Coronavirus Update 160700APR20
Online John Hopkins CSSE Coronavirus Dashboard
WHO Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) website
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Novel coronavirus in China page
The number of cases worldwide continues to climb. According to health officials, there have been 2,069,819 confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 137,193 people have died. The figures have roughly doubled in 13 days and continue to grow steadily. The actual number of cases is much higher than the official figures suggest, with countries varying in how much they are testing people.
LOUISIANA
Please go to http://ldh.la.gov/Coronavirus/ for official information on Positive Test Results and locations. It is updated 12 noon daily. LDH officials’ latest report: As of last report all Parishes have reported (64 of 64) cases with state totaling 21,951 cases of COVID-19 and 1,103 deaths across the state.
1,943 Reported COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals; 425 of those on ventilators
5,817 Tests Completed by State Lab; 116,111 Commercial Tests Completed
SEE ATTACHED SPREADSHEET FOR LATEST PARISH INFO UPDATE WILL BE AT NOON TODAY
NATIONAL
The United States has the highest confirmed death toll, which was rapidly nearing 31,000 on Thursday morning with 639,664 confirmed cases. President Trump said he’ll be releasing guidelines on Thursday on how to begin to reopen the economy. Mr. Trump added that data suggests the U.S. has “passed the peak” of new coronavirus cases. “The battle continues, but the data suggests that nationwide, we have passed the peak on new cases,” Mr. Trump said at his daily coronavirus briefing. “Hopefully that will continue, and we will continue to make great progress.” “These encouraging developments have put us in a very strong position to finalize guidelines for states on reopening the country, which we’ll be announcing,” he added.
The U.S. State Department has issued a “Do Not Travel” health advisory. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel.
Texas – The number of Houston-area coronavirus cases climbed to 6,187 with 114 deaths, and 1,350 recoveries. Houston’s COVID-19 numbers are much lower than those of other large U.S. cities, such as New York, New Orleans and Seattle. While he explained that there is no unilateral plan to reopen the city, he said he and other elected officials are all anxious to get started as long as it is done in a safe and judicious manner. Some of the factors that go into deciding when the city can reopen are widespread testing, making sure there are necessary PPEs and that the hospital infrastructure can handle a possible resurgence of cases.
Idaho – Idaho on Wednesday extended its statewide stay-at-home order until April 30. State officials have so far confirmed 1,464 cases and 39 total deaths, adding that the state is “flattening the curve.”
Kansas – Kansas is extending its shelter-in-place directive an additional two weeks for all 2.9 million Kansas residents until May 3. The state saw a 4.8 percent increase Wednesday in confirmed coronavirus cases from Tuesday,
rising to 1,494. The number of COVID-19 related deaths increased by seven from the day before, totaling 76. State officials said the coronavirus outbreak might not peak until April 29.
Maryland – Maryland recorded 349 total deaths and 10,032 cases as of Wednesday.
New York- New York reported 752 deaths in a 24-hour period on Tuesday, officials announced Wednesday, a slight decrease from the previous 24-hour period.
Virginia – Virginia reported its largest single-day rise in deaths with 195 confirmed fatalities as of Wednesday morning, up from 41 on Tuesday, with a reported 6,500 cases.
Washington, D.C. – D.C. recorded 72 total deaths and 2,197 cases as of Wednesday. D.C. also said hospitalizations in the nation’s capital could peak in late May, a month earlier than
previously projected, if area residents continue to stay at home and avoid large groups.
INTERNATIONAL
In South Korea, President Moon Jae-in’s governing party in South Korea won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections on Wednesday, as he leveraged his surging popularity over his country’s largely successful battle against the coronavirus to increase his political sway. With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Moon’s left-leaning Democratic Party had won 163 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, according to the National Election Commission. A satellite party the Democrats created for Wednesday’s elections won 17 seats. Together, the two groups took three-fifths of the seats, giving Mr. Moon the largest majority in three decades. South Korea has 10,613 confirmed cases.
In the U.K., the nation must maintain some form of social distancing until a coronavirus vaccine is found, a scientist advising the government has said. Prof Neil Ferguson explained there was “little leeway” to relax measures without “something… in their place” – such as testing and contact-tracing. Prof Ferguson, of Imperial College London, said easing the lockdown after another three weeks would depend on “how quickly case numbers go down”. He said that required “a single-minded emphasis” in government and the health system on “scaling up testing and putting in place the ability to track down cases in the community and contact-trace”. A three-week extension to the lockdown is expected to be announced later. Labour said it would support an extension, but called for details on how and when the lockdown will end. Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced strict curbs on life in the UK on 23 March, as the government sought to limit the spread of the virus. Ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert advice, every three weeks. The government – led by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab as Mr. Johnson continues to recover from the virus – will detail the outcome of the first assessment at the daily Downing Street news conference later. The U.K. has close to 100,000 confirmed cases with 12,868 deaths.
In the UAE, the Roads and Transport Authority in Sharjah (RTA) announced on Tuesday, April 14, that all inter-city bus services from Sharjah will be suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Al Jubail bus station will also be closed indefinitely from April 14. On the same day, the Dubai Municipality prohibited the movement of labor workers to areas outside of Dubai to prevent further spread of the virus. A restriction on movement of labor workers leaving and entering Abu Dhabi remains in place. An indefinite overnight curfew remains in effect across the UAE’s six other emirates. All movement between 20:00 and 06:00 (local time) is restricted, and public transportation is suspended during curfew hours. Those who leave their homes outside of curfew hours without legitimate or pre-approved reason will face fines of USD 544 and individuals violating the curfew may be fined up to USD 13,600. Some food distributors may operate for from 08:00 to 20:00 if preventative safety and sanitation risks are adhered to. This includes meat, fruit, vegetable, fish, coffee, and tea shops, among others. All individuals in Dubai are required to request movement permits online during the lockdown through Saturday, April 18. Those who go out for walks, cycle, or drive during the 24-hour curfew may do so exclusively for essential reasons while wearing masks and gloves, and must respect social distancing advice. Only one family member will be permitted to go out at any one time. Supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as food and drug delivery services, will continue to operate as normal. Authorities have approved an extension of visas that expired in early March through the end of December 2020 for residents that are both within and outside Emirati borders. The policy also applies to those in the country on tourist visas. The entry of all valid visa holders remains suspended through at least Thursday, April 16, though it will likely be extended. While international flights were suspended on March 23, Etihad and Emirates have begun operating departing flights to multiple international locations. As of April 16, there are 5365 COVID-19 cases nationwide including 33 deaths.
In Australia, Governments are considering a reduction in “baseline restrictions” in four weeks should strategies to contain the coronavirus continue to be effective. A national cabinet meeting on Thursday agreed to begin travel on the “road out” of the economic and health crisis should authorities gain greater confidence in the success of their measures. The baseline restrictions potentially to be eased would depend on the regime imposed by individual state governments. The federal government has foreshadowed the removal of a ban on non-urgent elective surgery, possibly as early as next Tuesday. Hypothetically, the easing could see police lighten up on enforcement of home isolation rules. Sources insisted it wasn’t the full “road out” of the crisis but a few limited steps in that direction. In a further sign of optimism, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he wanted parliament to return briefly in May to debate and vote on matters not directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Previously, federal parliament was not scheduled to return until August. However, Morrison made clear on Thursday the major measures combating coronavirus would continue until at least the end of September, and that the public would be urged to keep washing their hands and maintaining safe distances from each other long after that. Australia has 6,468 confirmed cases with 63 associated deaths.
BUREN R. (Ric) MOORE, SGM (R)
GOHSEP Intelligence Officer
Louisiana State Analytical & Fusion Exchange (LA-SAFE) Liaison
Office: 225.925.3674
Cell: 225.936.0404
In the case of terrorism, to wait for an indication of crime before investigating it is to wait too long. There is no guarantee of success, but there has to be a guarantee of effort. Let’s make it hard to hurt us. If you see something suspicious, report it.
