March 25 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Ivana Kottasová and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 9:34 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
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6:50 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

Treasury secretary says stimulus deal would keep US economy afloat for three months

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez 

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The coronavirus stimulus deal agreed upon by the Senate will keep the US economy afloat for three months, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday during a White House press briefing.

When asked how long the deal would keep the economy afloat, President Trump didn’t have a concrete timeline.

“Hopefully, a long time. If we have to go back, we have to go back. We have to take care of the American worker. We’re going to take care of these companies that fuel this country … it’s not their fault,” Trump said.

Mnuchin clarified that the administration anticipates the deal to cover the needs of the US economy for three months.

“Hopefully we won’t need this for three months,” Mnuchin continued. “We expect that this is a significant amount of money if needed to cover the economy.”

6:27 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

Trump says New York governor is "happy" with ventilators from the administration

From CNN's Betsy Klein 

President

Alex Brandon/AP
Alex Brandon/AP

Trump said Wednesday he spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about ventilators and they are "happy," even though Cuomo has repeatedly said the state needs more to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Noting that the administration has sent 4,000 ventilators from the national stockpile to New York, Trump said, “I spoke with the governor about that. He was happy. I spoke with the mayor, also, Mayor de Blasio.”

“It’s hard not to be happy with the job we’re doing,” Trump said.

Some context: The White House said Tuesday that the state would receive two shipments of 2,000 machines this week from the national stockpile. But the state needs 30,000, Cuomo has repeatedly said.

The Strategic National Stockpile said Wednesday that it held approximately 16,660 ventilators before the coronavirus response and ventilators have been deployed over the past few days.

Watch:

 

6:23 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

There are 236 NYPD members who have tested positive for coronavirus

From CNN's Mark Morales

Two NYPD officers walk through Times Square on March 22.
Two NYPD officers walk through Times Square on March 22. Noam Galai/Getty Images

There are 236 members of the New York Police Department who have tested positive for coronavirus, according to numbers provided by the department.

Of those, 197 are officers and 39 are civilians, the department said.

Additionally, 3,200 police officers are out sick, which is just about 9% of the entire NYPD.

6:24 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

Trump: "Large sections" of US can go back to normal "much sooner" than others

From CNN's Betsy Klein

Alex Brandon/AP
Alex Brandon/AP

President Trump continued to suggest that social distancing guidelines for certain parts of the country could be eased in the coming days.

"More aggressively we commit to social distancing, so important, social distancing, such an important phrase, and we do it right now, the more lives we can save and the sooner we can eventually get people back to work, back to school, and back to normal. And there are large sections of our country probably can go back much sooner than other sections and we’re obviously looking at that also,” he said during Wednesday’s briefing.

“People are asking, ‘Is that an alternative?’ And I say, ‘Absolutely,’” Trump continued. 

Trump’s comments come as many public health officials warn against easing the guidelines to stop the spread of the virus too quickly.

The President also announced that he has approved disaster declarations for the following states: New York, California, Washington, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, something, he said, “that has great significance, as you know, and legal significance.”

Trump noted that he spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, praising his work.

New York, he said, has “a number of very tough weeks ahead of them.”

Watch:

5:52 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

Kentucky reports first day with fewer new cases than previous day

From CNN's Rebekah Riess

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said there are now 198 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state with 35 new cases.

There were fewer new cases added Wednesday than Tuesday, he said.

Beshear also announced the state's fifth death Wednesday during a news conference, which was a 75-year-old man from Jefferson County who had other health factors contribute to his death.

The first case of coronavirus in Kentucky was someone who traveled to Florida and contracted the virus during their spring break, the governor said.

Beginning next week, Kentucky will have its first drive-through testing facility open up for people showing symptoms, Beshear said.

5:46 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

At least 13 people have died from coronavirus at Elmhurst hospital in New York

From CNN’s Linh Tran

At least 13 people have died from Covid-19 at Elmhurst NYC Health and Hospitals, according to a statement from hospital spokesman Christopher Miller.

“Elmhurst is at the center of this crisis, and it's the number one priority of our public hospital system right now," the statement said.

The hospital went on to urge people not to seek emergency care for mild and moderate symptoms.

Across New York: There are 285 people across the state who have died due to coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. 

"We have 10 times the problem that the next state has," he said.

There are 30,811 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York, Cuomo added.

6:21 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

Dyson receives UK government order for 10,000 ventilators

A windsock flies outside of the Dyson headquarters in Malmesbury, England.
A windsock flies outside of the Dyson headquarters in Malmesbury, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images

British technology company Dyson has received an order from the UK government for 10,000 new ventilators to support efforts by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to treat the growing number of patients who have contracted coronavirus, the company's founder, James Dyson, confirmed to employees in a letter shared with CNN on Wednesday. 

"We have received an initial order of 10,000 units from the UK Government which we will supply on an open-book basis," Dyson said.

"A ventilator supports a patient who is no longer able to maintain their own airways, but sadly there is currently a significant shortage, both in the UK and other countries around the world," Dyson said, adding that the company is looking at making the new product available internationally. 

In his letter, the inventor and industrial designer confirmed that he would be donating 5,000 units to the "international effort" to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, 1,000 of which will go to the United Kingdom.

"Since I received a call from Boris Johnson ten days ago, we have refocused resources at Dyson, and worked with TTP, The Technology Partnership, to design and build an entirely new ventilator, The CoVent. This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently and at volume," he added, highlighting that the new ventilator has been designed to "address the specific needs" of COVID-19 patients. 

6:18 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

French troops will temporarily withdraw from Iraq due to coronavirus

From Ya Chun Wang in Paris

A French soldier trains members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service at Baghdad International Airport on March 19, 2018.
A French soldier trains members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service at Baghdad International Airport on March 19, 2018. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

France will repatriate its troops stationed in Iraq until further notice starting Thursday during the coronavirus crisis, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced Wednesday evening.

This withdrawal applies to 100 French soldiers who are training with the Iraqi army as well as national support units in Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters in Baghdad. 

The ministry reassured its commitment to operations in Levant as the fight against ISIS continues.

The French army will continue its support for the Iraqi government in maritime deportments in the Syrian Canal and in aircraft supply.   

Training activities will resume “as soon as the situation permits,” according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

5:34 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020

FDA commissioner warns against self-medicating with chloroquine used in fish tanks

From CNN Health’s Arman Azad

The commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Stephen Hahn, is warning against self-medicating with any form of chloroquine phosphate unless prescribed by a doctor. 

While the anti-malaria drug chloroquine has been touted by President Trump as a potential treatment for coronavirus, an Arizona man died this week after taking a form of the substance used in aquariums.

“The chloroquine phosphate used for treating aquarium fish is not the same as the FDA-approved chloroquine being studied as a possible treatment for #COVID19,” Hahn said in a series of tweets Wednesday. “We want to warn consumers that this product [is] sold to treat parasites in aquarium fish and may have adverse effects, including serious illness or death, when taken by people.”

Hahn said that there is currently “no FDA-approved treatment” for Covid-19, and he said that chloroquine should only be taken if prescribed by a health care provider and obtained from legitimate sources.

“Some people and companies are trying to profit from the pandemic by selling unproven/illegally marketed products claiming to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent #COVID19,” Hahn said, adding that “these have NOT been evaluated by FDA for safety and effectiveness & might be dangerous to you and your family.”

There is limited evidence, partly from studies on human cells, that chloroquine – or its closely-related analogue, hydroxychloroquine – could have antiviral effects.

Doctors in China, France, the US and other countries have used the drug experimentally in Covid-19 patients, but there is not yet sufficient clinical evidence that it's effective in humans.