San Francisco Confirms First 2 Cases, Patients Infected Via ‘Community Transmission’; Washington Reports 50% Jump: Live Updates
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Thu, 03/05/2020
Summary:
San Francisco mayor reports first 2 cases in the city
New Jersey confirms first presumptive case
NY state cases double to 22
Washington state reports another 20 cases
Seattle closes 26 schools
Pentagon tracking 12 possible COVID-19 cases
35 passengers aboard ‘Grand Princess’ showing flu-like symptoms
Another senior Iranian figure dies
Illinois reports 5 more cases
NYC reports 2 more cases, raising total to 4
Italy postpones referendum vote; death toll hits 148
WHO’s Tedros: “Now’s the time to pull out the stops”
Tennessee confirms case
Nevada confirms first case
New Delhi closes primary schools
EU officials weigh pushing retired health-care workers back into service to combat virus
Italy to ask EU for permission to raise budget deficit as lawmakers approve €7.5 billion euros
Beijing tells residents not to share food
30-year-old Chinese man dies in Wuhan 5 days after hospital discharge
Cali authorities tell ‘Grand Princess’ cruise ship not to return to port until everyone is tested
Global case total passes 95k
Lebanon sees cases double to 31
France deaths climb to 7, cases up 138 to 423
EY sends 1,500 Madrid employees home after staffer catches virus
Trump says he has a “hunch” true virus mortality rate is closer to 1%
Switzerland reports 1st death
South Africa confirms 1st case
UK chief medical officer confirms ‘human-to-human’ infections are happening in UK
UK case total hits 115
Google, Apple, Netflix cancel events
HSBC sends research department and part of London trading floor home
Facebook contract infected in Seattle
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix cancel events and/or ask employees to work from home
Netherlands cases double to 82
Spain cases climb 40, 1 new death
Belgium reports 27 new cases bringing total to 50
Germany adds 87 cases bringing total to 349
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Update (1450ET): VP Mike Pence said Thursday that the Coast Guard had delivered coronavirus tests to the ‘Grand Princess’ cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco. Pence also admitted during an update from the White House task force that the CDC doesn’t have enough tests to meet anticipated demand going forward, while HHS Secretary Azar said earlier that 75,000 test kits would be shipped by the end of the week.
This is really not helping the administration deflect criticisms that it failed to adequately prepare for the virus.
Meanwhile, Seattle and King County have just reported another 20 cases of Covid-19, increasing the total in the state of Washington by nearly 50%.
Iranian diplomat Hossein Sheikholeslam, a former member of parliament and Iran’s former ambassador to Syria and current advisor to the foreign minister has died of coronavirus, becoming the latest senior government figure to die from the virus.
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Update (1450ET): This is extremely savage, even for Iran.
The Saudi government denounced Iran on Thursday for allowing several Saudi citizens to enter the country without stamping their passports, a move that was likely deliberately intended to spread the virus to Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief political and military rival in the region.
SAUDI ARABIA DENOUNCES IRAN FOR GRANTING SAUDI CITIZENS ENTRY WITHOUT STAMPING THEIR PASSPORTS AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK -STATEMENT
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Update (1430ET): The $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus funding package has passed the Senate, following a tweet from President Trump last night urging lawmakers to pass it, claiming he would sign it once it hit his desk. Presumably, that’s still the plan.
According to CNN, the agreement provides $7.8 billion in appropriations to address the outbreak of coronavirus as well as an authorization for $500 million in mandatory spending to finance a telehealth program intended to expand access to diagnostic services.
In other news: Mayor Breed has confirmed that the two cases in San Francisco are examples of community transmission, and are unrelated, suggesting that a larger outbreak is already underway in the city. The first patient is a man in his 90s who is in serious condition with underlying health conditions. The second person is a woman in her 40s who is in fair condition.
Gav. Newsom and the CDC, meanwhile, said they’re still working to find “the best location” for the “Grand Princess” to dock as 35 passengers are reportedly exhibiting flu-like symptoms, though at least two said earlier that they were tested and cleared.
Oddly, in other news, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said Thursday that SARS drugs could be used to treat the coronavirus, before adding that the outbreak will have only a ‘marginal’ impact on oil demand.
Mr. Secretary, this is not the time to be talking your book.
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