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

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

'I'm worried that I have infected 1000 people in the last three days': Amazon workers reveal all the reasons why they're afraid to go to work

As thousands of businesses across the country close their doors to help slow the spread of the coronavirus across the country, Amazon, deemed an "essential business," is one of a few major multinational corporations that have continued to operate. While the company's operations have largely carried on business as usual, the fear of catching the coronavirus at Amazon warehouses is now palpable, employees told Business Insider. While some Amazon workers can afford not to go to work, others feel that they are forced to choose between their health and their livelihood.

Iran to restart 'low-risk' economic activities soon

Iran said Sunday it will allow "low-risk" economic activities to resume from April 11 as its daily coronavirus infection rates slowed for a fifth straight day. "Restarting these activities does not mean we have abandoned the principle of staying at home," President Hassan Rouhani said at a meeting of Iran's anti-coronavirus task force. The president, whose country has been battered by US economic sanctions, did not specify what qualified as "low risk" activities, but said bans would remain on schools and large gatherings.

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 told ABC's "This Week." Thursday, the Navy announced it 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

Trump tempers officials' grave assessments with optimism

The U.S. surgeon general said Sunday 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 an evening White House briefing. Pence added, “We are beginning to see glimmers of progress.”

Oil prices decline $3 a barrel as market remains uncertain on supply outlook

Global benchmark oil prices traded as much as $3 a barrel lower as the market opened for Monday's trading session, reflecting fears of oversupply after Saudi Arabia and Russia postponed to Thursday a meeting about a potential pact to cut production. Late last week, prices had surged, with both U.S. and Brent contracts posting their largest weekly percentage gains on record due to hopes that OPEC and its allies would strike a global deal to cut crude supply worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has cut demand and a month-long price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia has left the market awash in crude.

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  OPEC+ meeting delayed as Saudi Arabia and Russia row over oil price collapse: sources

  Reuters
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  How Saudi Arabia Can Save the Global Oil Industry

  Bloomberg

Coronavirus: Australia launches criminal investigation into Ruby Princess

A criminal investigation has been launched in Australia into how cruise ship passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite some exhibiting flu-like symptoms. More than 600 people on board the Ruby Princess later tested positive for coronavirus and 10 have since died. The ship remains off the coast with nearly 200 sick crew members on board.

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  Cruise ship with two coronavirus dead aboard docks in Miami

  AFP Relax News
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  Australia police to probe cruise ship virus deaths

  AFP

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.

Trump Sent Them to the Coronavirus Front Line but Denied Them Health Care

Thousands of National Guardsmen around the country are in contact with people who've contracted COVID-19. But while the federal government has called on them for frontline assistance in battling the pandemic, it's not giving them what they need to protect themselves: access to the military's health insurance. The approximately 20,000 guardsmen who have been called up to help states around the country deal with the spread of the coronavirus are federalized on what's called Title 32 status, which puts them in command of their various state governors but with the federal government paying costs.

The Ethics of Wearing (or Not Wearing) a Face Mask During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Whether the measure will be widely adopted is uncertain, at least in part because of how mask-wearing is perceived in the U.S. “We look at people wearing a mask as if they're sick and we tend to stigmatize them,” says Jessica Berg, dean of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a professor of bioethics and public health. In Eastern cultures people wear masks during flu season to protect others and then they come here and it's startling and horrible to them that we don't. It might seem that, if masks are scarce, they should go to the people most at risk of suffering significantly from COVID-19.

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  Should shoppers be required to wear face masks? Can kids go to the store? COVID-19 brings massive changes

  USA TODAY
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  Should all Americans be wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus? The CDC now says yes

  MarketWatch

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.

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.

1st federal inmate to die of coronavirus wrote heartbreaking letter to judge

The man, Patrick Jones, had been locked up for nearly 13 years on a nonviolent drug charge. "I feel that my conviction and sentence was also a punishment that my child has had to endure also and there are no words for how remorseful I am," Jones wrote to U.S. District Judge Alan Albright in a letter dated Oct. 15. Jones was arrested in 2007 after cops found 19 grams of crack and 21 grams of powder cocaine inside the apartment he shared with his wife in Temple, Texas.

Asia virus latest: Australia sends away ships, Pakistan hunts worshippers

Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic: - Australia sends cruise ships on their way - The largest maritime operation ever undertaken in Sydney Harbour was completed on Sunday with the successful restocking and refuelling of five cruise ships, Australian police said. It was part of government efforts since mid-March to force vessels to leave the country's waters to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus in Australia. Cruise ship guests have so far accounted for almost 10 percent of Australia's more than 5,500 infections.

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

  BBC
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  China pauses to remember victims of coronavirus outbreak

  PA Media: World News

Malaysia detains boatload of 202 presumed Rohingya refugees

Malaysian authorities said they have arrested a boatload of 202 people believed to be minority Muslim Rohingya refugees after their boat was found adrift Sunday morning near the northern resort island of Langkawi. A Northern District maritime official, Capt. Zulinda Ramly, said the refugees included 152 men, 45 women and five children. She said some of the migrants told officials that the boat's skipper and two others, believed to be behind the smuggling syndicate, had escaped while they were at sea.

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  Fishing boat takes 202 Rohingya migrants to Malaysia

  AFP
• Malaysia intercepts boat ferrying 202 suspected Rohingya

  Reuters

Japan’s Abe Set to Declare State of Emergency, Media Say

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to declare a state of emergency within days, after coronavirus cases in Tokyo jumped over the weekend to top 1,000 for the first time and raised worries of a more explosive surge, media reports said. Abe will announce the plan as soon as Monday, with the formal declaration for the Tokyo area coming as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without attribution. Osaka is also likely to be included, while Hyogo, Saitama and Hokkaido prefectures are under consideration, according to Kyodo News and other media reports.

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.

Coronavirus: India holds lights-off vigil as Modi calls for unity

Indians have turned off their lights for a nationwide candle-lit vigil, heeding a call for unity as the country battles coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked India's 1.3 billion citizens to observe nine minutes without electricity at 21:00 local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday. "Salute to the light of the lamp which brings auspiciousness, health and prosperity, which destroys negative feelings," Mr Modi tweeted at the time of the vigil.

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  Locked-down India lights up to mark virus fight

  AFP
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  Indians light lamps to heed Modi's call for coronavirus comradeship

  Reuters

Disney World, Disneyland halt annual passholder payments during coronavirus closures

Walt Disney World and Disneyland annual passholders will see their payments refunded or waived during the remainder of the parks' closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The parks, which shut their gates March 15, are closed indefinitely as the virus plays out across the U.S.. The Walt Disney World website and app now state that people who are on monthly payment plans will see refunds for payments made March 14 through April 4. Disney will stop charging monthly payments for passholders effective Sunday, April 5.

Data Suggests Many New York City Neighborhoods Hardest Hit by COVID-19 Are Also Low-Income Areas

New York City's low-income neighborhoods appear to be some of the hardest hit by coronavirus, according to data released by the city's health department. This week, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by zip code. As of April 3, the highest case counts (indicating anywhere between 409 and 1245 cases in particular ZIP codes) are concentrated in parts of the Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx boroughs, while mostly white and upper-class neighborhoods in Manhattan have relatively fewer cases.

Fauci: it is a 'false statement' to say the US has the coronavirus pandemic 'under control'

Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a Sunday interview on CBS that he could not say the country has the novel coronavirus under control as he warned of an expected increase in COVID-19 deaths over the next week. The United States does not have its response to the novel coronavirus under control, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Sunday. "This is going to be a bad week," Fauci added.

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  'We Are Struggling to Get It Under Control' Dr. Anthony Fauci Says About the U.S. COVID-19 Outbreak

  Time
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  Donald Trump warns US ‘there will be a lot of death’ as toll passes 8,000

  The Telegraph

Do social distancing better, White House doctor tells Americans

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House task force on the coronavirus, had a message for Americans that she shared on Thursday: Do better at social distancing. President Trump disagreed.

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.