Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

President Donald Trump signed the sweeping coronavirus economic aid package Friday afternoon, just hours before the number of cases in the United States surpassed 100,000.

The bill aims to brace the nation against the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and bring relief to workers, businesses and the health care system. The package provides for payments of up to $1,200 to millions of Americans, increased unemployment benefits and financial assistance to businesses, industry, states and local governments and the health care system. The Senate and House had earlier approved the aid package.

(MORE: U.S. Military Tries to Stop Spread of Coronavirus Among Its Ranks)

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The number of cases in the U.S. continued to surge, with more than 100,000 confirmed as of Friday evening. More than 1,500 deaths have been blamed on the virus in the U.S.

There have been more than 590,000 cases reported globally. Nearly 27,000 have died and some 130,000 have recovered.

Latest Developments

United States

-The Walt Disney Company announced Friday that Disney World and Disneyland would remain closed indefinitely. The parks were eyeing the end of the month to reopen after a two-week closure. "As a result of this unprecedented pandemic and in line with direction provided by health experts and government officials, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice," the company said in a statement. Hourly employees will continue to be paid through April 18.

-Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said state troopers will set up checkpoints along Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle to monitor traffic coming from Louisiana, an emerging hotbed of coronavirus cases, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Motorists with Louisiana plates will be allowed will be ordered to self isolate for 14 days, the report added. DeSantis previously ordered airline passengers arriving in Florida from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self quarantine for 14 days. The governor also said that vacation rentals be suspended for 14 days, but didn't immediately provide further details.

-Utah and North Carolina became the latest states to issue "stay at home" directives.

-The U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy pulled into Los Angeles to free up hospital beds for patients with COVID-19.

-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf added nine more counties to the list of those ordered to shelter in place in his state.

-Four people are dead on board a cruise ship carrying passengers infected with COVID-19 and waiting to dock in South Florida, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Some 140 people on the Holland America Zaandam are showing symptoms of the disease, and two have tested positive. The company said four "older people" on board have died but did not specify if the deaths were related to the coronavirus outbreak. The ship is headed to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale after it was barred from docking in Chile during a cruise of South America.

-Maine and West Virginia on Friday announced the first deaths in their states from COVID-19. Deaths have been reported in at least 45 states and the District of Columbia.

-The U.S. State Department is asking foreign medical workers seeking work in the U.S. to contact their nearest embassy or consulate for a visa appointment. The agency said on Twitter that the announcement applied "particularly to those working on #COVID19 issues." Routine visa services were suspended at embassies worldwide last week.

-A one-year-old baby has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Brevard County, Florida. While the coronavirus appears to hit older populations harder, experts say there is increasing evidence that the disease is also dangerous to younger people. A 17-year-old boy in California earlier this week became the first child to die from COVID-19 in the U.S.

-The House of Representatives is set to pass the massive economic aid bill on Friday, the last step before the package goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.

-Several states saw a sharp uptick in infections over the past week as the number of U.S. cases surged. Illinois reported 2,000 new cases, while the number of cases in Michigan jumped from 350 to 3,000.

-Detroit, Chicago and New Orleans are emerging "hot spots" in the U.S., Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told CBS News. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says his state is seeing infection rates rise faster than anywhere in the world.

-More than 44,000 people in New York, the current epicenter of the outbreak, have been diagnosed with the disease. At least 500 have died, most of them in New York City, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been pleading for days for more ventilators and other supplies to treat the ill. Cuomo said this week that his state has 4,000 ventilators on hand and has purchased another 7,000. The federal government has pledged to send 4,000. But Cuomo said the state will need as many as 30,000.

-Behind New York, New Jersey, California and Washington have the most cases in the U.S, followed by Michigan, Illinois and Florida.

-Several public workers at the heart of New York City's infrastructure have died or been sickened by COVID-19. At least one bus driver and train conductor have died, the Associated Press reported. More than 351 personnel working for the New York Police Department have tested positive. A janitor who worked for the NYPD has died.

-Montana announced its first death from COVID-19 late Thursday night. "Montana truly is one big small town – this news hits us hard, but we’re in this together," Gov. Steve Bullock said on Twitter. The state was one of the last in the U.S. to have any confirmed cases of the disease.

-The Indianapolis 500 has been postponed until Aug. 23. This will be the first time since 1945 that the race won't be run on Memorial Day weekend.

Worldwide

-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, said Friday in Twitter video: “I've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, that's to say a temperature and a persistent cough. I’ve taken a test, that has come out positive so I am working from home, I'm self-isolating, and that’s entirely the right thing to do." Johnson said he would continue to lead the country from home "thanks to the wizardry of modern technology."

-Hong Kong has banned gatherings of more than four people and closed businesses such as gyms, movie theaters and arcades.

-Nearly 300 people in Iran have died after drinking methanol, which they thought would protect them from getting coronavirus, according to the Washington Post. More than 1,000 have become sick after trying the fake remedy. Iran has more than 32,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the disease has killed at least 2,300 people there.

-South Africa announced its first two deaths from COVID-19 on Friday. The deaths came as the country entered a three-week lockdown. Police were heard in the streets yelling "Go home" and at least one took chase against someone who was still outside, the AP reported. The country has imposed some of the fiercest restrictions against public contact, banning dog walking as well as cigarette and alcohol sales.

-South Africa, Russia and Indonesia all surpassed 1,000 cases.

-Italy, where more than 8,2000 people have died, remains the country with the most number of deaths from COVID-19. About 80,500 people there have been diagnosed with the disease. Spain follows with the second highest numbers of deaths.

-The death toll in Spain climbed by 760 overnight, but officials there say cases could be beginning to flatten out. “It’s true that we have more deaths than what we saw yesterday, but it’s also true that the percentage increase today is similar to that of the past three days and it appears there is a stabilization,” said Fernando Simón, the head of Spain's health emergency coordination center. The country has recorded more than 64,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 4,800 deaths.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.