This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.
- Global cases: At least 1,595,350.
- Global deaths: At least 95,455.
- Most cases reported: United States (461,437), Spain (153,222), Italy (143,626), France (118,781), Germany (118,181).
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 7:40 a.m. Beijing time.
All times below are in Beijing time.
9:55 am: South Korea reports 27 new cases, 4 deaths
The number of infections in South Korea continued to slow, with the country reporting 27 new cases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It had four more deaths.
The city of Daegu, which was South Korea’s epicenter and had huge spikes in cases during the thick of the pandemic, reported no new cases.
That brings the country’s total to 10,450 cases, and 208 fatalities. — Weizhen Tan
9:10 am: Trump says help for farmers will be sped up
U.S. President Donald Trump said he has directed Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to “expedite help” to farmers who have been hurt by the impact of the pandemic.
Trump added that he also told Perdue to “use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal” to ensure that the country’s food supply is “stable, strong and safe.” — Weizhen Tan
8:10 am: Mexico says new cases jump by 260
New cases in Mexico jumped by 260, bringing the country’s total to 3,441 cases, its health ministry said, according to Reuters. There were a total of 194 deaths.
The country also recorded its first two deaths of pregnant women who died from the coronavirus, one of whom gave birth before she died, the health ministry said, according to the report. — Weizhen Tan
7:55 am: China reports 42 new cases, 1 more death
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said there were 42 new confirmed cases as of April 9, of which 38 were attributed to travelers coming from overseas. That brings the country’s total to 81,907 cases, the NHC said.
There was one new death, bringing China’s total fatalities to 3,336, according to the NHC.
Separately, there were 47 new asymptomatic cases, where people tested positive for the virus but did not show any symptoms. That brings its number of asymptomatic cases currently under medical observation to 1,097, the NHC said. — Weizhen Tan
Travelers walk to the exit of the Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province Wednesday, April 08, 2020, after 76 days of lockdown of the city due to Covid-19.
Barcroft Media | Getty Images
All times below are in Eastern time.
6:48 pm: Amazon says it could soon begin testing some warehouse workers for the coronavirus
Amazon said that it’s working on developing coronavirus tests that could be used to help protect warehouse workers, who are particularly exposed to the disease.
In a blog post, the company said it has started building “incremental test capacity” that could eventually result in “regular testing of all employees, including those showing no symptoms.”
Amazon said it has mobilized employees across the company, including research scientists, program managers, procurement specialists and software engineers, to form a dedicated team that will work on developing coronavirus tests. The team is in its early stages, having obtained the necessary equipment to build its first lab, Amazon said.
Once work is underway, the hope is “to start testing small numbers of our front line employees soon,” Amazon said. “We are not sure how far we will get in the relevant time frame, but we think it’s worth trying, and we stand ready to share anything we learn with others.” —Annie Palmer
6:31 pm: JPMorgan now sees economy contracting by 40% in second quarter, and unemployment reaching 20%
JPMorgan economists issued an even more dire forecast, now foreseeing a 40% decline in the nation’s gross domestic product for the second quarter and a surge in April’s unemployment rate to 20% with 25 million jobs lost.
In an earlier forecast, they said second-quarter GDP would be down 25%.
The economists, however, continue to see a second-half recovery, based on the assumption that disruptions from the pandemic fade by June. They note that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits has totaled 16.8 million in just three weeks.
“With these data in hand we think the April jobs report could indicate about 25 million jobs lost since the March survey week, and an unemployment rate around 20%,” they wrote, “Given the expected hit to hours worked this quarter we now look for -40.0% annualized real GDP growth in 2Q, down from -25.0% previously.” —Patti Domm
5:45 pm: EU ministers seal deal on half a trillion euro coronavirus rescue plan
European Union finance ministers agreed on Thursday on half-a-trillion euros worth of support for their coronavirus-battered economies after weeks of wrangling that exposed painful divisions in the bloc headed for a steep recession.
EU powerhouse Germany, as well as France, put their feet down to end opposition from the Netherlands over attaching economic conditions to emergency credit for governments weathering the impacts of the pandemic, and after assurances for Italy that the bloc would show solidarity. —Reuters
Read CNBC’s coverage from the U.S. overnight: Universal Studios extends park closures; US coronavirus cases top 452,000
