The Chinese province of Hubei, where the coronavirus pandemic began, will begin to lift the nearly two months of lockdown measures on its more than 60 million residents starting on Wednesday. The city of Wuhan will remain under lockdown until April 8, though the Chinese government announced that public transportation in the city will begin again on Wednesday.
As China is lifting its lockdown, the United States seems to be rushing towards its own. More and more states are enforcing stay-at-home orders for their residents as outbreak zones in New York City and California continue to accelerate at an alarming rate. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Tuesday that the outbreak, "is going to be a long fight. I think we need to keep this going for several more weeks, but there is an end to this and we know where it is."
Total Global Cases: More than 415,000
Total Deaths: At least 18,000
Total Recovered: At least 108,000
As the global amount of confirm cases doubles in less than a week, President Donald Trump stated that he wants to lift the protective measures on the country and "open" the economy back up by Easter, which is less than three weeks away. Trump's stance is that the entire country does not have to close in response to a few large outbreaks spread across the nation.
The President tweeted: "Our people want to return to work. They will practice Social Distancing and all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively & lovingly. We can do two things together. THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM! Congress MUST ACT NOW. We will come back strong!"
Despite the optimistic timeline, Trump does not seem to be paying attention to the gravity of the current situation. California reported Tuesday that a teenager had died from the virus, reaffirming that COVID-19 does not just affect the elderly. In addition, many people that have the means are now trying to leave New York City, a move that could cause further spread in a matter of two week. The Trump administration has asked those leaving the city to self quarantine for two weeks, but has not issued penalties to those that do not comply.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to the President's stance, stating "I understand what the president is saying that his is unsustainable that we close down the economy and we continue to spend money. There is no doubt about that. But if you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy then it's no contest. No American is going to say 'accelerate the economy at the cost of human life."
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates was one of the many voices that raised opposition to the United States attempting to avoid a lockdown. Gates stated: "The U.S. is past this opportunity to control (COVID-19) without shutdown. We did not act fast enough to have an ability to avoid the shutdown...It's January when everybody should've been on notice."
Aiding Treatment
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency treatment for critical COVID-19 cases Tuesday. The treatment allows doctors to give the donated plasma of those who have survived COVID-19 to those close to succumbing to the virus. Known better as convalescent plasma, this centuries-old practice helps introduce the antibodies from a survivor to the immune system of someone who is deathly ill. The FDA has cautioned that this treatment has yet to be found effective for COVID-19.
Ford (NYSE: F) announced on Tuesday that the auto maker will be partnering with 3M (NYSE: MMM) and GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE) to begin producing face masks and ventilators to provide to hospitals. This comes as New York's cases are beginning to outpace the available supply.