52 cases of mysterious pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome recorded in NYC
More than 50 cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome — a mysterious illness affecting children and likely linked to COVID-19 — have been recorded in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.
One child has died, the mayor said. In all, 52 cases have been detected, and another 10 are pending. Of those, 25 children have tested positive for coronavirus and 22 have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
“It’s something we did not see essentially through March and April,” de Blasio said. “It really has grabbed us all just in the last week or two — it’s sobering, it’s bluntly frightening.” The city is “combining the efforts of healthcare professionals all over New York City to figure out what it is and how to deal with it,” he said.
De Blasio encouraged parents to watch their kids for fever, rash, vomiting and a lack of energy, and immediately call a doctor or 3-1-1 if they see those symptoms and especially if they see a combination of those symptoms. “Early detection, early action makes all the difference here,” de Blasio said. “We want people not to hesitate here.”
Georgia nearing 1,500 total COVID-19 deaths
Georgia reported 16 new COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday morning, bringing its statewide total to 1,460.
The state also reported 163 new cases. In total, the state has experienced 34,165 cases of COVID-19.
The deadliest day for the state has been April 16, with 52 deaths — but deaths and cases have been declining since reaching their peaks last month.
Gov. Brian Kemp eased coronavirus restrictions and allowed businesses to reopen, but many residents and business owners have been wary about returning to their usual routines.
Love-struck American dresses as cleaner to evade German airport security
An American man hatched an unusual plan to see his girlfriend in Germany. After flying from Washington, D.C., he disguised himself as a garbage cleaner at Frankfurt airport to avoid coronavirus-related border checks but never got beyond the transit area, German border police said Tuesday.
The 20-year-old man changed into a yellow neon vest upon arrival Sunday and carried two black garbage bags he had brought with him from the U.S., police told NBC News. He then tried to convince aviation security that he was a cleaner at the airport.
A staff member noticed he didn’t have a security ID or speak German and alerted federal police. After a brief investigation, “the yearning-stricken man was sent back to Washington on May 11,” the police report read. He will not face additional repercussions as he never made it past the airport’s transit area.
In Nicaragua, express burials cast doubt on official coronavirus numbers, doctors and families say
President Daniel Ortega’s government has stood out for its refusal to impose measures to halt the coronavirus for more than two months since the disease was first diagnosed in Nicaragua. Now, doctors and family members of apparent victims say, the government has gone from denying the disease’s presence in the country to actively trying to conceal its spread.
Kremlin spokesman falls ill with coronavirus
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agencies Tuesday that he has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.
“Yes, I have fallen ill,” he told that TASS news wire. “I am being treated.”
Peskov follows Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who announced he was heading to a hospital on April 30 after testing positive.
It is not known when Peskov last came in contact with President Vladimir Putin. Putin has been seen in recent days taking one-on-one meetings without wearing a mask.
Fauci set to testify to Congress on U.S. coronavirus response, reopening plans
Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top Trump administration officials are set to testify at a public Senate hearing Tuesday about the coronavirus response and plans for people to return to work and school.
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is expected to testify by videoconference during the hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee because he has decided to self-quarantine after possibly being exposed to COVID-19.
This is the Democrats’ first opportunity since March to grill top administration officials on their response to the coronavirus.
In an email to The New York Times, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he plans to warn senators Tuesday of “needless suffering and death” if the country opens too early.
Pakistanis throng to shops as some businesses re-open
Pakistan began the limited opening of businesses and commercial activities this week, after two months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
People thronged to markets and shops in large numbers, in many cases ignoring continuing government measures in place to stem the virus.
On Monday, 28 people died from COVID-19 bringing the total to 667 deaths. Pakistan has recorded almost 31,000 cases, officials said, mostly in the densely populated Punjab region.
Coronavirus pandemic could force a major U.S. airline out of business, says Boeing CEO
The airline industry is having an “apocalyptic” moment that could force a major U.S. carrier out of business, said David Calhoun, president and CEO of Boeing, in an interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “TODAY” show that aired on Tuesday morning.
“The threat to the airline industry is grave. There’s no question about it. And apocalyptic does actually accurately describe the moment,” Calhoun said of the impact of the coronavirus.
Despite billions of dollars in emergency funding as part of the government’s CARES Act, the future for the industry remains uncertain, with many airline executives forecasting traffic will not return to prior levels for three to five years, leading to questions about the survival of some major carriers.
“I don’t want to get too predictive on that subject. But yes, most likely,” Calhoun said when asked if he thought a major U.S. carrier would have to go out of business.
“Something will happen when September comes around. Traffic levels will not be back to 100 percent. They won’t even be back to 25 percent. So there will definitely be adjustments that have to be made on the part of the airlines,” Calhoun said.
Italy gives green light to reopening bars and restaurants
Bars, restaurants, hairdressers and barbers are set to open in Italy from Monday, May 18, as the government accelerates its plan to relax coronavirus lockdown measures. Previously, the government had planned for these businesses not to open until June 1.
Some 270,000 Italian commercial and service-sector firms risk shutting down for good unless economic conditions improve fast and there is a full reopening in October, retail association Confcommercio said Monday. The worst-hit sectors include clothing shops, hotels, bars, restaurants and businesses linked to entertainment and caring for people, as well as street sellers and travelling sales people.
According to ISTAT, the National Statistics Institute, the country’s industrial production fell 28.4% in March with respect to February. All the main sectors showed big negative variations, ISTAT said
