Coronavirus pandemic in the US

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Angela Dewan, CNN

Updated 9:05 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020
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1:57 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

At least 4,893 inmates have contracted Covid-19 in the US, CDC says

From CNN's Arman Azad

The Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution in San Pedro, California, has 443 inmates infected with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, April 29.
The Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution in San Pedro, California, has 443 inmates infected with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, April 29. Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram/Getty Images

At least 4,893 incarcerated or detained people have contracted Covid-19, and at least 88 have died, according to a report released Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The numbers are almost certainly an undercount, but they underscore just how vulnerable the nation’s jails and prisons are to coronavirus outbreaks. At least 2,778 staff members have tested positive, too, resulting in 15 deaths, according to the report.

The findings are based on data from 37 state and territorial health departments. The CDC reached out to 54 jurisdictions, but about 30% did not provide requested information on jails and prisons.

Still, the CDC found that 420 correctional or detention facilities across the United States have reported infections – resulting in at least 491 coronavirus-related hospitalizations among inmates and 79 hospitalizations among staff. Researchers looked at cases reported through April 21. 

“Approximately one half of facilities with COVID-19 cases reported them among staff members but not among incarcerated persons,” the report said. “Because staff members move between correctional facilities and their communities daily, they might be an important source of virus introduction into facilities.”

The report called for regular screening of staff members and those who enter jails and prisons. But researchers noted that infected people can show no symptoms, suggesting “symptom screening alone is inadequate to promptly identify and isolate infected persons in congregate settings such as correctional and detention facilities.”

Physical distancing, movement restrictions, face coverings and increased cleaning are all recommended, the report said. It also noted that some jurisdictions have implemented “decompression strategies” to reduce crowding in jails and prisons – reducing or eliminating bail, for example, and releasing people to home confinement or community supervision.

The researchers behind the report emphasized that they could be underestimating infections. Only 69% of jurisdictions reported data, they said, so “these results are not representative of the entire United States.”

Many facilities also don’t test staff members, so they rely on workers self-reporting their diagnoses, the report said. And some health departments only received data from state prisons – missing information from local jails and federal or privately operated facilities.

Differences in testing between states also could have influenced the number of reported cases, researchers said.

 

1:38 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

New Jersey extends public health emergency for another 30 days

From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy updates the state on the coronavirus pandemic during a press conference in Trenton, New Jersey on April 24.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy updates the state on the coronavirus pandemic during a press conference in Trenton, New Jersey on April 24. Chris Pedota/The Record/Pool/AP

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is signing an executive order to extend the state's public health emergency for another 30 days.

“To be clear: this does not mean we’re seeing anything in the data which would pause our path forward. These declarations, unless extended, expire after 30 days. We’re still in a public health emergency,” Murphy tweeted. 

“If it signals one thing — it is this, we can’t give up one bit on the one thing we know that is working in this fight: social distancing,” Murphy said Wednesday.

By the numbers: New Jersey reported 1,513 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 131,890.

The governor cautioned to keep in mind that this is a cumulative total — and that more than 90,000 New Jersey residents have “exited the two-week window” and recovered.

The state also reported 308 new deaths, bringing the total to 8,549.

1:30 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Pentagon signs $126 million contract to produce 26 million N95 masks per month

From CNN's Ryan Browne

3M N95 particulate filtering face mask for sale on January 26 at a store in East Palo Alto, California.
3M N95 particulate filtering face mask for sale on January 26 at a store in East Palo Alto, California. Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it has signed a contract with manufacturer 3M to boost N95 medical masks to 26 million per month, starting in October.

“The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, has signed a $126 million contract award with 3M for the increased production of 26 million N95 medical-grade masks per month, starting in October 2020," Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said in a statement.

"This increased production/industrial capacity will continue to ensure a sustainable supply chain of N95 respirators and resupply the Strategic National Stockpile in response to the increased national demand caused by the COVID 19 pandemic," the statement added.

The Pentagon said that in order to meet the increased production capacity targets 3M "will expand its facility in Aberdeen, S.D., and also perform initial production in Wisconsin."

 

1:11 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

University of Tennessee will bring students back to its campuses this fall

From CNN's Tina Burnside

Entrance and walkway to the the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as seen on June 4, 2018.
Entrance and walkway to the the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as seen on June 4, 2018. Ken Wolter/Shutterstock

The University of Tennessee announced on Wednesday that they will be bringing students back to their campuses starting in the fall, according to a statement from the university. 

The Covid-19 pandemic forced UT to move from in-person classes to online learning in mid-March. 

Those returning to campus this fall will see enhanced safety procedures including social distancing norms as the university works to protect the health and safety of all students and employees, the statement said. 

The UT system has campuses in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Martin and Tullahoma.

1:03 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Outdoor recreational activities in Vermont allowed to reopen

From CNN's Carma Hassan

Hiking trail sign at Texas Falls in Hancock, Vermont on October 11, 2019.
Hiking trail sign at Texas Falls in Hancock, Vermont on October 11, 2019. John Greim/LightRocket/Getty Images

Businesses and facilities like skate parks, tennis courts, ball fields, trail networks, and golf courses are allowed to reopen, said Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore.

“As Vermont’s winter transforms into a bright and green spring, many of us, myself included, are itching to get outside and go a bit further afield,” Moore said.

Residents are no longer being asked to stay within 10 miles of their homes, she said. However, Gov. Phil Scott said anyone who crosses the border is still required to quarantine for 14 days.

12:31 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Wendy's beef shortage will last a few more weeks

From CNN’s Jordan Valinsky

A sign posted on a walk-in entrance to a Wendy's fast food restaurant in Alhambra, California on May 5.
A sign posted on a walk-in entrance to a Wendy's fast food restaurant in Alhambra, California on May 5. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Wendy's expects the beef shortage that's affecting about 1,000 of its US restaurants to continue for the foreseeable future. 

CEO Todd Penegor said on an earnings call today that Wendy's will probably experience a "couple of weeks of challenging tightness that we'll have to work through" before getting back to normal.

Yesterday, Wendy's said some of its menu items might be "temporarily limited at some restaurants" because of the national meat shortage. Though its delivery schedule remains unchanged, supply has been tight because beef suppliers across North America face production challenges during the pandemic.

Analysts at financial firm Stephens scoured the online menus of Wendy's 5,500 US restaurants and found that one in five are not selling hamburgers or other beef items. Instead they're highlighting chicken sandwiches. 

Penegor acknowledged that certain items will be removed from menus from "time to time" during the shortage.

"We do believe it is temporary, and we're close with our big supply partners," he added. "We have several of them on the fresh beef front, and we do believe we'll work through this in short order."

He also noted that while some restaurants aren't displaying beef on their online menus, it doesn't necessarily mean the restaurant is completely out of beef. Restaurants have the ability to customize their menus, and some have chosen not to display beef items to prevent dissatisfaction since supplies are low. 

"It doesn't mean you're out of beef at the restaurant level, but you wouldn't want to really disappoint a consumer if they looked in mobile order and said you had beef, and then they drove to the restaurant and you are out," he said. 

It's "hard to quantify" the material impact the shortage might have on Wendy's profits, Penegor added, because customers could be buying other menu items instead. 

Still, Wendy's stock soared more than 6% in trading today after revealing that US same-store sales have been rebounding every week since hitting a low the first week of April. The company also said that its newly launched breakfast menu is exceeding expectations. 

12:29 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Florida governor signals parts of south Florida could reopen soon

From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a coronavirus news conference on May 5, at the University Town Center mall in Sarasota, Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a coronavirus news conference on May 5, at the University Town Center mall in Sarasota, Florida. Chris O'Meara/AP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled Wednesday that the three south Florida counties who were exempt from phase one of his reopening plan could reopen soon.

“We'll hopefully be able to go forward soon in southern Florida,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Miami Gardens.

DeSantis said he has been looking at the trends and even though the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are not quite ready yet, he is optimistic that the region will be ready soon. 

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez echoed the governor’s tone, saying the county wants to open up as fast as possible while being as safe as possible.

The governor already expressed some of the good news of the state of Florida. There are similar results here in Miami-Dade County. We have less than 100 people that are respirators today in Miami-Dade County,” Gimenez said. “We're formulating plans for how we can open up the economy here in Miami-Dade, and now of course that'll be given to the governor so we get his blessing, before we make any announcements.”

12:16 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Jet Blue will donate flights to 100,000 medical professionals, Cuomo says

A JetBlue Airways Corp. aircraft sits at a gate in Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York on April 9.
A JetBlue Airways Corp. aircraft sits at a gate in Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York on April 9. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Jet Blue will give a pair of roundtrip flights to 100,000 medical professionals around the country, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.

The airline is beginning with 10,000 workers from New York, he said.

Jet Blue is offering flights to medical workers to honor their efforts in battling coronavirus, Cuomo said.

12:10 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

No states meet all the criteria for reopening, health scholar says

Dr. Caitlin Rivers, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said to her knowledge, no state has met all the criteria laid out by the White House Task Force for reopening. 

Speaking at the House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the United States' coronavirus response today, Rivers described the four criteria:

  • The number of new cases must decline for at least two weeks (She said "some states have met that criteria" but not the other benchmarks).
  • The state must have enough public health capacity to conduct contact tracing on all new cases.
  • There must be enough diagnostic testing to test everybody with symptoms.
  • There must be enough health care system capacity to treat everyone.

“To my knowledge, there are no states that meet all four of those criteria,” Rivers said. 

President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, Dr. Tom Frieden said “open versus closed is not a strict on-off switch.”

“There are things that might be first to open: out of doors is way less risky than inside, low-risk businesses, take out from restaurants, outdoor recreation, even daycare if done very carefully and safely maybe lower risk,” Frieden added.