The number of COVID-19 cases hit more sobering milestones today, with the global total passing 600,000 cases, the US number topping 120,000, and deaths in Italy exceeding 10,000.
Most of the new global cases were reported in Spain, Italy, and several other European hot spots, and though New York is the main US epicenter, disease activity is surging in several other states and cities. The latest global total stands at 659,367, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
US cases pass 120,000
Roughly 18,000 cases and 400 deaths were reported in the United States yesterday, with several locations reporting high numbers today. The nation’s total is 121,117, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
New York so far today has reported 6,056 more cases and 122 more deaths, raising its respective totals to 52,318 and 728. Of the state’s total, 29,766 were reported in New York City.
Meanwhile New Jersey reported 2,299 more cases today, boosting its overall total to 11,124 cases, and California so far has reported 189 new cases, putting its overall number at 4,980. Washington state’s total grew by 516 cases yesterday, bringing its total to 3,723, of which 1,828 are from the Seattle–King County area.
Three other states so far today reported more than 500 new cases: Florida, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. In Louisiana, of the state’s 3,315 cases, 2,042 are from Orleans and Jefferson parishes in the New Orleans area. And of the states’ 137 deaths, 96 are from those parishes.
On Twitter today, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said the case-fatality rate in New Orleans is 4%, the highest in the United States. He added that the reasons require more study, but could be associated with overwhelmed health systems and extreme poverty linked to underlying health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said the New Orleans area—which faces a New York City–type scenario—may run out of ventilators on Apr 2 or Apr 3 and that two federal field hospitals, each with 250 beds, are being set up at the New Orleans Convention Center.
Trump signs relief bill, mulls hot spot quarantine
President Trump yesterday signed the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief and stimulus bill, and today on Twitter he signaled that he is considering a quarantine for hot spots in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. “A decision will be made one way or another, shortly,” he said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said today at a media briefing that he spoke to Trump about a Navy hospital ship coming to New York and four federal field hospitals, but the topic of a quarantine didn’t come up, the New York Times reported.
He said he wasn’t sure if such an order would be enforceable or what it would accomplish medically.
FDA issue EUA for Abbott rapid test
Abbott yesterday announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its molecular point-of-care test for detecting the virus that causes COVID-19.
The test runs on the existing ID NOW platform and delivers a positive result in 5 minutes and a negative result in 13 minutes. The company’s platform is the most widely available molecular point-of-care system of its kind.
Abbott said the test will be available to healthcare providers in urgent care settings that are already using its systems and that it is working with the Trump administration to deploy the tests to areas where they will have the greatest impact. It said it is ramping up production to deliver 50,000 tests per day. Last week, Abbott received an FDA EUA for its real-time COVID-19 test used in hospital and reference labs.
CDC warns about improper chloroquine use, unveils app
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today warned that chloroquine phosphate used without a prescription and healthcare provider supervision can cause serious health problems, including death.
In a health advisory network notice it said clinicians and public health officials should discourage the public from misusing nonpharmaceutical chloroquine phosphate, a chemical used in home aquariums, and that chloroquine and related hydrochloroquine should be used only under the supervision of a healthcare provider as prescribed medications.
The CDC said it is aware of two people who took the aquarium cleaner after seeing information about its medical use on television. One died and the other is critically ill. The CDC said unconfirmed media reports have said the aquarium chemical may be out of stock because of increased demand. It added that the drugs are approved to treat conditions such as malaria and lupus and are being studied in clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment, but so far, efficacy isn’t known.
When used at higher-than-recommended doses, the drugs can lead to serious side effects, including heart problems and death. President Trump has voiced hope that malaria drugs such as chloroquine are useful for treating COVID-19, but so far reports on benefits have anecdotal or from small uncontrolled trials.
Also, the CDC yesterday announced that Apple—as part of a federal partnership—launched an iPhone app that guides users through a series of questions on health and exposure to determine if they should seek care for COVID-19. The tool also gives users CDC recommendations for the next steps, including physical distancing and self-isolation, symptom monitoring, and recommendations on testing and when to contact a medical provider.
The CDC yesterday issued a level 3 travel warning that recommends against all nonessential international travel owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Mar 19, the US State Department issued a level 4 advisory urging all US citizens to avoid international travel.
Cases spike in several global epicenters
Pandemic activity continued to surge in several European countries, with Italy today reporting 889 more deaths, raising its fatality count past 10,000 to 10,023. The country also reported 5,974 new cases, lifting its total to 92,472, the second-highest in the world.
In some of the other global hot spots:
- Spain reported 8,189 more cases and 832 more deaths, its highest 1-day fatality number, putting its respective totals at 72,248 and 5,690.
- Iran today reported 3,076 new cases and 139 more deaths, raising its overall totals to 35,408 cases and 2,517 deaths.
- Japan today reported 194 new cases, raising its total to 1,662.
- Singapore reported 70 more cases, 41 of them imported, raising its total to 802.
- Hong Kong reported 64 more cases, 47 in people with a travel history, raising its total to 583.
