COVID-19)Novel Coronavirus Update 110800APR20
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 1,701,718 confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 377,434 people have recovered, and 102,867 people have died.
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 there are 63 of 64 parishes reporting with 19,253 cases of COVID-19 and 755 deaths across the state.
Reported COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals 2,054; 479 of those on ventilators
5,159 Tests Completed by State Lab; 87,121 Commercial Tests Completed
SEE ATTACHED SPREADSHEET FOR LATEST PARISH INFO UPDATE WILL BE AT NOON TODAY
The White House announced Friday that the “situation in New Orleans appears to be stabilizing.” On Friday, Louisiana reported an increase of 970 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours with a total of 19,253 cases and an additional 53 deaths. Orleans Parish continues to have the most cases with 5,416 cases and 225 deaths
NATIONAL
In the U.S., figures from Johns Hopkins University show 2,108 people died in the past 24 hours while there are now more than half a million confirmed infections. The U.S. could soon surpass Italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths worldwide. But experts on the White House Covid-19 task force say the outbreak is starting to level off across the US. Dr. Deborah Birx said there were good signs the outbreak was stabilizing, but cautioned: “As encouraging as they are, we have not reached the peak.” President Donald Trump also said he expects the U.S. to see a lower death toll than the initial predictions of 100,000 fatalities, adding: “We’re seeing clear signs that our aggressive strategy is saving countless lives”. The number of confirmed cases is 504,780 including 18,763 total deaths since the pandemic began. New York remains the most affected state with 159,937 cases and 7067 deaths.
The US 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 coronavirus cases in the Houston-area climbs to 4,892 with 77 deaths. We’ve seen athletes stepping up to help their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. And that includes the Astros’ Alex Bregman, who has launched an initiative to feed Houston’s hungry. It’s called FEEDHOU, a $1 million fundraising campaign that will directly benefit the Houston Food Bank. “While the Astros are off the field, I want to create a new team to help Houston’s hungry. Houston is my home, and right now my home is in need,” said Bregman. Bregman and Houston icon Jim McIngvale are each kicking it off with $100,000 donations.
CALIFORNIA – Los Angeles authorities announced an extension to the current stay-at-home order until Friday, May 15, to prevent further spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). With the extension of the order, all non-essential businesses will remain closed and residents will only be allowed to go out for essential activities, such as buying medicine or groceries. Residents who go out in public will be required to wear some form of face-covering as of Wednesday, April 15.
WASHINGTON, DC – Officials announced Thursday that district residents will have to wear a face mask when they shop in grocery stores and clarified other social distancing measures the government is putting into place to stem the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the District is in the process of creating a hotline for people who cannot leave their homes to have food and essentials delivered. “This is for residents who are medically required to quarantine or have no other means of acquiring these items,” a city official said
MICHIGAN – The White House announced Friday that the “situation in Detroit appears to be stabilizing.” More than 200 people have died from the coronavirus since Thursday afternoon, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,282. Health officials in Detroit reported 249 new COVID-19 cases in the city Thursday, a slight decline from days prior, according to the city’s health website
NEW JERSEY – New Jersey hospitals reported another 233 deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 1,932. The confirmed cases have surged to 54,588, with 3,627 new positive tests.
INTERNATIONAL
A health official at the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday outlined new tools the organization has developed to assist in the global response to COVID-19. The new United Nations (UN) Supply Chain Task Force will coordinate and scale up the procurement and distribution of personal protective equipment, lab diagnostics, and oxygen to the countries that need it most. This initiative will be coordinated by WHO and the World Food Program with hubs in Belgium, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malaysia, Panama, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The WHO estimates this supply chain may need to cover more than 30 percent of the world’s needs in the acute phase of the pandemic. The WHO official also stated there are signs indicating the pandemic is slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, like Spain, Italy, Germany, and France but there has been an “alarming acceleration” in other countries. In Africa, the WHO has observed the spread of the virus to rural areas and has seen clusters of cases and community spread in more than 16 countries and the WHO anticipates severe hardship for already overstretched health systems, particularly in rural areas, which normally lack the resources of cities.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that existing lockdown measures will be extended until Sunday, May 3, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. However, Conte declared that certain businesses would be able to resume operations from Tuesday, April 14, such as shops that sell stationery, books, and children’s clothes. Conte also added that, if certain conditions are met, the government will consider gradually reopening other businesses that have been forced to shut down during the lockdown. Under the current measures, Italian authorities are requiring all individuals in the country to restrict their movement and to only leave their homes for essential purposes. Most shops, restaurants, and bars are closed. Public gatherings remain suspended nationwide. All individuals are advised to work from home and respect an interpersonal distance of 1 m (3 ft.). There have been 147,577 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 18,849 deaths and 30,455 recoveries.
In Spain, the coronavirus death toll curve flattened further on Friday as the government prepared to start easing one of the world’s strictest lockdowns and virtual Easter celebrations were held instead of traditional processions. Spaniards have been off the streets since mid-March and have suffered over 16,000 fatalities from the COVID-19 disease – the third worst toll after Italy and the United States. But the slowdown in the rate of infection and death has enabled officials to consider a gradual lifting of the lockdown. “The government is preparing new scenarios of de-escalation,” Health Minister Salvador Illa told reporters. Even though several officials have said the formal lockdown will probably continue into May, some restrictions are to be lifted on Monday to breathe life into a paralyzed economy. From then, workers in some sectors such as construction will be allowed out again and some factories will reopen. Further easing of the lockdown will depend on analysis of the epidemic’s evolution, Illa said. “These are very complex decisions that require multi-disciplinary analysis.” Though many people will return to work, social distancing should be maintained, Maria Jose Sierra, the deputy head of health emergencies, said at a virtual news conference. “We will give a series of recommendations. The most important is if there is a person who shows the slightest symptom, they should contact the health system and remain in self-isolation,” she said. Protective masks are recommended and authorities plan to distribute them at public transport hubs. Spain has 158,273 cases with 16, 081 deaths.
In the U.K., NHS staff still do not have the protective equipment they need to treat coronavirus patients, medics have said. The British Medical Association (BMA) said doctors were putting their lives at risk by working without adequate protection. It comes as the health secretary said 19 NHS workers had died with coronavirus since the outbreak began. On Friday, Matt Hancock said there was enough kit for everyone and unveiled a plan for addressing shortages. While The BBC medical drama Holby City has donated fully working ventilators from its set at Elstree to be used in London’s new NHS Nightingale Hospital. The corporation shared the news in a tweet, with a photo of workers unloading equipment from a van. Holby City executive producer Simon Harper said they wanted to help “the courageous and selfless real-life medics”. The drama, set in a fictional West Country city, has paused production. The UK recorded 980 hospital deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to 8,958 with 74,605 cases. That death toll, which does not include those who died in care homes or the community, has exceeded the worst daily figures seen in Italy and Spain – but according to England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, it is still “impossible to say we have peaked”.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior announced that a complete lockdown has been implemented in six districts of Medina to limit the spread of coronavirus disease. Measures have been imposed on ash-Shuraybat, Qurban, al-Jumuah, Banidhafar, some areas of al-Iskan, and Bani Khidrah. All movement is restricted in those areas, and residents are prohibited from circulating outside their homes. Delivery services will remain operational to provide basic necessities.
A 24-hour curfew is in effect for the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dharan, Hofuf, Mecca, and Medina, as well as the provinces of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif, and Khobar. During the curfew, only vital workers will be allowed to enter or exit the affected areas. Residents may only leave their homes for medical needs or food between the hours of 06:00 and 15:00 (local time). Other COVID-19 containment measures remain in effect as of Friday. The ban on movement into and out of Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina continues and travel between provinces is prohibited. An indefinite suspension of international passenger flights is in place, as well as a temporary suspension of domestic flights, public buses, and some taxi and train service. Only businesses providing vital food, health, or utility services will remain operational. Malls, restaurants, coffee shops, and public parks are also closed. To date, there have been more than 3651 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 47 associated deaths.
In India, like many nations, India does not have enough kits to test most of its population for the new coronavirus. The country is instead relying on people power: thousands of health-care workers are fanning out across the country to trace and quarantine people who might have had contact with those with COVID-19. People are typically only tested if they develop symptoms. Still, epidemiologists say that India’s strategy to trace and quarantine contacts, along with the government’s decision to order the country’s roughly 1.3 billion inhabitants to stay at home for 21 days from late March, have probably helped to slow the spread of the virus in some places, and bought the country time to prepare its ailing health-care system. Under the lockdown, people are allowed out for essentials, such as food and medical care, but in most states people under quarantine are closely monitored by social workers and cannot leave their homes in some places. The stakes are high: if the current containment measures fail to slow viral spread, experts say, further restrictions to keep people apart will be needed. The government is considering extending the lockdown beyond its planned 14 April end. But such a move would be very hard on people who need to work to feed themselves. India has 7447 confirmed cases with 239 deaths.
In Australia, Australians have been praised for changing their way of life “overnight”, including staying home over the coveted Easter long weekend, to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In an update on the national coronavirus figures Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth took a moment to thank people across the country for adhering to the social distancing measures. “We have asked you to change the way we live as Australians, essentially overnight,” he said. “And, essentially overnight, we’ve come together as Australians and done just that. “It’s because of that reason that we can continue to give you, for several days now including today, good news about the number of cases that are occurring.”
In the 24 hours to Saturday afternoon 87 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, bringing the total to 6,292. The number of Australians who have died stands at 56 and 231 people are in hospital with the virus, including 75 people in Intensive Care Units, with just under 40 on ventilators. Health authorities said 343,000 people had been tested for the virus but did not give an update on how many people have recovered. There could be a spike in numbers in the coming days though, when Australians who were aboard the Greg Mortimer cruise ship — 70 per cent of which have tested positive for the virus — return to Melbourne.=
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.
