A woman wears a face mask as she waits on the subway after the first confirmed case of coronavirus was announced in New York State in New York, March 2, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.
All times below are in Eastern time.
Global cases: At least 91,300, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Global deaths: At least 3,110, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
US cases: At least 91, according to the CDC.
US deaths: At least 6, according to the CDC and state health officials.
11 am: Shoppers are loading up supplies online
Late Monday, Instacart said its growth rate over the past 72 hours surged 10 times its normal pace. In California, Washington, Oregon and New York, the growth is even faster, 20 times the normal volume. Searches for hand sanitizer are up 23% week over week, Instacart said. Vitamins are the second most searched item and those searches have risen 12% week over week. Rounding out the top five most searched items are powdered milk, face masks and canned goods. —Reagan
10:33 am: Top CDC official tells Congress coronavirus almost qualifies as a global pandemic
The World Health Organization will likely deem the COVID-19 coronavirus a global pandemic once sustained person-to-person spread takes hold outside China, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said. The current outbreak already meets two of the three main criteria under the technical designation of a pandemic, Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said in prepared remarks to be presented before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. “It is a new virus, and it is capable of person-to-person spread,” she said. “If sustained person-to-person spread in the community takes hold outside China, this will increase the likelihood that the WHO will deem it a global pandemic.” —Lovelace
South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear walk on a street in front of the city hall after the rapid rise in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease of (COVID-19) in Daegu, southeast of the capital Seoul, South Korea, March 2, 2020.
Kim Kyung-Hoon | Reuters
10:10 am: Stocks surge after the Fed cuts rates by half a point
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point, immediately reversing a more than 300-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Dow swung to a 371-point gain in intraday trading. Markets had priced in a 0.5% rate cut for the central bank’s meeting next month. The move comes after the G-7 said in a statement earlier on Tuesday they will use policy tools to curb an economic slowdown. However, the statement contained no specific actions. —Kopecki, Imbert
10:01 am: Apple iPhone chip supplier lowers guidance
Qorvo, a radio frequency chip supplier for Apple’s iPhones, lowered its fourth-quarter revenue expectations to $770 million. The company predicted revenue of $800 million to $840 million on Jan. 29. “The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the smartphone supply chain and customer demand more than anticipated,” Qorvo said. “The full impact of COVID-19 remains difficult to forecast given the uncertainty of the magnitude, duration and geographic reach of the outbreak,” according to a press release. —Bursztynsky
9:52 am: WHO officials hold press conference
World Health Organization officials are holding a press conference at 10:30 a.m. ET to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more that 91,300 people and killed at least 3,110 across the world. WHO official announced Monday that number of new coronavrius cases outside China was almost 9 times higher than that inside the country over the last 24 hours. They of the coronavirus Friday to “very high” at the global level, its highest warning. In January, it declared the virus a global health emergency, while urging the public against over-reacting to the virus.Watch the live press conference here. —Higgins-Dunn
9:24 am: New York state confirms second case
A man north of New York City is hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus, the second confirmed case in the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Cuomo told Long Island radio station 103.9 that the unidentified man from Westchester County commuted to work in Manhattan and lives in a home with school-age children. Cuomo said the man apparently had an underlying respiratory illness and no known travel history to China or other countries on the virus watch list. The governor said more cases are expected as the outbreak spreads and testing ramps up. “You cannot contain the spread. You can slow it, you can limit it, but you cannot contain the spread,” Cuomo told reporters at a press conference. “It is inevitable that it will continue to spread.” –Associated Press
9 am: New York City -area high schools close after suspected local case
At least two New York area high schools closed after a suspected case of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the local community. SAR Academy and SAR High School said in a statement that it was a precautionary measure, following guidelines from the New York City Department of Health. The school is located in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale, according to its website. It’s a modern orthodox Jewish High School, according to its Facebook page. Another Jewish school outside New York City, Westchester Day School, also announced it would be closed Tuesday due to the potential case at SAR. Westchester Torah Academy was also reportedly closing. —Lovelace, Higgins-Dunn
8:48 am: Vietnam hand wash dance challenge goes viral
A public service announcement on proper hand hygiene in Vietnam has become an internet sensation after a video was posted on TikTok of two dancers enacting the lyrics of the song. “The song’s incredible,” comedian John Oliver said on Monday night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” adding that “Sesame Street” character Ernie’s “Rubber Duckie” song on bath hygiene pales by comparison. The lyrics to the song for the Vietnam coronavirus dance challenge are: “Wash our hands, rub, rub, rub, rub evenly. Do not touch eyes, nose, mouth. And limit visits to crowded places. Push back the virus Corona, Corona,” according to the show’s translation of the song. —Kopecki
8:05 am: Japan indicates Olympics could be delayed
Japan’s Olympics minister says the country’s contract to hold the Tokyo Games only specifies the event has to be held during 2020. Seiko Hashimoto’s response to a question in the upper house of parliament implies the Olympics could be held later in the year and would not have to start on July 24 as planned. —Associated Press
7:52 am: Visa warns of revenue hit due to outbreak
Visa warned that its second-quarter revenue growth would be slower than its previous forecast, becoming the latest payments services provider to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The company said it expects current-quarter revenue growth to be 2.5 to 3.5 percentage points lower than its previous forecast of low double-digit growth when compared with the first quarter. —Reuters
7:37 am: G-7 countries promise to use policy tools but offer no specific actions to combat coronavirus
Officials of most of the world’s largest economies pledged on Tuesday a united front in the battle against the novel coronavirus scare but offered no specific actions. “Given the potential impacts of COVID-19 on global growth, we reaffirm our commitment to use all appropriate policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable growth and safeguard against downside risks,” the G-7 statement said. —Cox
7:23 am: Trump asks Fed for ‘big cut’ after Australia slashes rates on virus impact
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at the White House in Washington, February 29, 2020.
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
7:17 am: Head of Iran’s emergency medical services reportedly infected
The head of Iran’s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, has been infected with coronavirus, the ILNA news agency reported. Kolivand’s “health is good and there is no need for concern,” the office said in a statement, according to ILNA. Seventy-seven people in Iran have died from coronavirus and 2,336 have been infected, Iran’s Health Ministry announced Tuesday. —Reuters
7:08 am: FDA and CDC boost supply of masks for health-care professionals
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broadened the types of masks health-care workers can use to include “industrial” masks amid reports of a nationwide shortage and price gouging. The FDA granted the CDC’s request for an emergency use authorization to allow health providers use masks that previously were only approved for industrial settings. The move broadens the category of masks that doctors and nurses are approved to use in a health-care setting. “The FDA and CDC’s action to allow a wider range of respirators to be used in health-care settings will help those on the front lines of this outbreak and their patients, which will keep all Americans safe,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “We will continue pursuing every possible avenue to secure the protective gear needed for responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.” —Feuer
5:46 am: UK government publishes ‘battle plan’ to tackle spread of coronavirus
Britain’s government unveiled its plans to tackle the spread of the virus, warning that up to a fifth of the workforce could be off sick during a peak period. “Given that the data are still emerging, we are uncertain of the impact of an outbreak on business. In a stretching scenario, it is possible that up to one fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks. This may vary for individual businesses,” the government said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that in the worst possible scenario, the army is ready to step in. Johnson warned on Monday that there could be a “very significant expansion” of the outbreak among the population. Currently, there are 39 cases of the virus in the U.K. —Ellyatt
4:38 am: Bank of England governor says its role is to help UK through ‘an economic shock’
4:01 am: Germany’s number of coronavirus cases rises
The number of confirmed cases rose in Germany to 188, up from 157 on Monday afternoon, according to the country’s RKI health institute. Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn warned last week of a potential epidemic in the country. —Ellyatt
4 am: Beijing, Shanghai step up restrictions on travelers from overseas
Two of China’s largest cities and the province of Guangdong that borders Hong Kong and Macau announced that visitors from countries severely hit by the new coronavirus must quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival. These countries include South Korea, Italy and Japan. The requirement applies to Chinese and non-Chinese residents. Previously, travelers who had not been in mainland China prior to arrival in Beijing did not have to self-quarantine. —Cheng
Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through the year 2032.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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