May 9 coronavirus news

By Julia Hollingsworth, Brett McKeehan, Angela Dewan and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 8:51 p.m. ET, May 9, 2020
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4:22 p.m. ET, May 9, 2020

The US has more than 1,283,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

Health care workers place a coronavirus test swab into a tube at a testing site in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on May 8.
Health care workers place a coronavirus test swab into a tube at a testing site in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on May 8. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

The United States has at least 1,283,929 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 77,180 deaths, according to the tally from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

On Friday, the US reported 26,906 new cases and 1,518 additional deaths, according to the JHU count.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

For the latest JHU US numbers, check here. CNN’s map, using JHU data, continues to refresh every 15 mins.

12:56 a.m. ET, May 9, 2020

Allies despair as Trump abandons America's leadership role at a time of global crisis

From CNN's Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood and Angela Dewan

US President Donald Trump attends a coronavirus response meeting in the White House on May 7 in Washington, DC.
US President Donald Trump attends a coronavirus response meeting in the White House on May 7 in Washington, DC. Evan Vucci/AP

The United States has scaled back its role on the world stage, taken actions that are undermining efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic and left the international community without a traditional global leader, according to experts, diplomats and analysts.

The US -- usually at the head of the table helping to coordinate in global crises -- has declined to take a seat at virtual international meetings convened by the World Health Organization and the European Union to coordinate work on potentially lifesaving vaccines.

Former world leaders warn that the Trump administration risks alienating allies by politicizing the deadly pandemic with its push to punish China and have other nations choose sides.

The administration's decision to halt funding for the WHO, the world body best positioned to coordinate the global response to the raging pandemic, has appalled global health officials.

Incredulity and sadness: And where US presidents have in the past offered a steadying voice, observers from the Asia Pacific to Europe expressed incredulity, amusement and sadness at President Donald Trump's briefings on the virus, saying they are deeply damaging to the US image abroad. 

US officials push back, touting both funding to fight Covid-19 as well as work Trump is doing through the Group of Seven and bilaterally -- leading more than 50 calls with world leaders. But experts say funding without full global coordination can slow overall progress. 

At a time when nearly 4 million people worldwide have been infected with the virus, diplomats say many countries are yearning for the firm US leadership they've seen at historic moments and in prior epidemics, citing President Barack Obama's response to Ebola and President George W. Bush's work on HIV/AIDS.

"They want the US to lean in more," said one European diplomat. "We know they're doing a great deal with countries, including developing countries, bilaterally ... but a lot of countries hanker after the decisive US effort that we saw when the Berlin Wall came down. A lot of countries believe this is one of those pivotal moments in history and the US has always led at those times."

Read the full story here.

12:36 a.m. ET, May 9, 2020

20.5 million American jobs were lost in April, the largest decline since records began ... by far

From CNN Business' Anneken Tappe

A store remains closed near Wall Street on May 8, in New York City.
A store remains closed near Wall Street on May 8, in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

With much of the American economy in self-imposed shutdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, April's colossal surge in unemployment delivered a historic blow to workers.

The US economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday — by far the most sudden and largest decline since the government began tracking the data in 1939.

Those losses follow steep cutbacks in March as well, when employers slashed 870,000 jobs. Those two months amount to layoffs so severe, they more than double the 8.7 million jobs lost during the financial crisis.

For many Americans who lost their jobs and their homes in the 2008 financial crisis, this moment reopens old wounds. It took years to rebound from those setbacks. When the economy eventually did crawl back, US employers added 22.8 million jobs over 10 years — a victory for all those who had weathered the Great Recession.

Now, the coronavirus pandemic stings not only because of the public health crisis it has inflicted — but also because it wiped out nearly that whole decade of job gains in just two months.

Read more here.

12:16 a.m. ET, May 9, 2020

FDA authorizes first at-home Covid-19 saliva test

From CNN's Jacqueline Howard

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued an emergency use authorization for the first at-home Covid-19 test that uses saliva samples, the agency said in a news release.

Rutgers University's RUCDR Infinite Biologics lab received an amended emergency authorization late Thursday. With the test, people can collect their own saliva at home and send samples to a lab for results.

Testing for Covid-19 so far has usually involved nose or throat swab samples.

In April, Rutgers University announced the FDA authorized the saliva test that it developed with other groups for "emergency use" for diagnosing Covid-19.

"What's new and next is expanding access to testing for people," Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at the RUCDR Infinite Biologics lab, told CNN.
"If people are committed to do self-collection and can facilitate that collection at home, certainly with a prescription under medical care, we can get to those that are quarantined, don't have the means for transportation or are too scared to go outside. So they get the test in the mail or from a distribution center."

Read the full story here.

12:00 a.m. ET, May 9, 2020

The unemployment rate in Los Angeles has reached 24%

Amoeba Music store, a Hollywood landmark, remains closed on May 7.
Amoeba Music store, a Hollywood landmark, remains closed on May 7. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

The unemployment rate in Los Angeles rose from 4.7% in February to more than 24% in April according to city estimates, Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press conference on Friday.

"Those aren't just numbers, those are lives and livelihoods," Garcetti said, while addressing the economic impact of the coronavirus.
"These are our neighbors and they're hurting."

Los Angeles county has reported 30,296 coronavirus cases and 1,468 deaths. Garcetti said that this week’s data was “less deadly than last week.”

Testing in Los Angeles: Garcetti encouraged residents to get tested, as asymptomatic cases have been found. This is important for contact tracing and prevention of the disease, he added.

Los Angeles has capacity to test 20,000 people per day, and has met the basic minimum thresholds established by experts for acceptable levels of daily testing needed to consider steps to reopen, according to Garcetti.

Unemployment in the US: The US economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday — by far the most sudden and largest decline since the government began tracking the data in 1939.

Those losses follow steep cutbacks in March as well, when employers slashed 870,000 jobs. Those two months amount to layoffs so severe, they more than double the 8.7 million jobs lost during the financial crisis.

Read more about unemployment here.

11:44 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020

Siegfried and Roy magician dies of complications from Covid-19

Roy Horn, of the illusionist pair Siegfried and Roy, at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2003.
Roy Horn, of the illusionist pair Siegfried and Roy, at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2003. Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress

Roy Horn, half of the popular Las Vegas animal and magic act Siegfried and Roy, died Friday of complications from the coronavirus, according to his publicist. He was 75 years old.

Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher began their upbeat performances in Europe, later becoming regulars in Las Vegas, where they would perform for four decades. 

Their revue ended after Horn was attacked on stage by a tiger named Mantecore in 2003, severing Horn’s spine. Horn was eventually able to walk again, but he and Siegfried would only perform together one more time -- for a benefit -- before retiring in 2010.

“Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,” Fischbacher said in a written statement. “From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried.”
11:18 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020

Queen Elizabeth II: "Never give up, never despair"

From CNN's Max Foster and Rob Picheta

Queen Elizabeth II addresses the nation and the Commonwealth on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, from Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on May 8.
Queen Elizabeth II addresses the nation and the Commonwealth on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, from Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on May 8. Buckingham Palace/AP

Queen Elizabeth II has likened the British public's response to the coronavirus pandemic with the efforts of its soldiers during World War II, in a televised speech delivered exactly 75 years after her father marked the end of fighting in Europe.

Speaking on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the Queen remembered her own experiences at the end of fighting on the continent and praised the "strength and courage" of British and Allied troops who brought about Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945.

"Never give up, never despair — that was the message of VE Day," the monarch said. "I vividly remember the jubilant scenes my sister and I witnessed with our parents and Winston Churchill from the balcony of Buckingham Palace."

Acknowledging the impact on modern British life of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced this year's public commemorations to be canceled, she also drew parallels between the UK's wartime generation and their modern compatriots.

"Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps," she said at the conclusion of her speech. "But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other.

"When I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognize and admire," the Queen added.

The speech marked the second time the 94-year-old monarch has addressed the country since the coronavirus outbreak began — usually a rare occurrence saved only for her annual Christmas Day message.

     

11:02 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020

The EU let China censor a coronavirus opinion piece

From CNN's Carly Walsh and Simon Cullen

The European Union flag flying on April 2, at Stockholm's city hall.
The European Union flag flying on April 2, at Stockholm's city hall. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

The European Union has acknowledged it allowed the Chinese government to censor an opinion piece published in the country, removing a reference to the origin of the coronavirus outbreak and its subsequent spread worldwide.

The piece was jointly authored by the EU’s ambassador Nicolas Chapuis along with the ambassadors to China for the EU’s 27 member states to mark 45 years of EU-China diplomatic relations.

In the original piece published on the EU delegation’s website, the ambassadors wrote that “the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, and its subsequent spread to the rest of the world over the past three months” had side-tracked pre-existing diplomatic plans.

But in the version that appears on the website of China Daily, a state-owned newspaper, the reference to the origin of coronavirus in China and its spread is removed.

While the EU Delegation to China said it “strongly regrets” the change, it also admitted that it ultimately agreed for the censored piece to be published because it still contained “key messages on a number of our priority areas.”

“The EU Delegation was informed by the media in question that the publication of the Op-Ed would only be allowed by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the condition that a part of a sentence related to the origins and spread of the coronavirus was removed,” the delegation said in a statement. “The EU Delegation to China made known its objections to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in no uncertain terms.”

“As the Op-Ed states, while the EU and China have differences, notably on human rights, our partnership has become mature enough to allow frank discussions on these issues. This is what makes this incident even more regrettable,” the Delegation’s statement adds. 

CNN has asked China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a response. 

10:53 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020

More than 800 inmates at one California prison complex have tested positive for coronavirus

A total of 823 inmates and 25 staff have tested positive for Covid-19 at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex in California's Santa Barbara County, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Friday.

The complex in Lompoc, California is comprised of two facilities: FCI Lompoc, a low-security correctional institution that houses 1,162 inmates, and USP Lompoc, a medium-security US penitentiary that houses 1,542 inmates.

At the FCI Lompoc facility, 792 of 1,162 inmates -- or approximately 68% of that facility's total inmate population -- have tested positive for the virus, according to the latest BOP data.

An additional 31 inmates have tested positive at the neighboring USP Lompoc facility. 

Two inmates have died at the complex due to coronavirus complications, the BOP reported in a press release.

BOP authorities have suspended all visitations to the complex until further notice. Inmate use of telephone and email stations at FCI Lompoc has been suspended through to May 18 to "ensure the safety of the inmates and staff while decreasing the spread of the COVID-19 virus," the BOP said. 

The background: Across federal and state prisons, thousands of inmates have tested positive for the virus -- many of whom showed no symptoms when they were infected. In Ohio, more than 20% of the people infected with coronavirus are prisoners. And in Colorado, the state's largest outbreak is in a correctional facility.

Read more about outbreaks in US prisons here.