Coronavirus USA news summary: cases and deaths - 11 May
Coronavirus live US updates: cases, deaths and news - 11 May
US coronavirus latest: 14:30 PST / 17:30 EST (23:30 CEST Monday 11 May)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 4,159,377 cases have been detected worldwide, with 284,883 deaths and 1,433,990 people now recovered.
In the USA, there have been 1,344,512 confirmed cases and 80,239 deaths. 232,733 people have recovered from the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus outbreak response press briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 80,000 - Reuters tally
(Reuters) U.S. coronavirus deaths topped 80,000 on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as nearly all states have taken steps to relax lockdown measures.
Deaths in the United States, the epicenter of the global pandemic, have averaged 2,000 a day since mid-April despite efforts to slow the outbreak.
The death toll is higher than any fatalities from the seasonal flu going back to 1967 and represents more U.S. deaths than during the first 11 years of the AIDS epidemic, from 1981 to 1992.
Total coronavirus cases in the United States have exceeded 1.3 million with infections rising in such states as Mississippi, Minnesota and Nebraska, highlighting the risk of a new wave of Covid-19 outbreaks.
Cases are falling in New Jersey and New York at the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, accounting for nearly half of the American deaths from Covid-19, according to the Reuters tally, and the two states have among the strictest lockdown rules still in place.
New York Covid-19 deaths could be 5,000 higher
Officials in the US' worst-hit state have said that an additional 5,000 fatalities between March and May night have been caused in part by the novel coronavirus.
Trump makes wild coronavirus claim
President Donald Trump is on Twitter again (after his 100+ Tweet storm yesterday), saying this time that the “Coronavirus numbers are looking MUCH better, going down almost everywhere”.
Cleverly he doesn’t define which ‘numbers’ he’s talking about so it’s hard to scrutinise his claim, but most people would take infection rates and deaths to be the two most important metrics in the pandemic, and given the lag between new infections and deaths (which can be weeks) probably the most important figure is new infections. Alas only 14 of the 50 states actually have new cases decreasing, while in nine states the numbers are actually increasing. In the remaining 27 new cases are stable. Under no normal use of the descriptor “MUCH better” are these numbers “MUCH better”.
Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite (L), leads Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser (R) on a tour of the alternate care site at the Walter E. Convention Center, which was created to support the District of Columbia's coronavirus Covid-19 medical surge response, in Washington, DC, USA, 11 May 2020. EFE/EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
Trump accuses Democratic governors of reopening too slowly
(Reuters) President Donald Trump accused Democrats on Monday of moving to reopen U.S. states from coronavirus lockdown measures too slowly for political advantage, without providing evidence to support his claim.
The Republican president, who is running for re-election in November, is working to reopen the crippled economy quickly against recommendations from health experts to move more cautiously to avoid a resurgence of the virus that has so far killed more than 80,000 people in the United States.
Trump has encouraged states to ease restrictions designed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. On Monday, he targeted the election battleground state of Pennsylvania, which has a Democratic governor, Tom Wolf.
"The great people of Pennsylvania want their freedom now, and they are fully aware of what that entails. The Democrats are moving slowly, all over the USA, for political purposes. They would wait until November 3rd if it were up to them. Don’t play politics. Be safe, move quickly!" Trump said in a Twitter post.
Some of the states hardest-hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 1.3 million nationwide are led by Democratic governors, including New York and Michigan - both important prizes in the Nov. 3 election between Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Live WHO media briefing
Follow the latest on the global pandemic with the WHO's live press conference.
“Due to an editing error in the patient portal, some CityMD patients have received incorrect information saying a positive result on the Covid-19 antibody test confers immunity,” spokesperson, Matt Gove, said in a statement. “We have removed the incorrect language and will contact all patients to ensure they have the correct information.”
Second stimulus check vote: can Republicans reject the $2,000 Democratic proposal?
House Democrats are keen to introduce a new relief package that would see millions of Americans receive another stimulus check worth $2,000 from the government. The relief package — CARES 2 — could be brought to the floor as early as next week but Republicans want to reduce public spending and so have no interest in discussing the bill yet.
According to Axios, Democrats have put together a $1.2 trillion relief package and with input from the White House. There is, however, still money outstanding from the first CARES Act — worth $2.2 trillion — and White House officials want to see how re-opening the economy goes first before they pass another stimulus package.
A Mexican National Guard member observes the Matamoros refugee camp, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 27 February 2020 (issued 11 May 2020). The town of Matamoros is only a few short miles from Brownsville, USA, but asylum seekers must often wait for weeks or even months before knowing their fate. Thousands of mostly Central American migrants live in dirty and dangerous conditions as they await a ruling by US immigration authorities. A policy by the Trump administration, known as 'Remain in Mexico', first implemented in January 2019, has seen thousands of asylum seekers returned to Mexico while they await a ruling on their application. (Estados Unidos) EFE/EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA
VP Mike Pence will return to White House after Covid-19 test
On Friday it was reported that the Vice President’s secretary Katie Miller tested positive for coronavirus so he decided to skip in-person meetings this weekend. According to an administration official Pence plans to be at the White House on Monday after testing negative for coronavirus.
“Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine. Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow,” said Devin O’Malley, a Pence spokesman.
Dollar edges up, yen falls as easing lockdowns boosts risk appetite
(Reuters) - The dollar edged up in early London trading on Monday while the Japanese yen weakened as risk appetite was boosted by more countries making moves to re-open their economies, despite the coronavirus continuing to spread.
Japan said on Monday it could end its state of emergency in many regions this week and New Zealand said it could ease restrictions on Thursday. The UK has also set out plans to ease the lockdown while in France shops re-opened on Monday.
The safe-haven Japanese yen hit a 10-day low versus the dollar, down more than 0.5% since New York’s close.
Against a basket of comparable currencies, the dollar up around 0.1%.
"The ongoing improvement in global investor risk sentiment following acute financial market strains in March reflects in part building investor optimism that the global economy is past the worst point of the COVID-19 crisis," Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG, wrote in a note to clients.
A highly detailed report by the Financial Times on trust in Donald Trump among American people. Many believe more in their stats governors than they do in the president to decide when to open up the economy and 34% believe they have improved their financial situation since he took office. That is the lowest number since November 2019.
Trump fires back after Obama’s accusation of how he has handled Covid-19 outbreak
Trump fires back after Obama’s accusation of how he has handled Covid-19 outbreak
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Barack Obama’s administration failed terribly handling the swine flu pandemic during his time.
Even though it's being reported that the Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for coronavirus he is not planning to self-quarantine and plans to be at the White House on Monday.
NY on paws
Teddy bears wearing protective masks are displayed in front of a restaurant in the Manhattan borough of New York City. New York State's governor, Andrew Cuomo, has signed an executive order extending the current 15 May deadline on the 'NY ON PAUSE' order, which requires restaurants to serve takeaway food and drink only. (Photo: Jeenah Moon/Getty Images/AFP)
How the $2,000 stimulus check proposed by US Democrats would work
How the $2,000 stimulus check proposed by US Democrats would work
Democrats have proposed various bills that would see qualified US citizens receive $2,000 a month, while rent/mortgage payments would be cancelled during the coronavirus crisis.
Full details here:
Donald Trump could freeze immigration for years
Donald Trump could freeze immigration for years
On 22 April the United States president issued an executive order temporarily suspending the entry of certain immigrants to the US for 60 days...
Full story here:
VP Pence update
First it was no, then yes, and we're back to no. Let's see how the story develops over the coming hours...never mind the days ahead.
Hollywood husky
Mostly masked hikers and bikers take advantage of the official reopening of Griffith Park, its trails and other public areas surrounding Los Angeles, California.
(Photo EFE/EPA/David Swanson)
Pence in self-isolation
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is self-isolating away from the White House after an aide was diagnosed with the coronavirus, a Bloomberg reporter tweeted on Sunday.
Pence has repeatedly tested negative, including on Sunday, for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the tweet added. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Coronavirus live US: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live, United States-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Globally we have now seen over four million cases officially registered.
We'll endeavour to bring you the latest news and statistics as they emerge throughout the day...