March 5 coronavirus news

Vice President Mike Pence said the United States doesn’t have enough coronavirus tests, at this point, to meet what officials expect to be the demand for them in the future.

“We don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward,” Pence told reporters following a meeting with his coronavirus task force and executives from 3M in Minnesota. 

“For those that we believe have been exposed, for those who are showing symptoms, we’ve been able to provide the testing,” Pence said.

He went on to say the US "distributed 1,500 kits, with roughly 500 tests each so there’s roughly about a million and a half tests going out to hospitals." 

Medical professionals note that many patients require multiple tests to confirm a positive test result, meaning that of the million and a half tests available, the number of patients who actually receive the tests will likely be much lower, until supplies and testing capacity are increased. 

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US stocks fell Thursday with the Dow losing more than 1,000 points as investors continue to worry about the economic impact of the coronavirus.  

In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate voted overwhelmingly today to approve a sweeping spending package to direct billions of dollars toward the US government's response to the coronavirus outbreak as lawmakers scramble to fight the spread of the disease.

The measure passed by a vote of 96-1. The package will next be sent to the White House for the President's signature. 

It passed the House on Wednesday with broad, bipartisan support.

What the legislation says: The agreement provides $7.8 billion in appropriations to address the outbreak of coronavirus as well as an authorization for $500 million in mandatory spending to fund a telehealth program in an effort to expand access to health services for seniors for a total of $8.3 billion in all.

Lawmakers have been meeting for days to hammer out a package to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The total funding package that will be allocated by the deal is an amount far higher than the $2.5 billion White House request. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed $8.5 billion to deal with the outbreak.

Last week, however, the President opened the door to a higher spending level to combat coronavirus than what the White House initially requested, saying, "We'll spend whatever is appropriate."

The French Health Ministry has confirmed that seven patients have died from coronavirus in France. 

According to the ministry’s update today, the seven deaths include six men and one woman; the majority were over 80 years old.

By the numbers: So far, 423 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across France, with 23 individuals in critical condition, the Health Ministry added.

The Health Ministry believes France is still in "stage 2" of the coronavirus outbreak, based on the fact that the virus is yet to spread across the country and remains concentrated in separate clusters.

There are 205 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local governments. 

According to the CDC there are 49 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems, there are 156 cases in 17 states, bringing the total of coronavirus cases to 205.

This includes presumptive positive cases that tested positive in a public health lab and are pending confirmation from the CDC, and confirmed cases have received positive results from the CDC.

 Here's a breakdown of the cases:

 Remember: These numbers are constantly being updated as the situation is fluid. 

Portuguese airline TAP has announced it will cancel 1,000 flights between March and April over fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, the airline said today in a statement.

The cancellations – which represents 4% of TAP’s global operations in March and 6% in April – follow a “strong slowdown” in the world’s economy following the COVID-19 outbreak and “lower demand” for flights, the airline said.

According to TAP, the cancellations will focus on flights heading to the “most affected regions,” including Italy, Spain and France, but will also include some intercontinental flights.

TAP said it continues to prioritize “the protection of the health” of its passengers and employees.

Washington state health officials announced at a news conference today that they now have 70 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Ten people have died from the virus in Washington state.

According to Washington state's Department of Health website, here's a breakdown of the coronavirus cases:

As the novel coronavirus — and fears surrounding it — continue to spread around the world, so too are bogus claims, conspiracy theories and misinformation about the disease.

Ahead of a CNN town hall tonight, Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers your questions on the virus and how to protect yourself.

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The English Premier League has announced traditional handshakes between teams and officials have been halted starting this weekend.

The tradition is suspended until further notice, the league's statement said.