Vidostream | News, sport and opinion from the Vidostream's US edition

https://vidostream.com

Coronavirus updates: Worldwide cases surpass 100,000, cruise awaits test results, Trump cancels CDC visit

The latest numbers: The novel coronavirus has killed more than 3,300 people, the vast majority in mainland China, according to CNN's tally. The World Health Organization reported the world is nearing 100,000 cases, while John Hopkins University says we've already surpassed that number.

As the worldwide total of coronavirus cases surpassed 100,000 on Friday morning, thousands of people are still stuck on a cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco awaiting test results.

Princess Cruise’s Grand Princess has been ordered to stay at bay until tests are concluded. Officials say 45 people had either exhibited symptoms or had been on a previous voyage with a 71-year-old man who died from the disease.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has confirmed 233 cases of COVID-19 after Colorado, Maryland, Nevada and New Jersey reported their first encounters with infection on Thursday. At least 12 Americans and more than 3,400 people globally have died from the virus. 

Meanwhile, the Vatican reported its first case on Friday, and President Donald Trump canceled a proposed trip to the U.S. Centers Disease Control and Prevention. 

Daily coronavirus updatesGet USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox 

Here's the latest on the outbreak of COVID-19: 

 

Trump cancels CDC visit

President Donald Trump canceled a proposed trip to Atlanta on Friday, calling off a tour of the Centers for Disease Control because he said he didn't want to delay their work on battling the coronavirus.

"The CDC has been proactive and prepared since the very beginning and the President does not want to interfere with the CDC’s mission to protect the health and welfare of their people and the agency," the White House said in a statement.

Trump is still flying to Tennessee to inspect storm damage, and will then head to South Florida for a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, where he has a pair of fundraising events Friday night. 

Aides had been planning a trip to the CDC all week – even after Trump announced he was adding a stop in Tennessee because of the hurricane damage – but the Atlanta stop never appeared on the president's formal schedule.

– David Jackson

Trump signs coronavirus funding package 

Trump signed the $8.3-billion supplemental spending package to combat the rapid worldwide spread of coronavirus approved by Congress earlier this week. 

Get the The Backstory newsletter in your inbox.

Editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll gives an inside look at the week's must reads.

Delivery: Fri
Your Email

“We’ve signed the $8.3 billion. I asked for two and half and I got $8.3 and i'll take it," he told reporters. 

The package, which passed the Senate on Thursday, will replace the initial White House request of $2.5 billion, an amount roundly criticized by lawmakers as too little to combat the virus that continues to spread globally and has so far killed at least 12 people in the U.S. 

The funding includes more than $3 billion for research and vaccine development and $2.2 billion for prevention and response efforts. The package also includes $1 billion for state and local response. Each state is expected to receive no less than $4 million. 

– Courtney Subramanian

Vatican confirms first case of virus

The Vatican confirmed the walled city-state’s first case of the new coronavirus Friday and closed some offices as a precaution while Pope Francis continued recovering from a cold.

A health clinic inside Vatican City was closed for sanitizing following the positive test result received Thursday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

One Vatican official was put into a protective quarantine after a priest from France’s Catholic church in Rome tested positive for the virus. The official isn’t showing symptoms of COVID-19 disease but lives in the same church as the infected priest.

The Vatican Apostolic Library said it would keep its doors shut all next week as a precaution. The library welcomes scholars from around the world to consult the Vatican’s manuscripts and archives.

Which states have coronavirus cases?

Here's a look at which states have reported cases of COVID-19: 

  • Washington: 75
  • Oregon: 3
  • California: 51
  • Nevada: 1
  • Arizona: 2
  • Colorado: 2
  • Texas: 4
  • Wisconsin: 1
  • Illinois: 5
  • Tennessee: 1
  • Georgia: 2
  • Florida: 4
  • North Carolina: 1
  • Maryland: 3
  • New York: 23
  • New Jersey: 2
  • Rhode Island: 2
  • Massachusetts: 4
  • New Hampshire: 2
  • Diamond Princess: 45 

Reports suggests kids not so vulnerable to virus; data challenged

A report released last month by the Joint Mission and the World Health Organization-China found that individuals under the age of 18 experience a “relatively low attack rate" of the coronavirus, about 2.4%, but some U.S. experts challenged the scope of the data. 

The report said scientists found the virus to be “relatively mild" among individuals under 19 years old, with only 2.5% of the reported cases developing into a severe disease and 0.2% developing into a critical disease. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Feb. 24 report that no children in China under the age of 9 have died from the infection. 

But some U.S. experts say the report, based on research from the team of health officials who visited virus hot spots in three Chinese provinces, may underestimate the infection rate among children. Dr. John Williams, of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said a lack of testing among patients with milder symptoms paints a crude picture of the infection. Read the story here. 

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Pennsylvania closes some schools

Five Pennsylvania schools were closed Friday over concerns that several individuals were exposed to a confirmed coronavirus case that originated in another state. Pennsylvania currently has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Bucks County Health Department is evaluating locals that might have been exposed "to determine when they may return to school," according to Central Bucks School District Superintendent John Kopicki. Bucks County is located in eastern Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia.

– Jasmine Vaughn-Hall, York Daily Record
 




Nevada's 2nd coronavirus case forces closure of Reno school

A man in Washoe County has tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the closure of a local elementary school where one of his family members is a student, the county's health district announced late Thursday. 

The Reno-area man is in his 50s and linked the Princess Cruises' Grand Princess outbreak. He is in stable condition and is self isolating at home, the Washoe County Health District said.

"The upside for us is this one person confirmed is not a community exposure," Washoe County Commissioner Marsha Berkbigler told the Reno Gazette Journal of the USA TODAY Network. "He was clearly on the cruise ship."

The first "presumptive" positive case of the virus in Nevada was announced earlier Thursday, a man, also in his 50s, who had recently taken trips to Washington state and Texas.

– Anjeanette Damon and Siobhan McAndrew, Reno Gazette Journal

California orders insurance companies to cover costs for coronavirus testing

California became the third state to order all public and commercial insurance plans to cover the full cost of coronavirus testing and screening, following Washington and New York.

The orders, announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Ricardo Lara, the state's Insurance Commissioner, would "immediately reduce cost-sharing ... to zero," according to the California Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Health Care.

"This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost," Newsom said in a statement. "We’re all in this together, and I’m grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call."

– Steve Kiggins

Source: USA Today

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.
You did not use the site, Click here to remain logged. Timeout: 60 second