Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.
CNN’s town hall on coronavirus facts and fears has just ended.
We talked to former NBA player Magic Johnson, CDC Director Robert Redfield, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove from the WHO, and more. Scroll through our posts below to catch up on what was discussed.
Have a question about the coronavirus? We’ve answered them here.
Alaska is the latest state to extend school closures through the remainder of the academic year.
“We’re trying to give as much certainty as we can to the public. To wait another two or three weeks when we’re already close to the (end of the) school year at that point, we feel would cause more disruption and more confusion,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy in a press conference today.
The state is also extending its social distancing order for another ten days, effective through at least April 21.
“We wanted to make sure we continue that we continue the good work that all Alaskans are doing,” said Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum.
Coronavirus cases in Europe are doubling very rapidly, every three to four days, said the World Health Organization’s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove on CNN’s coronavirus town hall tonight.
Experts identify the number of cases being reported each day and how quickly those numbers are doubling – and this rate is called the doubling time, she said.
“Right now, across Europe the doubling time is three to four days. That’s very fast,” Van Kerkhove said.
She also expressed the importance of testing to determine the global spread of the outbreak.
“If you’re seeing countries that have 30% positivity rate, that means that there’s a lot of cases that are out there. If you’re seeing countries that have a 1% positivity rate, that means … they’re actually capturing more of their cases,” Van Kerkhove said.
A positivity rate means the percentage of positive results out of total tests done.
Twenty five more detainees at the Cook County Jail in Chicago have tested positive for Covid-19, raising the total number of cases among inmates to 276, said the Cook County Sheriff’s Office today.
Of these infected detainees, 21 have been hospitalized and 36 have been moved to a recovery facility. One has died of “apparent” complications, but an autopsy remains pending.
172 employees at the county sheriff’s office also tested positive, with the majority of employees being correctional deputies at the jail.
Releasing detainees: The sheriff’s office said today that they will continue help identify individuals for release. This process has already reduced the jail population by 1,247 detainees since March 9.
But also today, a federal judge denied a motion to order the immediate release of medically vulnerable detainees at the jail to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Instead, here’s what they’re doing: There will be a mobile testing site at the jail for sheriff’s office staff, capable of testing up to 100 people a day, said Sheriff Thomas Dart.
Jail officials say they have moved inmates from double cells to single cells to increase social distancing, and have created an off-site 500-bed quarantine and care facility for detainees.
New York City has 7,521 new coronavirus cases and 518 new deaths, according to the city’s website.
That brings the city’s total to 87,725 cases and 4,778 deaths.
This case total doesn’t reflect the number of active cases, but rather the total number of people infected since the start of the pandemic.
That means, according to official statistics, New York City alone now has had more infections than the whole of China, which has reported 81,907 cases, according to the Chinese National Health Commission.
Former Los Angeles Laker player and NBA Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson joined CNN’s coronavirus town hall to talk about his experience living through two major outbreaks – the HIV epidemic and now this pandemic.
On racial inequality during a pandemic:
“When you think about African-Americans, we deal with a lot of health issues already. And then the lack of access to health care, that’s just an unbeatable combination, and so we must get better,” he said.
Change must begin at a local level, then at a state level, then at the federal level, he said.
“Until someone says, hey, we’re going to make sure that African-Americans and Latinos and others have a level playing field, that the same opportunities that others have … Until those things change, (minorities) are still going to have a lack of health care.”
On the parallels between this pandemic and the HIV/AIDS epidemic:
Johnson announced in 1991 both his retirement from the NBA – and his HIV-positive status. “I think right now is similar to what happened with HIV and AIDS,” he said.
Some of those parallels include a lack of testing in black and minority communities, and a lack of accurate information within underprivileged areas, he said.
Watch:
Louisiana Rep. Reggie Bagala has died from the coronavirus after being hospitalized, his son said today.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Brennan Matherne, confirmed that Bagala passed away from Covid-19.
Bagala, 54, was a Republican freshman who represented the Jefferson and Lafourche parishes, and was elected to office in 2019.
Earlier this week, he had said on Facebook that his father was in “seriously critical condition” at Ochsner St. Anne Hospital in Raceland, southwest of New Orleans.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards also paid tribute to Bagala.
“Just one month ago, he entered the Louisiana State Capitol with excitement and eagerness to serve the people of our great state and the people of House District 54, and today we mourn his loss. We are better for having people like Rep. Bagala who are willing to be public servants & make our state better,” Edwards said on Twitter.
At the ongoing CNN town hall on coronavirus facts and fears, medical experts and officials answered questions from the audience. Here are a few:
“The data that we have now clearly does show that minority populations appear to be having a greater risk for complications,” said US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield.
The virus “does not discriminate who it infects” – but racial minorities including African Americans are at higher risk of complication because of health disparities. Groups with larger proportions of pre-existing conditions like diabetes, asthma, obesity, and more are going to be most vulnerable.
It’s too early to tell, Redfield said – there are clinical trials underway on this, but we just don’t have the data yet to tell what’s effective or not.
“At this stage, this moment in time, we’re not recommending it, but we’re not not recommending it,” he said. “The way to do this is to do the appropriate trials and get the answer.”
Here’s how to do it, according to Dr. Celine Gounder, clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at NYU Medical School.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows how to make your own mask:
The US hasn’t budgeted enough to fight disease, said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield during CNN’s ongoing town hall on the coronavirus.
“We’re in the position now of preparing a significant expansion of local public health capacity so that we can operationalize this.”
The CDC now has more than 500 people in all 50 states, Redfield said, and the agency plans to expand that number substantially to have a public health response team that can manage when someone tests positive for coronavirus.
Some experts have said that the country will need at least 300,000 people around the country for adequate contract tracing, but Redfield disagreed.
“I don’t think that’s the estimates that we have right now,” Redfield said. “I think if we were trying to do this in the midst of a massive transmission period, it may be more substantial. I do think it’s going to take a substantial enhancement, but I don’t think that’s quite the magnitude that we think at this moment in time.”
China reported 42 new confirmed coronavirus cases and one new death at the end of Thursday, according the country’s National Health Commission.
This raises the national total to 81,907 cases and 3,336 deaths, according to the NHC.
This case total doesn’t reflect the number of active cases, but rather the total number of people infected since the start of the pandemic. Of those total cases, 77,455 patients have now recovered and been discharged from hospital.
Out of the 42 new cases, 38 were imported from overseas. In a separate count, 47 new asymptomatic infections were reported, including 14 imported cases. There are now 1,097 asymptomatic cases under medical observation.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said he is thinking ahead to prepare for what could happen next year with the coronavirus.
It “will be another challenging time,” he warned during CNN’s ongoing coronavirus town hall. “I want to be able to have it so we respond to it next year with the fundamentals of public health, early case identification, isolation contact tracing.
Those proactive steps would change the way the country could deal with another outbreak. That way, “we don’t have to go through the serious mitigation steps that we’re taking to get us under control,” Redfield said.
All public transportation in Cuba will be suspended starting Saturday to stop the virus from spreading across the island, officials announced today.
This means buses, taxis and other forms of public transit will cease to operate, said Cuban Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila on state-run television.
Only state employees deemed essential to national interests will be allowed to take special buses to their workplaces, he said. Those employees will need to wear face masks and maintain social distancing from other passengers.
Most Cubans rely on public transportation to travel, often packing into buses and vintage American cars that operate as communal taxis.
Cuba has 515 cases and 15 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
##Daily Life
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield praised the American people for largely adhering to social distancing guidelines, which he described as among the most important “weapons” wielded against the pandemic.
Redfield made these comments Thursday night during CNN’s coronavirus town hall.
He added: “But I can tell you, I’ve been really unbelievably amazed and gratified by the commitment of the American people.”
The city of Honolulu, Hawaii, is instituting a “pilot” curfew for the city into place to try to avoid the spread of coronavirus over the coming Easter weekend.
Police Chief Susan Ballard announced in a press conference that most people will not be allowed to use any vehicles – “anything with a wheel,” she said – from 11 p.m. local time until 5 a.m. each day, as police patrols are increased.
Although it is currently in effect only for the upcoming weekend, Ballard says it may be extended through the rest of the month if it’s considered a success.
The mayor also announced a new campaign called “No Butts on Beaches,” encouraging people not to use public beaches for sunbathing.
Caldwell says socially distant surfing is still allowed, but with no mingling afterward.
“When you come out of the water, maybe you rinse off, but you go home,” Caldwell said.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are hosting a two-hour special tonight on the coronavirus pandemic.
There is no audience tonight due to ongoing concerns around the coronavirus.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott today announced the passing of former Vermont State Representative Bernie Juskiewicz, who was a confirmed positive case of Covid-19, according to the governor’s office.
Scott added: “Although this terrible new disease took Bernie from us, the impact of his service will live on. My heart goes out to Suzan and the rest of his family during this difficult time.”
Scott has ordered the Vermont state flag to fly at half-staff on April 13 in the late lawmaker’s honor.
Amazon has reassigned a group of employees to build a lab meant for coronavirus testing, the e-commerce giant said Thursday.
The company hopes to begin testing “small numbers of our front line employees soon” for the virus, and left open the possibility that the testing could be made more widely available.
Some context: The move comes amid mounting pressure on Amazon to protect its workers, as more have fallen ill.
More than a dozen Amazon facilities have been hit by the pandemic, and many workers claim that the true number is far higher.
“We’ve begun the work of building incremental testing capacity,” Amazon said in a blog post Thursday. “A team of Amazonians with a variety of skills – from research scientists and program managers to procurement specialists and software engineers – have moved from their normal day jobs onto a dedicated team to work on this initiative.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed an executive order that allows for licensed funeral directors around the country to practice in New York state, a move that will make it easier for more funeral directors to assist with the high number of coronavirus deaths.
The governor said earlier today that he was planning to sign this type of order.
The order also allows for the New York State Registrar to register death certificates and issue burial and removal permits, as well as allowing for individuals deputized by the Health Commissioner to be agents who, after being authorized by a funeral director, can be present and supervise and arrange for the removal or transfer of a deceased individual.
Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said some states are already distributing the additional $600 benefit to unemployment applicants provided through the latest stimulus package, but acknowledged that there are still lags in other states’ computer systems preventing them from distributing the payments.
Some context: Scalia’s comments come amid skyrocketing unemployment claims across the country.
Scalia added the federal government has “already dispersed half a billion dollars to states to help them with their systems and making these payments. We have another half a billion dollars that we’re ready to release.”
