Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

After 44 days of seclusion because of the new coronavirus pandemic, the children of Spain shrieked with joy as they were allowed to leave their homes Sunday.

For the first time in six weeks, kids under 14 can now go outside with one parent for up to an hour. They have to stay within about a half mile of their house, may take only one toy with them, and they aren't allowed to play with other children, according to The Associated Press.

The move was the first easing of strict restrictions in Spain, which has been one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19 illnesses. The country has had more than 223,000 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. More than 23,000 people have died there.

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On Sunday, the number of overnight coronavirus deaths in Spain dropped below 300 for the first time in weeks.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said if efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus continue to work, adults could be allowed to exercise outdoors next weekend.

With these easing of restrictions, Spain joins several other countries and states trying to return to a sense of normalcy.

Worldwide, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 neared 3 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 205,700 people have died. More than 860,000 patients have recovered.

The U.S. has more than 957,000 confirmed cases. More than 54,400 people have died in the U.S., and more than 106,000 patients have recovered.

Latest Developments

United States:

-The USNS Comfort treated 182 patients while docked in New York City, and all patients have been discharged, Northwell Health spokesperson Terry Lynam said. The ship is expected to leave the city at the end of the month.

-The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said they have made enhancements to the “Get My Payment” app to help Americans get their stimulus checks, the Treasury Department announced in a release. “Some of the key enhancements include: payment status update for closed bank accounts, greater app access for taxpayers who filed in 2018 but not 2019 and did not use direct deposit, and the ability to submit a ‘0’ amount for zero income filers," a Treasury spokesperson told CNN. You can access the app by clicking here.

-Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will soon announce when the state may reopen but added it will be done methodically. He is reviewing recommendations from a task force he convened to guide him in his decision, The Associated Press reported. “Even if you could flip the switch, if people don’t have confidence, then the economy is not just going to take off. It’s not the way it works,” DeSantis said.

-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a two phase plan for reopening the state. Construction and manufacturing businesses that have a low risk reopen when a region is ready. Then, after a two-week pause, businesses will determine how risky it would be for them to reopen and outline how they will put safety precautions in place, CNN reported.

-Dr. Deborah Birx, a top member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, told Fox News she expects the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States to go way down by the end of next month. “We believe that both hospitalizations, the ICU need and, frankly, the number of people who have succumbed to this disease will be dramatically decreased by the end of May,” she said. Birx also criticized U.S. media coverage. “I think the media is very slicey and dicey about how they put sentences together in order to create headlines,” she said in response to a question about President Donald Trump suggesting at a briefing last week that injecting disinfectants might be a solution for COVID-19.

-The White House did not hold a coronavirus briefing on Saturday after President Trump's statement about disinfectants was criticized for two days. Trump tweeted that the briefings may no longer be worth his time because of hostile questions from the media.

-The Washington Post reported that a new 57-page Republican strategy memo advises Senate candidates to blame China for the coronavirus outbreak and to link Democrats to the Chinese government. If asked whether Trump is at fault for the nation’s unpreparedness as the virus spread, the candidates are told, “don’t defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban — attack China,” according to the memo.

-Gov. Phil Murphy told NBC News he thinks New Jersey is “still a number of weeks away” in regards to reopening.

Worldwide:

-The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to return to work Monday after recovering from COVID-19 that sent him to intensive care earlier this month.

-China's National Health Commission reported no new deaths for the 11th day in a row on Sunday. It confirmed 11 new cases, bringing the total to 82,827 in the country — 77,394 of which have been reported fully recovered. Health officials also claimed that Wuhan, the city where the outbreak is thought to have started, no longer has any patients with the novel coronavirus in the hospital.

-A group of 25 Dutch high school students had to sail across the Atlantic aboard a 200-foot schooner after the coronavirus pandemic scuttled their plans to fly home after an educational sail around the Caribbean. The children, ages 14 to 17, watched over by 12 experienced crew members and three teachers, arrived at the northern Dutch port of Harlingen on Sunday after a five-week voyage of nearly 4,350 miles, AP reported.

-More than 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the 54 countries of Africa, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. There have been 1,374 deaths in Africa, according to a report released Sunday.

-The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture said animals at two mink farms in the Netherlands have tested positive for COVID-19, according to AP. The Agriculture Ministry said some staff at the two farms had earlier displayed symptoms of the disease “so it is assumed that these are human-to-animal infections.” The findings come after positive tests in two pet cats in New York state and in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adding to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide.

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.