U.S. coronavirus cases surge by over 10,000 in three days

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has surged from over 6,362 as of Tuesday to more than 19,000, per the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. 141 people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 in the last 72 hours — from Tuesday to Friday.

The latest: Illinois and California issued statewide stay-at-home orders this week, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday the state’s entire workforce must stay home. Non-essential businesses in Connecticut must close at 8 p.m. on Monday to combat the virus.

---

Between the lines: Testing capacity for the coronavirus has expanded in the U.S. as more commercial labs pledge to up production. More available tests means that more COVID-19 cases will be discovered and reported.

The big picture: All 50 U.S. states have reported cases of the novel coronavirus, after West Virginia announced its first case on Tuesday. There are now 8 positive cases in the state, as of Friday.

• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a White House briefing Friday that beginning this weekend, the U.S.-Mexico border will close for all non-essential travel for at least the next 30 days.
• As the Senate was passing a “Phase 2” stimulus package Wednesday to address the coronavirus, the White House and leaders on Capitol Hill pushed ahead on a “Phase 3” deal that would pump an additional $1 trillion into the economy.
• Schools across the U.S have closed classrooms and switched to remote learning —including West Virginia, which ordered statewide closures.

Zoom in: 163 new cases were reported in Illinois over 24 hours, with the latest data published on Friday.

• Washington, D.C. reported its first death related to the coronavirus on Friday.
• As West Virginia announced its first case on Tuesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said in a statement that he learned as of a day earlier, 84 tests had been carried out and only 500 tests available were available, which he called “unacceptable.”

Go deeper: How Asian countries are beating back the coronavirus

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. Check back for the latest.

Source: https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-west-virginia-first-case-ac32ce6d-5523-4310-a219-7d1d1dcb6b44.html
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Rebecca Falconer

! #Headlines, #Axios, #CoronaVirus, #Health, #Newsfeed, #syndicated, news