N.Y. sees positive signs; crisis worsens in Britain
NEW YORK — The steep rise in coronavirus deaths appeared to be leveling off Monday in hard-hit New York, echoing a trend underway in Italy and Spain. But the crisis escalated in Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care.
Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit of a London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, just a day after he was admitted for what were said to be routine tests. He was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital late Sunday, 10 days after he was diagnosed with covid-19. He’s the first major world leader to be confirmed to have the virus.
Dr. James Gill, a family doctor and lecturer at Warwick Medical School, said
Johnson’s condition “must underscore for everyone, across the world, how indiscriminate this virus is, ignor- ing, class, character, wealth and position.”
“For some people, the coronavirus outbreak just became real,” he said.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the first, faint signs that the outbreak there might be at or near its peak, while warning that it’s no time to relax the social-distancing restrictions. He also ordered bigger fines against violators.
“The numbers look like it may be turning. ‘Yay, it’s over!’ No, it’s not. And other places have made that mistake,” Cuomo said as deaths in the U.S. neared 11,000 with more than 366,000 confirmed infections.
Stocks rallied on Wall Street and around the world on the relatively good news out of the U.S. and places such as Italy and Spain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 1,600 points, or nearly 8%.
Meanwhile, a report from a federal watchdog agency found that three out of four U.S. hospitals surveyed are already treating patients with confirmed or suspected covid-19 infections. And some places, such as Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are predicting the peak won’t come until May or well into the summer.
In Baton Rouge, authorities reported the death of a girl born prematurely after her mother contracted the disease and was put on a ventilator. Louisiana had more than 500 deaths, including 171 in New Orleans.
Britain’s Johnson was conscious and did not require ventilation, but he was moved into intensive care in case he needs it later, his office said. Britain has no official post of deputy prime minister, but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been designated to take over should Johnson become incapacitated.
Raab said the 55-year-old Johnson was “in safe hands” at the hospital, which is treating many virus patients.
“The government’s business will continue,” Raab said. He said Johnson had asked him “to deputize for him where needed in driving forward the government’s plans to defeat coronavirus.”
The worsening of Johnson’s health took many in Britain by surprise. Hours earlier, he had tweeted that he was in good spirits and thanked the National Health Service for taking care of him and others with the disease.
“On the advice of my doctor, I went into hospital for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms,” Johnson said. He said he was keeping in touch with his team “as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe.”
Johnson received an outpouring of support from around the world, including from former Prime Minister David Cameron; the new leader of the main opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer; French President Emmanuel Macron; and President Donald Trump, who said, “Americans are all praying for his recovery.”
Despite the drop in New York deaths, outbreaks in other places moved in the opposite direction.
France recorded its highest 24-hour death toll since the epidemic began, with 833.
In Japan, Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe said he will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as today to bolster measures to fight the coronavirus, but that there will be no hard lockdowns.
Abe also told reporters Monday that his government will launch a $1 trillion stimulus package — Japan’s largest ever and nearly twice as much as expected — to help counter the economic effect of the pandemic, including cash payouts to households in need and financial support to protect businesses and jobs.
Abe said experts on a government-commissioned task force urged him to prepare to declare a state of emergency, with the covid-19 outbreak rapidly expanding in major cities including Tokyo, and with hospitals and medical staffs overburdened with patients. He said the state of emergency will cover Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and four other hard-hit prefectures and will be in effect for about a month.
Measures are expected to include a stay-at-home request for residents, but there will be no penalties for objectors. Public transportation, banks, groceries and other essential services will continue operating.
Abe said the state of emergency is intended to further reinforce social distancing between people to slow the spread of the virus, while maintaining as much social and economic activity as possible. “But we need to ask everyone to step up cooperation,” he said.
Worldwide, more than 1.345 million people have been confirmed infected and about 75,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways that nations count the dead, and deliberate underreporting by some governments.
The latest data suggests that social distancing appears to be working in some countries, and better than expected.
One of the main models on the outbreak, the University of Washington’s, is now projecting about 82,000 U.S. deaths through early August, or 12% fewer than previously forecast, with the highest number of daily deaths occurring April 16. The model relies on much more robust data from Italy and Spain and from hospitals.
The number of dead in New York state rose past 4,700, and the death toll in New York City closed in on the 2,753 lives lost at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The state has been averaging just under 600 deaths per day for the past four days, but the roughly steady daily totals were seen as a positive sign. Cuomo also reported that the number of new people entering hospitals daily has dropped, as has the number of critically ill patients who require ventilators.
At the same time, he ordered schools and nonessential businesses to remain closed until the end of the month, and he said he is doubling the fines for rule-breakers to $1,000. Even as he announced positive signs, he warned that hospitals are under extreme pressure.
To help ease the strain, a hospital ship sent to New York City can now be used for covid-19 patients, Trump said. Cuomo tweeted that the USNS Comfort would add 1,000 beds staffed by federal personnel.
“This will provide much-needed relief to our overstressed hospital systems,” Cuomo wrote.
Elsewhere around the world, Austria and the Czech Republic both began openly discussing how to ease some of the crippling restrictions, starting with reopening some small shops and garden centers next week.
Deaths in Britain climbed by more than 400 on Monday, for a total of nearly 5,400 dead. Sunday was especially bleak, with more than 600 deaths — more even than Italy recorded.
Italy’s day-to-day count of new cases dipped again, for the smallest one-day increase in nearly three weeks. Ravaged by the virus, the country also saw a drop for the third straight day in intensive care beds occupied by infected patients.
Premier Giuseppe Conte promised Italians that they will soon ”reap the fruit of these sacrifices” in personal liberties, though he declined to say when the lockdown would be lifted.
Italy has, by far, the world’s highest death toll — more than 16,500 — but the pressure on intensive care units in the north has eased so much that the region is no longer airlifting patients to other regions. Nursing coordinator Maria Berardelli at the hard-hit Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo said that while the numbers of new patients had eased up a bit, hospital staff members were still pulling long, difficult shifts.
“There has been no reduction in the work,” Berardelli said. “There have been fewer admissions to the emergency room, but our intensive care units are still full, so the activity hasn’t been reduced.”
In Spain, deaths and new infections dropped again. The Health Ministry reported 637 new deaths, the lowest toll in 13 days, for a total of more than 13,000 dead. New infections were also the lowest in two weeks.
Emergency rooms in the hard-hit Madrid region of 6.6 million were returning almost to normal a week after scenes of patients sleeping on floors and in chairs.
Transport, Mobility and Urban Affairs Minister Jose Luis Abalos said the figures show Spain is entering “a new phase of the battle.”
“This new phase does not mean we can let down our guard. We are assessing the measures that we will need to adopt,” Abalos said.
It was a message repeated by leaders around the world: that any gains could easily be reversed if people do not continue to abide by lockdown rules.