April 5 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Jenni Marsh, Rob Picheta, Peter Wilkinson, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 9:30 p.m. ET, April 5, 2020

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9:02 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx: 'This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy'

From CNN’s Nicky Robertson

Dr. Deborah Birx emphasized Saturday that the next two weeks will be crucial for the effort to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases.

"This is a very important -- the next two weeks are extraordinarily important, and that's why I think you've heard from Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, from myself, from the President and the Vice President that this is the moment to do everything that you can on the presidential guidelines," Birx said. "This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe, and that means everybody doing the 6 feet distancing, washing your hands."

Birx made her comments at the daily coronavirus task briefing at the White House.

8:57 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020

Trump says lupus patients are less likely to get Covid-19 due to hydroxychloroquine use despite lack of evidence

From CNN Health's Gina Yu

President Donald Trump continued to claim hydroxychloroquine has high efficacy against Covid-19, stating lupus patients – who are commonly treated with hydroxychloroquine – are less likely to contract the virus on Saturday at a White House press briefing.

"(Hydroxychloroquine has) been out for a long time, it's a malaria drug and also a drug for lupus …There's a study out that people with lupus aren't catching this horrible virus," said Trump. "Now maybe that's correct, maybe it's false. You're going to have to check it out."

However, there is no "definitive information to be able to make any comment," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the briefing. The relationship between lupus and Covid-19 is currently being studied in "a natural history study," Fauci said.

Trump later stated he would take the medication, likely as a preventative measure, given his negative Covid-19 testing.

"But I think people should (take hydroxychloroquine)," he said. "If it were me, in fact, I might do it anyway. I may take it … I have to ask my doctors about that. But I may take it."

There are currently no products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent Covid-19.

8:31 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020

There are at least 305,820 coronavirus cases in the US

There are at least 305,820 cases of coronavirus in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States.

At least 8,291 people have died in the US from coronavirus.

On Saturday, at least 27,867 new cases were reported, and at least 1,139 new deaths in the US have been reported, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins.

Track the coronavirus outbreak in the US with CNN's map.

8:38 p.m. ET, April 4, 2020

US marks record for most new coronavirus deaths reported in a single day

From CNN’s Hollie Silverman

Bodies are moved to a refrigerated truck serving as a temporary morgue outside of Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on April 4. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

A total of 1,224 coronavirus deaths have been reported in the US on Saturday. This is the most deaths reported in one day thus far.

There are now a total of 8,376 deaths nationwide.

Friday, April 3, was the previous day with the most deaths added when 1,094 deaths were reported.

CNN's case counts and deaths are based on data supplied by Johns Hopkins University.