Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The federal government ignored longstanding recommendations for how to handle a pandemic, and President Trump further undermined efforts, Florida Rep. Donna Shalala said Friday.

“Boy, we weren’t ready,” Shalala, a Democrat who is also former Health and Human Services secretary, said at a meeting of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.

The commission, an independent group put together to advise on potential pandemic and bioterrorist dangers, has been warning for years about the lack of US preparedness.

Shalala, a former member of the commission, said the White House did follow one recommendation made in a 2015 report offering guidance about handling a pandemic. That was the appointment of Vice President Mike Pence to head the response. 

Trump named Pence coronavirus coordinator on Feb. 27, but for weeks continued to himself front White House briefings on the pandemic.

“If the President had gotten out of the way, the vice president would have done just fine because he had just the right tone about working with state and local governments,” Shalala said.

Pence, she said, had shown he would listen to advice from the US National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and other medical experts.

“He never second-guessed their opinions,” she said.

Healthcare workers place a nasal swab from a patient into a tube for testing on May 8, in New York City.

Hospitals across the United States are seeing fewer stroke patients coming to their facilities for care — and a new paper ties that trend to the coronavirus pandemic.

The paper, published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine as a letter to the editor, suggests that the number of patients in the United States undergoing imaging for stroke evaluation has decreased by 39% since before the pandemic.

“These are stroke patients who need to be treated,” said Dr. Greg Albers, director of the Stanford Stroke Center and professor of neurology at Stanford University, who was an author of the letter. 

Albers called the 39% drop in stroke patients “unheard of.”

In the letter, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Stanford University in California wrote that they examined data on 231,753 stroke patients who underwent neuroimaging in 856 hospitals in the United States from July 1, 2019 through April 27.

The data showed that the number of patients who underwent imaging decreased from 1.18 patients per day per hospital in February to 0.72 patients per day per hospital in late March and early April.

“We were very surprised to see that many people of all ages, and even those with severe strokes, were not presenting to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Even in states with few Covid cases, patients were hesitant to be seen in ERs,” Albers said.

A person walks on Wall Street as the coronavirus keeps financial markets and businesses mostly closed on May 8, in New York City.

US stocks rallied all day Friday in spite of the worst monthly jobs report on record.

The market has brushed off bleak labor market data, including the staggeringly high weekly jobless claims, over the past weeks. Friday was no exception.

The April report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the US economy lost 20.5 million jobs, bringing the unemployment rate to 14.7%. It was the worst monthly report in history, in terms of both jobs lost and the unemployment rate.

Here’s where things stand:

Remember: As stocks settle after the trading day, levels might still change slightly.

Medical workers with OptumServe Health Services prepare a Covid-19 test sample from a patient inside the National Guard Armory in La Porte, Indiana on May 6.

Indiana has 675 new positive coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 23,146, according to State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box.

There were 33 new confirmed deaths announced today for a total of 1,328, plus 119 total suspected but unconfirmed deaths, Box said.

Intensive care unit and ventilator capacity is holding steady in the state, Box noted.

A worker cleans the screens at a Delta self check-in kiosk at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on May 5, in Arlington, Virginia.

Delta Air Lines said it is temporarily halting service at 10 airports in an effort to reduce health risks for its employees. The airports are in metropolitan areas with other airports nearby, the airline said in a statement Friday.

While Delta said the move is to protect its frontline employees at those airports, like all airlines, it has seen a major reduction in passengers during the pandemic. 

Routes will be shuttered to airports such as Chicago Midway. The airline will instead funnel passengers through the O’Hare International Airport.

“Delta will continue providing essential service to impacted communities via neighboring airports,” the statement said.

Delta is the world’s second largest airline. The airline on Monday began mandating that passengers wear face coverings on flights.

The airline said it still may suspend service to other airports as well, citing a request that the Department of Transportation is still reviewing to suspend operations at nine more airports.

People load their vehicles with boxes of food at a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on May 5, in Los Angeles, California. Food Banks across the United States are seeing numbers and people they have never seen before amid unprecedented unemployment.

California is reporting a more than 20% unemployment rate, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday.

Newsom said unemployment numbers are lagging and warned, “Let me reassure you, those numbers underestimate the rate in this country.”

Paying for unemployment: The governor said he will present a balanced budget next week, as is constitutionally required. Newsom is projecting tens of billions of revenue shortfall, when that revised budget is released on May 14.

Once again, Newsom cried out for the help of the federal government.

“We cannot do justice to the 40 million Americans – Republicans and Democrats – in this state that need us now more than ever without the support of the federal government, period,” he said.

On Monday, Newsom said the state will need to borrow funds from the federal government to pay unemployment claims.

Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a briefing on North Carolina's coronavirus pandemic response on May 5, at the NC Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.

Phase one of North Carolina’s reopening efforts will start at 5 p.m. today, Gov. Roy Cooper said.

Secretary of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service Dr. Mandy Cohen also announced today that testing is now available for anyone exposed to Covid-19. 

“We also want anyone who has been exposed to Covid-19 to get a test whether or not you’re having symptoms. So you don’t have to have symptoms in order to get a test,” Cohen said.

North Carolina has a total of 13,868 Covid-19 cases and 527 deaths.

The six staffers who deplaned from Air Force 2 at Joint Base Andrews earlier this morning tested for negative for coronavirus, a senior administration official told the pool traveling with Vice President Pence.

This comes after Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, tested positive for coronavirus. 

President Trump said that Miller has not come into contact with him but noted that she has been in contact with Pence.

Pence was traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, to participate in a discussion with faith leaders on responsible religious and spiritual gatherings, followed by a roundtable on securing the food supply this morning.

See the latest on the White House’s response:

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican lawmakers, in the State Dining Room of the White House, on May 8.

President Trump said on Friday that the White House is “in no rush” to pass additional stimulus funds in response to coronavirus. 

The President added that his administration had moved quickly to distribute the money already allocated by Congress, which he said they did. Although he noted that some money is stalled due to “state machinery, you know they have old computers.”

Trump also claimed that Democrats wanted to send funds that way and they should take responsibility for stalled funds.

Some background: CNN’s Manu Raju reported earlier that Republican leadership in the House and Senate don’t want to move forward with phase four yet, with divisions internally over a number of issues like aid to states and cities.

There will likely be GOP resistance to the rescue package House Democrats are in the process of drafting. They could vote on it as soon as next week.

All registered voters in California will receive a mail-in ballot for the November election, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced during his daily pandemic briefing.

The state is not moving to mail-only, however, and in-person voting will remain an option.

“This election is slated to be the most consequential election of our lifetime,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “We remain committed to providing as many safe, in-person opportunities to as possible on and before Election Day.”

The postage on ballots will be pre-paid, Padilla added.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the reopening of barber shops, hair salons and nail salons in all counties currently in Phase I of the state’s reopening plan starting Monday.

DeSantis made the announcement on Twitter using a video message recorded by J Henry, the owner of J Henry’s Barber Shop in downtown Orlando. 

According to a graphic within the video, the reopening includes enhanced safety protocols such as wearing gloves and a mask.

See the tweet:

World War II veterans salute as Taps is played during a ceremony at the World War II Memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, on May 8, in Washington DC.

Asked if he considered wearing a mask during a ceremony with World War II veterans, President Trump said Friday afternoon, “No, because I was very far away from them.” 

What this is about: Earlier today, Trump participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the WWII Memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

Trump greeted the veterans — all in their 90s — from a distance and did not exchange handshakes or hugs.

Earlier, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked whether Trump gave any consideration to wearing a mask while meeting with the veterans, since a presidential valet recently tested positive for the virus.

“Well this President is regularly tested. This President will make the decision as to whether to wear a mask or not. I can tell you that those veterans are protected. They made the choice to come here because they’ve chosen to put their nation first. They wanted to be with their commander in chief on this momentous day,” McEnany said. 

“It was their choice to come here and I can tell you that the President always puts the safety of our veterans first,” she added.

See Trump honor VE Day with veterans:

Closed shopfronts in what would be a normally busy fashion district in Los Angeles, California on May 4.

More than two dozen California counties have reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to talk about lifting even more restrictions in order to reopen further.

Newsom plans to make more reopening announcements on a consistent basis, he said, and that will begin with subsequent guidelines coming on Tuesday.

Those guidelines will be issued by sector, with a frame of flexibility, and will provide clarification hand washing, sanitation, addressing need for pickups and how to make that safer for employees and customers.

Acknowledging deep anxiety people are feeling and a desire to reopen, Newsom said, “We will move through phase two together as a state.” 

Today, 70% of the state’s economy can reopen with modifications, Newsom indicated. It’s not 100% and won’t deliver the same revenue that companies are used to, and says “businesses may not thrive, but will survive” with the state’s support, the governor said.

Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk down the street in Chicago, on May 7.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduced the five-phase “Protecting Chicago” plan for reopening the city during a news conference Friday afternoon.

The five-phase outlines how and when businesses can safely reopen, employees can return to work and residents can resume recreational activities.

The first four phases require people to continue to social distance and wear face masks to help, Lightfoot said.

Here’s a look at the phases:

All parades and festivals in Boston are canceled for the summer, up to and including Labor Day on Sept. 7, due to coronavirus concerns, Mayor Marty Walsh announced today.

Smaller events will be looked at by a “case by case basis,” Walsh said at a news conference Friday.

The city is looking for “creative alternatives” for the large-scale events that the city hosts, he continued.

“This is a hard public health decision, but it’s the right one. I encourage people to rethink their events, and thank them for their work to inspire us, and help our communities get through this difficult time,” he continued.

The city is encouraging organizers to host virtual events instead.

The investigative office reviewing the whistleblower complaint of former vaccine chief Dr. Richard Bright has determined there is reason to believe he had been removed as retaliation and is recommending he be reinstated during the investigation, Bright’s lawyers said Friday.

The Office of the Special Counsel “advised that in light of this determination, it would contact the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to request that it stay Dr. Bright’s removal as Director of BARDA for 45 days to allow OSC sufficient time to complete its investigation of Bright’s allegations,” Bright’s lawyers said in a statement.

Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, speaks with Marc Short, Chief of Staff for Vice President Mike Pence, in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 24, in Washington.

President Trump confirmed that Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, is the staffer who tested positive for coronavirus. 

Trump never used Miller’s last name in his remarks but later confirmed it was “a press person.”

The President said that Miller has not come into contact with him but noted that she has been in contact with Pence.

Watch CNN’s latest reporting: 

US President Donald Trump meets with Republican members of the US Congress in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, on May 8.

President Trump predicted Friday that the coronavirus pandemic could kill “95,000 people ultimately” across the US — again subtly adding to the numbers he has been using.

More than 76,000 people have died due to the virus in the US already, according to a daily tally tracked by Johns Hopkins University. 

Speaking with Republican members of Congress, Trump said that mitigation efforts helped limit the number of deaths from the outbreak but, “We may be talking about 95,000 people ultimately, we may be talking about something more than that.”

He added that one death from coronavirus is unacceptable “let alone perhaps a 100,000.”

Some context: Trump projected between 50,000 to 60,000 US deaths from the coronavirus at a White House press briefing on April 20.

During a Fox News town hall on Sunday, Trump suggested the number would be closer to 80,000 to 90,000 people.

Hospital personnel behind a barricade move deceased individuals to the overflow morgue trailer outside The Brooklyn Hospital Center on May 7, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

There have been at least 14,389 confirmed coronavirus deaths and at least 5,313 probable coronavirus deaths in New York City, according to the city website.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus deaths and probable coronavirus deaths in New York City is at least 19,702.

What that means: The New York City Health Department defines probable deaths as people who did not have a positive Covid-19 laboratory test, but their death certificate lists as the cause of death “COVID-19” or an equivalent.

There have been at least 176,089 coronavirus cases in the city, and at least 43,913 people have been hospitalized, according to the city.

A new select committee in the House is asking five companies to return Paycheck Protection Program money they received or to produce documents explaining all conversations they had with the Small Business Administration and the US Treasury.

The committee “sent letters demanding that large, public corporations immediately return taxpayer funds that Congress intended for small businesses struggling to survive during the coronavirus crisis,” according to a statement.

Some of the companies returned the funds, but others refused, the statement said.

“Since your company is a public entity with a substantial investor base and access to the capital markets, we ask that you return these funds immediately,” the panel wrote in the letters. 

The panel asked the companies to let them know by May 11 if they will return these funds. If not, the panel asked the CEOs to produce a range of documents no later than May 15, the statement said.

Lydia Fulton, LPN, administers the MMR vaccine to a child at Children's Primary Care Clinic in Minneapolis, on April 28, 2017.

Childhood vaccinations have plunged since the Covid-19 pandemic started hitting the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The CDC reported a “notable decrease” in the number of vaccines ordered through a federal program that immunizes half of all kids in the US.

Unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children will be at risk of other infectious diseases besides coronavirus, the CDC cautioned.

“The decline began the week after the national emergency declaration; similar declines in orders for other vaccines were also observed,” the CDC’s Dr. Jeanne Santoli and colleagues reported.

The American Academy of Pediatrics sounded an alarm about the report.

“Immunizing infants, children and adolescents is important, and should not be delayed,” Dr. Sally Goza, president of the AAP, said in a statement.

“I’m also concerned that children who have missed vaccines have also missed other health care that occurs during those visits, including physical exams, developmental screenings, and other important care that should not be delayed,” Goza said.

The group said pediatricians should be doing all they can to encourage parents to bring children in for vaccinations and other important visits, including separating sick children from well children and reaching out to remind families to make appointments.

Several facilities in New Jersey will now offer tests to asymptomatic people as part of the state’s efforts to increase testing, Governor Phil Murphy said today.

The facilities will prioritize health care workers and other frontline workers, as well as individuals who have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Some context: Two coronavirus studies released April 24 — one involving almost 2,000 people from Florida and the other from a Washington state nursing home — came to the same conclusion: Many of the people who tested positive for the virus didn’t know they had it because they showed no symptoms.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that people who don’t feel sick are contributing to the spread of the deadly virus that has swept the world.

A nurse administers a COVID-19 test at a drive-through testing center at George Washington University in Washington, on May 7.

There have been at least 1,268,520 cases of coronavirus in the US, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 76,101 people have died.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

Johns Hopkins has reported 11,497 new cases and 439 deaths on Friday.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Friday, May 8, in Washington DC.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressed reports that the administration will not implement 17-page draft recommendations for reopening America from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The guidance provided more detailed suggestions beyond the reopening guidelines the administration had put forth last month, including specific suggestions for schools and churches. President Trump in recent days has emphasized the need to quickly reopen the American economy despite public health officials’ urgings for a more cautious approach. 

Asked if Trump sees the CDC guidelines as an obstacle to getting the country reopened, McEnany said during Friday’s press briefing, “I would ask you, what’s the definition of CDC guidelines? Is it something the CDC director has actually seen? I would endeavor to say yes. Is it something that a rogue CDC employee leaks to you guys? No.”

“Those aren’t CDC guidelines. Those are guidelines in draft form that a rogue employee has given you for whatever personal reason they decided to do that,” she added.

McEnany said guidelines are in the editing process.

“When we have those, you guys will be the first to know,” she said.

A social distance guideline sign stating "Keep This Far Apart" is seen in Fort Greene Park on April 23, in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

More than 80% of the 374 summonses issued between March 16 and May 5 by the New York Police Department for social distancing violations went to black and Hispanic men and women, the NYPD said in a press release Friday afternoon.

“Of the 374 summonses issued in regard to social distancing, the respondents for 193 of those summonses are Black and the respondents for 111 of those summonses are Hispanic,” the department said.

It’s 2 p.m. ET in the US. If you’re just tuning in, here are some of the top stories today:

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, holding her mask in her left hand, speaks during a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island on April 14.

Rhode Island is set to become the first state in the northeastern United States to lift the stay-at-home order starting Saturday, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Friday.

“We will be the first in the northeast to lift the stay-at-home order ahead of Massachusetts and Connecticut… We are in a better position, so we can lift our restrictions a little sooner,” the governor told reporters in Providence.

Social gatherings will be limited to up to five people and retail stores can start opening again Saturday, Raimondo said, adding that she is planning executive order later Friday that will lay out the rules around phase one opening.

There were 249 new Covid-19 cases as well as 11 new deaths, according to the governor.

Lake Worth Beach lifeguard captain Michael Tricarico, left and FWC officer Ryan Ames clear the beach on March 20 in Lake Worth, Florida.

Palm Beach County commissioners voted to reopen beaches to county residents only starting May 18.

The decision passed with a 4 to 3 vote during a special meeting Friday.

Until Friday, the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach had been working on a coordinated effort to reopen beaches. This represents the first time one of those counties decided to reopen beaches on their own.

The meeting included a public comment period and a question and answer session with Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees.

Rivkees advised that Duval County reopened beaches about three weeks ago and did not see an increase in the number of cases.

He also recommended social distancing, only gatherings of 10 people or less, and that seniors refrain from going out in public.

Mount Sinai Health System and Sorrento Therapeutics said Friday they are working together to develop an antibody cocktail they hope will protect people from Covid-19, and they expect to begin human trials in the third quarter of 2020.

The team of scientists has screened about 15,000 people who may have recovered from Covid-19 infections and will look for the most potent antibodies in the plasma of these recovered patients, which can then be cloned to make more.

How it works: Antibodies are proteins the body makes to naturally fight off an infection. Antibody cocktails can be given to a patient to fight an infection or to protect from an infection.

Sorrento said in a statement that each dose of this therapy will likely deliver a cocktail of three antibodies that would recognize three unique regions of the spike protein, the part of the coronavirus that can infect cells.

The goal would be to use this treatment to protect health care workers from infection and in patients who are considered vulnerable to more severe forms of the disease, and in people who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to Sorrento.

Unlike with a vaccine or when the body creates antibodies naturally, these monoclonal antibodies only provide protection for a short time, so a treatment may need to be given more than once.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed Friday that a member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Asked how regular Americans can be expected to go back to work when even the White House, which has coronavirus detection equipment, isn’t safe, McEnany added, “We have put in place the guidelines that our experts have put forward to keep this building safe, which means contact tracing, all of the recommended guidelines we have for businesses who have essential workers we are now putting into place at the White House.”

Doctor reacts to White House staffers testing positive: 

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet veterans during a ceremony at the World War II Memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, on May 8, in Washington.

President Trump this morning attended a World War II event with veterans in their 90s. He did not wear a mask.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was just asked if the President considered wearing a mask at the event, considering one of his personal valets tested positive for coronavirus recently.

McEnany said Trump is being tested for coronavirus frequently, and said the veterans attended the event by choice.

White House asked if Trump considered wearing a mask to VE Day commemoration: 

Customers wait in line to place orders at a fast food restaurant in Dauphin Island, Alabama, on May 1.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced today that she is extending the current safer-at-home order and expanding the list of what businesses can reopen in the state. 

The safer-at-home order was set to expire on May 15, but is being amended to continue through May 22. 

Ivey said that social distancing will still be required and she encouraged residents to continue to take all precautions as the state returns to “whatever normal will look like in the near future.”

Reopening guidelines: Some of the new guidelines that take effect on Monday will allow for gatherings of all non-related, non-families of any size, if they maintain a consistent 6 feet of distancing. This will allow churches and other houses of worship to begin to hold services as well as funerals and weddings to take place. 

Restaurants will be allowed to reopen at a 50% occupancy rate, with 6 foot of spacing between tables and other guidelines in place. Gyms, athletic facilities and athletic classes will be allowed to open, but must adhere to the strict guidance that includes intense cleaning methods and social distancing.

Barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and other similar types of businesses will be able to reopen with restrictions in place that were developed by the state board of cosmetology. 

Ivey plans to announced Alabama’s next phase for reopening next week. 

Gillian Barbour, a senior education student at Texas State University, works on her distance learning classes at home in El Paso, Texas, on March 30.

Gov. Greg Abbott, along with the Texas Education Agency and the Dallas Independent School District, launched Operation Connectivity Friday in an effort to deliver internet to students across the state as schools remain closed due to coronavirus, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

A task force has been put together for Operation Connectivity to gather information on where internet is and isn’t available, identify best practices for at-home student learning, and “secure technology solutions for broadband and devices,” the statement said.

The task force will meet each month to review progress and address issues that arise.

As various states begin to reopen, the federal government has taken a small, but significant step in that direction with the agency that serves a human resources function for the rest of the agencies issuing a new notice on its website about a “phased transition.”

The Office of Personnel Management has updated its operating status for federal agencies on transitioning to normal working operations for government employees.

OPM replaced language about teleworking on Thursday night, now saying the federal government would “begin a phased transition to normal operations in line with the national guidelines to open up American again.” 

The guidance went on to say that agencies would “make operating decisions based on state or locality of duty stations and other factors” and told employees to contact their supervisors with questions. 

Washington, DC calling for extended telework: Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has not yet made a decision on reopening the city, said her administration has been in touch with OPM during the crisis but did not appear aware of the new notice. 

Bowser said that the District’s position is still that “the majority stay on telework as long as possible.”

In an April letter, she told the agency, “we know that a continued federal telework policy will help save lives by allowing more of our region’s 360,000 federal employees to work from home.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said for the first time he feels the state is ahead of the virus, not behind it.

“The good news, on the overall, is we’re finally ahead of this virus. For so long we were playing catch up,” Cuomo said. “We were behind it.”

“We haven’t killed the beast, but we are — we’re ahead of it,” he added.

However, Cuomo warned New Yorkers must continue to follow social distancing restrictions and other safety measures in order to stay ahead.

Watch:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new state partnership today with Dolphin Pointe Health Care, an assisted living facility, to help protect and care for elderly patients battling Covid-19.

How it will work:  If a long-term care facility resident contracts Covid-19 and is sent to the hospital — but doesn’t need to be on a ventilator and can go home — the elderly patient will be transferred to Dolphin Pointe instead of going home and running the risk of infecting others.

Dolphin Pointe will serve as a secure location that will exclusively care for medically stable Covid-19 positive patients in the Jacksonville area who resided at long-term care facilities that lack the resources to properly care for Covid-19 patients, the governor said. 

DeSantis announced that 17 Covid-19 positive patients are at Dolphin Pointe currently and the facility is expected to receive another seven patients in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Hospital personnel behind a barricade move deceased individuals to the overflow morgue trailer outside The Brooklyn Hospital Center on May 7, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

There has been at least 1,259,777 cases of coronavirus in the US, and approximately 75,852 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Johns Hopkins reported 2,754 new cases and 190 reported deaths on Friday. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the World War II Memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, on May 8, in Washington.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the WWII Memorial in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

Trump greeted the veterans — all in their 90s — from a distance and did not exchange handshakes or hugs. Trump nor the first lady wore a mask. 

Concerns surrounded the event after one of Trump’s personal valets tested positive for coronavirus, CNN learned Thursday, raising alarms about the President’s possible exposure to the virus. Trump was subsequently tested again by the White House physician and tested negative.

See Trump honor VE Day: 

At least 216 people died from coronavirus in New York yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

That’s down slightly from the 231 people who died on Wednesday and the 232 who died on Tuesday.

Cuomo said that while the number is falling, it’s not falling as quickly as he’d like.

Similarly, new hospitalizations per day is “just about flat,” Cuomo said, adding that they had hoped for a “steady, sharp decline in those numbers.”

Watch:

A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for coronavirus, two sources familiar tell CNN.  

Bloomberg News first reported the development on Friday. 

Pence’s flight to Iowa was delayed on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews for about an hour on Friday, and some people deplaned, according to pool reports. 

The person who tested positive was not on the trip, but the concern was other people being in contact with the individual, a source familiar told CNN. 

The vice president’s office has refused to comment.

Some context: This comes after one of President Trump’s personal valets tested positive earlier this week, as CNN reported on Thursday. 

The Vice President is currently on his way to Des Moines, Iowa, where he will participate in a discussion with faith leaders on responsible religious and spiritual gatherings followed by a roundtable on securing the food supply. 

A Walmart store in Quincy, MA, pictured on May 5, has now closed after a worker died due to COVID-19.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation are pressing Walmart on its handling of a store in the state where 81 workers tested positive for the coronavirus and another location where an employee died.

“We are writing to express serious concern about your company’s failure to keep Walmart employees in Massachusetts safe amidst the coronavirus,” 11 House and Senate Democrats wrote to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon Thursday in a letter obtained by CNN Business.

Worcester, Massachusetts, officials ordered a Walmart store to shut down last week after 23 employees tested positive for the virus, according to the local health department.

All of the store’s employees were later tested for the virus, and an additional 58 tested positive. The store, which tested 391 employees total, has since reopened.

“Massachusetts is suffering from a high rate of coronavirus cases, and several of our stores located in some of the state’s hot spots have also been hit hard by the pandemic,” Walmart said in a statement. 

The letter seeks to raise pressure on Walmart over its worker safety policies after reports of coronavirus cases among employees at several stores in the state. 

Keep reading.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announces a state of emergency for Vermont on March 13 in Montpelier.

Vermont is now allowing small gatherings of up to 10 people, even though the state’s stay-at-home order is still in place, Gov. Phil Scott said Friday.

The easing of some restrictions also includes some outdoor activities, the governor added.

Scott said the state “has flattened the curve.”

Vermont residents are “no longer being asked to limit outings to within 10 miles of their homes. In addition, business facilities and organizations that support or are for outdoor recreation and fitness activities that require low or no direct contact can return to operation,” Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Julie Moore told reporters during the governor’s briefing in Montpelier.

A senior official with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN on Friday, ”Trump’s concern is with the economy and that is very clear.”

First, some background: CDC and White House officials have told CNN the White House rejected a 17-page draft of CDC recommendations about reopening the country. During CNN’s coronavirus town hall on Thursday night, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, denied reports that guidelines from the CDC had been deliberately held back.

“We’re still in editing,” Birx said Thursday night. “I just got my edits back from the CDC late yesterday. I’m working on it as soon as I get off of this discussion.”

“We are in constant work with the CDC and really value their partnership and, as you know, they put up guidelines,” she added.

Here’s how the CDC official reacted: Responding Friday to Birx’s comments, a senior official with the CDC tells CNN the focus for the agency right now is to “give everything state and local agencies need to protect people,” adding that the CDC has “already been sharing the basic public health principles [from the draft] to protect people and keep them safe.”

“Our job is to support state and locals,” the senior official told CNN.

“Our framework guidance for mitigation is, you match the public health response based on the level of disease. That’s been our original framework. That’s what our draft made clear,” the official added.

Currently, there is talk at the CDC of taking the decision trees in the document and “putting that guidance on our web site,” the CDC official said. Decision trees are “roadmaps,” the official said, for state and local agencies to know what public health approach to implement based on the level of spread.

 ”The real sticking point has been that states aren’t paying attention to the phasing, regardless of the numbers of cases. Look at Georgia, they did not meet any of the criteria. We understand states want to open up, but you still,” the CDC official said.

As many as 75,000 Americans could die because of drug or alcohol misuse and suicide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis conducted by the national public health group Well Being Trust.

The growing unemployment crisis, economic downturns and stress caused by isolation and lack of a definitive end date for the pandemic could significantly increase so-called “deaths of despair” unless local, state and federal authorities take action, the group says in a new report released Friday.

The Well Being trust released maps showing state and county level projections of these types of deaths, based on data from past years, due to Covid-19’s impact on unemployment, isolation and uncertainty.

The group is calling for a robust approach from local, state and federal officials and agencies to help those who lose their jobs because of the pandemic to find work.

What happened in 2008: Deaths from both suicide and drug overdoses rose along with unemployment during the 2008 recession. Unemployment went from 4.6% in 2007 to a peak of 10% in October 2009 and declined steadily, reaching 3.5% in early 2010, according to the group.

And 2020 could be much worse. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Tuesday he expects the US unemployment rate was above 16% in April, “My guess right now is it’s going to be north of 16%, maybe as high as 20%,” he said.

“We’re looking at probably the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression,” Hassett told CNN’s Poppy Harlow Tuesday.

Get help: If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Here are other ways to help.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacted to Friday’s record-breaking 14.7% unemployment rate across the US, saying it shows the “urgent” need for Congress to pass more congressional funding to alleviate the crisis.

The state of Minnesota is not allowing indoor or outdoor graduation ceremonies, according to new guidance put out today.

The guidelines were developed by a group of school leaders and the Minnesota Department of Health to give students and educators a way to honor their graduates, according to a press release issued by the state.

The guidance issued said the safest way to observe graduation or commencement is for people to stay home.

So what can graduates do? The state suggests that ceremonies be conducted remotely or virtually or hold parking lot celebrations where people stay in their cars with their windows up during the event. 

Contactless delivery or pick up is suggested for diplomas, caps and gowns.

It’s 11 a.m. ET in the US. Here’s the latest updated on the coronavirus pandemic:

Public transportation agencies are requesting emergency federal aid to help address the pandemic for the rest of 2020 and through 2021.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO is leading a coalition of 15 public transportation agencies who say they need an additional $32 billion, the MTA said in a news release.

The group, which serves communities who generate 35% of the nation’s GDP, wrote a letter to Senate and House of Representatives asking for the funding.

“We come together to request your urgent assistance in providing additional aid to public transportation agencies in the next COVID-19 relief bill,” the letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy reads.

The letter continues:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will limit the number of people that can go into some parks to help with social distancing, the mayor said at a news briefing Friday.

The mayor said they are experimenting with this idea and he hopes it will save lives. He said if it works, the city will expand and use it in other parks.

Hudson River Park Piers 45 and 46, both in Manhattan, will be under new experimental restrictions beginning this weekend after those parks got too crowded last weekend, the mayor said.

When people go into the park they will have limited time, de Blasio said.

Domino Park, in Brooklyn, will be monitored, according to the mayor.  

Mayor Bill de Blasio said authorities engaged 269 homeless New York City residents as subway were shut down to be cleaned last night.

At least 163 of them accepted help from the city, de Blasio said at a news briefing today, with 148 of them going to shelters and 15 to hospitals.

Over the last three nights, at least 520 homeless people have been helped, according to the mayor.

“These results are literally historic,” de Blasio said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order extending the Disaster Emergency Declaration, according to a press release from his office sent out today.

Polis requested a Major Disaster Declaration on March 25 and it was approved by President Trump on March 28, according to the release.

The 30-day extension of this order will provide additional funding for the state’s coronavirus response and extend the employment of the Colorado National Guard, the release said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that his administration is launching a “test and trace corps” to aid the city’s coronavirus containment efforts. 

The corps is tasked with testing New Yorkers for infection, tracing all cases and contacts and then supporting and caring for cases and their contacts. 

“We want to find everyone who is positive and then trace all their close contacts,” de Blasio added. 

That tracing would then help the city “provide help” to those who need it. By May, the unit aims to house and deploy 1,000 public “health foot soldiers” to help with the efforts.

According to de Blasio, nearly 7,000 applications have already been received and are being evaluated for hiring. NYC will utilize the Johns Hopkins University Covid-19/Contact Tracing Training for all applicants who are being considered for contact tracing jobs

Kevin Hassett, senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump, listens during a roundtable at the White House on April 29.

Kevin Hassett, senior economic adviser to President Trump, said that the worst is yet to come for unemployment numbers. He expects the unemployment rate to reach a high of 25% in next month’s jobs report.

The US economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April, with the unemployment rate soaring to 14.7%, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today.

“I think we’re going to enter a transition period this summer, before we have sort of another…re-ignition of the economy, and I think we’re not quite in the transition period yet,” Hassett said. The unemployment numbers for African Americans and Hispanic Americans, which are at 16.7% and 18.9% respectively, is “something we’re watching very, very closely,” Hassett said.

Watch:

The Infectious Diseases Society of America said as the US begins to open back up, there is still concern over the demand for tests and testing supplies. 

“Right now, in some locations in this country they don’t have adequate testing to test all symptomatic patients. And so when you open up and you start testing people that are asymptomatic, you’re going to put a lot of pressure on the supply chain,” Dr. Angela Caliendo, Secretary for the IDSA Board of Directors and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, said today. 

Testing and the supply chain “remains a substantial challenge for all of us,” Caliendo said. 

As reopening progresses, Caliendo said the role of antibody testing, also known as serology testing, will come into play. 

The US needs to “figure out the role of serology and be able to ramp up serology testing over the course of the next couple of weeks to months to have a better idea of who in your population has been infected, who has not.” 

At least 102 people were hospitalized for coronavirus in New York City on Wednesday, up from the 79 hospitalizations reported on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday morning.

“The big picture is unquestionably good, but still, day to day we’re still not where we need to be, we’ve got more work to do … still overall much, much, lower numbers — good sign in the bigger scheme of things, not yet what we need to take the next towards loosening restrictions,” de Blasio added.

Covid-19 antibody tests process at the Diagnostic and Wellness Center in Torrance, California, on May 5.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) said there are too many unknowns when it comes to coronavirus antibody tests to know what to do with the results.

“We don’t have enough information about the performance of these tests to know ideally how to use them,” Dr. Angela Caliendo, Secretary for the IDSA Board of Directors and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, said on Friday.

Caliendo said antibody tests are a “hot topic,” with many unanswered questions. 

“I think we need to understand the test better. We need to understand what does it mean if you’re truly – if the test is accurate and you have antibody – what does that mean? Does that mean you’re protected from additional future infection? We don’t know that,” Caliendo said. 

Caliendo said she is worried what patients would do with the results.

“If they think they’ve been infected when they’re not, they may think they don’t have to abide by social distancing, which would be a big problem,” she said.

Caliendo said this is the best advice for patients: “If you test positive, do not assume you’re immune from the infection. Do not assume that you don’t have to abide by social distancing, wearing masks, washing your hands and doing all of that because that would be a misguided decision.”

US stocks opened sharply higher Friday even after the American jobs market suffered its biggest blow ever, with the unemployment rate spiking to 14.7% and blowing past the worst levels of the Great Recession.

Here’s where things opened today:

Reasons for the climb: Although Main Street is reeling from the coronavirus crisis, Wall Street is looking forward to the potential for better days ahead.

As awful as these numbers are, investors had been bracing for the bad news. In fact, economists had expected an even bigger loss of jobs and a 16% unemployment rate.

A Covid-19 saliva test that recently received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration is now authorized to allow patients to collect their own samples at home for testing.

Rutgers University announced today that its RUCDR Infinite Biologics lab received an amended emergency use authorization from the FDA late Thursday.

The new authorization for the lab’s Covid-19 saliva test now allows people to collect their own saliva at home and send their saliva samples to a lab for results. Testing for Covid-19 so far has usually involved nose or throat swab samples.

Using saliva to diagnose novel coronavirus infections could expand testing capacities across the United States.

“What’s new and next is expanding access to testing for people,” Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at Rutgers University’s RUCDR Infinite Biologics lab, told CNN.

How it works: Once an at-home collection kit for the testing arrives in the mail, Brooks said that it includes instructions on how to spit into a funnel to collect a saliva sample and seal with a cap to preserve the sample.

Then a preservation agent will appear, blue in color, and once the whole sample is blue, the user puts the sample back in a biohazard bag provided with the kit and send your sample to a lab for testing.

Vehicles sit in a near-empty parking lot outside a Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 1.

At least 1,031 of the roughly 2,800 employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Waterloo, Iowa, have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Black Hawk County health officials.

The numbers were released during a press conference on Thursday –– the same day the plant reopened.

The number of positive cases is more than twice the 444 cases that Gov. Kim Reynolds had reported on Wednesday. 

Black Hawk County health department said the disparity was due to the fact the state’s numbers only included positive cases from the on-site testing at the Waterloo plant. The county numbers included employees who tested positive through local health providers and serology tests that showed Covid-19 antibodies in the workers. 

Some context: Black Hawk County has 1,703 total reported cases and 21 deaths through Thursday at 12:30pm.

Tyson officials also spoke at Thursday’s news briefing, going over the safety modifications, new testing procedures and reopening plan. 

Slaughter resumed at the plant yesterday, processing comes back today. 

The positive tests were first reported in the Des Moines Register.

Tammy and Ann Day said they found out they had been fired from their jobs at JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, via a text message. 

On March 27, the married couple were showing coronavirus symptoms and decided not to go inside after driving to work. They called inside to notify the plant of their situation, they said.

That Monday, they drove to work again, where security took their temperature and turned them away, telling them to go back home. They then said they found out they had been fired via a text from Ann’s supervisor. The couple told CNN’s Erica Hill that they have not heard from the company since then.

According to the Denver Post, a seventh plant worker has died from the coronavirus and another 280 have confirmed cases. The plant was closed for nine days in April for a deep cleaning.

In a statement, JBS told CNN that the couple’s “employment was terminated because they didn’t show up for work for three consecutive days and did not contact the company. At the time of their termination, neither Tammy Day nor Ann Day argued nor presented any evidence that their absences should have been excused for any reason.” 

The company went on to say that if the couple felt afraid for their health, they could inform them and receive leave.

They said there was no personal protective equipment or masks made available while they were working in the plant. 

“You work at a factory and you get close to people. And it is our extended family. And we’re good, but it’s just, you know, I felt like we got left behind,” Ann Day said. “…I feel saddened for what has happened over there.”

Watch more:

A US Postal Service employee delivers mail in Los Feliz, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, on April 29.

The US Postal Service is warning that the pandemic impacted business in late March and has continued to decline, a trend that threatens its survival.

Its numbers are artificially elevated by mailings tied to the US census. The USPS said compared to the same quarter last year, first-class mail revenue increased by $89 million, 1.4% even though the overall volume of mail was declining by 0.2%, according to the release.

“This growth was due to one-time mailings associated with the 2020 U.S. Census, otherwise First-Class Mail revenue and volume would have each declined.”

The Postmaster General is calling on Congress and the Administration to help shore up its finances.

“We anticipate that our business will suffer potentially dire consequences for the remainder of the year,” said Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan. “At a time when America needs the Postal Service more than ever, the pandemic is starting to have a significant effect on our business with mail volumes plummeting as a result of the pandemic.” 

A new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this morning shows just how widespread the impact of the coronavirus was on the US economy in April.

America lost 20.5 million jobs – the largest single month of job losses since the BLS began tracking the data in 1939, according to the report.

CNN Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans said other figures in the report paint a “picture of a devastating situation for the American worker in April.”

Here are some of the hardest hit industries:

“[Americans are] worried about their family, about educating their kids, about their parents and their grandparents, worried about their job and worried about healthcare all at the same time,” Romans said.

She pointed out there is no data that indicates how, and if, these millions of jobs will come back at the end of the pandemic.

Watch:

People hike on a trail at dusk in Los Angeles on May 7.

California, the country’s most populous state, is taking its first significant step in reopening its economy today, as part of a phased exit from the social distancing measures meant to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic. 

California was the first in the nation to issue a stay home order to all of its nearly 40 million residents, effective on March 19.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, said yesterday that data showing stable hospitalization rates gave authorities confidence to move into this reopening stage. All reopenings in the state will be subject to active monitoring and surveillance, California Gov. Newsom said earlier this week. 

What’s allowed to reopen today: 

What’s not reopening yet: 

What are big cities planning to do?

President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on May 6.

Downplaying the seriousness of a devastating jobs report, President Trump said he “fully expected” high unemployment rates Friday morning.

The President was speaking over the phone to Fox News when the jobs numbers came down, showing a 14.7% unemployment rate across the US.

“Even the Democrats aren’t blaming me for that,” he said.

Trump went on to tout the strength of the economy before the pandemic, calling it the “best we’ve ever had.”

“Those jobs will all be back, and they’ll be back very soon,” the President said. “People are ready to go. We’ve got to get it open, and safely.”  

Watch:

Brian Waldret, co-owner of Hello Salon in Laveen, Arizona, disinfects surfaces in the salon on May 7, in preparation for reopening after being closed for several weeks due to the coronavirus.

It’s Friday morning in the US. Here is what you need to know today:

President Trump said he has not taken a test to see if he has antibodies for coronavirus.

“No, I haven’t but we’re getting that, and we’re leading in that too. We’re leading in everything,” the President told Fox News Friday morning. “And I will do that.” 

Trump said he will take the test “probably soon.” 

Shuttered businesses are seen in Philadelphia on May 7.

America lost 20.5 million jobs in April as the coronavirus crisis devastated the country’s labor market, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.

It was the largest single month of job losses since the BLS began tracking the data in 1939.

The unemployment rate rose to 14.7%, the highest on record since the BLS began its monthly series in 1948.

Watch:

A pedestrian walks by The Framing Gallery, closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on May 7.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ official jobs report will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET this morning. 

Why it matters: The government’s official jobs report will give one of the most comprehensive overviews of that economic fallout. It’s expected to be a chilling report, showing layoffs surged and unemployment rose to Great Depression levels in April.

The report is meant to inform policymakers as they continue to respond to the crisis, and it will document how severely stay-at-home orders have hurt American workers.

The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the US labor market, and 1 in 5 American workers have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since mid-March, when lockdown measures took effect across the country.

Another 3.2 million Americans filed initial jobless claims last week, after factoring in seasonal adjustments, the Department of Labor reported yesterday.

JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty said that safety measures such as temperature checks need to be uniformly mandated by the government. 

Geraghty said it’s confusing for the public, when they start traveling again, if one airline implements specific safety measures while another does not. 

JetBlue was the first major airline to require facial coverings, and Geraghty said the airline is offering empty seats next to passengers and undergoing deep cleanings. 

Geraghty said the airline industry has been “rocked to its core” and the company is working to conserve cash.

“There’s some very small glimmers of light, but we’re not overly optimistic about that,” she said. 

JetBlue is also offering a pair of flights to 100,000 New York health care workers.

Watch more:

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its official jobs report for April 2020 at 8:30 a.m. ET today, and it is expected to show devastation in the US labor force, with record-high job losses and unemployment on par with the Great Depression.

Record jobs drop expected: Economists polled by Refinitiv expect the US economy to shed 21.85 million jobs in April, by far the largest number on record. The US government’s monthly jobs data dates back to 1939. 

Combined with job losses in March, April’s layoffs would wipe out all jobs gained over the past decade.

Some historical context: Economists polled by Refinitiv also expect the unemployment rate to soar to 16%, the highest rate since the BLS started tracking monthly unemployment numbers in 1948. 

That’s a level of joblessness not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930s, for which the BLS estimates annual data. Government economists estimate the unemployment rate peaked at 24.9% in 1933.

How we got here: The Covid-19 outbreak has torn through America over the past two months. People began working from home where possible in the second half of March, as businesses closed and schools suspended in-person teaching. As the lockdown dragged on, companies laid off and furloughed their staff.

Members of National Nurses United demonstrate in Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, on May 7. They are standing among 88 pairs of empty shoes representing nurses whom they say have died from Covid-19.

Nurses rallied in front of the White House on Thursday morning to protest the lack of personal protective equipment available to them in the battle against the novel coronavirus.

The demonstrators gathered in Lafayette Square in front of the White House and placed 88 pairs of empty shoes on the ground. Those shoes represented the life of each nurse they say has been lost due inadequate personal protective equipment while fighting the coronavirus.

The demonstrators then read the names of the 88 fallen nurses.

“You talk about how essential, how needed, how grateful you are, and yet you throw us to the wolves. You throw us out onto a battlefield without armor and the more we complain we don’t see anything being done,” said Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, in an interview with CNN.

The union’s website said the protest was meant to demand “that the administration do more to protect frontline health care workers around the country.” The union represents 155,000 nurses around the country and has been vocal throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Mirimus Inc. lab scientists work to validate rapid IgM/IgG Covid-19 antibody test samples from recovered patients in Brooklyn, New York, on April 10.

Public health experts, including members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, have argued accurate Covid-19 antibody tests can support efforts to get Americans back to work by determining who may have overcome the virus.

But the rollout of millions of antibody tests in the US has created frustration and division among state health departments due to a mix of questionable tests, shifting federal rules and a hodgepodge of different methods for tracking results.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a strategy to use antibody tests for surveys that study the spread of the virus in different locations and populations, the federal government has not coordinated an effort to track the raw data of antibody tests performed in all states.

Instead, the Trump administration has instructed states to develop their own testing plans, and now states are split on what to do with antibody tests.

President Donald Trump during an event at the White House on April 30.

A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump’s personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN learned Thursday, raising concerns about the President’s possible exposure to the virus.

The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the President and first family. Trump was upset when he was informed Wednesday that the valet had tested positive, a source told CNN, and the President was subsequently tested again by the White House physician.

In a statement, the White House confirmed CNN’s reporting that one of the President’s staffers had tested positive.