This Week in Coronavirus: September 4 to September 10

Here’s our recap of the past week in the coronavirus pandemic from our tracking, policy analysis, polling, and journalism.

With U.S. coronavirus cases totaling 6.4 million and confirmed deaths edging toward the 200,000 mark, new polling indicates that 20% of registered voters say the coronavirus outbreak is the most important issue in deciding their vote for president, ranking second to the economy (32%).

The poll also reports that if there is an approved vaccine before Election Day made available free of charge, about 54% of adults say they would not want to get vaccinated. 62% of Americans worry that political pressure from the Trump administration will lead the Food and Drug Administration to rush vaccine approval without making sure it is safe and effective.

With the coronavirus outbreak an important voting issue for many Americans, a new brief presents a side-by-side comparison of President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on their records, actions and proposals related to the pandemic and its consequences.

Here are the latest coronavirus stats from KFF’s tracking resources:

Global Cases and Deaths: Total cases worldwide surpassed 28 million this week – with an increase of approximately 1.9 million new confirmed cases in the past seven days. There were approximately 40,800 new confirmed deaths worldwide, bringing the total to more than 909,500 confirmed deaths.

U.S. Cases and Deaths: Total confirmed cases in the U.S. neared 6.4 million this week. There was an approximate increase of 246,000 confirmed cases between September 3 and September 10. Approximately 5,000 confirmed deaths in the past week brought the total in the United States to nearly 192,000.

State Reports of Long-Term Care Facility Cases and Deaths Related to COVID-19 (Includes Washington D.C.) as of 9/4

• Data Reporting Status: 47 states are reporting COVID-19 data in long-term care facilities, 4 states are not reporting
• Long-term care facilities with known cases: 18,147 (across 46 states)
• Cases in long-term care facilities: 468,607 (across 46 states)
• Deaths in long-term care facilities: 76,270 (in 47 states)
• Long-term care facility cases as a share of total state cases: 8% (across 46 states)
• Long-term care facility deaths as a share of total state deaths: 41% (across 47 states)

State Social Distancing Actions (includes Washington D.C.) that went into effect this week:

Extensions: CO, CT, HI, MD, RI, SC, TX, UT

Enhanced Face Covering Requirement: NM

Rollbacks: NM, UT, VA

The latest KFF COVID-19 resources:

• KFF Health Tracking Poll – September 2020: Top Issues in 2020 Election, The Role of Misinformation, and Views on A Potential Coronavirus Vaccine (News Release, Poll Findings)
• Comparing Trump and Biden on COVID-19 (News Release, Issue Brief)
• What Have Pandemic-Related Job Losses Meant for Health Coverage? (Policy Watch Post)
• Medicaid Managed Care Rates and Flexibilities: State Options to Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic (Issue Brief)
• Updated: COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker – Updated as of September 9 (Interactive)
• Updated: Medicaid Emergency Authority Tracker: Approved State Actions to Address COVID-19 (Issue Brief)
• Updated: State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus (Interactive)
• USAID Set To Shutter Its Coronavirus Task Force, Delegate Functions Within Agency (KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report)

The latest KHN COVID-19 stories:

• Hospitals, Nursing Homes Fail to Separate COVID Patients, Putting Others at Risk (KHN, NPR)
• Kids Are Missing Critical Windows for Lead Testing Due to Pandemic (KHN, CNN)
• Most Adults Wary of Taking Any Vaccine Approved Before the Election (KHN)
• KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Science‘ (KHN)
• Terrible Role-Modeling’: California Lawmakers Flout Pandemic Etiquette (CHL)
• Making Gyms Safer: Why the Virus Is Less Likely to Spread There Than in a Bar (KHN, NPR)
• What Is the Risk of Catching the Coronavirus on a Plane? (KHN, PolitiFact)
• With Schools Starting Online, Vaccinations Head for Recess (KHN, USA Today)
• Lost on the Frontline: New This Week (The Guardian)
• Exercise and Diet Are More Important Than Ever With Virus at Large (KHN)