Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus topped 100,000 Friday afternoon, as some Americans can expect economic stimulus checks next week, the head of the Tokyo Games said there's no guarantee the Olympics will happen next year and President Donald Trump continued to push for the U.S. economy to reopen by May 1.

The first round of $1,200 stimulus payments should go out the week of April 13, USA Today reported. While about 80% of Americans are eligible, the first payments will be geared toward people in low income brackets and those receiving social security. Those who have received prior tax refunds will get payments first, via direct deposit.

Some 102,000 people worldwide had died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus as of Friday evening, including more than 18,000 the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

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At least 1.6 million cases have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 491,000 in the U.S.

Thursday marked the 100th day since the World Health Organization was alerted to the virus in the wake of an outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Latest Developments

United States:

-Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday that the state's health department will record license plates of all residents who attend in-person church services over the Easter weekend, and they will be contacted and ordered to quarantine for 14 days.

-The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units at New York hospitals dropped for the first time since mid-March and the rate of hospitalizations is slowing, the Associated Press reported. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Dr. Jolion McGreevy, medical director of Mount Sinai Hospital’s emergency department, said. “It’s getting better, but it’s not like it’s going to just drop off overnight. I think it’s going to continue to slowly decline over the next weeks and months.”

-Los Angeles County extended its stay at home order until May 15. The order was originally set to expire on April 19. Los Angeles has recorded more than 7,900 cases of COVID-19 and 225 deaths.

-Seventy people have tested positive at a San Francisco homeless shelter, including 68 clients and two staff members, KGO-TV reported.

-Federal authorities are investigating a Massachusetts veterans home where at least 28 residents have died from COVID-19, according to the AP. The investigation focuses on whether residents at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke were denied adequate medical care. The director of the home has been placed on administrative leave.

-At a briefing Thursday night, Trump said he is optimistic the country's economy can return to some semblance of normalcy by the end of the month. “Hopefully, we’re going to be opening up — you could call it opening — very, very, very, very soon, I hope," he said. Behind closed doors, Trump has floated the idea of starting to reopen much of the country even sooner, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, some health experts say mass testing needs to be in place before that happens, and that there could be a new surge in cases if people return to work and normal activities too soon.

-The University of Louisville is laying off employees and cutting pay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Courier-Journal reported. "As of today, the university is projecting a nearly $40 million negative impact between now and the end of the fiscal year unless we take immediate, strategic and necessary steps to resolve it," university President Neeli Bendapudi wrote in an email sent out campuswide on Thursday. Colleges across the nation are taking financial hits after campuses closed, athletic events were canceled and the stock market slumped.

-Wyoming, with 239 cases of COVID-19, remains the only state in the U.S. not to have reported a death.

-New York has more than 160,000 cases. New Jersey has the second highest case count with 51,027 cases, followed by Michigan with 21,504, California with 20,233 and Massachusetts with 18,941.

-Louisiana State Rep. Reggie Bagala, 54, died Thursday after a battle with COVID-19, Nola.com reported.

Worldwide:

-In hard-hit Italy, helicopters, drones and police monitored enforcement of the country's lockdown efforts. Police stopped some 300,000 people around the country on Thursday and issued about 10,000 summonses.

-The chief executive officer of the Tokyo Games said there's no guarantee the Olympics will happen next year, after already having postponed to July 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I don’t think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not," Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said, the AP reported. ”We're certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer."

-There are 50 cases of the virus among sailors on France’s only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle. Three have been flown to a French hospital for treatment.

-Nonessential workers in Spain will likely be able to return to their jobs at factories and construction sites next week under a plan still being formulated by the government. Schools and shops will remain closed and office workers will still be encouraged to work from home. Spain recorded 605 additional deaths overnight, the lowest increase since March 24, according to the AP. Overall, Spain has reported 157,022 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the second highest number in the world behind the U.S. Nearly 16,000 people in Spain have died.

-Turkey is sending a planeload of personal protective equipment including surgical masks, N95 masks and hazmat suits to Britain, where nearly 66,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 7,900 have died. Turkey has also donated equipment to Italy, Spain and several other countries.

-South Africa and Malaysia both extended their lockdowns for another two weeks.

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.