Coronavirus pandemic in the US

A new report published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Georgia finds that significant racial disparities persist: More than 80% of the patients were black.

But there was no significant difference between black and non-black patients when it came to dying during hospitalization or requiring intensive mechanical ventilation known as IMV.

The report, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Wednesday, included 305 hospitalized adults with Covid-19, primarily in Atlanta. The researchers took a close look at the patients' characteristics and clinical outcomes, and found that 1 in 4 hospitalized patients had no recognized factors that put them at risk for severe Covid-19.

Data on race were available for 297 or 97.4% of patients in the study — the data showed that 247 or 83.2% were black, 32 or 10.8% were non-Hispanic white, eight or 2.7% were non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander, and 10 or 3.4% were Hispanic.

US stocks closed sharply higher on Wednesday, as investors once again grew optimistic about a potential coronavirus treatment.

Gilead Sciences announced encouraging results for remdesivir, an antiviral drug tested as part of a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease study. Gilead finished up 5.7%.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve kept interest unchanged near zero and committed to using its “full range of tools” to support the US economy throughout this unprecedented crisis.

Here's how things closed today:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to send personal protective equipment to nursing homes, which have struggled to obtain gear weeks into the pandemic as the death toll climbs.

A FEMA spokesperson told CNN the agency is preparing to coordinate shipments of equipment like surgical masks, gowns and gloves, to nursing homes across the nation.

The move comes weeks into the coronavirus response and targets facilities hardest hit by the pandemic. Nursing homes have been particularly vulnerable to coronavirus in part because of the slice of the population they serve: elderly residents who, data suggests, may be at higher risk of the illness. 

Despite that risk, health care workers at nursing homes have faced shortages of protective gowns, among other supplies. CNN reported last week that nursing homes, where severe cases of the virus spread especially easily, have been getting more help in recent weeks, depending on the state, but are still facing a catastrophic situation.

Other help: As the country moves toward reopening, the Trump administration is planning to send a tranche of supplies to some nursing homes, including those in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, among other states, according to a source familiar with the plans. 

FEMA's distribution of equipment to nursing homes is expected to kick off around May 1, or early next week, according to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, which represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the US.

President Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, recently teased an upcoming announcement on the initiative, saying in a Fox appearance that the administration "will be surging different PPE to nursing homes."

"We're working with a lot of the governors who recognize the disproportionate risk that the older and the more vulnerable have," he added.

There are at least 50,355 cases of coronavirus in Illinois, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state's public health director. At least 2,215 deaths people have died from the virus.

As of midnight, 5,036 people were hospitalized in Illinois for Covid-19, Ezike said at a news conference.

At least 1,290 were in intensive care and 777 patients were on ventilators, she said.

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell has announced staff furloughs, salary reductions and cuts in the NFL’s pension plan in a memo sent to the league office staff in New York and employees at NFL Films and NFL Network.

CNN obtained the memo from a source with knowledge of its distribution. The source also disclosed that Goodell had voluntarily reduced his own salary to $0 effective last month.

In the memo, Goodell discloses that the league is still preparing for a full 2020 season but acknowledges the “difficult decisions” that had to be made due to the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the memo, pay reductions are aimed at the management level who make more than $100,000.

Goodell said that those employees “who are unable to substantially perform their duties from home and/or whose current workload has been significantly reduced” will be furloughed.

He added that he hoped that the league will be able to reinstate those furloughed in due time. The commissioner also announced a permanent change to the contribution percentage in the league’s pension plan.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his state will open restaurants for limited dine-in service on May 11.

Speaking at an afternoon news conference, Hutchinson said restaurant will only be able to operate at a third of their normal capacity. Additionally, restaurants will be limited to groups no larger than 10 people.

Hutchinson said if the state continues on a downward trend, they will move into a second phase by increasing to 67% of capacity at a later date.

Large summer events are prohibited in Rhode Island this summer, Gov. Gina Raimondo said today. 

How bad is the coronavirus economy? The worst ever, says Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.

The recovery will be long and painful, but the economy could begin to bounce back significantly in the third quarter as businesses reopen, he added. While we won't go back to pre-coronavirus levels for quite some time, the third quarter could provide some economic relief.

"We will enter the new phase — and we are just beginning to maybe do that — where we will begin formal measures that require social distancing will be rolled back, gradually, and at different paces in different parts of the country. And in time, during this period, the economy will begin to recover," Powell said.

Powell also noted that unemployment shot higher for minorities in the United States —much faster than it has for white Americans.

Just a few months ago, the US labor market was the best-ever for minorities, Powell noted. Now, minorities are among the first to lose their jobs as stay-at-home orders have shuttered restaurants, movie theaters, retailers and many other businesses.

"It is heartbreaking, frankly, to see that all threatened now," Powell said. "All the more need for our urgent response and also that of Congress, which has been urgent and large, and to do what we can to avoid longer run damage to the economy."

Powell noted that people "who are least able to bear it have been the first to lose their jobs, and they have little cushion to protect themselves.

"That is a very big concern," Powell said.

California’s latest food supply initiative uses a farm to table philosophy to create stopgap measures during the pandemic with local farms and food banks working in unison.

With people out of work, food banks are seeing a 73% spike in demand, and the closure of restaurants and cancellation of events has led to a 50% decrease in demand for farm goods, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

This new program will provide food boxes filled with high quality produce, poultry and other goods to feed a family of four for a few days. There are 128 farmers and ranchers on board already, and they will supply food to 41 food banks. Another 200 participants have already been identified as the program expands.

The partnership between federal and state government also includes private funds from philanthropists, Newsom said. About $3.6 million has already been raised to start the program, with a goal of raising $15 million. Farmers will receive a tax credit of 15%, and provide for wages to farmworkers. 

Additionally, Newsom announced a federal waiver that will allow food stamp recipients to use their debit cards for online food purchases. The state has created an agreement with Amazon and Walmart, and plans to bring other retailers on board.