Outbreak Today: The US overtakes Spain

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There’s a lot we still don’t know about the coronavirus outbreak. This newsletter does its best to put everything we do know in one place each day. Have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And to help keep high quality news free for all, become a BuzzFeed News member.

And with that, here’s what we know as of Thursday, April 9.

Coronavirus in the US

As of Thursday afternoon, there have been 454,304 confirmed cases and 16,267 deaths in the US. These numbers were accurate when we sent this out, but they’re always changing. For the latest numbers and charts, check out our live-tracking page, where you can also look up the numbers by the state you live in.

The recorded death toll in the United States overtook Spain today and is on track to overtake Italy, the worst-hit country in the world. The skyrocketing death toll is being driven by New York and New Jersey: 799 New Yorkers died of COVID-19 yesterday, a record high, and another 198 in New Jersey.

A “super-spreading event” in Chicago
A CDC report released yesterday detailed how a single event, in this case a small family gathering, can rapidly spread the coronavirus to a large network of people. The report focused on one Chicago man who attended a funeral, and days later a birthday party, before testing positive for COVID-19.
He unwittingly infected as many as 15 other people before Chicago introduced strict social distancing measures. The spread via this one man is a sign of how contagious the virus can be and underscores the importance of social distancing — not just by closing down bars and sports stadiums, but much smaller and more intimate gatherings, too.
The man at the center of this “super spreading” event “was apparently able to transmit infection to 10 other persons, despite having no household contacts and experiencing only mild symptoms for which medical care was not sought,” the CDC wrote.

The crisis in our prisons

For the 1.3 million people being held in state prisons across the country, there’s no social distancing. Nor are there many good options to protect yourself, like frequent handwashing or masks.

Antonio McDowell is 23 years into a 103-year sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. He’s one of more than 50 people who say a retired Chicago detective framed them for murder, a BuzzFeed News investigation revealed in 2017. So far, 20 people who’ve accused the detective of misconduct have already had their convictions thrown out; McDowell is seeking a new trial as evidence of his innocence mounts.

But that has been put on hold by the coronavirus outbreak, and McDowell, who has developed a serious medical condition in prison, worries he might not survive long enough to prove his innocence and regain his freedom. COVID-19 is tearing through prisons across the country, including his, where 95 inmates and 39 staff have already tested positive. “The fear of death, on top of being framed,” he told BuzzFeed News from his prison cell this week. “I’m petrified.”

People walking at the Lakefront Trail in Chicago despite a stay-at-home order from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker during the coronavirus pandemic. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia / AP)

What we're reading

When the borders close

“My parents left Canada for India on March 1, a trip that was supposed to last just under a month,” writes Scaachi Koul. “On March 24, India implemented their own lockdown measures, far stricter than what my parents would have experienced in Canada had they gone home: Domestic and international travel is barred, airlines can’t operate, trains are halted, and though pharmacies and grocery stores are open, people are sometimes beaten by the police for going outside. They haven’t left my uncle’s house in 30 days at this point…”

Another dubious study

You probably saw that graphic going around yesterday, showing how joggers supposedly leave a cloud of spit-laced vapor in their wake. It probably confirmed something you’ve thought about during lockdown times — can’t all these runners just...stay away from me? Well, the joggers are indeed a bit annoying in the age of social distancing, but the good news is, the study is...bullshit? Or something close to it — just a Belgian researcher who spoke to a reporter about work they were doing that had nothing to do with the coronavirus. “What the team has published is something that it’s calling a ‘white paper,’ but which is actually a Google-translated version of the Belgian newspaper article,” Vice reports.

Timing is everything

Federal Support Ends for Coronavirus Testing Sites as Pandemic Peak Nears (NPR)

Let’s hear him out on this

Fauci: I Don't Think We Should Shake Hands “Ever Again” (The Hill)

Quote of the Day

“Stop moving. Simply stop moving… If you do not have the type of bread you like in your house, eat crackers.”
—Silveria Jacobs, prime minister of Sint Maarten, telling the people of her small island nation in no uncertain terms that this is no time for fooling around.

Maybe jogging does this, but wait for a serious study first. (KU Leuven; TU Eindhoven)

Coronavirus around the world

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 1,587,209 confirmed cases and 94,850 deaths deaths globally. These numbers are changing by the hour. You can get the latest figures from our live tracker.

One last thing

Surely it can be both?

via @PadmaLakshmi

📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Tom Gara and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.

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