Coronavirus pandemic in the US

Connecticut reported 789 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the state total to 31,784, Gov. Ned Lamont said today.

Though that number is still high, the governor noted that the state is seeing a decrease in the rate of positive cases.

There were 79 new deaths reported, bringing the state total to 2,797.

The state is continuing to see a downward trend in hospitalizations, Lamont said.

The governor discussed the progress made for the first phase of reopening on May 20 in his briefing.

The state’s previously announced Microsoft platform that was designed to facilitate contact tracing in the state is going live today, Lamont said, and 20 local health departments will begin a pilot tracing program next week.

Hospital capacity is at an adequate level, he said, and the personal protective equipment supply chain is stabilizing.

California's first case of coronavirus community spread started in a nail salon, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday in his briefing.

Higher levels of protection, especially in places that already often use procedure masks and sanitation, will be required before reopening can happen.

According to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States, at least 75,054 people have died from coronavirus. 

The first known US coronavirus-related fatality was Feb. 6, which was 91 days ago.

A federal judge in Massachusetts issued an order Thursday allowing licensed gun shops in the state to reopen.

The order from US District Judge Douglas Woodlock allows gun retailers to get back to work starting at noon on Saturday. 

Woodlock's order calls for gun retailers to operate by appointment only, with no more than four appointments per hour. Gun shops will be allowed to operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Gun shop owners must enforce social distancing and public health guidelines, including requiring employees and customers wear masks. They must also provide full or partial barriers between employees and customers and ensure proper hygiene is practiced in the workplace. 

Some context: This decision from Woodlock comes after Gov. Charlie Baker was sued last month by gun shop owners and advocates following his decision to close firearm retailers in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. 

“The court has issued a ruling and the administration is working with the Attorney General’s office to review the decision," Deputy Communications Director Terry MacCormack told CNN.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday that she signed an executive order to extend Michigan’s Covid-19 stay-at-home order through May 28.

The government’s order will allow manufacturing workers to resume work on Monday.

Manufacturing accounts for 19% of Michigan’s economy, Whitmer said.

The big three auto suppliers, in agreement with United Auto Workers (UAW) union, will begin phasing into work on May 18, the governor said. They’ll be starting at 25% capacity before phasing up. 

Manufacturing facilities must adopt measures to protect their workers from the spread of Covid-19 in order to reopen, she said. 

Illinois has suffered 3,111 total coronavirus deaths, according to Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.

Ezike reported 2,641 new positive cases and 138 deaths in the last 24 hours. Illinois has 70,873 total positive cases.

California will begin reopening Friday, and guidelines are being introduced to support the lifting of restrictions.

Retail stores will be allowed to do more curbside pickup and possibly deliveries, likely with hand sanitizer at the door. Ghaly is encouraging outlets to change from direct payment at a cash register and move to a "click and swipe methodology."

Plant workers at warehouses and manufacturers should be further apart, and Ghaly suggests perhaps break rooms will be closed down to prevent people from congregating.

"Delivery drivers will have different personal protective equipment than they did before COVID-19 became a reality,” Ghaly said.

Employers must train employees on how to limit the spread of Covid-19 and how to screen for symptoms on a daily basis. Each location will be required to have a site-specific protection plan including cleaning and disinfecting protocols, Ghaly explained.

Industry-wide guidance will be issued shortly, but some businesses will be able to move further into stage two, which may include the reopening of offices and dining inside a restaurant.

Modifications to the stay-at-home order allow residents to move from phase one into phase two. Stage one involves the strict stay-at-home order, with only essential businesses remaining open. Phase two includes "lower risk" workplaces like retail, manufacturing, and offices. Phase three will include personal care businesses like salons and gyms, and the final phase is for the "highest risk" businesses like sporting events and concerts.

Antibody tests which tell people if they have been infected with coronavirus are not very reliable and should only be used with caution, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists said Thursday.

The association issued new guidelines to help state public health labs and others decide how and when to use the tests, often called serologic tests.

The tests, which look for antibodies in the blood, can show someone was infected. But it’s still not clear if having antibodies to Covid-19 means a person is immune to further infection, the strength of the immunity or for how long, the groups said in a joint statement.

The guidelines include information on the different types of serologic tests, current testing availability, how to choose the right test for population studies, how to interpret the test results and continuing research needs for evaluating the tests.

The tests can be used for determining how widespread the coronavirus may be in a community or population, whether a person can serve as a convalescent plasma donor and to detect whether a person has had an immune response.

Some context: The US Food and Drug Administration at first allowed manufacturers to begin selling antibody tests in mid-March without any federal review and without knowing whether the tests even worked.

The FDA has since changed that policy and now requires validation of the tests.

President Trump says he'll be tested daily for coronavirus after one of his valets tested positive for Covid-19.

Speaking in the Oval Office after news of the valet's condition broke, Trump said the episode underscored the fallibility of using testing exclusively to determine safety.

"What happens in between when you got tested and just a couple of days later?" he asked, saying there were "a number of days missed" between when the valet was last tested and when he discovered he had coronavirus.

Trump said he'd had "very little personal contact" with the man, a US military member, who tested positive. He described the situation as "a little bit strange."

Trump repeated that Americans were "warriors" in their efforts to overcome the pandemic. 

"We’re all warriors together," he said. "I am, you are, we all are."

President Trump asked about valet who tested positive: