March 28 coronavirus news

The number of coronavirus cases in Italy has reached 86,498, according to a tally by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. That puts the European country ahead of China, where 81,946 infections have been confirmed.

Both are short of the over 104,000 cases reported in the United States. However not all countries report or measure cases in the same manner, so the true figures could be higher in Italy and China.

More than 9,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy, more than anywhere else in the world, followed by Spain at 5,138 deaths, and China at 3,295. In the US, there have been about 1,700 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.

Italy had 969 deaths on Friday -- the biggest single-day jump since the crisis began.

The country's health system has been pushed to the brink by the outbreak, especially in the north, which has seen the highest concentration of cases.

As of Saturday, more than 4,800 coronavirus patients have been discharged from isolation in South Korea, according to the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 4,500 remain in isolation undergoing treatment.

It marked the first time the number of recovered people has exceeded the number of people being treated since January 20, when coronavirus cases were first confirmed in the country.

India recorded 149 new coronavirus cases Friday -- the biggest single-day jump so far, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The total number of cases in India stands at 873, with 19 deaths.

Maharashtra, a state in western India, has the highest number of cases at 180, followed by the southern state of Kerala with 173.

Europeans are living under severe restrictions, stuck at home, desperately hoping for the coronavirus pandemic to pass soon.

On the flip side: the air is cleaner than it's been in a long time.

The huge decline in road traffic, air travel and other business activities has led to sharp reductions in pollution over several major cities, new images published by the European Space Agency show. A similar effect has been recorded in the United States and China.

The impact of the pandemic-related restrictions on air quality is staggering. In some parts of Europe, the levels of toxic pollutants in the air have been slashed by half.

Yet while the short-term effect might seem positive, pollution experts warn the situation is no solution.

Read more here.

Vietnam has started closing non-essential services and restricting religious activities, parts of measures under a directive signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc that runs from Saturday until April 15.

Provincial and municipal leaders will decide which specific services are to be shut down.

Religious rituals and activities of more than 20 people, as well as all gatherings outside offices, schools and hospitals, are also suspended.

The government also banned all cultural, sports and entertainment activities at public places.

Flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to other localities will be reduced, while public transport for passengers will be temporarily suspended or reorganized.

The US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, has largely restricted movement for 48 hours starting Friday night local time after two sailors tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a statement.

Commanding officer Capt. Rich Jarrett announced a measure of a modified “shelter in place,” ceasing all non-essential services and limiting movement on and off the installation.

Non-emergency base services are closed, except the commissary, a mini mart, and some food outlets. Transit on and off the base has been restricted to movement to and from appointed place of duty only or other mission-related tasks.

Jarrett said at a media briefing that the decision will be reviewed after 48 hours.

The N95 respirator masks that health care workers need to protect themselves while treating coronavirus patients are in dangerously short supply.

So much so that physicians are wearing used respirators, risking infection to care for patients.

But now, Duke University researchers have developed a method to clean them.

The Duke Regional Biocontainment Laboratory team has already decontaminated hundreds of N95 respirators without damaging them so they can be re-worn several times. It could provide significant relief for hospitals running low on supply.

The researchers published their decontaminating protocol so other hospitals can follow their lead.

Using vaporized hydrogen peroxide, the researchers can kill microbial contaminants that lurk on the masks after they're worn.

It's a method that labs have used for decades to decontaminate equipment, said Wayne Thomann, director emeritus of the Duke Occupational & Environmental Safety Office.

But they never thought they'd need it for face masks.

Read more here.

Across the United States, prized chickens are laying life-saving eggs at secret farms.

Few people know where the chickens are kept -- their locations are undisclosed as a matter of national security.

Each day, hundreds of thousands of their eggs are trucked to storage facilities, where they are protected by guards and multimillion-dollar, government-funded security systems.

But these eggs aren't for breakfast; they're the source of your common flu shot.

For the past 80 years, much of the world has relied on chicken eggs for the production of influenza vaccines.

About 174.5 million doses of the flu vaccine were distributed across the US this flu season through the end of February, of which an estimated 82% were egg-based, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With each egg producing one vaccine, that means the US might have used 140 million eggs this flu season alone.

To prepare for annual flu seasons, as well as possible pandemics, the US government has invested tens or hundreds of millions of dollars over the past 15 years to ensure there are enough eggs for vaccines.

But now the world faces a new crisis: the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 423,000 people globally and killed more than 19,000 since the virus emerged last December, according to Johns Hopkins University.

There is no vaccine yet for the virus; and because it's different than the influenza virus, traditional methods like using eggs won't work. As scientists race to find a cure, the huge US stockpile of eggs won't be of any help.

Read more here.

Despite an alarming shortage of nursing staff and resources at hospitals across the United States, at least 10,000 graduating nursing students in California may not be able to join the novel coronavirus fight because of state regulations preventing them from becoming licensed.

California requires nurses to pass an exam issued by the National Council State Boards of Nursing. However, several graduating students told CNN they are struggling to secure exam dates because testing facilities have scaled down operations over coronavirus concerns.

Stuck at home: Many have also been unable to work mandatory clinical hours shadowing medical professionals because hospitals remain under lockdown orders. Still other students have told CNN they are experiencing delays obtaining their school transcripts for applications because many universities have closed or transitioned to online studies until further notice.

Kaplan launched an online petition pleading with Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Board of Registered Nursing to consider waiving regulations so they can help respond to the influx of Covid-19 patients. As of Friday evening, the petition had more than 1,500 signatures.

Officials with the California Health and Human Services Agency told CNN they are actively working on solutions to address the coronavirus crisis.

Emergency solution: Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would temporarily issue permits to graduating nurses yet to take the licensing exam and suspend other regulations for students to assist with the Covid-19 response. It is unclear if or when California will follow.

"There are a lot of people who want to help who have the knowledge and education to help but they just don't have the piece of paper to enable them to do that," Robert Murray, a graduating nursing student at Stanbridge University, told CNN.

The California Department of Consumer Affairs did not respond to CNN requests for comment.