U.S. Coronavirus Blog: NY Leads World In Cases; Job Losses Soar

This story on coronavirus developments is updated throughout the day with national news and developments from around our network of local Patches. Scroll down for links helpful to day-to-day living and stories on recent developments.

We're All In This Together: Help Patch Help Our Communities

New York State has more coronavirus cases than any country on the planet.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that 159,937 New Yorkers had tested positive and 7,067 lost their lives to complications resulting from the virus. New Yorkers now make up one-third of the more than 452,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States.

The astonishing figure means the Empire State has roughly 7,500 more cases than Spain and 20,000 more than Italy, the latter of which only recently was the global coronavirus hot spot.

Cuomo softened the blow of the painful news slightly by noting state health department data shows hospitalization and ICU admittance rates have continued to drop. New COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped to the lowest number in the state since March 18.

New York Has More Coronavirus Cases Than Any Nation

Thursday also saw the release of another grim jobless report for the United States. One in 10 workers is now without a job, and the country is on track to see its highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression.

About 6.6 million people filed for jobless benefits last week, bringing the three-week total to 16.8 million. The numbers represent the largest and fastest string of job losses on records dating to 1948.

The number of jobless claims shows the staggering economic impact of the coronavirus — the outbreak is believed to have erased nearly one-third of the economy's output in the current quarter. Forty-eight states have closed nonessential businesses. Restaurants, hotels, department stores and countless small businesses have laid off millions as they struggle to pay bills at a time when their revenue has vanished.

U.S. Coronavirus: Unemployment Claims Show 1 In 10 Have Lost Jobs

With so many Americans out of work, it may be hard for us to feel hopeful right now, but President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would like to possibly reopen the economy in the near future.

"Hopefully we're going to be opening up the economy, very very, very, very soon," Trump said in the most recent White House Coronavirus Task Force news briefing.

The president also added that the United States has now completed more than 2 million coronavirus tests, adding that the tests are "highly sophisticated and highly accurate."

"We have, right now, the best testing system in the world," Trump said Thursday.

Trump's hopeful comments about the economy come as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow in the United States, with more than 456,00 confirmed cases and over 16,200 deaths as of Thursday evening.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, acknowledged in Wednesday's White House briefing that the coronavirus mitigation efforts are having a positive effect.

Still, his assessment came with a warning: "Don't get complacent."

In other good news on an international scale Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from intensive care and is now in "stable condition."

While Fauci's message coincides with positive signs coming out of New York, some of the White House's top health experts have identified other U.S. cities as hot spots for the virus in the coming days.

Dr. Deborah Birx, a leading figure in the White House's response to the coronavirus, mentioned in an interview on "Good Morning America" that she was "concerned about" three areas.

"We are concerned about the metro area of Washington and Baltimore. We are concerned right now about the Philadelphia area," Birx said.

Vice President Mike Pence said that Philadelphia residents need to practice social distancing efforts "now more than ever."

Recap: White House Task Force Wednesday Coronavirus Briefing

Don't miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. Also, for updated coverage on national news surrounding coronavirus, sign up for the Patch Across America daily newsletter.

The lower number of hospitalizations in New York could be a good omen for states including Massachusetts, where health officials Wednesday rolled out a new point system that hospitals may use to help doctors and nurses determine whom they should save amid scarce medical resources.

The Crisis Standards of Care recommends hospitals prioritize treatment "to result in the best possible health outcomes for the population as a whole." Essentially, the point system ranks patients based on who is most likely to benefit from intensive care, giving priority to health care workers, pregnant women and those most likely to survive a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Massachusetts on Thursday saw the state's death total pass 500, with 70 deaths over the past 24 hours resulting from COVID-19 complications. Gov. Charlie Baker also announced that the state received another 100 ventilators from the federal stockpile, in addition to five ventilators from Boston Children's Hospital.

Choosing Whom To Save: MA Issues Guidelines For Coronavirus Surge

MA Coronavirus: 70 More Deaths, 2,000+ New Cases

Among states hardest hit is Illinois. On Wednesday, health officials said 82 people had died, bringing the death toll there to more than 400. The state has recorded more than 15,000 cases of the coronavirus.

A disparity has emerged in Illinois' numbers, showing that at least one segment of the population has been overwhelmingly impacted by the virus. Officials say the virus is hitting the state's African American community especially hard. For instance, in Chicago, where African Americans make up less than 30 percent of the population, they account for more than 70 percent of coronavirus deaths.

However, this disparity isn't exclusive to Chicago. Among the cities where black residents have been hard-hit: New York, Detroit, New Orleans and Milwaukee.

Of the victims whose demographic data was publicly shared by officials — nearly 3,300 of the nation’s 13,000 deaths thus far — about 42 percent were African American, according to an Associated Press analysis. African Americans account for roughly 21 percent of the total population in the areas covered by the analysis.

"No one and no community is immune from COVID-19," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted Tuesday. "That said, in too many communities black people appear to be dying at an alarmingly high rate. We must work together to change that."

Outcry Over Racial Data Grows As Virus Slams Black Americans: AP

Over 70 Percent Of Chicago Coronavirus Deaths Are African Americans

While most of the conversation about hospital shortages has revolved around a lack of ventilators and protective equipment for health care workers, yet another new obstacle has emerged in the fight against coronavirus.

Hospitals, particularly those in hard-hit areas such as New York, are running low on the drugs needed to sedate patients on ventilators to keep them alive.

Face Masks For Coronavirus: 3 Ways To Make One In 5 Minutes

• Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance
• Numbers: Latest U.S. Confirmed Cases And Death

NJ Veteran Gets Epic Welcome Home Parade Amid Pandemic

The heartwarming video shows how the Hillsborough community came out to give Lt. Colonel Rob Movshin a parade amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Video: Coronavirus 'Hero In Scrubs' Has Birthday Behind Glass

"We only have words now," said the wife of a Park Slope hospital nurse whose daily exposure to coronavirus keeps him from his family.

Grandma Who Invited Wrong Teen To Thanksgiving Loses Husband

The husband of an Arizona woman who started a holiday tradition in 2016 when she mistakenly texted a stranger and asked him to Thanksgiving dinner has died of complications from the new coronavirus.

Connecticut School, Restaurant, Bar Closures Extended

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Connecticut schools will remain closed well into May because of the coronavirus pandemic.

MI Stay-Home Order Extended As State Hits 1K Coronavirus Deaths

The stay-at-home order in Michigan has been extended as the numbers of statewide coronavirus cases and deaths attributed to the virus continue to rise.

GA Primary Pushed Back Again To June 9 Due To Coronavirus

State officials have again postponed Georgia's primary election, this time until June 9. The announcement was made Thursday from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office.

'Every Day Is A Struggle': A Wisconsin Woman's Coronavirus Story

Thirty-five-year-old Stephanie La Philliph is just one of the many people in Wisconsin with the new coronavirus. This is her story.

Almost 700 Marylanders Warned For Violating Stay-At-Home Order

Since Gov. Larry Hogan issued a stay-at-home executive order March 30, police officers in Maryland have conducted 14,905 compliance checks, arrested 14 people and issued 665 warnings to people who are violating the order.

AR-15 Giveaway To 'Fight Looters' During Pandemic: GOP Candidate

With the coronavirus pandemic spreading, a Georgia Republican running for Congress is giving away a semiautomatic rifle to one "lucky" supporter who can use it to shoot "looting hordes from Atlanta."

Minnesota's 'Stay-At-Home' Order Extended To May 4

Officials say social distancing is pushing out the peak of the disease and allowing the state to continue key preparations for the crisis.

Read More By State:

• Arizona Coronavirus: Cases Top 2,500; 73 Have Died
• Colorado Updates: Stay-At-Home Order Extended
• Connecticut Updates: New Workplace Rules Ordered By Gov.
• D.C.: 5 More Coronavirus Deaths As Positive Cases Climb To 1,440
• Florida Coronavirus Cases Top 15,000; 309 Deaths
• GA Coronavirus Cases Rise Past 10,000, Deaths Nearing 400
• Illinois Coronavirus Update April 9: 15,078 Cases; 462 Deaths
• Massachusetts: Mapping Coronavirus Cases, Town By Town
• Maryland Coronavirus Cases Swell To 5,529
• Michigan: Coronavirus Cases Now Over 20,000
• Minnesota's 'Stay At Home' Order Extended To May 4
• New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
• NY Coronavirus: Peak Hitting Long Island, Hudson Valley
• North Carolina Coronavirus Cases Top 3,600; 65 Deaths
• Ohio: Coronavirus Peak Could See 1,600 New Cases Daily
• Pennsylvania: 'Subtle Flattening Of Curve' Seen, Health Officials Say
• Rhode Island: More Than 200 New Cases, 5 Additional Deaths
• Texas Illness Count Tops 9,000
• Washington's Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 400
• Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases Climb To More Than 2,500, Now 92 Dead

Patch Coronavirus Resources

This article will be updated through the day; please check back in for developments.