March 5 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, James Griffiths, Adam Renton and Emma Reynolds, CNN

Updated 9:36 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020
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1:05 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

Tito's Vodka does not want people using its liquor to make hand sanitizer

The social media team behind Tito's Vodka has been hard at work telling people that its liquor should not be used to make hand sanitizer.

The Austin, Texas, based distillery has fact-checked Twitter users after numerous articles and YouTube videos have surfaced explaining how people can whip up their own hand sanitizer following a strain on supply across the US over coronavirus fears.

"Per the CDC, hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol. Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC. Please see attached for more information," Tito's Vodka has tweeted.

More on DIY hand sanitizer: The World Health Organization has published an official guide to making hand sanitizer. But it's intended for populations that do not have clean water or other medical-grade products in place.

If made correctly, DIY solution could be helpful and even effective. But if made incorrectly, it can be downright harmful.

"I worry about people making their own sanitizer as it will be difficult to make sure that the concentrations are correct," Daniel Parker, assistant professor of public health at the University of California, Irvine, told CNN of the trend.

For hand sanitizer to be effective, it must have at least 60% alcohol content, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read some of the tweets from Tito's Vodka below:

12:58 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

Nevada confirms first case of coronavirus

A Clark County resident is the first “presumed positive” coronavirus case in Nevada, the Southern Nevada Health District announced in a statement.

The patient, a man in his 50s, told health officials he recently traveled to Washington state and Texas, the statement said. 

“The Health District is working with its health care partners and leading the effort to quickly identify close contacts of the patient,” the statement said.

12:57 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

CDC issues guidance on aircraft cleaning during coronavirus outbreak

From Arman Azad

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday recommended that airlines continue to follow “routine operating procedures” for cleaning aircraft during the coronavirus outbreak unless an ill passenger is on board – including those with fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

The recommendations will be updated as more information becomes available, it said.

If symptomatic passengers are identified during or immediately after a flight, the CDC said airlines should follow enhanced cleaning procedures — including personal protective equipment, such as disposable gloves and gowns, for cleaning staff.

Airlines should clean any soft surfaces — such as cloth seats and seat belts — within 6 feet of any ill passenger, the CDC said. That includes removing “visible contamination if present” and using other cleaners.

The CDC also said airlines should disinfect hard surfaces within 6 feet of an ill passenger, including seats and seatbacks, tray tables, seat belt latches, light and air controls, crew call buttons, overhead compartment handles, walls, bulkheads, windows, shades and video monitors. 

Airlines should also clean bathrooms used by symptomatic passengers and dispose of any items that cannot be cleaned, such as pillows.

Additionally, the CDC reminded airlines of their obligation, under US regulations, to report any symptomatic travelers on domestic or international flights to US health officials.

Travelers who must be reported to the CDC include those with a fever that has lasted for more than 48 hours, or travelers with a fever and other signs of illness, such as a cough or difficulty breathing.

12:52 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

New York now has 22 confirmed coronavirus cases, governor says

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

There are 22 confirmed cases of coronavirus across New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday afternoon.

Eleven cases were confirmed overnight, he said.

“Eight of the new cases are connected to the attorney from Westchester,” he said, adding, two of the cases are from New York City and one is from Long Island.

The New York City and Long Island patients are hospitalized.

12:42 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

Iraq confirms 3 new coronavirus cases

Medical staff in protective gear wait for Iraqi passengers returning from Iran at Najaf International Airport on March 5, 2020. 
Medical staff in protective gear wait for Iraqi passengers returning from Iran at Najaf International Airport on March 5, 2020.  Haidar Hamdani/AFP/Getty Images

The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced today the registration of three new coronavirus cases, two in Kirkuk and a third in Wasit province. 

Total confirmed cases in Iraq is 38.

12:35 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

Trump administration looking at how to pay Americans who have to stay home sick 

From CNN's Amanda Watts

Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The White House task force on novel coronavirus is looking at how to help Americans who have to stay home from work because they might have coronavirus.

Dr. Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary for preparedness and response with the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the task force is “looking at ways, in the conversations I've heard have been about small business, and a very critical part of supporting individuals and how they can do that."

"I'm sure they will welcome the opportunity to work with Congress to figure how and ways to basically support individuals who are facing this problem who are challenged," he added.

Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said DHS recognizes the burden that asking employees to stay home imposes both on the business and on the employee – especially for low-income workers. 

Cuccinelli said it’s important for some people to stay home.

"There are some businesses where it's important for everyone else, not just co-workers for that person to stay home. If you're serving food, the customers of that restaurant don't want you to come to work," he said.
12:08 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

US Coast Guard drops test kits onto cruise ship near California

From CNN's Amanda Watts

CDC
CDC

The US Coast Guard is currently dropping novel coronavirus test kits to a cruise ship off the coast of California, said Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security.

"We are right now, literally as we speak flying test kits out to a cruise ship off San Francisco, off California I should say, it's moving up to San Francisco, with Coast Guard helos and PJ's basically dropping onto the ship and bringing kits. And we're going to test, not everybody, a very large number of individuals relative to the ship. So we have full information,” Cuccinelli said.

Cuccinelli, speaking at a Senate Homeland Security hearing on coronavirus, said they’ve been in communication with the cruise ship and have been working with it for days. 

He said they learned a lot of “negative lessons” from how the Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined. Cuccinelli said the initial thought was to hunker down, and that would have worked, but it wasn't done well. 

“First of all, let's be clear about what we learned. That was a bad quarantine. That was not a successful quarantine situation and not just because the virus spread, that was a secondary effect of the bad quarantine,” Cuccinelli said.

The Coast Guard is flying test kits out to the ship, "so we have greater clarity on exactly what we're contending with,” Cuccinelli added. 

12:01 p.m. ET, March 5, 2020

6 US states are not currently testing for novel coronavirus

From CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht

This map shows states and territories with one or more laboratories that have successfully verified and are currently using COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
This map shows states and territories with one or more laboratories that have successfully verified and are currently using COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Credit: APHL/CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a map of US states and territories with one or more labs that are using diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus.

All states are listed as currently testing for coronavirus, except Alabama, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming; those states are listed as being in progress, according to the map.

Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands are all listed as being in progress, as well. The CDC says people should contact their state health departments with questions about testing. The information is provided by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the CDC said today.

The CDC is now generally updating coronavirus case totals by noon on weekdays. CDC’s numbers close out at 4 p.m. ET the day before reporting. The most up-to-date case counts will come from states, CDC officials have said.

CNN’s tally relies on state totals and won’t always match CDC’s count – CNN has already counted at least 163 US cases, including 114 cases in 16 states detected through the US public health system.

According to the update Thursday by the CDC, there are now 149 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of novel coronavirus in the United States.

Today's update from CDC includes 46 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 100 US cases.

Across the country: US cases are those detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems since January 21. Among the 100 US cases, there have been 10 deaths, according to CDC’s count.

The 100 US cases are in 13 states, according to CDC: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

 

11:16 a.m. ET, March 5, 2020

Number of coronaviruses cases in Netherlands doubles to 82

From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite, Niamh Kennedy and Mia Alberti in London

The Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG) Hospital is seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Wednesday. Two outpatient clinics of the Amsterdam hospital have been closed after an employee was found to be infected with the coronavirus.
The Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG) Hospital is seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Wednesday. Two outpatient clinics of the Amsterdam hospital have been closed after an employee was found to be infected with the coronavirus. Credit: Paulo Amorim/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The number of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands has doubled to 82, after 44 new patients were identified today, the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) told CNN in a statement.

According to the institute, 69 of those infected are “people who have been in Italy” or were in contact with family members who have tested positive to the virus.

Two of the new patients are in the hospital and the others are isolated in their homes, the institute added.