Hispanic Americans make up a third of New York's deaths
CNN
CNN correspondent Nick Valencia said on CNN's "The Color of Covid" special that Hispanic Americans are suffering the most in New York City, where the community makes up more than a third of virus-related deaths.
Social economic factors and inequality is at play.
In New York, 34% of the death rate is made up by Latinos, "and that is not even counting undocumented immigrants who may be afraid are showing symptoms are sick and are free to go into the doctor," Valencia said.
The jobs that Latino's have may put the community more at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
In New York, there are at least 242,424 coronavirus cases and 17,627 deaths.
11:04 p.m. ET, April 18, 2020
For the first time in two months, South Korea reports a single-digit rise in coronavirus cases
From CNN's Sophie Jeong
An employee holds coronavirus testing kits at the Boditech Med Inc. headquarters on April 17, in Chuncheon, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
South Korea reported eight new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, according to the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national tally now stands at 10,661.
South Korea had not seen a single digit increase in infections numbers since February 18, according to a CNN calculation of KCDC data.
Among the eight new cases, five were imported.
Two more deaths were added to the overall count from Saturday, raising the national death toll to 234.
The KCDC said 105 more recovered cases have been discharged from isolation, bringing the national total of recovered cases to 8,042.
10:52 p.m. ET, April 18, 2020
Dr. Regina Benjamin: "Your zip code is a better predictor of your health outcomes than your genetic code"
CNN
Dr. Regina Benjamin, former US surgeon general under President Barack Obama, joined CNN's "The Color of Covid" special on Sunday.
"When we first started to talk about this disease we said the elderly and those with with underlying conditions were at higher risk. Most people thought of people with cancer, elderly people, people with breathing difficulties. People we did not consider were those with high blood pressure, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, those who smoked," Benjamin said. "What we did not expect is these people would be coming in much faster and would deteriorate faster and died more frequently.
Being prepared in the communities that need it: Benjamin said knowing this, there is a need to be in the communities that are most affected with these conditions.
"The research shows us that certain things cause these health disparities. Things like: we know that our financial health is directly related to our physical health. We know education is just as important for our health. The death rate is two-and-a-half times that of a person who does not have a high school diploma as it is for a person who has 13 years or more," she said.
"Your zip code is a better predictor of your health outcomes than your genetic code," Benjamin said.
Need for better public policies: Benjamin said she hoped the country would come out of the pandemic with better public policies.
"It's not just people in African American populations and hispanic populations. It's people in rural areas and my communities. We have the same types of problems with high blood pressure and diabetes. We smoke too much. All of those things that lead to cardiovascular disease are in rural communities and we will see the same thing. It’s poor people," she said.
Watch:
10:37 p.m. ET, April 18, 2020
More than 38,800 people have died from coronavirus in the US
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
There are at least 734,552 coronavirus cases in the Unites States, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
At least 38,835 people have died.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories, as well as all repatriated cases.
CNN’s map, which uses JHU data, refreshes every 15 minutes:
Laura Bush and Michelle Obama appear from home on Global Citizen TV concert
From CNN's Kelly Mena
On Saturday night, former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama appeared on the Global Citizen "One World: Together At Home" televised concert from their own homes, sharing messages of thanks and hope.
"Laura and I want to express our overwhelming gratitude to the medical professionals, first responders and so many others on the front lines risking their lives on our behalf," said Obama.
"And we're thankful for our pharmacists, the veterinarians, the police officers, the sanitation workers, and those of you working in grocery stores or delivering food or supplies to our homes. You're the fabric of our country and your strength will carry us through this crisis," said Bush.
Obama finished the message off by saying:
"The coming days will not be easy, but this global family of ours is strong. We will continue to be here for one another and we will get through this crisis. Together. Thank you."
The event was organized to raise funds for the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.
Venezuela’s Maduro calls for election to be postponed because of the virus
From CNN’s Osmary Hernandez in Caracas
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a televised announcement, at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 26. Jhonn Zerpa/Venezuelan Presidency/AFP via Getty Images
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro wants the country’s top court to postpone the parliamentary elections scheduled for December this year until January 2021.
In a radio interview on Saturday, Maduro said the pandemic is the priority and it would be irresponsible to carry out elections in that environment.
Maduro said it would be up to the Supreme Justice Tribunal to make the decision.
Today it would be irresponsible on my part to say elections should be held everywhere," Maduro said.
Watch CNN's "The Color of Covid" special at 10 p.m. ET
CNN
CNN anchor Don Lemon and political commentator Van Jones will host the "The Color of Covid," an hour-long special on the unique challenges black and brown communities are facing during the coronavirus crisis, putting a spotlight on their struggles and providing viewers with ways they can help.
Notable guests include Sean "Diddy" Combs, Lin-Manuel Miranda, W. Kamau Bell, America Ferrara, Charles Barkley, former Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, and Will.i.am, among others.
"African Americans helped to build this country and make this country great," said Diddy in a taped message. "We don’t deserve to be in this position. We don't deserve to always be thought of last ... Let’s not wait on nobody to save us. Let’s use this as a reset. Let's use this as a time to start loving ourselves."
"Color of Covid" will air April 18, at 10 p.m. ETexclusively on CNN.
It can also be viewed on CNN.com, CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, SamsungSmart TV, Chromecast and Android TV). The special will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems.
9:47 p.m. ET, April 18, 2020
Coronavirus cases top 10,000 in Japan
By CNN's Emiko Jozuka in Tokyo
Medical staff prepare to screen potential coronavirus patients at Kawakita General Hospital on April 17, in Tokyo, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 10,000 in Japan on Saturday. On March 1, the country had 243 cases.
As of Saturday, Japan had 10,296 confirmed cases, including 222 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. That tally included people who tested positive during airport quarantine checks and health officials.
In recent weeks, Japan's coronavirus cases have spiked -- dashing hopes that the government's initial virus response had succeeded.
The sharp increase has led Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to extend the state of emergency from seven prefectures to the entire country. On Friday, he promised to provide medical equipment, such as surgical masks, gowns and face shields, to struggling hospitals.
Earlier this week, government experts warned that Japan could have more than 400,000 coronavirus-related deaths if measures such as social distancing were not implemented.
9:28 p.m. ET, April 18, 2020
It's 9 p.m. in New York and 10 a.m. in Tokyo. Here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic
Healthcare workers collect samples at a drive-through coronavirus testing center at the University Hospital in Burgos, Spain, on April 18. Cesar Manso/AFP/Getty Images
Global death toll rises to 159,000: Covid-19 has killed more than 159,500 people, as the total number of infections rises to 2.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Opening up the US: The US CDC released new details on how communities can contain the virus, as part of the White House Task Force’s plan to "get and keep America open." Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the response to the coronavirus “…should not be a partisan witch hunt" but attacked three Democratic governors, who he said "have gotten carried away" with social distancing. Protesters gathered in several US states to oppose stay-at-home orders. At least 732,197 people have coronavirus in the US including 38,664 people who have died.
More testing needed: The US needs to conduct at least 500,000 tests for Covid-19 every day to be able to successfully open the economy and stay open, according to three Harvard researchers. Currently, about 150,000 tests per day are completed, and about 20% of those tests have been positive. The positive test rate needs to fall to 10%.
Japan cases surge: Reported cases have surpassed 10,000 as medical workers warn the country's health system isn't prepared for an outbreak. The spike has led Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to extend the state of emergency from seven prefectures to be nationwide.
Spain to extend lockdown: Another 15 days of lockdown are looming, with the restrictions set to extend until May 9. That means Spain will have endured eight week of strict lockdown and comes after deaths in the country surpassed 20,000.
