The US average of new daily cases is now at its highest point of the pandemic
From CNN's Matthew Hilk and Amanda Watts
Medical staff work at a Covid-19 testing site in Boston on October 22. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
The seven-day moving average of new daily Covid cases stood at 68,767 after Sunday -- a level not seen since the highest peak in late July, according to CNN's analysis of data by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Over the last seven days, the United States added 481,372 new cases -- the most the nation has added in a single week, according to JHU.
The period includes the two highest recorded single days for new cases, Friday and Saturday, which both eclipsed 80,000.
Sunday's number was lower -- 60,789 -- but represents the highest reported number for a Sunday since July 22. New case totals are routinely lower on Sundays and Mondays, reflecting slower reporting on weekends.
6:31 a.m. ET, October 26, 2020
China is testing millions after one asymptomatic case found
From CNN's Nectar Gan
China has rolled out mass coronavirus testing for nearly 5 million people and imposed lockdown measures in the prefecture of Kashgar in the far western region of Xinjiang, after a single asymptomatic coronavirus case was reported on Saturday.
The testing drive has so far identified 137 additional cases -- and all are asymptomatic, according to Xinjiang's regional health commission. This is the highest daily number of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases reported in China in nearly seven months.
As of Sunday afternoon, some 2.8 million people have been tested. The government expects to finish testing all of Kashgar's 4.7 million population by Tuesday.
The outbreak is Xinjiang's second since China's initial wave of coronavirus infections was brought under control in March.
Israel is set to reopen schools for grades 1-4 next week as coronavirus numbers across the country continue to fall. Classes will open under restrictions to prevent the resurgence of coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, including learning in limited “capsules,” with classes held on alternate days.
Health experts say the reopening of the school system after the first lockdown was one of the key factors in the rapid rise in cases over the summer.
Further discussions, focusing on the reopening of more businesses and transportation, are expected to take place Monday.
Israel recorded 559 new coronavirus cases Sunday and a positivity rate of 2.7%, dramatic improvements from the record 9,000 cases in one day less than a month ago.
But Netanyahu warned the public not to be complacent and threatened increased enforcement against anyone who violates the Ministry of Health restrictions.
“I believe that the fines must be increased and that determined action must be taken against whoever violates the directives, whether at weddings, institutions or events, or any other place that causes mass infection,” he said.
5:43 a.m. ET, October 26, 2020
French government advisor estimates country has 100,000 new Covid-19 cases a day
From CNN's Pierre Bairin in Paris
Medical staff members speak to a patient infected with Covid-19 in the infectious diseases unit of the Gonesse hospital in Gonesse, north of Paris, on October 22. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images
France may have an estimated 100,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to Jean-François Delfraissy, who leads the scientific council that advises the French government.
Speaking to France's RTL radio on Monday morning, Delfraissy said, "There are probably over 50,000 cases per day."
However, the scientific council estimates that the reality is around 100,000 daily cases, "because beyond diagnosed cases there are many not diagnosed and asymptomatic cases," Delfraissy said.
He added that France is in a "very difficult, even critical, situation."
"This second wave is probably going to be stronger than the first wave," he said, adding that the governing council's main objectives going forward are to protect the most vulnerable people from coronavirus and protect the economy.
On Sunday, the French Health Authority reported its highest daily increase in Covid-19 cases with 52,010 new infections.
The most recent figures also show that of all the intensive care unit (ICU) patients, half of them are people ill with Covid-19. That proportion is even more alarming in the Paris region where 65.5% of ICU beds were occupied by Covid patients.
There are currently 2,575 people currently in ICU in France -- double the number than in early October.
5:43 a.m. ET, October 26, 2020
Russia sees highest daily rise in Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina in Moscow
A ambulance crew member is seen parked outside the Novomoskovsky multipurpose medical center for patients with suspected Covid-19 infection in Moscow, on October 25. Artyom Geodakyan/TASS/Getty Images
Russia reported 17,347 new Covid-19 cases on Monday in its biggest 24-hour increase, according to the data from the country’s coronavirus response center.
The previous daily high of 17,340 cases was reported three days ago on October 23.
The total number of reported Covid-19 infections in Russia stands at 1,531,224, with at least 26,269 deaths.
4:53 a.m. ET, October 26, 2020
Austria reports highest rise in coronavirus cases for a single weekend
From Nadine Schmidt in Berlin
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is seen during the Vienna municipal election at the Vienna City Hall on October 11. Hans Punz/APA/AFP via Getty Images
Austria recorded 6,396 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend, its highest figure over 48 hours, according to the latest data from the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).
The total number of reported coronavirus infections in the country stands at 84,130.
Public health authorities say that 1,225 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19, of which 174 are in intensive care units.
At least 979 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in the country.
Last week, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced a set of new social restrictions to contain the spread of the virus, including limiting indoor gatherings to six people and a maximum of 12 people meeting together outdoors.
In September, Kurz said Austria's ski season will go ahead but with severe restrictions. Popular apres-ski parties will be banned to curb the spread of the virus.
4:38 a.m. ET, October 26, 2020
US hits highest 7-day average of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began
From CNN's Madeline Holcombe
The latest surge of Covid-19 infections has brought the US' seven-day average of new daily cases to heights not seen since the pandemic began.
Health experts say the resurgence of cases they have warned would strike in the fall and winter months is here and that it could be worse than the US has seen so far. Surging numbers in the US -- where there have been a total of more than 8.6 million infections and 225,230 people have died -- show the nation is at a "dangerous tipping point," former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News on Sunday.
The seven-day average of new cases has been creeping closer to the previous peak of the pandemic of 67,200 cases on July 22. The past week saw a new record with an average of 68,767 new cases every day.
The two highest single days of new cases were Friday and Saturday with more than 83,000 new cases added each day.
"We're entering what's going to be the steep slope of the curve, of the epidemic curve," Gottlieb told CBS's Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation."
Though cases are surging across the country, Gottlieb said things are going to start looking worse over the next two or three weeks. He said he doesn't foresee the implementation of forceful policy intervention that could curb the spread.
"If we don't do that, if we miss this window, this is going to continue to accelerate and it's going to be more difficult to get under control," he said.
Analysis: White House admission on pandemic overshadows Trump's last push for reelection
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
A stunning White House claim that the US cannot control the fast-worsening pandemic is overshadowing President Donald Trump's frantic last-ditch bid to turn around his reelection race with Democrat Joe Biden with eight days to go.
The comments by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on CNN on Sunday alarmed medical experts who argue that letting the coronavirus rage unchecked is akin to a policy of herd immunity that will cost many thousands of lives. But with daily new infections hitting record levels, Trump spent the weekend in a campaign blitz in which he openly flouted steps like masking and social distancing that could slow the spread of the disease and moaned that all the media talks about is "Covid, Covid, Covid."
"We are not going to control the pandemic," Meadows told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Sunday, arguing that "proper mitigation factors" like therapies and vaccines should be the priority.
The window into the administration's thinking came as Trump spent the weekend constructing a giant confidence trick for voters, declaring the country was "rounding the corner beautifully" in the battle against Covid-19.
Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, is refusing to accept standing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on quarantining after his chief of staff and a 'body man' personal assistant were among five people in his orbit to test positive in a new White House coronavirus hot spot.
The latest signs that Trump is putting his political priorities ahead of his duty of care to the American people come as the President plans a frantic week of packed rallies that flout good social distancing practice.
