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Italy announces nearly 28,000 coronavirus cases, 2,158 dead Undertakers carry a coffin Monday at the cemetery in Bergamo, Italy, as burials of coronavirus victims are conducted approximately every half hour. Piero Cruciatti / AFP via Getty Images The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy rose to 27,980 Monday, including the dead and recovered, the country's Civil Protection Department chief, Angelo Borrelli, said. The number had risen by more than 3,000 from the day before, Borrelli said. Nearly 350 more people had died, bringing the total number of dead to 2,158. More than 400 people had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recovered to 2,749. Just over 23,000 remain infected, and more than 11,000 are hospitalized. Nearly 2,000 of those hospitalized are in intensive care, while about 10,000 are isolated at home. Nearly. 138,000 people in the country have been tested for coronavirus. Much of Italy remains on lockdown in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. The Department of Civil Protection released a map to show where cases have been confirmed. Share this -







The scene in Wuhan Medical staff wave goodbye to a patient who recovered from coronavirus at the Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, on Monday. AFP - Getty Images Share this -







'Nighthawks' in the time of coronavirus With many bars and restaurants shut down, an edited version of Edward Hopper's famous painting "Nighthawks" has been making the rounds. pic.twitter.com/WxpuBqavgN — Hari Kunzru (@harikunzru) March 16, 2020 The original version of the edited picture can be found here. Share this -







Roche says it will work with FDA to test rheumatoid arthritis drug for use on coronavirus patients Doctors in China have used an anti-inflammation drug to curb the effects of the coronavirus on critical patients, and now the maker of the drug says it is talking to the Food and Drug Administration about clinical trials. Tocilizumab, sold under the name Actemra and made by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis, as well as certain types of juvenile arthritis. Chinese doctors have used Tocilizumab to prevent an overreaction of the immune system that has led to organ failure and death in coronavirus patients. An initial clinical trial in China used Actemra in 20 severe COVID-19 cases. Nineteen of the patients were discharged from the hospital within two weeks and one got better, according to China’s National Health Commission. The drug has now been approved for use in China, but has not yet been approved in the United States. Karsten Kleine, a spokesperson for Roche, told NBC News that the drug company “is in active discussions with the FDA, as well as government bodies and institutions around the world, to initiate clinical trials that evaluate the safety and efficacy of Actemra (tocilizumab) for the treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients.” Share this -







Amid crisis, NYC mayor commutes to the gym Mayor Bill de Blasio may be telling his fellow New Yorkers to treat the coronavirus pandemic “like wartime,” but that’s not stopping him from hitting the gym. The mayor — whose long, daily motorcade commute from his official Upper East Side mansion to his Park Slope YMCA has been criticized as wasteful — was spotted by reporters at his Brooklyn gymnasium on Monday morning, defying city advice for New Yorkers to act as if they’ve been exposed. “The mayor wanted to visit a place that keeps him grounded one last time,” a spokesman said afterwards, according to the New York Post. “That doesn’t change the fact that he is working around the clock to ensure the safety of New Yorkers.” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered gymnasiums closed by 8 p.m. Monday. Asked about the mayor’s gym choice, the governor said: "He can be in the gym this morning. You can be in the gym this afternoon. You can be in the gym this evening” — just not after 8 pm. Share this -







School lunches for delivery Cafeteria workers fill buses to distribute grab and go lunches from Conte Community School in Pittsfield, Mass., on Monday. The lunches provide a good meal for children while schools are closed due to coronavirus. Ben Garver / The Berkshire Eagle via AP Share this -







Wall Street has a grisly morning after rate cut fails to calm markets Wall Street had a grisly start to the week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sliding by 2,800 points at session lows in Monday's morning trading. The massive sell-off came despite emergency action from the Federal Reserve on Sunday to shore up the economy by infusing markets and Main Street with easier access to cash. The week's trading halted before it even started, with the S&P 500 triggering a "limit down" threshold in premarket activity. Within seconds of the opening bell, the S&P 500 fell again, by 7 percent, triggering a circuit breaker that halted all trading on the exchange floor for 15 minutes. When trading resumed, all three major averages extended their losses, with the Dow settling with a decline of around 1,800 points by midday. Share this -







Maryland to close bars, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the closure of all bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms across the state, while allowing drive-through, takeout and delivery services to continue. Social gatherings of more than 50 people in close proximity at all locations will also be prohibited. The order is effective at 5 p.m. ET. Hogan issued another executive order prohibiting eviction of any tenant during the state of emergency, as well as prohibiting utility services — including electric, gas, internet, and phone companies — from shutting off for any residential customers or charging them any late fees. Share this -







Afternoon roundup of coronavirus coverage Why do we touch strangers so much? A history of the handshake offers clues. [National Geographic] What if you can't avoid the hospital as COVID-19 spreads? [Wired] Foot traffic has fallen sharply in cities with big coronavirus outbreaks [The Economist] Locked down in Beijing, I watched China beat back the coronavirus [The Washington Post] Share this -







GOP senator says Trump should 'step back' from response messaging Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would like President Donald Trump to "step back" and appoint a public health official to be the spokesman for the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. “My suggestion would be Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been around for decades and is such a well-regarded infectious disease specialist," Collins told reporters in the state capital in remarks first reported by the Portland Press Herald on Friday. Collins' spokeswoman Annie Clark confirmed her remarks to NBC News on Monday. Collins said that the federal government is making progress in dealing with the outbreak but she "isn't satisfied with the response." “I think that the messaging at the federal level has been inconsistent, and when you are dealing with a novel virus like this, it’s very important that health professionals be out front and that there be a consistent message," she said, the newspaper reported. Share this -





