Coronavirus Updates: Worldwide Cases Top 5 Million

Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

The number of known cases of COVID-19 worldwide topped 5 million on Thursday afternoon, less than two months after hitting the 1 million mark in early April.

The milestone came as more than 2.4 million Americans applied for unemployment last week and a report from Columbia University said United States COVID-19 infections and deaths could have been drastically reduced if social distancing measures started a week or two earlier.

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More than 94,000 people have died from the disease in the U.S. and more than 1.5 million cases have been confirmed in the nation, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, more than 331,000 people have died.

Latest Developments

United States:

-Nearly 39 million people have applied for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic put the U.S. economy on hold about two months ago, including some 2.4 million last week, according to a U.S. Labor Department report released Thursday for the week ending May 16. The overall unemployment rate was nearly 15% as of April, a level not seen since the Great Depression.

-More than 60% of COVID-19 infections reported in the U.S. between March 15 and May 3 and 55% of deaths during that period could have been avoided if social distancing measures and other restrictions had started one to two weeks earlier, according to a new study from Columbia University. That equals about 40% of the deaths to date, or 36,000 people, according to the Washington Post.

-Universal Parks and Resorts hopes to reopen its Orlando theme park on June 5, WESH-TV reported. Universal Orlando presented its proposed reopening plans to Orange County officials Thursday, who would have to approve the plan along with state officials. Universal is the first of Orlando's three major theme parks to reveal reopening plans. Among the precautions the park plans to take include limiting capacity, checking parkgoers' temperatures and requiring face coverings to be worn.

-People in Nashville will be allowed to gather in groups of up to 25 and retail businesses and restaurants can go up to 75% capacity starting May 25 in accordance with the second phase of the city's reopening plan, Mayor John Cooper said.

-Traditional wreath-laying ceremonies and other Memorial Day events at several major National Park Service memorials in Washington D.C. are canceled.

-The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University announced revised schedules for fall classes. The two schools will start in-person classes on Aug. 10 and finish final exams before Thanksgiving in order to end the semester earlier than usual, the Associated Press reported. The school will also skip fall break. The plan aims to limit student travel and prevent a possible second wave of coronavirus on campus in the late fall.

-Worldwide:

-The aid organization Oxfam International will cease operations in 18 countries due to the financial impact of the pandemic, according to the AP. The organization currently works to help the needy in 66 countries. "We’ve been planning this for some time but we are now accelerating key decisions in light of the effects of the global pandemic," said Oxfam International interim executive director Chema Vera.

-Officials in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic started, have banned the hunting, breeding and consumption of wild animals by humans. Researchers believe the novel coronavirus likely originated in bats sold at a food market in the city.

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.

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