US tops more than 750,000 cases as Trump says he will use DPA to increase medical swabs – CNBC

The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus outbreak, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team.

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

All times below are in Eastern time.

President Donald Trump shows a packaging containing a swab to be used for coronavirus testing during the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. on April 19, 2020.

Alexander Drago I Reuters

The total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. is currently at755,533, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The virus has now killed more than 40,000 people in the U.S., nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe, according to JHU data.

New York, the current epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., is recording over 500 deaths a day. President Donald Trump said at a press conference that his administration is looking at helping rural hospitals which have been hurt very badly. He also said he was going to use the Defense Production Act to increase swab production at one facility amid coronavirus testing shortage. The president's announcement comes after governors demanded federal help to ramp up testing across the U.S. Riya Bhattacharjee, Noah Higgins-Dunn

Ireland is highly unlikely to allow large gatherings this year and the "cocooning" of people over 70 years old in their homes may persist for quite a while, Health Minister Simon Harris said on Sunday.

"What's not going to come back quickly are scenarios in which we can't safely socially distance," Harris told the Sunday Independent newspaper in an interview. "I can't see how people can be in packed pubs again as long as this virus is still with us and we don't have a vaccine or an effective treatment."

Ireland's chief medical officer declared on Thursday that the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak had been contained in the population at large. That raised hopes that stay-at-home restrictions could begin to be rolled back from May 5.

But Harris cautioned that any easing back of the most severe constraints will be done on a slow and phased basis. "I'd like to see a situation where you could expand somewhat the areas in which people can go beyond their home," he said.Reuters

Neiman Marcus is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, becoming the first major U.S. department store operator to succumb to the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, people familiar with the matter said.

The debt-laden Dallas-based company has been left with few options after the pandemic forced it to temporarily shut all 43 of its Neiman Marcus locations, roughly two dozen Last Call stores and its two Bergdorf Goodman stores in New York.

Neiman Marcus is in the final stages of negotiating a loan with its creditors totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, which would sustain some of its operations during bankruptcy proceedings, according to the sources. It has also furloughed many of its roughly 14,000 employees.Reuters

Health ministers from the Group of 20 major economies discussed weaknesses in health systems that made the world vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak and other pandemics, a statement said after a virtual meeting on Sunday.

The Saudi G20 secretariat said that the ministers shared their national experiences, addressed necessary actions to improve preparedness and discussed systemic weaknesses exposed by the pandemic.

"Health Ministers recognised that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted systemic weaknesses in health systems," the statement said. "It also has shown vulnerabilities in the global community's ability to prevent and respond to pandemic threats."

The statement said the ministers adopted preventative measures to contain the pandemic, but did not elaborate.

A planned virtual news conference was cancelled as Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah had to attend "an urgent Covid-19 KSA (Saudi) taskforce meeting." Saudi Arabia is the current chair of the G20.

In opening remarks provided via video to media, Rabiah said urgent actions included the need for collaboration and engagement of global organisations for coordinated responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with an emphasis on supporting countries in need, and investing in research and discovery to produce technology, tools, vaccines and therapies.Reuters

United Airlines has struck a deal with an Asian aircraft leasing firm to sell and then lease back 22 aircraft. Neither United nor the Bank of China Aviation revealed the financial terms of the deal announced Sunday morning.

The move will help United conserve cash and give its balance sheet greater flexibility as it faces mounting losses due to coronavirus causing a global plunge in airline travel.

Earlier this week, United CEO Oscar Munoz said business has essentially dropped to zero. "We expect to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than we did on a single day in May 2019," Munoz wrote in a note to employees outlining plans to cut its schedule by 90% in May.Phil LeBeau

A nurse wipes away tears as she stands outside NYU Langone Medical Center on 1st Avenue in Manhattan as New York Police Department (NYPD) Mounted Police and other units came to cheer and thank healthcare workers at 7pm during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City,

Mike Segar | Reuters

The coronavirus has now killed more than 40,000 people in the U.S., nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus has infected more than 735,000 people in the U.S., the most of any country. While the number of deaths continues to climb, President Donald Trump has said that officials now expect the total death toll to be "substantially under" initial estimates, which indicated the U.S. could see at least 100,000 deaths from Covid-19.

The number of deaths in New York, the epicenter of the outbreak in the nation, have been on the decline in the past week, although the state is still recording over 500 deaths a day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Globally, more than 162,000 people have died from the virus.Noah Higgins-Dunn

Local fishermen (L) offer a container with food to other fishermen, who said they were refused entry at two ports after a nationwide lockdown was imposed to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), after they travelled in the Arabian Sea to reach their home state of Maharashtra from the western state of Gujarat, in Dahanu, Palghar district, Maharashtra, India, April 17, 2020.

Prashant Waydande | Reuters

India's Maharashtra state, the country's largest regional economy, will allow a limited number of sectors to resume business on Monday, after a weeks-long shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus left millions out of work.

Maharashtra, home to financial centre Mumbai, has the biggest share of India's caseload of 15,713 infections, including a large number now ripping through its densely-packed slums.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told a news conference on Sunday that some activity would be permitted in the least-affected parts of the state while observing a strict lockdown in the red zones that have the maximum number of cases.

"We need to start the economic wheels again. We are giving selective permissions from tomorrow, especially in orange zones and green zones," he said, referring to areas with lower levels of infection.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the nationwide lockdown that began late last month until May 3, but the federal government has allowed states to restart activity as amid economic distress in rural areas.Reuters

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives his a press briefing about the coronavirus crisis on April 17, 2020 in Albany, New York.

Matthew Cavanaugh | Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that the state plans to roll out antibody testing this week to determine who has been infected with Covid-19, conducting the "largest survey of any state population that has been done."

Cuomo said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the state's antibody test, which is designed to detect whether a person has developed the antibodies to fight Covid-19 and indicates they may be immune against the disease, and said the state will conduct "thousands" of tests this week.

"We'll take thousands of tests, antibody tests, over this next week all across the state to give us a real snapshot, a real baseline, of exactly how many people were infected by coronavirus and have the antibodies," Cuomo said. "So we'll have the first real statistical number on exactly where we are as a population."

The antibody tests will give the state its "first true snapshot" of how many people in the state have been infected with Covid-19, Cuomo said. Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, later tweeted that the state antibody testing will begin on Monday and will sample 3,000 people.Noah Higgins-Dunn

Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said the problems surrounding the delayed coronavirus tests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control at the beginning of the nation's outbreak were resolved by early February.

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that the CDC's coronavirus testing kits were delayed due to "a glaring scientific breakdown" at the agency's central lab. The error was "devastating to the country" and "really a terrible black mark on the CDC," James Le Duc, a former CDC officer, told The Post.

Pence, speaking with NBC's "Meet the Press," said he saw the reports but believes the issues surrounding that particular test were resolved by early February. He added that those "slow, lab-based tests" that are typically conducted by the CDC and the states' public health labs would "never have been able to meet the testing in this coronavirus epidemic."Noah Higgins-Dunn

Wynn Resorts Chief Executive Officer Matt Maddox on Sunday called on the Nevada governor to begin to reopen the Las Vegas Strip in mid- to late May with extensive safety measures in place, assuming the state is in line with certain benchmarks around the spread of the coronavirus.

In an opinion column published on the Nevada Independent news website, Maddox said Governor Steve Sisolak should reopen parts of the local economy in early May.

"Begin with reduced occupancy, physical distancing measures in place, temperature checks and no large gatherings," Maddox wrote. "We all need to wear a mask."

He also laid out Wynn's health and safety guidelines for reopening, which include allowing a maximum of four people to ride in an elevator at one time; and requiring guests to enter the resort through doors that are either propped open, are automated or manually operated by an employee.

Sisolak ordered all casinos and other nonessential businesses in the state to close for 30 days beginning March 18. He extended that order until April 30, and last week said he has no specific date for when nonessential businesses might be allowed to reopen.In Nevada, there have been at least 3,725 people confirmed to have the coronavirus and 155 deaths.Reuters

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said that the state is "past the high point" of coronavirus cases as data shows a decline in the rate of infection."If the data holds and if this trend holds, we are past the high point and all indications at this point are that we are on a descent," Cuomo said at a press briefing.

"We are on the other side of the plateau and the numbers are coming down."The governor said that 507 people died of the virus in New York in the last 24 hours, down from 540 deaths reported on Saturday, which marks the state's lowest daily death toll in over two weeks.Still, 1,300 people were hospitalized on Saturday Cuomo said. At least 13,869 people have died in New York, the epicenter of the virus."It's no time to get cocky, and it's no time to get arrogant," Cuomo said. "We still have a long, long way to go and a lot of work to do." Emma Newburger

Coronavirus patient Maria Josefa Arias, 76, is lifted into an Ambuiberica ambulance by her son Ander Maria Dominguez Arias and emergency technician Marisa Arguello de Paula during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Llodio, Spain, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Vincent West TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Vincent West | Reuters

Spain's death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak rose by 410 on Sunday, the lowest daily increase in about a month in one of the world's hardest hit countries, prompting cautious optimism from the government that the figures are on a downward path.

The daily increase in deaths was the lowest since March 22. It is far below the highest daily increase - 950 deaths reported on April 2 - in a sign of a slowdown of the spread of the virus after Spain imposed a strict lockdown in mid-March.

The total number of deaths reached 20,453 on Sunday, the Health Ministry said. It is the third-highest toll worldwide after the United States and Italy.

The overall number of coronavirus cases rose to 195,944 from 191,726 on Saturday. Health workers account for 15.6% of those infected, health emergency chief Fernando Simon told a press briefing.

"Data confirms the breaking of the curve, even with an increased number of tests," said health minister Salvador Illa, referring to the evolution of the death toll. "It is still a difficult stage, but we are going in the right direction".

Spain is conducting around 40,000 coronavirus tests daily, one of the highest numbers among European countries, Illa said. Close to a million tests had been conducted as of April 13.Reuters

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo renewed his call to the federal government for $500 billion in aid to the country's state and local governments whose funding has been exhausted from the coronavirus outbreak. The National Governors Association, a bipartisan group of U.S. governors, has called on Congress to allocate relief funding for state governments to offset drastic revenue shortfalls. Previous relief funding legislation didn't provide funding to offset the states' drastic revenue shortfalls, and any lack of future aid could result in reduced funding for schools, police and fire departments, transit systems and even hospitals, Cuomo said.

He said that New York is looking at cutting education funding by nearly 50%, as well as funding cuts for the state's hospitals. "You're talking about cuts to hospitals from the state," Cuomo said. "I mean how ludicrous would it be to now cut hospital funding from state governments?" On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the White House and Congress could reach a deal today on supplemental funding for the Paycheck Protection Program to provide additional funding for small businesses, although money for state and local governments will not be included in the package. Mnuchin said President Trump is prepared to discuss funding for state and local governments in the next bill.Noah Higgins-Dunn

Firefighters and paramedics with Anne Arundel County Fire Department transport a patient experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on April 13, 2020 in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Alex Edelman | AFP | Getty Images

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and chair of theNational Governors Association, dismissed as "absolutely false" Trump administration claims that states have adequate coronavirus testing capacity to begin gradually reopening their economies.

Hogan, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," described the lack of testing as the biggest problem in the nation since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. The Maryland governor said he has "repeatedly" made that argument on behalf of America's governors on both sides of the political aisle to leaders in Washington.

"The administration I think is trying to ramp up testing, they are doing some things with respect to private labs, but to try to push this off to say that the governors have plenty of testing and they should just to get to work on testing, somehow we are not doing our job is just absolutely false," said Hogan, who once considered challenging Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination.Anna Hecht

The coronavirus situation in France is improving "slowly but surely," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, while warning that the health crisis was far from over.

Philippe said there were signals that pressures on hospitals were easing, after the number of people in intensive care dropped for several days in a row.

France, which has recorded close to 20,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, has been in virtual lockdown for nearly five weeks, but is due to start easing some confinement measures from May 11.

Philippe said that an economic crisis was only just starting as a result of the outbreak, adding that it would be "brutal."Reuters

Pope Francis leads the Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica with no public participation due to the outbreak of coronavirus at the Vatican

Remo Casilli I Reuters

Pope Francis is urging the faithful to use the coronavirus pandemic's "time of trial" to prepare for a future where inequalities are abolished and the poorest are no longer left behind.

"This is not some ideology," Francis said. "It is Christianity."

Francis traveled a few blocks outside the Vatican walls on Sunday to celebrate Mass at a nearby church to mark a special feast day dedicated to mercy. Only a few priests were in the pews given Italy's strict virus lockdown.

While people infected with the coronavirus often experience mild or moderate symptoms, possible complications like pneumonia can put their lives at risk.

In his homily, Francis said the grave, global toll of the pandemic has reminded the world that there are no borders between those who suffer, no differences in nationalities among those who are struck or spared.

"We are all frail, all equal, all precious," he said.

"May we be profoundly shaken by what is happening all around us," he said from the altar of the Santo Spirito church. "The time has come to eliminate inequalities, to heal the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family!"Associated Press

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 433 on Sunday, the lowest daily tally in a week, and the number of new cases also slowed to 3,047 from a previous 3,491, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The death toll had risen by 482 on Saturday, down from 575 on Friday.

The daily tallies of deaths and cases extend the broadly stable situation in place over the last two weeks.

This plateau is down considerably from peaks reached around the end of March, but the downtrend has not proceeded as fast as was hoped in a country that has been in lockdown for almost six weeks.

Sunday's number of deaths marked the lowest daily rise since April 12, when it came in at 431, before rising again during the week.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 rose to 23,660, the second highest in the world after that of the United States. Total confirmed cases stood at 178,972.Reuters

A "Temporarily Closed" sign hangs in the window of Nordstrom Inc. store in the Midtown neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Friday, March 20, 2020.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

America's department stores are on a sinking ship, racing for a lifeboat that might not be big enough for all of them.

ForJ.C. Penney,the bankruptcy clock is ticking after it skipped a mid-April interest payment. Its turnaround plans have been sidelined bythe coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the closure of all of its stores.Macy's, with liquidity drying up, hastapped advisors at investment bank Lazard and law firm Kirkland & Ellis to explore options that include new financing.Nordstromin early April raised $600 million by placing a handful of its real estate assets into a separate company and borrowing against the new entity by issuing bonds.

High-end department store chain Neiman Marcus also on April 15 missed a payment on some of its bonds, according to a letter sent to the retailer's board from Marble Ridge Capital, which owns a significant portion of the $137.7 million in bonds that mature in October 2021. Neiman Marcusnow has until the middle of Mayto make the interest payment. After that, pending no payment, the company could be pushed into bankruptcy court by its bondholders.

The company is currently preparing to seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week,Reuters reported Sunday morning.

A spokesperson for Neiman Marcus declined to comment.Lauren Thomas

Thecoronavirusepidemic has so ravaged travel, live entertainment and physical retail that companies across those industries have frozen their marketing, causing ad prices to plunge.

Meanwhile, online beauty brandInsert Name Hereis generating so much business that it's snapping up ad space at a discount.

Based in Los Angeles, Insert Name Here sells hair extensions and wigs, which are in high demand now that women are unable to visit their hairstylists. To reach all those consumers who are stuck at home, Insert Name Here is working with social media influencers to create do-it-yourself styling videos for Instagram as well asFacebook, Tik Tok,Snapchatand YouTube.

Kevin Gould, Insert Name Here's co-founder, said prices for digital ads are currently down by about 35%, and the company has bolstered its spending, which is in the millions of dollars a year, by about 50% to 100%.Ari Levy, Megan Graham

The cruise ship Costa Deliziosa is anchored off the Greek island of Mykonos in the Aegean Sea June 13, 2019.

Soeren Stache | picture alliance | Getty Images

Passengers on a luxury liner's around-the-world cruise, begun before the globe was gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, are finally approaching the end of their odyssey after 15 weeks at sea.

The ship, the Costa Deliziosa, was heading Sunday toward a port in Spain before ending its journey in Italy both countries devastated by the coronavirus outbreak.

Costa Crociere, an Italian cruise company, said that the Deliziosa, which set sail from Venice in early January with 1,831 passengers, had no cases of COVID-19 aboard.

Read this article:

US tops more than 750,000 cases as Trump says he will use DPA to increase medical swabs - CNBC