LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Trump extends guidelines
President Donald Trump said Sunday the administration is extending guidelines for social distancing and other measures until April 30.
The original 15-day period, implemented on March 16, would have ended this week.
Trump said the White House task force would be sharing further data and finalized plans Tuesday, and that he expects by June 1, “we will be well on our way to recovery.”
A grim warning of deaths to come
U.S. deaths from the coronavirus doubled over the weekend, and the nation should be prepared for the possibility of 100,000 to 200,000 total deaths before the crisis is over. That was the warning Sunday from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal infectious disease expert who is a leading voice in the fight against the outbreak.
The nation had at least 137,000 cases of the virus as of Sunday afternoon with more than 2,400 deaths, including country music singer Joe Diffie and three New York City police officers. Globally, more than 716,000 have been infected and at least 33,600 have died. About 149,000 have recovered. Fauci said on CNN that computer models generally overestimate numbers, but "we are going to have millions of cases." The government's earlier worstcase scenario projected 200,000 to 1.7 million American deaths by December.
Decoding the virus
Scientists are tracking the genetic footprints of at least eight strains of the coronavirus around the globe. While much is unknown, hidden in unique microscopic fragments are clues to the origins of the original strain, how it mutates and which strains are turning into conflagrations while others are dying out.
Supplies headed to U.S.
The administration has begun airlifting medical supplies from Asia and elsewhere to hard-hit states. More than 10 million gloves and 130,000 N-95 masks landed Sunday in New York City, the first of what is expected to be about 20 flights over several weeks.
Airline passengers down 90%
Airline passenger numbers have been below 200,000 in recent days, 90% fewer than a year ago. Meanwhile, at least 50 TSA screeners and 19 other agency employees have tested positive for the virus.