April 9 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott, Julia Hollingsworth, Adam Renton, Jack Guy, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 10:36 PM ET, Thu April 9, 2020
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2:22 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

Boris Johnson is out of intensive care

From CNN's Schams Elwazer

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery," Downing Street said in a statement Thursday.

“He is in extremely good spirits,” the statement added.

Some background: The 55-year-old was taken to London's St. Thomas' Hospital on Sunday because he was displaying "persistent" symptoms 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

Johnson's condition worsened on Monday, and he was taken to the ICU. On Tuesday, Downing Street said he was in a stable condition.

He did not require mechanical or invasive ventilation and did not have pneumonia, according to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputizing for the Prime Minister.

2:22 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

Canadians told to expect many more weeks of sheltering in place

From CNN’s Paula Newton in Ottawa

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Ontario, on Thursday, April 9.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Ontario, on Thursday, April 9. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP

Canadian public health officials for the first time released national projections on the spread of Covid-19 and warned that social distancing measures were unlikely to end soon.

Projections released and provided to CNN indicate there could be as many as 700 deaths in Canada by mid-April and anywhere from 11,000 to 22,000 deaths throughout the duration of the pandemic, depending on social distancing measures.

“These stark numbers tell us that we must do everything that we can now to remain in that best-case scenario,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer.

“We don’t know if we’ve reached the peak anywhere in Canada as of yet, so it’s too early to tell,” Dr. Tam said. She added that Canada is at an earlier stage of the pandemic than other countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was blunt as he discussed the projections, saying there would be no "return to normal" until a widely available vaccine is found.

“We have the chance to determine what our country looks like in the weeks and months to come. Our health care systems across the country are coping for the time being, but we're at a fork in the road, between the best and the worst possible outcomes," Trudeau said.

Trudeau told Canadians to expect many more weeks of sheltering in place with immediate family.

By the numbers: Canada has reported 19,260 cases of Covid-19 and 436 deaths. Nearly half of those deaths are among residents of long-term care homes as health officials deal with outbreaks at those facilities right across the country.

2:14 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

Connecticut schools will stay closed for "at least" another month, governor says

From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield

Connecticut schools will stay closed for “at least another month,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.

Schools had previously been closed until April 20 and now they will stay closed until at least May 20, the governor said. An official announcement will be released by the state “within a day or two” Lamont said.

Lamont said it’s likely that the state will issue a similar extension for bars and restaurants and other non-essential businesses, though that has not been officially decided yet.

2:16 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

American Heart Association issues new CPR guidelines amid coronavirus pandemic

From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued an interim set of guidelines for emergency workers responding to cardiac arrest victims amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The guidelines, “Interim Guidance for Basic and Advanced Life Support in Adults, Children and Neonates with Suspected or Confirmed Covid-19,” were published Thursday in the AHA journal Circulation.

“The goal is to ensure that patients with or without COVID-19 who experience cardiac arrest have the best possible chance of survival without compromising the safety of rescuers,” the AHA said in a press release on the changes.

The new rules include limiting the number of people in a room or on the scene when responding to a cardiac arrest call, and minimizing the airborne spread of the virus by “prioritizing oxygenation and ventilation strategies” to lower the risk of aerosol spray.

The AHA also recommends that health care systems and EMS agencies implement policies for frontline workers addressing whether to start or continue resuscitation efforts for Covid-19 patients based on the person’s chances of survival. 

The agency is still encouraging bystanders to perform CPR or defibrillation on potential Covid-19 patients, especially if they’re family members living in the same home. For a bystander in a public setting, the AHA recommends using a face mask or face covering for both the rescuer and the victim during hands-only CPR to reduce virus transmission risks.

Some context: The executive director of Rescue Care at the University of Chicago and co-author of the guidelines, Dr. Dana Edelson, said in a statement that while CPR is critical for many patients, it does put rescuers at increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

“This guidance draws on evolving science and expert opinion to help health systems and providers mitigate that risk with the hopes of maintaining the survival gains for cardiac arrest achieved over the past two decades,” she said.

Other health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Association of Respiratory Care and the American College of Emergency Physicians, among others, collaborated with the AHA on the new guidelines.

1:55 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

14 states have closed schools through the end of the year due to Covid-19

From CNN's Chris Boyette

Officials in 14 states so far have closed schools for the rest of the school year. In three other states, closures for the year have been recommended.

Here's a list of the states that have closed their schools for the year:

  1. Alabama
  2. Arizona
  3. Arkansas
  4. Georgia
  5. Indiana
  6. Kansas
  7. Michigan
  8. Nebraska
  9. New Mexico
  10. Oklahoma
  11. Pennsylvania
  12. Vermont
  13. Virginia
  14. Washington 

States recommending schools close for the rest year:

  1. California
  2. Idaho
  3. South Dakota

2:09 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

41 MTA employees have died from coronavirus in New York

From CNN’s Taylor Romine

A MTA employee walks along a train platform at Grand Central Station in New York, on Wednesday, April 1.
A MTA employee walks along a train platform at Grand Central Station in New York, on Wednesday, April 1. Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg/Getty Images/FILE

As of Wednesday, 41 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees have died due to coronavirus, MTA spokesman Tim Minton told CNN on Thursday.

There are 6,022 of an approximate 25,000 MTA employees under quarantine and 1,571 people have tested positive for Covid-19, he added.

New York City subway ridership is down 92% from an average of approximately 5.7 million commuters per weekday, Minton said.

Ridership on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North trains have declined more than 90% each from an average of approximately 300,000 trips for each of those railroad systems, Minton said.

Bridge and tunnel traffic has declined by more than 60%.

1:44 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

Detroit showing a slight daily decline in new coronavirus cases

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

Detroit health officials reported 249 new Covid-19 cases in the city Thursday, a slight decline from days prior, according to the city's health website. 

There were 525 cases reported in the city on April 4, the highest for a single day there so far. Since then, daily reported cases have showed a steady but slow decline, Detroit's health department curve shows.  

The latest data reflects 84 fewer cases than were recorded the day prior, staying in line with the slight decline of new daily cases.  

Some context: Detroit still remains one of the hot spots for coronavirus in the US with 6,083 coronavirus cases and 272 related deaths, according to the city's health department. 

Detroit's mayor and Michigan's governor are expected to hold their briefings, respectively, Thursday afternoon.

1:43 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

Sweden reports large increase in coronavirus-related deaths for second day in a row

From CNN’s Seb Shukla and Tim Lister

People pass by the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday, April 8. Swedish authorities have advised the public to practice social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic, but still allow a large amount of personal freedom, unlike most other European countries.
People pass by the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday, April 8. Swedish authorities have advised the public to practice social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic, but still allow a large amount of personal freedom, unlike most other European countries. Andres Kudacki/AP

Sweden has reported a rise in the daily death rate from coronavirus of at least 100 for two days in a row, taking the total number of dead to 792, according to data released by the Swedish Public Health Agency. 

The total number of cases across the country has increased to 9,141 with 719 in intensive care. 

Stockholm, the capital, is the epicenter of the outbreak.

Sweden has not implemented a nationwide lockdown like other European countries. Instead they are asking those aged 70 and over to stay at home and for other to observe respected levels of social distancing, but public meeting places such as bars and restaurants are open. 

1:33 p.m. ET, April 9, 2020

New Jersey governor says social distancing is beginning to the slow rate of infection

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

Gov. Phil Murphy called the slowing rate of infection in New Jersey a sign of "progress" today during a press conference.

“Our social distancing is in fact beginning to show affect here,” he said.

Social distancing is “beginning to slow the rate at which the numbers of folks are getting infected," Murphy added.