(NEW YORK) — Here’s the latest information on the COVID-19 coronavirus as of 9:00 a.m. ET.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 222,643
Global deaths: 8,810
Global diagnosed cases
Number of countries/regions: at least 158
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
At least 9,415 cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam
At last 141 dead (per ABC’s count)
Latest reported numbers per state
Washington State: 67 (56 King County, 6 Snohomish County, 1 Grant County, 3 Clark County, 1 Pierce County)
California: 13 (1 Placer County, 4 Santa Clara County, 2 Sacramento County, 1 Los Angeles County, 1 San Mateo County, 2 Riverside County, 1 Non Resident)
Florida: 8 (1 Santa Rosa County, 2 Lee County, 1 Manatee County, 1 Clay County)
Illinois: 1
Indiana: 2
Kentucky: 1
Nevada: 1 (1 Clark County)
New York: 18 (11 NYC, 2 Rockland, 3 Suffolk, 1 Nassau, 1 Monroe)
New Jersey: 5 (2 Bergen County, 1 Monmouth County)
Louisiana: 7 (6 Orleans Parish, 1 Jefferson Parish)
Georgia: 3
Kansas: 1 (Wyandotte County)
Colorado: 2 (1 El Paso County, 1 Weld County)
Virginia: 2 (1 Newport News, 1 location not announced)
Oregon: 1 (Multnomah County)
South Carolina: 1
South Dakota: 1 (1 Davidson County)
Texas: 2 (1 Matagorda County, 1 Tarrant County)
Michigan: 1 (1 Wayne County)
Connecticut: 1 (1 Fairfield County)
Pennsylvania: 1 (1 Northampton County)
Missouri: 1 (1 Boone County)
Maryland: 1 (1 Prince George’s County)
According to Education Week: As of March 18, 2020, 7:20 p.m. ET: 39 states have decided to close schools. Combined with district closures in other states, at least 92,000 U.S. public and private schools are closed, are scheduled to close, or were closed and later reopened, affecting at least 42.1 million school students.
There are 98,277 public schools and 34,576 private schools in the U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Those schools educate almost 50.8 million public school students and 5.8 million private school students.
The latest headlines
At least five US House of Representative members self-quarantine after Rep. McAdams and Rep. Diaz-Balart test positive
A fifth House member, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., announced overnight that she will self-quarantine because she came into contact with someone last Friday who has tested positive for COVID-19. Representatives Rice, Murphy, Scalise, Ferguson and Wagner all self-quarantined after two members –McAdams and Diaz Balart — announced they had tested positive.
New data from the CDC shows young people are getting hospitalized, too
Data released late Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that of 508 patients known to be hospitalized in the U.S. for the COVID-19 coronavirus, a significant portion of them were relatively young. The CDC reports that 20 percent of those 508 hospitalizations were ages 20 to 44, while another 18 percent were between the ages of 45 and 54. The virus remains significantly more dangerous for older people, with 80 percent of deaths associated with adults over age 65. But this data point is noteworthy considering evidence that young people are taking warnings about social distancing less seriously. And if young people require hospitalization because of COVID-19 infection, that takes resources away from older people who are more likely to die from it.
Free Houston-area drive-thru coronavirus testing to begin today
According to KTRK in Houston, Reo. Sheila Jackson Lee, Chair of the Congressional Coronavirus Task Force, said free COVID-19 testing will begin Thursday, March 19 in the Houston, Texas area. She’s expected to hold a press conference around 10 a.m. urging residents to take advantage of the free testing.
City of Fresno issues emergency “shelter in place” order starting midnight tonight
KFSN reports the city of Fresno, California has issued an emergency order mandating that everyone shelter in place, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and lasting through March 31. There is, however, an extensive list of exemptions for those people who provide essential functions.
McCarran Airport tower temporarily closes after controller tests positive for COVID-19
The air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is temporarily closing after an air traffic controller there tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday. Aircraft routing and airspace monitoring were temporarily assigned to the Las Vegas Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), per standing emergency procedure. The airport remains open and operations will continue at a reduced rate until the situation is resolved. The FAA says it continues to maintain close contact with airports, airlines and other stakeholders during this situation.
US women’s football team stranded in Honduras
Sports Illustrated reports more than 50 players, coaches and staffers were in Central America to compete, help the community and spread their love of the sport. Now, along with teams from Costa Rica and Mexico, they’re stranded, with no idea of when they’ll be able to come home.
Good news!
Family of 95-year-old woman sings “Happy Birthday” from her front yard
Sara Byrne and her family had a party planned for her great grandmother’s 95th birthday, but due to COVID-19, they had to cancel. Instead, they gathered outside her home and surprised her with singing while keeping a distance in Syracuse, New York Wednesday. “We had to keep our distance but we couldn’t not see our best girl on her birthday!!!” the family writes on Instagram, with a video of the serenade. “Happy 95th Gram we love you SO much!!!”
Los Angeles taco restaurant packaging food, toilet paper in $150 ‘Emergency Taco Kits’
KABC reports Los Angeles restaurant Guerrilla Tacos is putting extra food to use by making ‘Emergency Taco Kits.’ The kits, which locals can order online for pickup, come with everything you need to keep yourself in tasty tacos for a good while, including five pounds of roasted chicken and five pounds of carne asada. They also come with other emergency supplies, including 30 eggs and, perhaps most appealing, four rolls of toilet paper. The restaurant had already sold about 75 kits as of Wednesday night. Guerrilla Tacos also remains open for takeout orders.
San Franciscans using ‘unity lights’ to uplift community
Inspired by the stories and videos of Italian neighborhoods banding together in solidarity as they self-quarantine to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus, the San Francisco-based Neighborhood Empowerment Network is encouraging locals to leave a light on in their front window until they go to bed. “This creates a sense of community among our residents, many of whom may feel isolated and alone during this time,” the organization’s website declares. NEN is branding the practice the Unity Light in the Night campaign, and inviting participants to post a photo of their unity lights on social media, with the hashtag #UnityLight.
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