Coronavirus Outbreak: Live Updates
Among the top coronavirus news out today are: There are more than 3.8 million COVID-19 cases worldwide. For other info:
U.S. case counts, coronavirus symptoms, our kids guide, comparison with seasonal flu and treatments in the works.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu | Staff Writer; Rachael Rettner | Senior Writer; Jeanna Bryner | Editor-in-Chief

LIVE SCIENCE – May 8, 2020

09:24:28 EDT
THERE ARE MORE THAN 3.8 MILLION COVID-19 CASES WORLDWIDE
— India is working to bring home about 15,000 stranded Indians around the world by air and ship, according to The New York Times. Air India and navy ships are being sent abroad to bring back citizens who are struggling amid the pandemic. On Friday, two naval ships carrying around 1,000 people arrived from the Maldives and on Thursday, the first rescued citizens flew from Dubai. But while bringing people home, India is trying to avoid bringing more of the virus into the country that has reported 60,000 infections and about 2,000 deaths, relatively low for the more than 1 billion people that live there, according to the Times. Passengers will be quarantined for 14 days in facilities after arriving.

— There are more than 3.8 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and more than 270,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard. Here are some other numbers from around the world: Russia has reported 187,859 cases and 1,723 deaths; Brazil has reported 136,519 cases and 9,265 deaths; Turkey has reported 133,721 cases and 3,641 deaths; Iran has reported 104,691 cases and 6,541 deaths; Germany has reported 169,430 cases and 7,392 deaths; the United Kingdom has reported 207,977 cases and 30,689 deaths; and Canada has reported 66,201 cases and 4,541 deaths.

17:39:53 EDT – May 07, 2020
RESEARCHERS DETECT CORONAVIRUS IN SEMEN BUT IT’S UNCLEAR IF THE PARTICLES ARE VIABLE
— Researchers detected the new coronavirus in semen, according to a small study. The findings, published Thursday (May 7) in the journal JAMA Network Open, doesn’t mean that the virus was necessarily sexually transmitted through contact with semen, according to a Live Science report. The researchers analyzed semen samples from 38 men in Shangqiu, China who had tested positive for COVID-19 and were still experiencing symptoms or had recently recovered. They found coronavirus in the semen of 6 of these participants — four who were currently experiencing symptoms and two who had recently recovered, according to the report. But it’s not clear if the virus particles are “viable.”

— Researchers at the Johns Hopkins school of public health are starting a clinical trial to test whether convalescent plasma, or plasma taken from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, could help prevent infections in health care workers, according to CNN. Another group will test whether the convalescent plasma will be effective in keeping people who are not sick enough to be hospitalized out of the hospital, CNN reported.

— Amtrak now requires passengers to cover their faces with masks or other coverings while in stations, on trains, and on buses, starting on Monday, NPR reported. “Facial coverings can be removed when customers are eating in designated areas, in their private rooms, or seated alone or with a travel companion in their own pair of seats. Small children who are not able to maintain a facial covering are exempt from this requirement,” according to a statement. Many other airlines and public transit systems in the U.S. also require face coverings or masks, according to NPR.

Much, much more HERE.