Coronavirus live updates: Health workers dying at ‘horrific rates’; More universities send students home

The U.S. reported 39,670 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, slightly below the previous seven-day average, but continuing a plateau seen over the past week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The seven-day average of daily new cases rose by at least 5% in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to a CNBC analysis of Hopkins data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is instructing states to be ready to distribute a potential vaccine by Nov. 1. 

Here are some of the day’s important headlines:

The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:

• Global cases: More than 26.3 million
• Global deaths: At least 869,290
• U.S. cases: More than 6.15 million
• U.S. deaths: At least 186,806