Italy COVID-19 Surge Triggers Massive Lockdown; U.S. Cases Pass 500

And in Saudi Arabia, the country took two strong steps to curb the spread of the virus. It put the city of Qatif in Eastern Province, where all of the country’s 11 cases have been reported, on lockdown, Gulf News reported. The city has a population of about 525,000. It also announced the closure of all schools and universities throughout the country until further notice, Reuters reported yesterday.

In Asian developments:

·  South Korea yesterday reported 367 new cases and 6 more deaths, raising its respective totals to 7,134 and 50.

·  China yesterday reported 44 new cases, all but 4 from Hubei province, raising the overall total to 80,695, according to a daily update from the National Health Commission. It also reported 27 more deaths, putting the fatality count at 3,097.

·  Japan’s health ministry yesterday reported 30 more cases from 6 different prefectures, raising its total to 438 cases. However, it lists its overall total as 487 cases, which includes 49 asymptomatic carriers.

In its latest daily update yesterday, the WHO said of 105,856 global COVID-19 cases, 24,727 have been reported from outside of China by 101 countries.

U.S. Cases Top 500
CIDRAP reports that, meanwhile, the pace of new COVID-19 infections in the United States continued a slow but steady rise, running parallel to increased spread of the virus and increased testing capacity.

An online dashboard from Johns Hopkins University this afternoon shows 516 US cases, up by nearly 100 cases from the 417 reported at the same time yesterday. The total includes 49 cases in people repatriated from Wuhan, China, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship that had been quarantined in Japan.

At least 34 states have reported cases, according to a New York Times tracker.

Washington state officials as of this morning reported 136 cases, up 34 cases from yesterday, and 18 deaths, 2 more since yesterday. Eight counties have reported cases.

Of the state’s new cases reported yesterday, 12, plus both of the deaths, were reported by Public Health-Seattle and King County, which has now reported 83 of the state’s cases. The people who died were both residents of the LifeCare Center, the affected nursing home. They include a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s.

First Cases in 4 States; Totals Grow Elsewhere
At least four more states have reported their first cases: Vermont, Missouri, Virginia, and Connecticut. Vermont’s case involves an adult with unspecified exposure, Missouri’s patient is a resident who traveled to Italy.

Virginia’s first case, announced yesterday, is a US Marine from Fort Belvoir, and a second case announced yesterday is a Fairfax resident who was on the same Nile River cruise linked to other US cases. Connecticut’s first case is a state resident who was likely exposed in California.

Also, a handful of already affected states reported more cases, including Oregon, which over the last 2 days reported 11 more cases, raising its total to 14. Also yesterday the state’s governor declared a state of emergency, which gives officials the authority to finalize agreements to expand testing to major health systems and prepare to activate the medical reserves corps.

In New York, the main hot spot on the East Coast, the state’s governor announced 16 more cases yesterday, raising the total to 105. Of those, 82 are from Westchester County, where a large cluster of cases has been detected in New Rochelle. Twelve of the state’s cases are from New York City.

California’s governor also declared a state of emergency yesterday, saying the measure contains provisions to prevent price gouging for necessary supplies. As of yesterday morning, the state had reported 88 cases, 24 from earlier evacuation flights, and 1 death.

Chicago officials reported a new case, the seventh from Illinois,  involving a man in his 60s with an unknown exposure source who sought medical care and tested negative for flu.

Cruise Ship to Disembark in Oakland
California officials announced that they are working with the federal government to safety disembark Grand Princess cruise ship passengers at the port in Oakland as soon as tomorrow. Efforts are already underway to prepare the site. The ship is carrying about 3,500 people, 1,700 of them crew members, from 54 countries.

Infected passengers needing acute medical care will be treated at California hospitals, and an additional 1,000 passengers from California will be evaluated in federally run quarantine in California. Nonresidents will be transported to federal facilities in other states.

The ship’s crew will be quarantined and treated on the ship.

Feds Warn against Cruise Ship Travel, Large Crowds
In a related development, the US State Department yesterday urged US citizens, especially those with underlying health conditions, to avoid traveling by cruise ships. It said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted an increased risk in travelers and said many countries have implemented strict screening measures, denied ship entries at ports, and prevented passengers from disembarking.

It also warned that though the United States has evacuated some cruise passengers in recent weeks, those considering cruises should not rely on repatriation flights if they face quarantine by local authorities.

Yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Tony Fauci, MD, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged elderly people and those with underlying health conditions to limit their exposure to travel and large crowds.