New York reports deadliest day from coronavirus as toll nears 9/11 level
New York state recorded more than 500 coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, bringing its total to nearly 3,000, or about the same number killed in the United States in the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.
New York City has mere days to prepare for the worst of the novel coronavirus onslaught, said Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose city has suffered more than a quarter of US deaths in the outbreak. He pleaded for federal government help to end a shortage of medical staff and ventilators.
The 24-hour death toll was 562, raising the New York state total to 2,935 fatalities, Cuomo said. He called it the "highest single increase in the number of deaths since we started."
The Sept 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, most of them at New York City's World Trade Center.
Masks do reduce spread of flu and some coronaviruses: Study
Face masks could help limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to researchers who studied the effect of surgical masks on the transmission of other corona and flu viruses.
In the study, the use of surgical masks by sufferers significantly reduced the number of flu viruses detectable in droplets released through breathing and coughing.
It also reduced the number of seasonal coronaviruses - among the causes of common colds - detectable in the air as suspended micro-droplets, or aerosols. The study did not look at the new coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2.
Global downturn due to coronavirus 'way worse' than global financial crisis: IMF
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the global economy to a standstill and plunged the world into a recession that will be "way worse" than the global financial crisis a decade ago, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, speaking at a rare joint news conference with the leader of the World Health Organization, called on advanced economies to step up their efforts to help emerging markets and developing countries survive the economic and health impact of the pandemic.
"This is a crisis like no other," she told some 400 reporters on a video conference call. "We have witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill. We are now in recession. It is way worse than the global financial crisis" of 2008-2009.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner takes surprise top role in coronavirus fight
He's got no medical experience, was never elected or saw military service, but as US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner has crucial access - and now he's White House pointman for the coronavirus crisis.
A youthful looking 39, Kushner is no stranger in Washington. Although he'd never served at any level of government before, his marriage to Trump's daughter Ivanka put him at the heart of power after the 2016 election.
Now Kushner's surprise appearance at Trump's daily coronavirus briefing Thursday has confirmed his rise to the top tier on one of the greatest crises to hit the country in its history.
Disney to release 'Mulan' in July as part of coronavirus-related movie shuffle
Walt Disney Co will release the action epic "Mulan" in movie theaters in July and Marvel's "Black Widow" in November, the company said on Friday as it reshuffled a schedule disrupted by the global coronavirus outbreak.
Among other changes, Disney postponed the release of a new "Indiana Jones" movie by one year to July 2022, the company said in a statement.
Movie theaters around the world have been closed and film production has been put on hold to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
