Coronavirus pandemic in the US

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 4:00 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
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9:19 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the US has ended for the day. Follow developments from around the globe here.

8:07 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Los Angeles County beaches to reopen Wednesday

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

An aerial view of Venice Beach on April 26.
An aerial view of Venice Beach on April 26. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Los Angeles is set to reopen beaches on Wednesday, according to a tweet from the county.

New rules will be in place, very similar to those implemented in other parts of Southern California.

Physical activity like running, swimming and surfing will be allowed, but sedentary activity like sunbathing and picnicking will be prohibited. Masks or face coverings must be worn unless you’re in the water.

In an effort to keep people from congregating, parking lots, piers, concessions and boardwalks will remain closed.

Read the tweet:

8:01 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

CDC report: Coronavirus pandemic may have killed more people in New York City than death toll shows

From CNN’s Arman Azad

A body is moved from an unrefrigerated truck outside the Andrew Cleckley Funeral Home in Brooklyn, New York on April 30. The truck was being used to store bodies of coronavirus victims that the funeral home could not accommodate.
A body is moved from an unrefrigerated truck outside the Andrew Cleckley Funeral Home in Brooklyn, New York on April 30. The truck was being used to store bodies of coronavirus victims that the funeral home could not accommodate. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic, directly or indirectly, may have killed far more people in New York City than the official Covid-19 death toll shows, according to a report released Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report looked at excess mortality in the city and found that 24,172 more people died since mid-March compared to what would normally be expected.

About 19,000 of these were either confirmed or probable coronavirus deaths. But more than 5,000 of the city’s excess deaths had no explicit connection to Covid-19, the team, led by Donald Olson of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, reported. 

It’s difficult to know why exactly those deaths occurred. But Olson’s team noted that people with underlying conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are more likely to die from coronavirus infections and such deaths may not have been directly attributed to Covid-19.

“In addition, social distancing practices, the demand on hospitals and health care providers, and public fear related to COVID-19 might lead to delays in seeking or obtaining lifesaving care,” they wrote.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence showing how the coronavirus pandemic may be killing people without ever infecting them. For example, experts have said that a decline in reported heart attacks and strokes in the US is likely the result of people avoiding emergency rooms.

“Tracking excess mortality is important to understanding the contribution to the death rate from both COVID-19 disease and the lack of availability of care for non-COVID conditions,” the researchers, from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the CDC, wrote in their report.

7:31 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

MLB proposes an early July start to season, reports say

From CNN's David Close and Kevin Dotson

 

Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, sits empty on May 8, in Chicago, Illinois.
Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, sits empty on May 8, in Chicago, Illinois. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Multiple outlets, including the New York Times and ESPN, are reporting that Major League Baseball owners have agreed on a proposal to begin the 2020 season in early July with games being hosted in spectator-free home stadiums.

Reports of the proposal follow a Monday meeting between MLB executives and team leadership. The New York Times cited unnamed baseball officials while ESPN cited sources familiar with the situation.

According to the reports, the owners and league management have agreed upon an 82-game regular season, down from the traditional 162 games. Other details being reported are a second spring training starting next month, teams hosting games in their home stadiums as long as state legislation and health officials allow, use of the designated hitter in both the American and National Leagues, and expanded rosters which could utilize up to 50 players. 

All of these proposed ideas would need to be agreed upon by the Major League Baseball Players Association in order to proceed with this unprecedented season. That could prove to be difficult as lines are already being drawn regarding key financial terms previously outlined in a March agreement on how much players would be paid in a shortened season. 

Under the terms of the March agreement, MLB players received a $170 million salary advance. In exchange for that advance, the MLBPA agreed not to challenge the loss of the players’ 2020 salaries if the season were to be canceled and to accept prorated salaries if a partial season is played.

An excerpt of that March agreement, provided to CNN by a source with knowledge of MLB operations, indicates that if MLB games cannot be staged in teams' home stadiums in front of spectators, the MLB and MLBPA agree to hold good faith discussions about the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at neutral sites. MLB's position is that those discussions could include asking players to take further salary reductions.

The MLBPA is balking at the idea of reopening the discussion of players' salaries.

"Players recently reached an agreement with Major League Baseball that outlines economic terms for resumption of play, which included significant salary adjustments and a number of other compromises. That negotiation is over. We’re now focused on discussing ways to get back on the field under conditions that prioritize the health and wellbeing of players and their families, coaches, umpires, team staff and fans," MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement.

The potential financial snag could create a public relations nightmare for the sport at the worst possible time. As unemployment hits depression era levels, and the world economy struggles to reopen, this is not the kind of game that the fans want to see being played.

A separate source with knowledge of the MLBPA's position tells CNN that MLB owners are in no need of a financial bailout from MLB players. The source echoes Clark's position that the salary issue was previously settled in the March agreement, which provided the owners with flexibility to adjust their revenue sharing this season.

Multiple outlets are reporting that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will present the proposal to the MLBPA this week, potentially as early as Tuesday.

CNN has reached out to MLB multiple times without a reply.

7:21 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Fitness centers and pools in South Carolina will open next week, governor says

From CNN's Janine Mack

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced today that close contact service providers, fitness and exercise centers, commercial gyms, and public or commercial pools will be able to open in a limited capacity on May 18.

The governor said Monday that he also wants some state employees to return to work.

He added the first group will return no later than June 1 and when there is enough personal protective equipment to go around on site. 

 “We will gradually return to normal,” McMaster said.

Restaurants are now open for limited dine-in services, he said in a statement on Monday.

The governor has also lifted restrictions on boating, short-term rentals, beaches, and visitors to the state.

There are at least 7,792 positive cases of coronavirus and 346 Covid-19-related deaths in South Carolina, according to the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control's website.

7:12 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Detroit will send teams to test the elderly, mayor says

From CNN’s Laura Robinson

A person is tested for Covid-19 in the parking lot at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on April 7.
A person is tested for Covid-19 in the parking lot at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on April 7. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images

Even though the city’s Covid-19-related deaths are trending down, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said they will focus their efforts to stop the spread on people over the age of 60.

“If you look at what’s happening now, upwards of about 90% of the people we have been losing in the last couple of weeks have been over the age of 60," Duggan said today.

The Detroit Health Department is planning on sending teams into apartment buildings and facilities, "where people over the age of 60 are clustered” to test for the virus, the mayor said

Duggan said that in many instances, “it’s so much easier to go through the apartment building and take everybody’s swab and send them to a lab than to get all those folks to get into the car” and get tested.

Detroit’s Chief Public Health Officer, Denise Fair, added that “this is going to be a massive undertaking. We have about 10,000 units in the city of Detroit.”

7:00 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

It's 7 p.m. in the US. Here's what you may have missed.

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Here are some of the top coronavirus headlines from this afternoon you may have missed:

  • Funding for testing: President Trump announced that $11 billion will go to the states for "the sole support of testing." Trump also said the federal government is going to help states increase capacity by helping identify machines and labs, transport equipment like swabs and open new testing sites in "the most underserved communities."
  • White House outbreak: A memo went out to White House staffers today saying it is now required for all staffers entering West Wing to wear a face covering. Later at a news briefing, Trump said he was the one requiring face masks in the White House. He also defended the response to diagnosed cases of coronavirus among White House staffers.
  • Phase four funding: The states in the Western Pact — California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada — wrote a letter to Congress asking for $1 trillion in aid to help deal with the financial effects of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said "we have not yet felt not the urgency of acting immediately" on another relief bill.
  • States reopening: West Virginia will reopen guided fishing tours on Friday, followed by indoor dining at 50% capacity, large specialty retailers and some outdoor activities on May 21.
  • Inflammatory illness in children: Connecticut and Kentucky are also reporting cases of children with a mysterious inflammatory syndrome that could be related to Covid-19. Earlier today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there were 93 cases in the state.
  • Hydroxychloroquine: A new study released today found that the drug does not work against Covid-19 and could cause heart problems.
  • Warning labels: Twitter said it plans to put labels and warning messages on some tweets that contain disputed or misleading information related to Covid-19.
  • Coming up tomorrow: Dr. Anthony Fauci will testify at a Senate Health Committee oversight hearing on the administration’s coronavirus response. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Fauci to not hold anything back.
6:56 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Minneapolis mayor rejects Trump's testing claim: "We have not prevailed"

From CNN's Leinz Vales

Just moments after President Trump declared that his administration has "prevailed" on coronavirus testing, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected the President's claim, saying "we have not prevailed" on testing. 

"Saying we have prevailed at this point is like being at mile 10 of a 26-mile marathon and raising your hands in victory," Frey told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." "That is not where we are at. We have a whole lot of work left to do." 

At the White House briefing on Covid-19 testing, Trump announced that his administration will allocate $11 billion from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to help states increase their testing ability. 

The Minneapolis mayor said that testing will be "critical" to reopening his city safely.

"It's got to be testing, followed by tracing, followed by isolating for those who have come back with positive tests," Frey said. "We hope to get up to 20,000 tests per day. Right now, we are hovering around 5,000. In order to do this properly, in order to do this with our eyes wide open and responding to the data, we're going to need more tests."

Watch:

6:47 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Vermont health department investigates reported Covid-19 exposure at school for girls

From CNN’s Carma Hassan and Rebekah Riess

The Vermont Department of Health is investigating a report of possible Covid-19 exposure at the Vermont School for Girls in Bennington, a residential treatment center for girls with special needs, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said this morning.

Public Health Communication Officer Ben Truman said this doesn’t necessarily mean a widespread “outbreak” is occurring at the facility.

“Once the school’s administration became aware of a potential exposure, they took immediate and appropriate action, including contacting the Health Department for guidance and recommendations,” Truman said. 

According to Levine, everyone at the school, including all students and staff, has been tested for Covid-19, as it is Vermont’s practice to conduct universal testing in any congregate facility, no matter how large, if a positive case is reported. 

“Working with the facility, our Epidemiology team conducted an investigation and recommended universal testing of staff and students. At each step, the school provided support and information for their students and staff, allowing our trained staff to conduct the specimen collection effort quickly, and for all concerned to receive appropriate guidance,” Truman said. 

Levine said a small number of people at the school tested positive for the virus, but in order to protect individual private health information, the Vermont Department of Health will not be releasing test figures.