The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have now surpassed 1.2 million, almost doubling in a manner of days. Economies around the world are in a standstill as the coronavirus has lead to national lockdowns. Across Europe, positive data from both Italy and Spain have begun to signal that an end to lockdowns may be in sight. But in the east, Japan has just begun issuing a state of emergency as cases rise in the nation's more populous cities.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to the intensive care unit at St.Thomas's hospital in central London, where he was admitted to over the weekend.
"Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of this medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital," a spokesperson for Johnson's office stated. "The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputize for him where necessary...the PM remains conscious at this time."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26 and after 10 days of isolation in his residence was admitted to the hospital due to a persistent high fever and cough.
Total Global Cases: Over 1.2 million
Total Deaths: At Least 79,000
Total Recovered: At Least 295,000
Coming Up Short
According to a government watchdog report, the United States currently has a medical shortage of testing and personal protective equipment. The inspector general of the Health and Human services has now issued a warning that medical staff and patients are being put at risk from the shortage.
This shortage report comes only days after reports of the government's Strategic National Stockpile being nearly close to depleted, leading to an international search for more medical equipment and competition for supplies from states.
Over the weekend, Apple (NASDAQ: APPL) CEO Tim Cook announced that the tech company plans to produce 1 million face shields a week to combat the shortage.
Check Points
Checkpoints on state borders in Rhode Island, Texas and Florida have been erected to monitor the flow of traffic across state lines as coronavirus cases across the Untied States escalate.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a mandatory self quarantine to any traveller coming from Louisiana, with exemptions to the military and health officials. Abbott has called those who are quarantined to remain in their Texas residence or a hotel and provide identification information so that the state and monitor their health conditions. This measure of virus containment comes as coronavirus cases in Louisiana continue to grow at an alarming rate.
Hot Zones
In response to continued public traffic across the state of New York that has raised concerns that social distancing measures are being ignored, Governor Andrew Cuomo has doubled the maximum fine for violating these rules to $1,000.
"It's not about your life. You don't have the right to risk someone else's life," Cuomo said during his press conference on Monday. "You don't have the right, frankly, to take health care staff and people who are literally putting their lives on the line and be cavalier or reckless with them."
New York City has become a war zone in the wake of the coronavirus, with temporary hospitals in many of the city's public parks springing up to prepare for the coming surge of cases expected in the next week. NYC Major Bill de Blasio had stated on Monday that the city will have enough masks for a week, raising more concern about a shortage of medical supplies as the city braces for the worst the virus is going to bring.
"If we need to do temporary burials to be able to tide this over to pass the criss and then work with each family on their appropriate arrangements, we have the ability to do that," de Blasio stated at a news briefing on Monday, showing the grim future the city has before them as more people are expected to die from the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump on Monday has approved for the use of the deployed U.S. Comfort naval ship to treat coronavirus patients from New York and New Jersey. The ship was initially sent to the states to treat other health emergencies, not COVID-19.
New Research
Dr. Maria Van Kerhove, the World Health Organization's team lead on COVID-19, believes that there is a large number of unrecognized transmission of the virus that is going beyond asymptomatic carriers. Kerhove stated at WHO's press conference that those with pre-symptomatic infections are the ones that are spreading the virus in an untraceable manner.
"It's very important to note that even if you are pre-symptomatic, you still transmit through droplets," Kerhove stated.
New research from King's College in London has reported that a loss of taste and smell is a good indicator that a sick person may have the coronavirus. Based on the responses of more than 400,000 participants who had one or more suspected symptoms, 59% of those who tested positive for COVID-19 reported a loss of taste and smell compared to only 18% who tested negative for the virus. Researchers assert that this may be a stronger measure for predicting COVID-19 cases than a self-reported fever.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: INO) have also announced that they will begin a small safety test of a potential coronavirus vaccine, adding to the range of biotechs that are currently in development of potential treatments and cures for the pandemic.
Over the weekend, a tiger in the Bronx Zoo, New York City has tested positive for the coronavirus, making the tiger the first of his kind known to be infected with COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that this was a human-to-animal transmission of the virus.
Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that a very small number of pets outside of the United States have known infections. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans.
Lifting Restrictions
The Iranian government has announced that it will lift the nationwide business shutdown and the majority of the nation's work force will return to work by Saturday.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that economic and government activity must continue and that Iranians do not need to choose between their economy and their health. Rouhaui believes that, "both economic activity and health protocols can be implemented together," ruling that all provinces expect the capital, who will resume a week later, must be open again.
However, Health Minister Saeed Namamki disagrees with the President's announcement and warns that the premature opening will, "jeopardize the health and economy of the country."
Iran currently has over 60,500 confirmed cases and 3,700 deaths.