Cases of coronavirus around the world. And at least 36,000 deaths around the world. That number, of course, assumes that the government numbers from places such as china are accurate, which of course is a big if, especially as it pertains to the chinese government. With experts warning that the peak of the virus in the u. S. Is at least two weeks away, cities and states across the United States are preparing for the worst, as cnns erica hill now reports from the current u. S. Epicenter, new york. Reporter help arriving in new york with the Navy Hospital ship comfort. A thousand beds on board to help ease overcrowding in the citys hospitals so they can focus on those with coronavirus. If you are not preparing for the apex and for the high point, you are missing the entire point of the operation. It is a fundamental blunder to only prepare for today. Thats why in some ways we are where we are. Weve been behind this virus from day one. Reporter as other states look to the epicenter for lessons in whats to come, rhode island telling all out of state travelers they must selfquarantine for 14 days. Going door to door in coastal communities, setting up checkpoints to spread the word. If we see vehicles and driveways with no plates on them, well knock on the door. Reporter texas and virginia announcing quarantines for anyone arriving from several states including new york, new jersey, connecticut, and louisiana. Hotspots in chicago and detroit also seeing their needs spike. Michigans governor calling on states to Work Together to gather critical supplies for those on the front lines. I think that the most important thing that we all need to remember is the enemy is covid19, and it is not discriminating against party, it does not discriminate against state. It is ravaging our country. Reporter new yorks governor echoing that sentiment and pleading with Health Care Workers to also join in. If you dont have a Health Care Crisis in your community, please come help us in new york now. We need relief. We need relief for nurses who are working 12hour shifts, one after the other. And we will return the favor. Reporter as communities brace for the virus, the nations top Infectious Disease specialist is warning that this is no time to lose focus. There are a number of areas in the country that have relatively few cases. Those are the ones that are vulnerable and dangerous. Reporter to keep those areas from sparking, more stayathome orders are being added across the country. One of the latest in maryland, on the outskirts of the nations capital. Officials vowing to crack down on anyone defying the otherwise. We have a pastor in baton rouge driving around picking up people to go to church. Youll have to start enforcing it because theyll spread it to other people and were not going to get on top of it until everyone listens to the order. Reporter its time to heed those stayathome orders. Plenty of people out in central park, jake. The reason were in central park today, there is a 68bed Field Hospital thats going to open tomorrow. Whats different about this one in new york is this is specifically for coronavirus patients. As weve seen from some of the other Field Hospitals and even the comfort ship, those are for overflow for noncoronavirus patients. This one behind me in the park specifically for those with the virus. Unbelievable sight. Erica hill, thank you so much. Joining me now is cnn chief medical correspondent dr. Sanjay gupta. Sanjay, dr. Birx said this morning that this projection of possible deaths in the United States, 100,000 to 200,000, that she and dr. Fauci brought to President Trump, she said thats a best case scenario, thats if everybody does everything right. Thats a staggering bit of information. Yeah. I mean, it is, jake. But, you know, if you look at some of the initial other modeling numbers, theres all sorts of numbers that are obviously much higher than that. I dont want to unnecessarily cause people to be alarmed, but thats absolutely true, that is if we actually are all basically abiding by these stay at home recommendations, which, jake, were not, as a country, certainly not, right now. Thats really worrisome. As part her comments, as you know, jake, yesterday, she also said that we started late. She conceded that, i think weve all known that for some time, but we started late in this morning. Thats 100 to 200,000 deaths if we do everything right from here going forward. There will be time to do afteraction reports once were through this crisis. But just briefly to talk about how we got started late, what was the time when greater action could have meant far fewer deaths than what were facing right now . You know, i think theres a couple of points. Certainly i think the initial sort of steps to quarantine, something we hadnt done in this country in 60 years, was important. Those were good initial steps. The issue was did we do enough after that with the time bought, the few weeks in between. During that time im talking sort of midjanuary through february, theres still sort of this, is it really going to be a big deal here, even though Public Health officials sort of knew it was, because they saw what was already happening in china. I think at that point it was important. If you look at germany right now, jake, they have a lot of cases. I think its over 60,000 people who have been infected. But i think fewer than 600 people who died. Still a lot of people who died but at a much lower rate than here in the United States. Part of the reason is they tested early, they started acting early. And you now have a case example of why that made such an impact. Italys fatality rate is closer to 10 or 11 , jake, because they didnt act early. Again, i want to be optimistic, its great that these actions are now being taken, being extended. But we did get a late start and we have some catchup to do here. Thats right. The modeling that dr. Fauci referenced suggests the u. S. Could need more than 200,000 icu hospital beds, more than 30,000 im sorry, 200,000 hospital beds, more than 30,000 icu beds. Will the nation be able to meet those requirements . You know, the Hospital System here in the United States is not really built with surge capacity. This may surprise people but in fact we have fewer hospital beds and icu beds than we did probably a decade or two decades ago. Weve actually gone down because Hospital Systems have wanted to become as efficient as possible. Theyre very expensive systems to run. What i think ive been sort of inspired by, jake, American Ingenuity is something to behold at times like this. This idea now of splitting ventilators, mainly talked about as just a theoretical concept, the idea of trying to adapt other machines like cpap machines, they cant do what ventilators can do but they can help bridge patients who are having difficulty breathing. Its an open question, jake, whether well be able to meet those demands. The manufacturing by Companies Like gm, the issue there is it will probably be a couple or three months before we realize the impact from that manufacturing. Theyve got to source the parts from all over the world, Everyone Wants these parts. The ingenuity ive been hearing about from my colleagues, i know you have as well, is pretty inspiring and there may be some Good Solutions that comes out of that. The president extended social distancing guidelines until at least april 30th, a month from today, and that of course could be extent even sooner. When you look at the projections, when do you think well be able to start on a bit by bit basis to get back to normal . Do you think kids will be able to go to school in the fall, will people be able to go to the beach in the summer . Whats your best guess based on todays facts . When you look at some of these other countries around the world, and keeping in mind we started late around here, youre talking about an eight to ten week sort of cycle. Thats sort of what it looks like. The end of april would be six weeks weve been doing the stay at home. I would add on maybe another two to four weeks after that. I think at that point there may be some start to return to normal activity, perhaps. It wont mean school this year for kids, but probably in the fall. I think that the real question, jake, for a lot of people is the confidence that people are going to have at that point, just almost from a mental standpoint and emotional standpoint, even more so than from a physical standpoint. Will they be nervous to touch an elevator button, to come in contact with people or not. Weve never gone through Something Like this. So thats going to be something we have to deal with as well. Yeah, i mean, there are a lot of Mental Health professionals that will be needed, not just now but for the next few years. This is an internationally traumatic event, especially for children. Sanjay gupta, thank you so much as always, its great to talk to you. Coming up, a medical war zone, thats how one er doctor describes the situation in hospitals. Well take an exclusive look inside that hospital, thats next. Stay with us. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. And even though tables are empty at the moment. Now you can be there for them. While the doors may be closed, the kitchens are open for delivery. [ siren ] doug give me your hand i can save you. Lots of money with Liberty Mutual we customize your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Thwhich, if im not mistaken, papadia. Is latin for better than a sandwich. Heheven has a better pickle. Get a new papadia for six bucks. Better ingredients. Better pizza. Better than a sandwich. Papa johns. From anyone else. So why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase relieves your worst symptoms which most pills dont. Get allinone allergy relief for 24 hours, with flonase. Welcome back. The icu is at capacity, patient beds line the hallways, and the morgue is overflowing. This scene im describing is not from china. Its not from italy. Its not from spain. Its from the United States. Its from new york city. Cnns Miguel Marquez takes us for you for a harrowing look inside one hospital, a place that one doctor describes as a medical war zone. Reporter every corridor, every corner, every ward. Every inch of Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in brooklyn now inundated with those suffering from covid19. What are you looking at on a daily basis . This is a war zone, a medical war zone. Every day, when i come in, i see on a daily basis pain, despair, suffering and health care disparities. Reporter through sunday afternoon brookdale said it had at least 180 confirmed cases of coronavirus. More than 20 people have died from the disease. Coronavirus is pushing the hospital to the max. We are scared too. Were fighting for your lives and were fighting for our own lives. Were trying to keep our head above water and not drown. Reporter doctors, nurses, even those keeping the floors clean, face a rising tide, uncertain how long it will rise, unsure the coronavirus wont sicken them as they struggle to stay a step ahead. What do you need right now . We need prayer. We need support. We need gowns. We need gloves. We need masks. We need more vents. We need more medical space. We need Psychosocial Support as well. Its not easy coming here when you know what youre getting ready to face. Reporter the deaths here keep coming. While filming, another victim of covid19 was moved to the hospitals temporary morgue, a trailer parked out back. The hospitals regular morgue is filled to capacity. How much room do you have in your morgue . Usually we have 20 plus bodies that we can fit comfortably. Reporter and youve gone over that . Gone over that. And the state has been gracious enough to bring us apparatus to help keep families and keep the bodies in comfortable areas because we didnt want bodies piled on top of each other. Reporter brookdale needs more of everything. Edward said the hospital has 370 beds. They would like to add many more. Two weeks ago, this was the pediatric emergency room. Now its dedicated to victims of covid19. Plastic tarp taped to the ceiling, offering some protection and a bit of privacy. The intensive care unit filled nearly to capacity and sealed so fewer doors and less traffic than usual comes and goes. This window is the only place where Family Members can watched their loved one inside the unit as they chat with them via cellphone. Its sometimes as close as they can get, as covid19 takes another life. As grim as it is right now, dr. Molette expects it will get worse. At fall, it could end at the end of the year. Were begging everyone to help us help them by staying home. Reporter you think were in it for the long hauls, months not weeks . Definitely. Reporter another worrisome thing shes seen coming through the doors, not just the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. I work at two hospitals, here at brooklyn and another hospital in the bronx, and its the same thing. Ive had patients that were in their 30s, and they are now intubated, and theyre really sick. Reporter no underlying conditions . No underlying conditions. So the thing is between life and death as far as this coronavirus, this virus sees no theres no difference, it has nothing to do with age, it has nothing to do with lack of access to health care, nothing to do with socioeconomics, race, ethnicity. This virus is killing a lot of people. Reporter brookdale has one advantage. Hospital officials says it can do Rapid Testing for coronavirus onsite in its own lab. They hope to get to 500 tests a day. Right now we have 52 specimens in here, that were preparing to test at the moment. Reporter the hospital following centers for Disease Control guidelines on who gets coveted tests. Patients admitted for possible coronavirus, Health Care Workers showing symptoms and symptomatic long term patients. Each test a laborious and timeconsuming process. Very easy to make a mistake. Very easy. Just from an extra milliliter of reagent, adding it to the machine, can mess up the entire all the batch, the entire batch, all the 50 specimens, we would have to start all over from the beginning. Reporter er doctors are used to stress. Dr. Molette says shes never experienced anything like this. I dont really sleep that well at night. I worry about my family, about my safety, about my colleagues, about how the shift is going to be the next time i come. I worry if a Family Member is going to be coming to be a patient as well and fall victim to the coronavirus. I worry about a lot of things. Reporter the disease a marathon that Health Care Workers alone cannot win on even finish. Its not only up to the Emergency Department to pull through and make sure the curve is flat. This is a responsibility of everybody in the country to help us pull through. Reporter so stay the f home. Exactly. Stay the f home. Exactly. Exactly. Because its not just us that has to help flatten the curve and take care of everybody. Help us help you. Reporter she says it will take everyone pulling together. The worst days, she fears, are still ahead. So if anyone out there needed any more indication, any more sobering indication of where we are with this virus and where it is headed, that trip to that er should have sold it. The other thing that was really shocking to me, they talk about shortages of gloves and masks and goggles. They looked at the ppe, the protective gear we were wearing, we had the proper gear with the hood and the boots and the gloves and the goggles and the masks, they looked at us like we were christmas arriving, basically. They wanted the gear we had. They said they should have the gear we had. A lot of people i spoke to there at the hospital said they stop off at home depot or shop on ebay for gear that they can use themselves or share with others. Theyre right, they should have that gear, its a National Disgrace that they dont. Miguel, stay with us. Our guest is the chief medical officer at northwell health, new yorks Largest Health care provider. Doctor, medical professionals are describing their hospitals as a war zone, saying theyre scared for their own lives and lives of their loved ones. Are you experiencing the same thing at your hospital right now . I think everybody sees this as potentially overwhelming. But were behaving as professionals, supporting each other as colleagues. It happens to be National Doctors day, were helping our doctors and nurse care practitioners and advanced care professionals deal with this. Theyre also human, they have fears. Its not as bad where you are, though, as the hospital that miguel visited . Or is it . Im not in that hospital, but i know that we have lots of patients. As you know, we have 2,000 patients at our facilities. We have lots of patients in our icus. Weve been preparing for this for some time. We think we have adequate staff. We currently have adequate ppe. It is overwhelming to everybody. Miguel, you saw how serious this is firsthand. What do americans need to learn from what you saw in that hospital other than what dr. Molette said, stay the f home, its the responsibility of every american to help flatten the curve . Reporter i think for me, nothing rattles an er doctor, typically. She was afraid not only look, almost everyone we spoke to has a plan for the way they live, they go to work, they stay six feet away from their family, or they live in different locations from their family, they skype or facetime with their husbands or wives but they cant actually see each other. The thing that hit home for me, and i absorb and consume a lot of news and information about this, is that were headed to a much worse place. We are in the first inning of a very long game, jake. And doctor, let me read you what one nurse in new york told cnn, she said, quote, we have a new morgue now, sometimes i feel like im in a movie, its unreal, its so many intubated patients, how fast they get intubated. Doctor, thats concerning picture that the nurse is painting. I want you to explain, a lot of people out there, i dont think they know what it means when a patient is hooked up to a ventilator, when a patient is intubated. My understanding is, and correct me if im wrong, please, is that quite often these patients are put on their stomachs, a tube is put down their throat, theyre heavily sedated because its so uncomfortable to have the tube down their throat and theyre in such pain. Is that what it means for somebody to be on a ventilator . Yeah, when somebodys on a ventilator, they are artificially ventilated. The tube goes into their lungs. Positive Pressure Forces the air into their lungs because they cant take breaths on their own. Theyre usually paralyzed and sedated. There are times we have to make them prone, put them on their bellies to make sure the ventilation is more efficient. Thats the reason we put them on their bellies. Its obviously harrowing for the patients and for the providers to see so many patients on the ventilators. As weve heard the other person talk about, its not usual to have that many patients on ventilators throughout the entire facility. I just want people to understand how serious this is, even for patients who might ultimately survive, its a krooe incredibly harrowing ordeal. Doctor, thank you for the work you do, we appreciate it. Miguel, great reporting, we appreciate it to both of you, thank you so much. Coming up, employees who deliver packages and basically they help keep you alive, are threatening to walk out. Plus what americans think about the response of the federal government to this crisis, and much more ahead. Stay with us. Motor . Nope. Not motor . Its pronounced motaur. For those who were born to ride, theres progressive. For those who were born to ride, these expect and way more. Internthats xfinity xfi. U get powerful wifi coverage that leaves no room behind with xfi pods. And now xfi advanced security is free with the xfi gateway, giving you an added layer of network protection, so every device thats connected is protected. Thats a 72 a year value. No one else offers this. Faster speed, coverage, and free advanced security at an unbeatable value with xfinity xfi. Can your internet do that . This just in, 456 deaths in the u. S. Today, based on the latest reports, the largest number of reported deaths in a single day in this crisis. President trump accepted the horrific projections from his Health Experts that more than 100,000 people in the United States alone could die from this pandemic, somewhere between 100 and 200,000. Now the president is admitting that life as we knew it will not be back by easter, as he said he once wished. As Cnns Kaitlan Collins reports, it may have been coronavirus hitting close to his child neighborhood that forced the president to accept the grim reality. Reporter abandoning his desire to have the country reopen by easter, President Trump says americans should avoid work, travel, and outings for another month. For us there was no question what the right choice was. Reporter the president retreated from his upbeat assessment after being faced with dire predictions from his Health Advisers that over 100,000 people in the u. S. Could die. Dr. Debbie birx and i went into the oval office, leaned over the desk, and said, here are the data, take a look. Reporter but sources tell cnn it wasnt just the numbers that convinced trump. Devastating images from elmhurst hospital in queens miles from where he grew up also resonated with him. Elmhurst hospital has seen such a surge in coronavirus patients that a refrigerated truck now acts as a makeshift mortuary. This is essentially my community. Reporter the president told fox news today he now expects coronavirus cases to peak by easter. Thats going to be the highest point, we think, then it will start coming down from there. Reporter trump cited worst case scenarios. Could have been 2. 2 Million People could have died, 2. 2 Million People. Reporter on sunday trump questioned why the demand for masks has skyrocketed and implied something nefarious is happening at hospitals in new york. Somethings going to and you ought to look into it as reporters. Reporter today the states governor said he didnt know what the president is talking about. I dont know what that means, i dont know what hes trying to say. If he wants to make an accusation, then let him make an accusation. Reporter Governor Cuomo offered this message instead. This is no time for politics. And, you know, lead by example. Reporter today trump also said hes considering hazard pay for doctors, nurses, and other Health Care Workers, though he didnt make any commitments. When it comes to possible treatment, the president has often offered rosier assessments than his doctors. Today he said officials should know within days whether a drug that treats malaria works for coronavirus. I think well have a good idea over the next three days. Reporter now, jake, when dr. Fauci and the others met with the president over the weekend, he said they presented him with a pretty clear picture of what was going on. He said trump looked at the numbers and acknowledged to them that he didnt have much of a choice but to extend those guidelines. Kaitlan collins at the white house, thanks so much. Breaking news, a new cnn poll just came in, about 48 of americans say that the government has done a good job in preventing the spread. That number is Holding Steady from 49 in early march. The number of people who believe the government has done a poor job is going up. Its now at 47 compared to three weeks ago when the number was at 43 . When you break down the numbers by party, 77 of republicans say that the federal government, the Trump Administration, is doing a good job in prevention, compared to 44 of independents who feel that way, and 27 of democrats. When asked about preparedness, about 30 of americans say they feel very prepared to deal if someone in their family were to contract the virus. 46 say they feel somewhat prepared. On the flip side, 14 say they feel theyre not too prepared. 9 say they do not feel prepared at all. Those numbers change when you break it down by income level. 69 of those who make less than 50,000 a year say they feel prepared or at least somewhat prepared. That goes up to 83 for households who make more than 50,000 a year. In the money lead, workers threatening to walk off the job at an Amazon Warehouse in Staten Island, new york. Workers say amazon has only acknowledged one employee there with coronavirus when the true number may be seven confirmed cases. I want to bring in cnn business anchor julia chatterley. Julia, similar protests are happening at instacart and whole foods, workers risking their health to deliver essentials that people need in order to survive. How are big name employers responding . Youre quite right, jake, this is important for these workers. Instacart has come back and said, look, well provide hand sanitizers, well provide bones based on hours worked. Theyre also going to extend sick pay to may 8th. For amazon, what these workers wanted was that facility in Staten Island shut down and sanitized. Amazon responded, theyre doing temperature checks as of yesterday. They say if people are afraid they can stay away as long as they like. They also provide quarantine pay and sick pay. Hazard pay is the buzzword, jake, and i think congress will have to act. Julia, we saw a dramatic drop in oil prices, whats the reason for that . Global growth fears. Look at america specifically, were driving less, were flying less, were demanding less gas. Thats pulling down pressure on prices. The other kicker here is supply from countries like russia, and saudi arabia too is part of a broader price war. This is good for u. S. Consumers if and when they use gas, but overall the United States is a Net Oil Exporter so its painful for states like texas and north dakota. Until we see growth pick up or supply reduce, these pressures will remain on oil prices. Lastly, julia, on friday the president signed that massive stimulus package, passed overwhelmingly by the house and senate. How soon will americans get those checks from the government . Finally some good news i can give you. According to the treasury secretary, within three weeks if they have your direct deposit information. Remember i told you on friday, 60 of people who filed taxes last year gave that information. If they dont have that, theyre setting up a website where you can go and give your information. We have to watch out. If thats you, give your direct deposit information and youll get the money sooner. If you dont have direct deposit information or a bank account, its a check, and history suggests that can take up to two months, so its all about that bank account, jake. Julia, keep us posted on when that website is up so we can bring that information to our viewers. I will. Thank you so much. The coronavirus test that Takes Minutes instead of days. What we might learn from more testing. Well talk to an expert next. Stay with us. Hey there people eligible for medicare. Gimme two minutes. And ill tell you some important things to know about medicare. First, it doesnt pay for everything. Say this pizza. [mmm pizza. ] is your part b medical expenses. This much about 80 percent. Medicare will pay for. Whats left. This slice here. Well. Thats on you. And thats where an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company comes in. This type of plan helps pay some of what medicare doesnt. And these are the only plans to carry the aarp endorsement. Thats because they meet their high standards of quality and service. Wanna learn more . Its easy. Call Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company now and ask. For this free decision guide. Inside youll find the range of aarp Medicare Supplement plans and their rates. Apply any time, too. Oh. Speaking of time. About a little over half way and theres more to tell. Like, how. With this type of plan, youll have the freedom to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. Great for staying with the one you know. Or finding. Somebody new, like a specialist. There are no networks and no referrals needed. None. And when you travel, your plan will go with you anywhere in the country. So, if youre in another state visiting the grandkids, stay awhile. Enjoy. And know that youll still be able to see any doctor who accepts medicare patients. So call unitedhealthcare today. They are committed to being there for you. Tick, tick, tick, time for a wrap up. A Medicare Supplement plan helps pay some of what medicare doesnt. You know, the pizza slice. It allows you to choose any doctor, who accepts medicare patients. And these are the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. Whew call unitedhealthcare today and ask for this free decision guide. Welcome back. Two major changes are expected to make coronavirus testing easier and faster and less intrusive. The fda has approved a test that can give results in less than 15 minutes, in addition to another rapid test which takes 45 minutes. A few weeks ago these tests were taking days. Plus u. S. Health officials expect selfswab testing to start any day. That would allow patients to submit their own samples and eliminate the need for Health Care Workers to change their protective gear for every single task. Joining me now to discuss is former cdc disease detective dr. Seema yasmin. Dr. Yasmin, thank you for joining us. What do you expect to learn as testing becomes more widespread . So what we expect to see in situations like this, jake, is what we call an pandemic of detection, where you start to see really rapid rise in the number of cases as we are seeing now. And thats just a consequence of doing the kind of testing that, to be frank, we should have been doing a month or even earlier than that. This is so important that we detect cases because when were giving that kind of Public Health guidance of how to stay safe, what kind of things you should be doing and not doing, you want to do that based on data. You cant just pull numbers out of the air. You need testing. Thats why this news is really welcome, that hopefully in the next few days or weeks well start to see Rapid Development of these tests that doctors can do really quickly. That will give us a much better grasp of just how bad this situation is. I know it looks bad now but theres still the feeling that were still undercounting the actually number of cases in the u. S. So lets assume, and im just going to make up a place, that there is a drastic increase, because of this increased testing, that by the end of april, we know that in whoville, there are a dramatic increase in positive cases. What then happens . Would there be a stricter order than stay at home . How does it change the way that were handling this right now . So what it can change is it can give you the guidance as to how long you might need to have these orders in place. So right now, were just going off the numbers we have. Having that true account of the real extent of Community Transmission can give us an idea of when we can start to get back to order. Were seeing shelter in place and lockdown issues extend further and further. We want to see those based on data. So it can help from that big, broader, Public Health perspective. It can really help physicians, jake you. Know at that point that you have somebody truly with covid19 in front of you, you can stop thinking about potential experimental treatments. And from a clinicians perspective, you want to know exactly what infection youre fighting and what precautions you need to be taking. Dr. Yasmin, the fda has rushapproved limited use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus patients. Obviously we all hope it works, we all want there to be a treatment. But as of right now there isnt a lot of data suggesting that theyre necessarily effective in treating coronavirus. The fda deciding that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. What do you think . I have talked to doctors and scientists a long time in the world of pharmacy who are really concerned about this ruling, jake. They want to know who at fda signed off on this, because the evidence that these two medicine, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, the evidence that they work against coronavirus is scant, to be honest with you. However they are proven to work against lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The concern is that people who need those medicine are now struggling to get their prescriptions refilled. Were seeing such mixed messaging from officials, trump saying hes hopeful it will work, yesterday hes saying lets see, maybe it will work, maybe it wont. My physician colleagues are seeing people who have overdosed on hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine who dont even have coronavirus. People are hearing this messaging and almost assuming that its approved. It isnt proven yet, we really need those solid Clinical Trials and studies proving its safe in covid19 patients and proving that it really works. Indeed, only do that if the doctor is involved. And speaking of hydroxychloroquine, Florida Governor ron desantis says shipments of the drug will be sent to some florida hospitals and he was able to get access to it because hes friends with the u. S. Ambassador to israel who put him in contact with a Pharmaceutical Company that makes it. So, look, im sure floridians are overjoyed that Governor Desantis did this and hes looking out for the people in his state. People in other states might wonder if its fair, and who knows if hydroxychloroquine will even work, but whether or not its fair that his connection, his personal relationship with a member of the Trump Administration allows him to get this. What are your thoughts on that . Jake, thats not how medicine and science are supposed to work. I feel like the whole story of this pandemic in the states is a story of a system thats broken. And its a story of inequal access to health care. Were still looking nationally at 27 million americans who are uninsured, 44 million who are underinsured. It shouldnt be how well networked you are or having friends in powerful places. Thats not how medicine should work. Those kind of things are bad for Public Health. Dr. Seema yasmin, thank you so much, really appreciate your time. The global death toll is now more than 36,000. Total number of cases at more than 770,000. In the uk, theyre preparing for a significant period of lockdown. In italy, heartwrenching stories of the tragic toll the virus is taking. An entire family dying from the coronavirus, the father is a wellknown blacksmith. His wife, 77, their two sons, aged 54 and 46. Germany now taking patients from other European Countries where hospitals are at capacity, saying they have twice as many vacant icu beds as italy. Reporters around the world are joining me fr. Cnns Bianca Nobilo has more. Reporter Boris Johnson is at home with mild symptoms. Johnson will be remaining in selfisolation until friday unless his symptoms deteriorate further. Its not just the Prime Minister who is selfisolating, there are now three members of the cabinet in selfisolation and his chief strategist, dominic cummings. The key issue in the uk is having more testing as the country nears the peak. At the moment the uk is only managing to test 7,000 people a day. The governments target is 25,000. So jake, still falling well shy of that. Bianca nobilo in the uk, thank you so much. Cnns ben wedeman, how are hospitals able to function with so many Health Care Workers falling victim to the virus . Reporter actually let me update you, jake, its 63 doctors said, 8,300 Health Workers have tested positive. And italian hospitals are struggling as a result. Now, this evening we spoke to a doctor, hes a gp, but he volunteered to join the effort. He told us that every day he works 16hour shifts and at the end of the shifts all he wants to do is cry, because of what hes seen in the hospitals, particularly in the north of the country. But there is finally some good news coming out, jake. Today, the number of new cases was half the number of cases reported yesterday. And the number of people who are reported to have recovered from coronavirus reached a record high, in sort of the 24hour period. However, the draconian measures are going to continue, the lockdown here. It had been extended from the 3rd of april to the 12th of april, easter, jake. Thank you, ben wedeman, stay safe, my friend. Cnns Fred Pleitgen joins me from berlin. Germany is treating patients from other countries, fred . Reporter yes, germany has some of the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, about 66,000 confirmed cases. At the same time, the very Robust Health care system in this country doesnt seem to be under massive pressure yet. The germans have a huge number of intensive care beds. In fact they say they have twice as many vacant intensive care beds right now than the total number that italy has at all. Therefore they still have capacities. Of course they want to save some of those capacities because they think things could get a lot worse here as well. But now they are taking people from other countries. In fact the German Military flew in dozens of patients not just from italy but actually also from france as well over the weekend. Germans say theyll continue to do that, really important, jake, as far as trying to save lives, really important also as far as messaging is concerned because for a long time in europe it looked like the main countries helping were russia and china. Now people can see the European Countries, especially the germans, are really stepping up, jake. Fred pleitgen, thank you so much, stay safe. With all the stress and sadness of this pandemic, something to hopefully brighten your isolation today. Youre heard of doordash. How about dogdash . This is sunny, a golden retriever in colorado. Hes been delivering groceries to a neighbor who requires oxygen to help her breathe and is selfquarantining. Sunny is trained to fetch a grocery list and bring it back to his owner to she can do the shopping. Delivery fees of course have been waived. Finally for us on this National Doctors day, i want to take a moment to single out one particular doctor, a philadelphia pediatrician, dr. Theodore tapper, 80 years old today, happy birthday, dad, i love you, thanks for being my dad. The White House Task force briefing is scheduled to begin soon, well bring that to you live. Stay with us. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. That Liberty Mutual customizes your insurance, i just love hitting the open road and telling people so you only pay for what you need [squawks] only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. No, because on a sandwich,t no they ask you if you want cheese. music but on a papadia, cheese is whats holding the whole operation together. Get one now for just six bucks. Better ingredients. Better pizza. Better than a sandwich. Papa johns. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room. Were following breaking news. Were also standing by for a briefing over at the white house. Youre looking at live pictures from the white house rose garden. The Coronavirus Task force is scheduled to begin fairly soon. Well have coverage of that coming up. Also today, its been the deadliest day of the outbreak so far here in the United States. Get this, at least 486 new deaths pushing the total to nearly 3,000 dead here in the United States. And the total number of cases to more than 158,000. The rising numbers and dire warnings from Public Health officials prompted President Trump to extend social distancing guidelines until at least, at least april 30th, and back away from his earlier call to reopen the nation by easter sunday, april 12th, which he now says those goals were, in his word, aspirational. In new york city, thats the epicenter of the crisis in