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U.S. reported more than 57,000 cases on Friday; White House draws up $1.8 trillion relief package

The U.S. reported more than 57,000 cases of the coronavirus on Friday, the highest tally in nearly two months, as the Trump administration sweetened its offer to Democrats for a virus-related relief package.

New daily infections were above 50,000 for the third day in a row. Total confirmed cases in the U.S. neared 7.7 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The nation’s death toll stood at more than 213,000.

Nationwide hospitalizations are around 35,000, up from 30,000 a week ago but well under the numbers seen in the earlier months of the pandemic, according to the Covid Tracking Project. The number of hospitalizations in the U.S. peaked at nearly 60,000 in mid-April and again in mid-July.

On Friday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) a relief-package proposal of more than $1.8 trillion, in the largest bid the Trump administration has made to Democrats to date. The two sides have been engaged in a stop-and-start effort to deliver new aid for households and businesses before the election.

President Trump plans to resume in-person events after being treated for a coronavirus infection with a gathering at the White House on Saturday. In addition, officials said, he would travel to Florida for a campaign rally on Monday.

Also Friday, the Commission on Presidential Debates said it would cancel a planned matchup next week between Mr. Trump and Joe Biden. The move followed the president’s decision to not participate in a virtual debate.

Mr. Trump’s endorsement of an experimental Covid-19 drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has raised expectations for a type of medicine that could be authorized for public use within weeks or even days.

Regeneron is racing against Eli Lilly & Co. to bring the first monoclonal antibody drug on the market to treat Covid-19 patients who aren’t sick enough to be hospitalized. Both companies said they asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize use, and they had already made tens of thousands of doses for patients.

If greenlighted, the shots would begin to fill a big hole in the Covid-19 medicine chest for treatment of early and less-severe cases. After more testing, they could offer temporary protection against infections until vaccines arrive.

New Jersey: On Saturday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced that he was released from the hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus last week. At the time, Mr. Christie said he checked himself into the hospital on Oct. 3 as a precautionary measure due to his history of asthma. “I will have more to say about all of this next week,” he wrote in a tweet.

South Carolina: Clemson University’s football team will host the University of Miami on Saturday night, with about 19,000 fans expected to file into the school’s 81,000-seat stadium. The matchup gives some semblance of normalcy to the South Carolina campus, even as case numbers continue to rise. Clemson has had 3,962 positive tests among students since June, equivalent to roughly 15% of the student population. School spokesman Mark Land said the share is likely lower, as some individuals received multiple positive tests.

Clemson said 4.3% of this week’s tests so far were positive, according to data reported Friday. That puts the campus positivity rate far below the statewide level of 11.4%.

More than 530 of the roughly 6,000 students living on campus are currently in isolation or quarantine. The school said in its reopening plan that it has space for 650, and Mr. Land said they are looking to identify more space in case it is needed.

The school doesn’t currently plan to shift to entirely online classes, and hasn’t quarantined any full residence halls, as some other schools have needed to do. Mr. Land said compliance has been good regarding requirements to wear masks indoors, as well as outdoors when social distancing isn’t possible.

South Carolina’s governor allowed restaurants to reopen to 100% capacity last week, up from 50% capacity in recent months.

South Korea: South Korea reported 72 new cases on Saturday, bringing the country’s total to 24,548. It is the third straight day of double-digit cases, though authorities remain concerned about a potential surge emerging from two sets of recent national holidays. Health authorities are expected to decide this weekend whether to continue more restrictive social distancing measures. Officials in Seoul had banned rallies of 10 or more people until Sunday, after mass demonstrations in mid-August were linked to a surge in cases that peaked at 441 new daily infections.

India: On Saturday, India reported 73,272 new cases of infection, taking its total to 6,979,423, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It reported 926 new deaths, raising the total to 107,416.

Guam: Guam recorded 55 new cases, bringing the total to 2,989. Hospitalizations on Guam are now at their highest level since early September. There are now 50 people in the hospital, three of whom are in a U.S. Naval facility.