(NEW YORK) — Here’s the latest information on the COVID-19 coronavirus as of 9:30 a.m. ET.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 1,498,833
Global deaths: 89,733. Italy has the most deaths of any single country, with 17,669.
Number of countries/regions: at least 184
Total patients recovered globally: 337,074
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 432,438 diagnosed cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 14,808. New York City has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 5,489.
U.S. total patients recovered: 24,125
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in New York, with 151,079 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 19.5 million. That is the most reported cases than in any other single region in the world. The province of Hubei, China, is next, with 67,803 confirmed cases out of a total population of 58.5 million.
Latest reported deaths per state
Visit https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html for the latest numbers.
School closures
For a state-by-state interactive map of current school closures, please visit the Education Week website, where numbers are updated once daily.
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
Over 6.6 million people filed for unemployment last week
More than 6.6 million people filed for unemployment the week ending April 4, dealing another harsh blow to a U.S. economy already severely weakened by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week’s numbers re just shy of the record unemployment claims filed in the week ending March 28. So far, more than 15 million people have applied for unemployment in the U.S. in the past three weeks. With many already concerned that a lasting recession is on the horizon, the jobless numbers have increased worries that some of the jobs may be lost for longer than the pandemic lasts, and that many small businesses will have already gone underwater by the time promised government relief arrives, in the form of a $2 billion economic stimulus package.
Studies show New York COVID-19 outbreak originated in Europe, not China
The New York Times reports new research shows that the COVID-19 coronavirus began to circulate in New York City by mid-February, weeks before the first case was confirmed in the area, and that the virus came to the area primarily via travelers from Europe, including hard-hit Italy, and not Asia. “The majority is clearly European,” said Harm van Bakel, a geneticist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who co-wrote a study awaiting peer review. A team at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine arrived at similar conclusions by studying a different group of cases. Researchers came to their conclusions by analyzing the genomes of viral samples taken from different New Yorkers beginning in mid-March.
Not wearing a mask while running? Better read this
Even if you maintain that now-familiar six feet of distance from others, it may not be enough if you’re a runner. New data from researchers in Belgium and the Netherlands finds a runner who’s infected with COVID-19 could pass on respiratory droplets to others following him or her more than six feet behind, because of the draft their bodies create as they pass through the air. Because fast-moving air has lower pressure than slower-moving air, the draft creates a vacuum that sucks in the droplets and carries them for longer, farther than six feet. Consequently, researchers recommend you avoid walking, running or cycling directly behind others, and to make your distance from those ahead of you at least 12 to 15 feet when walking, 30 feet when running, and sixty feet when cycling fast.
Good news!
New Jersey Girl Scouts donate unsold cookies to healthcare workers
Jillian Burt of New Jersey Girl Scout Troop 60452 had 50 unsold boxes of cookies remaining when the most recent sale ended. And that’s when she came up with a way to help her community show their appreciation for healthcare workers fighting COVID-19. As WABC reports, she and other troops with unsold cookies reached out to the community, asking them to purchase a box, which would then be personalized with their message of thanks and then donated to local hospitals and first responders. So far, it’s been a rousing success: “As of last count we are closing in on 600 boxes,” says Jillian’s mother, Danielle. Half of the boxes were delivered Wednesday.
Texas man calls on others to donate government stimulus checks to charity
Johnny Graham of San Antonio and his family are doing pretty well, fortunately. That’s why, when he receives his $1,000 stimulus check from the government, he doesn’t plan to keep it. “I don’t need this money,” he tells KVII in Amarillo, TX. “I’d really like to put it in the hands of someone who needs it and I’m betting there are a lot of San Antonians, people who feel the same way.” Graham says he’ll donate his stimulus check to a local charity to help others, and is calling on others to follow his example.
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