By Elise Hammond, Meg Wagner, Fernando Alfonso III and Rob Picheta, CNN
From CNN's Keith Allen
South Carolina will begin universal coronavirus testing of all 40,000 residents and staff at 194 nursing homes across the state beginning May 11, state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said Friday.
Bell described the process as “a phased approach to this expansion of testing,” with 74 of the 194 facilities starting their testing on Monday.
The majority of those 74 facilities have volunteered to take part of this first round of testing, Bell said.
From CNN's Jen Christensen
An antibody treatment being developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis will go into testing in patients with coronavirus later this month, developers said.
GlaxoSmithKline said the drug, called otilimab, might help calm down an immune system overreaction called a cytokine storm. Cytokine storms are blamed for some of the most severe symptoms of coronavirus infections and can lead to fatal organ damage.
The phase II trial will include 800 adults hospitalized with pneumonia from coronavirus, Glaxo said.
Otilimab is a monoclonal antibody – a natural immune system molecule that is targeted to neutralize an inflammatory compound known as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor or GM-CSF. In rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammation can cause joint damage and pain and studies indicate it may be involved in cytokine storms in patients infected with viruses.
Another treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, anakinra, showed promise in helping patients with severe Covid-19, according to a small study published in the journal Lancet Rheumatology on Thursday.
“We believe that otilimab may be able to help to block the effects of one of the types of cytokine (known as GM-CSF),” Kathleen Quinn, a spokesperson for Glaxo, said in an email. “We plan to start a Phase II clinical trial by the end of May.
The patients will all receive standard care for the novel coronavirus. Some patients will get a placebo and others will get the otilimab infusion to see if it improves their condition.
The trial is expected to run through December.
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Kentucky is aiming to test every resident and staff member at all 286 skilled nursing facilities in the state, Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said Friday.
He said he expects it will take a couple of months to get through all facilities.
Here's a breakdown of cases and deaths at long-term facilities provided by Gov. Andy Beshear:
From CNN's Kaylene Chassie and Keith Allen
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that restaurants across the state will be allowed to reopen May 11 for limited dine-in services.
Restaurant restrictions that will remain in place include, according to McMaster:
“These recommendations, these policies, these suggestions are comprehensive, they are well thought-out, they have been researched, some have come as best practices from other states,” McMaster said Friday. “This has been quite a process and includes such things as the sanitation, providing hand sanitizers at the entry doors, table condiments such as salt, pepper ketchup, etc should be removed from the table, provided upon request."
McMaster also announced that all boating restrictions put in place by an executive order on April 16 have been lifted, effective immediately.
There are at least 1,279,546 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 76,706 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.
Johns Hopkins reported 22,523 new cases and 1,044 reported deaths on Friday.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
From CNN's Janine Mack
Pools, splash pads, water parks, and swim beaches in Arkansas will be allowed to open on May 22, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday.
People who enter the areas will be screened and those with a fever or who have had contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 will be turned away, Hutchinson said.
The governor said pool chemistry should be tested twice a day, and high-touch areas should be disinfected "frequently."
Slides, diving boards and any other areas where people form lines should be marked with notices about the 6-foot distancing.
Arkansas is reporting 3,747 confirmed coronavirus cases and 88 deaths, said Dr. Nate Smith with the Arkansas Department of Health.
It's almost 5 p.m. ET in the US. If you're just tuning in, here are some of the top stories today:
From CNN’s Laura Robinson
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced today that the state is on track for a phase one reopening on May 15 but cautioned “if our trends change, we will adjust that date as needed.”
Northam said that the stay-at-home order that had been in effect will now become a “safer-at-home order” and detailed what restrictions would be lifted in a phase one reopening.
Here is what would be allowed in phase one:
Here's what won’t be allowed to reopen in phase one:
"We are not opening the floodgates here, we're not flipping a light switch from closed to open," he said. “We will move forward cautiously with science and with data and safety as our criteria.”
Northam said he expects phase one to last at least two weeks but “it may last longer depending on what the data shows.”
From CNN's Richard Davis
The restaurant industry has lost more than three decades of jobs in the last two months, according to analysis from the National Restaurant Association, a leading industry group.
Eating and drinking places lost 5.5 million jobs in April which followed a net decline of nearly a half-million jobs – three times more jobs than any other industry, according to the group.
“Just three months ago, there were more than 12 million people on the payrolls of eating and drinking places across this country, but today more than six million restaurant workers are home without a job – and that number is going to grow,” said Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of Public Affairs for the Association.
“It is critical that Congress provide targeted relief for the restaurant industry and its employees,” Kennedy added.
