- As many as 937,783 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded around the world and at least 47,261 people have died, according to the latest information compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
- Singapore now has 1,000 recorded instances of COVID-19 infection due to an influx of "imported" cases as more residents returned from abroad.
- Total deaths in the U.S. related to the coronavirus reached 5,138, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York City recorded the highest number of fatalities at 1,374, the data showed.
- China's National Health Commission (NHC) said there were 35 new cases as of April 1, all of which were "imported" from other countries.
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- Global cases: More than 937,783
- Global deaths: At least 47,261
- Top 5 countries: United States (216,721), Italy (110,574), Spain (104,118), China (82,394), and Germany (77,981)
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 1:51 p.m. Beijing time.
All times below are in Beijing time.
3:13 pm: China reports 35 new cases, 6 deaths
China's National Health Commission (NHC) said there were 35 new cases as of April 1, all of which were "imported" from other countries. The mainland had six more deaths, all of them from Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, said the commission.
That brings China's total to 81,589 confirmed cases and 3,318 deaths, the NHC said.
Another 55 asymptomatic cases were identified, of which 17 were attributed to travelers from overseas, the NHC said. A total of 1,075 asymptomatic cases are still under medical observation, according to the commission.
China started reporting data on asymptomatic cases on Wednesday. — Yen Nee Lee
2:41 pm: European Union will allocate up to $109.6 billion to hardest-hit countries
European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will allocate up to 100 billion euros ($109.6 billion) to countries hit hardest by the pandemic, starting with Italy, reported Reuters.
She also called for more solidarity among EU members to fight the crisis, the report said. She added that many countries had focused on their own problems in the early days of the crisis, which "was harmful and could have been avoided," according to the report. — Yen Nee Lee
2:35 pm: Thailand reports 104 new cases, three additional deaths
Thailand reported 104 new cases, taking the country's total to 1,875 since the outbreak, reported Reuters, citing the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
The Southeast Asian country also reported three more deaths, bringing the toll to 15 so far, the report said. — Yen Nee Lee
2:03 pm: China's domestic travel industry poised to recover within months, says Trip.com
China's domestic travel industry is poised to resume normal activity before the summer holiday season, according to the CEO of the country's largest travel site Trip.com.
Jane Sun told CNBC she was hopeful her company could forge the path to recovery for one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are confident, with the government's strong control measures, we'll be able to lead the recovery within China," Sun told "Street Signs" on Wednesday. — Karen Gilchrist
1:43 pm: US deaths cross 5,000
Total deaths in the U.S. related to the coronavirus reached 5,138, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York City recorded the highest number of fatalities at 1,374, the data showed.
The U.S. has the most number of reported cases globally. — Yen Nee Lee
1:30 pm: Mexico's government forecasts economy could contract as much as 3.9% in 2020
The Mexican government said the economy could contract by as much as 3.9% this year due to the pandemic, Reuters reported, citing the country's finance ministry.
The upper limit of the official forecast was 0.1%, said the report. The Mexican economy is expected to rebound in 2021 by 1.5% to 2.5%, reported Reuters.
Those forecasts "incorporated the effects of a drastic shock on the economic scenario of Mexico and the rest of the world, derived from the pandemic," the finance ministry reportedly said. — Yen Nee Lee
1:14 pm: For some Chinese businesses, there's no going back to life before virus outbreak
As the second quarter begins in China, it's an altered landscape in the coronavirus-stricken economy with businesses that remain shut — some for good.
The official resumption of work rate has crept steadily higher since early February, when more than half the country extended a Lunar New Year holiday by at least a week in an effort to limit the spread of the disease known officially as COVID-19.
As of March 29, small and medium-sized enterprises nationwide had resumed work at a rate of 76.8%, up from around 60% about two weeks earlier, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's monitoring of about 2.2 million smaller businesses' use of cloud computing platforms.
But it's unclear how quickly or whether that figure can reach 100%. — Evelyn Cheng
12:46 pm: Indian automaker Maruti Suzuki made 'no sales' since lockdown
If the coronavirus pandemic did not occur, demand for automobiles in India would have steadily grown over the course of the year, according to a top industry leader in the country.
The initial number of cases in India appeared to show that the situation was contained, but as the number of infections grew, it prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a 21-day national lockdown that began last Wednesday.
"The lockdown has meant that all the automakers, including Maruti, have had to close the factories and stop production completely. We've shut down our service stations, our sales outlets, and the dealerships," R.C. Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, told CNBC's "Street Signs." — Saheli Roy Choudhury
12:34 pm: Germany reports 6,156 new cases and 140 more deaths
Germany, Europe's largest economy, reported 6,156 new cases of the coronavirus and 140 additional deaths, latest data by the Robert Koch Institute showed. The institute is a federal government agency responsible for disease monitoring and prevention.
That brought the total number of cases in Germany to 73,522, with 872 fatalities, said the institute. — Yen Nee Lee
12:15 pm: Philippine President Duterte says lockdown violators could be shot dead
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned in a televised address that violators of the country's lockdown measures could be shot dead, Reuters reported.
"My orders to the police and military … if there is trouble and there's an occasion that they fight back and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead," Duterte reportedly said.
"Is that understood? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I will bury you," he added.
The Philippines has reported 2,311 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, said its Department of Health. — Yen Nee Lee
11:47 am: Israel's health minister diagnosed with COVID-19
Israeli health minister, Yaakov Litzman, and his wife were diagnosed with the coronavirus, reported Reuters.
The couple are now in isolation, the report said. Litzman is an ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has regularly appeared alongside the premier to give updates on the virus spread, according to the report. But in recent weeks, the health minister reportedly scaled back his public appearances.
Netanyahu tested negative for the virus earlier this week after an aide was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Israel has reported 6,092 cases and 26 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. — Yen Nee Lee
11:00 am: South Korea reports 89 new cases, four additional deaths
There were 89 new cases of infection in South Korea and four more people died, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Korea's total cases are just shy of hitting 10,000; the current figure stands at 9,976 and 169 people have died. Mass testing and rigorous efforts to isolate infected patients have relatively slowed down the spread of the virus within the country. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
10:55 am: Australia says it will provide free child care for some families during coronavirus pandemic
Australia will provide free child care for around one million families during the coronavirus pandemic under a plan from Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government.
As part of the plan, the government will pay 50% of the sector's fee revenue up to the existing hourly rate cap before parents had started withdrawing their children in large numbers. The caveat is that the services need to stay open and not charge families for care. The measure will apply from April 6 based on the number of children who were in care during the fortnight leading into March 2, whether or not they are attending services.
"These services are vital for so many parents so they can provide for their family, and children need as much familiarity and continuity as we can help provide at this unsettling time. Priority will be given to working parents, vulnerable and disadvantaged children that need early education more than ever and parents with pre-existing enrolments," Morrison said. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
10:07 am: Japan may consider support to increase ECMO machine production
Japan's government will consider support to increase production of extracorporeal membranous oxygenation, or ECMO, machines that can replace a person's breathing, Reuters reported, citing Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.
It would be part of an economic package to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters said.
ECMO machines are used in potentially life-saving treatment for coronavirus patients. They can directly pump oxygen into a person and remove carbon dioxide at the same time.
Japan has more than 2,000 reported cases of infection, according to JHU data. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
9:30 am: Singapore reports fourth death related to COVID-19
Singapore's health ministry said a 68-year-old Indonesian man died on April 2 at 6:43 a.m. local time due to complications from COVID-19. The patient was a work pass holder in the city-state and had been in Indonesia from Jan. 20 to March 16.
He was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on March 22 and was diagnosed with COVID-19 on the same day. The ministry said he had a history of diabetes and hypertension.
Four people have died to-date from COVID-19-related complications in Singapore. The number of reported cases of infection rose in recent weeks as more residents returned from abroad. (see 7:30 a.m. update) — Saheli Roy Choudhury
8:55 am: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti encourages residents to wear face coverings in public
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that residents should wear face coverings or homemade masks when out in public.
Although the CDC does not currently recommend that healthy people wear masks, an increasing number of officials are recommending them to Americans to slow the spread of COVID-19. Garcetti said he expected the official advice to be updated soon. Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump said that people could wear scarves to cover their mouths.
"I think it is time for us to do this," Garcetti said. "I know it will look surreal, we don't have that cultural tradition of wearing masks."
Garcetti added that the city has approved 146 businesses which will make 2 million non-medical face masks per week. — Kif Leswing
8:23 am: Apple donates almost 2 million N95 masks to New York
Apple has donated 1.9 million N95 masks to the state of New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.
"We are so grateful to Apple for this much-needed gift of critical PPE supplies," Cuomo tweeted. PPE refers to personal protective equipment that medical workers need in order to tend to sick patients.
Apple CEO Tim Cook previously said the company had sourced and donated 10 million masks to the medical community in the United States. The masks are in short supply as medical professionals ask for additional equipment to protect themselves while they treat patients who may have COVID-19.
On Saturday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted out a picture of 63,000 N95 masks donated by Apple. — Kif Leswing
8:20 am: White House advisor Fauci says coronavirus vaccine trial is on target and will be 'ultimate game changer'
The first human trial testing a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is "on track" with public distribution still projected in 12 to 18 months, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. It would be the "ultimate game changer" in the fight against the pandemic, he said.
U.S. health officials have been fast-tracking work with biotech company Moderna to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. They began their first human trials on March 16.
"It'll take a few months to get the data to where we'll feel confident to go to the phase two, and then a few months from now, we'll be in phase two and I think we're right on target for the year to year-and-a-half," Fauci said at a White House press conference with President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force. — Noah Higgins-Dunn
7:30 am: Singapore has 1,000 reported cases
Based on the latest reported figures from the health ministry, Singapore now has 1,000 recorded instances of COVID-19 infection. The city-state had been praised for its handling of the crisis in January and February by implementing strict measures to quarantine suspected cases and contact tracing for potential exposure to the coronavirus.
Social distancing markers are seen at a cafe outlet as authorities implement a social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus on March 28, 2020 in Singapore.Suhaimi Abdullah | Getty Images
But, the number of cases in Singapore has grown in recent weeks as more residents returned from abroad and tested positive. As of April 1, noon local time, the country reported 74 new cases of COVID-19 infection, of which 20 were "imported," 29 were linked to previous clusters and 25 had no apparent links discovered yet.
Three people have died from the disease in Singapore; 245 patients have been discharged and another 291 remain clinically well but isolated as they still test positive for the virus. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
7:24 am: Global cases top 930,000 as death toll nears 47,000
As many as 932,605 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded around the world and at least 46,809 people have died, according to the latest information compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The United States reported the most number of infections at 213,372, while Italy's death toll remains the highest for a single country at 13,155. At least 193,177 people appeared to have recovered.
Italy and Spain each have reported more than 100,000 infection cases as the coronavirus pandemic shows few signs of abating. — Saheli Roy Choudhury
All times below are in Eastern time.
7:05 pm: Updated map of US cases, which now total 213,372
7:02 pm: Trump says that the government ordered hospital gowns from Walmart
President Donald Trump said that he spoke to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and put in a "big big order" for gowns.
"Let it be shipped directly to the side of the hospital because we save a lot of time when we do that," Trump said.
Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers around the country have called for more "PPE" or personal protective equipment like gowns and facemasks to protect them from the coronavirus while working at hospitals. — Kif Leswing
6:34 pm: Trump says he doesn't know if China underreported coronavirus numbers: 'I'm not an accountant from China'
President Donald Trump said that he has not received any intelligence reports showing that the Chinese government had underreported the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country.
"I'm not an accountant from China," Trump said when asked at a White House press briefing whether China's numbers are accurate.
Still, Trump said that Beijing's tally appeared "to be a little bit on the light side, and I'm being nice when I say that, relative to what we witnessed and what was reported."
The president's remarks came hours after a news report said the president did receive a secret intelligence brief noting that China deliberately underreported the extent of its COVID-19 outbreak. — Tucker Higgins, Kevin Breuninger
Read CNBC's coverage from the U.S. overnight: US cases top 200,000, Georgia issues 'shelter-in-place' order
Source: cnbc.com
