Coronavirus pandemic in the US

There are at least, 6,010 cases of coronavirus in Boston, and 196 people have died from the disease, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said at a news conference Wednesday.

The city is still not at its peak of cases and the surge is going to continue, he said. 

Walsh announced a fourth round of funding through the Boston Resiliency Fund. A distribution of an additional $1.7 million in funds will be given to at least 20 organizations that support community health centers, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, neighborhoods experiencing higher rates of coronavirus, and the Boston Muslim community during Ramadan, Walsh said. The money will also go towards medical equipment for frontline and essential workers. 

By the numbers: The city has added over 1,000 beds to improve spacing and provide treatment in the homeless shelter system, Walsh said. Boston Hope Medical Center has treated over 290 Covid-19 patients so far, and as of yesterday, it had 169 patients; of which 97 were on the shelter side and 72 in the hospital side, he said.

Walsh said he is “upset” with President Trump’s executive order barring new immigration.

Walsh noted that in Boston, 46% of accommodations and food workers are foreign born. Immigrants make up 35% of Boston’s health care workers, 40% of the city’s construction workers and 41% of hospitality workers, Walsh said.  

Trump said Tuesday his order will apply only to people seeking green cards, last 60 days and won't affect workers entering the country on a temporary basis. 

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman repeatedly called for the city's businesses to reopen while refusing to provide any social distancing guidelines on how to do so safely.

"Right now, we're in a crisis health-wise, and so for a restaurant to be open or a small boutique to be open, they better figure it out. That's their job. That's not the mayor's job."

Watch the moment here:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there "is no date" for when the state could reopen and residents could return to normalcy.

“No one wants to share the timeline for the return to normalcy than I do,” Newsom said at his daily press conference. However, “There is no date," he said.

Newsom warned, “You will be left wanting.” About lifting restrictions, the governor said, “We are not prepared to do that today. We won’t wait week to week, when we’re ready, we will make those announcements in real time.”

California is looking closely at six key indicators based on health science, not politics, the governor said. Those indicators are:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom detailed a call with President Trump focused on coronavirus testing materials.

As the state increases testing capacity, the overwhelming need is supplies, specifically test swabs, Newsom said he told Trump during a call Wednesday.

The President promised that California will receive 100,000 test swabs this week, 250,000 next week, and more the week after, Newsom said.

So far, about 465,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in California.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths since the pandemic began.

The governor cited 19 deaths and 154 new infections. Walz went on to say it appears the state is climbing the slope.

Health Secretary Jan Malcolm said the state expects to see these numbers increase.

Two cats in New York have been infected with the novel coronavirus, federal officials announced Wednesday.

Both animals had mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery.

The agencies emphasized that there is no evidence pets play a role in spreading coronavirus in the United States.

"There is no justification in taking measures against companion animals that may compromise their welfare," they said.

The two cats were tested after they showed respiratory symptoms, according to the agencies, and they join the ranks of a lion and a tiger in New York who were previously confirmed to be infected.

A veterinarian tested the first house cat after it showed mild respiratory signs, but none of the humans in its household were confirmed to have the virus.

It’s possible, officials said, that the cat was infected by somebody outside the home. Someone inside the house, with mild or no symptoms, could have also transmitted the virus.

The second cat, in a separate area of New York, was also tested after it showed signs of respiratory illness. The owner of that cat tested positive for Covid-19 before the cat became ill, but another cat in the household has shown no signs of illness.

Coronavirus and pets: Officials are still learning more about coronavirus and pets, but the CDC is recommending that people limit interactions between their pets and people or animals outside the household.

Cats should be kept indoors when possible, the CDC said, and dogs should be walked on a leash, maintaining at least 6 feet from other people and animals. 

The agency said dogs should also avoid public places where a large number of people and animals gather, such as dog parks. 

If someone is ill with Covid-19 – whether suspected or confirmed – officials recommend having another member of the household care for pets.

An Interior official downplayed President Trump's comments on the reopening of National Parks this afternoon as a major new announcement — noting that space at some parks has remained open throughout the pandemic response.

The official said Interior and the National Park Service will work at the state level to open parks as those individual states begin to reopen, but the expectation at the moment is that the administration won’t move to open parks before the states they’re located in move to at least Phase One of the federal reopening guidelines.

More than 75% of hotel rooms in the United States remain empty, according to hotel data and analytics company STR. 

Nationwide hotels reported an occupancy rate of 23.4% for the week ending April 18, which represents a 64% decrease from the same week last year. 

The numbers are a slight increase from recent weeks, but STR attributes that to rooms being used by people working to respond to the pandemic.  

New York City, were some medical workers are being housed in hotels, posted an occupancy rate of about 33%, up from a low of about 15% for the week ending March 28. 

Oahu Island, Hawaii, remains the market with lowest occupancy. Only 8% of the rooms there are occupied.

Economists call the latest round of fiscal stimulus a step in the right direction, but warn that more money will be necessary to help both American households and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This bill will help address shortfalls, but even more stimulus will likely be needed," said economists at Bank of America in a research note. "We expect Congress to pass another large package worth up to $1.5 trillion that extends on provisions in the CARES Act." 

The US Senate passed a new $480 billion round of fiscal stimulus Tuesday in Washington's latest effort to provide economic relief, including an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses. The program ran out of funds last week.

The expanded program also likely won't prevent some small companies from going under.

"Many small businesses that are currently closed or operating at reduced levels could still struggle to remain financially viable, even if lockdowns are progressively lifted over the coming weeks," said Rebecca Karnovitz, a Moody's vice president, in emailed comments. "A wave of small business bankruptcies would weigh on a recovery in employment and economic activity."