April 5 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Jenni Marsh, Rob Picheta, Peter Wilkinson, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 9:30 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020
83 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
8:11 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

Italy records lowest coronavirus death rate in two weeks

From CNN's Lindsay Isaac

Italy has recorded its lowest death rate in a 24-hour period with 525 deaths, the Italian Civil Protection Ministry said Sunday.

A total of 15,877 people have died of Covid-19 in Italy. There was a small decrease in patients in critical condition with hospital intensive care units reporting 17 fewer patients. A total of 2,972 new cases have been diagnosed, another decline, bringing the total active cases to 91,246. 

A total of 21,815 people have recovered from the coronavirus, an increase of 819. There are now almost 130,000 coronavirus cases in Italy.

Italy has been in a lockdown for almost four weeks now.

8:11 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

Trump claims 1.6 million people in the US have been tested and received results

From CNN's Nicky Roberston

Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images
Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump claimed Sunday that 1.6 million people in the United States have been tested for coronavirus and been given results.

"That's far more than any country’s been able to do," Trump said.

He also said that Abbott Laboratories will produce 1,200 of its new 15-minute coronavirus test weekly. Abbott's test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on March 27.

7:15 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

British Prime Minister expected to stay in the hospital overnight

From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to stay in the hospital overnight, a Downing Street source told CNN on Sunday.

Johnson was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night in what Downing Street said in a statement was a "precautionary step" given that the "Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus."

Johnson was diagnosed with coronavirus on March 27.

US President Donald Trump wished Johnson well during a Sunday night press briefing.

"I want to express our nation’s well wishes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he wages his own personal fight with the virus," Trump said. "All Americans are praying for him. He’s a friend of mine, he’s a great gentleman and a great leader."

"I’m hopeful and sure that he’s going to be fine," Trump said. 

7:02 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

Trump administration considering new air travel restrictions for cruise ship passengers

From Evan Perez and Jeremy Diamond 

Passengers look out from the deck of the Coral Princess cruise ship as it docks in Miami, Florida, on April 4.
Passengers look out from the deck of the Coral Princess cruise ship as it docks in Miami, Florida, on April 4. Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are finalizing new restrictions that are expected to prohibit cruise ship passengers and crew arriving in the US from boarding domestic commercial flights, according to a person briefed on the matter and an administration official.

The restrictions would apply even to people not showing symptoms and would require 14-day quarantines for cruise passengers and crew. 

While officials are working on the new protocols, they have not been finalized, according to the sources.

These new protocols would likely be agreements between cruise ship companies and the government, requiring that they be followed for these ships to dock at specific ports, the administration official said.

The official said that there could be a range of exceptions and specific circumstances that would divert from the new protocols, specifically as it relates to foreigners on the ships.

If adopted, the new restrictions would limit cruise passengers and crew to flying on charter aircraft. 

The US Coast Guard said Saturday there are 114 cruise ships, carrying 93,000 crew members, either in or near US ports and waters.

This includes 73 cruise ships, with 52,000 crew members, moored or anchored in US ports and anchorages. Another 41 cruise ships, with 41,000 crew members, are underway and still in vicinity of the United States. The cruise industry has an ongoing obligation for the care, safety and welfare of their seafarers.

7:03 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

1 million rapid coronavirus tests to be distributed among Spain's autonomous regions

From CNN's Abel Alvarado 

The first batch of 1 million rapid tests to detect coronavirus are set to be distributed among autonomous regions in Spain between Sunday and Monday, according to a statement from the country's government. 

"Spain will substantially increase the diagnostic capacity to confirm or rule out the presence of COVID-19 in the population," the statement read.  

"Fifteen thousand to 20,000 tests are being performed daily, but this daily diagnostic capacity needs to be increased," the statement added.

The rapid tests will complement the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and will especially target hospitals and vulnerable groups like nursing homes. 

The key part of the diagnostic strategy will continue to be the PCR tests, according to the statement.

As of Sunday, according to the ministry's data, there are 80,261 active cases and 12,418 people have died in Spain

6:50 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

New York subway system has lost 22 workers to coronavirus

From CNN’s Ganesh Setty

An empty New York City subway car.
An empty New York City subway car. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

At least 22 New York City subway employees have died of complications due to coronavirus, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman Aaron Donovan.

Of about 74,000 workers, 1,092 have tested positive for the virus, Donovan said Sunday.

There are 5,430 MTA employees that are on home quarantine, which includes the 1,092 members who have tested positive, Donovan said.

6:39 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

Haiti reports first coronavirus death 

From CNN's Kay Guerrero and journalist Etant Dupain in Minneapolis

Haiti reported its first novel coronavirus death Sunday, a 55-year-old man who had underlying health conditions, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

The country has only reported 21 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, according to the statement. 

A 2019 report from the Research and Education Consortium for Acute Care in Haiti (REACH), which surveyed Haitian health facilities, said that Haiti had as few as 124 ICU beds and the capacity to ventilate 62 ICU patients across the country, which has a population of more than 10 million. 

The country has faced a prolonged electricity crisis, power that is vital for keeping ventilators and other hospital equipment running.

6:24 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

CDC releases instructions for making cloth face masks

From CNN’s Nick Valencia and Wes Bruer

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released instructions and visual tutorials on how to make cloth face coverings from common household materials.

The CDC recently released guidance recommending the use of cloth face coverings "in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community based transmission."

Cloth face coverings, according to the CDC, can be homemade out of pieces of fabric, T-shirts, bandannas and coffee filters to slow down the spread of the virus, especially those that may be asymptomatic and capable of transmitting it to others despite experiencing no symptoms. 

The CDC recommended any homemade cloth face coverings include multiple layers of fabric, be secured to the ears, and allow for breathing without restriction. The guidance recommends routinely cleaning coverings in a washing machine and that no child under the age of 2 should wear them.

 

6:24 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

India observes nationwide candlelight vigil in a show of solidarity in the fight against coronavirus

From CNN's Vedika Sud 

A man displays a traditional lamp from the balcony of his home during a nationwide candlelight vigil in India on Sunday.
A man displays a traditional lamp from the balcony of his home during a nationwide candlelight vigil in India on Sunday. Altaf Qadri/AP

People across India turned off all lights in their homes and stood on their balconies, at their open entryways and outside their homes with candles and lamps lit, or flashlight and mobile phone lights turned on to observe a nationwide candlelight vigil Sunday night.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the people of India to hold a nationwide candlelight vigil on Sunday at 9 p.m. local time, for nine minutes, in a show of solidarity for the country’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Modi said it was important for every Indian to realize that he or she wasn’t alone in this fight. 

We must together invoke the spirit of Bharat Mata (Mother India) and ensure that the dark clouds of the virus make way for the light hope," Modi said while addressing the nation on Friday.

People light candles during the vigil in Amritsar, India.
People light candles during the vigil in Amritsar, India. Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times/Getty Images

Social media has lit up with images of the vigil. Photos posted online show India's President Kovind and the country's first lady with candles at the Presidential Palace. Prime Minister Modi was seen lighting a lamp at his residence.  

China's ambassador to India, India's Home Minister, Bollywood star couple, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, were just some of the people across the country posting images online as they observed the vigil.