Coronavirus updates: New York cases soar to over 25,000 as India locks down its 1.3 billion people
- Global cases: More than 387,382
- Global deaths: At least 16,767
- US cases: At least 46,450
- US deaths: At least 593
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a “total lockdown” in the country of 1.3 billion people during a televised address, the most extensive stay-at-home order yet in the world’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The 21-day lockdown was set to begin at midnight.
“To save India and every Indian, there will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi said, adding that if the county failed to manage the next 21 days, it would be set back by 21 years. —Associated Press
‘Troubling and astronomical’ coronavirus cases increase urgency for hospital beds, New York Gov. Cuomo says
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a “troubling and astronomical” number of coronavirus cases have increased the urgency across the state for more hospital beds as the pace of new infections rises at a rapid clip. Cases soared across the state to 25,665, Cuomo said.
“We’re not slowing it and it is accelerating on its own,” Cuomo said at a press conference. He said the state is now projecting it will need more hospital beds and a lot sooner than previously thought. The state now estimates it will need 140,000 hospital beds, up from previous projections of 110,000. “That apex could be, they project, 14 to 21 days away.” —Wiliam Feuer, Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Noah Higgins-Dunn
Total number of Italian coronavirus cases could be ’10 times higher’ than known tally, according to one official
The number of coronavirus cases in Italy is probably 10 times higher than the official tally, the head of the agency collating the data said as the government readied new measures to force people to stay at home.
“A ratio of one certified case out of every 10 is credible,” Angelo Borrelli, the head of the Civil Protection Agency, told La Repubblica newspaper, indicating he believed as many as 640,000 people could have been infected.
Italy has seen more fatalities than any other country, with latest figures showing that 6,077 people have died from the infection in barely a month, while the number of confirmed cases has hit 64,000. However, testing for the disease has often been limited to people seeking hospital care, meaning that thousands of infections have certainly gone undetected. —Reuters
Gilead’s potential treatment gets FDA’s orphan drug label
Gilead Sciences’ experimental drug remdesivir, seen as one of the more promising potential treatments for the coronavirus, received the orphan drug designation on Monday from the Food and Drug Administration. The announcement comes days after President Donald Trump called on the FDA to streamline its approval process for treatments such as remdesivir, which is currently being tested in clinical trials, with results expected as early as next month. The orphan drug status provides a seven-year market exclusivity period, as well as tax and other incentives for drug companies developing treatments for rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people. —Reuters
China to lift lockdown on Wuhan city, the epicenter
Two months after Chinese authorities locked down the city at the center of the outbreak, the end is in sight. Hubei province said that travel restrictions on the capital city of Wuhan will be removed starting April 8, which would end a lockdown that began on Jan. 23. New confirmed virus cases in China have dwindled in the last several days, with nearly all now attributed to travelers returning from overseas. —Evelyn Cheng
Spain reports 6,600 new cases, over 500 dead
A military team enters the Abando Indalecio Prieto Renfe station in Bilbao during disinfection tasks due to the coronavirus crisis on March 23, 2020 in Bilbao, Spain.H. Bilbao | Europa Press News | Getty Images
The number of new cases in Spain jumped Tuesday to 39,673 from 33,089 cases registered on Monday, the health ministry reported. The number of fatalities rose to 2,696 overnight from 2,182, the ministry said. —Reuters
5:41 am: Euro zone business activity suffers largest collapse ever recorded
The euro zone economy suffered “an unprecedented collapse” in business activity in March as the coronavirus outbreak intensified, according to provisional purchasing manager’s index survey data from IHS Markit. The data showed that the “flash” euro zone composite PMI collapsed from 51.6 in February to 31.4 in March. The survey measures business activity in the services and manufacturing sector in the 19-member euro zone. A reading below 50 indicates a contraction. This is the largest monthly fall in business activity since comparable data were first collected in July 1998. The prior low was seen in February 2009, when the index hit 36.2. —Holly Ellyatt
UK wakes up to life under lockdown
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital on March 24, 2020 in London, England.Leon Neal | Getty Images
The U.K. government has tightened restrictions on the British public. As of Tuesday morning, all nonessential public buildings and places are closed, ranging from libraries to churches, outdoor gyms and playgrounds, and all social events including weddings and baptisms have been stopped. The public has been told to stay at home and can now only leave home for essential trips to buy food or medicines, to provide essential care, travel to work if absolutely necessary or to exercise once a day. —Holly Ellyatt
Read CNBC’s coverage from CNBC’s Asia-Pacific and Europe teams overnight here: Britain goes into lockdown; global cases surpass 382,000
