The world soared past the 1 million mark in confirmed coronavirus cases, jobless numbers skyrocketed, Democrats delayed their national convention and the nation's preeminent infectious disease expert required a security detail as the COVID-19 death toll stretched beyond 5,800 in the U.S. on Thursday.
More than 1,000 people died of the coronavirus in the U.S. on Wednesday. A week ago the total was less than 1,300. President Donald Trump and federal health officials predicted a “very painful” period in the country's fight against the public health emergency.
Of the globe's 1 million-plus cases, nearly one fourth – more than 236,000 – are in the U.S.
Jobless numbers released Thursday were stunning. New unemployment claims doubled to 6.6 million from last week's record-setting 3.3 million.
FEMA asked the Pentagon for 100,000 body bags. The FBI seized, bought and distributed to healthcare workers "hoarded" masks, gowns and other equipment. The president fired social media shots at "complainer" governors.
The U.S. death toll was at 5,926 Thursday evening, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. Worldwide, the death toll approached 53,000 and the virus has infected more than 1,013,000.
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Trump says new recommendations on face masks coming soon
President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that his administration is close to providing recommendations on whether or not Americans should don face masks to ward off the coronavirus, but said that whatever guidance is offered wouldn’t be mandatory.
“I think they’re going to be coming out with regulations on that. If people want to abide them frankly – I don’t think they’ll be mandatory because some people don’t want to do that,” Trump said during a lengthy White House news conference. “If people wanted to wear them, they can. If people wanted to use scarves they can.”
Since the beginning of the outbreak, the U.S. government has said masks are not needed for the general public – and they have encouraged businesses with large stockpiles of masks to donate them to hospitals and other medical facilities. But administration officials have signaled in recent days they are reconsidering.
Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, expressed concerned about issuing a mask edict, saying the government doesn't want to give people the idea that masks are a "substitute" for the social distancing guidelines.
"The most important thing is the social distancing and washing your hands," she said. "And we don’t want people to get an artificial sense of protection because they’re behind a mask."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday afternoon said he is now recommending New Yorkers wear a “face covering” when outside or around others.
“It can be a scarf, a bandana or one you make at home,” he tweeted. “But PLEASE: save medical masks for our health care workers & first responders who truly need them.”
– John Fritze, David Jackson and Nicholas Wu.
Mnuchin: $1,200 payment in two weeks
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said many Americans reeling from the financial impacts caused by the coronavirus outbreak can expect to see their one-time stimulus payments of up to $1,200 show up in their bank accounts in about two weeks. For those without direct deposit, Mnuchin promised checks would go out quickly as well.
The announcement followed a memo sent out by House Democrats that warned some Americans could have to wait up to 20 weeks before they receive their checks.
When asked Thursday about the memo, which was sent out by the House Ways and Means Committee, Mnuchin said it wouldn't take that long.
"Quickly, as a matter of weeks and not months," Mnuchin said of the money going out.
-- Christal Hayes
A grim 1 million milestone
The world marked a grim milestone on Thursday, registering more than 1 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus that has swept the globe in less than five months.
But in reality that mark — 1,011,490 around 7 p.m. EDT — was crossed much earlier.
That's because the number of official cases are only those identified through testing. Cases not tested would include asymptomatic individuals, people who may have died of complications of the virus without anyone knowing it, and those whose symptoms were not serious enough to qualify for testing.
"The million (cases) is clearly way under what the actual number will be,'' said Dr. Steven Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
He said the U.S. figures are especially underreported "because of the lag that we had getting testing underway and the ability to only test the sickest of patients to begin with.''
-- Doug Stanglin
Jobless claims double from last week
The number of Americans who filed claims for unemployment benefits surged to a record 3.3 million last week, and that figure doubled this week when the Labor Department reported 6.6 million claims as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spark massive layoffs and furloughs across the nation. U.S. stocks, hammered by steep declines Wednesday, were modestly higher in early trading Thursday.
“Sadly, we’re only at the start of this process,” said James McCann, senior global economist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. "When we look at all the jobs at direct risk from social distancing policies, and those which could be affected indirectly, the numbers start to get pretty scary."
– Jessica Menton
U.S. ventilators, PPE were sold to China
One of the reasons the U.S. is facing such a shortage of ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment in the midst of the coronavirus crisis is American companies sold nearly $60 million worth of those products to China -- even as the pandemic's threat loomed at home.
A USA TODAY analysis found sales of those medical supplies, now desperately coveted by states trying to fight off the virus or anticipating a crush of cases, took off in the first two months of the year as China was confronting its outbreak.
The White House and congressional intelligence committees were briefed on the scope and threat of the coronavirus in January and February, but President Donald Trump has not stopped exports of key medical equipment – a move taken by at least 54 other countries so far.
-- Dian Zhang, Erin Mansfield and Dinah Voyles Pulver
Trump tests negative again
President Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus for the second time. Speaking Thursday at the daily White House briefing, Trump said he took the test earlier in the day and the results came back within 15 minutes.
A previous, more-invasive test was administered three weeks ago after a Brazilian official was found to be positive after coming into contact with Trump in Florida. Trump said this test was done “out of curiosity” and he went back to work after being administered the point-of-care test that uses molecular technology.
“I’ve done them both and the second one is a lot more pleasant, I can tell you that,” he said.
– Erick Smith
Disney furloughs thousands of park and retail workers
With its theme parks and retail stores closed, Walt Disney Co. is furloughing employees starting April 19, with top executives also taking pay cuts, the company said Thursday. Furloughed workers will receive full healthcare benefits paid for by the company during the shut-down, Disney said.
Furloughed workers have been receiving full pay and benefits since government-mandated closures of its parks in Florida and California, and workers will be allowed to use PTO while furloughed. The Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment has around 177,000 cast members, which includes staff that work in its theme parks and at retail locations like the Disney Store, which also are closed across the nation.
Disney said furloughed workers, like other Americans, are eligible to receive $600 per week as part of the $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill and broadened state unemployment insurance system.
Democratic National Convention delayed until August
The 2020 Democratic National Convention has been pushed back to mid-August as organizers try to navigate the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The event, originally scheduled for July 13-17 in Milwaukee, will instead be held the week of Aug. 17. It's unclear how many days the convention will last as planning remains in flux.
After "giving thought to how it is this event can have the greatest impact in the electoral process and the greatest impact in terms of what we can bring to Milwaukee, we felt the best decision, not knowing all the answers, was to delay this," Democratic National Convention CEO Joe Solmonese said. The GOP convention is set for Aug. 24-27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
– Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Dr. Fauci threatened, gets security detail
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been the target of online threats and has been issued an armed security detail, multiple media sources reported Thursday. Fauci, 79, declined to discuss his security at a recent news conference of the White House coronavirus task force. Details were vague, but the New York Times reported that Fauci was targeted by "conspiracy theorists."
CNN, citing law enforcement officials, said the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General sought assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, which then deputized HHS officers to act as personal security.
Sacramento church has more than 70 cases
A Pentecostal church in Sacramento, California, has had an outbreak of more than 70 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The newspaper said public health officials suspect members of the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church have continued to meet in private homes, in defiance of county and state orders aimed at curbing spread of the virus.
"It's outrageous that this is happening," Sacramento County Public Health Director Peter Beilenson told the Chronicle. "Obviously there is freedom of religion, but when it's impacting public health as this is, we have to enforce social distancing."
Trump: Some governors are 'complainers,' will never be satisfied
President Donald Trump insisted Thursday his team is delivering medical supplies to states nationwide and that some governors are "complainers" who will never be pleased. "Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?)" Trump tweeted. "Remember, we are a backup for them."
Trump did not specify which critics he was referring to, but a group of Democratic governors – including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andrew Cuomo of New York, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jay Inslee of Washington – have criticized the slow pace of federal assistance.
– David Jackson
Captain of virus-stricken Navy ship fired
The Navy on Thursday fired the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, four days after he pleaded for help as the coronavirus ravaged his crew, the Navy announced.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced that Navy Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved for loss of confidence. "I did not come to this decision lightly," Modly said.
Crozier had sent an urgent letter to the U.S. Navy on Sunday, seeking to evacuate and isolate the crew as cases of coronavirus infection increased on the vessel. "Decisive action" was required to prevent deaths from the coronavirus, Crozier wrote. The ship's close quarters prevented sailors from following guidelines to keep them safe.
The letter's publication by the San Francisco Chronicle caught the Navy by surprise, and officials scrambled to show they were responding to concerns about sailors' health. Modlly said the Navy had been speeding help to the Roosevelt before Crozier sent his letter. As of late Thursday, 114 sailors have tested positively for the virus, Modly said, adding that he expects "hundreds more" to be infected.
-- Tom Vanden Brook
Trump considering aid for uninsured
Trump said Thursday he is considering how to offset the cost of treating Americans who contract coronavirus but do not have health insurance. The president during a White House briefing said he's contemplating a “cash payment” for Americans who cannot get health care coverage because insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act are currently not open for enrollment.
"We're going to try to get that for a certain group of people,” the president said. “It’s a certain group of people, a cash payment."
Vice President Mike Pence said the coronavirus task force he's leading is crafting a proposal to use some portion of the $100 billion set aside in the recently approved coronavirus stimulus to provide payments to hospitals to pay for the uninsured who are treated for the virus. Pence said Trump would make a decision on the proposal Friday.
– John Fritze
Cruise ships have deal to dock in Florida
The Holland America cruise line has reached a deal with authorities that will allow it to dock two of its ships, the MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Mayor Dean Trantalis of Fort Lauderdale announced the agreement on Twitter.
Officials had been apprehensive about the possibility of the ships docking in Fort Lauderdale given the risk that it could pose to the community and the potential to require health care resources because cases of coronavirus were confirmed on board the MS Zaandam.
-- Morgan Hines
Six-week-old dies in Connecticut
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has confirmed the death of a six-week-old infant who had contracted the coronavirus. Lamont said the infant was from the Hartford area and was brought unresponsive to a hospital last week and could not be revived.
“We believe this is one of the youngest lives lost anywhere due to complications relating to COVID-19,'' Lamont tweeted. "This is a virus that attacks our most fragile without mercy.''
This marked the second coronavirus-related infant death in less than a week, after Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced on Saturday the death of an infant younger than one year in Chicago.
-- Lorenzo Reyes
FEMA asks Pentagon for 100,000 body bags
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the Pentagon for 100,000 body bags as the COVID-19 pandemic spirals. Known as mortuary pouches, the heavy-duty zippered bags are typically used in the military to contain the remains of troops killed in combat. The U.S. death toll has surpassed 5,000, and federal health officials have warned it could reach 100,000 or more before the crisis passes.
Spokesman Michael Andrews said the Pentagon is responding to "FEMA's prudent planning efforts on behalf of state health agencies."
– Tom Vanden Brook
FBI seizes 'hoarded' masks, PPE equipment
Personal protective equipment, including almost 200,000 N95 respirator masks, were seized by the FBI's Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force and will be distributed to health care workers battling the pandemic in New York and New Jersey, federal officials said. The FBI did not reveal any names of the "hoarders" and said it would pay fair market value for the merchandise. The supplies include 598,000 medical-grade gloves and 130,000 surgical masks, other equipment and sanitizer, the Justice Department said in a statement.
"If you are amassing critical medical equipment for the purpose of selling it at exorbitant prices, you can expect a knock at your door," Attorney General William Barr said.
New York could run out of ventilators within days
Demand for ventilators in New York hospitals could outstrip supply in less than a week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Thursday. "At current burn rate, we have about six days of ventilators in our stockpile," he said. He added some "good news" – the number of patients discharged from New York hospitals rose sharply Wednesday, although it remained short of patients being admitted.
There were 7,434 coronavirus patients discharged from hospitals in the state, up 21% from Tuesday. Cuomo said there were 13,383 people currently hospitalized, an increase of 1,157 (9.5%) from a day earlier. The state had 92,381 confirmed cases and 2,373 deaths as of Thursday morning, he said.
Patchwork of orders hard to enforce
There's a struggle across the U.S. to enforce a patchwork of new stay-at-home orders, social-distancing directives and quarantines imposed in an effort to contain the march of the coronavirus.
In Maryland, authorities have charged at least two people in recent days with violating bans on public gatherings of more than 10 people – an offense that could result in a year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a flurry of self-quarantine orders, calling for visitors from heavily-infected states and cities to self-isolate for 14 days or risk 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
In Florida, authorities charged the pastor of a mega-church with violating local orders prohibiting groupings of more than 10 people.
– Kevin Johnson and Richard Wolf
93% of global population facing travel restrictions
An overwhelming majority of the world's population lives in a country with travel restrictions as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds. Pew Research shows that 93% of the world's population – that's 7.2 billion people – lives somewhere that has a restriction on people arriving from elsewhere who aren't citizens or residents. And about 3 billion people (39%) reside where countries have shuttered borders completely to noncitizens and nonresidents.
In the U.S., all foreign nationals from China, Iran and certain European countries are barred from entering. And the border between Canada and the U.S. is closed for nonessential travel.
– David Oliver
100,000 tests a day, but major issues remain
Testing has accelerated in the last week, and a mix of public and private labs execute more than 100,000 tests per day. Still, experts said many patients and even health care providers are denied tests or must wait several days for results.
“It’s not as if it’s a train running along, as you might’ve heard,” said William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine professor of preventive medicine and an infectious-disease doctor. “Because testing is restricted still in many parts of the country.” Read more here.
– Ken Alltucker
Chris Cuomo details brutal go-round with COVID-19
CNN news anchor Chris Cuomo said he chipped a tooth and hallucinated during a "freaky" first night after his diagnosis for COVID-19. Cuomo discussed the illness on his show "Cuomo Prime Time," broadcast Wednesday night from isolation in his basement. The 49-year-old brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a tweet Tuesday that he tested positive after being exposed to people who are infected.
"This virus came at me, I’ve never seen anything like it," Cuomo said Wednesday, adding that he had a fever of more than 103 "that would not quit. And it was like somebody was beating me like a piñata."
– Anika Reed and Brian Truitt
NFL's Patriots shuttling 1.2 million masks from China to Boston
The New England Patriots' private jet is due back in Boston from China on Thursday, loaded with 1.2 million N95 masks that are crucial personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker secured 1.7 million masks through manufacturers but had no way to transport them to the U.S. Jonathan Kraft, the Patriots chief operating officer, is also a chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital. An idea was born.
“In today’s world, those of us who are fortunate to make a difference have a significant responsibility to do so," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said.
– Chris Bumbaca
More coronavirus news and information from USA TODAY
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• Tracking coronavirus: The U.S. outbreak, state by state.
Coronavirus in America: How all 50 states are responding to this public health emergency.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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