May 23 coronavirus news

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.

The New York Times will list the names of 1,000 Americans who have died from coronavirus, or 1% of the nearly 100,000 US deaths, on its front page for Sunday. The newspaper tweeted a preview of the front page Saturday.

From left, Vice Dean Ellen Clark-King, Dean Malcolm Young and Bishop Marc Andrus conduct a virtual Easter Sunday service at an empty Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ban on in-person church services in a ruling issued Friday in a lawsuit filed by a church in Chula Vista.

South Bay United Pentecostal Church filed for a temporary injunction and sued the governor along with several other state officers on May 8 following Newsom’s May 4 announcement that stage two of the state’s reopening plan would commence within a week, according to the ruling.

The state of California is currently in stage two of its four-phase reopening plan. Churches would be allowed to reopen in stage three of the plan as they are a “higher risk workplace,” the ruling noted. 

A district court denied the request for a temporary injunction on May 15, according to the ruling.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House on May 19.

Foreign athletes from multiple professional sports leagues will be allowed to return to the United States after Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf signed an order on Friday exempting them from any proclamations barring their entry into the US during the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement said DHS will work with the leagues “to identify the specific athletes, essential staff, team and league leadership, spouses, and dependents covered by this exemption.”

The leagues include:

Convalescent plasma from a recovered coronavirus patient is seen at Central Seattle Donor Center of Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle, Washington.

Hospitalized Covid-19 patients appear to fare better when they receive infusions of antibody-filled convalescent plasma, according to a study released on Friday.

The study hasn’t been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal, but researchers said the findings are a good sign for the plasma therapy, which is derived from the blood of recovered Covid-19 patients.

Researchers are “remaining mindful that additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and draw more definitive conclusions in different populations,” she said.

The new study was small. It compared 39 patients who received convalescent plasma with “matched controls” – patients who didn’t receive plasma but were similar to those who did.

It wasn’t a traditional clinical trial because patients weren’t randomly assigned to a treatment group or a control group. Instead, the controls were picked after-the-fact using an algorithm.

Still, patients who received plasma saw improved survival. As of May 1, about 13% of patients who received the treatment had died, compared to 24% of those who didn’t.

The researchers said larger studies were needed, but they noted that the mortality benefit was limited to patients who didn’t need a breathing tube.

“We did not observe significant benefit of convalescent plasma in intubated patients, consistent with past literature demonstrating that passive antibody transfer therapies are most efficacious early in disease,” they wrote.

Dominic Cummings arrives at his home in London on May 23.

British police have confirmed that an officer made contact with the father of Dominic Cummings – a senior adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson – regarding his trip to Durham during the nationwide lockdown, the Press Association reported Saturday. 

This information contradicts an earlier statement from Downing Street, which asserted that the police made no contact with Cummings or his family. 

An officer spoke with the father of Dominic Cummings, who said that his son had traveled to the northeast of England and was “self-isolating in part of the property,” according to Durham Police, the PA reported Saturday. 

This comes after Downing Street issued a statement regarding Cummings’ trip to Durham, asserting that “at no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported.”

Cummings has come under fire for reportedly traveling to Durham – more than 250 miles from his home in London – on two separate occasions, despite national lockdown regulations. 

Downing Street has since denied these reports, featured in the Mirror and Guardian newspapers, arguing that they contain “false allegations” and “inaccurate stories” about Cummings. 

“His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines. Mr Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally,” according to a statement from Downing Street.

The New York Police Department has lost a 43rd member to complications of Covid-19, according to the NYPD’s daily coronavirus report.

Doris Kirkland died Friday after having served as a school safety agent for over 30 years, the NYPD said.

To date, 5,739 members of the NYPD have tested positive for coronavirus.

As of Saturday. 5,598 members of the NYPD have returned to work full-time after recovering from a positive test for the coronavirus, the report said.

On Saturday, 2.6%, or 926 members, of the NYPD’s uniformed workforce were out sick – down from a high of 19.8%. A total of 80 uniformed members and 19 civilian members are still out sick diagnosed with coronavirus, the NYPD said.

A health worker opens the window of a field clinic where patients suspected of having the coronavirus are treated in Santiago, Chile.

Chile’s Ministry of Health reported 3,536 new cases of the novel coronavirus in a single day, bringing the country’s total cases to 65,393, as of Saturday afternoon.

Health authorities reported 43 new deaths, bringing the country’s death tally to 673.

After Brazil and Peru, Chile has one of the highest number of confirmed cases in Latin America.

Around 12.5% of Moscow’s residents – or around 1.5 million people – are estimated to have the antibody for coronavirus, the city’s health authorities said Saturday, following screening involving more than 50,000 residents over the past two weeks.

The Russian capital on May 15 formally launched a massive free coronavirus screening program, selecting Moscow residents at random to visit one of 30 city clinics for the free antibody tests. The city has also been screening medical workers and patients for antibodies.

The results of the study pointed to a possible easing of lockdown measures in the city, according to a statement from Alexey Khripun, the head of the city’s health department.

Authorities in Moscow said the screening program is designed to better inform measures taken to contain the epidemic. The statement from the city’s health officials said the results were “comparable to cities that were among the first to encounter the virus,” comparing Moscow’s results to those in Madrid. 

A worker checks for the names of coronavirus victims at El Angel cemetery in Lima, Peru, on May 21.

The total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Peru rose to 115,754, an increase of 4,056 from the previous day, the Peruvian Health Ministry said on Friday.

A total of 3,373 people with the virus have died in Peru, including 129 additional deaths reported since the previous day, the ministry said.

The ministry reports countrywide totals each day for cases confirmed through midnight of the previous day. 

Peru has the second highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Latin America behind Brazil.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Hospital officials have reported several people were infected with Covid-19 at a “high school swim party” in north Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said at a briefing Saturday. 

“During this Memorial (Day) weekend, we want to be out and we want to enjoy ourselves, we want to remember this holiday and those that have served our country and given their lives in service of our country. But let’s be safe and let’s be disciplined at the same time,” Hutchinson said.  

The governor declined to provide further details on the swim party, saying “it is an important anecdote for people to understand how easy that this can spread and that we still need to be careful.” 

As CNN has reported, the Arkansas governor never issued a stay-at-home order to his citizens as a way to limit the spread of coronavirus nationwide.

Places of worship may open up at a 25% occupancy starting May 27 if they adhere to social distancing and other public health guidelines aimed at keeping congregants safe, Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz said at a press conference on Saturday.

Walz said the decision was made using CDC guidelines in consultation with all relevant groups and the state health department.

“As we move to try and have some of these places of worship open up, they’re done with a common goal of the safety and security of not only the congregants but the community at large,” Walz said.

Ricardo Salles, Brazil’s environmental minister, suggested the government should take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to “change all the rules” and “simplify norms” around environmental regulations, a recent cabinet meeting video showed Friday.

Salles also said during the meeting that the government “would not need Congress” because “they wouldn’t get anything approved.”

The video of the closed-door cabinet meeting was released by the Supreme Court Friday, as part of an investigation into accusations that President Jair Bolsonaro interfered in police matters.

Salles wrote on his personal Twitter Friday, “I always defended de-bureaucratization and simplifying the norms in all areas, using common sense and within the law. The web of irrational rules impedes investments, the creation of new jobs and the sustainable development of Brazil.”

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the state is experiencing its second peak of Covid-19 cases. 

The first peak saw 160 cases in one day followed by a “deep dip,” Hutchinson says. On Saturday, there were 163 new cases of Covid-19 in Arkansas in what the governor calls a second peak.

There are “enough hospital beds in Arkansas to accommodate the number of Covid-19 patients that need that hospital care,” according to Hutchinson.

“We’re in good shape now with that, and we will be in the future,” the governor said.

Nevada launched a weekly Pandemic Unemployment Assistance online application program on Saturday, according to a tweet from Gov. Steve Sisolak.

The PUA program is designed for Nevadan’s who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers and gig workers, a release from the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said.

About 2,000 claimants filed 9,500 weekly certifications within 45 minutes of the launch, Sisolak said in a tweet.

On Friday, Sisolak tweeted that the unemployment rate had risen to 28.2%, a record high unemployment for Nevada.

There are at least 1,611,691 cases of coronavirus and at least 96,479 people have died from the disease in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases in the country.

The totals includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown

The mayor of Santa Monica, California, issued a stark forecast for the city’s economy as it struggles through the coronavirus pandemic.

McKeown went on to discuss how the city will be “down by $224 billion” over the next two years, which is needed to fund “police and fire, to pick up the trash, to have clean, pure water in the pipes.”

“So that’s going to mean other services now in this city have to be cut. And that’s very hard to do,” he said.

There have been layoffs and voluntary retirement for city staff, McKeown said. 

“We’ve had recessions before, but never anything that happened this suddenly or this deeply that took that much money out of the city coffers so quickly,” he said. 

The city’s beaches are open for recreational activities, but parking lots are closed and people cannot sunbathe or go in the water. The famous Santa Monica Pier is also closed. Santa Monica is now “the home of the three-piece bathing suit: a bikini and a face mask,” the mayor said. 

McKeown also slammed the federal government for not implementing more relief funding for cities that are suffering economically.

“It’s been about 10 weeks since I really had a good night’s sleep or had a day off. I’m not saying that for pity. It’s just the reality of trying to run a local government in these unprecedented circumstances,” he said. 

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The highest one-day increase of Covid-19 cases was reported in North Carolina Saturday, just one day after phase two of reopening began in the state, health officials say.

There were 1,107 positive Covid-19 cases reported on Saturday, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).   

“Phase two runs through at least Friday, June 26, unless changed or canceled,” NCDHHS said in a tweet on Saturday.  

North Carolina’s phase two includes expanding restaurant capacity to 50% and reopening camps for children, NCDHHS said in a tweet. Bars and gyms remain closed in the state.  

North Carolina now has a total of 22,725 confirmed cases, according to NCDHHS. 

Read the tweet from NCDHHS:

Chief Justice John Roberts discussed the coronavirus pandemic in remarks made at his son’s high school graduation Saturday, telling the seniors that the pandemic, “has pierced our illusion of certainty and control.”

The commencement speech for the Westminster School’s graduation was posted online by the school Saturday morning. 

“[T]he pandemic has or will affect practically everyone in the world in one way or another,” Roberts said, while urging the graduating seniors to show compassion, not only for the sick and dying, but others who may suffer for a long time.

Roberts cautioned the seniors that moving forward, they may meet people who, “bear scars you may not see.” He told them to practice humility, and added that the “pandemic should teach us at least that.” 

This aerial photo shows an alleged coronavirus victim being buried at the Vila Formosa Cemetery on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 22.

In Brazil’s largest and most badly infected city, coronavirus has yet to peak, yet already the health care system is crumbling. As doctors struggle valiantly to save lives, the country’s President Jair Bolsonaro seems more focused on his country’s economy.

Brazil this week became the country with the second most infections worldwide after the United States, with more than 330,000 confirmed cases.

But Bolsonaro, who once dismissed Covid-19 as a “little flu,” has urged businesses to reopen, despite many governors stressing social isolation measures to slow the spread.

In the huge intensive care unit (ICU) of Emilio Ribas Infectious Disease Institute in São Paulo, anger swirls among doctors when asked about their president’s comments.

“Revolting,” says one.

“Irrelevant” declares another.

Dr. Jacques Sztajnbok is more restrained.

“It’s not a flu. It’s the worst thing we have ever faced in our professional lives,” Sztajnbok said.

The reasons why are clear inside the overwhelming silence of the intensive care unit. Coronavirus kills behind the veil of a hospital curtain, in a stifling quiet, that is so distant and alien to the global upheaval and noisy political divisions it has inspired. But when it takes a life, it is intimately horrifying.

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