HOUSTON — We are continuing to track the latest headlines and updates regarding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Today's top headlines
- Houston spending $200M for additional testing, contact traces to curb COVID-19
- Texas salons, barbershops open Friday | Here's what to expect at your appointment
- 'It's not sustainable' | 10% of Houston-area restaurants at risk of closing for good
- President Trump valet tests positive for COVID-19; president tests negative
- Prayers turn to tears as officers mourn death of HCSO deputy who died from COVID-19
- Supreme Court of Texas orders Dallas salon owner released from jail
Stimulus payment tracker & FAQ | How you can get tested for COVID-19 | Local COVID-19 cases | Coronavirus symptoms | COVID-19 FAQ
The latest COVID-19 numbers
As of Thursday morning: There are 3,768,535 million confirmed cases worldwide. There are 264,109 deaths reported worldwide (an increase of about 8,000 from the day prior) and 1,249,987 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins at this time. The U.S. leads the world with 1,228,609 confirmed cases, an increase of about 24,000 from the day prior. Texas Health and Human Services reports 35,390 COVID-19 cases in the state with 973 deaths and an estimated 18,440 recoveries. There are 7,377 confirmed cases in Houston and Harris County combined. You can view the chart of daily new case reports below for Harris County and Houston combined:
Latest COVID-19 updates
Here are the latest updates from around the Houston area and the world (all times are Central/Houston time):
MAY 7 9:48 p.m. — Two more Texas prisoners have died likely due to the novel coronavirus, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. Miguel Arciba, 62, died on May 3 in intensive care in Hospital Galveston. He was transported to the hospital from the Telford Unit in New Boston, near Texarkana. Arciba tested positive for the virus and had underlying health conditions.
Gerald Barragan, 62, also died at Hospital Galveston on May 5. An inmate at the Terrell Unit, Barragan was transported to Hospital Galveston on April 26. He suffered from underlying health conditions.
TDCJ is investigating 16 other days that may be linked to the coronavirus.
To date, 535 employees, staff or contractors have tested positive for the virus, as well as 1,379 inmates.
MAY 7 9:20 p.m. — People who live in areas with the highest concentration of coronavirus cases make less money than their counterparts and are more likely to be Hispanic or black, KHOU 11 Investigates found.
MAY 7 8:30 p.m. — Galveston officials are responding after the city's beaches were flooded with visitors last weekend when they reopened. Eight beach access points will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6 a.m. Friday, May 8 through 9 p.m. Sunday, May 10. Click here to see the list.
MAY 7 6:33 p.m. — Friday, it's going to be a good hair day. All Texas nail, hair and other beauty salons as well as barbershops are allowed to open May 8, according to a new state executive order. Here's what to expect.
MAY 7 4:50 p.m. — All METRO HOV/HOT lanes will resume normal operations next week. Beginning at 5 a.m. on Monday, May 11, commuters can use the lanes along Interstate 45, U.S. Highway 59, and U.S. Highway 290 West. Toll charges for use of the lanes will resume as well.
HOV lanes are reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers. Each vehicle that travels on an HOV Lane must carry at least two or, in some cases, three people. During non-peak hours, single-occupant vehicles can access the HOV / HOT lanes for a toll. Charges and occupancy requirements vary by lane and time of day. Additional information can be found by clicking this link.
MAY 7 3:53 p.m. — The city of Houston is spending nearly $200 million it’s received from the federal government to expand its testing sites and add more contact tracers to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Houston recovery czar Marvin Odom said the city plans to have 24 testing sites opened by the month, many aimed at areas with vulnerable populations most at risk of catching the virus.
The city is also hiring an additional 300 contact tracers to help track the spread of the virus.
MAY 7 3:40 p.m. — Another Harris County Jail inmate who tested positive for coronavirus has died. The unidentified man between the ages of 25-35 died at a local hospital Wednesday, a day after complaining of abdominal pain.
The inmate had no documented symptoms of COVID-19 after testing positive.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.
MAY 7 2:48 p.m. — The Greater Houston Restaurant Association expects roughly 10 percent of the 13,000 restaurants in Greater Houston to permanently close due to impacts of COVID-19.
Although restaurants can open at 25 percent capacity, Melissa Stewart from the Greater Houston Restaurant Association said Thursday that operating with that limitation provides little relief. "It's not sustainable," said Melissa Stewart with GHRA. More details here.
MAY 7 2:02 p.m. — IndyCar has gotten the green flag to finally start its season in Texas next month with a night race without spectators.
The June 6 race at Texas Motor Speedway was the next on the series schedule that hadn't been postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. IndyCar and track officials announced the race Thursday.
The June season opener will run a condensed schedule with practice, qualifying and the race taking place on the same day. More details.
MAY 7 1:25 p.m. — Beyonce's BeyGOOD foundation is teaming up with her mother, Tina Knowles, to offer free COVID-19 testing in the Houston area this Mother's Day weekend. This partnership is an outcome of Tina Knowles' new #IDIDMYPART campaign -- which encourages Houston residents, especially African American communities, to get tested in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday, May 8
Cullen Middle School - 6900 Scott Street, Houston, TX 77021
Testing site open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Forrest Brook Middle School - 7525 Tidwell, Houston, TX 77016
Testing site open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MAY 7 12:33 p.m. — A military member who works at the White House has tested positive for the coronavirus, but President Donald Trump and Vice President Pence have since tested negative, officials said Thursday.
According to a report by CNN, the person who tested positive was one of the president's personal valets. The presidential valets are members of an elite military unit declared to the White House and typically work closely with the president's family. Read more.
MAY 7 11:20 a.m. — On top of Governor Greg Abbott's earlier announcement, the Supreme Court of Texas has now ordered the Dallas salon owner to be released from jail. Read more here.
MAY 7 10:10 a.m. — Governor Greg Abbott changes executive order to free jailed salon owner: The governor just modified his executive orders related to COVID-19, aiming to free the DFW area salon owner who has been jailed for opening during the pandemic: “Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen,” said Governor Abbott. “That is why I am modifying my executive orders to ensure confinement is not a punishment for violating an order. This order is retroactive to April 2nd, supersedes local orders and if correctly applied should free Shelley Luther. It may also ensure that other Texans like Ana Isabel Castro-Garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata who were arrested in Laredo, should not be subject to confinement. As some county judges advocate for releasing hardened criminals from jail to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is absurd to have these business owners take their place.”
RELATED: Gov. Abbott modifies order, says Texans can’t be jailed for violations, salon owner should be freed
MAY 7 9:05 a.m. — Republican lawmakers moving to end Louisiana's Stay at Home order before May 15 | Louisiana's stay-home order does not expire until at least May 15, but movement in the state capitol could change that. Republican lawmakers trying to unravel Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' statewide order are moving legislation that would keep the governor from enforcing the restrictions. The Democratic governor's decision to extend his stay-at-home order through mid-May has provoked criticism from Republicans who prefer a parish-by-parish approach. Read more here from our sister station WWLTV.
MAY 7 8:30 a.m. — Wedding events can resume in Texas under Gov. Abbott's latest orders | The summer months are a popular time for brides to tie the knot. As Texas loosens its restrictions and begins to reopen, wedding ceremonies and receptions are now possible again — with certain guidelines in place. On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott announced an amendment to his executive order that will allow these types of special events to resume immediately. Read more here.
MAY 7 7:48 a.m. — The Trump administration has shelved a set of detailed documents created by the nation’s top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places during the still-raging pandemic. Those public places include mass transit, day care centers, restaurants and bars. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was supposed to be published last Friday. A CDC employee tells The Associated Press that agency officials were told the report “would never see the light of day." The Trump administration has been closely controlling the CDC’s release of information during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)
MAY 7 7:40 a.m. — New jobless numbers: 33 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit | Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades. Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus began forcing millions of companies to close their doors and slash their workforces. That is the equivalent of one in five Americans who had been employed back in February, when the unemployment rate had reached a 50-year low of just 3.5%. (AP)
MAY 7 6:05 a.m. — Pentagon considers banning coronavirus survivors from joining the military | The Pentagon is considering barring recruits from joining the military if they have been hospitalized by the coronavirus unless the person is granted a waiver from the branch they are trying to join, according to reports from CNN and Fox News. A defense official told CNN that the guidance is being put into place because there is little understanding about the long-term effects of the new virus. Read more here.
MAY 7 5:25 a.m. — Fears of 'second wave' hang over coronavirus successes | Britain is expected to extend its nationwide lockdown but plans cautiously to ease some restrictions on economic and social activity next week. China says its virus risk level is now low and New Zealand is moving ahead with plans to further relax its pandemic shutdown Authorities in many countries are drawing up plans for how to cope with a resurgence in outbreaks even as they slowly work to reopen businesses and resume other activity halted to combat the pandemic. The U.K.’s official COVID-19 death toll stands at 30,076, second only to the United States, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would be a “disaster” if the U.K. reopened too soon and triggered a second spike in infections. (AP)
RELATED: 'The virus has not left our city' | Houston mayor, experts urge caution as businesses reopen
MAY 7 4 a.m. — NBA to reopen practice facilities with heavy restrictions | The NBA says some players can voluntarily return to their team practice facilities starting Friday, with some very specific conditions and only in places where local and state governments have signed off on such openings. It’s unclear how many players will be back on the floor Friday when the league ban gets lifted. Miami is allowed to open its doors for the first time in six weeks but won’t until at least Monday while it works out certain logistical details. Read more here.
MAY 7 3:36 a.m. — Trump administration shelves CDC guide to reopening country | A set of detailed documents created by the nation's top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places such as mass transit, day care centers and restaurants during the still-raging pandemic has been shelved by the Trump administration. Read more here.
MAY 7 12:16 a.m. — Ship tied to Australia virus deaths sails into Manila Bay | A cruise ship being investigated in Australia for sparking coronavirus infections has dropped anchor in Manila Bay to bring Filipino crewmen home. The Ruby Princess joins at least 16 other cruise ships waiting for their more than 5,000 Filipino crew members to be tested for the coronavirus before disembarking. The Ruby Princess is linked to 21 deaths from the virus. The Australian investigation is trying to determine why 2,700 passengers and crew were allowed off the ship before the test results of sick passengers were known. (AP)
MAY 6 11:35 p.m. — 64 children in NY hit by illness possibly linked to COVID-19 | Dozens of children in the state of New York have been hospitalized with a disease that may be linked to COVID-19, according to an advisory by the state health department. As of Tuesday, there were at least 64 cases of what the state calls multi-system inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19. They were reported in children in New York hospitals. Read more here.
MAY 6 10:25 p.m. — Frontier Airlines will drop open-seat fee that drew attacks | After generating a backlash on Capitol Hill, Frontier Airlines is dropping plans to charge an extra fee for passengers to lock in an empty middle seat next to them. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said late Wednesday that the company never intended to profit from safety, it just wanted to provide customers an option for more space. The chairman of the House Transportation Committee accused Frontier of using the need for social distancing during a virus pandemic “as an opportunity to make a buck." And Sen. Amy Klobuchar said it's not right that passengers who can’t afford the extra fee should be “less safe than other travelers.” (AP)
MAY 6 10 p.m. — Texas attorney general Ken Paxton demands release of jailed Dallas salon owner | Texas' attorney general is calling for the release of a Dallas salon owner who defied a judge's temporary restraining order and was sentenced to seven days in jail. Ken Paxton stated that State District Judge Eric Moyé abused his authority by putting Salon a la Mode owner Shelley Luther in jail. Read the full story here.
MAY 6 8:26 p.m. — Fort Bend County Judge KP George has a strong message for Texas prison officials: stop sending prisoners infected with the coronavirus here. In a stern letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, George said the county is working around the clock to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“But with your unilateral decision to send your COVID-19 positive prisoners, we are taking on additional risk,” George wrote in a letter to prison officials.
Fort Bend County is home to the Jester Prison in Richmond.
“You are well aware that we want these prisoners removed from our county immediately,” George wrote.
MAY 6 8:08 p.m. — The Harris County Sheriff's Office said Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski died Wednesday after battling COVID-19. He was 70.
MAY 6 7:30 p.m. — The high school graduating class of 2020 may have had a lot stripped away due to the COVID-19 crisis, but Mayor Sylvester Turner is hoping to give them a final sendoff before the school year ends.
MAY 6 7 p.m. — Patton Village police officer makes miraculous recovery from COVID-19 | Patton Village police officer Chris Hernandez was one of the first community spread COVID-19 cases in the Houston area. Today, he's sharing his story of a miraculous recovery. Hernandez has been an officer for more than 20 years. He has been shot before in his career but says that doesn’t compare to what he endured at the hospital just a few weeks ago as his body was fighting COVID-19. Read/watch the full story here
MAY 6 5:15 p.m. — About 1,000 Halliburton employees are being laid off, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic. The employees are being let go from the company's corporate headquarters in Houston. Halliburton said the layoffs were necessary as it adjusts to less activity by its customers. Read more.
MAY 6 4:30 p.m. — A Harris County Jail inmate who tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted to the hospital with serious underlying health issues has died. The unidentified man was between 50-60 years old and had been in the hospital for several weeks, according to HCSO.
He is the first Harris County Jail inmate diagnosed with coronavirus to die. Fourteen other inmates and are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death.
Of the 601 inmates who have tested positive since the coronavirus outbreak, 249 are now in recovery and 92 others are asymptomatic.
The number of Harris County Sheriff’s Office employees diagnosed with coronavirus now stands at 256, including 229 who work in the jail.
MAY 6 4:10 p.m. — H-E-B celebrated National Nurses Day with a special delivery to the frontline workers at Harris Health’s Ben Taub Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital today. They surprised the hard-working, dedicated nurses with fresh flowers and plants. In the spirit of #TexanshelpingTexans throughout the week, H-E-B will also present nurses at Baylor St. Luke's, Memorial Hermann and LBJ Hospitals with floral bouquets and plants.
MAY 6 12:30 p.m. — It was an exciting day around the Greater Houston Area as the Navy's Blue Angels paid tribute to healthcare heroes and other frontline workers with the America Strong flyover. In The Texas Medical Center, there were cheers and tears as healthcare workers gathered to watch the jets roar over them. Story and videos here
MAY 6 11:06 a.m. — World news: Singapore’s virus infections surged past 20,000 as more foreign workers living in crowded dormitories were diagnosed. The city-state reported 788 new cases for a total of 20,198, the third highest in Asia after China and India. Foreign workers living in dorms accounted for nearly 90% of the cases. Officials say the upsurge among foreign workers was expected amid ongoing virus testing at dozens of dorms that have been locked down. (AP) Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 11 a.m. — Houston City Council approves $15M rental-assistance program | The Houston City Council approved a $15 million rental-assistance program aimed to help Houstonians who have fallen behind on rent payments in April and May during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
MAY 6 11 a.m. — World news: German officials have cleared the way for restaurants, hotels and remaining shops to reopen in the coming weeks, with the option to reimpose restrictions if coronavirus infections exceed a set number. Germany, which started shutting down public life in mid-March, has seen infections decline significantly in recent weeks. It started loosening restrictions more than two weeks ago. Chancellor Angela Merkel says after consulting with the governors of Germany’s 16 states that “the current situation made it possible that we could ... agree on further reopening.” (AP) Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 10:12 a.m. — Report: Cleveland Indians preparing for July 1 start to MLB season | The Cleveland Indians have told their players to prepare for a July 1 start to the 2020 MLB season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Read more here from our sister station WKYC.
MAY 6 9:02 a.m. — President Trump: Coronavirus task force 'will continue on indefinitely' | President Donald Trump says the White House coronavirus task force isn't going to be disbanded after all. In a series of Wednesday morning tweets, the president announced that the task force "will continue on indefinitely" with its focus on safety and opening up the country. Read more here.
MAY 6 8:15 a.m. — Proposed bill would forgive medical school debt for coronavirus health care workers | A New York congresswoman has proposed forgiving student loan debt for health care workers treating coronavirus patients on the front lines of COVID-19 pandemic. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act on Tuesday, a day before National Nurses Day. The lawmaker said she wants to try and help alleviate the burden of student loan debt and attract medical professionals in various specialties to lend their expertise to the COVID-19 response efforts. Read more here.
MAY 6 7:30 a.m. — Texas braces for another wave of COVID-19 cases after reopening | Gov. Greg Abbott admits he's expecting a rise in cases as Texas moves along with its reopening plans, but he's confident Texas hospitals can handle it. “It was a rush of patients early on and then it kind of slowed down," said Dr. Hina Pandya, with Memorial Hermann/UT Health. As the number of hospitalizations in the Houston area goes down, she's already thinking ahead. Read more here.
MAY 6 7:25 a.m. — Nurse who worked at 2 Corpus Christi nursing homes now under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, never experienced symptoms | The nurse was not tested for the virus until the last week of April. By the time of the test, officials say the woman had already returned to work for a few weeks. Read more here.
MAY 6 7:18 a.m. — NYC mayor: Other states may be reopening too quickly | New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says rising coronavirus infection rates outside of the New York metropolitan area show that other states may be reopening too quickly. Meanwhile, the city's normally round-the-clock system shut down for train cleaning early Wednesday. The trains are now scheduled to stop from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. every day. Police officers escorted people out of Brooklyn’s Coney Island station and told them they would have to board buses. The New York Police Department has assigned more than 1,000 officers to secure many of the system’s 472 stations, as fewer than 200 can be physically locked up. (AP) Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 6:10 a.m. — 2 Russian doctors dead, 1 in ICU after mysterious accidents | Two Russian doctors died and one remains in the intensive care unit in serious condition after falling out of windows in hospitals under mysterious circumstances last week. The gruesome incidents have made national headlines, with media reports saying all three have come under pressure from superiors over working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, medical workers all over Russia have decried shortages of protective equipment and questionable infection control procedures that turned dozens of hospitals into virus hotbeds, with hundreds of doctors and nurses contracting the virus. Many Russian doctors say they have been threatened with dismissal or even prosecution for going public with their grievances. (AP) Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 5:30 a.m. — Spain to declare state of mourning over virus | Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez says that his government will declare a national state of mourning for the more than 25,800 deaths the European nation has suffered from the coronavirus pandemic. Sánchez is appearing before Spain’s Parliament on Wednesday to ask for a fourth two-week extension of the state of emergency that has allowed his government to apply a strict lockdown that has reined in a savage COVID-19 outbreak. It appears he will have the support despite losing the backing of the main opposition party.
Spanish health authorities reported 244 new deaths over the previous 24 hours on Wednesday, taking the toll of virus fatalities to 25,857. Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 5 a.m. — Blue Angels to fly over Houston | Today is the day, and Houston's skies will be clear just in time for the show! The flyover will enter the Houston area at about 12:30 p.m. starting from the north. Get the details here.
MAY 6 4:40 a.m. — States with few coronavirus cases get big share of relief aid | Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming are not epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet these four states scored big this spring when Congress pumped out direct federal aid, while the two hardest-hit states, New York and New Jersey, got comparatively little given the vast numbers of cases and deaths they have seen. (AP) Read the full story here
MAY 6 4:13 a.m. — EU forecasts 'recession of historic proportions' this year | The European Union is predicting “a recession of historic proportions this year” due to the impact of the coronavirus. It released Wednesday its first official forecast of the damage the disease has inflicted on the bloc’s economy. The 27-nation EU economy is predicted to contract by 7.5% this year, before growing by about 6% in 2021. The group of 19 nations using the euro as their currency will see a record decline of 7.75% this year, and grow by 6.25% in 2021, the European Commission said in its Spring economic forecast. More than 1.1 million people have contracted the virus across Europe and over 137,000 have died. (AP) Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 3:40 a.m. — US senators seek probe of veterans homes after coronavirus deaths | A group of U.S. senators is seeking an investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs' oversight of homes for aging veterans amid a spate of coronavirus deaths at the state-run centers. In a letter sent Tuesday, the senators asked the head of the Government Accountability Office to look into the VA and states' roles in ensuring veterans get proper care at the homes and whether the agency or states have a system to “capture real time spikes in mortality rates," among other things. (AP) Read more here.
MAY 6 12:20 a.m. — Tyson Foods to reopen pork plant in Iowa | Tyson Foods will begin limited operation Thursday of its huge pork processing plant in Waterloo, more than two weeks after closing the facility because of a coronavirus outbreak among workers, the company announced Tuesday. Tyson said workers have been invited to tour the plant Wednesday to see enhanced safety measures and social distancing procedures that have been implemented. The plant has been closed since April 22, and the Iowa Department of Public. Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 6 12 a.m. — Wearable, wireless COVID-19 symptom tracker could help spot subtle signs of disease | Researchers at Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago have developed a device people can wear to track the signs of COVID-19. They hope the device, which can measure and interpret coughing, respiratory activity and other symptoms 24 hours a day, could provide subtle insights into the disease. Read more here.
MAY 5 11:55 p.m. — Supreme Court to hear Obamacare birth control arguments by phone Wednesday | The Supreme Court's third day of hearing arguments by telephone is its first chance at a high-profile case, this one involving the Affordable Care Act. The justices are hearing a dispute Wednesday about Trump administration rules that would allow more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. Read more here.
MAY 5 11:15 p.m. — VERIFY: CDC did not lower or revise the COVID-19 death count by 30,000 cases | Viral claims say that new CDC numbers lowered the initial count from 55,000-60,000 down closer to 37,000. Get the full story here:
MAY 5 11 p.m. — Pelosi pushes ahead on massive virus bill, but GOP wary | House Democrats are seeking to drive the debate on the fifth coronavirus response bill, promising to produce a mega-package stuffed with Democratic priorities even as a chorus of GOP leaders voices hesitation about more spending. Speaker Nancy Pelosi promises that the Democratic-controlled House will deliver legislation to help state and local governments through the COVID-19 crisis, along with additional money for direct payments to individuals, unemployment insurance and a third installment of aid to small businesses. The amount of funding is to be determined.
The California Democrat is leading the way as Democrats fashion a sweeping package that is expected to be unveiled soon even as the House stays closed while the Senate is open in the pandemic. Get more national/world updates here.
MAY 5 10:20 p.m. — A teenager has designed a smart phone app to record where you've been during the COVID-19 pandemic. Called Asiato, for “footprint," the app keeps track of a phone's movements within a distance of 10 meters (33 feet) or more. The app works like a diary, but keeps track of locations. To protect privacy, the data is stored in the phone and is not automatically shared. Read more here.
MAY 5 10:07 p.m. — The Federal Trade Commission is warning people to beware of fake COVID-19 testing sites. If a site is asking you for your social security number or credit card information, that should set off some red flags.
MAY 5 9:36 p.m. — From masks to money, Sen. Cornyn is answering COVID-19 questions: Anastasiya Bolton went one-on-one with the Senator, who's back to work in D.C. | Senator John Cornyn shares with us whether he plans to wear a mask, what he has to say to those Americans protesting the wearing of face coverings and what to do with the CARES Act money your dead loved one may have received. Read more here.
MAY 5 9:30 p.m. — The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a $12 million Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant to the Texas Workforce Commission for unemployment help, money that could go to helping you get a new career. Read more here.
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Coronavirus symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Some patients also have nausea, body aches, headaches and stomach issues. Losing your sense of taste and/or smell can also be an early warning sign.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk for becoming seriously ill. However, U.S. experts are seeing a significant number of younger people being hospitalized, including some in ICU.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Human coronaviruses are usually spread through...
- The air by coughing or sneezing
- Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
- Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Help stop the spread of coronavirus
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Eat and sleep separately from your family members
- Use different utensils and dishes
- Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hand.
- If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
- Follow social distancing
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.
Get complete coverage of the coronavirus by texting 'FACTS' to 713-526-1111.