Mortuaries in New Orleans are full due to Covid-19
From CNN’s Ashley Killough
City of NOLA/Facebook
New Orleans is running out of places to store those who have died from the novel coronavirus, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Friday.
Cantrell said the New Orleans coroner's office and its mortuaries were now full.
“Mortuaries cannot even come pick them up or store them because they're at capacity. I've had to ask the federal government for additional refrigeration so we can take care of our people while they're resting in God's peace, but not resting well because they haven't been laid to rest as they deserve,” she said.
About 7,000 patients have been identified in the two parishes that make up the metro New Orleans area
10:37 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
There are at least 311,301 coronavirus cases in the United States as of 10 p.m. on the East Coast
Medical workers move a patient to a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 3. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
There are at least 311,301 cases of coronavirus in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. And 8,476 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded.
On Saturday, at least 33,348 new cases and 1,324 new deaths were reported.
It's just past 10 a.m. in Beijing and Hong Kong. Here's what you might have missed while you were sleeping
Ambulances line the street outside Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, New York on April 4. Mary Altaffer/AP
A grim day in the US: At least 1,324 coronavirus-related fatalities were reported in the United States on Saturday, making it the country's deadliest day in this pandemic. More than 305,820 cases have been recorded nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
President Trump said this week and next will likely be the toughest in the fight against coronavirus. "There will be a lot of death, unfortunately," he said.
More die in Spain, but positive signs emerge: At least 809 people died of Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the total there to 11,744 deaths. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the country will extend the nationwide "state of alarm" until April 26.
"We are facing the great crisis of our lives," he said.
More than 126,000 have been infected, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Spanish Health Ministry said that 34,219 people have now recovered from the virus -- nearly 4,000 more than the number reported Friday. While the number of active cases continues to rise, the rate of increase is slowing.
Bracing for the worst in the UK: The national medical director for England's National Health Service, Stephen Powis, said Saturday that the high number of coronavirus-related deaths across the United Kingdom is "likely to continue" over the next two weeks.
More than 700 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Saturday, the UK's largest one-day rise since the outbreak began. According to figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care, 4,313 have now died in the UK.
9:49 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Nearly 20% of the New York Police Department's uniformed workforce are out sick, but some officers are returning to work
From CNN’s Mark Morales
An NYPD traffic officer stands on 23rd street in New York City on April 1. John Lamparski/Getty Images
On Friday, 6,698 uniformed members of the New York Police Department -- accounting for 18.5% of the Department’s uniformed workforce -- were out sick, according to a daily NYPD coronavirus report.
Currently, 1,775 uniformed members of the force and 260 civilian members have tested positive for Covid-19, the report says.
About 50 NYPD members returned to work after being out sick due to the virus on Friday, a law enforcement source told CNN.
“Now we’re getting the first wave back,” said the official. “By next week, we could be getting hundreds back.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea previously said that while the force was not close to implementing 12-hour shifts, they would do so if staffing levels made it necessary.
9:32 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Mainland China recorded 30 new coronavirus cases and 3 deaths on Saturday
From CNN’s Anna Kam in Hong Kong.
Thirty patients were reported to have contracted the novel coronavirus in mainland China on Saturday, according to country's National Health Commission. Twenty-five of those cases were imported from abroad.
This raises the national case total to 81,669. Three deaths were reported on Friday, bringing the national toll to 3,329. Nearly 77,000 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
Additionally, 47 new asymptomatic infections were reported, including 16 imported cases. There are currently 1,024 asymptomatic cases under medical observation, among which 244 are imported.
9:23 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Dubai locks down for two weeks to fight coronavirus spread
From CNN’s Sharif Paget
A car travels down nearly empty road in Dubai on Tuesday, March 31. Jon Gambrell/AP
Dubai announced a two-week lockdown starting on Saturday to combat the spread of novel coronavirus, the state-run news agency WAM said, citing Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management.
During this time, "individuals will not be allowed to leave the house, except for essential purposes," WAM reported. Only one family member is permitted to leave the house for essential goods like food or medicine.
Individuals found violating these instructions "will face legal action." Besides the sterilization efforts, "extensive medical tests will be conducted across densely populated areas of Dubai," WAM reported.
The Dubai Media Office also tweeted charts with frequently asked questions.
As of Saturday, Dubai's health authority confirmed a total of 1,505 cases of Covid-19 in the United Arab Emirates and 10 deaths. Dubai reported 241 new cases, about 16% of the country's total, on Saturday.
9:10 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Queen Elizabeth to address 'challenging' coronavirus crisis in televised speech
From CNN’s Max Foster
The exterior of Buckingham Palace in London on March 29. Aaron Chown/PA/AP
Queen Elizabeth II will deliver a televised statement to the United Kingdom on Sunday, in which she will address the "challenging" period the nation faces amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The Queen will pay tribute to National Health Service staff and essential workers, while recognizing the "pain felt by many families" who have been affected by the deadly virus, according to the Palace.
"I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all," the Queen is expected to say Sunday.
The Queen is expected to say she hopes "in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any."
9:02 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Dr. Deborah Birx: 'This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy'
From CNN’s Nicky Robertson
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
Dr. Deborah Birx emphasized Saturday that the next two weeks will be crucial for the effort to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases.
"This is a very important -- the next two weeks are extraordinarily important, and that's why I think you've heard from Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, from myself, from the President and the Vice President that this is the moment to do everything that you can on the presidential guidelines," Birx said. "This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe, and that means everybody doing the 6 feet distancing, washing your hands."
Birx made her comments at the daily coronavirus task briefing at the White House.
8:57 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020
Trump says lupus patients are less likely to get Covid-19 due to hydroxychloroquine use despite lack of evidence
From CNN Health's Gina Yu
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump continued to claim hydroxychloroquine has high efficacy against Covid-19, stating lupus patients – who are commonly treated with hydroxychloroquine – are less likely to contract the virus on Saturday at a White House press briefing.
"(Hydroxychloroquine has) been out for a long time, it's a malaria drug and also a drug for lupus …There's a study out that people with lupus aren't catching this horrible virus," said Trump. "Now maybe that's correct, maybe it's false. You're going to have to check it out."
However, there is no "definitive information to be able to make any comment," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the briefing. The relationship between lupus and Covid-19 is currently being studied in "a natural history study," Fauci said.
Trump later stated he would take the medication, likely as a preventative measure, given his negative Covid-19 testing.
"But I think people should (take hydroxychloroquine)," he said. "If it were me, in fact, I might do it anyway. I may take it … I have to ask my doctors about that. But I may take it."
There are currently no products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent Covid-19.
