April 23 coronavirus news

By Julia Hollingsworth, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Rob Picheta and Zamira Rahim, CNN

Updated 2:40 p.m. ET, April 26, 2020
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8:41 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

No end date for Russia's lockdown, government says

from CNN's Darya Tarasova 

Medical workers wearing protective equipment wait in front of the gateway to enter the red zone to treat coronavirus patients in Moscow on April 22.
Medical workers wearing protective equipment wait in front of the gateway to enter the red zone to treat coronavirus patients in Moscow on April 22. Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images

Russia's government has not set a date for ending its nationwide lockdown, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday, as concerns grow about the impact of coronavirus on the country’s economy.

Responding to a question from reporters about the point at which the economic impact of the lockdown might be too great, Peskov said this:

“No, there is no such date. There is a specific time period tied to a specific epidemiological situation.”
8:35 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

China pledges additional $30 million to World Health Organization

From CNN's Sophie Jeong

People wear face masks amid concerns of the coronavirus as they walk to a subway station in Beijing on April 23.
People wear face masks amid concerns of the coronavirus as they walk to a subway station in Beijing on April 23. Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

China is donating an additional $30 million to the World Health Organization to support its flight against the coronavirus pandemic, according to a tweet from China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Thursday.

“China has decided to donate additional $30 million in cash to WHO to support its global fight against #COVID19, in particular strengthening developing countries' health systems,” Chunying said on Twitter. She added that China had previously donated $20 million to the WHO on March 11.

Last week, US President Trump announced he is halting funding to the WHO, saying it's been a “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus.”

China contributed close to $86 million in assessed and voluntary contributions in the two-year funding cycle from 2018 to 2019. Recently, skepticism has been aimed toward the WHO's relationship with China as critics have questioned whether the WHO is independent enough, pointing to the WHO's effusive praise of China's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

8:32 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

Scotland may not "return to normal" until next year, minister says

from CNN's Simon Cullen

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, at the Scottish Parliament Holyrood on April 21, in Edinburgh.
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, at the Scottish Parliament Holyrood on April 21, in Edinburgh. Fraser Bremner/Pool/Getty Images

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has indicated there’ll be no changes to coronavirus restrictions in the short term, warning that a full “return to normal” may not happen until next year.

“Social distancing and limiting our contact with others will be a fact of life for a long time to come – certainly until treatments and ultimately a vaccine offer different solutions. So it means possibly for the rest of this year – and maybe even beyond,” Sturgeon said.

The Scottish government published its framework to explain how it will decide whether to ease various measures introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“Our assessment is that now is not the right time to relax restrictions,” the document stated. “Over the next few weeks, based on the evidence and expert advice, a number of options will be considered – not all of which may be selected.” 

The document warns that gatherings in pubs or public events is likely to remain “banned or restricted for some time to come.”

“A return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future,” she said at her daily press briefing.

Sturgeon said even if some measures are eased, it’s possible they will have to be re-introduced if the outbreak worsens as a result.

2:40 p.m. ET, April 26, 2020

It's just gone 1 p.m. in London and 8 a.m. in New York. Here's what you need to know

From CNN's Eliza Mackintosh

President Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 22.
President Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 22. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

“It’s just too soon.” President Donald Trump said he “strongly” disagreed with the Georgia governor’s decision to allow beauty salons, barbershops and other businesses to reopen this week, contradicting both his own impatient insistence that states restart the economy — and a source who said he had supported the move. Some mayors in Georgia are also pushing back against the governor.

coronavirus model routinely cited by the White House warns that no state should be opening before May 1, and that Georgia shouldn't reopen until June 19.  

But other state and city officials disagree. “I’d love everything open,” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, appearing to offer up the city as a “control group” without social distancing measures to compare against other places with strict guidelines. Pressed on how she would prevent the spread of the virus in casinos and hotels, she suggested it wasn’t the government’s job to ensure safety in those workplaces. 

As the debate over when and how to ease restrictions rattles on, the Trump administration and the nation’s top scientists seem to be increasingly at odds. A virus vaccine chief says he was ousted after resisting efforts to push unproven drugs promoted by the President. It’s an alarming new sign that, under Trump, scientists can speak — but only if they stay in line, Stephen Collinson writes

Here are today's other developments...

“Unprecedented” post-war recession underway: Ratings agency Fitch says the world is headed for a recession of “unprecedented depth in the post-war period” with global gross domestic product forecasted to fall by 3.9% in 2020. “This is twice as large as the decline anticipated in our early April GEO [global economic outlook] update and would be twice as severe as the 2009 recession,” Fitch’s chief economist said.

"We’re just not making progress on testing": To end the coronavirus pandemic, the US is either going to have to continue with extreme social distancing measures or do it with "ubiquitous" testing, according to Dr. Anish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Initiative.

And the US isn't making enough progress on the latter, Jha said: "We have estimated we need at least three times as much testing as we have right now."

New revelations about ventilators, strokes: About a quarter of coronavirus patients who needed ventilators to help them breathe died within the first few weeks of treatment, a study of New York's largest health system showed.

And another revelation: coronavirus appears to be causing sudden strokes in adults in their 30s and 40s, who are not otherwise terribly ill, doctors say.  

Latin America lockdowns leave poor in the lurch: Demonstrators took to the streets of Colombia’s capital Bogota yesterday, protesting over what they say is a lack of support from the government during the country's lockdown. 

Elsewhere in Latin America, outbreaks are reaching serious phases of spread, but with little in the way of critical health care. Cases in Mexico have passed 10,000 after the largest single day spike of 1,043 was reported; 970 have died.

And facing a mounting death toll, excavators are digging mass graves in Manaus, Brazil, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil.  

"A second wave is coming" Many Wuhan residents believe there could be a second wave in the epicenter of the outbreak, now that the city is returning to normal life. 

Hector Retamal, a photojournalist with Agence France-Presse, who covered the lockdown and is documenting the city’s reopening, says the anxiety is palpable: “I still see the fear in people who timidly return to the streets.” 

A version of this story first appeared in CNN's daily Coronavirus: Fact Vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here.

Update: After a story about a study on the rate of deaths among Covid-19 patients on ventilators in a New York health system published, the study’s authors updated the data in the report. This post has been updated to reflect the corrected data.  

9:52 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

Malaysia prohibits public gatherings to break fast during Ramadan

From CNN’s Sophie Jeong in Seoul

A worker sprays disinfectant at a mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia on March 26.
A worker sprays disinfectant at a mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia on March 26. Zahim Mohd/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Prayers and breaking of fasting will be done at home during the month of Ramadan in Malaysian, state news agency Bernama said Thursday.

The rules also prohibit Friday prayers from being held at mosques.

The report quoted the Minister of Islamic Affairs Senator Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who said the decision was made after taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic and the country's Movement Control Order (MCO). 

The nationwide MCO prohibits all Malaysian nationals from traveling abroad whilst also banning social, religious and educational gatherings.

As of Thursday, Malaysia reported more than 5,600 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death toll in the country stands at 95 according to Bernama and Johns Hopkins University.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated with the number of cases and deaths from coronavirus in Malaysia.

7:43 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

Twitter expands its coronavirus policy to ban incitement against 5G and cell towers

From CNN's Brian Fung

Twitter has expanded its ban on coronavirus misinformation to include tweets that spread false and misleading claims about 5G technology and posts that incite people to acts of violence against cell towers, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

The social media giant said the new policies add to existing bans on unverified claims that risk creating “widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder.”

In recent weeks, the internet has been awash in false claims suggesting that 5G, the ultra-fast wireless technology, is responsible for the spread of the coronavirus.

Technologists and researchers have said there is no connection between the two, and that attempts to sabotage communications networks threaten to put more lives at risk.

6:48 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

American Red Cross says it plans to implement antibody testing to help screen for Covid-19 plasma donors

From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard

Antibody testing could help identify who can donate convalescent plasma for the treatment of Covid-19, according to the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross said in a statement on Wednesday that it is working to implement antibody testing to help screen for recovered Covid-19 patients who could donate blood plasma to help ill patients fight the disease.

The idea is that convalescent plasma, the liquid part of blood, from recovered patients contains antibodies that could help strengthen the immune response of other patients still battling infection. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration announced that patients who are fully recovered from Covid-19 for at least two weeks are encouraged to consider donating plasma.

While "thousands of potential donors" responded to that call, less than 10% initially met the FDA's eligibility criteria to donate, according to the American Red Cross statement. The criteria include having a verified Covid-19 diagnosis and either being symptom free for at least 28 days prior to donation or symptom free for at least 14 days prior to donation while also having a negative Covid-19 test result.

Belinda Ofilos, collection specialist, takes blood from a donor during a blood drive by the American Red Cross on March 31 in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Belinda Ofilos, collection specialist, takes blood from a donor during a blood drive by the American Red Cross on March 31 in Norwood, Massachusetts. Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Getty Images

"The Red Cross is currently reviewing and requesting additional information from individuals who have submitted donor information. However, this is a complex process as we work to ensure each potential donor is appropriately screened and has the proper documentation to ensure ... every convalescent plasma product collected is safe for a patient battling Covid-19,” the American Red Cross said in its statement on Wednesday.

"We are encouraged that FDA approved Ortho Clinical Diagnostic’s Covid-19 Antibody Test through an Emergency Use Authorization last week. The Red Cross is working with our partner, Creative Testing Solutions (CTS), to implement this test in the near future," the statement said in part. "This automated test has the potential for a high throughput, enabling the collection of convalescent plasma from the many donors who do not currently have a confirmed positive Covid-19 diagnosis, and need an antibody test to confirm their eligibility to participate in the convalescent plasma program."

For now, recovered patients can contact their local blood or plasma collection center to schedule an appointment to donate. The FDA noted in its previous announcement that it has launched a new webpage with information on blood and plasma collection centers, and the American Red Cross also set up a website for interested donors.

6:46 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

Indonesia to begin security operation to enforce Eid travel ban

From Jamaladdin Masrur in Jakarta

Authorities stop vehicles on a highway in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, on April 22, amid social restriction measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Authorities stop vehicles on a highway in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, on April 22, amid social restriction measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. Dedy Sutisna/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Indonesia will deploy 175,000 military personal, police and public order officers to enforce travel restrictions for the upcoming Eid holiday, according to National Police Spokesman High Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra.

The security operation will run from April 24 until May 31, to enforce a ban on traveling home for Eid.

The ban was announced this week, but it remains unclear just how fully it will be enforced. The government will not be able to impose official sanctions for the travel ban until at least May 7.

Police have also set up 19 check points around the city of Jakarta as part of the operation.

Jakarta is one of several jurisdictions considered “red zones” for Covid-19, in which stronger restrictions have been issued to contain the virus.

6:13 a.m. ET, April 23, 2020

Seniors with Covid-19 show unusual symptoms, doctors say

From Judith Graham

Older adults with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, have several "atypical" symptoms, complicating efforts to ensure they get appropriate treatment, according to physicians.

Covid-19 is typically signaled by three symptoms: a fever, an insistent cough and shortness of breath. But older adults — the age group most at risk of severe complications or death from this condition ― may have none of these characteristics.

Instead, seniors may seem "off" — not acting like themselves ― early on after being infected by the coronavirus. They may sleep more than usual or stop eating. They may also seem unusually apathetic or confused, losing orientation to their surroundings.

"With a lot of conditions, older adults don't present in a typical way, and we're seeing that with Covid-19 as well," said Dr. Camille Vaughan, section chief of geriatrics and gerontology at Emory University.

Read the full story here.