RALEIGH, N.C. — Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus from North Carolina and across the globe showing the pandemic’s impact on health, jobs, schools and more:
At least 18,577 people in 99 North Carolina counties have tested positive for the coronavirus, at least 676 people have died and another 520 or so remain in the hospital. More than 9,100 have reportedly recovered from COVID-19, the illness associated with the virus.
Latest updates
9:20 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell expressed optimism Sunday that the U.S. economy can begin to recover from a devastating recession in the second half of the year, assuming the coronavirus doesn't erupt in a second wave. But he suggested that a full recovery won't likely be possible before the arrival of a vaccine.
In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes," Powell noted that the economy was fundamentally healthy before the virus struck suddenly and forced widespread business shutdowns and tens of millions of layoffs. Once the outbreak has been contained, he said, the economy should be able to rebound “substantially.”
8:35 p.m.: While gyms are closed, riding a bike has become a desirable option for exercise while maintaining social distance.
Matt McGrain, the store manager at Trek Bicycle in Raleigh, said his shop sold two months worth of bikes in one month. His shop is one of many in the Triangle that are trying to order fast enough to keep up with demand.
7:05 p.m.: Durham County has confirmed two more COVID-19-related deaths on Sunday bringing the total to 39. Both residents were over 65 years old and had multiple underlying health conditions.
There were also 16 new COVID-19 cases reported, including two at a new facility: Veritas Collaborative Adult Hospital. Durham County has confirmed 996 total coronavirus cases.
6:10 p.m.: The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina started its first of three days of COVID-19 testing Sunday. More than 130 people were tested in the first three hours. The tests are offered for free via drive through and will be available on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lumbee Tribe Housing Complex.
5:30 p.m.: According to NC Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Chris Mackey, a large number of the 800+ coronavirus cases reported Saturday came from testing at “one of the food processing plants” but would not elaborate on which one. The DHHS is still trying to confirm how many cases came from that location.
5:20 p.m.: The state plans to offer free COVID-19 testing to all employees working in prisons and juvenile centers, which includes more than 21,000 workers. Starting Monday, all of them will have access to voluntary testing.
The move comes after more than 1,100 people living and working in correctional facilities have tested positive. Fourteen of them have died.
5:10 p.m.: Cape Fear Valley expects to get its first doses of Remdesivir from the NC Department of Health and Human Services to treat COVID-19 patients this week.
Early trials have shown the anti-viral medication to speed up recovery times for those with severe cases. That's why the FDA issued emergency permission to use it. Cape Fear will get doses based on the number of hospitalized patients it's treating.
4:30 p.m.: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo got tested for coronavirus on live TV Sunday as he announced all people in the state experiencing flu-like symptoms are now eligible for tests. Any New Yorkers experiencing flu-like symptoms or those who will be returning to work as part of phased reopenings across the state can now get tested, Cuomo said.
The state is expanding eligibility as it deals with a surplus of testing capacity. Cuomo said drive-thru and walk-in testing sites are performing about one-third of the 15,000 tests they’re capable of each day. In all, the state is testing about 40,000 people per day.
1 p.m.: The past four days, the state has seen an upward trend of people testing positive for the coronavirus. The state achieved its goal by testing over 10,000 people for the coronavirus in the past day. Out of the more than 10,000 tests conducted, 521 came back positive. Today there were seven new deaths, when the rolling average for coronavirus deaths is 16.
11:30 a.m.: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Sunday that "everything does not depend on a vaccine" when asked to explain President Donald Trump's recent comments that the US will return to normal with or without a vaccine proven to treat Covid-19, CNN reports.
"So what the President was making the point on is -- everything does not depend on a vaccine. We're committed to delivering a vaccine, we'll put the full power of the US government and our private sector towards getting a vaccine, but that's one of a multi-factorial response program," Azar told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" when asked about the comments.
10 a.m.: North Carolina church leaders won a temporary restraining order, allowing them to meet in larger numbers for worship for at least 14 days. This morning, a couple of churches are opening their doors to church-goers.
New Life Baptist Church in Smithfield is holding indoor worship services this morning. The church usually has 25 to 30 people attend each Sunday, and they plan to have 85 seats spread apart to keep people socially distance from each other.
9 a.m.: A person who attended a religious service on Mother’s Day in northern California has tested positive for the coronavirus, possibly exposing it to more than 180 members of a congregation. The church in Butte County, north of Sacramento, chose to open its doors despite rules banning gatherings of any size, county public health officials said in a statement Friday.
"We all need to do our part to follow the orders and mitigation efforts so that our Reopen Butte County plan can continue to move forward," Butte County Public Health Director Danette York said in a statement Friday. "Moving too quickly through the reopening process can cause a major setback and could require us to revert back to more restrictive measures."
All 180 members were told to quarantine after the service. Gatherings of any size in California are still prohibited.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that California's Gov. Gavin Newsom had the right to ban church assemblies in the interest of public health during the coronavirus outbreak.
8 a.m.: On average, North Carolina has seen 517 new coronavirus cases each day.
7 a.m.: Organ donations have declined by around 50% since March to early April, a new study shows. Kidney transplants have seen the largest decline. Many transplant centers are still performing the procedure, however, they are not using organs from people who were infected with COVID-19.
6:30 a.m.: Chinese officials are worried about a virus resurgence. As a result, the country quarantined 8,000 people and reintroduced lockdown measures in northeastern China. Other parts of the country further relax restrictions, the New York Times reports.
6 a.m.: Campbell University will give all students private rooms who are living on campus and returning in the fall to limit the spread of COVID-19. Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University said they are still working on solutions to limit the spread of COVID-19.
6 a.m.: Durham County is reporting 12 new COVID-19 cases and now has 980 overall, health officials said Saturday. That includes over 200 at five nursing and rehabilitation centers.
