May 14 coronavirus news

By Zamira Rahim, Joshua Berlinger and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 8:24 a.m. ET, May 15, 2020
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2:14 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

The city at coronavirus ground zero is trying to test all 11 million residents in 10 days

From journalist Alexandra Lin in Hong Kong and Steven Jiang in Beijing 

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a man to be tested for coronavirus in Wuhan, China on May 14.
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a man to be tested for coronavirus in Wuhan, China on May 14. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Health officials in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where Covid-19 emerged at the end of last year, have started a 10-day screening effort to curb any new local epidemic by testing all of its citizens, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.  

Following an emergency notice that was issued on Monday, testing started on Wednesday; people who are classified as "high risk" will be tested first, according to the Global Times. 

The city is home to around 11 million people. 

Global Times cited a document from the health commission of Wuchang district, saying that "the testing period will last from Wednesday to May 20." 

District health authorities were advised to complete forms for residents, which show "personal information of residents, personal ID, phone numbers, address, whether they have tested before and if they belong to a "key cluster," according to the Global Times. 

Wuhan health authorities announced on Tuesday that all city residents would be targeted for large-scale testing, following the detection of six new cases in a local residential community last weekend. Priority for testing will be given to key groups and older communities with dense and fluid populations. 

Wuchang district health authorities told Global Times that they have set up both indoor and outdoor sites for testing, and are asking each community to keep organized and avoid gatherings, with different time slots for testing. 

Global Times reported that since Tuesday, around 70,000 people in Wuhan had undergone nucleic acid tests.

1:56 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

Woman gives birth, then walks 99 miles with her newborn baby

From CNN's Swati Gupta and Rob Picheta

The baby girl was born on May 5 with India under nationwide lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The baby girl was born on May 5 with India under nationwide lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. Courtesy of Kavita Kanesh

A pregnant woman traveling through India by foot interrupted her journey to give birth and then kept walking for another 160 kilometers (99 miles) with her newborn baby.

The woman, whose identity is unknown to CNN, was walking with her husband and their four other children from the city of Nashik, in Maharashtra, to the town of Satna in the adjoining state of Madhya Pradesh.

The family had left Nashik because they had no place to live and the country's coronavirus lockdown had left them without any means to earn money, according to Kavita Kanesh, an official in Madhya Pradesh.

Somewhere along the trip, the woman stopped and gave birth to a baby girl. A few days later, she was stopped by Kanesh at a checkpoint in their home state.

"She just rested for about one and a half to two hours after she delivered. The family had no money, no means of transport, no one was giving them a lift," Kanesh said.

The baby was born on May 5, four days before they reached the checkpoint, Kanesh said.

Kanesh said she arranged for the woman to be taken to a quarantine facility and receive medical treatment.

Thousands of migrant workers have attempted to leave Indian cities and return to their villages since the country's coronavirus restrictions came into effect.

Due to widespread closures of public transport, some have been forced to make the journeys on foot.

India has so far recorded more than 78,000 coronavirus cases and 2,551 deaths, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.

1:39 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

India plans to bring 30,000 stranded citizens home in a single week

From CNN's Vedika Sud in New Delhi

Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, center, arrives to attend a ministerial plenary at the Wings India 2020 international exhibition at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, on March 14.
Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, center, arrives to attend a ministerial plenary at the Wings India 2020 international exhibition at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, on March 14. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images

Indian authorities said they will evacuate 30,000 more citizens stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus pandemic -- the second phase of a massive operation to bring Indians home from across the world.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the citizens will return from 31 countries across 149 flights during the week of May 16 to May 22.

"Flyers have to pay for these services & will undergo a paid 14-day quarantine in their destination states. All prescribed preventive measures will be taken," Puri said in a tweet.

A total of 8,500 citizens had already returned home of the 14,800 Indians registered to travel on 64 flights in the first phase of the operation, Puri said. More flights were underway, he added.

2:54 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

Studies find that Covid-19 can infect intestines, kidneys and other organs

From CNN Health's Maggie Fox

The novel coronavirus can infect organs throughout the body, including the lungs, heart, liver, brain, kidneys and the intestines, researchers reported Wednesday.

Two separate reports suggest the virus goes far beyond the lungs and can attack various organs -- findings that can help explain the wide range of symptoms caused by Covid-19 infection.

The findings might help explain some of the puzzling symptoms seen in coronavirus patients. They include blood clots that cause strokes in younger people and that clog dialysis machines, headaches and kidney failure.

Covid-19 is classified as a respiratory virus and is transmitted through respiratory droplets, but it can also sometimes cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Researchers have found evidence of the virus in the stool of patients, and warn that it can be transmitted via what's known as the fecal-oral route.

Read more:

12:50 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

South Korea reports 12 more Covid-19 cases tied to nightclubs in Seoul

From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, South Korea

People wait in line to test for coronavirus at a virus testing station in the nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on May 12.
People wait in line to test for coronavirus at a virus testing station in the nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on May 12. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

South Korean authorities have identified another 12 locally transmitted infections of Covid-19 linked to nightclubs in the capital Seoul.

Authorities are particularly worried that the virus was widely transmitted when people started returning to the bars and clubs of the Itaewon nightlife district from the end of April.

A total of 131 positive cases have emerged in this cluster since May 6, according to the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The KCDC has conducted 35,000 tests -- 15,000 alone on Wednesday -- in an attempt to quickly trace and contain this outbreak.

Anonymous testing: The government is urging citizens who visited the area from April 24 through May 6 to get tested and is allowing people to remain anonymous. Some of the clubs where the virus spread are frequented by members of South Korea's LGBT community, which sparked a backlash against gay people in local media and lead some to fear they would be outed.

The government of the local city of Incheon, which borders Seoul, said that 14 of the 131 cases are linked to one private academy instructor who visited clubs in Itaewon. The patient initially hid his movement but his GPS location tracking revealed his place of work in Incheon, a city bordering Seoul.

Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said earlier that Incheon city announced it would pursue legal action against the tutor and if found guilty, he could be punished with up to two years in prison.

A total of 10,991 infections and 260 deaths have now been reported in the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The KCDC said Thursday that 29 cases were identified in the previous 24 hours, 26 of which were locally transmitted.

Read more about how the club outbreak stoked homophobia:

12:31 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

US reports more than 21,000 new cases

At least 21,030 new coronavirus cases and 1,763 deaths were reported in the United States on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

That brings the country's total to at least 1,390,406 recorded infections and 84,119 fatalities as a result of contracting the virus. 

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

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

 

12:17 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

This experiment shows just how quickly a virus like Covid-19 can spread

From CNN's Lauren M. Johnson

A viral video from Japan aims to show how easily germs and viruses can spread in restaurants when just one person is infected.

The experiment simulates the atmosphere at a buffet restaurant or on a cruise ship. It was conducted by the public broadcasting organization NHK in conjunction with health experts.

The video shows 10 people coming into the restaurant, with one singled out as the "infected" person. Each participant goes about the buffet as they normally would, not considering a potential contamination.

At the end of the video, the participants are cast under black lights illuminating where the "infection" has spread.

The substance, used to signify the germs, can be seen on food, serving utensils and platters, and even on the faces of some of the participants.

Read more:

11:57 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

3 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases reported in northeastern China

From journalist Alexandra Lin in Hong Kong 

Three new locally transmitted coronavirus cases have been recorded in northeastern China, the country's National Health Commission said on Thursday.

One of the cases was found in Jilin province, which has been under partial lockdown since a new cluster of infections emerged over the weekend. The other two cases were reported in neighboring Liaoning province.

Nationwide, 12 new asymptomatic cases were identified on Wednesday.

Mainland China's total numbers:  

  • 82,929 confirmed cases
  • 78,195 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital
  • 4,633 deaths
  • 712 asymptomatic patients under medical observation
  • 101 active cases
11:45 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

More than 60,000 crew members are stuck onboard 91 cruise ships in US waters and ports

From CNN's Joe Sutton

Passengers may not be cruising the oceans, but around 61,100 crew members are currently stuck onboard 91 cruise ships in US waters and ports, according to the Coast Guard.

“The Coast Guard is monitoring 23 cruise ships anchored in US waters with approximately 13,200 crew members onboard, and 24 cruise ships moored in US ports with approximately 14,400 crew members on board,” Coast Guard spokesman Barry Lane said.
“There are an additional 44 cruise ships underway in US waters with approximately 33,500 crew members on board.”

Many cruise ships are stuck due to regulations imposed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following outbreaks that occurred on ships. 

Read more about how the pandemic is affecting cruise ship employees: