March 30 coronavirus news

By Amy Woodyatt, Julia Hollingsworth, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 11:41 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020
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7:29 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

78% of Americans are under stay-at-home orders

A person walks along a nearly empty street in Washington, DC, on March 27.
A person walks along a nearly empty street in Washington, DC, on March 27. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

At least 256,008,318 Americans, or 78% of the US population, are under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, according to a CNN count.

The US Census Bureau estimates the total US population at 328,239,523

This count includes local city and county orders as well. This count includes local city and county orders as well. The numbers were tallied using census data.

7:00 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Unemployment claims could hit 4.5 million, Moody’s Analytics predicts

From CNN's Alison Kosik

Moody’s Analytics predicts initial unemployment claims from last week could be 4.5 million, which would be the highest in history, as US businesses shutter to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The weekly data is set to be released Thursday morning. Initial jobless claims soared to a record 3.28 million in the week ended March 21, according to the Department of Labor.

“COVID-19 has caused unemployment to surge and we look for U.S. initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits this week to total 4.5 million, compared with the 3.283 million in the week ended March 21," said Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi in a statement.  

However, Zandi said these high weekly numbers will not be reflected in this Friday's upcoming March jobs report, which tracks job loss through the first two weeks of March.

"Though new filings surged over the past couple of weeks, the unemployment rate for March likely won’t increase that much. The household survey, which is the basis for the unemployment rate, is conducted in the week that includes the 12th; initial claims were up around 70,000 to 281,000 during that week," Zandi said.

6:56 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

More than 500 coronavirus deaths reported in the US today

There have been at least 502 new coronavirus deaths reported in the US on Monday, according to a count by CNN Health.

This is the most reported deaths in the United States in a single day since the coronavirus outbreak.

There have been a total of 2,931 deaths reported in the US. 

7:08 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Trump stands by previous comments that coronavirus "will go away"

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Daniella Diaz

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump grew combative with reporters during his news conference Monday when they asked about his past comments on the coronavirus pandemic and testing in other countries.

Trump stood by previous comments he made early on in the United States response to the coronavirus pandemic again saying that the virus “will go away.” 

“What do you say to Americans who are upset with you?” asked CNN’s Jim Acosta, who cited statements the President made in the past where he downplayed the crisis, including saying the virus would “go away.” 

“Isn’t that true it will go away?” the President asked. In his previous comments, Trump said the virus would “just go away,” as the weather got warmer. “It’s going to disappear,” Trump said in February. “One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear”

At his Rose Garden news conference Monday, the President implied that in his previous statements, he was simply trying to keep Americans calm.

“I do want them to stay calm,” he said, “and we are doing a great job.” 

Trump then said if he wanted to cause panic, he could. “I could cause panic much better than even you. I would make you look like a minor league player,” he said to Acosta. 

When PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor asked about how the United States is still not testing per-capita as many people as other countries like South Korea, Trump said “it is very much on par.”

“Look, per capita, we have areas — I know South Korea better than anybody. It is very tight. You know how big the city of Seoul is? 38 million people, bigger than anything we have. 38 million people all tightly wound together. We have vast farmland, we have vast areas where they don’t have a problem. In some cases they have no problem whatsoever.”

He continued: “We have done more tests — I didn’t talk about per capita. We have done more tests, by far, than any country in the world. By far. Our testing is also better than any country in the world.”

Trump was wrong about the population of Seoul —the city has population of less than 10 million people.

Watch:

6:53 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

First US service member dies from coronavirus

From CNN's Ryan Browne

The first US service member has died from Covid-19, the US military announced Monday. 

An army national guardsman from New Jersey died on Saturday, the Department of Defense said in a statement. The guardsman had been hospitalized since March 21.

"Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member — active, reserve or Guard — to Coronavirus," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in the statement. 

"This is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire National Guard community. The news of this loss strengthens our resolve to work ever more closely with our interagency partners to stop the spread of COVID-19," Esper added.

6:34 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Trump says US has received supplies from other countries, including medical equipment from Russia

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez 

President Trump said Monday that the United States has received donations from other countries to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, including supplies from Russia and China.

“China sent us some stuff, which was terrific. Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment which was very nice,” Trump told reporters in the White House Rose Garden.

He added: “Other countries sent us things that I was very surprised at, very happily surprised.”

Watch:

6:27 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Trump and Fauci discuss likelihood of second outbreak in the fall

From CNN's Sarah Westwood

Alex Brandon/AP
Alex Brandon/AP

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters on Monday that it is likely there will be another coronavirus outbreak in the fall.

“In fact, I would anticipate that that would actually happen,” said Fauci, who is a key member of the White House's coronavirus task force.

President Trump said he hopes "it doesn't happen" when asked about a second outbreak.

Trump said the administration was prepared in the event the virus returns after a period of fading over the summer, after social distancing measures.

Fauci echoed that sentiment, saying if the virus returns “in the fall, it would be a totally different ball game.”

He said the differences would include greater testing ability at the beginning of the outbreak as well as better contact tracing when individuals fall ill.

Fauci said the administration’s abilities would be “orders of magnitude better.”

“We have a vaccine that’s on track” for development on an accelerated timeline, Fauci noted.  

Watch:

6:19 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Nationwide stay at home order is "pretty unlikely," Trump says

From CNN's Allie Malloy 

President Trump said that while the administration has talked about a potential nationwide stay-at-home order, it is “pretty unlikely at this time.”

Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden Monday that while the administration has “talked about” a nationwide order, similar to those of some states, but said it would be very “tough” to enforce and “not something we wanted to do.” 

“If we do that we will let you know, but it’s pretty unlikely at this time,” Trump said, adding he will keep allowing governors to make the calls for their own states.

Watch:

6:13 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Trump says he thinks every American who needs a ventilator will have access to one

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez

President Trump said Monday that he thinks every American who may need a ventilator in the next few weeks will have access to one.

“I do think so, yes,” Trump told a reporter in the White House Rose Garden. “I think we’re going to be in very good shape.”

On Friday, Trump wouldn’t explicitly guarantee that every American who would need a ventilator would have access to one, calling the reporter who asked the question a “wise guy.”

Watch: