Previous coronavirus daily briefing updates, March 26-28

Current daily briefings on the coronavirus can be found here. Scroll below to read precious reports, listed in eastern time.

March 28, 9:35 p.m.

Grocery stores are one of the few businesses that are remaining open during the coronavirus pandemic, and people headed out to purchase food and supplies should take extra precautions to stay safe:  

• Wash hands often or wear disposable gloves

• Wipe down carts and baskets before using

• Maintain social distancing

• Wash all fruits and vegetables

March 28, 8:32 p.m.

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he will not be issuing a quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut after consulting with the state governors and deeming it "will not be necessary." Instead, he is asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent to issue a "strong" travel advisory for the state Governors to administer.

March 28, 8:13 p.m.

More than 2,000 people in the U.S. have died due to COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. As of Saturday night, the death toll for the country stands at 2,026. With 121,478 confirmed cases in the U.S., the countries mortality rate is about 1.6%.

March 28, 7:24 p.m.

By Monday, at least 225 million Americans will be under a type of stay-at-home order, CNN reported based on census data. Stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders are being issued by states, counties and local governments.

March 28, 6:40 p.m.

Heres the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:

• Total confirmed cases: 659,367

• Total death toll: 30,475

• total recovered cases: 139,304

The U.S. currently has the most confirmed cases out of any country with 121,117 confirmed cases of the virus. Italy has confirmed the most deaths related to COVID-19, with 10,023 in the country.

March 28, 5:11 p.m.

The first infant death related to COVID-19 has been reported in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), more than 85% of deaths in Illinois come from patients over 60 years old. “There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant.  A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of death,” said IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike. “We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves, but to protect those around us.”

March 28, 4:10 p.m.

The U.S. is still weeks away from the climax of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data analysis by University of Washington School of Medicine. The number of patients in a hospital due to the coronavirus is expected to peak around the second week of April, but that could vary from state to state. The data analysis also suggests that fatalities across the country could range anywhere form 38,000 to 162,000. "The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who led the study.

March 28, 1:17 p.m.

President Donald Trump may order a quarantine of New York and New Jersey. Trump spoke to reporters at the White House Saturday and, using an umbrella to fend off raindrops, he said, "There's a possibility that sometime today we'll do a quarantine -- short-term two weeks -- on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut." He reiterated the point about the "developing hot spots" on Twitter shortly afterward. As confirmed cases have skyrocketed in the U.S., no place has been harder hit than New York City, which has reported more than 26,000 COVID-19 cases. New Jersey tallied more than 11,00 cases as of Saturday afternoon. Watch Trump's remarks below:

March 28, 10:30 a.m.

Pope Francis led a special prayer and blessing traditionally reserved for holy days in an eerily empty St. Peter’s Square Friday evening to help humanity seek comfort during the pandemic. “Open our hearts to hope,” the pope said during his opening prayer, as a light rain left the empty square glistening. “Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts,” he prayed, according to The Associated Press.

March 28, 9:00 a.m.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) expert warned that alcohol and drugs are an “unhelpful coping strategy” during thelockdown. Dr. Aiysha Malik, a technical officer at WHO Europe’s mental health and substance abuse department, told The Independent that relying on them to get one through the pandemic “can make things worse.”

March 28, 7:30 a.m.

Coronavirus cases around the globe surpassed 600,000 on Saturday morning. Ireland officials told the public to stay home for the next two weeks in almost all circumstances, The Washington Post reported. “These are radical actions aimed at saving as many people’s lives as possible,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a televised address on Friday.

March 27, 10 p.m.

Doctors in New York will be testing the use of plasma from previous COVID-19 patients on current patients who remain in hospitalization. Plasma is found in blood and rich in antibodies that help fight off disease. Although plasma has been previously used to treat influenza and Ebola, that does not necessarily mean it will be an effective treatment for COVID-19.“It’s kind of difficult scientifically to know how valuable it is in any disease until you try,” Dr. David L. Reich, president and chief operating officer of the Mount Sinai Hospital, told The New York Times. “It’s not exactly a shot in the dark, but it’s not tried and true.”

March 27, 9:26 p.m.

How does the new coronavirus spread in the air? Think of second-hand smoke. That's what Dr. Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne disease transmission at Virginia Tech, told AccuWeather this week. There are many factors that can impact how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, but the cigarette smoke analogy might be the easiest to visualize. "It also depends on the wind or the ventilation conditions in the room," Marr added. Read the full story and watch a video on everything that influences how viruses behave in the air here.

March 27, 8:20 p.m.

In a time where social distancing is the new normal, and where millions of people have transitioned to working from home, internet providers have seen a strain on their networks. The amount of time that households are streaming content on an average weekday has more than doubled in recent weeks, according to CNBC. To add to the substantial increase of internet usage, some companies are worried that if technicians or engineers need to self-isolate or go into quarantine, it could leave the infrastructure vulnerable.  YouTube has already stepped up to help combat this issue by reducing video quality to limit congestion, especially during peak hours. Netflix has followed suit, decreasing quality in countries such as India and Australia. 

March 27, 6:56 p.m.

Another study addressing the role warmer weather might play in slowing the spread of COVID-19 surfaced recently, and AccuWeather reporter Adriana Navarro talked with the two MIT scientists who conducted the research. They made an interesting discovery about several places that all had mean temperatures between 37.4 and 50 degrees in February and March. Still, both the scientists and an epidemiologist expressed concern about the devastating potential the virus causing COVID-19 still holds. Read the full story here.

March 27, 5:54 p.m.

U.S. COVID-19 cases surpassed 100,000 on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The confirmed case count now stands at 100,717, with 1,544 virus-related deaths. On Thursday, The U.S. became the country with the most confirmed cases in the world, and it is now the only country to have over 100,000 confirmed cases.

March 27, 5:50 p.m.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced school closures in the state will be extended throughout the rest of the school year. School districts must develop new learning plans for students to complete the rest of the year.

March 27, 5:00 p.m.

It's been unseasonably hot in New Orleans lately, and it's going to continue to be hot through the weekend and into the middle of next week. Orleans Parish, which includes The Big Easy, has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot of late. As of Friday, COVID-19 cases there neared 1,200 and almost 60 fatalities had been blamed on the disease. Some research has shown warm weather and higher humidity can slow the spread of COVID-19, but the spread has been accelerating there lately, despite the heat.   The outbreak has been escalating so rapidly that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered anyone traveling from Louisiana into Florida to self-isolate for 14 days, or risk 60 days in jail, The Associated Press reported. Here's a look at the forecast for New Orleans through Wednesday.

March 27, 4:08 p.m.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland will remain closed “until further notice," the company announced. Disney is still paying the employees of the now-closed parks and resorts, and said the company will continue to do so through April 18.

March 27, 3:30 p.m.

All beaches in Los Angeles County will close temporarily, County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced on Twitter. “The crowds we saw last weekend were unacceptable and we're making this decision to save lives,” Hahn said. The closure is effective immediately and includes beach bathrooms, piers, promenades and beach bike paths.

March 27, 2:41 p.m.

Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina has been in quarantine since March 19 after being in contact with a Congress member that had tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday, Cunningham tested positive for the virus as well.

March 27, 2:11 p.m.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that a COVID-19 vaccine is still 12 to 18 months away, however, he did reveal that the WHO has begun a "historic" drug trial. "Today we are delighted to announce that in Norway and Spain, the first patients will shortly be enrolled in the Solidarity Trial, which will compare the safety and effectiveness of four different drugs or drug combinations against COVID-19," Tedros said at a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland. The trial will cut the time needed to generate enough evidence to determine which drugs are successful in fighting the virus, he said. 

March 27, 1:46 p.m.

The NBA season has been suspended since early March after multiple players on the Utah Jazz, including all-star center Rudy Gobert, tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday, Shams Charania, NBA insider for The Athletic, reported that Gobert and teammate Donovan Mitchell no longer have the illnes. The news comes one day after Detroit Pistons power forward Christian Wood was cleared from having the virus, following a previous positive test result. The Jazz and Pistons played a game in Detroit on March 7.

March 27, 1:23 p.m.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Cook County, which includes Chicago, in recent days. On Friday afternoon, the number of cases in Cook County eclipsed 1,900. Complicating matters further, the Chicago area is under a threat of major severe weather on Saturday. After the storms clear out, AccuWeather's forecast shows mostly sunny weather on tap with highs in the mid- to upper-40s, a little below normal for this time of year. Unfortunately, getting out to enjoy any sunny weather will be tricky as Chicago's mayor has put strict orders into effect banning extensive outdoor exercise. "You cannot go on long bike rides. Playgrounds are shut down. You must abide by the order," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said this week, according to CBS2. Here's a glance at upcoming weather in the Windy City.

(Image/AccuWeather)

March 27, 1:03 p.m.

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that has at least 23 confirmed cases of coronavirus on board is docking in Guam. The carrier was operating in the Philippine Sea. Once docked, every person on the carrier is expected to be tested. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said the resources in Guam will allow the Navy to test and isolate better because the resources on board are currently limited.

March 27, 12:40 p.m.

A pharmaceutical company says the FDA has given it the green light to make a rapid coronavirus test available to the public. The test takes only 15 minutes to return results. The blood test, known as Standard Q COVID-19 IgM/IgG Rapid Test, can identify COVID-19 antibodies from blood drawn with a pinprick and requires no instrumentation and can be done on-site. The maker of the tests, Henry Schein, Inc. says it expects to have 'at least several hundred thousand tests by March 30.'

March 27, 12:11 p.m.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, companies and factories are starting to see production orders similar to World War II, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Distilleries have turned to making hand sanitizer, apparel companies are making masks, and General Motors and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are working to build ventilators. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order that allowed the Health and Human Services Secretary to use the The Defense Production Act. This would give the government the power to buy and distribute critically needed supplies and materials, as well as have the ability to order companies to manufacture certain goods for emergencies. The law was put into use during World War II to manufacture materials for war.

March 27, 11:51 a.m.

New York City has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. The city has reported more than 23,000 cases and at least 365 fatalities -- and those numbers are climbing fast. We've looked at what researchers and other experts have said about how weather could affect the spread of COVID-19. But weather is also a practical matter for many, especially in New York City where people are waiting on long lines to be admitted into hospitals and lining up at drive-thru testing sites. Over the next five days, the AccuWeather forecast is calling for a mix of rain sun in the Big Apple with temperatures at or above average. Here's a closer look at the 5-day forecast:

(Image/AccuWeather)

March 27, 10:50 a.m.

“Louisiana has experienced the fastest rate of increase for confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Friday morning. The number of cases has been rising sharply across the state, with hospitals in dire need of crucial medial equipment. Edwards has requested 5,000 ventilators from the federal stockpile, but as of Thursday evening, had not received any, according to NOLA.com. At the current rate of COVID-19 cases, Edwards projects that Louisiana will run out of ventilators by the first week of April. "We're trying to procure them, desperately."

The Ernest M. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans is in the process of being outfitted to house as many as 3,000 beds for when hospitals in the city reach capacity. More than 40 percent of the COVID-19 cases in Louisiana have been in Orleans Parish, making it one of the hot spots across the U.S.

March 27, 10:33 a.m.

United Kingdom Health Secretary Matt Hancock has tested positive for coronavirus just moments after Prime Minister Boris Johnson also tested positive. Hancock said in a video that he is only posing mild symptoms and will be self isolating and working from home until at least next Thursday.

March 27, 7:37 a.m.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, he announced on Twitter. The prime minister said he developed mild symptoms over the past 24 hours and is now self-isolating.

Working from home, Johnson said he will continue leading the U.K.’s fight against the pandemic. Johnson, 55, said his persistent symptoms were “a temperature and persistent cough” and took the test on the advice of the U.K.’s chief medical officer.

March 27, 6:25 a.m.

Here are the latest updated worldwide numbers compiled by researchers from Johns Hopkins University:

March 26, 10:01 p.m.

A good hand-washing technique is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from getting sick. With the rapid spread of the coronavirus, knowing how to properly wash your hands is especially important. In a short video tutorial shared on Twitter that went viral recently, this process was broken down by using black ink instead of soap, to show how to fully wash your hands without missing any spots. Some of the tips given in this video include:

• Wet your hands with water.

• Put soap in the palm of your hands and rub it on your hands.

• Make sure you get your wrists, in-between your fingers, the back of your hands and your fingernails.

March 26, 9:40 p.m.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday they are relaxing restrictions on disinfectant and pesticide manufacturers in an effort to “increase the availability of products for Americans to use against the novel coronavirus.” The EPA is currently allowing companies that fall under those categories to obtain some inactive ingredients, such as sodium chloride or glucose, without prior approval from the agency.

March 26, 8:57 p.m.

Actor Mark Blum died on Thursday at the age of 69 after experiencing complications related to COVID-19. Blum was most known for "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Crocodile Dundee," "Law & Order," "Us" and "Succession,” NBC reported.

March 26, 7:50 p.m.

Orleans Parish continues to be the epicenter for COVID-19 in Louisiana. The parish, which is home to New Orleans, has accounted for 43 percent of cases and 55 percent of fatalities across the state, according to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). “676 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized. Of those, 239 require ventilation. If Louisiana’s growth continues this way and the state is unable to flatten the curve, the New Orleans area could run out of vents by the first week of April,” the LDH said.

March 26, 6:57 p.m.

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that federal officials are working on developing new guidelines that will determine and rate a county's risk of COVID-19 spread. The Associated Press reported the goal of the new guidelines is to give local governments the power to make “decisions about maintaining, increasing, or relaxing social distancing and other measures they have put in place,” and allow the national government to ease the nationwide guidelines.

March 26, 5:54 p.m.

U.S. COVID-19 cases, which have been surging as testing has escalated, topped Italy and China, making America the country with the most cases in the world with 82,404, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, the U.S. has confirmed 1,136 COVID-19-related deaths, making its mortality rate 1.4 percent.

March 26, 5:19 p.m.

The wild roller-coaster ride on Wall Street continued Thursday as the Dow shot up more than 1,350 points. According to Business Insider, the rally thrust stocks back into bull market territory and, over the three-day winning streak, the Dow is up 21 percent. The big gains came despite historically bad unemployment numbers the federal government released earlier in the day as traders took confidence from a $2 trillion stimulus package that's working its way through Congress.

March 26, 4:15 p.m.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that people facing pre-existing medical conditions or noncommunicable diseases could risk becoming seriously ill from contracting COVID-19. TheWHO recommended people with such conditions take medications and follow medical advice, avoid sick people, have at least one month of medical supplies stocked, wash hands often, quit smoking and drinking alcohol, and protect mental health. According to WHO doctors, these are 4 pre-existing conditions that are especially at-risk:  

• Cardiovascular disease

• Chronic respiratory disease

• Diabetes

• Cancer

March 26, 3:17 p.m

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China announced on Thursday that foreigners will be temporarily banned from entering China starting March 28. This announcement is the latest attempt of controlling the spread of coronavirus in the country where it originated. Back in January, Chinese authorities introduced stricter measures, including suspending all travel in and out of cities in Hubei province. The city of Wuhan, home to more than 11 million people and the original epicenter of the global outbreak, has only reported one new confirmed infection since March 17.

March 26, 2:31 p.m.

Over 500,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across the globe, resulting in nearly 23,000 deaths, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There have also been nearly 121,000 recoveries as of Thursday afternoon. China is still ranked as the country with the most cases of COVID-19, but Italy is on pace to overtake China before the end of the week. On Thursday alone, Italy reported 6,153 new cases and 662 new fatalities. Here are the five countries with the highest number of confirmed cases:   

• China (81,782)

• Italy (80,539)

• U.S. (75,233)

• Spain (56,197)

• Germany (43,646)

March 26, 1:41 p.m.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said officials are seeing a reduction in the rate of increase of the spread of the coronavirus. “That’s the first sign of progress,” he said. The state’s death toll has reached 385, and Cuomo referred to the battle against COVID-19 as a marathon, not a sprint. The state, considered to be the current epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., has over 37,000 cases and is conducting up to 18,650 COVID-19 tests per day.

Cuomo also thanked the tireless efforts of some of the hard-working residents on the frontline of the battle. "I know [New Yorkers] are tired. I’m tired too. But when I feel tired, I think of the healthcare professionals working seven-day weeks. I think of the first responders showing up every day. I think of the pharmacists, transit workers & so many others."

March 26, 12:20 p.m.

Despite many businesses closing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some industries are seeing a spike in sales, including the orange juice industry. Do to the stay at home orders of some states, people are looking for ways to get more Vitamin C into their body to help strengthen their immune system and drinking orange juice is one method to do just that. The mild winter has also helped oranges continue to grow through the winter, meaning a larger quantity of oranges. However, the WHO warns that while orange juice helps build your immune system, it will not directly prevent contracting COVID-19.

March 26, 11:27 a.m.

A supermarket in northeastern Pennsylvania had to dispose of $35,000 worth of food after a woman walked into the store and purposely coughed on produce, meat and bakery items. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with," Gerrity’s Supermarket posted on Facebook. These areas were thoroughly cleaned before being restocked with fresh product. The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office assured the supermarket that they will be “aggressively pursuing numerous charges” against the woman.

March 26, 10:48 a.m.

Even the Waffle Houses are closing. The popular eatery, which takes pride on staying open 24 hours a day for 365 days a year, has long been considered a signal of how severe a natural disaster is by how many of its restaurants are closed in the aftermath of a storm. The restaurant chain announced Wednesday that 418 of its locations are now closed, while more than 1,500 are still open amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said customers can call their local Waffle House for carry-out orders.

Waffle House uses a a three-color index to highlight the status of its stores: green, yellow and red. Green indicates a location is fully open, yellow is a limited menu and red is closed.

March 26, 9:55 a.m.

On a day when millions of baseball fans planned to watch their favorite team start the new season with a win, quite the opposite is happening as Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums across the county sit empty. March 26 was scheduled to be the league's opening day before it was announced several weeks ago that the season would be suspended due to the coronavirus. Instead, the league is presenting fans with “Opening Day at Home.”

“A full slate of 30 games broadcast nationally across various platforms, including digital streaming and social media, creating a full-day event on what would have been Opening Day,” the league said. “There will be one game -- a victory, of course – broadcast for each MLB club. Fans will have the chance to enjoy postseason triumphs, spectacular individual feats and more, reliving fond memories while doing their part to keep their communities safe.”

March 26, 9:38 a.m.

Unemployment claims across the U.S. soared to a record 3.28 million according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Labor. Just one week ago claims were 282,000 but more states have shuttered non-essential businesses across a variety of industries in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. The increase of 3,001,000 marks the "highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series," the Labor Department's statement read. "The previous high was 695,000 in October of 1982." As Annie Lowrey, an econimics reporter for The Atlantic pointed out on Twitter, it's as if everyone in Chicago, home to about 2.7 million, lost their jobs.

March 26, 7:55 a.m.

The Tony Awards have been postponed due to coronavirus. The event recognizing the year’s best theater and Broadway productions was scheduled to take place June 7 in New York City, but the health risk surrounding the spread of coronavirus has become too immense. In a statement from Tony Award Productions, the event said a new date will be later announced. New York has over 33,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, nearly the same amount as the rest of the U.S. combined.

March 26, 7:01 a.m.

Over 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed throughout the world on Wednesday, marking the worst day yet for new growth during the pandemic. In the U.S., 13,355 new confirmed cases represented the worst day of growth as well, making Wednesday the fourth consecutive day with a new daily high total of cases and deaths in the country.

Wednesday’s 247 new deaths in the U.S. pushed the outbreak’s total fatality tally to over 1,000 in the country, joining China, Italy, Spain, Iran and France for the only other countries with over 1,000. With 619 total recoveries, per data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has also seen fewer recorded recoveries than each of those other countries and 3,525 fewer recoveries than South Korea, which has seen nearly 60,000 fewer cases.

March 26, 6:33 a.m.

Here are the latest updated numbers from researchers at Johns Hopkins University:

• Total confirmed cases: 480,466

• Total deaths: 21,353

• Total recoveries: 115,003

Click here for previous briefings on the coronavirus.

Reporting by Lauren Fox, John Murphy, Brian Lada, Mark Puleo, Maria Antonieta Valery Gil, Kevin Byrne, Chaffin Mitchell, Adriana Navarro, Dexter Henry, Bill Wadell, Jonathan Petramala, and Monica Danielle

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