Coronavirus pandemic in the US

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 4:00 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
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12:25 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Illinois governor's senior staffer tests positive for Covid-19

From CNN’s Gregory Lemos

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during the daily press briefing regarding the coronavirus pandemic James R. Thompson Center in Chicago on Sunday, May 3.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during the daily press briefing regarding the coronavirus pandemic James R. Thompson Center in Chicago on Sunday, May 3. Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Getty Images

A senior member of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has tested positive for Covid-19, prompting a temporary shutdown of his office, the governor said in a statement Monday. 

"The asymptomatic staff member tested positive late last week and was in close contact with the governor and other staff members," the statement said. 

Approximately 20 employees still going into the James R. Thompson Center will now work from home, the statement said.

The governor and other staff members tested negative.

12:32 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

23% of children in the pediatric ICU with coronavirus experienced multi-organ failure, study shows

From CNN's Gina Yu

FangXiaNuo/Getty Images
FangXiaNuo/Getty Images

Though children don’t get severely ill from Covid-19 as frequently as adults, some still face serious complications, according to a study published on Monday.

The study included 48 children with coronavirus who were admitted to pediatric intensive care units. Among them, 23% had failure of two or more organ systems – the most common organ being the lungs – and 81% required some sort of respiratory support, such as a ventilator.

The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, included data from 46 pediatric ICUs in the US and Canada between March 14 and April 3.

The results come during increasing reports of a severe inflammatory condition in children possibly linked to Covid-19. No reference to the inflammatory condition was included in the study.

The findings: The median age of the children was 13 years old, and 83% had underlying medical conditions. Obesity was a notable pre-existing disease, particularly in older children, according to the study. The median length of stay in the pediatric ICU was five days. 

More than half of the children, 61%, received treatment, mainly with hydroxychloroquine.

For the 18 children who needed a ventilator, two died by the time of the report. The remaining 16 had a variety of outcomes: three still needed invasive ventilation, seven were taken off of their ventilators but remained hospitalized and six were discharged from the hospital.

The lower percentage of children who die on ventilators compared to adults reflect “the markedly decreased burden of disease” from Covid-19 in children, the study said. 

Though some children with Covid-19 do experience severe outcomes, the authors emphasized that pediatric ICU admissions are not common. Only 35% of the hospitals participating in the study reported admissions of children with Covid-19 infection. 

12:28 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

New York is investigating more than 90 children with "Covid-related diseases," governor says

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is currently investigating more than 90 cases of "Covid-related diseases" in young children.

"We have 93 cases we're investigating of young children that have Covid-related diseases," the governor said during his daily coronavirus press briefing Monday.

Cuomo on Sunday said New York state was investigating 85 cases of a coronavirus-related illness that is afflicting children across the state.

So far, three young New Yorkers have died from an illness that may be related to Covid-19 include a teenager in Suffolk County, as well as a 7-year-old in Westchester County and a 5-year-old in New York City, according to the governor’s office.

More context: Last week, New York State Department of Health reported some children have developed an inflammatory syndrome possibly linked to the coronavirus. 

"Thankfully most children with COVID-19 only experience mild symptoms, but in some, a dangerous inflammatory syndrome can develop," New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a statement.

New York is investigating if the cases contradict the belief that children are less at risk for coronavirus and what other hospitals should look out for, Cuomo said.

WATCH:

12:09 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Vermont governor plans to reopen retail stores May 18

From CNN’s Carma Hassan 

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced today that the state plans to develop and release guidelines this week for a gradual reopening of retail stores starting on May 18.

He said the state will extend emergency orders on Friday that will include additional openings. 

Stores will need to meet or exceed all current safety requirements, employees will be required to wear facial coverings, and everyone must maintain a distance of six feet from each other.

Scott also said that businesses in the first phase of reopening will be subject to an occupancy limit of 25% of their maximum legal occupancy limit.

12:05 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

New York will reopen in phases starting on May 15

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

At present, there are three regions in New York state – Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Mohawk Valley — that meet the metrics required to reopen Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday morning. 

“Some regions are ready to go today, they just need to get some logistical pieces in order by the end of the week. Some places are very close … just one or two criteria that haven’t been met yet,” he said.

He reiterated that the reopening of businesses would be phased, starting with construction, manufacturing, retail (for curbside pickup), agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Here's a full look at how the phased reopening will work:

12:01 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

These are the changes some New York businesses will make as they reopen

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that as businesses are allowed to reopen in some parts of the state, they must take certain safety precautions.

"Businesses have to do their part also," he said.

He outlined some of the changes that may come:

  • Some workspaces must be reconfigured to allow employees to practice social distancing.
  • Non-essential work travel should be restricted.
  • Masks could be required for some employees in frequent contact with others.
  • Strict cleaning standards must be set up.
  • There must be continuous tracking, tracing and reporting.

WATCH:

11:56 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Cuomo: New York cases have declined to "about where we started"

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that New York's number of new Covid-19 cases has declined to a rate of "about where we started this horrific situation."

"So we see all the arrows are pointed in the right direction. If you look at the number of new Covid cases per day, about 488. That is just about where we started this horrific situation," the governor said.

He said the May 10 numbers mirrored the number of cases on March 19, before New York "went into the abyss of the Covid virus." 

"When you see the number of lives lost, again, we're right about where we started before we really went into the heart of this crisis. And that's what it's been. It's been a crisis and a painful one. But we're coming out of the other side. So in many ways, from my point of view, we're on the other side of the mountain, right?"

WATCH:

11:44 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

161 people died in New York on Sunday, governor says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

There were 161 people who died on Sunday across the state of New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

"The number of lives lost, still too high." Cuomo said.

He added that the number is "better than it has been."

Of the 161 people who died, 112 were in hospitals and 49 were in nursing homes.

The total number of deaths on Sunday is down from the 207 people who died in the state on Saturday.

11:53 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

New York is entering a "new phase" this week, Cuomo says

State of New York
State of New York

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is entering a "new chapter" of the coronavirus pandemic this week, as the state's stay-at-home order expires on Friday.

"It's a new phase, if you will," Cuomo said. "It's an exciting new phase."

He said some regions in the state will begin reopening after the order expires. He stressed that regions will only open when they are ready: They must have testing and tracing capacity in place and show declining numbers.