This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 2 million
- Global deaths: At least 134,178
- Most cases reported: United States (636,350), Spain (177,644), Italy (165,155), Germany (134,753), and France (134,582).
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:19 a.m. Beijing time.
All times below are in Beijing time.
10:10 am: Icelandic doctor says the country’s strategy to track spread of coronavirus can be used in the US
Iceland’s strategy to track the spread of the coronavirus can be used in the U.S., deCODE Genetics CEO Kari Stefansson told CNBC on Wednesday.
Stefansson, whose Reykjavík-based biopharmaceutical company is known for its work analyzing the human genome, noted the obvious size differences between the U.S. and Iceland.
For starters, the U.S. has about 330 million people while Iceland has just about 347,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But Iceland’s ability to test around 10% of its population and deploy robust contact tracing when someone is diagnosed with Covid-19 should not be seen as something only small countries can do, Stefansson said in an interview with CNBC’s Meg Tirrell. — Kevin Stankiewicz
8:55 am: China reports 46 additional cases, says most of them ‘imported’
China’s National Health Commission said there were 46 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, of which 34 were attributed to travelers from overseas. It also said that there had been no additional deaths.
The NHC also reported 64 new asymptomatic cases, whereby people tested positive for the virus but did not show any of the usual symptoms associated with the illness.
Since the outbreak was first reported late last year in the Hubei province, China said it has had 82,341 cases and 3,342 deaths. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
8:50 am: Vietnamese airlines to resume flight after virus lockdown eases
VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines will resume some domestic flights starting Thursday after the government eased a 15-day lockdown for some parts of the country, Reuters reported.
Vietnam’s government extended a two-week period of social distancing for 12 provinces, including the capital Hanoi, and the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City, according to the news wire. But, the restrictions were said to have been lifted for most rural areas.
The Southeast Asian country has 267 reported cases of infection and no deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
8:11 am: Singapore reports record 447 new cases
Singapore’s health ministry reported a record 447 new cases of Covid-19 infection as of April 15, noon local time.
In the last three days, Singapore reported a sharp uptick in infection with 1,167 confirmed cases.
Most of the new cases were linked to infection clusters in dormitories that house foreign workers. The people living in those dormitories are typically men from other Asian countries who carry out labor-intensive construction jobs in order to support their families back home.
Foreign workers are seen in a dormitory at Cochrane Lodge 2, which has been gazetted as an isolation area to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, in Singapore on April 14, 2020.
Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images
There have been 3,699 cases confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak; 652 patients have been discharged from hospitals and community isolation facilities and 10 people in Singapore have succumbed to the illness. — Saheli Roy Choudhury, Ted Kemp
8:06 am: Global coronavirus cases top 2 million
The total number of infections worldwide has risen to 2,056,055 and at least 134,178 people have died from the disease, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Hopkins data showed the coronavirus has infected more than 636,300 patients in the United States.
Spain, Italy, France, and Germany have each reported more than 134,000 cases each. Cases in the United Kingdom climbed to over 99,400, according to Hopkins, and more than 12,800 people have died. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
Italian Red Cross staff use a thermoscanner to check the body temperature of commuters arriving at Termini train station, during the Coronavirus emergency on April 9, 2020 in Rome, Italy.
Antonio Masiello Getty Images
All times below are in Eastern time.
7:30 pm: LA mayor says large gatherings likely banned for the rest of the year
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday large gathering such as concerts and sporting events likely won’t resume until 2021. “It’s difficult to imagine us getting together in the thousands anytime soon, so I think we should be prepared for that this year,” Garcetti said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“Until there’s either a vaccine, some sort of pharmaceutical intervention, or herd immunity, the science is the science. He added that public health officials made clear it has “miles and miles to walk before we can be back in those environments.” — Jennifer Elias
7:02 pm: Apple and Google have an ambitious plan to help officials track the virus
6:37 pm: Trump says US has ‘passed the peak’ of outbreak
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington D.C., on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
Stefani Reynolds | CNP | Bloomberg via Getty Images
“While we must remain vigilant, it is clear that our aggressive strategy is working,” Trump said at a news briefing with the White House coronavirus task force. “The battle continues, but the data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases.”
Trump said new cases are “declining” in New York, which has more confirmed cases than any country outside the U.S. He added that cases are “flat” in Denver and Detroit, while other cities including Baltimore and Philadelphia “are showing great signs of success.” — Will Feuer
Read CNBC’s coverage from the U.S. overnight: United Airlines expects $5 billion in aid, US cases top 630,000