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What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Oxford vaccine produces immune response
The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford produces a similar immune response in older and younger adults, and adverse responses were lower among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca said on Monday.

A vaccine is seen as a game-changer in the battle against the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.15 million people, hammered the global economy and shuttered normal life across the world.

COVID-19 infections are still rising in 78 countries. Track daily COVID-19 infections and deaths data for 240 countries and territories around the world.

Europe sees difficult months ahead
European leaders warned of difficult months ahead as a string of countries reported record increases in COVID-19 cases. France posted more than 50,000 daily cases for the first time on Sunday, while the continent passed 250,000 deaths. Governments have been desperate to avoid the lockdowns which curbed the disease at the start of the year at the cost of shutting down entire economies. But the steady rise in new cases has forced them to ratchet up controls steadily.

Despite deaths, South Korea urges flu vaccinations
South Korea urged citizens to get vaccinated against influenza and reduce the chances of an outbreak that coincides with the battle against the coronavirus, as it began free inoculations for the last eligible group. Public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines has surged after at least 48 people died this month following vaccinations. Authorities have said they found no direct link between the deaths and the flu shots and have sought to reassure South Koreans about the safety of the vaccines against flu.

Pandemic gives African money transfer firms a boost
Africa-focused money transfer companies are seeing a boom, despite predictions from the World Bank of a historic 20% drop to $445 billion in remittances to poorer countries this year due to a pandemic-induced global economic slump. Many migrant workers are turning to digital transfer services, often for the first time, to send money back home to African countries, according to executives in the mobile financial services industry.

From Breakingviews - Corona Capital: W-shaped recovery, UK investors.
New lockdowns in Italy and Spain cast fresh doubt over Europe’s economic rebound; And a startup catering to UK retail investors, PrimaryBid, gets an endorsement from the London Stock Exchange. Catch up with the latest financial insights.

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U.S.

U.S. jails are outsourcing medical care — and the death toll is rising. Reuters data analysis finds that jails with healthcare overseen by private companies incur higher death rates on average than those with care handled by government agencies. The story of a Georgia jail that hired Corizon Health reveals the hidden cost of privatized inmate healthcare. Read part one and explore the data for your state.

Meet the 'QAnon' caucus: The House of Representatives recently voted to condemn the pro-Trump online conspiracy theory known as “QAnon.” But multiple QAnon-friendly lawmakers may soon be taking seats in the House chamber. More than two dozen candidates for Congress in the Nov. 3 elections have endorsed or given credence to QAnon or promoted QAnon content online, the non-profit watchdog group Media Matters says. Two are independents; the rest are Republicans.

The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to confirm President Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, as the next justice to the Supreme Court, a move that will tilt the country’s highest court further to the right for years to come. No nominee to the Supreme Court has ever been confirmed by the Senate this close to a presidential election, with more than 58 million ballots already cast ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.

Microsoft, which has largely evaded Washington’s scrutiny of Big Tech companies and scored a lucrative $10 billion government contract under the Trump administration, has emerged as a significant backer of the Biden campaign.