Coronavirus pandemic in the US

There are 114 new coronavirus cases linked to the JBS Beef plant in Cactus, Texas, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said Thursday in a statement.  

DSHS said JBS Beef contacted them last week to make sure they were taking appropriate steps to keep their employees safe, the statement said.

JBS brought a photo of the plant to a meeting, which DSHS reviewed and then made recommendations. DSHS was also given a tour of the plant  "and noted that they were following all of the best practices for an essential business to remain in operation." 

DSHS is currently involved in an "epidemiological investigation" to determine who the infected employees have been in contact with.  

With the 146th Kentucky Derby now scheduled to run on Sept. 5, the home of the famed Triple Crown race will now host a virtual "Run for the Roses" on the original date of the race.

The virtual race, set for May 2, will pit all 13 of the Triple Crown winners against each other utilizing “data algorithms including historical handicapping” to determine a winner.

Organizers look to raise $2 million for coronavirus emergency relief funds.

Kevin Flanery, the President of Churchill Downs Racetrack, said in a statement, "For many fans around the country, the first Saturday in May has become a part of their family’s yearly traditions."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is going to do more coronavirus testing in African-American and Latino communities.

He said that while New York did not have same health disparities that other states saw, he still thinks it's important to address the issue.

Cuomo also said another reason he thinks these minorities have a higher percentage of coronavirus cases is because many of them are essential workers.

"While many other people had the opportunity to lock down at home, as terrible as that was, the essential workers have to get up every morning and go out and drive the bus and drive the train and deliver the food and do all those essential services that allowed people to stay-at-home," Cuomo said.

"Also you have more people in the New York City area. More people getting on subways, getting on buses. More people dealing with that density," he added.

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The approximate 15,500 coronavirus deaths across the state of New York is not an accurate reflection of the overall death toll, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday.

The state’s death toll only accounts for lives lost in hospitals and nursing homes, and doesn’t account for lives lost at home.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reiterated that nursing homes are a top priority for the state to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The state will perform an investigation into nursing homes to make sure they are following additional rules during the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Cuomo said nursing home visitors and workers...

Cuomo said if nursing homes do not follow the rules, they will be subject to a fine or may lose their license.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said preliminary results of an antibody testing study showed 13.9% of people tested positive for antibodies.

The survey included 3,000 people in 19 counties and 40 localities. The tests came from people in grocery and big box stores. Cuomo said this was important because it came from people who were out — not people isolating at home.

"They were not people who were in their home, they were not people who were quarantined," Cuomo said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a possible second wave of the coronavirus in the fall could overwhelm the testing and health care system.

He said a resurgence of the virus at the same time as flu season would be "problematic" because then health professionals will be testing for the flu at the same time they are testing for Covid-19.

"If people could have the flu or could have Covid in the fall and they don't know which it is, they could get nervous and start going into the health care system, which could then bring back a capacity issue in the health care system. That's something we have to worry about and watch," he added.

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The number of deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday was at least 438, which is "still breathtakingly tragic," according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The number of people who died in the state on Tuesday was 474.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the hospitalization rate continues to fall across the state.

The number of intubations is also "clearly down," although the day-to-day numbers vary slightly, he said.

Cuomo added that the number of new cases remains flat.

"That is not great news, we'd like to see that going down, but it's not going down either," the governor said.

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