What you need to know today about the virus outbreak
What you need to know today about the virus outbreak
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, center, arrives to a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May. 5, 2020 and is greeted by committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left. The panel is considering Ratcliffe’s nomination for director of national intelligence. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
Musicians from Mariachi groups perform during an event to appeal that authorities allow them to work this upcoming Mother’s Day in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Mariachis have not been able to perform and earn a living since the government ordered in mid-March a national lockdown that includes restrictions on traffic and pedestrian movement to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo / Dolores Ochoa)
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix, with Tony Stallings, vice president of Integrated Supply Chain at Honeywell. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Members of the Georgia National Guard to clean and disinfect hallways and common areas at Provident Village assisted living and memory care home Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Smyrna, Ga. Despite having no cases among residents or staff the home welcomed the extra help from the guard. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
First base umpire Lee Ki-joong wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the new coronavirus calls during a baseball game between Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon, South Korea, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. With umpires fitted with masks and cheerleaders dancing beneath vast rows of empty seats, a new baseball season got underway in South Korea following a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Roofers work on a home in Salem, Ore., Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has allowed construction to continue under her stay-home order. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
FILE- In this file photo dated Monday, May 4, 2020, a statue wears a mask along Trocadero square close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In a study published Tuesday May 5, 2020, in the International Journal of Microbial Agents, doctors at a hospital north of Paris reviewed retrospective samples of 14 patients treated for atypical pneumonia, and say they may have identified a possible case of the new coronavirus dating back to December 2019. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, FILE)
Kashmiri boxer Eyed Akeel Khan practices inside his house in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 23, 2020. Like many other athletes, the coronavirus pandemic has restricted Khan to his home. But lockdown for the 7 million residents of Kashmir is nothing new and the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic is not the first time he has had to practice his sport at home. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
In this April 28, 2020 photo, Eusebio Soria poses for a photo behind a glass door at the entrance of his home as he recovers from the new coronavirus in Cabrejas del Pinar, Spain, in the province of Soria. Soria said that at first his doctor diagnosed him with the flu until his fever wouldn’t go away and he was sent to the hospital where he spent 11 days after being tested positive for the coronavirus. Many in Spain’s small and shrinking villages thought their low populations would protect them from the coronavirus pandemic. The opposite appears to have proved true. Soria, a north-central province that’s one of the least densely peopled places in Europe, has recorded a shocking death rate. Provincial authorities calculate that at least 500 people have died since the start of the outbreak in April. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Anderson High School senior Teyaja Jones, right, poses in her cap and gown and a bandana face cover, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Texas’ stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic have expired and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has eased restrictions on many businesses that have now opened, but school buildings remain closed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
This undated photo shows Melissa Mueller-Douglas and her 7-year-old daughter, Nurah, at their home in Rochester, N.Y. with some of the items they plan to use for a Mother’s Day sleepover. Isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak has led mothers and offspring to find creative ways to celebrate. (Yakub Shabazz via AP)
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, center, arrives to a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May. 5, 2020 and is greeted by committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left. The panel is considering Ratcliffe’s nomination for director of national intelligence. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, center, arrives to a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May. 5, 2020 and is greeted by committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left. The panel is considering Ratcliffe’s nomination for director of national intelligence. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
Musicians from Mariachi groups perform during an event to appeal that authorities allow them to work this upcoming Mother’s Day in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Mariachis have not been able to perform and earn a living since the government ordered in mid-March a national lockdown that includes restrictions on traffic and pedestrian movement to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo / Dolores Ochoa)
Musicians from Mariachi groups perform during an event to appeal that authorities allow them to work this upcoming Mother’s Day in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Mariachis have not been able to perform and earn a living since the government ordered in mid-March a national lockdown that includes restrictions on traffic and pedestrian movement to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo / Dolores Ochoa)
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix, with Tony Stallings, vice president of Integrated Supply Chain at Honeywell. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix, with Tony Stallings, vice president of Integrated Supply Chain at Honeywell. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Members of the Georgia National Guard to clean and disinfect hallways and common areas at Provident Village assisted living and memory care home Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Smyrna, Ga. Despite having no cases among residents or staff the home welcomed the extra help from the guard. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Members of the Georgia National Guard to clean and disinfect hallways and common areas at Provident Village assisted living and memory care home Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Smyrna, Ga. Despite having no cases among residents or staff the home welcomed the extra help from the guard. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
First base umpire Lee Ki-joong wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the new coronavirus calls during a baseball game between Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon, South Korea, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. With umpires fitted with masks and cheerleaders dancing beneath vast rows of empty seats, a new baseball season got underway in South Korea following a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
First base umpire Lee Ki-joong wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the new coronavirus calls during a baseball game between Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon, South Korea, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. With umpires fitted with masks and cheerleaders dancing beneath vast rows of empty seats, a new baseball season got underway in South Korea following a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Roofers work on a home in Salem, Ore., Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has allowed construction to continue under her stay-home order. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
Roofers work on a home in Salem, Ore., Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has allowed construction to continue under her stay-home order. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
FILE- In this file photo dated Monday, May 4, 2020, a statue wears a mask along Trocadero square close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In a study published Tuesday May 5, 2020, in the International Journal of Microbial Agents, doctors at a hospital north of Paris reviewed retrospective samples of 14 patients treated for atypical pneumonia, and say they may have identified a possible case of the new coronavirus dating back to December 2019. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, FILE)
FILE- In this file photo dated Monday, May 4, 2020, a statue wears a mask along Trocadero square close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In a study published Tuesday May 5, 2020, in the International Journal of Microbial Agents, doctors at a hospital north of Paris reviewed retrospective samples of 14 patients treated for atypical pneumonia, and say they may have identified a possible case of the new coronavirus dating back to December 2019. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, FILE)
Kashmiri boxer Eyed Akeel Khan practices inside his house in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 23, 2020. Like many other athletes, the coronavirus pandemic has restricted Khan to his home. But lockdown for the 7 million residents of Kashmir is nothing new and the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic is not the first time he has had to practice his sport at home. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Kashmiri boxer Eyed Akeel Khan practices inside his house in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 23, 2020. Like many other athletes, the coronavirus pandemic has restricted Khan to his home. But lockdown for the 7 million residents of Kashmir is nothing new and the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic is not the first time he has had to practice his sport at home. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
In this April 28, 2020 photo, Eusebio Soria poses for a photo behind a glass door at the entrance of his home as he recovers from the new coronavirus in Cabrejas del Pinar, Spain, in the province of Soria. Soria said that at first his doctor diagnosed him with the flu until his fever wouldn’t go away and he was sent to the hospital where he spent 11 days after being tested positive for the coronavirus. Many in Spain’s small and shrinking villages thought their low populations would protect them from the coronavirus pandemic. The opposite appears to have proved true. Soria, a north-central province that’s one of the least densely peopled places in Europe, has recorded a shocking death rate. Provincial authorities calculate that at least 500 people have died since the start of the outbreak in April. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this April 28, 2020 photo, Eusebio Soria poses for a photo behind a glass door at the entrance of his home as he recovers from the new coronavirus in Cabrejas del Pinar, Spain, in the province of Soria. Soria said that at first his doctor diagnosed him with the flu until his fever wouldn’t go away and he was sent to the hospital where he spent 11 days after being tested positive for the coronavirus. Many in Spain’s small and shrinking villages thought their low populations would protect them from the coronavirus pandemic. The opposite appears to have proved true. Soria, a north-central province that’s one of the least densely peopled places in Europe, has recorded a shocking death rate. Provincial authorities calculate that at least 500 people have died since the start of the outbreak in April. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Anderson High School senior Teyaja Jones, right, poses in her cap and gown and a bandana face cover, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Texas’ stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic have expired and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has eased restrictions on many businesses that have now opened, but school buildings remain closed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Anderson High School senior Teyaja Jones, right, poses in her cap and gown and a bandana face cover, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Texas’ stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic have expired and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has eased restrictions on many businesses that have now opened, but school buildings remain closed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
This undated photo shows Melissa Mueller-Douglas and her 7-year-old daughter, Nurah, at their home in Rochester, N.Y. with some of the items they plan to use for a Mother’s Day sleepover. Isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak has led mothers and offspring to find creative ways to celebrate. (Yakub Shabazz via AP)
This undated photo shows Melissa Mueller-Douglas and her 7-year-old daughter, Nurah, at their home in Rochester, N.Y. with some of the items they plan to use for a Mother’s Day sleepover. Isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak has led mothers and offspring to find creative ways to celebrate. (Yakub Shabazz via AP)
President Donald Trump visited a Honeywell mask factory in Arizona, but ignored guidelines to wear a mask. So did senior White House staff and Honeywell executives. Trump’s visit, meant to promote his message that it’s time to reopen the economy, came amid ominous signs for the country’s battle against the coronavirus.
An Associated Press analysis found that if the New York metropolitan area’s progress against the virus is removed from the equation, the rest of the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction, with the infection rate rising. Trump acknowledged that some people will “be affected badly” by the lifting of stay-at-home orders and other restrictions.
Elsewhere, Britain on Tuesday became the first country in Europe to confirm more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths, and infections rose sharply again in Russia. China and South Korea each reported only two fresh coronavirus cases.
Here are some of AP’s top stories Tuesday on the world’s coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
— A senior U.S. government scientist alleged in a whistleblower complaint Tuesday that the Trump administration failed to prepare for the onslaught of the coronavirus. Dr. Rick Bright also alleges he was reassigned to a lesser role because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by Trump as a treatment for COVID-19. The drug has not been proven to be effective and regulators have warned doctors not to prescribe it.
— America’s least-populated states are scoring big when it comes to getting federal aid. Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming got an outsized proportion of the $150 billion that was supposed to address coronavirus-related expenses. When measured by the number of positive COVID-19 tests, Alaska got nearly $3.4 million per test, according to an Associated Press analysis. New York, the hardest-hit state, received about $24,000 per positive test.
— In Brazil, the capital of tropical Maranhão state and three neighboring cities ground largely to a halt Tuesday, becoming the first major Brazilian areas to enter a lockdown. Some 1.5 million people are confined to their homes under a decree from Gov. Flávio Dino that will last 10 days and comes despite President Jair Bolsonaro’s insistence that only the elderly and other high-risk populations should stay home.
— Major U.S. automakers are planning to reopen North American factories within two weeks, potentially putting thousands of workers back on the assembly line. Fiat Chrysler said it plans to start reopening factories May 18, though that depends on an easing of government restrictions. The United Auto Workers union appears to be on board.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.
One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.
You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how.
TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.
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ONE NUMBER:
— 2: The number of hits given up by former Detroit Tigers pitcher Warwick Saupold in his complete-game shutout for the Hanwha Eagles as baseball returned to empty stadiums in South Korea.
IN OTHER NEWS:
— DON’T FORGET MOM: Mother’s Day this year is a mix of love and extra imagination as families do without their usual brunches and huggy meet-ups. As the pandemic persists in keeping families indoors or a safe social distance apart, online searches have increased for creative ways to still make moms feel special.
— CINEMA MACHINE: The coronavirus has brought back something unseen in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution: a drive-in movie theater. Once decried by revolutionaries for allowing too much privacy for unmarried young couples, a drive-in theater now operates from a parking lot right under Tehran’s iconic Milad tower, showing a film in line with the views of hard-liners.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak