March 31 coronavirus news

While New York state still leads the nation — by far — in growing numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths, the rate of daily increases did appear to slow a bit in the last seven days

An analysis of CNN's count shows that the state’s average rate of day-over-day increase for the last seven days was 17% — compared to 58% for the previous seven-day period.

This is in line with what New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested in a news conference Monday.

"There is no doubt that the number is still increasing. There is no doubt that rate has slowed," Cuomo said. "We had a doubling of cases every two days, then the doubling of three days and doubling of four days and every five days and we now have a doubling of cases every six days."

It is too early to definitively pinpoint what's behind the latest numbers trend, though New York is just over one week into its "PAUSE" program, an executive order outlining major restrictions and other containment measures.

It is also important to note that increased testing can impact these numbers. While more testing often leads to higher case totals, it can also lead to a backlog of test results and a delay in the true number.

When it comes to death rate reports, CNN's count shows that New York state had an average daily increase of 34% for the last seven days, compared to 61% for the previous week. But death rate increases are much harder to interpret, since patients die over longer periods of time.

CNN's tally is based on daily updates obtained from state and local health authorities.

Airline passengers around the world are due $35 billion in ticket refunds this quarter, according the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines globally. 

That sum, due to the drop in airline travel linked to the coronavirus, is “an immense amount of money to refund,” the group’s head, Alexandre de Juniac, told reporters on Tuesday. 

IATA said it is asking governments to change the rules to allow airlines to make more refunds in the form of vouchers rather than cash. He said the cases where airlines are able to provide passengers a voucher for future travel rather than a refund is helpful because it can “preserve the cash of the airline.” 

The group’s latest projections are for a worldwide loss of $39 billion in this quarter alone across the industry, versus a profit of $7 billion in the same time frame last year. Last week, it predicted $252 billion in industry-wide losses due to the coronavirus. 

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French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to give 4 billion Euros to Sante Publique France, a public health agency, to purchase masks and ventilators.

Macron, speaking at a mask production factory in Saint Barthélemy d’Anjou, went on to stress the importance of production of masks in France.

He said “our priority is to produce more in France,” adding that “the aim is by the end of the year we will have achieved full independence” in mask production.

The ramping up of mask production will allow France to raise capacity from 3.3 million masks a week to 15 million by the end of April. France has already placed an order of 1 billion masks from China. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to monitor data around the coronavirus pandemic and could put out new recommendations on the use of face masks — if the guidance warrants, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" today.

As of now, Adams said there is not enough data to recommend that the public wear masks.

Currently, the World Health Organization and CDC both recommend to wear masks only if you are sick or are caring for someone who is sick.

"What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks. Here's why: On an individual level, there was a study in 2015 looking at medical students -- and medical students wearing surgical masks touch their face on average 23 times," Adams said.

Earlier this month, Adams urged Americans to stop buying masks, tweeting "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"

Today, Adams reiterated that masks need to be saved for health care workers.

When it was brought up that masks are widely used in China, Adams responded, "They have a culture there of wearing masks and everyone already has one and they're more accustomed to wearing them without touching their faces."

"We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronaviruses is by touching a surface and then touching your face," Adams added. "So wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease."  

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Panama's President Nito Cortizo has announced that men and women will only be able to leave their homes on separate days as part of the country's measures to fight coronavirus.

The new restrictions mean women can go outside on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while men will be allowed out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Cortizo posted on Twitter on Monday.

"On Sundays, everyone will have to stay at home," he added.

Chinese health authorities will include asymptomatic cases of the novel coronavirus in their official count starting Wednesday, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

The move comes amid growing public concern over asymptomatic cases, of which 1,541 were under medical observation in China by the end of Monday, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). This includes including 205 cases imported from overseas.

Officials will also further tighten screening and quarantine rules targeting asymptomatic cases -- defined as people who have tested positive for the virus without displaying any symptoms -- said Chang Jile, a senior official with the NHC, at a press conference in Wuhan.

Until now, asymptomatic cases have not been counted as confirmed cases under Chinese government guidelines.

Asymptomatic cases – as well as their close contacts – will be isolated for 14 days immediately upon discovery.

Their quarantine will only be lifted after they twice test negative for coronavirus, in tests administered 24 hours apart. If they develop symptoms during isolation, they will become confirmed cases and undergo treatment at designated hospitals.

On Monday, a taskforce on the virus chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s deputy leader, urged “placing priority on asymptomatic cases, from detection, contact tracing, to isolation and treatment, in order to lock in previous gains and plug potential loopholes in the containment,” according to a government statement.

A woman in Henan province in central China was infected with the deadly virus last week after coming in contact with a friend, a local doctor who was later identified as an asymptomatic case.

As the Chinese government prepares to lift lockdown measures at the original epicenter of the pandemic, the Henan story has stirred intense interest and anxiety over how infectious asymptomatic carriers are, and whether the authorities have been transparent enough in reporting such cases.

Six Carmelite nuns have isolated themselves inside a care home in the Italian town of Castel del Monte, in order to look after the elderly residents who live there.

"We voluntarily chose to stay because they need us," Madre Rocio, one of the nuns, told CNN. "Like this, we are also close to God by helping who can't help themselves."

Carmelite nuns are a contemplative order, which means they are devoted to prayer rather than works, but this group is semi-cloistered, which means they are allowed to go outside.

The six nuns, who are originally from Mexico, began helping out in the retirement home 15 years ago.

While the Italian government has imposed a national mandatory quarantine, little has changed for the Carmelites of Castel del Monte.

"We have not had much need to go out, thank God the municipality brings us everything in this period of quarantine," said Madre Rocio. "Now that we are required to stay inside by the government, we are closer even to who we assist."

Madre Rocio described how the nuns eat and play cards with the elderly residents of the home.

The town of Castel del Monte, in the mountains of Abruzzo, has welcomed dozens of refugees, and today has a population of 449, including 115 people who originally hail from 25 different countries. 

The Central African Republic (CAR) has only three ventilators for a population of five million, leaving the country facing a difficult battle against coronavirus, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Three ventilators in a country of five million people is setting the country up for catastrophe,” said David Manan, Norwegian Refugee Council Country Director in the CAR, in the statement.

“Covid-19 has the potential to tear through the Central African Republic at lightning speed if the country doesn’t get the support it needs to adequately protect itself against the virus."

CAR has had six cases of the virus diagnosed so far, all of which were imported, but there is a concern that the virus may have been spreading undetected due to a lack of tests in the country.

“When rich nations are in panic mode, stating that thousands of ventilators will not be enough, it just brings to light how poorer nations like the Central African Republic don’t stand a chance in the fight against Covid-19,” added Manan.

South Korea is to restart its school year with online classes beginning on April 9, the Ministry of Education announced Tuesday.

Some grades will start on April 9, while other grades will begin on April 16 or 20, according to the announcement. 

Classes in South Korea have been postponed three times because of the coronavirus outbreak. They were previously set to start on April 6.

"The opening of schools online will be implemented for the first time at all elementary, middle, high and special-education schools nationwide, except kindergartens,” said a press release from the Ministry of Education.

“Kindergartens will extend the closure of the new semester until the standards for starting school are met," said education minister Yoo Eun-hae, at a press briefing Tuesday. 

South Korea's university entrance exam, the College Scholastic Ability Test, will take place on December 3, two weeks later than originally planned, she added.