Trump offers competing coronavirus messaging, warning of death but lamenting lockdown

President Trump appeared frustrated that the country would not emerge from its coronavirus lockdown in the near future even as he and other officials warned of a rising death toll and a continuance of restrictive measures for weeks and maybe months to come. There will be death,” Trump warned flatly at one point during Saturday's briefing of the White House coronavirus task force. More than 8,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

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  Coronavirus live updates: Trump warns of 'a lot of death' in coming week as U.S. cases top 300,000

  NBC News
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  Donald Trump warns US poised for ‘a lot of death’ in coming week

  PA Media: World News

Why does the coronavirus affect people differently? Yahoo News Explains

Coronavirus patients are showing a wide range of symptoms and the exact reason why is still a mystery — but we do have some clues as to what factors can influence the severity of the disease. While the most common symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath, there are numerous reports of coronavirus patients experiencing nonrespiratory symptoms. A study of 204 patients in Huabie, China, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that just over half of patients experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

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  Have I already had coronavirus? How would I know and what should I do?

  The Guardian
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  How Can You Tell the Difference Between Allergies and COVID-19 Symptoms?

  The Mighty

U.K. Premier Hospitalized; Japan Set for Emergency: Virus Update

The daily death toll from the novel coronavirus declined in some global hotspots, and President Donald Trump said he sees signs the U.S. outbreak is beginning to level off. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was taken to a hospital for tests after suffering from the coronavirus for 10 days. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to declare a state of emergency, media reports said, after cases in Tokyo jumped over the weekend.

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  Coronavirus: Pound falls as UK prime minister admitted to hospital and death toll rises

  Yahoo Finance UK
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  Coronavirus: Boris Johnson admitted to hospital for tests as COVID-19 symptoms persist

  Yahoo News UK

Trump tempers officials' grave assessments with optimism

The U.S. surgeon general says that Americans should brace for levels of tragedy reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, while the nation's infectious disease chief warned that the new coronavirus may never be completely eradicated from the globe. “We're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Trump said at a Sunday evening White House briefing. Pence added, “We are beginning to see glimmers of progress.”

An Illinois man allegedly shot his wife then himself over coronavirus fears

Police say Patrick Jesernik shot his wife Cheryl Jesernik, then himself, on Thursday. Experts predicted the stresses of the pandemic and lockdown could lead to an uptick in domestic violence. On Thursday evening, police responded to a wellbeing check at the couple's home, where they found Patrick Jesernik, 54, and Cheryl Schriefer, 59, dead, NBC Chicago reported. An autopsy found that each died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Trump: U.S. approaching period ‘that is going to be very horrendous’

President Trump on Saturday said that the United States is approaching a time that will be “very horrendous” for the nation amid the growing coronavirus outbreak across the country.

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland 'blows wind of God' at coronavirus and claims pandemic is 'destroyed' in sermon

American televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who recently claimed that the coronavirus pandemic will be "over much sooner you think" because "Christian people all over this country praying have overwhelmed it," has summoned the "wind of God" to destroy the novel coronavirus during a recent sermon. In a sermon last month, the pastor "executed judgment" on Covid-19, which he declared "finished" and "over" and made the US "healed and well again."

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  Coronavirus pandemic alters Palm Sunday services

  FOX News Videos
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  Is the coronavirus an act of God? Faith leaders debate tough questions amid pandemic

  USA TODAY

Biden says removal of Navy captain who sounded alarm on coronavirus 'close to criminal'

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that the Navy's decision to remove the captain who sounded the alarm on coronavirus cases aboard his ship is "close to criminal." "I think it's close to criminal the way they're dealing with this guy," Biden said on ABC News' "This Week." The Navy announced Thursday that it had relieved Capt. Brett Crozier of his post commanding the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier with a crew of nearly 5,000.

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  Coronavirus: Ship whose captain was sacked for raising alarm sees more infections

  The Independent
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  Senators demand probe of Navy's COVID-19 response: It has 'no idea how many potential hot spots it has'

  USA TODAY

Number of coronavirus intensive care patients in Italy drops for first time

Italy reported its lowest daily rise in COVID-19 deaths for nearly two weeks on Saturday and said the number of patients in intensive care had fallen for the first time. The Civil Protection department reported 681 deaths, bringing the total to 15,632 since the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic in northern Italy on Feb. 21. The total number of confirmed cases rose to 124,632 from 119,827 reported on Friday but for the first time, the number of patients in badly stretched intensive care units fell, with 3,994 patients being treated, down 74 from 4,068 on Friday.

Does Iran's coronavirus crisis raise the risk of war?

This same motivation may push Iran to accelerate its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, which could risk retaliation from the U.S. Members of the Trump administration may see Iran's weakened state as an opportunity to be more aggressive in its “maximum pressure campaign” against the country, some experts say. Any actions on America's part risk prompting an escalating response from Iran. Others say the pandemic presents a chance for the two countries to improve their relationship and step back from the brink of open conflict.

Face masks: How the Trump administration went from 'no need' to 'put one on' to fight coronavirus

Testifying on Capitol Hill on Feb. 28, Dr. Robert Redfield could not be more clear. “There is no need for these masks in the community,” Dr. Redfield said of the N95 masks that were then becoming the subject of intense focus, with the coronavirus outbreak having arrived on the West Coast of the United States. Coming from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this pronouncement had the weight of an official directive.

Coronavirus: Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19

A four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the coronavirus. The tiger, named Nadia, is believed to be the first known case of an animal infected by a human with Covid-19. The Bronx Zoo, in New York City, says the test result was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa.

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  Bronx Zoo tiger becomes first of its kind to test positive for coronavirus, officials say

  USA TODAY
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  A tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with an asymptomatic caretaker

  Business Insider

US sees coronavirus window to push Taiwan's global status

The Trump administration is seizing the opportunity of the coronavirus pandemic to push a cause that has long been an irritant in U.S. relations with China: Taiwan. The virus has added yet another dimension to U.S.-China tensions that were already wracked by a trade war and heated discussions over intellectual property, human rights and Chinese policies in Hong Kong and the South China Sea. And, while U.S.-China differences over Taiwan have waxed and waned for decades, they have persisted and are reaching new heights as the world grapples with the exponential spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Leaked memo: Amazon is now recommending the workers sorting and moving your online orders wear face masks, but will only have 'limited' quantities

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Amazon advised the workers who sort and move your packages on Sunday evening to wear face masks to work. However, the company has only a "limited" supply as they work to source more masks. Meanwhile, an external communication from Amazon said all warehouses would have masks early on in the week of April 5.

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  Coronavirus: Germany and France accuse US of taking face masks as international tensions rise

  The Independent
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  These DIY Face Mask Materials Are Best, According To Scientists

  Refinery29

Japan’s Abe Set to Declare Virus Emergency As Cases Jump

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to declare a state of emergency, media reports said, after coronavirus cases in Tokyo jumped over the weekend to top 1,000, raising worries of a more explosive surge. After last week saying the situation didn't yet call for such a move, Abe changed course and will announce the plan as soon as Monday, media reports said. The formal declaration for the Tokyo area will be coming as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported without attribution.

‘My Everything’: Husband of Robert F. Kennedy’s Granddaughter Recounts Tragic Drowning

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean's husband has posted a heartbreaking tribute to his wife—the granddaughter of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy—and the couple's child, who went missing in the Chesapeake Bay Thursday afternoon. The Kennedy family announced Friday that the Coast Guard suspended the rescue effort for McKean, 40, and son Gideon, 8, who disappeared after paddling a canoe out into the bay. “The search that began yesterday afternoon went on throughout the night and continued all day today,” McKean's husband, David McKean, wrote in a Facebook post late Friday.

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  The Kennedys: Fabled family dynasty has been touched by tragedy

  PA Media: World News
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  The search for 2 Kennedy family members has been called off, turning 'from rescue to recovery' a day after they went missing in a canoe

  INSIDER

Two children hospitalized after eating THC candy from a food bank

At least two children are hospitalized after eating THC candy from a food bank in Utah. An 11-year-old and a 5-year-old were taken to a hospital Friday night after consuming “Medicated Nerds Rope” candy given to their families as part of a food distribution effort from a church working with the Utah Food Bank. Roy City Police said volunteers at the food bank distributed more than 60 bags that contained three to four servings of the candy rope.

Lebanese stranded abroad by coronavirus outbreak return home

Several flights carrying Lebanese stranded abroad by coronavirus lockdowns began arriving in Beirut on Sunday, part of a trial run to see whether thousands looking to come home can be safely repatriated without worsening the country's outbreak. Their return became a charged issue after powerful parliament speaker Nabih Berri threatened to suspend support for the government if it did not act quickly and other top figures urged immediate action. Lebanon's crippling financial crisis including tight capital controls has complicated the plight of Lebanese stuck abroad, with tough restrictions on accessing cash.

Ex-head of Libya's anti-Kadhafi revolt dies of coronavirus

Mahmud Jibril, the former head of the Libyan rebel government that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, died Sunday of the coronavirus, his party said. Jibril, 68, died in Cairo where he had been hospitalised for two weeks, said Khaled al-Mrimi, secretary of the Alliance of National Forces party founded by Jibril in 2012. He had been admitted to the Ganzouri Specialised Hospital in Cairo on March 21 after suffering from cardiac arrest and three days later tested positive for coronavirus, hospital director Hisham Wagdy said.

• Libyan revolution premier Jibril dies from coronavirus

  Reuters
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  Former Libya Premier Jibril Dies in Cairo From Coronavirus

  Bloomberg

Dr. Deborah Birx warns hotspots will see a spike in coronavirus deaths over next 6-7 days

WASHINGTON – A top health official warned Saturday that the U.S. could see a dramatic increase in coronavirus deaths during the next week in hard-hit areas such as New York, Detroit and Louisiana. Data show that several hundred people per day could die in New York alone in the next six or seven days, said Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo estimated as many as 700 a day when the peak hits, she said.

Coronavirus: China mourns Covid-19 victims with three-minute silence

The first cases of coronavirus were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province last year. Since then, the virus has swept the globe, infecting more than one million people and killing nearly 60,000 in 181 countries. In pictures: Wuhan partially reopens Confirmed global cases pass one million Tracking the global outbreak In Wuhan, the epicentre of China's outbreak, all traffic lights in urban areas were turned red at 10:00, ceasing traffic for three minutes.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hospitalized with virus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital Sunday for tests, his office said, because he is still suffering symptoms, 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. The prime minister's Downing St. office said it was a “precautionary step” and Johnson remains in charge of the government. Johnson, 55, has been quarantined in his Downing St. residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26 — the first known head of government to fall ill with the virus.

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  Coronavirus: Boris Johnson admitted to hospital for tests

  The Independent
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  U.K. Premier Hospitalized; Deaths Slow in Hotspots: Virus Update

  Bloomberg

Italy, Spain, and France reported declines in daily coronavirus death tolls. Their governments don't plan to lift national lockdowns and social distancing rules anytime soon.

Andrea Pattaro/AFP via Getty Images Italy, Spain, and France each reported slight declines in daily coronavirus death tolls on Sunday. The three countries responded to the coronavirus with strict national lockdowns in early to mid-March, and they have no imminent plans to loosen those restrictions. During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte reminded his country that social distancing "is the only way to defeat the pandemic altogether" and pleaded, "Stay home as much possible.

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  Coronavirus: Spain 'starting to see light at end of the tunnel' as daily death toll falls for third consecutive day

  The Independent
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  Aerial Footage Shows Empty Barcelona Streets as Daily Death Toll From Coronavirus Decreases

  Storyful

Former FDA commissioner expects New York health-care system will be pushed to the brink, but 'won't go over'

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has issued some dire warnings since the early days of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, but on Sunday he indicated some steps taken by the U.S. federal government and states might be paying off — both in terms of curbing the spread and preparing the health-care system for an onslaught of patients. New York City remains the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, and its hospitals are struggling. Gottlieb reiterated the predication made by numerous officials that the city, and New York state, are on the verge of peaking next week, which will undoubtedly stretch the health-care system thin.