May 18 coronavirus news

The US economy is going through an unprecedented recession and a recovery will take time. Even so, you don't want to bet against America's economy, said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on CBS News' "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

Business ground to a halt this spring as people stayed home and companies shut down to stop the spread of Covid-19. Mass layoffs forced 36.5 million Americans to file first-time claims for jobless benefits since mid-March.

The unemployment rate shot up to 14.7% in April -- the highest figure since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting this data in 1948 -- and is expected to climb even higher in May. 

Recovering from this will take some time.

Read more about the interview here:

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The novel coronavirus has infected more than 4.7 million people, killing at least 315,000 worldwide. Here are the latest headlines:

More than 100 coronavirus infections in South Korea have been linked to a fitness instructor workshop from mid-February, researchers have found.

The infections aren’t recent -- they were all identified by March 9 -- but the new research offers insight into how rapidly coronavirus can spread in enclosed spaces.

What happened: Almost 30 instructors participated in the original workshop, which was held in Cheonan, South Korea. They trained intensely for four hours, and while none had symptoms at the time, eight instructors eventually tested positive for the virus.

More cases uncovered: Less than a month later, researchers had identified 112 coronavirus cases linked to dance classes in a dozen different facilities. Half of the cases were the result of direct transmission from instructors to students, and some people went on to infect others outside of class. 

Why did the virus spread this way? Several factors may have made it easier for the virus to spread, according to Sukbin Jang and colleagues at the Dankook University College of Medicine in Cheonan. They published their findings in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Classes linked to transmission had five to 22 students and took place in small spaces for almost an hour. Out of 217 students exposed to infected instructors, 57 of them -- about one in four -- ended up testing positive.

A person who later learned they were positive for Covid-19 attended a California religious service on Mother's Day -- May 10 -- exposing 180 other people to the coronavirus, according to local health officials.

The individual got a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 the day after the service and is now in isolation at home, Butte County Public Health said in a statement on Friday.

People who attended the service have been notified about their exposure and received instructions from health officials to self-quarantine, the statement said. Officials are working to get testing for everyone who was in attendance.

Read more:

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A person who was Covid-19 positive attended a church service and exposed 180 people, officials say

China reported seven new cases of novel coronavirus and no new deaths on Sunday, according to the country's National Health Commission.

The new infections include four imported cases in Inner Mongolia and three local cases -- two from Jilin province and one from Shanghai. 

The total number of confirmed cases in China stands at 82,954, with 82 active cases, according to the NHC.

A further 18 new asymptomatic cases were also reported on Sunday. Some 4,970 asymptomatic patients remain under medical observation. 

A total of 78,238 confirmed patients have recovered and been discharged so far.

The official death toll in mainland China is 4,634. 

Read more about the situation in China:

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Nearly half of the doctors in the United Kingdom working during the coronavirus pandemic fear for their health, according to a new survey by the Royal College of Physicians.

The survey found 48% of the 1,582 respondents reported feeling concerned or very concerned for their health.

This figure rose to 76% among doctors from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

The results, released on Monday, come amid ongoing issues surrounding the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the UK.

At least 1,486,376 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the United States, including 89,550 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

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:

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As of Sunday, 5,457 members of the New York Police Department have returned to work full time after recovering from coronavirus, according to the daily NYPD coronavirus report.

In total, 5,648 NYPD members have tested positive for coronavirus. About 149 members (111 uniformed and 38 civilian) are still out sick with the virus, the NYPD said.

On Sunday, 1,045 uniformed members were out sick, accounting for about 2.9% of the NYPD’s uniformed workforce.

As far as enforcing social distancing, the NYPD said there were seven summonses issued Saturday.

Officers continue to visit restaurants, bars, supermarkets, salons and public spaces to remind individuals of the ban on congregating in public spaces and to practice social distancing, according to the NYPD.

South Africa saw its highest single-day jump of reported coronavirus cases on Sunday with an increase of 1,160 infections, according to the country's National Department of Health.

That brings the total number of cases to 15,515, with the Western Cape province accounting for nearly 60% of the national figures.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

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