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NEW YORK - FOX 5 NY is updating this blog with the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak so you can get the information in one spot.
11:10 PM: President Donald Trump promised a July Fourth celebration for the public on the National Mall despite concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
10:23 PM: Understanding who in the White House to trust can be bewildering for Americans, as doctors struggle to stay true to science but not cross President Trump.
9:52 PM: According to a new study, a majority of the people hospitalized for coronavirus in New York City had one ore more underlying health issues.
9:28 PM: Much of the $1.8 billion earmarked for New Jersey under recent federal COVID-19 relief legislation is likely “unusable” and could have to be returned to the U.S. Treasury, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.
8:56 PM: Calls mounted Thursday for an investigation into the ouster of a senior government scientist who says he's being punished for opposing widespread use of an unproven drug President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for COVID-19.
8:24 PM: After two months and more than 10,000 deaths that have made them some of the most terrifying places to be during the coronavirus crisis, the nation's nursing homes are pleading for help with more testing.
8:08 PM: Doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital are warning young adults that the coronavirus may be causing strokes among young people who have been infected.
7:37 PM: Congress delivered a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending Thursday, rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs.
7:04 PM: Researchers say that adding an extra layer of nylon pantyhose to a DIY face mask can improve protection.
4:35 PM: The FDNY Hispanic Society says the 5-month-old daughter of one of its members has died from complications of a coronavirus infection.
4:00 PM: More than 11,000 people in nursing homes in the U.S. have died of coronavirus-related causes; most of them don’t have access to enough tests to help control outbreaks.
3:50 PM: Rapper Fred The Godson has reportedly died from complications of COVID-19.
3:30 PM: Authorities in Italy report another 2,646 people testing positive in the last 24 hours; the country now has 189,973 confirmed cases.
3:15 PM: Officials in New York say evidence now suggests that far more New Yorkers have had coronavirus infections than the number confirmed by lab tests; the state surveyed about 3,000 people and found that almost 14% had antibodies suggesting exposure to the virus.
3:00 PM: Notify NYC message: "Help your city. Volunteer, donate or partner with the City of New York. Visit NYC.gov/helpnow to learn how to get involved."
2:30 PM: Gov. Murphy: As a general matter, if someone is hoarding or price gouging right now, they deserve a "special place in hell."
(Gov. Murphy's signal returns) 2:19 PM: Gov. Murphy and Col. Patrick Callahan, NJSP superintendent, say that the effort to obtain more PPE continues because they are planning for the long-term.
2:15 PM: The lawyer for Marc Lamparello, who was arrested a year ago for carrying gasoline and lighters into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, says his client died by suicide after he was released from a secure psychiatric hospital where the coronavirus was spreading.
1:45 PM: Due to signal problems, FOX 5 NY is unable to monitor the rest of Gov. Murphy's briefing.
1:33 PM: New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli: Based on a study of COVID-19 patients in NYC, we recommend that anyone with even MILD symptoms associated with COVID-19 such as fever, cough, tightening in the chest should call their doctor and get tested as soon as possible, especially if you have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological conditions, cancer, and more.
1:25 PM: Gov. Murphy calls out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his comments about states needed to file for bankruptcy; he points out that McConnell is from the "party of Abraham Lincoln"; "I have been clear for weeks that if we do not get significant, direct, and flexible financial support from the federal government, we will be forced to make many difficult decisions."
1:15 PM: Gov. Murphy: The state will begin testing all residents and staff at its five state developmental centers next week using new saliva-based testing developed by Rutgers; "This is a total of more than 5,500 tests – more than 1,200 residents, and in excess of 4,300 staff."
1:10 PM: Gov. Murphy pays tribute to some of the people who have died:
- Carolyn Martins-Reitz was the primary caregiver for her son, Thomas Martins, who had Down syndrome, she died at the end of March; a week later, Thomas died; "They lived tremendous lives. Our hearts are with their family."
- Dave Clark was a firefighter with Bay Head Fire Co.; he served many roles, including chief engineer and safety officer; "To Dave, we thank you for your service, and to the entire Clark family, we are with you."
- Rick Vanderclock served as a New Jersey state trooper for 29 years; he is survived by his wife of 46 years, two sons, and four grandchildren; "May his memory bring them comfort at this difficult time, and happiness in the times to come."
1:08 PM: Gov. Murphy: Curve of new COVID-19 cases "remains significantly flat." The rate of spread is slowing. "But, we cannot ease up one bit on our social distancing. I am not in a position yet to begin reopening our state and jumpstarting our economy."
NJ.gov
1:06 PM: Gov. Murphy: 99,989 total cases now (4,247 new positive tests); 307 more people have died, pushing death toll to 5,368.
1:03 PM: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy holds an update on the state's response to the coronavirus crisis | WATCH LIVE: https://fox5ny.com/live
12:28 PM: Cuomo ends briefing.
12:28 PM: Cuomo asked about people waiting for unemployment benefits.
Cuomo: The number of people who have gotten assistance is mind boggling. But for one person who did not get their check that does not matter. People are anxious, it's their check that matters to them. You will get it, it's the same dollar amount as if you got it today. This is an impossible problem they passed to the states. Hire 3,000 people to put together a system. You are going to get your check.
12:23 PM: Cuomo asked when he'll start reopening conversation.
Cuomo: You have to look at flattening hospitalization rate in a region.
12:20 PM: Cuomo asked about state workforce, in upstate areas where infection rates lower, can you have workers come in and do some partial work.
Cuomo: More essential businesses that are lower priority could open in a reopening strategy once we get there.
12:17 PM: Cuomo asked what do the nursing homes do when they can't provide adequate care.
Cuomo: If you have COVID people they have to be quarantined. If you can't do it, we will put them in a facility that can. We have given them thousands and thousands of ppe.
12:11 PM: Cuomo: About McConnell- we put in $116 billion more than we take out. His state, the state of Kentucky, takes out $148 billion more than they take in. He is distributing the federal pot of money. NY puts in more money than it takes out his state takes out more than it puts in. Senator McConnell, who is getting bailed out here? It's your state that is living on the money we generate. Your state is getting bailed out, not my state.
12:09 PM: Cuomo asked about 1,100 inmates testing positive for COVID.
Melissa De Rosa: 263 prisoners have tested positive for COVID. We are monitoring it closely. We have taken steps for people over 55 with less than 90 days
12:02 PM: Cuomo: We have to get more testing done in African American and Latino communities, also public housing. Also, I want to speak to a point to our friends in Washington. Senator McConnell, funding to states was not in the bill that will pass today, Senator Mitch McConnell goes out and says maybe the states should declare bankruptcy. That was one of the dumbest idea of all time. I believe they do not want to fund state and local government. But state and local funds police, fire, teachers and schools. How do you not fund them? Makes no sense to me. The entire nation is dependent on the states to reopen. How do you think this is going to work? By states declaring bankruptcy? You will see a collapse of this national economy. Vicious is saying when Senator McConnell said this is a blue state bailout. Don't help New York State because it is a Democratic state. How ugly of a thought? 15,000 people died in New York, but they were predominantly Democrats, so let's not help them. If there was ever a time to stop your political obsessive, your obsessive political bias and anger which it has morphed into, now is the time.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/senate-majority-leader-suggests-ny-nj-file-for-bankruptcy
11:58 AM: Cuomo: What you do in place with 3.6 percent and what you do with a place with 21 percent, is not the same. The facts dictate the actions. When we talk about a regional analysis on reopening, look at the facts in that area. What you do in a region still has to be coordinated.
11:57 AM: Cuomo: 2.7 million people have been infected and the death rate is 0.05 percent of people infected. But that does not include all deaths.
11:49 AM: Cuomo: Testing. You want to find people who had it so they can donate convalescent plasma. The testing can also tell you the infection rate in the population: where it's higher, where it's lower, to inform you on a reopening strategy. If it's going up, slow down on the reopening strategy. It's vital for the state to get a baseline study on the infection rate. We only know the hospitalization rate. I said, I want to have the infection rate. We have taken the largest study to figure out what is the infection rate. We started that three days ago.
We have preliminary data on phase 1, we did about 3,000 tests, in about 19 counties and 44 localities at grocery stores, box stores. These are people out of the home but not at work. People who are out and about shopping. Probably not essential workers. The statewide number is 13.9 percent tested positive for having the anti-body. They were infected and developed the antibodies to fight infection. They were infected 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks ago. They are now "recovered." Females12 percent positive; males 15.9 percent positive. Regionally, Long Island at 16.7 percent; NYC 21.2 percent; Westchester/Rockalnd 11.7 percent and 3.6 rest of state.
The breakdown: 11.7 percent Asian; 22.1 percent Black; 22. 5 percent Latinos; 9.1 percent White
11:44 AM: Cuomo: Nursing homes are our top priority. They get paid to provide a service. They are regulated by the state. Staff must have appropriate ppe. They must have their temperatures checked. No visitors to their facilities. Quarantine for sick residents. Separate staff for COVID patients. If they can't take care of the patient, they have to transfer to another facility. They have to notify within 24 hours. That is a regulation they have to follow. If they don';t we will take appropriate action. The Sate Attorney General will begin to launch an investigation to ensure those regulations are being followed. If they're not, they can lose their license.
11:43 AM: Cuomo: We basically flattened at 1300 new cases a day which is not great. Is there a second wave? The federal officials are starting to talk about potential issues in the fall and waning somewhat over the summer. There is still a theory that the virus could slow in the summer and come back in the fall with the normal flu season. That's problematic because you're testing for the flu and for COVID. That could be an overwhelming of the testing system.
11:42 AM: Cuomo: The hospitalization rate is down again. The number of intubations is down. The number of COVID cases is relatively flat. That's not great news. The number of lives lost is still breathtakingly tragic. That number is 438.
11:39 AM: Cuomo: Grim facts. Troubling facts. The belief was that if the people had the facts they would react prudently. That's my job, it's to present the facts. Our Muslim brothers and sisters begin Ramadan this evening. We wish them all the best.
11:39 AM: NY Gov. Andre Cuomo holds daily coronavirus briefing. Watch live at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
11:14 AM: De Blasio ends briefing.
11:13 AM: De Blasio: We all have a lot to do. I'll keep saying thank you. We can keep doing it. And then we're going to need people to participate in testing and tracing. It's all participatory. If what we've seen these last few weeks is any indication, NYC is off to a great start fighting this disease.
11:05 AM: De Blasio asked about internet-enabled devices and why they are taking so long to get to families.
De Blasio: What I am being told here is a little different, going back to the halal meals, those locations on the DOE website, the 32 sites, will be clear on the website schools.nyc.gov/Ramadanmeals. All sites of the 435 food distribution sites have halal meals, The 32 specific sites have an additional quantity.
Every student will get what they need by April 30. We still think there are still families that need a device but have not reported needing a device. Any family of a public school child who doesn't have an appropriate device for their child to participate in online learning or does not have internet service, call 311.
On Summer Youth Employment, when we did the budget we could not authorize something that could not exist in time. A lot of those employers are nowhere near being open. The second reason is money. We are running out of money. We are in the middle of a massive budget crisis all because of COVID-19.
11:00 AM: De Blasio asked for update on deaths in quarantine hotels. Also, the numbers of the indicators seem to clash with the state's numbers.
City health official: It's a different way the state does it. They are looking at hospitalizations that are only COVID-related.
De Blasio: They were three individuals out of three different hospitals. One of the person's death may not have been COVID-related. The other two were. What we want to know is what happened in the discharge process? We do not have the full picture yet. We are adding clinical staffing at these facilities.
10:57 AM: De Blasio asked about people not feeling comfortable taking mass transit and people saying they will buy cars to get around which will undermine city's efforts to reduce vehicular traffic.
De Blasio: We have to come up with a plan to avert what you said. Today's crisis is COVID-19, the bigger crisis has not gone away and that is global warming. I don't start with the assumption that there will be a radical shift. We have to build an entirely new reality anyway.
10:53 AM: De Blasio asked about MTA interim chairman saying city needs to step up to deal with homelessness. Does NYC have a new strategy to deal with homelessness in the subway?
De Blasio: The reality of homelessness of the subways has been one for years. We have to work with homeless people to get them off the streets once and for tall. We don't have the ability to force them in. The NYPD is doing an incredible job dealing with homelessness.
10:50 AM: De Blasio asked where the halal meal sites are located because they are not on the Department of Education website.
De Blasio: We will make sure this information goes up immediately on the DOE site. We will do quality control later today to make sure on city website and DOE website on Halal meals will get them.
10:47 AM: De Blasio asked about the accountability of nursing homes and ensuring they follow the proper protocol.
De Blasio: The city does not have a deep connection with nursing homes. We have had to learn in a new way. We will get them what they need.
10:46 AM: De Blasio asked about plan to deal with summer heat and if he's considering stockpiling air conditioners.
De Blasio: We will put that plan out over the next few weeks. As for the air conditioners, we have to think about things in a whole new way. Let's see if we can do a cooling center plan or do something different.
10:42 AM: De Blasio asked about social distancing during the Fourth of July. Also, he was asked about union leader saying Macy's should not be spending millions of dollars on fireworks. Also, he was asked about nursing homes and why he now says he is helping after last week saying it's up to the state.
De Blasio: On the nursing homes, If we can help, we will help. On the Fourth of July, we are going to celebrate our nation's birthday. This one is truly universal and something we should not go without. We are trying to figure out the right version of that. If it's a situation where you can't have any crowds at all, where you watch on TV or from rooftops, we'll figure it out. As for the union, that goes far beyond Macy's, the federal government has to step up, too.
10:33 AM: De Blasio asked about Gov. Cuomo saying it's not the state's responsibility to provide ppes to nursing homes. Also, he was asked if nursing home patients should go back to those facilities. De Blasio: Protecting people in nursing homes is our job. The State of NY is responsible for regulating nursing homes. These are overwhelmingly for-profit facilities. We have been providing ppes for the last several weeks to nursing homes. We will continue to do that. Anything we can to help save lives we will do.
Dr. Mitch Katz: It's bee a tragic issue how many seniors are dying. If a senior tests positive at a nursing home, those people need to go to the hospital. People with no symptoms or minimal symptoms should be isolated in the nursing home. We have heard they have not had the proper equipment and staff. Everyone taking care of them should be wearing the proper ppe. People who are in nursing homes cannot be maintained in hotels. Many are dependent on their caregivers and their specific needs. Our efforts should be with how do we make them safe.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot: What we have done is ensure that when these patients are coming back to their nursing home- which is their home- we provide the ppe and the technical assistance that all infection control procedures are in place. On the indicators, we have laid out a rough guideline of 200. That's twice the baseline. It's a rough measure of the load hospitals are seeing broadly due to COVID-like illness.
10:29 AM: De Blasio asked about numbers reported at independent hospitals: De Blasio: I am always careful to give accurate information. The testing of patients, of personnel, we wanted to confirm what was happening at the voluntary hospitals. As of last week, we did not have a single supplier of test kits. We were unable to free up personnel from hospitals. In the first two weeks of April, we saw the situation improving. We were able to free people up to do the testing. Finally, this week we have gotten the beginning of the shipments in from Aria. We have our own test kits being made in NYC. Up until Friday, we were at a point of under 10K a day. We want to get to many 10s of thousands of tests done a day. We are getting to 20K-30K tests a day going into May.
10:27 AM: De Blasio asked about tracking of cases at public hospitals: De Blasio: There are 56 hospitals in the city and 11 are public hospitals. We serve all 56 in a variety of ways.
10:22 AM: De Blasio asked about concerns over more casual attitude of New Yorkers. Also, reports of construction resuming all over the city? De Blasio: If you see construction happen that is not essential construction, every day New Yorkers, we need you to call 311. We need to know. The Department of Buildings follows up.
10:16 AM: De Blasio asked how many people will become food insecure this year? Also, De Blasio asked if a stricter lockdown is being considered: De Blasio: There is a persistent poverty problem that we have to fight back. We did get 100s of thousands of people out of poverty over the last few years. The number of food insecure is unquestionably going up. It's pressing towards 2 million. That is a horrifying number. We need federal help always. We need a lot more people made eligible for the food stamp program and SNAP. It needs to be approved by the Congress. And we are hearing FEMA reimbursement will be covered. We are in the middle of a $170 million food program right now.
10:12 AM: De Blasio asked if the earlier projection of New Yorkers contracting COVID-19 still holds and he was asked for the daily number dead: De Blasio: 2,519 new cases yesterday. Does this reemerge later in the year? We will be very mindful that it will be part of our lives in the future.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot: We have more than 138,000 people who have tested positive. We have probably close to a million New Yorkers who have been exposed to COVID-19.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/health-official-1-million-in-nyc-possibly-exposed-to-coronavirus
10:12 AM: De Blasio takes questions from reporters.
10:10 AM: De Blasio makes comments in Spanish.
10:09 AM: De Blasio: The President keeps tweeting about liberating states. It will set us back months and months. You can only be liberated by the truth. We can only open up when we are truly ready. Any place that attempts to liberate before they have the facts, before they have the proof, they are going to be chaining their people to a painful reality. Here were are going to do it right.
10:07 AM: De Blasio: Tonight marks the start of Ramadan. To all our Muslim brothers and sisters, you have been going through as much as we all have and you have not been able to do things that are part of your faith. One of Ramadan's calling is to feed the hungry. That is now harder than ever. People cannot go to their mosques. The city of New York wants to support this community as we have with all New Yorkers with Kosher food programs and halal food programs. We want to respect all the faiths of NYC. That's what makes this city so great. For anyone who needs food, it will always be there for you. For those who need Halal meals there will be 400K meals available at 32 DOE sites. Call 311 or go to NYC.gov/GetFood. 100K will be distributed through food pantries, soup kitchens. We expect 10 million meals to be served in April and that could be 15 million meals served in May.
10:02 AM: De Blasio: The daily numbers again. Daily number admitted to hospitals is down to 227. In ICUs, 796. Citywide testing positive: 32 percent. The only place we didn't see progress is at the city lab where it went up to 57 percent from 54 percent.
9:59 AM: De Blasio: These indicators tell us we have to be smart and careful. It makes it abundantly clear that to get to the path of normal we need the power of testing and tracing. Thousands and thousands of people will be a part of testing.
9:57 AM: Officials at the Bronx Zoo have announced that a total of eight lions and tigers have tested positive for COVID-19.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/more-animals-test-positive-at-bronx-zoo
9:50 AM: De Blasio: Daily number of cases admitted to hospitals 227. Indicator number two, the daily number of patients in ICU for suspected COVID-19, shows us how this virus is raging. We are in a better place, again, but we're seeing way too many people in those ICUs. 796 in today's report. That compared to 835 , 10-11 days ago is not the movement we need. Indicator number three, people testing positive for COVID-19, 32 percent citywide and 57 percent at the city's public health labs. That's definite improvement.
9:49 AM: De Blasio: 2,519 new cases yesterday; 320 deaths yesterday in NYC. These are real painful facts.
9:48 AM: De Blasio says there are states opening up and may be opening up too soon.
9:45 AM: From the NYC Office of Emergency Management: NYC is opening testing sites citywide, prioritizing those most at risk. Call 1-888-ONEMED1 or go to onemedical.com & use code NYCCARE30.
9:43 AM: De Blasio: We understand this will be a tough fight. It's a fight that we all are waging. I want to be very clear, this virus does not defeat itself, we have to defeat it. We see in the three indicators that we are displaying everyday that what you have done has had a tremendous impact.
9:41 AM: Watch Mayor Bill de Blasio's daily coronavirus briefing at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
9:00 AM: More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/us-unemployment-claims-surge-by-another-4-4-million
8:28 AM: The U.S. government is set Thursday to issue another gloomy report on the layoffs that have swept through America’s workforce since the coronavirus outbreak forced businesses to shut down beginning last month.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/another-surge-in-us-unemployment-applications-is-likely
7:46 AM: Millions of shuttered businesses nationwide have turned to their insurers to help recoup their losses following state-mandate closures, which combined may exceed $300 billion a month. But insurers have widely rejected the claims.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/businesses-hit-by-virus-sue-insurers-most-reject-claims
7:28 AM: U.S. equity futures are pointing to a slightly lower open ahead of a vote on a stimulus package in the House of Representatives and the latest jobless figures. The major futures indexes are indicating a decline of 0.3 percent when trading begins on Thursday.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/stock-futures-trade-cautiously-ahead-of-jobless-claims-stimulus-vote
7:08 AM: As the House reassembles to send President Donald Trump a fourth bipartisan bill to help businesses crippled by the coronavirus, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants to put the breaks on aid to states.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/senate-majority-leader-suggests-ny-nj-file-for-bankruptcy
7:00 AM: Watch Good Day New York at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
6:26 AM: A 27-year-old woman is in the hospital battling coronavirus, and her mom is pleading for help. Lauren Acosta was diagnosed with coronavirus last Wednesday, and has been at St. Mary's Hospital in Apple Valley, California ever since. She is on a ventilator, and her mom, Lisa Loya, said she is in a delicate state.