tests positive: tinyurl.com/y42snvdj.

The state reports 2,000 cases in one day, the highest since July: tinyurl.com/y3edu5j4.

In New York:

Signs of life: Manhattan Theatre Club announces plans for a 2021 - 22 season: tinyurl.com/yxcl3gaq.

As tourism experts predict a slow return for New York City, Broadway producers are pushing unions for concessions. IATSE doesn't like their tactics: tinyurl.com/yy84gzho.

In North Dakota:

A group of county sheriffs refuses to enforce the state's new mask mandate: tinyurl.com/y2zfjw7r.

In Ohio:

Senator Rob Portman signs up for a vaccine trial, to demonstrate the safety of vaccines: tinyurl.com/y2uz6sem.

In South Dakota:

A nurse reports that many of her patients deny the existence of COVID-19, even when they're dying from it: tinyurl.com/yxcuyntp.

In Texas:

The line stretches for hours outside a Dallas food bank as families hit by the pandemic get some much-needed help: tinyurl.com/y4c8xrpc.

Around the world:

In China:

The scramble is on to obtain vaccines, whether proven or not: tinyurl.com/y4xln9xv.

In Iran:

The country records 13,352 new cases, a daily record: tinyurl.com/yysodlv2.

In Italy:

The country records 32,141 new cases on Tuesday: tinyurl.com/yy7mdnd9.

In South Korea:

The country moves fast with social restrictions to cut off a new surge in cases: tinyurl.com/y2zab933.

In Switzerland:

The World Health Organization has recorded 65 cases of COVID-19 among staff members at its headquarters in Geneva: tinyurl.com/yy77oa34.

In the UK:

Scotland imposes its toughest restrictions on more than two million people: tinyurl.com/yx92obgq.

For your entertainment:

Off Broadway's Metropolitan Playhouse presents its next free screened reading, livestreamed at no charge, with talkback to follow: Self-Sacrifice, by William Dean Howells, November 21 at 8:00pm EST: www.metropolitanplayhouse.org. The video will be available through Wednesday, November 25, on the Playhouse webpage, the Metropolitan Playhouse YouTube channel, and the Metropolitan Playhouse Facebook page.

For your pleasure:

One hundred fifty performers from Chicago give you a taste of "All That Jazz." Bonus introduction by David Hasselhoff! tinyurl.com/y3sv5swp.

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

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Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources.