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Coronavirus: US - summary of news for Sunday 3 May

Update:
People protest during a reopen California demonstration at the State Capital in Sacramento, California.

Coronavirus live: latest USA Covid-19 updates - 3 May

USA map

US coronavirus update: 14:00 EST / 11:00 PST Saturday 2 May (20:00 CEST on Sunday 3 May)

According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University3,476,021 cases have been detected worldwide, with 245,531 deaths and 1,112,220  people now recovering.

In the USA, there have been 1,143,433 cases with 66,760 deaths. 175,382 people have recovered from the virus.

USA map

US coronavirus update: 09:00 EST / 06:00 PST Saturday (15:00 CEST on Sunday 3 May)

According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University3,448,057 cases have been detected worldwide, with 244,229 deaths and 1,100,812  people now recovering.

In the USA, there have been 1,133,069 cases with 66,385 deaths. 175,382 people have recovered from the virus.

Live blog closed

This live blog has now closed. You can stay up to date with all the latest US coronavirus news here.

Test

Coronavirus test that gives "results within 24 hours of infection"

The US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has reportedly developed a test that can detect the coronavirus' presence as early as 24 hours after infection, before people show symptoms and several days before a carrier is considered capable of spreading it to other people. That is also around four days before current tests can detect the virus.

The head of Darpa’s biological technologies office, Dr Brad Ringeisen, said that if approved by regulators the test would be a "gamechanger".

US intelligence investigating Covid-19’s origins

Coronavirus

US intelligence investigating Covid-19’s origins

Trump is putting pressure on the US intelligence agencies to identify the source of the coronavirus in China.

Check

Second stimulus check plans

With many arguing the first stimulus check won't be enough to tide ordinary Americans over during the coronavirus pandemic there is ongoing debate about the requirement for a second stimulus check, or even ongoing payments. 

Britain to trial new coronavirus tracing system

Great Britain will trial a new coronavirus tracing programme next week on the Isle of Wight, just off the south coast of England, cabinet minister Michael Gove said on Sunday as the government looks at how to minimise the risk of a second wave of infection.

The UK has surpassed Spain and now has the second worst death toll in Europe from Covid-19; Britain is confident that the peak of the virus has passed and is now looking at how to restart its shuttered economy and ease social restrictions on citizens.

"This week we will be piloting new test, track and trace procedures on the Isle of Wight with a view to having that in place more widely later this month," Gove told a news conference.

A mass testing system along with the ability to trace people who have been in contact with those who test positive are seen as crucial to preventing a second spike and facilitating the relaxation of a lockdown which has lasted almost six weeks.

Gove said the system being trialled next week would include asking citizens on the island to download a smartphone app as well as traditional ways of tracing those who have come into contact with a patient who has tested positive. "We will be able to make sure that people who are suffering from the virus ... they and their contacts can be encouraged to stay at home, so that we can limit the potential of any outbreak," Gove said.

The Isle of Wight has around 80,000 households.

India

The world "is involved in the fight of its life, but there is hope"

Parts of the world are starting to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and to cautiously resume some sort of normal life, but the new coronavirus will pose significant risks until vaccines are developed, the WHO's top emergencies expert said on Sunday.

Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies programme, said while many countries are still in the eye of the storm, others were beginning to show it is possible to contain the disease to some extent.

"In that sense, there's hope," Ryan told Reuters in an online interview from Geneva. "At a global level the situation is still very, very serious but the pattern of the disease and the trajectory of the virus is very different in different parts of the world right now," he said. "What we're learning is that it is possible to get this disease under control and it is possible to begin resuming normal economic and social life, with a new way of having to do that, and with extreme caution and vigilance."

However, some countries in Africa and in central and South America are still seeing "an upwards trajectory in cases" and although they may not appear to have a big problem yet, the availability of tests remains an issue, Ryan added.

"We're in the middle of the fight of our lives - all of us around the world," Ryan said. "There's going to be a significant and extended risk until we reach a point where we have a safe and effective vaccine available to all."

After months of severe lockdown, people in Italy and Spain were starting to enjoy a little more freedom on Sunday. Israel has opened some schools, while South Korea said it would further relax social distancing rules from 6 May, allowing a phased re-opening of businesses.

Ryan said this showed "not that the virus can be beaten absolutely, but that we can reach a point where we have enough control over the virus that our social and economic lives can begin again". The WHO warned on Friday that countries must lift lockdowns gradually, while still being 'on the look-out' for Covid-19 and ready to restore restrictions if the virus jumps back.

Trump

White House advisor won't rule out more money for states

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Sunday that he would not rule out any element in the next potential coronavirus relief bill, including more money for state and local governments and the small business program.

More than 30 million Americans have joined the unemployment benefit rolls over the past six weeks and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are discussing a fourth coronavirus relief bill. Democrats are calling for aid to cities and states and some governors have warned of massive layoffs if they fail to get it.

Some advisers to Republican President Donald Trump have said the need for another stimulus bill is not yet clear. Kudlow said "there may well be additional legislation" as officials study how the billions included in the last bill take effect. "We know the economy is still in a terrible, contractionary phase, tremendous hardships, everywhere," Kudlow said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'

"We're trying to work through this. I don't want to rule in or out anything right now. We are in discussions internally and with leading members of Congress." He said authorities need to see what the results are before deciding on the next steps. "Just trying to stabilize things and get folks through this, and then we'll see, we will see in a couple of weeks, what needs to be done and perhaps how to do it," Kudlow said.

Kudlow was asked whether aid given to small businesses would be increased again, given how quickly the money is being claimed. He repiled, "It may be. We haven't made a decision yet. This has been an extremely popular and effective program. Keeping folks on the payroll is extremely important."

Streaming-only films will be eligible for 2021 Oscars

The Academy's 54-member Board of Governors has approved changes to the rules and regulations for the 93rd edition of the awards. Movie theaters in Los Angeles were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday 16 March. Previously, all films had to have had at least three showings a day in theaters within Los Angeles County for seven consecutive days to be eligible for the Oscars. Seeing as that is not possible, the rules for the 2021 awards have been temporarily changed. 

For the 93rd Awards year only, films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available on a commercial streaming or Video on Demand (VOD) service may qualify in the Best Picture, general entry and specialty categories for the 2021 Academy Awards

Stimulus checks: when is the May deadline and who does it affect?

CORONAVIRUS

Stimulus checks: when is the May deadline and who does it affect?

US Stimulus checks: the May deadline is looming for 2 groups of applicants

Applying for emergency stimulus checks must be completed by 5 May if you are on SSI benefits with children or receive the Veterans Affairs benefit.

Full story here:

Glow-in-the-dark dolphins glide through the water in California

A pod of dolphins was captured giving off a luminous blue light as they swam through the surf in southern California. The effect is caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton where light energy is released by a chemical reaction. 

Michael Jordan turned down lucrative work offer

The basketball star was offered $100 million for a two-hour appearance but decided it wasn't for him, CNN report.  "I brought him a deal three years ago for $100 million. All he had to do was, other than giving his name and likeness, make a one two-hour appearance to announce the deal and he turned it down," agent David Falk explained on WFAN's 'Boomer and Gio' radio show.

Houston

US coronavirus deaths up by 1,435 during the past day

New cases are rising in southern states such as Texas, Arizona and Tennessee, according to The New York Times. But other states, including New Jersey, Florida and Connecticut, appear to be past the peak of the outbreak and are now seeing a drop in the number of new positive cases. 

New York becomes Ground Zero again

A highly recommended article on the impact of the coronavirus on the Big Apple from NY BBC correspondent Nick Bryant.

Rolling Stones announce Extra Licks #StayAtHome specials

The Rolling Stones have announced their Extra Licks weekly livestream series, featuring bonus footage from six concert films from throughout the band’s career.

The series — released as part of YouTube’s #StayHome campaign — will kick off May 3rd at 1500 ET/2100 CEST with extra footage from the band’s 2016 concert film Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America

Stimulus check: will there be a second round in May 2020?

Coronavirus

Stimulus check: will there be a second round in May 2020?

May stimulus

The first round of stimulus check payments started being distributed by the Internal Revenue Services in April to help millions of Americans during the outbreak. Now people are needing more money.

Daily trends update

The usual trends thread from the Financial Times shows how countries around the world are progressing, based on reported figures.

Deadline is approaching to apply for your stimulus check in the US

Coronavirus

Deadline is approaching to apply for your stimulus check in the US

The Internal Revenue Service is advising those with children under 17 and seniors not to miss out on stimulus payments as the deadline approaches.

White House blocks Dr Anthony Fauci from testifying about Covid-19 outbreak

Coronavirus

White House blocks Dr Anthony Fauci from testifying about Covid-19 outbreak

The White House is blocking Dr Anthony Fauci from testifying before a House subcommittee investigating the coronavirus outbreak and the US response.

Coronavirus USA: Which states have suspended evictions during pandemic?

Coronavirus

Coronavirus USA: Which states have suspended evictions during pandemic?

As the month of May began many Americans were left wondering how to pay their rent as the United States remains on lockdown due to Covid-19.

Stimulus check: will there be a second round in May 2020?

Coronavirus

Stimulus check: will there be a second round in May 2020?

The first round of stimulus check payments started being distributed by the Internal Revenue Services in April to help millions of Americans during the outbreak.

Trump

Conservative groups back reopening, experts say no chance of reaching testing target

Conservative groups advising the White House have issued an array of coronavirus economic reopening plans with a common theme - Americans should go back to work immediately to halt the economic and societal damage from prolonged lockdowns.

The Trump administration's response to the coronavirus has coalesced in recent days around the same message - the need to reopen quickly. The White House did not renew federal guidelines on social distancing that expired April 30, and President Donald Trump is expected to go to Arizona next week, after a month without travel.

Just as the virus has infected the states unevenly, some state and local governments are opening malls, movie theaters and hairdressers while others remain in the stay-at-home posture that at one point kept most of America's 320 million people indoors.

Both the White House and the groups advising it are missing detailed, centralized plans for virus testing and containment, which many health officials, historians, and economists say are needed to avoid a new surge of infections and longer-term economic damage.

A Harvard University study published last week argued that 5 million tests per day by early June would be needed to deliver a "safe social reopening."

Such testing would need to ramp up to 20 million a day to fully remobilize the economy, the researchers said. While Trump has said that number would be reached "very soon," his top coronavirus testing official, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Brett Giroir, told Time magazine on Tuesday that there was "absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even five million tests a day.”

Since the coronavirus was discovered in the United States in January, more than 1 million have been infected while 6.2 million people have been tested.

(Reuters)

US "missed chances to stop Covid-19 spread" says health official

Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said in an article that the US failed to respond to the coronavirus outbreak in Europe in time and should have issued travel alerts earlier.

US death toll passes 65,000

The total number of deaths in the US passed 65,000 late on Saturday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. There was also a spike in Italy, where the highest daily toll was recorded since 21 April.  

Unfortunately, the crisis in the US shows little sign of abating soon with data from the World Health Organization suggesting that 1 May was the deadliest day on record yet in the country. According to the data compiled by the WHO, 2,909 people lost their lives to Covid-19 in 24 hours up to 4am ET on Friday.

Hello and welcome to our Covid-19 live updates and breaking news live feed with a focus on developments in the USA as they unfold on Sunday 3 May. We will bring you all the latest news, comment, opinion and statistics throughout the day as they occur with the global coronavirus pandemic continuing in the states and elsewhere.