COVID-19 update: Worldwide cases climb to nearly 2 million
Editor’s Note: All facts and figures in this article are from April 12, 2020 and were fact-checked at 10 p.m. that evening.
On March 12, worldwide confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease climbed to 1,846,963 and the U.S. reached 555,398 total., according to John’s Hopkins Hospital.
While medical researchers work overtime to combat the highly contagious virus, U.S. leaders are considering reopening the country.
According to USA Today, the white house is set to begin a new task force that will look into whether or not federal social distancing guidelines should continue after May 1.
FDA commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, told ABC News that there is not enough evidence to determine that yet.
While Hahn did note that they are “hopeful about that target,” it is “just too early to be able to tell that we see light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rumors have floated around social media about a projected date for a vaccine to be ready, Dr. Zeke Emanuel told ABC News that these projections are unrealistic.
“Anyone who tells you we’re going to have a vaccine in three or four months, that’s just not the reality of how biology and research works,” said Emanuel.
The FDA has authorized one antibody test, which can detect immunity to showing symptoms. Immunity seems to be based partially on environmental factors, such as the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community a person lives in, along with whether or not they have previously tested positive.
New research has shown how the disease is spread, including a greater distance than previously suspected. According to a recent CDC report, the disease can travel up to 13 feet.
According to research published in the Emerging Infectious Disease Journal, “half of the samples from the soles of ICU medical staff shoes tested positive” for COVID-19 out of samples from Wuhan’s Huoshenshan Hospital. The disease was also located on surfaces like trash cans, computer mice and other frequently touched areas.
