More than 1 million tests have been distributed, with more on the way: FDA
The head of the Food and Drug Administration said 1.1 million tests have been sent to labs, with a focus on hard-hit states, such as Washington and California.
Dr. Steven Hahn made the announcement during a White House briefing Saturday. He said he expects another million to be sent by Monday. And, he said, as many as 4 million could be ready by the end of next week.
So far, 72 state and local public health labs in 48 states are able to test for the coronavirus.
Also on Saturday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar clarified comments President Trump made Friday when he suggested anyone could get a test. Azar said Trump was using “shorthand” and explained health officials are no longer restricting testing if a doctor determines one is necessary.
U.S. deaths up to 19
The number of deaths from coronavirus in the United States has climbed to 19, as two more fatalities were reported Saturday in Washington state.
In total, the virus has killed 16 in Washington state, two in Florida and one in California.
The overall number of cases of the virus has risen to 395, with Washington state and California having the most, 102 and 84, respectively.
Amtrak cancels Acela nonstop train between D.C. and New York
Amtrak said it is temporarily halting Acela nonstop train service between Washington, D.C. and New York, due to decreased demand as the coronavirus continues to sicken people across the United States.
The suspension starts Tuesday and will continue until May 26, Amtrak said in a statement on its website Friday. In addition, the passenger rail line said it will waive change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30, 2020.
To help keep down the spread of the virus, Amtrak trains and stations will be cleaned multiple times a day “and in some cases, on an hourly basis,” the statement said. An increased number of sanitizers and disinfectant wipes will also be available for customers and its workers.
Coronavirus for Easter?
Phillies limit player contact with fans on autographs
The Philadelphia Phillies said the team is changing its autograph policy ahead of spring-training games to try to limit contact between players and fans amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Phillies said in a statement provided to NBC Sports that based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is asking players to pre-sign baseballs and photo cards and for security personnel to help players distribute those items before games.
“The Phillies recognize that autograph signing for some fans is part of the overall appeal of attending spring training games. As a precautionary measure for both our players and our fans, we are making adjustments to this experience,” the statement says.
Why the WHO is not calling coronavirus outbreak a ‘pandemic’
The World Health Organization has shied away from calling the global spread of the coronavirus a “pandemic,” saying the word might spook the world further and lead some countries to lose hope of containing the virus.
“Unless we’re convinced it’s uncontrollable, why (would) we call it a pandemic?” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week.
Some experts disagree, saying the outbreak meets the definition of a pandemic.
But, at a news conference last month, Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said a pandemic is “a unique situation in which we believe that all citizens on the planet” will likely be exposed to a virus “within a defined period of time.”
New York cases jump to 76, governor declares emergency
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the number of cases there has jumped to 76 — a 72 percent increase from the 44 cases as of Friday — and that he has declared a state of emergency.
At least 10 of the coronavirus patients in New York state are hospitalized, Cuomo said at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
He said 11 of the 76 cases are in New York City, 57 in Westchester County, two in Rockland County, four in Nassau County and two in Saratoga County.
Calling an airline to change a reservation? Expect a wait.
Travelers calling to change or cancel flight reservations due to the coronavirus outbreak might find themselves having to wait — and wait, as some major U.S. airlines’ phone lines are jammed.
Jeremy Daly, a web developer, booked his ticket for a conference in Germany that has since been pushed back because of the outbreak. When Daly called Delta Air Lines to change his ticket, he got a message advising of a time 2-hour, 40-minute wait time.
A call to American Airlines brings a recorded message advising of a wait time between 1 hour and 5 minutes and 1 hour and 30 minutes. American told NBC News that it had higher call volumes and was encouraging passengers to make flight changes online if possible.
Delta and some other airlines also offer an option for callers to leave a message with their phone numbers for a call back. Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
State Dept. says non-emergency personnel can leave Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan
The State Department announced that non-emergency personnel and their families can voluntarily leave Turkmenistan, located in Central Asia, and Azerbaijan, in the Caucasus region, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Officials made the announcement on Friday, the same day the government raised the travel advisory to the countries to a level 3 and urged people to reconsider traveling there.
Life at coronavirus ‘ground zero’ in Seattle is crazy — but I’m not panicking
Ever since the first U.S. death from the coronavirus was reported in Washington state on Feb. 29, marking our Seattle-area community as “ground zero,” life as we know it here has changed.
I live in Bellevue, a suburb outside Seattle and just 12.5 miles from the Life Care Center nursing facility in Kirkland that’s linked to six deaths in the state. A friend works for the fire department that responded to the calls at the facility, and now several firefighters are quarantined because they are experiencing symptoms.
He is not one of them, but to know someone in the epicenter of the chaos is certainly unnerving.
