What You Need to Know About Coronavirus on Tuesday, October 20

The country's ability to track and trace cases whenever there is a potential new virus cluster has enabled the government to respond quickly and bring local epidemics under control. This includes a sophisticated color-sorted "health code" system to track people's movements. A clear (green) bill of health and corresponding QR code is required to enter many businesses, ensuring that almost everyone has adopted the measure.

Compliance in China is rarely optional. Containment has also been assisted by widespread mask wearing and sticking to public hygiene regulations, which have often been strictly policed by authorities, and promoted by mass propaganda campaigns.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED

Q. How long will we have to keep wearing masks?

When a vaccine comes, possibly in mid-2021, experts say people will still need to use masks for some time. "Remember that vaccines don't render mucosal immunity - that is, you still could harbor the virus. It protects from the illness. So we could actually get more carriers in the vaccination phase. And a lot of people don't recognize this," said Dr. Eric Topel, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.​

WHAT'S IMPORTANT TODAY

Trump trashes Fauci and makes baseless claims

A frustrated and at times foul-mouthed President Trump claimed on a campaign call that people are tired of hearing about the deadly pandemic which has killed more than 215,000 Americans and trashed Dr. Anthony Fauci as a "disaster" who has been around for "500 years."

Australia blunder prompts calls for hundreds to take HIV test

It's the latest in a series of Covid-19 setbacks to hit the country and the state of Victoria in particular. Earlier breaches at Victoria quarantine hotels led to a virus outbreak in Melbourne, prompting Australia's second-biggest city to spend months under strict lockdown.

UK will hold human challenge studies

The UK government has signed a contract for the first human challenge studies for the novel coronavirus, in which healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with the virus in a controlled setting, and some receive an experimental vaccine. Up to 19 volunteers at a time will take part in the tests in London.

ON OUR RADAR

TODAY'S TOP TIP

"It's the pandemic, it's the social unrest, it's climate change and the wildfires. It's the election, it's upcoming holidays," said Vaile Wright, American Psychological Association's senior director of health care innovation. "I can't remember any time in my lifetime, or most people's adult lifetimes, where you've had this many adversities."

TODAY'S PODCAST

"Europe's leaders are trying to cut off a potentially devastating second wave of deaths without further damaging their countries' economies. It's going to be a while before we can understand the human cost of this sort of strategy." - Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent