Coronavirus Now: Daily COVID-19 Updates for March 5

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 now number at more than 95,000 around the world as of March 5, 2020. Once referred to as novel coronavirus or Wuhan coronavirus, COVID-19 has disrupted lives across the globe, while the CDC is advising Americans to be prepared in case the virus spreads in their communities.

Here’s an update on the latest news about the coronavirus, including confirmed cases and deaths. The first section of this article will have the most recent news updates. The next two sections have maps and statistics on confirmed cases and deaths around the world.

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March 5 Updates

A Grand Princess Cruise Ship Is Being Held Off the California Coast after a Passenger from a Previous Cruise Died from Coronavirus

Another Grand Princess cruise ship may be subject to quarantine. This one’s being held off the California coast and test kits are being flown to the ship, BNO Newsroom reported. A small cluster of patients is connected to the same ship’s cruise from San Francisco on February 11-21.

Eleven passengers and 10 crew members on the ship have symptoms, The New York Times reported. The ship was traveling back from Hawaii, but more than 2,500 people were on the ship when it traveled from San Francisco to Mexico. Two people were confirmed with coronavirus from that trip, including one person who died in Placer County, California.

Some people on the ship now, as it traveled back from Hawaii, were also on the ship when it traveled to Mexico.

Nine New Cases Have Been Announced in New York

Nine new cases have been confirmed in New York as of late March 4, The New York Times reported. These are all connected to a Westchester man who tested positive. Experts aren’t sure how the man contracted the virus. The initial person is hospitalized with an underlying respiratory condition.

Doctors and nurses who treated the man are quarantined, as ar the people who tested positive. The family’s synagogue, Young Israel of New Rochelle, is closed until March 8 and people who attended a funeral and bat mitzvah are self-quarantining. People who had contact with the man and attended AIPAC are also self-quarantining.

Classes at Yeshiva University in Washington Heights are Midtown are canceled through Friday, The New York Times reported. Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School, where the daughter attends, is also closed until after March 10.

Health Insurance Will Cover Coronavirus Testing

Vice President Mike Pence announced that COVID-19 testing will be covered by private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, CNBC reported. He said that HHS is labeling the testing as an “essential health benefit.” Some questions still remain, such as whether the test would only be covered in-network and if it would only be free if a deductible has already been met.

Anyone who wants a test can now get one with a doctor’s approval, the New York Times reported. Capacity is still limited. The diagnostic to be approved is someone with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.

Some questions remain about just what “essential health benefits” means.

More Companies Are Pulling Out of SXSW in Austin

SXSW is still scheduled to happen in Austin, Texas in mid-March. So far, more than 47,000 people have signed a petition calling for the event to be canceled.

Both Facebook and Twitter have canceled their participation in SXSW, citing coronavirus concerns. Other companies that have pulled out include TikTok, Mashable, China Gathering, Amazon Studios, and Intel. Tim Ferriss has also canceled his attendance. On March 4, Apple and Netflix also pulled out of SXSW.

King County Officials Are Purchasing a Motel for Coronavirus Patients

Officials said they were in the final stages of purchasing a motel to house coronavirus patients in isolation in an effort to keep them away from other people who are hospitalized. Modular units that had previously been purchased as part of homelessness reduction efforts will also be used for COVID-19 patients, officials said in a press conference on March 2.

The motel will be for patients in recovery or in active treatment, My Northwest reported. Modular trailers are also being converted into homes for patients who cannot isolate themselves.

Vaccine Updates

Israeli scientists have said they may be close to a vaccine, The Jerusalem Post reported. Scientists have been working on a vaccine against a bronchial disease that affected poultry. Dr. Chen Katz told The Jerusalem Post: “Our basic concept was to develop the technology… The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.”

He said that just out of luck, they had chosen a coronavirus as the proof of concept for their technology, and the DNA of COVID-19 is very similar. They hope this means they might be able to create a human vaccine soon and begin testing it in clinical trials.

In the U.S., Moderna has shipped a vaccine candidate to begin clinical trials in humans, Daily Mail reported. And Greffex in Houston has a potential vaccine ready for animal testing. During a press conference led by President Donald Trump on February 26, officials said the U.S. was about a year away from a mass-produced vaccine.

Inovio plans human trials on a coronavirus vaccine in April and might be able to deliver a million doses by the end of the year if the trial’s successful, Yahoo! reported.

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COVID-19 Now Has More than 95,000 Confirmed Cases & More than 3,200 Deaths

As of March 5, 95,452 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 (also known as the Wuhan coronavirus), according to BNO. There have been 3,286 fatalities.

The following map of confirmed cases in the U.S. and worldwide was shared by BNO News. You may need to zoom into the map to see the cases in the United States, which so far number at two, or cases in other countries across the world.

Another map worldwide is being maintained here which tracks confirmed cases and deaths. A mobile version of the map is here. The map pulls from WHO, CDC,  NHC, and Dingxiangyuan sources and is being maintained by people with JHU.edu. Note that the “total recovered” number doesn’t account for people who may never have needed to go to the hospital.

Another map sourcing the most recent news about the virus can be found here.

Please consult your local news for the most recent information about virus cases, confirmed or unconfirmed. If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk with your doctor right away.

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Reported Deaths from the COVID-19

So far, the following deaths have been reported from COVID-19 as of March 5, 2020, according to BNO News.

• Mainland China – Hubei province (including Wuhan) – at least 2,902 deaths
• Mainland China – Beijing – 8
• Mainland China – Guangdong province – 7
• Mainland China – Henan province – 22
• Mainland China – Hunan province – 4
• Mainland China – Shanghai – 3
• Mainland China – Zhejiang province – 1
• Mainland China – Other regions – 65
• Mainland China – Undisclosed – 0

Deaths outside of mainland China:

• Diamond Princess Cruise Ship – 6
• France – 4
• Hong Kong – 2
• Iran – 92
• Iraq – 2
• Italy – 107
• Japan – 6
• Philippines – 1
• San Marino – 1
• South Korea – 35
• Spain – 2
• Taiwan – 1
• Thailand – 1
• United States – 11
• Australia – 2
• San Marino – 1

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Confirmed Cases Across the World

The confirmed international cases outside of China include the following countries, according to BNO News as of March 5, 2020. These are confirmed cases, not deaths, and they are listed in alphabetical order.

• Diamond Princess Cruise Chip – 706 (40 recovered)
• Afghanistan – 1 case
• Algeria – 17 cases
• Andorra – 1 case
• Argentina – 1 case
• Armenia – 1 case
• Australia – 52 cases (21 recovered)
• Austria – 37 cases
• Azerbajian – 3 cases
• Bahrain – 49 cases (1 recovered)
• Belarus – 6 cases
• Belgium – 23 cases (1 recovered)
• Brazil – 4 cases
• Cambodia – 1 case (recovered)
• Canada – 34 cases (3 recovered)
• Chile – 3 cases
• Croatia – 10 cases
• Czech Republic – 8 cases
• Denmark – 15 cases
• Dominican Republic – 1 case
• Ecuador – 10 cases
• Egypt – 2 cases (1 recovered)
• Estonia – 2 cases
• Finland – 7 cases (1 recovered)
• France – 285 cases (12 recovered)
• Germany – 262 cases (16 recovered)
• Georgia – 3 cases
• Greece – 8 cases
• Hong Kong – 105 cases (36 recovered)
• Iceland – 26 cases
• India – 29 cases (3 recovered)
• Indonesia – 2 cases
• Iran – 2,922 cases (276 recovered)
• Iraq – 35 cases
• Ireland – 6 cases
• Israel – 15 cases
• Italy – 3,089 cases (276 recovered)
• Japan – 331 cases (10 recovered)
• Jordan – 1 case
• Kuwait – 58 cases
• Latvia – 1 case
• Lebanon – 15 cases
• Liechtenstein – 1 case
• Lithuania – 1 case
• Luxembourg – 1 case
• Macau – 10 cases (6 recovered)
• Malaysia – 50 cases (22 recovered)
• Mexico –  5 cases (1 recovered)
• Monaco – 1 case
• Morocco – 1 case
• Nepal – 1 case (recovered)
• Netherlands – 38 cases
• New Zealand – 3 cases
• Nigeria – 1 case
• North Korea – Unknown (some unconfirmed reports indicated 1 to 7 but it’s not verifiable, BNO noted)
• North Macedonia – 1 case
• Norway – 56 cases
• Oman – 15 cases
• Pakistan – 5 cases
• Palestine – 4 cases
• Philippines – 3 cases (2 recovered)
• Poland – 1 case
• Portugal – 6 cases
• Qatar – 8 cases
• Romania – 6 cases
• Russia – 3 cases (2 recovered)
• San Marino – 16 cases
• Saudi Arabia – 2 cases
• Senegal – 4 cases
• Singapore – 110 cases (78 recovered)
• South Korea – 5,766 cases (88 recovered)
• Spain – 202 cases (2 recovered)
• Sri Lanka – 1 case (recovered)
• Sweden – 52 cases
• Switzerland – 80 cases (1 of the cases is a Google employee)
• Taiwan – 42 cases (12 recovered)
• Thailand – 47 cases (31 recovered)
• Tunisia – 1 case
• UAE – 27 cases (5 recovered)
• Ukraine – 1 case
• United Kingdom – 85 cases (8 recovered)
• U.S. – 159 cases
• Vietnam – 16 cases (16 recovered)

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At Least 159 Confirmed Cases in the United States

There were at least 42 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and three from Wuhan, China, and additional cases within the United States have raised the total confirmed number to 159.

Here’s a look at some of the confirmed cases in the U.S. that aren’t connected to the cruise ship or the evacuation flights from China.

• Arizona – 1 case. One case is in Maricopa County, Arizona. The person is a member of the “Arizona State University community” but did not live in school housing, Business Insider reported.  They had recently traveled from Wuhan and they live in Tempe, CBS News reported.
• California – There are 24 cases from China repatriation flights or the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Axios reported. Here are the other cases, which number at least 11.
  • Deaths: There is one death in California, reported on March 4 in Placer County, The New York Times reported. This death was a person who had traveled on cruise ship to Mexico. They  had underlying health conditions.
  • Santa Clara  County: There are 14 cases total in Santa Clara County. Three new cases were identified late on March 1, KRON 4 reported. One case is a woman who was hospitalized with chronic conditions. The sixth and seventh are a husband and wife, both hospitalized, and the husband has chronic conditions. They had traveled to Egypt recently. More details are not being released due to medical privacy laws, KRON 4 reported.
  • Two in Santa Clara were identified on February 28 and 29. The one on February 28 was a 65-year-old patient with chronic conditions that might be a case of community transmission, NBC Bay Area reported. Then on February 29, a fourth case was confirmed in Santa Clara.
  • Santa Clara’s first two cases: ABC 7 reported one case is a man that has been self-isolating since he returned from Wuhan on January 24 and has not been very sick or needed hospitalization. Another case was a woman who was in Wuhan, China, confirmed on February 2, ABC 7 reported.
  • A case was reported in northern California on February 26 from Solano County, NBC Bay Area reported. This one is being treated in Sacramento County and might be “community transmission.” On February 19, UC Davis Medical Center received the patient but the CDC didn’t test the patient until four days later, USA Today reported.
  • Three men in Santa Clara County were announced as confirmed diagnoses on March 4, The New York Times reported. One is hospitalized and two are in isolation at home, having had close contact with the first.
  • Two cases were announced on March 3, an adult male and an adult female.
  • Two cases in San Benito County – These involve a husband and wife who are 57 and the husband had traveled to Wuhan, Business Insider reported. They are being treated at a hospital at the University of California and were taken to the hospital after their symptoms worsened.
  • Los Angeles County – The first LA individual was a Wuhan resident traveling through the Los Angeles International Airport, heading to China, when he felt sick, Business Insider reported.
  • Six more Los Angeles County cases were reported on March 4, The New York Times reported. One of those had conducted medical screening at LA International Airport and had last worked eight days before having symptoms. Each of the new cases is connected to a known exposure or international travel.
  • One case in Orange County – Orange County officials do not believe person-to-person transmission occurred in the county. That person made a full recovery.
  • Humboldt County – A case was confirmed in Humboldt County, Jefferson Public Radio reported on February 23. The person is self-isolating at home and doing well and close contacts are being monitored. A close contact is “indeterminate,” KRCR reported.
  • Sacramento County – A case was confirmed who traveled from China to the U.S. on February 2 and has self-quarantined since, CBS San Francisco reported.
  • Sonoma County – A case in Sonoma County is connected to a Princess cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico Feb. 11 – Feb. 21, Press Democrat reported. A patient from Placer County was on the same cruise.
  • Placer County – Two cases are confirmed in Placer County. A hospitalized patient in critical condition has tested positive after being on a Princess cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico. A Sonoma County case is also from that cruise. The Placer County patient died on March 4.
• Diamond Princess Cruise ship – 39 cases – Including five in Northern California, 11 at the University of Nebraska, and two near Lackland Air Base, CBS San Francisco reported.
• Florida – 2 cases
  • Two presumptive positive cases are in Florida as of March 1. They are in isolation and the threat to the state is low, officials said. The first case is from Manatee County with no travel history and they are isolated. The second is an adult from Hillsborough County who traveled to Italy. They are isolated.
• Georgia – 2 cases – Two cases have now been confirmed in Georgia as of March 2, Fox 5 reported. One patient had been in Italy recently and the other patient lives with them. They are in Fulton County. Symptoms are minimal and they don’t need to be hospitalized, but they’re isolated at home.
• Illinois – 3 cases
  • A third person tested positive in Illinois on February 29 in Cook County, NBC Chicago reported. This person is hospitalized and in isolation. More details on their condition or where they live aren’t yet known.
  • One Illinois case was confirmed on January 24 in Chicago, from a woman who had also recently been in Wuhan. The woman in Chicago is in stable condition at a hospital, CBS DFW reported. Her husband was later diagnosed too, ABC 5 reported. Both are in their 60s. These two were released into home isolation on February 6 and said they’re feeling good, CBS News reported.
• Massachusetts – 1 case – This case is in Boston, Massachusetts, CBS News reported. The man is in his 20s and had traveled to Wuhan recently. He’s been isolated and will stay there until he’s cleared. His close contacts are being monitored. He’s from Madison and is doing well, CBS News reported.
• New Jersey – 1 case was announced on March 4, The Hill reported. This is a man in his 30s hospitalized in Bergen County.
• New York – 11 cases
  • A woman in her late 30s was confirmed with the virus after traveling in Iran, MSN reported.  NBC reports the woman is from Manhattan. and she’s isolated in her home. People who were in close contact with her have already been identified.
  • A man in his 50s in Westchester County has a confirmed case, the New York Times reported. He was in the hospital and may have exposed doctors and nurses before he was diagnosed. He’s a lawyer who works in Manhattan and is from New Rochelle and is in serious condition with an underlying respiratory condition. He is improving.
  • On March 4, multiple people who had contact with the men were also diagnosed with COVID-19, including his wife, his son (20), his daughter (14), a neighbor who drove him to the hospital, a friend and the friend’s wife, and the friend’s three children. His son is a student at Yeshiva University and lived in campus housing, but had not been there since February 27. He had symptoms but is improving.
• North Carolina – 1 case – On March 3, a new case was announced in Wake County, North Carolina. This person had been exposed to the virus at the long-term care facility in Washington that’s been at the center of an outbreak.
• Oregon – 2 cases
  • A second case was identified on March 1 in Washington County and lived with the case announced on February 28. They don’t need medical attention and are isolating at home.
  • One case in Oregon was identified on February 28, 2020. This patient is an employee of Forest Hills Elementary School, KGW News reported. This may also be a case of community spread but is considered “presumptive” until official CDC results come in. Forest Hills is closed through Wednesday for deep cleaning, Oregon Live reported. 
• Rhode Island – 2 cases – Rhode Island has identified two presumptive cases (meaning they tested positive in the state and are awaiting CDC confirmation.) One case is a teenager is traveled to Europe, and a third person who was also on the trip — an adult — is being tested.
• Texas – No in-state transmissions have been reported. In San Antonio, one quarantined evacuated patient was released in error and was in the public for 12 hours before going back into quarantine. While she was released, she visited the Holiday Inn Express Airport and also visited the North Star Mall. She went to Dillard’s, Talbot’s Swarovski, and ate at the food court while she was there, CNBC reported. San Antonio declared a public health emergency after this was discovered.
• Washington state – At least 18 cases, including six deaths. Fourteen of the cases are in King County.
  • Washington Deaths: 
    • On March 3, three more deaths were reported in King County, bringing the total to nine. One of those died on February 26 at Harborview Medical Center, but was just diagnosed, KOMO News reported. That patient had underlying conditions and was in his 50s, from LifeCare. Another death was a woman in her 80s from LifeCare who died at home. Details on the third death are not yet known.
    • On March 2, the sixth death was a man in Snohomish County. The other three deaths were in King County, Q13 Fox reported.
    • A man in his 70s died on February 29 at EvergreenHealth and is connected to the Life Care Center.  He had underlying conditions, Q13 Fox reported.
    • A Life Care Kirkland resident in her 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. She died on March 1, 2020.
    • A man in his 70s with underlying conditions, who was a Life Care Center resident, died on March 1 at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Q13 Fox reported.
    • A woman in her 80s, a Life Care resident who was previously in critical condition, died on March 1.
    • A man in his 50s in Washington State died around February 29, marking the first case of someone in the continental U.S. daying from the virus. He had health conditions and was treated at Evergreen Health in Kirkland.
  • Washington Cases: 
    • New cases were reported in King County on March 3, KOMO News reported. These include a woman in her 40s from LifeCare who’s at home, a woman in her 60s who was not hospitalized, a man in his 70s who visited LifeCare frequently, and two men in their 20s hospitalized at Swedish Issaqua (exposure not known).
    • A man in his 50s is hospitalized at Highline Hospital as of March 2 and how he contracted the virus isn’t known, Q13 Fox reported.
    • A man in his 40s was reported late Sunday, March 1. He’s in critical condition, CNN reported.
    • A woman in her 80s who is a Life Care resident was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth and first identified on March 2, Q13 Fox reported.
    • Three LifeCare Center cases were identified on March 1, all hospitalized with underlying health conditions at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Q13 Fox reported. They include a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s. (One of the cases died and is no longer listed here.)
    • A man in his 60s with underlying conditions, in critical but stable condition, was identified on March 1, Q13 Fox reported. He’s in Renton at Valley Medical Center.
    • A man in his 60s with underlying conditions was identified on March 1 at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Q13 Fox reported. He’s in critical condition.
    • Two new cases were confirmed from the Life Care Center Kirkland on February 29. One is a staff member in her 40s who is doing well, and quarantined at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue.
    • A Life Care Kirkland resident in her 70s was hospitalized in serious condition at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland.
    • A woman from King County tested positive on Friday, February 28, King 5 reported. This woman traveled to South Korea, according to other reports. This is likely the USPS worker, who was identified as being from King County, in her 50s, and recently traveled to South Korea, Federal Way Mirror reported. She works at a distribution center but worked with automated equipment that sorted packages and had no customer interaction.
    • The first confirmed case in the U.S. was on January 21 in Washington state, from a man who had traveled from Wuhan. The man is in his 30s and being treated in Seattle. He was released into isolation and home and says he is continuing to improve, CBS News reported.
    • A student at Jackson High School in Mill Creek is self-quarantining and has a sibling at Gateway Middle School who has not tested positive, Q13 Fox reported.
• Wisconsin – 1 case in Madison who was tested at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and is isolating at home, Business Insider reported.

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