What's Happening: Millions stocked up, slowing down
People walk past a convenient store where the latest cover of a magazine is stuck on a pillar outside of it on Sunday, March 15, 2020, in New York. President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Americans to cease hoarding groceries and other supplies, while one of the nation's most senior public health officials called on the nation to act with more urgency to safeguard their health as the coronavirus outbreak continued to spread across the United States. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Pharmacist Michael Witte, left, gives Neal Browning, right, a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Browning is the second patient to receive the shot in the study. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A pharmacist gives Jennifer Haller, left, the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Ukrainians wearing a face masks walk in centrla Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 16, 2020. Ukrainian authorities ruled to close public places except food markets, pharmacies and gas stations starting from Tuesday in Kyiv and seven other regions, and restrict public movement from Kyiv to other Ukrainian cities to strengthen anti-coronavirus quarantine measures. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems.(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
A woman wearing a mask protects herself from the rain with an umbrella, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, March 16, 2020. After deploying the army to the streets and to clean train stations, ordering 46 million to stay at home and taking over control of private hospitals, the Spanish government is considering now closing the country's borders to halt the spread of the coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrie…
A young man wearing a face mask walks across an empty Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, March 16, 2020. The Czech government has imposed further dramatic restrictions on the movement in efforts to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the government is declaring a quarantine for the entire country, an unprecedented measure in his country's history that became effective on Monday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A man wears a mask during a rally supporting Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Thousands took to the streets on Sunday to demonstrate in favor of Bolsonaro, challenging in some states the ban on agglomerations due to coronavirus and ignoring his suggestion to postpone the acts. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
A member of the Venezuelan civil protection agency explains commuters symptoms and preventive measures for the new coronavirus in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Venezuela announced quarantine measures in six states and in Caracas. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A person in protective gear stands behind a sign reading 'Feaver Ambulance' in the reception area of the fever outpatient clinic in Wernigerode, Germany, Monday, March 16, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Matthias Bein/dpa via AP)
Italian Carabinieri police officers man a road block in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 16, 2020. Italy is on a nationwide lockdown to contain the COVID-19 virus outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A subway customer wearing a face mask waits to board a car in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Monday, March 16, 2020. New York leaders took a series of unprecedented steps Sunday to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including canceling schools and extinguishing most nightlife in New York City. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Patients lie on beds at one of the emergency structures that were set up to ease procedures at the Brescia hospital, Italy, Monday, March 16, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A sign for the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute is seen outside the building that houses the institute, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Seattle. The first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which was given to the first volunteer in the study by injection, Monday, March 16 in Seattle will take at the institute. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Millions of people are stocking up and holing up at home a as a growing number of governments fight to bring the coronavirus under control. The number of reported cases worldwide topped 175,000 with 6,700 deaths. More than 77,000 people have recovered from the illness.
These are some of the latest developments Monday:
VIRUS MARCHES WEST
China, where the virus was first detected in December, now accounts for less than half of the world’s nearly 175,000 reported cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Spain overtook South Korea as the country with the fourth most confirmed cases, after China, Italy and Iran. As the virus moves west, it is leaving millions of people in the United States, Europe and elsewhere hunkering down at home. Schools, concerts and sporting events are being canceled and many restaurants were offering only takeout or delivery. The White House urged older Americans to stay home and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out over the next 15 days. President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. may be dealing with the new virus until “July or August.”
READING, BAKING, HIKING — AND HOARDING
After being chastised for hoarding canned goods and toilet paper, many Americans are learning to enjoy a slower pace of life as they avoid gatherings that could spread the virus. Some are taking on long-delayed home repair projects or elaborate baking projects. Others are reaching for books or going hiking. A company that offers online courses has seen a jump in business. “I feel like now I have time to relax,” said Nicole Schaefer in Portland, Oregon, who is learning to make macarons. Not that long ago, people confined at home in China were looking for ways to beat the boredom.
NEW CRISIS LOOMING IN AFRICA
The coronavirus has now been confirmed in at least 30 of Africa’s 54 countries and regional power South Africa is warning of a new crisis once the virus begins spreading in crowded low-income communities. The most alarming confirmation of a first case comes from Somalia, which has one of the continent’s weakest health systems after nearly three decades of conflict. Tanzania, Liberia and Benin also announced their first cases. African nations have begun imposing travel restrictions as many confirmed cases come from abroad.
STOCKS DROP AMID ECONOMIC STANDSTILL
Emergency government actions taken to prop up the economy didn't stop financial markets from suffering more staggering losses. The U.S. stock market had its worse day in more than three decades, amid deepening fears the coronavirus will throw the global economy into a recession. The best-case scenario for many investors is that the economic shock will be steep but short. Pessimists are preparing for longer-term effects.
VACCINE TRIAL STARTS IN U.S.
The first participants in a clinical trial for an experimental vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus received doses at a research institute in the United States. Officials caution it will take a year to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine. It's the first launch of many efforts around the world to create a vaccine as COVID-19 cases continue to grow. The National Institutes of Health is funding the trial, which started Monday at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.
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