Trump says the administration may cut off air travel to coronavirus hot spots
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Trump said the administration is considering cutting off coronavirus “hot spots” from air travel, but added that such a move would be “very tough.”
“We’re thinking about doing that, at the same time we just, you know, to start these airlines and to start this whole thing over is very tough,” the President said. “And you have them going in some cases from going to hot spot to hot spot."
“Once you do that,” Trump added, “you really are clamping down an industry that is desperately needed.”
Trump said the calculation between keeping the industry afloat and spreading the virus, “is a calculation we’re looking at right now. We’re looking at it very strongly.”
Watch:
6:38 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Canadian officials say medical stockpiles were low going into the pandemic
From CNN’s Paula Newton
Canadian officials say the government is telling them the stockpile for medical supplies may not be enough to combat the novel coronavirus.
"To your question about whether we had enough — no, we likely did not have enough. I think federal governments for decades have been under-funding things like public health preparedness," Patty Hajdu, Canada’s health minister, said during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
"I have heard those stories myself from frontline workers, I know provinces and territories are developing different sets of rules for frontline workers around the dispersement, and use of personal protective equipment," Hajdu added.
Several hospitals in Ontario and Quebec, the worst affected provinces in Canada, are now telling medical staff to ration their supplies of protective equipment.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government continues to work to find supplies around the world and he says he is working hard on "made in Canada" solutions.
“We recognize the challenges frontline health workers are facing in different parts of the country. We are working very closely with the provincial authorities in charge of those healthcare systems to try and meet the needs that they’re facing," Trudeau said during a press conference Wednesday. "We are facing – looking at a global demand for these supplies that is unprecedented. Countries around the world are trying to get more of these supplies. We are expecting to see some shipments coming in very shortly that will help in Canada."
6:36 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Trump says US Strategic National Stockpile is nearly depleted
From CNN's Jason Hoffman
When asked if the US Strategic National Stockpile is nearly depleted, President Trump told reporters “It is. We are sending it directly to hospitals.”
Trump went on to echo statements he made yesterday that the federal government wants supplies to be directly shipped where they are needed, rather than sitting in a warehouse.
“We don't want it to come to the stockpiles because then we have to take it after it arrives and bring it to various states and hospitals,” Trump said Wednesday during a coronavirus task force briefing. “We have asked states where they have large manufacturers of different types of equipment to use those local factories, local plants and have it made directly, ship it right into the hospitals."
Some context: The Strategic National Stockpile is deploying the last round of shipments in its inventory, depleting the bulk of its protective gear, a source familiar told CNN earlier today.
The official added that the stockpile was never meant to serve as the only source of protective gear for the entire coronavirus response and they said the states would need to get more supply from the private market.
6:25 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
New York City has 45,707 coronavirus cases and 1,374 deaths
Today there has been 3,936 new cases and 278 new deaths.
New York state as a while has 83,712 coronavirus cases and 1,941 deaths, according to CNN's tally.
6:21 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
At least 869 US coronavirus deaths reported in a single day
There have been at least 869 coronavirus deaths reported in the US on Wednesday, according to a count by CNN Health.
This is the most reported deaths in the United States in a single day since the novel coronavirus outbreak.
There have been a total of 4,703 deaths reported in the US since the outbreak.
6:34 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Colorado governor speaks with Chinese factory owners and others to purchase medical equipment
From CNN's Raja Razek
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks at a news conference in Centennial, Colorado, on Wednesday, April 1. David Zalubowski/AP
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced in a press briefing on Wednesday that the state has been talking to Chinese factory owners, and others, to purchase medical equipment.
"We know that not having gotten nearly enough from the federal government, we have really taken it upon ourselves as a state to engage in the purchasing of medical equipment," Polis said.
According to the governor, Colorado has a "monumental task" at hand to build medical capacity at this critical time. And the state is not just facing a healthcare crisis; it is also facing a supply chain crisis, Polis added.
"We simply do not have the medical capacity, the beds, hospital beds, ICU units, ventilators, personal protection equipment to treat everybody who might get sick and have the potential to get better," the governor said. "We placed a number of purchase orders, and we have a number of supplies that are in transit or in the supply chain, all subject to verification. We want to verify that the masks work and that they are not counterfeit."
By the numbers: Colorado has ordered 2.5 million N95 Masks, 750 ventilators, 1.5 million gloves, one million surgical masks, 25,000 face shields and 250,000 gowns, according to the governor.
Colorado has a total of 3,338 coronavirus cases with 77 deaths, according to CNN's tally.
5:59 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
New report shares additional evidence that the coronavirus spreads before symptoms present
From CNN's Gina Yu
The spread of the novel coronavirus may occur before patients present with symptoms, according to a report released Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The transmission of the novel coronavirus before the development of symptoms might occur through respiratory droplets or indirect transmission, according to the report.
“These findings also suggest that to control the pandemic it might not be enough for only persons with symptoms to limit their contact with others because persons without symptoms might transmit infection,” the report said. "Evidence of presymptomatic transmission … underscores the critical role social distancing … plays in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic.”
6:26 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Russian coronavirus aid arrives in New York
From CNN's Kylie Atwood
A plane carrying medical supplies from Russia landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Wednesday, April 1. TASS/Getty Images
Russian medical supplies to help the US combat the Covid-19 pandemic landed in New York on Wednesday afternoon, the Russian mission to the UN tweeted out.
The mission tweeted that the supplies would “help local communities and hospitals in their crucial action against the spread of #coronanvirus.”
The New York Air Traffic Controller thanked the Russian pilot when the plane landed at JFK airport.
“Romeo Foxtrot Foxtrot 8460 Heavy, we sincerely thank you for all the assistance you are bringing in,” the controller said. “Have a good day.”
The shipment includes personal protective equipment including masks, ventilators, and antiseptics a State Department official told CNN. The US will put all Food and Drug Administration approved items to immediate use, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
Some context: The shipment comes just days after President Trump and President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone.
The Russian assistance was not mentioned in the readout of their call provided by the White House. But earlier this week Trump said that "Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice."
Last month, before that phone call, the State Department urged diplomats worldwide to ask for medical supplies from their host countries, but said that they would not be asking Russia.
5:23 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
National stockpile deploys its last round of shipments
From CNN's Kristen Holmes
The Strategic National Stockpile is deploying the last round of shipments in its inventory, depleting the bulk of its protective gear, a source familiar told CNN.
The official said the stockpile was never meant to serve as the only source of protective gear for the entire coronavirus response and the states would need to get more supply from the private market.
The official stressed that the stockpile, which is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, will never be completely depleted as they always retain a small percentage for the most critical needs.
Some context: Since the start of the pandemic, officials have been sounding the alarm that there was never going to be enough gear for a 50-state response.
On Tuesday, President Trump said the government would hold onto 10,000 ventilators to ensure they had the ability to deploy quickly if they need the units in the future.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the agency's planning for the Covid-19 pandemic response "acknowledged that the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) alone could not fulfill all requirements at the State and tribal level. Therefore, as the vice president stated last night, the federal government will exhaust all means to identify and attain medical and other supplies needed to combat the virus."
A Department of Homeland Security official told CNN the stockpile is "near depletion because the numbers are low."
"When you see demand is outpacing supply, then we go to the people [states] who are asking for equipment and ask if they are exhausting all of their sources," the official said. "We are having to balance places that don't have any [PPE], versus someone on the verge, but not there yet."
