The COVID-19 Pandemic: US Death Toll Spikes to 10,000; Encouraging Signs in NY; British Prime Minister Hospitalized; and More

The world as we know it has been upended. COVID-19 has made an indelible mark around the globe, and its effects might be seen for a long time to come – if not physically then psychologically – we as humans stand to have a different view on life and the world around us – long after this pandemic has ended. But the pandemic is still far from over, as statistics website Worldometer currently reports 1,288,472 world cases of COVID-19 as this article goes to publish, with over 70,000 deaths. Despite those grim numbers, data suggest that the worst might be winding down in certain countries, but the foreign nations most affected remain:

• Spain: 135,032 confirmed cases; 13,055 deaths.
• Italy: 128,948 confirmed cases; 15,887 deaths.
• Germany: 100,232 confirmed cases; 1,591 deaths.
• France: 92,839 confirmed cases; 8,078 deaths.
• China: 81,708 confirmed cases; 3,331 deaths.
• Iran: 60,500 confirmed cases; 3,739 deaths.
• UK: 47,806 confirmed cases; 4,934 deaths.

Boris Johnson Hospitalized

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to the hospital on Sunday as a “precautionary step” after experiencing persistent coronavirus symptoms 10 days after being diagnosed, according to his office. Johnson, 55, has not on appeared on TV since his diagnosis, but has been issuing short video message updates via his cellphone. Although Johnson remains in the charge of the government, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair Monday’s coronavirus meeting, and would be the go-to to step in for Johnson should he become unable to fulfill his prime minister duties.

Last night, on the advice of my doctor, I went into hospital for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms. I’m in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 6, 2020

Death Tolls Decline in Italy, Spain

Spain’s death toll has reportedly dropped for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, with 637 confirmed deaths today. Spain’s number of mortalities from the novel virus have been steadily falling since they hit a peak of 905 last Thursday, according to a Reuters report. Sunday also marked the third day of declines in Italy, following 766 deaths on Friday and down to 681 deaths on Saturday. Despite the decline, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that:  “We are suffering very much. It’s a devastating pain.”

National News:

Monday, April 6, 2020

US Death Toll Surpasses 10,000

Worldometer now reports that the US has exceeded 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 as of today. The US has almost 350,000 confirmed cases – the most of any country. New York alone has over 130,000 confirmed cases and 4,758 deaths – as the state moves closer to surpassing every other country’s confirmed infection numbers by itself. New York City now faces the “gruesome reality” of temporary burials which could take place in trenches dug in city parks, according to a tweet from NYC Council Health Committee chair Mark Levine. Levine clarified that this plan is contingent on a worst case scenario.

https://twitter.com/MarkLevineNYC/status/1247181795076046854?s=20

Outside of NY, the US states with the most confirmed COVID-19 infections are:

• New Jersey: 37,505 confirmed cases; 917 deaths.
• Michigan: 15,718 confirmed cases; 617 deaths.
• California: 15,240 confirmed cases; 351 deaths.
• Florida: 13,324 confirmed cases; 236 deaths.
• Louisiana: 13,010 confirmed cases; 477 deaths.

Hope in NY; Yet Still Shortages

Encouragingly, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a video briefing on Monday that the death toll in the state has been “effectively flat” for the past two days, adding that: “If we are plateauing, we are plateauing at a high level.” The governor said that social distancing efforts are working, but warned that now is not the time to deviate from mitigation protocols: “You have that right,” to be irresponsible, said Gov. Cuomo. “Now is not the time to play frisbee with your friends at the park.Now is not the time to go to a funeral with 200 people.” Cuomo admonished that if New Yorkers don’t comply with social distancing, numbers will rise again.

Moreover, while NYC is receiving 600,000 N95 masks Monday, in addition to the 200,000 the federal government sent on Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the supply will only last the week. The mayor added that the city still faces a major shortage in hospital gowns – they used 1.8 million gowns last week and will require 2 million this week. “This is one of the areas where we’re seeing a real problem, surgical gowns. Our public hospital system has enough for this week, but some of the private hospitals and nursing homes are running low, and this is an area we’re very concerned about,” Mayor de Blasio said.

Week Opens with Stock Surge

Stocks are rising, and rebounded from sharp losses over the previous week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average trading at 1,200 points higher, or up more than 5%. The S&P 500 gained 5.5% while the Nasdaq Composite jumped by 5.4%.

WHO Says Virus Can Spread 1-3 Days Before Symptoms

World Health Organization (WHO) officials are now warning that COVID-19 can spread in asymptomatic patients one to three days before the onset of symptoms. “It’s very important to note that even if you are pre-symptomatic, you still have to transmit through droplets. You still have to have these infectious particles that come out of your nose and mouth,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s team lead on the coronavirus, said at a press conference from the organizations Geneva headquarters on Monday.

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Third Coral Princess Passenger Dies

A third passenger aboard the Coral Princess cruise ship died on Sunday after being transported by a plane ambulance to a Florida hospital, CNN reports. The Coral Princess departed Santiago, Chile on March 5, and announced operations were halting one week later. Two passengers perished on board the ship before it docked and six others were transported from the ship to local hospitals on Saturday.

Hydroxychloroquine Trial Underway in Detroit Hospital

Vice President Mike Pence announced on Sunday that hydroxychloroquine will be used in a trial of 3,000 patients at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and the results will be tracked in a formal study. Pence added that they are “more than prepared” to make hydroxychloroquine available to doctor’s offices and pharmacies in the Detroit area “as they deem appropriate.”

Saturday, April 4, 2020

‘This the Moment to Not be Going to the Grocery’

Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx emphasized on Saturday that the next weeks will be pivotal in flattening the curve. She stated: “This is a very important — the next two weeks are extraordinarily important, and that’s why I think you’ve heard from Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, from myself, from the President and the Vice President that this is the moment to do everything that you can on the presidential guidelines,” Birx said. “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe, and that means everybody doing the 6 feet distancing, washing your hands.”

Friday, April 3, 2020

• The United States became the epicenter for COVID-19 cases less than a week ago, and since has seen its numbers surge to over 258,000 cases and 6,572 deaths. Dr. Anthony Fauci explained in a CNN interview that even with mitigation efforts in place in the form of social distancing, the amount of US deaths has yet to reach its apex. “Even when you suppress or stabilize the number of new infections, its still going to take awhile before you see a decrease in hospitalizations, a decrease in intensive care, and a decrease in deaths.” Adding that: “In fact, deaths are the last thing that lag. So you could be doing well, and having a good effect on mitigation, and still see the deaths go up.”
• The USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital vessel deployed to NYC to treat non-COVID patients, is only currently treating 20 patients, according to a Navy spokesperson. However, the Navy expects that number to rise appreciably as the referral process is refined. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a CNN interview that: “There’s no question in my mind that will get resolved quickly. You’ll see that number grow.”
• US Government Will Only Issue New Passports in ‘Life-or-Death’ Emergencies

Thursday, April 2, 2020

• The spread of COVID-19 has had an astronomically dire effect on the US job market as 6.6 million US workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on March 28, meaning that nearly 10 million jobless claims have been made in the last two weeks.
• Amid the pandemic, the Democratic National Committee decided to postpone the party’s presidential convention in Milwaukee from July 13 to August 17, one week before the Republican Party’s convention.
• A venerable panel of scientific experts informed the White House that research shows COVID-19 can spread not just through sneezing and coughing, but also by just talk, or possibly even just breathing.
• Out of 70 students who boarded a plane from Austin, Texas to Mexico for spring break two weeks ago, more than 40 have now tested positive for COVID-19 – all of them University of Texas at Austin students.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closure of all New York City playgrounds on Wednesday to mitigate the virus’ spread.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a stay-at-home order for all Floridians to impede COVID’s spread.
• Stocks fell by 4% on Wednesday following President Trump’s aforementioned warning of deadly days to come. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 909 points, or 4.1% in midday trading, while the S&P 500 fell by 4.4% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped by 3.9%. This comes one day after the Dow closed out their worst quarter since 1987.
• President Trump warns of a ‘painful’ next weeks as the virus’ peak nears closer.
• New data from Iceland reveals that 50% of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 said they did not present with any symptoms.
• The COVID-19 death toll in the United Kingdom rose by a record 563 in the last 24 hours, and now Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is under fire for failing to keep its promise to ramp up testing.

Here’s a full wrap-up of COVID-19 happenings from the month of March.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/the-covid-19-pandemic-march-round-up-coronavirus-declared-a-pandemic-people-businesses-and-economies-devastated/

DocWire News will provide breaking updates on the COVID-19 pandemic as they become available.