This is what you should know about the coronavirus outbreak ravaging different countries. A lot has happened in the past few hours. Here’s the latest:
- This is now a pandemic: The World Health Organization has announced the new classification of the novel coronavirus as a pandemic, but cautioned that this doesn’t mean the global health watchdog or individual countries will change their response. Calling it a pandemic just formally acknowledges that the virus is deadly, has spread worldwide, and has sustained person-to-person transmission.
- The US has new travel restrictions: President Trump announced earlier today that travel from 26 countries to the US will be suspended for the next 30 days, beginning Friday at midnight. Several European ambassadors in the US say they had no warning of the announcement, and are still working to figure out what the restrictions mean.
- Basketball is on hold: The NBA is suspending its regular season, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. The test result was reported just before the tip-off of Wednesday night’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena, which was immediately canceled.
- Tom Hanks infected: The two-time Academy Award winning actor and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have been diagnosed with coronavirus and are being treated in Australia’s Queensland state.
- Cases rise worldwide: The US reported more cases today from several states — 43 states and the District of Columbia have reported infections. Australia, India, China, and South Korea are among the countries also reporting new infections today. As cases rise, major events around the world are being canceled, schools are being suspended and classes moved online, and people are staying home under self quarantine.
The United States has at least 1,272 cases of the coronavirus and 38 deaths, according to state and local health agencies and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
70 cases are repatriated citizens, like those evacuated from China or from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
1,202 cases were detected on US soil, spread out across 43 states and the District of Columbia.
These include presumptive positive cases that are still pending final confirmation from the CDC labs.