The COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Cases Now Exceed 1 Million; Dr. Fauci Explains Why Social Distancing Won't Prevent Peak; and More

The world reached a grim milestone yesterday – surpassing the 1 million mark in COVID-19 cases – as confirmed by Worldometer and Johns Hopkins University. As this article goes to publish, there are now 1,054,243 people with a confirmed coronavirus infection, and that number rises by the minute. The novel respiratory disease has dug its claws into 204 countries and territories worldwide, and has a stronghold over every continent short of Antarctica – all within four months since it first emerged in Wuhan, China.

Spain has moved past Italy in confirmed cases with 117,710 compared to 115,242. The latter, however, has still suffered more deaths than any country – Italy has lost 13,915 lives to COVID-19 juxtaposed 10,935 deaths in Spain. Still, Spain experienced its highest and second highest death-toll days with 950 deaths on Thursday and 932 deaths on Friday. More than 6,400 people are currently receiving treatment in Spain’s intensive care units.

Norfolk News Coronavirus live updates: Spain's case tally surpasses Italy's, Cannes Lion ad festival canceled – CNBC https://t.co/RHCeczjNY5 pic.twitter.com/QFyDcOfMC9

— Norfolk NewsChannel (@Norfolk_NC) April 3, 2020

The foreign countries most affected by COVID-19 outside of Spain and Italy are:

• Germany: 89,451 confirmed cases; 1,208 deaths.
• China: 81,620 confirmed cases: 3,322 deaths.
• France: 59,105 confirmed cases; 5,387 deaths.
• Iran: 53,183 confirmed cases; 3,294 deaths.
• UK: 38,168 confirmed cases; 3,605 deaths.
• Switzerland: 19,303 confirmed cases; 573 deaths.

National News:

Friday, April 3, 2020

US Cases Keep Climbing; Fauci Explains Why Peak Still is Still Coming

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.”

NY Physicians Pushed to Their Limits

New York now has over 102,000 confirmed cases, which not only tops the the US, but tops every other country except for Spain and Italy. New York now inches closer to exceeding 3,000 deaths, with physicians now being asked to push their limits like never before. “This has fundamentally altered the way we care for patients in the hospital,” Corwin, the president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, told USA TODAY. “We’re asking people to go above and beyond and to use their M.D. license like they haven’t had to before,” Corwin said of his staff. “You’re asking people to do things they’ve never done.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says there are now 102,863 coronavirus cases in the state. More than 14,000 patients are currently hospitalized and 2,935 people have died so far in the state. https://t.co/OehIaJBBoR

— CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2020

New Jersey remains behind NY in confirmed infections and deaths with 25,590 cases and 537 deaths, and California has the third most confirmed cases with 11,207 cases and 246 deaths.

The following states outside of the top three have over 3,000 confirmed cases:

• Michigan: 10,791 confirmed cases; 417 deaths.
• Florida: 9,585 confirmed cases; 163 deaths.
• Louisiana: 9,150 confirmed cases; 310.
• Massachusetts: 8,966 confirmed cases; 154 deaths.
• Illinois: 7,695 confirmed cases; 157 deaths.
• Pennsylvania: 7,264 confirmed cases; 90 deaths.
• Washington: 6,585 confirmed cases; 272 deaths.
• Georgia: 5,831 confirmed cases; 184 deaths.
• Texas: 5,221 confirmed cases; 84 deaths.
• Connecticut: 3,824 confirmed cases; 112 deaths.
• Colorado: 3,728 confirmed cases; 97 deaths.
• Indiana: 3,437 confirmed cases; 102 deaths.
• Tennessee: 3,194 confirmed cases; 32 deaths.

Navy Hospital Ship Only Treating 20 Patients

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

To mitigate COVID-19’s spread, the US has stopped issuing new passports, unless its a “life-or-death emergency.” Those emergencies include travel due to serious illnesses, injuries or deaths in the immediate family. All applicants will have to submit “proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional.”

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.