Contagion Live News Network: Coronavirus Updates for April 1, 2020

Welcome to the Contagion Live News Network. I’m Grant Gallagher and this is the COVID-19 update for Wednesday, April 1st, 2020.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis has issued a stay-at-home order after mounting pressure sparked by media reporting of beachgoers continuing to visit the state’s shores. Florida joins more than 30 other states with stay-at-home orders in place.

In other US news, public health officials are reevaluating guidance around facemasks as evidence emerges that a substantial amount of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have no symptoms of COVID-19. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 25% of coronavirus carriers are asymptomatic.

On Contagion today, we covered a study in which investigators believe they found that coronavirus may linger after symptoms resolve in some patients. We also reported on the potentials of robotic aid in infectious disease practice and pandemic response.

You can also go to Contagion to read our article on a recent commentary in which a professor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine argues that clinical practice and research should be better synthesized during a pandemic.

As of this afternoon, over 203,000 people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19 and at least 4470 have died. White House science advisers recently released models predicting 100,000 to 240,000 virus deaths.

Around the world, there have been over 911,000 confirmed cases and more than 45,000 deaths.

Lastly, Contagion’s parent company will be hosting the virtual MJH Life Sciences “Sleeves Up” Blood Drive through April 30th to assist the Red Cross in this time of crisis.

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome M. Adams said in a Red Cross press release that "you can still go out and give blood. We’re worried about potential blood shortages in the future. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement,"

For other stories relevant to COVID-19 and the latest infectious disease news, visit ContagionLive.com. To track the spread of infectious diseases in the United States and abroad, be sure to use the Contagion Outbreak Monitor.

 

For the Contagion Live News Network, I’m Grant Gallagher. Thanks for listening.