US: 11.4M Cases - 252K Dead - 6.9M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 54.9M Cases - 1.3M Dead - 38.2M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 203+  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 140
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Walmart, Kroger Co., Walgreens, Albertson's among chains to administer free COVID vaccines
Drug stores and supermarket pharmacies nationwide will be administering free COVID-19 vaccines when they become available.

Dozens of retailers (see list at end of article) are teaming up with the Department of Health and Human Services to administer free COVID-19 vaccines. As part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Strategy for COVID-19 Vaccination, the pharmacies will receive a direct allocation of COVID-19 vaccine once it is authorized or approved and recommended for use in the United State.

The program covers approximately 60% of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The vaccine will be administered at no cost to recipients. chainstoreage.com

Covid Is Resurging, and This Time It’s Everywhere
With a third surge of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the U.S., many public-health authorities are warning the coronavirus is now so widespread that it will take pervasive new measures to contain it.

Now, it is everywhere. People are becoming infected not just at big gatherings, but when they let their guard down, such as by not wearing a mask, while going about their daily routines or in smaller social settings that they thought of as safe—often among their own families or trusted friends.

The number of confirmed cases is rising significantly in all but a few states, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Most of the new cases are in the Midwest, which is experiencing a major surge. But even states and cities that had successfully beaten the virus down to low levels are struggling with rising numbers of illnesses.

The number of hospitalizations has reached a new high, though hospital stays are shorter and fewer people are dying than in the spring, likely due to more medical knowledge and better treatment. The seven-day average of new daily Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. was above 1,000 last week. But that average was still well below the highs seen in April when the seven-day average briefly topped 2,200 daily deaths.

Disease modelers predict a difficult winter ahead, as families and friends gather; just how difficult will depend on the measures that authorities, businesses and individuals take now to slow the virus, public-health experts say.

Total shutdowns may not be necessary, said Celine Gounder, an infectious-diseases specialist and epidemiologist. Enough has been learned about the virus over the past many months that interventions can be more targeted to certain ZIP Codes or types of gathering places, more like a dimmer than an on-off light switch, she said. “I think at this point we actually know enough—we’ve learned a lot—that we’re not going to have to be quite so draconian in our measures,” said Dr. Gounder, who is also on the Covid-19 transition advisory board.

Epidemiologists cite several factors behind the current surge: colder weather driving people indoors, including into bars and restaurants; the return of students to college campuses; public-health measures such as mask-wearing that are recommended but not required in some states; mixed messages about the dangers of the virus; and pandemic fatigue. wsj.com

It’s Now Up to Governors to Slow the Spread

States should work together to close bars & nightclubs —or risk expensive lockdowns

State and local actions, supported by improved treatments, can help build a bridge to vaccinations and more widespread immunity in 2021. Americans are understandably tired of Covid, but accepting temporary restrictions now will help prevent even more painful personal and economic disruptions.

Thanksgiving will be no different without more vigilance. At least while infections are widespread and surging, governors and local leaders should mandate the use of masks and impose clear and consistent plans to restrict gatherings. They should remind people to avoid large groups at Thanksgiving and stay home if possible.

This doesn’t mean broad lockdowns. State and local leaders can tie restrictions to expected hospital strain, tailored to hot spots and not necessarily the entire state. Restrictions can focus on known sources of spread, such as bars and nightclubs. wsj.com

The Good & Bad News
Fauci: COVID-19 won’t be pandemic ‘for a lot longer’ thanks to vaccines
The coronavirus pandemic’s days are numbered — thanks to upcoming vaccines proven effective so far against the bug, Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted Thursday.

“Certainly it’s not going to be a pandemic for a lot longer because I believe the vaccines are going to turn that around,” Fauci said at a virtual health conference hosted by London-based think tank Chatham House.

Still, the nation’s top infectious disease expert warned that the novel coronavirus is likely here to stay.

“I doubt we’re going to eradicate this,” he said. “I think we need to plan that this is something we may need to maintain control over chronically. It may be something that becomes endemic that we have to just be careful about.” nypost.com

2nd Vaccine Hits Key Milestone
20M Doses for 10M People By End of Year

Moderna’s Vaccine Proves Over 94% Effective in Latest Trial

Seeking federal authorization for shot by early December

Though preliminary, the early results for the two vaccines suggest researchers can develop effective Covid-19 shots, which would be a big help in taming the pandemic.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines are among the most advanced in development in the West, along with candidates from AstraZeneca PLC, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc.

Covid-19 vaccines developed in China and Russia have already been administered, though they haven’t finished the final stage of testing.

Moderna is working with contract manufacturers to boost production so it can make 500 million to one billion doses next year. Its U.S. contract has an option for 400 million doses in addition to the initial 100 million. wsj.com

Walmart counting customers in stores
Grocers reinstate limits TP

Walmart beginning Saturday is resuming monitoring and counting the number of customers entering its stores.

● Dating back to April, Walmart has been restricting the number of people in its big-box stores to not exceed five customers per every roughly 1,000 square feet, or about 20% of a store’s capacity.

● Grocers like Kroger, Wegmans, Publix, and Giant have also reinstated buying limits for items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer. cnbc.com

'Escape From New York' 300,000+ New Yorkers Deserted the Ship
New stats reveal massive NYC exodus amid coronavirus, crime
City residents filed 295,103 change of address requests from March 1 through Oct. 31, in 8 months.
And a single address change could represent an entire household, which means far more than 300,000 New Yorkers fled the five boroughs.

“I think people are afraid,” Hendrix said. “They’re afraid of catching a deadly virus and they’re afraid of crime and other quality-of-life concerns. One thing we also hear is about trash and cleanliness of the city.”

Major crimes have been on the rise this year, with the number of murders in the Big Apple hitting 344 by October, surpassing the count for all of 2019. The number of shootings through Nov. 8 is up 94% over 2019. nypost.com

Editor's Note: You know this isn't the only city people are deserting. So much for the urban push with smaller stores for the big chains trying to catch consumers. Guess what they're are their way back out. Just a thought. - Gus Downing

LA Businesses Closed - More Restrictions Expected This Week
Weekend COVID-19 surge alarms L.A. officials amid talk of curfew, more actions
A fresh surge of coronavirus cases on Saturday and Sunday has alarmed Los Angeles County officials, who say they may consider imposing a curfew and other health measures in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Amid the increase, the county Department of Public Health is expected to submit a series of recommendations to the Board of Supervisors this week. “Potential options could be instituting a curfew so businesses do not have to completely close down again, but are more limited to essential activities,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said Sunday in a statement.

L.A. County remains in the strictest, or purple, tier of the state’s four-phase reopening plan, meaning many businesses must remain closed for indoor operations. latimes.com

Hospitals Overwhelmed
Minnesota in 'desperate and dangerous place' with COVID-19

Death tally has been catching up to rise in cases, with worse ahead

With case counts soaring, the death toll climbing and fears growing that hospitals could become overwhelmed if the trend isn’t restrained.

Health officials stressed the skyrocketing count wasn’t due to a backlog or some other reporting anomaly, but rather, the rapid spread of a virus that will likely produce rising death counts and hospitalizations for weeks to come. startribune.com

ICSC - Show Off Your Safety Practices
Shopping centers balance safety and engagement
Shopping centers’ challenge in COVID-19 times is maintaining the magic of the holidays while making sure guests, retailers and families feel safe, she says.

Show off safety practices
Of utmost importance, marketing experts say, is emphasizing the safety mechanisms you are putting into play, whether mandatory masking, extra cleaning, health screenings for costumed employees, limited numbers of tickets or putting characters like Santa behind Plexiglass.

If done well, holiday promotions can be an opportunity to bring shoppers back. “A lot of people haven’t been back to the mall since it has closed.”

“One of our goals is to instill in customers that shopping malls are still a safe place to go. They are large. They’re open. Getting people to come back and see an event and see all the health and safety measures we have put in place at the shopping centers, we believe, will really enforce that we are looking out for our local communities.”

A couple signature Christmas activations at properties, include a Shop and Stroll during which guests can meet elves, enjoy live music and win prizes for participating in activities at different stores; and an outdoor holiday movie night in the parking lot. They're also including omnichannel experiences. Many shopping centers already have experienced the benefit of talking about safety practices with consumers. icsc.com

Don't Flat-Out Ignore the Warning Signs Folks
Having a Zoom Thanksgiving?
Cancel In-Person Thanksgiving Altogether
Thanksgiving could become a superspreader event.

Experts say the CDC’s Thanksgiving guidelines are too lenient
American Thanksgiving is fast approaching, but Canada celebrated its Thanksgiving in early October. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s calls to cancel in-person gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus, celebrations went on, and led to now-documented outbreaks. The experience of our northern neighbor, which has significantly lower COVID-19 cases, could serve as a warning for how Americans treat the event on November 26.

Experts worry that these official guidelines are too lax in that they do not issue a sterner warning to cancel in-person Thanksgiving altogether.

Much of the population is experiencing “COVID fatigue,” almost nine months into the pandemic and now facing the prospect of new lockdowns in many parts of the country. “They’re really at their wit’s end,” says Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University. “It’s starting to cause complacency and apathy, and just flat-out rejection of adherence to the guidelines.”  fastcompany.com

Editor's Note: Hey, my family was going to get together but with one who works at an Amazon warehouse and got COVID there, another one pregnant, and two in the double high-risk group, we canceled over the weekend. We're all going to have a Zoom Thanksgiving. -Gus Downing

More OSHA Inspectors Coming in Q1 2021
Here Comes OSHA

Employers can expect OSHA to issue emergency rule for COVID-19 early
in Biden administration
The Trump Administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been criticized for not doing enough to respond to the pandemic and for refusing to adopt an emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 workplace safety. According to critics, OSHA’s approach of providing optional guidelines for employers has been out of sync with the seriousness of the pandemic.

Employers can expect that once President-elect Biden is inaugurated, OSHA’s top priority will be to issue a specific standard for COVID-19 that will remain in effect until the pandemic subsides.

An emergency standard may make compliance with OSHA and CDC guidance on COVID-19 protections mandatory for employers, including requiring that all employees wear masks and socially distance. It may also compel employers to:

● Develop detailed plans to reduce the spread of the virus at work and submit the plans to the agency;

● Report all employees who test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19 to the agency; and

● Provide specific employee training.

Employers can also expect the Biden Administration’s OSHA to aggressively pursue employee complaints about COVID-19 exposure at work, hiring more inspectors and conducting more inspections; issuing more citations and penalties; and publicly releasing information about cited employers in an effort to “shame” them.

In all states, even before the change in administrations, employers should prepare for additional OSHA inspections and citations under existing standards as the disease becomes more widespread. nexsenpruet.com

Protecting Workers from COVID-19 Hazards
COVID-19 Response Summary - Enforcement

OSHA has removed 638,274 workers from COVID-19 hazards during the coronavirus pandemic.

Total Retail & Warehousing = 2,175 Complaints from April 20th to Nov. 15th.

Total Complaints by industry: 1,182 about Retail Trade, 172 complaints filed about Grocery Stores, 625 complaints about Restaurants, 196 about General Warehousing & Storage. osha.gov

In Case You Missed It:
Cal/OSHA Flash Report: Here Are the Emergency COVID Regs
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has published an extensive, 21-page emergency regulation regarding the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces. But the proposal, which the board will vote on November 19th, goes beyond workplaces to include employer-provided housing and transportation. It has new ominous reporting requirements.

The proposal comes in response to a request by Worksafe and the plaintiff’s lawyers. There are sure to be plenty of stakeholder comments at this week’s meeting. With the advent and expected delivery of a vaccine by the Trump administration, there are many questions about the need for this regulation.

If, as expected, it is approved by the board, it will go to the Office of Administrative Law and is projected to become effective by the end of November.

According to sources, changes are unlikely to be made no matter what the comments are from the business community.

Note: The Board has provided only a couple of days for comments. Cal-OSHA Reporter is making the full proposed reg available for download. Click here to get the proposal. cal-osha.com

Tyson Foods is using infection-tracking algorithms and ongoing employee testing
To shield workers at the biggest U.S. meatpacker from a fresh surge in coronavirus cases.

NJ Lowering Indoor Limits to 10 & Outdoor to 100 on gatherings

Costco makes everybody mask up