Coronavirus updates: Asymptomatic coronavirus cases prevalent, study finds; Fed concerned over stimulus

A U.K. study has found that more than two thirds of people who tested positive for the coronavirus were asymptomatic on the day they took a test.

University College London researchers studied data collected by the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics, which has been regularly collecting coronavirus testing data from thousands of British households (whether they have symptoms or not) during the pandemic.

The study, which was peer reviewed, looked at 36,061 individuals who took a coronavirus test as part of the infection survey between April and June and found that 86.1% of those who tested positive for the virus did not report symptoms associated with the virus (a cough, fever or a loss of taste and/or smell) on the day they took a test.

Out of the 115 people that received a positive coronavirus result, only 16 reported the main symptoms that we associate with the virus.

Researchers Irene Petersen and Andrew Phillips concluded in the study, published in the Clinical Epidemiology journal on Thursday, that "Covid-19 symptoms are poor markers of SARS-CoV-2 (the new coronavirus)." — Holly Ellyatt

Millions of workers collecting unemployment are unlikely to get a boost in benefits before the November election, after President Donald Trump directed White House officials on Tuesday to stand down from negotiations with Democrats on another round of coronavirus relief. 

The situation likely leaves workers with just a fraction of their lost wages for an extended period, when the number of unemployed exceed job openings by 2:1.

The average worker got $305 a week (about $1,220 a month) in unemployment insurance from states in August, according to the Labor Department. Some, like Louisiana and Mississippi, paid just over $180 a week, the lowest average among all states.

Some workers get even less, though. States pay benefits within a minimum and maximum range. Hawaii, for example, pays a minimum benefit of $5 a week.

Millions are poised to lose benefits altogether by the end of the year, absent an extension from Congress. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for self-employed, gig and other workers ends after December. — Greg Iacurci

As retailers prepare for the start of the holiday season, they have another reason to worry: A breakdown in stimulus talks could dampen consumers' appetite for a shopping spree.

President Donald Trump cast doubt about the timing of economic stimulus payments to consumers in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon. He said the White House was halting talks with Democrats, and the news turned major stock averages sharply lower. But stocks were rising again by Wednesday morning, after Trump seemingly changed course, tweeting support for aid to airlines and other stimulus measures, stoking hopes that a smaller aid package could be passed by lawmakers. 

Retailers are already bracing for a chaotic and complex holiday season when they must convince Americans to shop, despite a recession, a global health crisis and the distraction of a presidential election. 

The retail industry's leading trade group, the National Retail Federation, is among those pushing for Congress and the president to approve additional stimulus as part of the solution.

"The pandemic isn't over and neither is the economic crisis it has created," NRF President and CEO Matt Shay said in a statement. —Melissa Repko and Lauren Thomas

Wednesday night's Vice Presidential debate will see plenty of extra coronavirus precautions, but pictures of two curved plexiglass barriers have some epidemiologists and airborne pathogen specialists scratching their heads.

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris will be seated more than 12 feet apart and separated by two plexiglass barriers. But those barriers are "entirely symbolic," according to Dr. Bill Schaffner, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University.

Kimberly Prather, a distinguished professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of California at San Diego, said of the barriers: "When I saw it I laughed, but it's not funny."

Jose-Luis Jimenez, a chemistry professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies how aerosols spread the virus, said the barriers "are a joke. It is just theater, to make it look like they are taking some precautions." —Will Feuer

Federal Reserve officials expressed concern during their September meeting that the U.S. economic recovery could stall if Congress didn't pass more fiscal stimulus. 

While the central bankers described the economic recovery as "rapid," this was largely due to massive fiscal support provided by the federal government. 

"Many participants noted that their economic outlook assumed additional fiscal support and that if future fiscal support was significantly smaller or arrived significantly later than they expected, the pace of the recovery could be slower than anticipated," according to the minutes from the meeting. 

Minority and lower-income communities in particular will face financial hardship if more relief doesn't arrive, according to Fed officials. 

—Spencer Kimball

Delta Air Lines is shuffling dozens of middle managers as it rethinks its needs as a smaller carrier in the midst of the pandemic.

Delta's goal isn't to cut headcount, a spokesman said, but to add staffing in areas more tied to the daily operation of the airline and reduce in other areas. More than 17,000 Delta employees, about a fifth of its pre-pandemic staff, have accepted buyouts or early retirement. Employees affected by the changes could apply for new jobs or take buyout offers.

American and United which shrunk their top executive ranks earlier this year. Late last month Delta shifted responsibilities of top executives after its COO retired. —Leslie Josephs