About 40.7 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic began, including 2.1 million more claims filed from last week.
Why it matters: Even as states reopen their economies, Americans are still seeking relief. Revised data out Thursday also showed U.S. economy shrunk by an annualized 5% in the first quarter worse than the initially estimate of 4.8%.
By the numbers: More than 100,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins a milestone that puts the death toll far beyond some of the most tragic events in U.S. history.
- Over 1.6 million have tested positive in the U.S. Nearly 354,000 Americans have recovered and over 15.1 million tests have been conducted.
- California became the fourth state with at least 100,000 reported cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, along with Illinois, New Jersey and New York.
What’s happening:
- In Southern California,small community hospitals have been overwhelmed with U.S. citizens and residents crossing the border from Mexico, the Washington Post reports.
- The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that “a voter’s lack of immunity to COVID-19” doesn’t qualify them to apply for a mail-in ballot because it’s “not a ‘disability’ as defined by the Election Code.”
- MGM Resorts plans to reopen four major Las Vegas resorts on June 4, in the county reporting the bulk of Nevada’s coronavirus cases and deaths.
- Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday the city will start to lift COVID-19 restrictions on May 29 after seeing a 14-day decline in community spread. The citys current stay-at-home and business closure orders were set to run through June 8.
- More than 62,300 health care workers have tested positive for the virus and at least 291 have died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday. COVID-19 had infected about 9,300 health professionals when the CDC gave its last update on April 17.
The big picture: All 50 stateshave announced they are at least partially reopening their economies.
- The CDC issued new guidelines on Wednesday detailing how office buildings can reopen following months of social distancing.
- Testing: Most states aren’t doing enough, especially those that have seen larger outbreaks, per recent testing targets calculated by the Harvard Global Health Institute.
- Elections: States need to determine how to hold safe elections by this fall, when the virus will still be spreading. And state governments are facing budget shortfalls that threaten layoffs for public sector employees.
Go deeper …In photos: Life in the era of coronavirus across the U.S.
Editor’s note: The graphic includes “probable deaths” that New York City began reporting on April 14. This article has been updated with new details throughout. Check back for the latest.