April 11 coronavirus news

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the state is "literally at the edge" in regards to the number of ventilators available to treat coronavirus patients.

There are 61 ventilators available in the state warehouses, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said.

Persichilli said there is a concern about the number of ventilators, and that they are looking for another option.

Murphy said officials were on the phone with the White House Saturday morning and expressed that ventilators are a priority.

Some context: The latest model projections report the hospitalizations in New Jersey will peak at 15,922 and ICU admissions will be about 3,821 –– but that changes daily, Persichilli said.

She believes the state will have bed spaces for everyone, but the concern continues to be the availability of personal protection equipment and ventilators.

Persichilli also said the USNS Comfort, a military hospital ship in New York City, will now be accepting patients from New Jersey hospitals.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said no decision has been made with regards to schools at this time

When asked about the New York Governor’s comments on coordinating school openings, Murphy acknowledged that “some harmony in the region” would “be a good thing” saying he share's the New York governor's sentiment.

The Pentagon is executing its first project under the authorities granted by the Defense Production Act (DPA) in order to produce more than 39 million N95 masks amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The names of the companies involved were not immediately announced.

Some context: N95 masks have been seen as a critical resource and the Defense Department has already pledged 10 million such masks from its own stockpiles to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Last week, President Trump separately authorized the Defense Production Act to be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to obtain N95 masks from 3M.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is waiving regulations on physicians-in-training (PIT) permit holders to increase health care capacity to fight coronavirus in the state.

With restrictions waived, PIT permit holders will be able to work at any Texas hospital or facility associated with the Graduate Medical Education (GME) training program. They will also be able to practice in areas outside their GME training program with physician oversight.

For example, under these temporary waivers, residents in a surgical residency program can assist in an Emergency Department if a surge of patients is experienced. These waivers will increase the availability of medically trained individuals to help assist the coronavirus response.

Texas has 12,398 confirmed coronavirus cases and 248 deaths, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

There are 550 sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who have tested positive for coronavirus as of Saturday, according to a statement from the US Navy.

So far, 92% of the sailors have been tested and 3,696 of them have now been moved ashore.

Some context: CNN reported on Thursday that a sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who had tested positive for coronavirus was admitted to an intensive care unit in Guam after being found unresponsive.

Florida and Idaho families who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are now allowed to use their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards online due to the coronavirus pandemic, an announcement from US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a press release Saturday.

The approval allows states to expedite the implementation of online purchasing by stores that are already authorized to take SNAP benefits, according to the release.

People who receive such benefits should be able to use them for online retailers later this month, the release said.

The US Air Force medically evacuated three contractors who tested positive for Covid-19 from Afghanistan to Germany on Friday, according to a statement from Air Mobility Command spokeswoman Rose Ripley.

This is the first time the Air Force has medically evacuated someone sick from coronavirus, and marks the first operational use of the "Transport Isolation System," according to the statement. 

The system was developed during the Ebola outbreak and is designed to move patients ill with an infectious disease. 

The New York Fire Department says 714 members have tested positive for the coronavirus, FDNY spokesman Jim Long told CNN. This figure includes firefighters, EMS and civilian personnel.

Overall, 2,700 members are currently out sick or on medical leave. This includes all injuries and other illnesses, in addition to coronavirus cases.

On Friday, EMS received 4,459 medical calls. FDNY tweeted on Saturday urging people to only call 911 if it's a real emergency.

See FDNY's tweet:

New Jersey has recorded 3,599 new coronavirus cases bringing the statewide total to 58,151, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.

Murphy said 251 with the virus have died in the past 24 hours, bringing the state total to 2,183.

“We’re slowing the rate at which new cases are doubling,” Murphy said.

“The curve is flattening,” but “were not in the end zone folks, we cannot spike any footballs, we're not even first in goal," he added.

In a series of announcements made on Twitter, Murphy called on all NJ Transit and "private carriers to cut the capacity on all trains, buses, light rail vehicles, and paratransit vehicles to 50% of their maximum."

Murphy is also "expanding the requirement to wear a face covering to ALL customers heading into one of the restaurants and bars that remain in operation as they get their takeout orders," he said in a tweet.

Red Murphy's tweets: