The latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic for April 15, 2020

NEW YORK - FOX 5 NY is updating this blog with the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak so you can get the information in one spot.

10:57 PM: A pediatrician is claiming that as many as 8 in 10 children in New York City likely have been infected with coronavirus.

10:37 PM: Comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Che announced in a Instagram post Wednesday evening that he is paying one month's rent for the 160 apartments in the NYCHA building his late grandmother, who died of coronavirus, lived in.

10:07 PM: According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the number of total coronavirus deaths in the U.S. has now passed 30,000.

9:33 PM: Commissioner Dermot Shea has announced the death of two more members of the NYPD due to coronavirus.

8:55 PM: Leading Republicans say the coronavirus shutdown cannot go on. Behind President Donald Trump’s effort to accelerate the U.S. economic re-opening during the pandemic is a contingent of GOP allies eager to have his back.

8:23 PM: Talks in Washington are accelerating on a stopgap coronavirus relief bill aimed at helping small businesses. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke Wednesday about President Donald Trump's request for $250 billion in emergency aid. The money would be used to shore up a paycheck subsidy program that gives grants to businesses with fewer than 500 workers so that they can maintain payroll and pay rent.

7:40 PM: Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says the league is exploring many options for salvaging at least part of the 2020 season.

7:05 PM: The U.S. Army says it mobilized 8 Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces to the New York area to support the coronavirus relief efforts; 4 task forces are deployed to New York City, 3 are assigned to hospitals in New Jersey, and 1 is in Connecticut.

6:47 PM: Federal prosecutors say convicted felon and former state Sen. Dean Skelos has tested positive for the coronavirus and will be released from prison into home confinement.

6:40 PM: Connecticut-based New England Toy creates a Dr. Anthony Fauci plush doll; $5 from the sale of each doll will benefit a COVID-19-related charity.

6:15 PM: NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg says speed cameras have recorded a spike in speeding cars in certain parts of the city.

5:47 PM: Rachael Ray, who has been recording her TV show from her home in upstate New York, announces that her organizations will donate $4 million to several charities.

5:45 PM: Germany plans to let smaller shops reopen next week and to start reopening schools in early May.

5:39 PM: New Jersey's schools are closed; a decision on what comes next is likely to be announced on Thursday.

5:30 PM: The Massachusetts death toll surpasses 1,000; it now stands at 1,108 fatalities.

5:02 PM: A home version of the SAT college entrance exam is being prepared in case schools remain closed into the fall, College Board officials said Wednesday as they announced the cancellation of June testing.

4:21 PM: Potentially dangerous coronavirus misinformation has spread from continent to continent like the pandemic itself, forcing the world’s largest tech companies to take unprecedented action to protect public health.

3:43 PM: The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday lamented the U.S. decision to halt funding for the U.N. agency, promising a review of its decisions while sidestepping President Donald Trump’s complaints about its alleged mismanagement, cover-up and missteps.

3:09 PM: American industrial output shriveled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, registering its biggest decline since the U.S. demobilized in 1946 at the end of World War II. And retail sales fell by an unprecedented 8.7%, with April expected to be far worse.

2:32 PM: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, tweets several one-word messages over the course of about an hour: "Solidarity," "Humanity," "Unity," and "Love."

2:29 PM: Fox 5 News anchor Steve Lacy tweets a photo of a sign posted in Manhattan:

2:15 PM: New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli: Among New Jersey fatalities, about 60% had cardiovascular disease, about 37% had diabetes mellitus; about 30% had other chronic conditions, about 15% were immunocomprimised (such as having cancer); note: percentages do not add up to 100% because patients tend to have more than one condition.

2:08 PM: Gov Murphy says he really doesn't forsee society being able to return to the normal the way it was before the pandemic any time soon; says he wishes he is wrong.

1:53 PM: Gov Murphy: The membership of the multistate council that will work on a regional opening plan will be announced this week; each of 7 states will appoint 3 people to the council: governor's chief of staff, a public health expert, and an economics/business expert.

1:44 PM: Gov Murphy: Income taxes due July 15 (not today); no decision about May property taxes and sales taxes.

1:41 PM: Gov Murphy says, yes, there are knuckleheads out there but the overwhelming number of New Jerseyans are complying; we are not out of the woods, we don't even see the treeline yet; earlier, Murphy said: "We're not alone in our desire to have more sites and more tests. Every state in the nation is facing the same issue we are. We've conducted the fourth-most tests among all states. The only states which have conducted more are states with significantly larger populations."

1:36 PM: New Jersey reports 2,625 new cases and 351 new deaths; 71,030 total positives and 3,156 total deaths; Gov. Phil Murphy: "These lives should be the inspiration we need to keep working to defeat COVID-19 and to lower the toll this enemy is having on our state."

1:34 PM: Gov. Cuomo: The bank is broken; there's a lot of stuff we want to do to help people but we just can't; Congress needs to respect the states.

1:28 PM: Gov. Cuomo says he doesn't like to Monday-morning quarterback when we're still in halftime; says no state moved faster from first case to shutdown than New York; says he doesn't think he wished he moved quicker.

1:21 PM: Gov. Cuomo says his administration tries to coordinate with local officials, who may take their own actions, but he says the state's orders override local directives.

1:09 PM: Gov. Cuomo: If you are going to be in public and you can't maintain social distancing, put on a mask or a cloth covering your nose and mouth; this is by execute order; take effect Friday; local authorities will enforce this but he is not calling for civil penalty or arrest.

1:03 PM: Gov. Cuomo: We will need to do a phased reopening of the economy until we get an effective treatment or a vaccine; we will need federal help; we will need to ask several questions: 1. How essential is the business, service or product? 2. What is the risk of spreading infection there?

12:50 PM: Gov. Cuomo: Reopening the state's economy will depend on several factors: discovery of an effective drug treatment (not a vaccine); expanded testing and contact tracing; alternative testing such as spit tests, antibody testing... We have done more testing than any other state but it has still been only 500,000 tests in 1 month in a state of 19 million people; we need federal support.

12:43 PM: Gov. Cuomo thanks hospital staffs, federal government for increasing hospital beds; about 800 patients have gone through the field hospital at the Javits Center.

12:41 PM: Gov. Cuomo: 752 new deaths reported; state will be following the CDC's new guidelines on reporting deaths to include "probable" COVID-19 cases.

12:39 PM: Gov. Cuomo: Total hospitalizations are down; 3-day rolling average is down; ICU admissions are down; intubations are down; new hospitalizations were up yesterday; we are not out of the woods, we are still "in the woods."

12:38 PM: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds an update on the state's response to the coronavirus crisis | WATCH LIVE: https://fox5ny.com/live

11:42 AM: NYC is assisting New Yorkers by delivering meals to those who cannot access food themselves: NYC.gov/GetFood or call 311.

11:18 AM: World Health Organization Director General says he regrets the United States' decision to withdraw funding to the organization. Watch LIVE at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/president-donald-trump-announces-immediate-halt-of-funding-to-world-health-organization

11:04 AM: De Blasio asked about allowing for online marriage licenses and applying for healthcare plans online: I would certainly consider it. On health plans, anyone who needs healthcare we will provide it. If they cannot pay, we will provide it. If they can get on an insurance plan as they come in HHS has been doing that. 

11:02 AM: Dr. Barbot: These data don't really give us the qualitative texture of the stories behind them. These were individuals that were seen in the hospital and emergency room and died of COVID-19.

10:59 AM: De Blasio: EDC has been progressing with the ventilators. Creating a ventilator is a complicated enterprise. We've seen improvement on beds for sure and we have slowed down the opening for new facilities. We have a strong reserve structure if God forbid there is a resurgence of the disease. We still have to be ready. In terms of ventilators, the supply is holding. As for ppes, we're not secure for next week. All of that fall back capacity is available in case we need it.

10:51 AM De Blasio asked about how to make sure seniors get the food that they need: Calling 311 is the way for people to sign up. We are trying not to make it a bureaucratic process. We will follow up for anyone not getting addressed.

Food Czar Garcia: We are getting senior centers back in the mix 

De Blasio: We can add shifts. We can add drivers.  If demand increases, we're going to be ready. Anyone have a problem, call 311.

Garcia: We now have more distribution sites in each borough. We have three in the Broxn and 2 in Manhattan.

10:44 AM: Reporter tells de Blasio that most people are grateful for his work. He's also asked about the budget cuts announced: I hope New Yorkers are able to look back and understand that so many people have been working non-stop. As for the budget, we have to keep fighting for the support from Washington and stimulus bill. Billions of dollars of revenue we've lost. Is the President going to tell the Republican senate to pass a stimulus bill that will make New York City whole? There is no way to balance this budget with cuts alone. 

10:41 AM: De Blasio asked about spike in 3,000 cases that was not pointed out in yesterday's announcement: Many cases healthcare providers suspected it was COVID -19 but there was no time to get them before they passed. I think it will be bigger still.

10:38 AM: De Blasio asked about the budget and cuts proposed to student funding We will get you more details in the executive budget. Some schools have gotten more than others. I want to see maximum equality. The budget message will be about sticking to the basics. 

10:34 AM: De Blasio asked about wearing masks in supermarkets, and if NYPD will enforce it. Second question: what steps are you taking to create jobs: When we talk about masks we're talking about N95 masks. When we're talking about face coverings we're talking about bandanas and that type of thing. 

10:29 AM: De Blasio and doctors asked about data yesterday and probable deaths and 60 percent died in hospital or ER room and what that says about lack of testing. And, about yesterday's announcement about 50K homegrown coronavirus test, and if someone has actually signed on. We wouldn't have made the announcement if we weren't certain we could make that happen. Masks, and gowns went from idea to execution in a matter of days. Thanks to 3D printing.

Dr. Barbot: That 60 percent refers to probable COVID-related deaths, the vast majority had tests done. 

10:18 AM: De Blasio asked about numbers released yesterday- number of people that the city cannot confirm if they are a victim of COVID: First, we are trying to get more accurate data constantly. I want the whole truth out. That's second to saving lives right now. We still have a lot of work to do to protect people and save lives. Absolutely there are more people who died from COVID-19 or related. We should assume that. When it can be verified it should be put out.

About EMSs, we got reinforcements, we got 500 EMTs from around the country and more are coming. EMS prioritized the people in direct danger the most. 

Dr. Barbot: Each of these deaths is a tragedy. We have tried to maximize the number of people we save. There have been people who died directly from COVID. Only time will tell what that number really means. Someone who registered as a heart attack but probably should be COVID probable. I don;t know that we'll ever be able to answer that question fully. 

10:15 AM: De Blasio asked about homeless encampments in NYC: We do not allow homeless encampments. It's inhumane to homeless people and everyday New Yorkers. Sometimes people try to put up cardboard boxes and we address that. If you know of a location, call 311 and we will send out NYPD, Homeless Services, Sanitation right away. We have not seen much of coronavirus among the people who regularly live on the street.

10:12 AM: De Blasio asked about latest statistics, add context: Defers to Dr. Oxiris Barbot: The vast majority have been diagnosed in hospitals but we do see a significant number of individuals dying outside of hospitals. Their location has been determined by the person who has registered the death.

10:12 AM: De Blasio summarizes points made in Spanish. And then takes questions from reporters.

10:10 AM: De Blasio: Tim Cook from Apple sent 100,000 N95 masks and 127,000 face shields. I want to thank my predecessor Michael Bloomberg and the Bloomberg Philanthropies who made a $6M donation to World Central Kitchen for meals to the city hospitals.

10:06 AM: De Blasio: These three indicators have to go down together: Today we have a mixed bag. Don't get discouraged because it's not going to be a perfect clean line going forward. Today, 370 people admitted to hospitals -there is a 2 day lag) 326 as of April 12. 868 admitted to ICU up from 850. Positive cases citywide is 53 percent. That's down from 60 percent. 

10:01 AM: Food Czar Garcia: We have to prevent store closures. The SBS is helping businesses hire new workers. We are registering entire buildings so we know what needs they might have. $25 million secured in partnership with the City Council for emergency food providers. 95 percent of the food into New York comes in long-haul trucks. We are supporting the long-haul truck drivers. New rest stops have been set up in Staten Island and Hunts Point.

9:58 AM: Sanitation Commissioner and Food Czar Catherine Garcia: Over 3 million meals have been served at the schools. 250,000 meals daily.  More than 300,000 meals have been delivered to the most vulnerable. We are now serving 100,000 daily to the most vulnerable including seniors, NYCHA.

9:50 AM: De Blasio: First, this has to be done on a grand scale. There have been 4.5 million meals served to New Yorkers. We're scaling this up very fast.

Second piece of the equation, making sure that as we're proving food, we're providing a paycheck. Getting food to people who cannot get out. We've reached out to drivers in the for-hire industry. We now registered 11,000 drivers who are TLC licensed and they have taken on shifts to deliver food. They are being paid by the shift.

Third point: We have served 10 million meals by the end of April, we have to make sure the food supply is adequate. Of the $175M is $50M that's going toward ensuring a back stock.

Fourth: Let's make sure the grocery store workers, those supermarkets workers, are protected. We need them. We are working to make sure the ppe gets to those workers.

Finally, we're giving new guidance today to all supermarkets and groceries: require customers to wear face coverings. Put up a sign around the store. The city will back you up. It's so important to protect the community. Anyone who refuses should not be allowed in.

9:48 AM: De Blasio: Today I am announcing a $175M food initiative. We will be building on Meals on Wheels and other food delivery services. 1.2 million people were food insecure before the crisis. That's one in five children. We expect it to grow. We know there is federal money coming. We are grateful. But there are lots of people who will not get support. 

9:46 AM: De Blasio: Go to NYC.gov/getfood or call 311, please do not hesitate and spread the word to everyone you know.

9:44 AM: De Blasio: I was in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn yesterday. About 500 families a day go to a pantry there, double what they are used to seeing.  If anybody in your life needs food we will get it to them. We need to make sure everyone gets that message.

9:41 AM: De Blasio: A lot of people have already run out of money. People are wondering where their next meal is coming from. Here is the simple mission of your city government, we will not allow any New Yorker to go hungry. 

9:40 AM: Mayor Bill de Blasio updates the public on the coronavirus response in New York City. Watch LIVE at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live

8:49 AM: Statistics on the pandemic in the NYC region:

Total cases, worldwide: 1,996,681 cases

·        Total deaths, worldwide: 127,590 deaths

·        Total cases, United States: 609,685 cases

·        Total deaths, United States: 26,059 deaths

New York State and New York City Stats

·        New York State: 203,377 cases; 10,842 deaths

·        New York City: 110,465 cases; 7,905 deaths

·        Nassau County: 25,250 cases; 1,001 deaths

·        Suffolk County: 23,019 cases; 608 deaths

·        Westchester: 20,191 cases; 596 deaths

8:20 AM: Fauci asked what he'd like to do in NYC once the pandemic is over: I would probably jog around the reservoir in Central Park. That's where we used to work out before basketball season.

8:15 AM: Dr. Anthony Fauci tells Good Day New York that there is a lot of confusion about testing. If someone is infected that's one type of testing. There is testing for the antibody. The one that is important right away is identifying who is infected. "We want to find out in NYC how many people actually got infected. Lastly, you don't need to test every single person. "

7:39 AM: U.S. equity futures are pointing to a lower open on Wednesday, ahead of economic reports that will show the impact of the coronavirus. The major futures indexes are indicating a decline of 1.7 percent when trading begins.

MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/stock-futures-trade-lower-ahead-of-economic-reports

7:37 AM: Shea: Our hearts go out to the 25 members and their families, our family, that have given their lives during this time.

7:36 AM: 18 percent of the NYPD is out sick, says NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea. "It's not moving that fast. From first-hand experience from friends who have gotten sick, this takes a long recovery. "

7:00 AM: Watch Good Day New York at this LINK: https://fox5ny.com/live

6:30 AM: Many lenders, especially the captive finance companies owned by the automakers, have enacted policies specifically for people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. Loan deferment is the most common relief option.

MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/how-to-seek-car-payment-relief-during-the-pandemic

5:58 AM: Hours before New Jersey closed all gyms indefinitely last month because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, 30 NFL draft hopefuls had a chance to showcase their talents in a “virtual” pro day at TEST Football Academy in Martinsville.

It was the culmination of countless hours they had spent training and preparing, both physically and mentally, for their actual pro days that ended up being canceled. None of the players at TEST’s virtual pro day attended the NFL combine so this was their best shot to show what they can do.   

MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/30-nfl-draft-hopefuls-showed-off-skills-during-virtual-pro-day

(APRIL 14, 2020)