Contagion Live News Network: Coronavirus Updates for April 23, 2020

Welcome to the Contagion Live News Network, I’m Michaela Fleming and this is your coronavirus update for Thursday, April 23^rd.

According to Johns Hopkins there are now more than 2.6 million cases of COVID-19. The US has more than 800,000 cases and over 4.1 million tests have been conducted across the nation.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington has released updated forecast on when individual states should reopen. Some states are already raring to go, but the model, which has been previously cited by the White House, indicates that no states should reopen before May.

Montana has the best forecast, according to the model, with a recommended opening date of May 1. More than half of the states in the US should remain closed until May 25.

In other news, the results of a pre-print published this week by investigators from the University of South Carolina, the University of Virginia, and the Columbia Veteran’s Affairs Health Care System found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation.

New guidelines issued by the NIH this week urge caution in the use of hydroxychloroquine, citing there is a lack of evidence that is required to make a recommendation for or against use of the agent. The guidelines do however recommend against the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.

Check out a summary of both the pre-print and the NIH’s guidelines on our website.

For other stories relevant to COVID-19 and the latest infectious disease news, visit ContagionLive.com. To track the spread of the pandemic in the United States and abroad, be sure to use the Contagion® Outbreak Monitor.

For the Contagion Live News Network, I’m Michaela Fleming, thanks for tuning in.