Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the city of Wuhan, COVID-19's epicenter, for the first time since the outbreak of the deadly virus. The city of Wuhan has also closed its final makeshift hospital as the virus's outbreak seems to be relatively contained in China.
As China begins to go back to work, the rest of the world has entered panic mode. Italy has placed all of its citizens under lockdown, schools around the world face closures, a number of countries have issued banning on public gatherings ranging from sporting events to parades, and several movie production companies have delayed the release of major motion pictures to help discourage further spread. So far, the outbreak seems uncontainable and without expiration globally.
Total Confirmed Cases: Over 118,000
Total Deaths: About 4,200
Total Recovered: At least 65,000
What Happened Today:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told Congress that the underinvestment in public health labs has hurt the government's response to the growing outbreaks. "There's not enough equipment, there's not enough people, there's not enough internal capacity, there's no search capacity," Redfield stated. In addition, the CDC has recommended that people over 60 and others with chronic medical conditions prepare for potential long stays at home. "This virus is capable of spreading easily and sustainably from person to person...and there's essentially no immunity against this virus in the populations," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases stated. "It's fair to say that, as the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to this virus."
A number of Airlines, including American
United States President Donald Trump pitched a 0% payroll tax rate to Congressional lawmakers on Tuesday. Trump also assured the public that the situation has been overblown in the U.S. Trump told reporters that the virus, "will go away, just stay calm. Everybody has to be vigilant and has to be careful. But be calm, it's really working out." The White House has also announced it is considering issuing federal assistance to the U.S. shale industry.
Tracking the Spread:
Americas: The United States reported 246 new cases and 4 new deaths Tuesday. Canada announced 3 new cases, Brazil-6, Chile-4, Costa Rica-4, Peru-2, Paraguay-1. Jamaica and Panama have announced their first confirmed cases Tuesday.
Europe: Italy has reported 977 new cases and 168 new deaths, bringing the country's total infections over 10,000. Spain-459 new cases and 5 new deaths, France- 372 new cases and 3 new deaths, Germany-234 new cases, Denmark-172, Switzerland-123 new cases and 1 new death, Norway-117, Sweden- 95, United Kingdom- 52 new cases and 1 new death, Netherlands-61, Austria-51, Belgium-28, Czechia-23, Romania-12, Iceland-11, San Marino-11, Ireland-10, Georgia-8, Finland-7, Greece-5, Poland-5, Albania-4, Estonia-3, Belarus-3, Hungary-3, Portugal-2, Latvia-2, Luxembourg-2, North Macedonia-2, Moldova-2, Croatia, Malta and Channel Islands-1.
Middle East: Iran reported 881 new cases and 54 new deaths, Untied Arab Emirates-15, Lebanon-11, Israel-8, Qatar-6, Kuwait-4, Palestine-4, Pakistan-3, Serbia-3, Azerbaijan-2, Afghanistan and Morocco-1.
Asia: South Korea reported 35 new cases and 5 new deaths. Japan- 51 new cases and 1 new death, China-26 new cases and 17 new deaths, Malaysia-12, India-9, Philippines-9, Indonesia-8, Singapore-6, Hong Kong-5, Brunei-5, Thailand-3, Vietnam-3, Taiwan-2, Bahrain and Cambodia-1. Mongolia has recorded its first case today.
Africa: Tunisia and Burkina Faso-1. Democratic Republic of the Congo reported its first case.
Oceania: Australia reported 10 new cases.
