May 14 coronavirus news

By Zamira Rahim, Joshua Berlinger and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 8:24 a.m. ET, May 15, 2020

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1:39 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

India plans to bring 30,000 stranded citizens home in a single week

From CNN's Vedika Sud in New Delhi

Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, center, arrives to attend a ministerial plenary at the Wings India 2020 international exhibition at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, on March 14. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images

Indian authorities said they will evacuate 30,000 more citizens stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus pandemic -- the second phase of a massive operation to bring Indians home from across the world.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the citizens will return from 31 countries across 149 flights during the week of May 16 to May 22.

"Flyers have to pay for these services & will undergo a paid 14-day quarantine in their destination states. All prescribed preventive measures will be taken," Puri said in a tweet.

A total of 8,500 citizens had already returned home of the 14,800 Indians registered to travel on 64 flights in the first phase of the operation, Puri said. More flights were underway, he added.

2:54 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

Studies find that Covid-19 can infect intestines, kidneys and other organs

From CNN Health's Maggie Fox

The novel coronavirus can infect organs throughout the body, including the lungs, heart, liver, brain, kidneys and the intestines, researchers reported Wednesday.

Two separate reports suggest the virus goes far beyond the lungs and can attack various organs -- findings that can help explain the wide range of symptoms caused by Covid-19 infection.

The findings might help explain some of the puzzling symptoms seen in coronavirus patients. They include blood clots that cause strokes in younger people and that clog dialysis machines, headaches and kidney failure.

Covid-19 is classified as a respiratory virus and is transmitted through respiratory droplets, but it can also sometimes cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Researchers have found evidence of the virus in the stool of patients, and warn that it can be transmitted via what's known as the fecal-oral route.

Read more:

Covid-19 infects intestines, kidneys and other organs, studies find

12:50 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

South Korea reports 12 more Covid-19 cases tied to nightclubs in Seoul

From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, South Korea

People wait in line to test for coronavirus at a virus testing station in the nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on May 12. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

South Korean authorities have identified another 12 locally transmitted infections of Covid-19 linked to nightclubs in the capital Seoul.

Authorities are particularly worried that the virus was widely transmitted when people started returning to the bars and clubs of the Itaewon nightlife district from the end of April.

A total of 131 positive cases have emerged in this cluster since May 6, according to the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The KCDC has conducted 35,000 tests -- 15,000 alone on Wednesday -- in an attempt to quickly trace and contain this outbreak.

Anonymous testing: The government is urging citizens who visited the area from April 24 through May 6 to get tested and is allowing people to remain anonymous. Some of the clubs where the virus spread are frequented by members of South Korea's LGBT community, which sparked a backlash against gay people in local media and lead some to fear they would be outed.

The government of the local city of Incheon, which borders Seoul, said that 14 of the 131 cases are linked to one private academy instructor who visited clubs in Itaewon. The patient initially hid his movement but his GPS location tracking revealed his place of work in Incheon, a city bordering Seoul.

Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said earlier that Incheon city announced it would pursue legal action against the tutor and if found guilty, he could be punished with up to two years in prison.

A total of 10,991 infections and 260 deaths have now been reported in the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The KCDC said Thursday that 29 cases were identified in the previous 24 hours, 26 of which were locally transmitted.

Read more about how the club outbreak stoked homophobia:

Virus outbreak linked to Seoul clubs stokes homophobia

12:31 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

US reports more than 21,000 new cases

At least 21,030 new coronavirus cases and 1,763 deaths were reported in the United States on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

That brings the country's total to at least 1,390,406 recorded infections and 84,119 fatalities as a result of contracting the virus.

The totals includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

12:17 a.m. ET, May 14, 2020

This experiment shows just how quickly a virus like Covid-19 can spread

From CNN's Lauren M. Johnson

A viral video from Japan aims to show how easily germs and viruses can spread in restaurants when just one person is infected.

The experiment simulates the atmosphere at a buffet restaurant or on a cruise ship. It was conducted by the public broadcasting organization NHK in conjunction with health experts.

The video shows 10 people coming into the restaurant, with one singled out as the "infected" person. Each participant goes about the buffet as they normally would, not considering a potential contamination.

At the end of the video, the participants are cast under black lights illuminating where the "infection" has spread.

The substance, used to signify the germs, can be seen on food, serving utensils and platters, and even on the faces of some of the participants.

Read more:

Black light experiment shows how quickly a virus like Covid-19 can spread at a restaurant

11:57 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

3 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases reported in northeastern China

From journalist Alexandra Lin in Hong Kong

Three new locally transmitted coronavirus cases have been recorded in northeastern China, the country's National Health Commission said on Thursday.

One of the cases was found in Jilin province, which has been under partial lockdown since a new cluster of infections emerged over the weekend. The other two cases were reported in neighboring Liaoning province.

Nationwide, 12 new asymptomatic cases were identified on Wednesday.

Mainland China's total numbers:

82,929 confirmed cases
78,195 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital
4,633 deaths
712 asymptomatic patients under medical observation
101 active cases

11:45 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

More than 60,000 crew members are stuck onboard 91 cruise ships in US waters and ports

From CNN's Joe Sutton

Passengers may not be cruising the oceans, but around 61,100 crew members are currently stuck onboard 91 cruise ships in US waters and ports, according to the Coast Guard.

“The Coast Guard is monitoring 23 cruise ships anchored in US waters with approximately 13,200 crew members onboard, and 24 cruise ships moored in US ports with approximately 14,400 crew members on board,” Coast Guard spokesman Barry Lane said.
“There are an additional 44 cruise ships underway in US waters with approximately 33,500 crew members on board.”

Many cruise ships are stuck due to regulations imposed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following outbreaks that occurred on ships.

Read more about how the pandemic is affecting cruise ship employees:

Cruise passengers have gone home, but the crews that looked after them are still stuck at sea

Francesca Street, CNN

11:34 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

Rare cases of inflammatory syndrome rose among children in Italy after pandemic hit, study finds

From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard

The coronavirus pandemic has been tied to an increased incidence of an inflammatory syndrome among children in Italy in a new study, and the researchers warn that similar outbreaks of this rare but serious illness can be expected in other nations.

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday, found cases of the syndrome appeared to increase 30-fold in the Bergamo province of Italy shortly after the coronavirus pandemic spread to the region.

The syndrome, now frequently referred to as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, resembles another childhood condition known as Kawasaki disease.

Dr. Lucio Verdoni of the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo and colleagues studied the cases of children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at the hospital between January 1, 2015 and April 20, 2020.

The patients were divided into two groups: one group represented those diagnosed in the five years preceding the coronavirus pandemic and the second group represented those diagnosed after Covid-19 hit the region.

The data showed that the incidence rate of Kawasaki disease diagnoses was about 0.3 per month before the coronavirus pandemic, and then 10 per month afterwards between March and April of this year -- a very large increase.

"Outbreaks of Kawasaki-like disease might occur in countries affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and might present outside the classic Kawasaki disease phenotype," the researchers wrote in the study.
"This condition might be serious and requires prompt and more aggressive management," they added. "Future research on the cause of Kawasaki disease and similar syndromes should focus on immune responses to viral triggers."

Kawasaki disease involves inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries and can damage the heart. The new syndrome also involves inflammation, but infectious disease experts say it is different from Kawasaki disease. Symptoms include persistent fever, inflammation and poor function in one or more organs.

Dr. Jeffrey Burns of Boston Children’s Hospital and other experts told CNN Wednesday that the condition appears to be a post-viral syndrome that may develop several weeks after a Covid-19 infection.

11:15 p.m. ET, May 13, 2020

Chile confirms more than 2,600 Covid-19 cases in a single day

From CNN Chile's Christopher Ulloa in Santiago, Chile, and CNN’s Tatiana Arias in Atlanta

Medical staff of the San Jose Hospital transfer a patient to an emergency room on Wednesday in Santiago, Chile. Claudio Santana/Getty Images

The Chilean health ministry said that 2,660 new cases of novel coronavirus were recorded by authorities inside the country on Wednesday -- the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began.

A total of 34,381 people have been infected by the virus in Chile, 346 of whom have died, according to the ministry.

Chilean health minister Jaime Mañalich said that the spike prompted authorities to place the capital of Santiago and some of its surrounding areas under a seven-day mandatory quarantine, which President Sebastian Piñera said will start Friday.

Additionally, all press staff assigned to the Presidential palace of La Moneda will be completing a preventive 14-day stay-at-home order, after a member of the media tested positive for coronavirus, Piñera's office said on Wednesday.