Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov on November 18, 2019, in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Moscow is ready to help Washington in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak if necessary, according to the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov.
"Our test kits have shown their high quality in China, Iran, have been transferred to Italy. Ordinary Americans should know -- Russia, if necessary, will be ready to help the United States as it has repeatedly offered assistance in putting out fires in California," said Antonov, as cited in the Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik.
The US faced its deadliest day of the outbreak on Tuesday, with at least 163 people dying. The death toll rose past 700, as the World Health Organization warned the country could be the next epicenter of the virus.
1:42 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Why are these three presidents downplaying coronavirus warnings?
From CNN's Matt Rivers and Natalie Gallón in Mexico City
Brazilians have been tricked by the media over a "little flu," according to president Jair Bolsonaro. Families should still go out to eat despite coronavirus fears, says Mexico's President Andres Manuél Lopez Obrador. And Nicaragua's leader Daniel Ortega has all but disappeared, while political marches and rallies continue.
As global leaders race to contain the brutal threat of a growing pandemic, a triumvirate of denial has emerged in Latin America, with the leaders of Brazil, Mexico and Nicaragua downplaying the danger of a looming outbreak.
Half of the US population is now under stay at home orders
Playground equipment is cordoned off with yellow caution tape at the Veteran's Memorial Park on Harrison Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, March 24. Jason Whitman/Image of Sport via AP
More than half the population of the United States has been ordered to stay at home as states ramp up efforts to contain the novel coronavirus.
The situation now: At least 15 states and 30 municipalities have ordered more than 166 million people, or 51% of the US population to stay home, according to data compiled by CNN using US Census population estimates.
What's next: At least two additional states and five municipalities will have orders going into effect later this week for their full population.
The total: When all orders take effect, more than 180 million people will be impacted by the orders, or 55% of the US population.
10:03 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
White House and Senate reach deal on massive coronavirus stimulus proposal
From CNN's Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, and Kristin Wilson
White House Legislative Affairs Director Eric Ueland speaks on a phone on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/AP
The White House and Senate leaders struck a major deal early Wednesday morning over a $2-trillion package to provide a jolt to an economy struggling through the coronavirus pandemic.
The deal caps days of marathon negotiations that produced one of the most expensive and far-reaching measures in the history of Congress.
"Ladies and gentleman, we are done," White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland said right before 1 a.m. ET. "We have a deal."
Negotiations have spanned around the clock since last Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to take to the floor to announce that a deal had been reached on the proposal.
The full details have yet to be released.
But over the past 24 hours, the elements of the proposal have come into sharper focus, with $250 billion set aside for direct payments to individuals and families, $350 billion in small business loans, $250 billion in unemployment insurance benefits and $500 billion in loans for distressed companies.
1:18 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Domestic train and air travel suspended in Pakistan
From CNN’s Sophia Saifi in Islamabad
Pakistan will suspend all domestic flights from Thursday until April 2, in an attempt to combat the spread of Covid-19, according to government officials.
Passenger train services will be suspended immediately until March 31.
Pakistan has reported 972 cases and seven deaths from the coronavirus, according to the country’s health ministry.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a rescue and stimulus package worth about 1.13 trillion rupees ($7 billion), aimed at supporting various sectors of society and the economy during the pandemic.
1:06 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Some coronavirus test results in the US can take up to a week
From CNN's Curt Devine
Health workers dressed in personal protective equipment handle a coronavirus test at a drive-thru testing station at Cummings Park on March 23, in Stamford, Connecticut. John Moore/Getty Images
Demand for coronavirus tests at some US commercial labs continues to exceed capacity, even as millions of tests have become available. Test turnaround times range from 24 hours to a week or more, according to labs contacted by CNN.
Quest Diagnostics: One of the largest US clinical laboratories said current turnaround time for coronavirus tests is on average four to five days, from the time of specimen pickup to the time results are delivered, though some results may not be provided for about a week.
“Although we are rapidly expanding testing capacity, demand for the testing is growing faster, and we cannot accommodate everyone who wants testing and meet tight turnaround time expectations,” Quest said in a statement.
TriCore Reference Laboratories: The New Mexico-based lab said its turnaround time is about five days.
Eurofins: A spokesperson for laboratory network Eurofins said its labs are running up to 5,000 tests a day, many in 24 hours, but also said, “due to the backlog, unprecedented demand, pressures on our supply chain, and shipping delays … our turnaround time has been pushed beyond what we normally experience. At most, we are looking at results in 72 hours.”
BioReference Laboratories: While there had been a backlog in its facilities, the company said it has cleared it within a week of making their testing for Covid-19 available and cut its turnaround time to 24 hours for inpatients and 48 to 72 hours for the general public.
Dr. Alex Greninger, an assistant professor at the University of Washington's Department of Laboratory Medicine, said unprecedented demand is the driving factor of such wait times for test results.
Faster delivery of tests is critical to conserve personal protective equipment, he said.
“It’s not just about testing but about getting results in a clinically actionable time frame. The faster you get results, the less protective equipment you use and the quicker you can get a patient properly isolated,” Greninger said.
12:46 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Japan prepares to deal with Olympics fallout
By CNN's Emiko Jozuka in Tokyo
A woman in a face mask walks past a display showing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games logo in Tokyo on March 24, 2020. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
With less than four months to go until the scheduled start of the Olympic Games on July 24, the fanfare around Tokyo 2020 had been well underway.
Tokyo was already covered with posters and fliers, hotels to house tourists were ready to receive guests and new venues like the Olympic stadium had been built. Tickets had been selling quickly among residents, too.
But then the coronavirus pandemic accelerated around the world.
Doubts set in: Nearly 70% of people in Japan did not expect the Games to be held as scheduled, according to a Kyodo News survey conducted last week.
This film predicted it: As speculation mounted over the Games' fate, a scene from the iconic 1988 anime film “Akira,” which spookily predicted not only Tokyo 2020, but that it would be canceled, trended online.
Postponement announced: A growing chorus of teams and athletes called for the Games to be postponed. That announcement finally came on Tuesday, whenIOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the Games’ postponement to 2021. They agreed to keep the name as Tokyo 2020 and said the Olympic flame would stay in Japan.
Unprecedented: The Olympics have never been rescheduled in peacetime. In 1916, 1940 and 1944, the Games were canceled because of world wars.
Questions remain: Japan must now prepare for the mammoth task of rescheduling the Olympics, but it is unclear who would cover the additional costs arising from the Games’ postponement.
12:36 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is testing if Australia can still rely on its isolation for protection
A surfer is seen on Manly Beach as the majority of residents and tourists follow the government's advice to self-isolate on March 23 in Sydney, Australia. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Australia’s national identity is largely shaped by its geography. The land and people are, as the country’s national anthem states, “girt by sea” -- protected from the trials and tribulations of the outside world by oceans and distance.
The novel coronavirus pandemic, however, is perhaps the greatest challenge to that theory Australia has faced, unprecedented in the history of the world’s only continent-country.
By cutting off international flights, Australia has effectively lifted the drawbridge and isolated itself from the rest of the world.
To date, more than 2,300 people have been infected there, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government also established widespread restrictions on social gatherings, shutting bars, gyms and movie theaters and restricting restaurants to delivery or take out.
“There are many challenges we are facing now, which we’ve already discussed. But there are going to be many more and some of them yet haven’t even revealed themselves as to what the nature of those challenges are going to be,” Morrison said Wednesday. “What as a government we’ve been seeking to do is put in place the right advice, the right structures, the right disciplines, the right processes, to ensure that we can make the best possible decisions that can stick and will ensure that we can best manage this crisis.”
12:28 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Japan's Prime Minister talks Olympics with Trump
From Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks to journalists in front of the prime minister's residence in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Charly Triballeau/Pool/AP
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has spoken with President Donald Trump in a phone call about the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games.
"Prime Minister Abe explained about the one-year postponement for the safety and security for the athletes, and the agreement of having the Olympics by end of 2021 summer," said Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who spoke to the media following the 40-minute call. "President Trump repeatedly mentioned the postponement was wise and excellent decisions. Both leaders confirmed close cooperation for the Tokyo Olympics to be held in complete form as the proof (of) human beings' victory in the fight against the coronavirus," Suga said.
Abe and Trump also spoke about cooperation for the development of a medical cure for the coronavirus.
