March 23, 2020

COVID-19 Updates for March 23, 2020

The Pandemic Is Accelerating

There are at least 40,069 cases of novel coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN Health’s tally of U.S. cases. The study covers individuals who have tested positive for detection of the virus through US public health systems. At least 472 people have died. The total includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and all repatriated cases.

On a global scale, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the coronavirus “pandemic is accelerating,” in a tweet on Monday.

“More than 300,000 cases of #COVID19 have now been reported to WHO, from almost every country in the world. The pandemic is accelerating. It took 67 days from the 1st reported case to reach the first 100K cases, 11 days for the second 100K & just 4 days for the third 100K”-@DrTedros

Quick Facts

More States Issue Stay at Home Orders

Governor Larry Hogan has issued an order closing all non-essential businesses throughout the state of Maryland in an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. The order goes into effect Monday at 5 p.m. and lasts indefinitely.

His announcement comes after Governor John Carney issued a stay-at-home order in Delaware on Sunday. He also closed non-essential businesses throughout the state of Delaware.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also issued a shelter-in-place order for all Michigan residents in response to the COVID-19 on Monday.

The executive order asking people to stay home except for essential services will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Under the order, people will be allowed to leave their homes under very limited circumstances. They also must adhere to social distancing measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Shelter in Place Protocols

As of Sunday, here's a look at the latest orders for people to stay home:

Delaware Gov. John Carney ordered residents to stay at home and closed nonessential businesses in the state starting Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ordered 'nonessential' businesses to close
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards imposed a statewide stay-at-home order, effective 5 p.m. Monday.
Ohio will impose a statewide stay-at-home mandate, effective 11:59 p.m. Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced.
Philadelphia became the latest city to order its residents to stay home, a mandate that goes into effect at 8 a.m. Monday and exempts activities like buying groceries and medicine, seeking medical care and exercising.
Missouri's two largest cities issued stay-at-home orders Saturday. St. Louis' mandate, which also applies to St. Louis County, begins Monday, and the one for Kansas City and its metro area goes into effect Tuesday.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell directed residents to stay at home beginning Friday.
San Miguel County, Colorado, is under a shelter-in-place order until April 3.
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, is under a shelter-in-place order until April 7.
Blaine County, Idaho, is under a shelter-in-place order.

All States with Shelter in Place or Stay at Home Orders

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Philadelphia
West Virginia

World Health Organization Urges Against Untested Drugs

As researchers continue seeking treatment options for COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today against using “untested drugs” to treat patients. WHO also emphasized the need to curtail drug trials running inappropriately.

“Small, observational and non-randomized studies will not give us the answers we need. Using untested drugs without the right evidence could raise false hope and even do more harm than good and cause a shortage of essential drugs that are needed to treat other diseases,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing on Monday.

“That’s why WHO has launched the SOLIDARITY trial, to generate robust, high-quality evidence as fast as possible,” Tedros said. “The more countries sign up to the trial and other large studies, the faster we will get results on which drugs work and the more lives we will be able to save.”

California Data May Indicate Patterns in the Outbreak and Risks

The California Department of Public Health released data about the coronavirus spread, the age group of reported cases, and the origins of infection. Because California ranks among the states with the highest incidence rates, the figures could illustrate key facts about COVID-19 on a broader level.

Note: The following numbers reflect information received from local health jurisdictions as of 2 p.m. PDT March 21. More current numbers may be available from local health jurisdictions.

1,468 – Positive cases

27 – Deaths (including one non-California resident)

Ages of all confirmed positive cases: 1,468

Age 0-17: 23 cases
Age 18-64: 1066 cases
Age 65+: 369 cases
Unknown: 10 cases

Cases not related to repatriation flights: 1,444

113 – Travel-related
145 – Person to person
408 – Community transmission
778 – Under investigation

Boeing Suspends Production

Boeing announced that it will suspend production at its facilities in Washington state for two weeks beginning Wednesday, March 25. The area houses nearly half of Boeing’s employees and multiple production facilities. Boeing said that employees who can work remotely would do so. Those unable to will be paid for 10 working days.