A commuter wearing a protective mask waits in an empty subway station in Montreal, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Proper physical distancing in public transportation is a concern as governments prepare to start easing restrictions. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Congress is sprinting to approve a $483 billion coronavirus aid package this week, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's time to 'œpush the pause button'ť on federal spending.
Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the virus and health officials in California discovered that two people died from COVID-19 in Santa Clara County weeks before the first death in the state was initially was reported.
Meanwhile, Tyson Foods shut down a pork plant in Iowa. And a Russian ultramarathoner found a way to get his miles in, running 10-plus hours inside his home.
Here are some of AP's top stories Wednesday on the world's coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's time to 'œpush the pause button'ť on federal spending, even as Congress rushes to approve a $483 billion coronavirus aid package this week. The deal would replenish a small-business payroll fund and pump more money into hospitals and testing programs.
- Federal officials say two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the new coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States and joining a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide. The cats had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover.
- A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Americans largely believe restrictions on social interaction to curb the spread of the new coronavirus are appropriate. Despite pockets of attention-grabbing protests, the survey finds Americans remain overwhelmingly in favor of stay-at-home orders and other efforts to slow the spread of the virus.
- Health officials say two people died with the new coronavirus in California weeks before the first reported death from the virus. Santa Clara County officials said the people died at home Feb. 6 and Feb. 17.
- Tyson Foods suspended operations at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation's pork supply but had been blamed for fueling a massive coronavirus outbreak in the community. The company said the indefinite closure of the Waterloo, Iowa, plant would deny a vital market to hog farmers and further disrupt the nation's meat supply.
- Some small businesses that obtained a highly coveted government loan say they won't be able to use it to bring all their laid-off workers back, even though that is what the program was designed to do. As a result, the lending may not reduce unemployment as much as the Trump administration and Congress hope.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.
One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.
You should wash your phone, too. Here's how.
TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you're worried about live.
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ONE NUMBER:
- 10 MILLION: There are over 70 million people worldwide who have been driven from their homes by war and unrest, up to 10 million are packed into refugee camps and informal settlements, and almost none have been tested for the new coronavirus.
IN OTHER NEWS:
- INDOOR ULTRAMARATHON: A Russian man in the far eastern city of Vladivostok ran circles around his bed for more than 10 hours in an effort to replicate completing a 100-kilometer ultramarathon. Experienced ultra-runner Dmitry Yakukhny found himself stuck at home after the race was postponed to September.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
People pray as the casket of Traffic Section Commander Mohammed Chowdhury are brought out of the funeral home during his funeral in New York, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Chowdhury died on Sunday, April 19, 2020, from complications related to the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Associated Press
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks with reporters alongside Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., after the Senate approved a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid bill, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
This photo made available by ultramarathon runner Dmitry Yakukhny shows him posing for a selfie at his home in Vladivostok, Russia, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. A Russian man has competed a 10-hour run around his bed during a coronavirus lockdown. Experienced ultra-runner Dmitry Yakukhny was meant to be spending April at the 250-kilometer (155-mile) Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert, but was stuck at home after it was postponed to September. (yakuhnyi_dmitry via AP)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 16, 2020, file photo, Richard Eberhardt walks along a corridor at a nursing home in Kaysesberg, France. European Union leaders are preparing for a new virtual summit, which will take place Thursday, April 23, 2020, to take stock of the damage the coronavirus has inflicted on the lives and livelihoods of the bloc's citizens and to thrash out a more robust plan to revive their ravaged economies. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Saturday, April 11, 2020 file photo, a pack of jackals eats dog food that was left for them by a woman at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel. With a lockdown against the coronavirus crisis, the sprawling park is practically empty. This has cleared the way for packs of jackals to take over this urban oasis in the heart of the city as they search for food. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
The Associated Press
These maps made available by NASA show nitrogen dioxide levels over California during March 2-6, 2020, pre-shutdown against the COVID-19 coronavirus; March 9-13 during soft shutdown measures, March 16-20 when "shelter in place" orders were announced, and March 23-27 during a full period of "shelter in place" orders. NO2 is a noxious gas emitted by motor vehicles, power plants, and industrial facilities. (NASA/European Space Agency via AP)
The Associated Press
FILE - This file photo released by the Turkish humanitarian group IHH on April 6, 2020, aid workers of the group demonstrate to Syrian children how to properly wash hands, at a camp for internally displaced persons in northern Syria. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has raised fears about the world's refugees and internally displaced people, many of whom live in poor or war-ravaged countries that are ill-equipped to test for the virus or contain a possible outbreak. (IHH via AP, File)
The Associated Press
Dr. Anthony Leno, Director of Emergency Medicine, pauses at the end of his shift after his staff revived a patient with COVID-19 who had gone into cardiac arrest, Monday, April 20, 2020, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, April 20, 2020, photo, Georgia farmer Jerilyn Morgan leans against her shop on her vegetable farm in Dawson, Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp announced plans Monday to restart the state's economy before the end of the week, saying many businesses that closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus could reopen as early as Friday. "I'm not in a rush to open it back up, even though it's going to cost me money and my vegetables will go bad, lives come before my pocketbook," said Morgan. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this June 11, 1997 file photo, Chicago Bulls Scottie Pippen, right, embraces an exhausted Michael Jordan following their win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, in Salt Lake City. The flu-like illness Jordan fought through to lead the Bulls to a crucial victory in the 1997 NBA Finals created instant fodder for the virtue of perseverance. Pushing past boundaries, overcoming obstacles and adversity - that is part of the ethos of major competitive sports. That is how elite athletes become wired to win. (AP Photo/Jack Smith, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 15, 2020, file photo, helper of the German Red Cross DRK in protective suit, left, takes a smear from a patient in his car during the official opening of a drive-thru COVID-19 testing center at the fair ground in Dresden, eastern Germany. As the restrictions to avoid the spreading of the coronavirus are eased, Chancellor Angela Merkel has pointed to South Korea as an example of how Germany will have to improve measures to 'get ahead' of the pandemic with more testing and tracking of cases so that the rate of infections can be slowed. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)
The Associated Press