April 28 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Emma Reynolds and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 3:31 a.m. ET, April 29, 2020
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6:28 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Tokyo Olympics will be canceled next summer if pandemic not over, says Games chief

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori, left, speaks in teleconference with John Coates, chairman of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo on April 16.
Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori, left, speaks in teleconference with John Coates, chairman of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo on April 16. Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool/AP

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori says if the pandemic is not over by next summer, the Games will be canceled, according to an interview published Tuesday in Nikkan Sports.

It is the strongest statement so far on the possibility of canceling the Games from the organization, which has routinely said it was focusing on plans to hold the Olympics next year as the outbreak of Covid-19 grew into a pandemic.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games originally planned for this summer in Tokyo were rescheduled to start from July 23, 2021.

Nikkan Sports quoted Mori responding to a question about another postponement of the games if the pandemic was not over by next summer: 

"No. It will be cancelled then. The Olympics was cancelled in the past for the problems like war. We are fighting against invisible enemy now.

Mori reiterated Tokyo 2020 was still working towards holding the Games and that they would be more significant than others. “The Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympics in the past if we could go ahead with it after winning this battle,” he told the publication. “We have to believe this otherwise our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded.

Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Masa Takaya's told media Tuesday that Mori’s comments “were his own thoughts.”

When questioned about Mori’s remarks, the Tokyo 2020 public relations office responded to CNN in a statement saying, “there are variety of insights opinions around the possibility of hosting games next year.”

“The mission of the organizing committee is to prepare for the stage for the Games next year. We understand there are variety of opinions, however, there are some experts who say it's too early to make a judgment whether to be able to hold the Games,” the statement added.

This post has been updated to include Tokyo 2020's response to CNN.

6:01 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Hard-hit US cities begin testing asymptomatic residents 

From CNN's Christina Maxouris

Workers perform drive-up COVID-19 testing at Mend Urgent Care in the Culver City neighborhood of Los Angeles on April 24.
Workers perform drive-up COVID-19 testing at Mend Urgent Care in the Culver City neighborhood of Los Angeles on April 24. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Hoping to get a better idea of how many people have previously been infected with the virus, officials in the US have begun asking asymptomatic residents to test for antibodies.

Los Angeles County will expand coronavirus testing Tuesday to include delivery drivers, rideshare drivers, and taxi drivers even if they're asymptomatic, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

"These are folks that are on the frontlines, helping us get to where we need to go, helping us have food delivered to our homes," he said.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said 1,000 asymptomatic residents will undergo diagnostic and antibody testing by Friday to evaluate exposure to the virus in the city. 

And beginning Tuesday, health workers will start visiting randomly selected homes in two of Georgia's largest counties to conduct antibody testing through blood samples.

"This investigation will help us estimate the percentage of people in the community who have been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19," the Georgia health department said.

In New York, about 15% of the 7,500 people who have been tested in the state's antibody study have tested positive, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. 

But the former acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told medical news website Stat on Monday those tests are "not ready for prime time."

"As we learn whether that means you are protected in the future, there could be value in that," Dr. Richard Besser told Stat reporter Helen Branswell about the tests, but "the science isn't there yet to be able to say what those tests mean."

"I worry that people will get a false sense of security and they can change their behavior based on the results of that test, or have a false sense of concern if it's a test that isn't detecting protections that they may actually have," Besser said.

Read the full story here.

3:31 a.m. ET, April 29, 2020

England and Wales' coronavirus death toll 54% higher than daily stats showed

From CNN's Simon Cullen

Pre-dug graves for Covid-1 deaths are seen in Maker Cemetery on April 14, 2020 in Maker, England. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 115,000 lives and infecting over 1. 9 million people. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Pre-dug graves for Covid-1 deaths are seen in Maker Cemetery on April 14, 2020 in Maker, England. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 115,000 lives and infecting over 1. 9 million people. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) Dan Mullan/Getty Images

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales up to April 17 is 54% higher than the UK government’s daily updates for the corresponding period, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

According to the ONS, there were 22,300 coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales up to that date that were registered by April 25.

By comparison, the government’s daily update from the Department of Health and Social Care only accounts for coronavirus deaths in hospitals and doesn’t take into account the lag in reporting some deaths. The corresponding number released by the DHSC for April 17 is 14,451 for England and Wales.

This post has been updated to correct the number of coronavirus-linked deaths reported by the ONS.

5:26 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Accidental disinfectant poisonings in children on the rise during pandemic

From CNN's Jen Rose Smith

When his daughter was born, Alex Kaplan thought his home was babyproof. He was wrong.

"We have a wily little girl," said Kaplan, who lives in Washington, D.C. "At 9 months old, she managed to open a childproof — in air quotes — bottle of acetaminophen."

When Kaplan found her, she was smeared in a sticky mess from putting the gel caps in her mouth. "Acetaminophen, we came to learn, is very dangerous and dose-dependent," said Kaplan, who called poison control then headed to the closest emergency room.

Kaplan's daughter was fine, but accidental poisoning is a serious problem for American kids. 

More than 300 children are treated for poisoning each day in emergency departments across the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On average, two of those kids will die. 

As Americans spend more time at home trying to safeguard their families against Covid-19, accidental poisonings are on the rise. And some experts believe the spike is due to the very same cleaning products parents are using to protect their families from infection.

Read the full story here.

5:15 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Austria's coronavirus lockdown restrictions won't be extended, health minister says

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

Austria's Health Minister Rudolf Anschober speaks during a news conference in Vienna on April 28.
Austria's Health Minister Rudolf Anschober speaks during a news conference in Vienna on April 28. Georg Hoghmuth/APA/AFP/Getty Images

Austria's lockdown restrictions won't be extended when they end on Thursday, the country's health minister Rudolf Anschober said at a news conference today.

The measures include citizens only being permitted to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons such as shopping or exercise. 

"We can let the initial restrictions expire, we do not need to extend them," he said.

Anschober added that gatherings of up to 10 people would be allowed immediately under the condition that the public respect social distancing rules.

However, the health minister warned it was premature to believe the crisis was over and said the restrictions can be reinstated at any point.

Here's a breakdown:

  • From May 1, people will only need to keep a minimum distance of 1 meter from others who do not live in the same household.
  • All shops and many service providers such as hairdressers will be allowed to reopen at the beginning of May.
  • From May 15, restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen, providing social distancing measures are in place. Restaurant staff who have direct contact with guests are required to wear masks.
  • Hotels will be allowed to reopen from May 29

The number of new coronavirus cases has been in the double-digit range for days and, "That was a very big goal," Anschober said.

The reproduction factor -- the number of people infected by an infected person -- was 0.59, which is the lowest it has been during the pandemic.

5:14 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Texas judge opposes governor's plan to reopen and calls for residents to follow science and stay home

From CNN's Madeline Holcombe

Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference where he announced he would relax some restrictions imposed on businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday, April 27, in Austin, Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference where he announced he would relax some restrictions imposed on businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday, April 27, in Austin, Texas. Eric Gay/AP

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the state will begin to reopen Friday, but a Texas judge hopes residents will not take him up on it.

"Just because something can be open doesn't mean it should be open," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins told CNN's Erin Burnett on "Burnett Outfront."

"And just because something is open doesn't mean you should go there."

Abbott issued an executive order Monday allowing businesses like retail stores, malls, restaurants and theaters to reopen Friday with occupancy limited to 25%. The order supersedes local orders. 

"Now it's time to set a new course, a course that responsibly opens up business in Texas," Abbott said. "We will open in a way that uses safe standards -- safe standards for businesses, for their employees as well as for their customers. Standards based upon data and on doctors."

But Jenkins said the best way to open the state's economy was to keep residents safe -- and that the order went against safest practices advised by scientist and experts.

"What we know is that when you look at other science-based plans, movie theaters are not one of the first things that open," Jenkins said. "And so, I think it's going to be incumbent on the residents here to use good, smart decision-making."

Though Jenkins and local politicians cannot override Abbott's order, the judge said he will look for ways to institute rules to keep residents and employees safe within the reopening.

Read the full story here.

4:44 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

UK health secretary "worried" by cases of children dying from Covid-19 related syndrome

From CNN's Simon Cullen in London

Some children in the UK have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome that researchers believe could be linked to coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

“There are some children who have died who didn’t have underlying health conditions,” Hancock told LBC radio.

“It’s a new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus. We’re not 100% sure because some of the people who got it hadn’t tested positive, so we’re doing a lot of research now. But it is something that we’re worried about.”

Hancock said the National Health Service put out a call over the weekend to hear from doctors who may have seen children with the condition to find out what the situation is.

However he said the number of cases is small.

For more on the illness, read here:

4:35 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Tokyo Olympics will be canceled next summer if pandemic not over, Games chief says

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Rings are displayed in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Rings are displayed in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25. Carl Court/Getty Images

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said the rescheduled Games will be canceled if the coronavirus pandemic is not over by next summer, according to an interview published today in Japanese newspaper Nikkan Sports.

Asked by Nikkan Sports about whether the Games would be postponed again if the pandemic was not over by the summer, Mori said: "No. It will be canceled then. The Olympics was canceled in the past for problems like war. We are fighting against an invisible enemy now."

This is the strongest statement on canceling the Olympics from the organization, which had routinely said it was focusing on holding the Games as the outbreak of Covid-19 grew into a pandemic.

The Olympics and Paralympic Games set to be held this summer in Tokyo were rescheduled to start on July 23, 2021.

CNN has reached out to Tokyo 2020, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee for comment.

4:27 a.m. ET, April 28, 2020

Son of doctor who died from coronavirus challenges UK health secretary over PPE

From CNN's Simon Cullen in London

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves 10 Downing Street in London, on April 27.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves 10 Downing Street in London, on April 27. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images

The son of a British doctor who died from coronavirus has challenged UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock over a lack of personal protective equipment for medical workers.

Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, died earlier this month. In the weeks before he died, he wrote an open letter requesting more PPE for frontline workers.

His son Intisar asked Hancock whether he "regrets" not taking those concerns about PPE more seriously.

Speaking on LBC radio, Hancock replied: "We took very, very seriously what your father said and we’ve been working round the clock to ensure that there’s enough protective equipment."

"In the case of anybody who works in the NHS … and has died from coronavirus, we look into it in each case to find out the reasons -- where they might have caught it and what lessons we can learn."

Asked whether he was willing to acknowledge the mistakes made by the government, Hancock replied: "I think it is important that we’re constantly learning about how to do these things better."