(4/09/20)

To keep our fellow Guilford Vikings informed and prepared during these troubling times amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, here is today’s Coronavirus breaking news from the Guilford Voyager Breaking News Team.  

Coronavirus by the numbers as of Thursday, the 9th of April, 2020:

-1,501,906 people have been infected by COVID-19 worldwide.

-About 95,000 people have died due to the effects of COVID-19 globally.

-We have been out of school for 24 days since March 16th, 2020

-It has been 29 days since the virus was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) on March 11th, 2020.

COVID-19 claims 2 lives in Rockford area, 84 total cases reported

ROCKFORD – Two new cases of the novel Coronavirus have been detected in Ogle County, and two deaths caused by complications of the virus have been reported in Rockford/Winnebago County. In Winnebago County, this brings the total number of cases to 84 and the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 to 5. 191 cases and 8 total deaths have been reported within the vicinity of the general Rockford area. Currently, people infected in the county range between 10-19 in age.

(Compiled from 13WREX by Aidan Benham, original reporting by Andrew Carrigan)

Illinois officials reported 1,344 new known cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, including 66 more deaths

CHICAGO – Officials of the State of Illinois reported 1,344 new known cases, 16,422 cumulative cases, of the novel Coronavirus Thursday. This includes 66 more deaths, which brings the total dead to 528. 

“As Dr. Ezike and I told you, the rate of rise is looking less and less exponential,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “That indicates to us that we are in fact bending the curve.” Many public events will likely be postponed until a vaccine is available. 

(Compiled from the Chicago Tribune by Rylan McClellan, original reporting by Chicago Tribune Staff)

16,000 dead in United States due to Coronavirus

UNITED STATES – 16,000 lives have been claimed in the United States due to complications caused by the Coronavirus. Though the pandemic has not yet reached its peak, numbers of new confirmed infections in New York City (the U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak) has flattened. With the second most amount of casualties due to the virus, the U.S. reported Tuesday and Wednesday a staggering 1,900 deaths per day. On Thursday, the amount of confirmed cases of the virus in the US jumped 27,000 cases to 459,000 people, nearly half a million.

(Compiled from Reuters by Aidan Benham, original reporting by Lisa Shumaker)

Laid off – 16.8 million Americans lose their jobs

NEW YORK – Over the past three weeks an astonishing 16.8 million Americans lost their jobs as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. As the economy at home and abroad slows to a halt, many investors are comparing this economic decline to that of the same magnitude as the Great Depression. Religious leaders around the world asked people to observe Good Friday and Easter from the comfort of their homes. Worldwide, The number of deceased surpassed 95,000 and confirmed cases reached about 1.6 million.

(Compiled from Associated Press by Rylan McClellan, original reporting by Michelle R. Smith, Christopher Rugaber, and Marina Villeneuve)

Trump COVID-19 economic proposal shot down in the Senate

WASHINGTON – Democrats in the Senate refused to approve President Donald Trump’s proposal for a $250 billion to boost local businesses, and an additional $250 billion for medicinal services. “Let’s continue to work together, with speed and bipartisanship” McConnell said.  “We will get through this crisis together”

 House speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Senate vote a “stunt” as the country faces an “epic” catastrophe.

(Compiled from Associated Press by Rylan McClellan, original reporting by Andrew Taylor and Lisa Mascaro)

United States to seize exports of masks and gloves amid coronavirus crisis

WASHINGTON – Two federal agencies announced that the United States will stop exporting protective medical gear until it concludes whether the equipment should be kept in the country to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will seize any and all exports of respirators, surgical masks, and surgical gloves.  

3M, maker of many of the protective masks on the market, announced Monday that it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would allow it to proceed to ship the masks to Canada and Latin America despite the new limitations. 

(Compiled from Reuters by Rylan McClellan, original reporting by Ted Hesson)

This was your daily Coronavirus briefing from the Guilford Voyager Breaking News Team. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s briefing and as always – stay safe, Vikings.

(Affected by the Coronavirus? Tell us your story by emailing us at [email protected])