This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
States across the U.S. are reopening after some coronavirus lockdowns meant to curb the spread of the virus are eased despite the country seeing its deadliest day on record, according to data collected Friday by the World Health Organization. Warren Buffett revealed at Berkshire Hathaway’s first virtual annual meeting on Saturday that he sold all of his airline stocks and didn’t see any value in any major acquisitions amid the coronavirus pullback in stocks.
- Global cases: More than 3.4 million
- Global deaths: At least 244,229
- US cases: More than 1.1 million
- US deaths: At least 66,385
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
9:44 am: Small towns and rural hospitals could be weeks away from their coronavirus peak
Men look at cattle at a stockyard in Lexington, Nebraska, U.S., on Friday, April 24, 2020. Nebraska businesses that have laid off workers during the coronavirus crisis could be forced to repay tax credits and other incentives they have received through the states main business-incentive program, the state Department of Revenue said.
Dan Brouillette | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Hospitalizations related to Covid-19 have started to decelerate in some cities, yet it could take the virus weeks to peak in more rural communities across the U.S., health officials warn. The virus also has the potential to be more deadly in many rural communities where a larger portion of the population are older and have underlying health conditions like obesity and diabetes that could put them at risk of serious illness or death.
It took less than three weeks for Hall County to become Nebraska’s biggest hot spot of Covid-19 cases. The area reported its first case of coronavirus in late March, just as the outbreak was surging, and now has more than 1,000 cases of Covid-19 as of Friday. —Melodie Warner
7:27 am: Vietnam reports first coronavirus case in nine days
Vietnam reported its first confirmed coronavirus case in nine days on Sunday, bringing its reported positive cases to 271, its health ministry said. Vietnam is said to have implemented strict quarantine and contact tracing measures early on in the course of the pandemic, quarantining towns with suspected cases as early as February, using the help of the military and public surveillance. The country has reported no coronavirus deaths.
6:00 am: Roche expects to make more than 100 million antibody tests monthly by end of this year
A photo showing the logo of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche in Basel.
SEBASTIEN BOZON | AFP | Getty Images
Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Sunday it expects to be able to produce “significantly more” than 100 million of its new antibody tests monthly by the end of 2020, doubling its current production.
Roche earlier on Sunday received an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving its test, which relies on taking intravenous blood samples to identify whether someone has previously been infected with the coronavirus and whether they have the antibodies to defend against it.
Roche said its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test has a specificity greater than 99.8%, meaning very few false-positive tests, and that it can help assess people’s immune response to the virus. The company said it has already started shipping the new antibody test to top laboratories globally.