Texas reports largest single day number of positive Covid-19 cases since beginning of pandemic
From CNN's Artemis Moshtaghian
Texas saw its highest single day increase in positive coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic this past Saturday, according to numbers released by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
The state reported an increase of at least 1,801 positive coronavirus cases yesterday.
The majority of positive cases, 734 cases, originated from employees of meat plants in Potter and Randall counties, a result of targeted testing of employees at meat plants in the area, according to Texas DSHS.
CNN reporting shows an upward trend in increase of positive Covid-19 cases in Texas based on numbers reported from Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Numbers from the Texas DSHS also shows this upward trend.
8:36 a.m. ET, May 17, 2020
Meet the man who donated iPads to local medical centers so families can stay connected
From CNN's Mirna Alsharif
John Lynch delivers iPads to Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May, New Jersey.
Last month, John Lynch of New Jersey said a final goodbye to his father over FaceTime.
Hugh Lynch, who had dementia, died of natural causes at a memory care center in Atlanta on April 13. Because of Covid-19 guidelines restricting visitation to hospitals and care centers, John couldn't see his father in person before he died.
It was Lynch's experience with his father during the pandemic and conversations with medical worker friends that inspired him to take action.
"Within the first hour of reach-outs, we had 20 donated iPads," Lynch told CNN. "This initiative was driven by the community, without a doubt."
The foundation, which usually focuses on providing educational experiences to local children, has since collected and distributed 60 iPads to hospitals in New Jersey, New York and South Carolina as well as nursing homes in Cape May County, New Jersey, according to Lynch.
What you need to know about coronavirus this Sunday
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in London
CDC releases illustration of the Coronavirus.
With the virus largely contained in China, life is slowly returning to normal there. Lockdowns have eased while some schools and factories have reopened.
But the country's top medical adviser, Dr. Zhong Nanshan, tells CNN that a potential second wave of Covid-19 infections remains a "big challenge." That's because we don't know whether people develop immunity to the virus after contracting it.
Zhong also confirmed that local authorities in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first reported in December, suppressed key details about the magnitude of the initial outbreak. "At the very beginning they kept silent, and then I said probably we have (a larger) number of people being infected," he said.
Fears of a potential second wave have also rattled South Korea, where confirmed cases believed to be linked to Seoul's nightclub cluster rose to 168 today.
Many from the country's LGBTQ community, which still faces discrimination in South Korea, frequent the nightclubs. And fears of having their sexuality outed have kept some patrons who were potentially exposed from coming forward.
As global leaders weigh the risk of second waves of infections with the need to reopen their economies, people are increasingly losing patience. Protests against lockdown measures spread this weekend in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED
Q: My kids don't want to wear a mask. What should I do?
A: To ease their fears, try buying or making masks with fun designs. Or have your child customize his or her own mask by drawing on them with markers. You can also order children's face masks with superheroes on them, or show your kids photos of their favorite celebrities wearing masks. It's also important to wear a mask yourself. And let them know that by wearing one they'll be just like mom or dad.
People relax at the Cheonggye Stream in the South Korean capital, Seoul, amid a lifting of restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korean schools will begin opening Wednesday, May 20, for students in third year through high school, South Korea’s Vice Education Minister said during a briefing on Sunday.
Public concern was raised about reopening of schools after a cluster infection was reported at nightclubs in Itaewon in the capital Seoul. As of Sunday, a total of 168 people have tested positive for the virus linked to the Itaewon cluster.
The minister, Park Baeg-beom, pointed out that many students are at a critical junction of their education, particularly those taking exams for job placement opportunities and students applying for arts and sports majors.
All 51 teachers and students who had been to clubs in the Itaewon area have tested negative and several hundred people who visited the area have been tested,” he said. "There are 10 confirmed students with the virus who had not visited the Itaewon area but contracted the virus from an instructor at a private academy in Incheon."
All students and faculty members with temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher will not be allowed to go to school, the minister added. Temperature checks will happen twice a day and anyone with symptoms will be transported to centers.
Why is this happening now: South Korea was among the first places to deal with a major coronavirus epidemic, and seemed to be on track to loosen restrictions, after weeks of social distancing measures and careful surveillance. But the new cluster raised questions as to whether restrictions should be eased.
Before the latest cases, the number of new infections in South Korea had slowed to a trickle, with local transmission appearing to be halted. South Korea's response has been hailed as one of the best globally, aided in part by the country's relative small size, easily-controlled borders and aggressive testing regime.
Daily Covid-19 deaths in Spain fall below 100 for first time in two months
From CNN’s Tim Lister
A woman opens her store in Palma de Mallorca during phase one of Spain's reopening. Isaac Buj/Europa Press/Getty Images
The number of daily deaths due to Covid-19 fell to 87 for the latest 24-hour period -- the lowest figure since March 16, figures from the Spanish Health Ministry on Sunday show.
The total number of deaths in Spain now stands at 27,650.
The number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 has reached 231,350, an increase of 421. Of that total, the number of health workers infected is 50,938, according to the Health Ministry.
The Spanish government has embarked on a major, nationwide testing program to discover who has or may have had the virus.
Most of the new cases and reported deaths are in Madrid and Catalonia.
6:56 a.m. ET, May 17, 2020
UK recruits more than 17,000 coronavirus contact tracers
From CNN's Simon Cullen in London
Michael Gove says UK's contact tracing scheme could be running by the end of May. Luke Dray/Getty Images
The UK government is close to reaching its target of recruiting 18,000 contact tracers to help health authorities understand who may have been exposed to Covid-19 patients, Cabinet minister Michel Gove said Sunday.
“More than 17,000 people have been recruited for contact tracing, so we’re on course the meet that target,” Gove told Sky News.
Gove said the contact-tracing scheme should be up and running “by the end of this month.”
The job advert says contact tracers will be responsible for “liaising over the phone with Covid-19 patients, understanding their situation and assisting in the tracing and tracking of anyone they have been in contact with.”
6:40 a.m. ET, May 17, 2020
Weeks into country's reopening, health officials double down on the dangers of mass gatherings
From CNN's Christina Maxouris
People ride and walk on a path along beach on May 15, 2020 in California after beaches across the state began to reopen.
Most of the country has loosened restrictions meant to curb the spread of coronavirus -- but as Americans begin to gather again, health officials warn moving too fast could have dire consequences.
In California, more than 180 people may have been exposed by a person who had the virus during an in-person religious service last week, the Butte County Public Health Department said.
"We all need to do our part to follow the orders and mitigation efforts so that our Reopen Butte County plan can continue to move forward," Butte County Public Health Director Danette York said in a statement Friday. "Moving too quickly through the reopening process can cause a major setback and could require us to revert back to more restrictive measures."
And in Erie, Pennsylvania, officials said they will keep city parkfacilities closed to ensure a continued path toward the state's reopening -- despite repeated requests from residents to utilize park grounds for sports, exercise and picnics.
"It is vital for the health of our community that we all refrain from gathering in large groups to ensure that our community members remain safe while we work towards moving into the Green Phase," Mayor Joe Schember said in a statement.
The green phase is the last of three reopening stages for Pennsylvania, during which most restrictions will be lifted and regions can proceed into a "new normal," according to the governor's office.
The warnings echo conversations taking place across the US by health officials, residents, business owners and experts who are trying to tackle what a safe reopening looks like -- and what could happen if it's rushed.
She was fighting coronavirus and gave birth while in a coma. She met her baby five weeks later
From CNN's Nicole Chavez
Alicia Kappers meets her weeks-old son Laith after he was released from the hospital on May 6.
Alicia Kappers doesn't remember her contractions or her baby's first cries. Other than her newborn son, her only reminderof that day is the scar from her cesarean section.
She was 31 weeks pregnant when her husband took her to a Cincinnati, Ohio, hospital in late March. She had a cough, fever and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
The novel coronavirus was putting a strain onher body and the 40-year-old mother would have to deliver her baby early while in a medically induced coma.
Kappers and her husband dreamed of giving a sibling to their 3-year-old son Zayne. Conceiving had never been an easy task for them and a pandemic was about to make thingseven more difficult.
From putting together a nursery for the baby to having to hunker down at home because of the virus, the life of this family of three was already changing.
People wear face masks and gloves on a subway escalator in Moscow on Tuesday.
Russia recorded 9,709 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the official total to 281,752 cases on Sunday, according to a statement from the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.
At least 94 people died in the last 24 hours, raising the official death toll to 2,631. Moscow is the worst-hit city and accounts for over a half of all cases and deaths in the country.
Yet the virus is now spreading across Russia's regions, an enormous landmass that covers 11 time zones and includes some of the country's most remote and impoverished places.
