for the same medications as the vet, but up to 30 percent less with fast free shipping. visit petmeds.com today. we have not reached the peak. >> warnings from health officials as america scrambles to contain the coronavirus. from los angeles to philadelphia, reports from across the nation this hour. also, we are learning more about a test which could help to open up schools and businesses. what it is and when can we expect it? and some good news around the world, people are staying o off the roads and it is clearing the air -- dramatically. welcome to our viewers. i'm natalie allen live from our

studios in atlanta. and this is "cnn newsroom." thank you so much for joining us. of course our top story, the latest from the coronavirus. the u.s. is grappling with multiple grim milestones. confirmed cases crossed the 500,000 mark friday according to johns hopkins university. and daily reported deaths topped 2,000 for the first time. that brings america's total death toll to well over 18,000 as you see there. but there is hope. those daily figures may start declining. and updated model says that friday was the peak for daily deaths in the u.s. as a whole.

still, the researchers also warn some states still may not hit their peaks for weeks to come. meantime america's epicenter, new york, is trying to manage the bodies of virus victims that are going unclaimed. a very grim picture right there. some are being buried in newly dug mass graves on an island in new york city. cnn has correspondents around the world reporting on this pandemic. let's zero in on the u.s. erica hill has the latest on hard hit new york and other crisis spots around the country. >> reporter: there are now more positive cases in new york state than in any country around the world. and yet there are signs of hope. hospitalizations and the number of patients in the icu both down across the state. >> for a long time, they were

over 50% of our cases and 50% of our new cases, that has dramatically changed because of the impact of what the citizens of new york and new jersey and across connecticut and now rhode island are doing to change the course of this pandemic. >> reporter: governor cuomo stressing any move forward will require massive testing and the power of the federal government. >> we have 9 million people we want to get back to work. you need more than several thousand tests per week if this is going to happen anytime soon. if i had a defense production act in the state, i would use it. i would use it. i don't have that tool. the federal government does. >> reporter: new york city now burying as many as 25 unclaimed bodies each day in a public cemetery on heart island to free up desperately needed space in the city's morgues. in houston, a potential hot spot

according to the white house task force, the parking lot at energy stadium transformed into ano yoeoverflow hospital and a former fda official says the warmer months may offer a reprieve. >> hopefully the fact that we're heading into the summer and it should be a back stop of this transmission of the virus as we head into june, july, august, that will help us. coronavirus doesn't usually circulate in the summertime. this one is so novel, it is likely to transfer into the summer, but droplet transmission becomes less efficient in the hot humid months. >> reporter: and florida's governor may soon reopen schools county by county. >> we'll look at the evidence. for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to threaten, you know, kids. >> reporter: governor desantis citing a lack of deaths in his state for those under 25. though that is not the case nationally. 16 states have already closed

schools for the remainder of the being academic year. as officials remind those celebrating easter this weekend, the virus doesn't because for the holiday. >> we've seen people who have been going to church and ignoring the orders, getting sick, ministers dying. this is deadly serious. and you can express your faith in a lot of different way, but it can't be by congregating. >> reporter: for some, simply being home is reason enough to celebrate. in miami, cheers as two covid patients are discharged. a similar scene in louisville. and from a hospital at the epicenter, a message of strength. mount sinai's chief medical officer praising her staff as they mark the end of the beginning, assuring them, quote, we will prevail. the governor of kentucky on

friday announcing in his state anyone attending a mass gathering over the weekend, their license plate information would be taken down and handed over to the health department and those individuals will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. the governor saying it is not an act of faith to attend a service in person, it is an act of faith to sacrifice so that can protect your fellow americans. back to you. as the crisis drags on, the u.s. president as you can imagine is anxious to jump-start the economy soon. the question now, how will mr. trump make that decision. jim acosta tells us what he is considering. >> reporter: at his daily press briefing, president trump insisted that he will listen to his administration's top doctors when it comes to reopening the country while not committing to following their recommendations. >> i will certainly listen. i will certainly listen. >> will you take that advice? >> i understand the other side of the argument very well.

because i look at both sides of an argument. i will listen to them very carefully though. >> reporter: a sign that he is determined to move forward with ending social distancing guide lines perhaps as soon as may, he then announced that he is putting together an opening our country council. >> it will be announced on tuesday with names that you have a lot of respect for, a lot of great names. different businesses. different people. >> bipartisan? >> bipartisan. >> reporter: but the medical experts aren't so sure. dr. fauci raising concerns that there will be new coronavirus infections after the country reopens. >> don't let anyone get any false ideas that when we decide at a proper time when we'll be relaxing some of the restrictions, there is no doubt that up syou will see cases. i'd be surprised if we didn't. the question is how you respond. >> reporter: and dr. birx saying the peak is still to come. >> it is really about the encouraging signs that we see, but as encouraging as they are,

we have not reached the peak. and so every day we need to continue to do what with did yesterday and the week before that. >> reporter: and this is one of the biggest calls of his presidency. >> i'm going to have to make a decision, and i only hope to god that it is the right decision. but i would say without question it is the biggest decision i've ever had to make. >> reporter: mr. trump was also asked what metrics he would use in making his decision. >> the metrics right here. that is my metrics. >> reporter: the president bristled at the question of whether he is painting too rosy of a picture as health experts warn there is not adequate testing in place to reopen the country. >> this is not happy talk. maybe it is happy talk for you. it is not for me. we're talking about death. these are the saddest news conferences that i've ever had. i don't like doing that.

>> reporter: on the issue of equipment, a source close to the coronavirus task force tells cnn the u.s. is not quite where it needs to be on testing and on the question of reopening the government, the president told reporters that he is willing to shut down the u.s. once again if necessary. jim acosta, cnn, the white house. turning now to moscow's professor of socioeconomics. he is joining me from london. good morning, thanks for coming in. we just heard president trump saying -- not saying actually what metrics will be used to open up the economy. it seems that the white house is wrestling with this very important decision. but considering still the mi mysteries of covid-19, how critical is this decision? >> it is extremely critical and we've seen that there are countries out there that have been able to do the job properly. china to begin with. they have been able to restart

their economy and they are being very cautious because of the unknowns of what happens to the patients that recover. and we also see of all places greece. and i'm not saying this because i'm greek, but because they have managed to do it. they have tranreduced the transmission rate so much that it is possible that they might be open for the holiday season. >> that is encouraging. and president trump also said that there isn't a need to test over 300 million people. we know that less than 1% of americans have been tested. should there be population-wide testing before societies and economies are gradually reopened? >> okay, the way we operate is by finding people who are infected, finding the people who have been in contact, close contact,

>> the u.s. and italy apparently are close to an anti body test. how important is that test in the process of what needs to be done along with the diagnostic testingen and also contact testing? >> i think the antibody test is a very useful tool to understand what is happening in the wider population. it does not tell you that the people who are actively infected right now are in front of you. if you were to give the same person an anti body test and the so-called pcr test, the pcr test would be positive, the antibody test would be negative. so you need to put the right test in the right people.

the antibody test might prove useful in the reopening of the economy provided we understand the risks to even who have not been exposed to the virus. i would not make that choice. i would rather see the virus stopped and it is still possible to do this rather than people entering the economy and maybe infecting people and this potential mess that may perpetuate for months if not years. >> a mess for sure. because it could cause another spike. >> multiple other spikes, not just another spike. >> until there is a vaccine, and of course that is in the works, there is a massive global effort to find effective treatments. is there anything promising on the horizon that you see and what will you be looking for as a breakthrough in that? >> so we hahave the antivirals

that try to stop the virus from doing its business. and we have treatments that are trying to stop the immune response from going haywire. the biggest problem is the latter. the patients that are in intensive care units, these are the treatments that we should be focusing on. there is a lot of attention on antivirals, but the history of antivirals, research tells us they work in the early days of infection, not when the people are in the icu. >> well, we appreciate your time and your expertise so much. we'll speak with you again as we learn more. thank you. >> you're very welcome. well, researchers say many people infected may not even know it and they may already have immunity to it. we were just talking about this. we'll have more on the antibody test and how it could help as we push on with this pandemic. also spiritual needs are clashing with public health

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british prime minister boris johnson is taking shorts walks after being moved out of intensive care. he is still in the hospital where he's been since last sunday after displaying persistent coronavirus symptoms ten days after testing positive. britain's health minister says mr. johnson is in very good spirits. >> the prime minister is recovering and i'm sure the whole nation is delighted to see the news that he is getting better. and the fact that he was so ill demonstrates once again just how serious this disease is. >> and hancock went on to say that the government has been functioning very efficiently. great britain recorded 980 coronavirus deaths on friday alone, that is the biggest spike anywhere in europe since the crisis began. and it brings the total count in the uk to almost 9,000 dead.

the country's health secretary says there are more than 19,000 coronavirus patients currently hospitalized. let's get the latest now from london, isa soares is joining me now. good morning to you. sobering statistics to be sure. but encouragement hopefully to people that boris johnson has improved significantly. >> reporter: very much so. good morning to you, natalie. you know, we've seen good news from the prime minister. he is starting to walk again after, you know, being in hospital for several days now and is out of icu. but those numbers out of the uk are incredibly sobering. 980 people died in a single day. that is the highest daily rate that we've seen, higher than what italy or what spain recorded in a single day. and natalie, these are not records that anyone wants to try to achieve. important to point that out.

what the government has said is that behind every single -- everyone who is actually losing their life, excuse me, there is a name, there is a loss, there is a family that will never be the same again. in terms of those losing their lives, in terms of the numbers in london the number has in fact decreased, but in the north of country midlands that is increasing. let me tell you as well in terms of the ages of the people that are dying, patients who died between the ages of 27 to 100 year of age, all but 56 had underlying conditions. and that is important. and we've also seen the last 24 hours that coronavirus has claimed the lives of another doctor, another nhs national health service doctor bringing the total to ten. this is why we have seen a huge media blitz in the last few days by the uk government basically telling people stay at home

during the easter weekend. i know there is a desire to see family and friends and with the warm weather people want to go out, but they are calling on people to stay at home, to stay isolated and protect themselves, their loved ones and those fighting coronavirus on the front lines. >> yes, it is so critical. and it is just staying home. it is not like you are asking too much. so hopefully people will continue to do so. isa, thank you. appreciate it. u.s. officials say there soon will be a new coronavirus test that can identify people who may not even know that they have been infected. the test will tell if a person has developed antibodies to the virus and now are probably immune. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta explains why this may be a game changer. >> according to the coronavirus task force, more than 2 million tests have now been performed in

the united states. and yet there are still people who need to be tested such as health care workers who can't get one. it is part of the reason why there is so much interest in a different kind of test. an antibody test. dr. fauci told cnn on friday that it is coming soon. >> i'm certain that that will happen within a week or so, we'll have a rather large number of tests that are available. >> but what exactly are antibodies? they are proteins in the immune system that develop days after someone has been infected. and it is the antibodies that makes someone immune to becoming reinfected. it means two things. you were previously infected and you are now likely to be protected at least for a while. >> we think that it will be a tool to help people get back to work, it will be additional information are because as you know, if you have an antibody, that means that you were exposed and have recovered from it. that with the information about diagnosis should help. >> that is why public health

agencies arounden t the world w these antibody tests because it could help some people get back to their daily lives. you remember the swab test, that tests for the virus itself, specifically its genetic material. the problems are that at some point after you recover, that test will be negative. and secondly, a lot of people have had trouble getting that dyiiagnostic test in the first place. the antibody test is more definitive. there are only a few reasons that you would have antibodies in your blood. you got someone else's antibodies bien a injectin inje blood, you got a vaccine which teaches your body to make antibodies, or you were infected. the antibody test requires a sample of your blood and this strip which has proteins from the virus on it if your blood reacts to that strip, it means that you have antibodies in your blood. >> and i think really being able to tell them -- the peace of mind that would come from knowing that you already were

infected, you have an antibody, you are safe from reinfection 99.9% of the time. and so this i think would be very reassuring to our frontline health care workers. >> and another benefit, surveillance. in places like miami-dade county, florida, santa clara county, california, and telluride, colorado, they have already started using antibody tests to get a better sense of how many people, many of whom would be surprised to learn, have already been exposed to the virus. >> the purpose is to see who develops the antibodies meaning who actively infected. >> a cdc spokesperson told cnn the agency has already used the tools to, quote, monitor contacts of infected people and to identify individuals who due to mild infection may have not known that they were infected. getting the antibody tests up

and running, much like the test to defects the virus itself, have been challenging. in a rush to get these tests to market, the fda lowered the regulatory standards and what followed were a lot of unreliable and inaccurate tests. >> there are a series of antibody tests that have not been validated. some of the tests that may be available on the internet may have very low sensitivity and specificity and give you a false reassurance that you either -- give you a false positive or a false negative implying that you may be protected. >> so the u.s. close to this test and italy says that it is close to having its own approved antibody test and it is hoping that will help identify people who have had the virus, recovered and as you heard developed antibodies and immunity. those people could then donate plasma to treat people who are sick. barbie nado is in rome for us.

tell us about the test and the plans for it there in italy. >> they are using to a certain extent in two of the hardest hit regions in northern italy. they are using the antibody test to see doctors and other first line oig health care workers are immune. we've had so much health care workers become infected and over 100 doctors have died from the coronavirus. so it is important to make sure that the health care workers are potentially immune so they can be on the front lines. and they are expecting to roll out more of a nationwide antibody test sometime in may. and, you know, everyone is really excited about that because that is really going to be the first step toward opening the country back up in a way that brings it on a new normal. >> absolutely. they have been on lockdown for so many weeks now. and there is a growing restlessness in parts of the country, people pushing back on isolation.

until this test takes place, is that still an issue? >> it is. and especially this weekend. easter is such an important holiday in italy. and people are with their families, they want to go to the beach and police have said that they will be out in full force with helicopters over the cities and grodrones to make sure that people aren't holding parties on their rooftops and things like that. it is so crucial to keep the lockdo lockdown enforced. and police are warning that they will be out this weekend for sure making sure that everybody adheres to this lockdown. and that is especially important in the south where they haven't had as many cases and people are less lick lkely to believe thaty need to be locked down. >> yes, that is where we are at. thanks, barbie. take care. the coronavirus does not discriminate, but it does hit some people harder than others.

thousands of families in line for food, the most vulnerable populations impacted by this pandemic. we'll have that for you next. of sickness, fear of lack, fear of the unknown. but when fear and anxiety try to plague our every thought. we can remember this one important truth, and that is god is with us... he is with us, he is for us, he loves us and he invites us to enter into his rest. we're not alone, when the storm rages he offers us peace and refuge in the midst of it. he promises hope and strength to those who turn to him. what is god saying in this crisis?

among the answers must be this promise. do no fear, for i am with you: do not be afraid, for i am your god. and i will strengthen you; and i will surely help you. turn to him today.

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welcome back to our viewers. this is c"cnn newsroom.newsroom" i'm natalie allen. in the u.s., the coronavirus is disproportionately impacting the poor. more 7,000 families packed an arena parking lot for food. they typically serve around

300,000 people per month, but since the outbreak, that number has surged by about 150,000. cnn correspondent tom foreman has more on the pandemic's effect on vulnerable populations. >> reporter: these numbers are very early, they are very incomplete, but they seem to be pointing in a direction that is alarming. one-third of all u.s. residents sick enough from the virus to be admitted to hospitals are african-american. way more than double their share of the population. that is the suggestion from a small early sample of cases studied by the cdc. it is not definitive, but it implies in cities such as new york, milwaukee, new orleans, chicago and detroit the pandemic is particularly threatening black communities. >> this hits home for people. i've lost 15 people to this virus here in detroit. >> reporter: yes, it can be lethal to anyone, but -- >> why is it three or four times

more so for the black community as opposed to other people? >> reporter: the answer, more african-americans are living in poverty than almost any other group as a percentage, often in densely populated cities with inadequate nutrition and education, less insurance and access to medical care leaving them more likely to develop those related health issues proving so deadly. >> we know that underlying conditions like hypertension and diabetes, heart disease, this virus is particularly hard on. >> reporter: the surgeon general suffers from some of those problems and he is only 45. >> i represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in america. and i and many black americans are at higher risk for covid. >> reporter: what's more, as skyrocketing unemployment makes free food lines explode, poor communities are certainly growing poorer and unlike many people in better paying positions, even those low income folks who can hold on to their jobs often can't do them from

home. >> they are working a lot in the service industry that unfortunately is still dealing with the public in the grocery stores and some of the service industries still out there doing the job we need them to do. and so they are bringing that home to their families. >> reporter: it is not new. studies have shown in almost every type of calamity, poor communities are less prepared, less able to compete for resources, less quick to recover. >> whatever the situation is, natural disaster, hurricane sce katrina, the people on those rooftops were not rich white people. why? why is it that the poorest people always pay the highest price? >> reporter: again, covid-19 is an equal opportunity threat. anyone can get it anywhere. but these early indications do seem to show that some of the poorest communities may be paying the biggest price for this pandemic and they may be paying it for a lot longer than most of us. tom foreman, cnn, bethesda,

maryland. there has been a big increase in coronavirus cases in texas in the past few days. so in houston, a field hospital is taking shape in the parking lot of a major stadium there. and in california, health officials are also bracing for the worst. we get more from stephanie elam. >> reporter: i'm standing in what is now known as the los angeles surge hospital. this critical care unit here in the heart of los angeles is going to start taking on patients that are coronavirus positive. this is not going to be a normal hospital in that it won't have an e.r., these will be patients transferred from other hospitals and then brought here to treat them solely for coronavirus. you can see that they have their ventilators set up and they have these rooms, some of them are private, some are not because these are people who are all fighting the same battle. this is one of the 11 hospitals opening throughout the state of

california before the expected peak. what we've seen in a lot of these hospitals is setting up of negative pressure rooms. this is a place where we know the virus cannot get out. and this could be a place where they would put patients who really are in the biggest fight for their lives. one of the things that they are able to do is treat those patients together and that means setting up beds to cohort them because they are all suffering from the same illness, all the supplies they need will be right here in this one area. at full capacity, this surge hospital will have 266 beds available. it has been a public/private partnership, so that means the state of california, the county of los angeles, kaiser permanent thenity a e and dignity health working to open up this hospital. all the ppe has been hard to get and it will be up to the state of california to make sure that they have when they need. and looking at which hospitals in the area need to transfer patients out because they may be

at capacity. l.a. county will step in and figure out where patients need to be transferred out to make sure there is more beds freed up in those areas. >> that is california. now the u.s. city of philadelphia continues to see a slowdown of new cases but despite that, it is also taking precautions including setting up a special facility for patients on the mend. cnn's alex marquardt takes us inside. >> reporter: this is a surge facility or something of a field moment here in philadelphia at temple university. this is their main sports complex. officials here are hoping that this never has to be used. the hospitals in the say are actually doing okay. but if it does, there is a capacity here for around 180 people. you can see here all these beds and the people who would be here are patients who have tested positive for coronavirus who are in recovery and who can't yet go home. now, dr. debra birx who is on the task force, she has praised

the mayors of philadelphia, baltimore and washington, d.c., all of those cities they said could be among the next hot spots in this country. she praised them for as she said changing their curves. and that is what we're hearing from local health officials here in philadelphia, that the number of new positive cases is slowing down. that the number of positive cases every day is similar. so that is good news. but health officials are warning that that could change, that the virus could find a new population. we spoke with the managing director for the city of philadelphia, here is what he had to say. >> and we are optimistic the last few days have shown signs of a plateau, but we're not taking it for granted. certainly the virus can find another population to spread in. and so while i think the last few days have been relative good news, we're not out of the woods by any means. >> reporter: local officials here are saying that the most important thing is to keep socially distancing and that is

of course something we're hearing all across the country. and at the same time the secretary of health for the state of pennsylvania saying they are starting to plan for a day when the guidelines might be relaxed. not because it will happen anytime soon, but when it does, it will happen community by community. and a it is important to talk about it now because it is important to have hope. alex marquardt, cnn, philadelphia. a surreal site at the vatican. st. peter's square deserted save for a cross. the pandemic is putting holy week in a new light for those who celebrate. more on that coming up. and... let's get started.

(music fades in) hey! -hi! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ churches around the world

are closed due to the pandemic, but that is not stopping andrea a b bocelli from holding a free concert. the beloved tenor will be accompanied by the church organist and sfretreamed for dee through his youtube page. and he is also scheduled to perform next week. can't get enough of that beautiful voice. pope francis is celebrating good friday in an empty st. peter's basilica. traditionally there is also a way of the cross at the coliseum but moved to the st. peter's square due to the health crisis. the pope has been praying for priests who have died during the pandemic calling them saints next door. christians around the world this week's holy week has been filled with canceled or scaled

back religious services. but can a deeper meaning be found without the crowds? lynda kinkade looks at what christians are doing to celebrate in these trying times. >> reporter: just a few clerics trailed by photographers walking the route christians believe was the path jesus took, his final steps before being crucified. the ceremony that is part of the holy week before easter, a time of faith that perhaps takes on a deeper meaning during a global pandemic, a time when many are suffering. >> when i think of those in the hospitals and in the houses fighting with the coronavirus, in some way they are walking a

very hard -- >> reporter: leaders are asking people to stay at home this easter and many religious sites normally packed are empty and quiet. ♪ in rome where the pope would traditionally lead prayers, the great amphitheater is dark. tens of thousands of people would normally gather here. the vatican says its easter services including mass this sunday will be live streamed. only a handful of visitors sit in silent reflection at this shrine in bosnia. more than 2.5 million people come here each year. the ice layisolation for some i blessing. >> what is happening in this time will be beneficial for many of those glowing in faith and they will grow even faster. ♪ >> reporter: a message in the burned out chambers of the notre

dame cathedral which was engulfed by fire nearly a year ago. a mass held there was attended by a small group of people, a sign that life and faith will go on. even in the most trying of times. lynda kinkade, cnn. of course christians have been celebrating easter together for any lmillenia. but in the state of kentucky, the governor is warning those attempting to hold mass gathers, they say police will take note of their license plates and that could lead to a quarantine order. >> reporter: it is hard to keep church and state fully separate over easter as debates rage whether religious institutions should be allowed to stay open during a pandemic. in kansas, the department of health says three coronavirus clusters are tied to church

gatherings. the state's democratic governor filed a lawsuit after a legislative council threw out her order to limit gatherings to ten people. >> my friends, the moment the church starts taking orders or instructions from the government about what to do with her doors and her sanctuaries, we have entered a slippery slope that we'll never get back. >> reporter: in new orleans, religious leaders are taking social distancing to new heights, literally. the arch bibishop who just recovered from covid-19 flew in a plane to send blessings below. on the ground, saint rita catholic church held drive-thru benedictions. but this miami priest only

permits permits to hold mass via live stream. >> we're not together, but we are distant. we are united in the one body of christ, but we have to maintain the social distancing for the public good, for the common good. >> reporter: for those who participated in virnlgt atual s over zoom, one question asked every passover, why is tonight different from all other nights. and that question says the founder of city winery means so much more this year as he organized his annual entertainment seder done via live stream. with more than 40,000 views -- >> i think this can be a nice extension to expand the reach. give this message a broaderer breath. and i do think that is a positive. >> reporter: everywhere people are embracing different ways to keep their traditions and connect both spiritually and

technologically. in natasha chen, cnn, atlanta. what does so many people staying home do to the pandemic? at least one thing has been cleared up, the air. people are taking in views they haven't seen in decades. and derek van dam will join us live with the good news about pollution right now. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪

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but up to 30 percent less with fast free shipping. visit petmeds.com today. people in northern india are getting a fresh if doesn't look at what has been shrouded by pollution for decades. take a look. back there, the to you herring himalayan mountains, one person said that he could see the peaks from more than 100 miles away. the nation has been under lockdown for more than two weeks and that has dramatically improved the air quality. there has been a trend of cities worldwide reporting cleaner air since the lockdowns were put into place. and derek van dam is joining us now. this is a topic that you often report about. finally a bright spot in this era of pandemic.

>> yeah, thanks, natalie. and you know, i like to consider myself an ocht mist considptimi. on my daily run around midtown atlanta, i have never seriously ever seen the skies this blue. and my theory is that there has to be a drop in pollution. there are no cars virtually on our roadways and virtually no air travel taking place. of course there are still planes. i've got data to back it up. nasa released a study that showed up to a 30% decrease in air pollutants in the month of march this year since the lockdowns have been in place and the stay -at-home orders. and you can see it in this map. dramatic 30% reduction along that i-95 corridor from boston right through new york and into the d.c. region. of course some of the most polluted areas of our country. this has been taking place worldwide. here is a quick look at northeast china when they had

their lockdowns fully in place. they also saw a drop in air pollution. we know some of the leading causes of fatalities on the planet are air plufgs aollution we're starting to draw the connection to covid-19. long term exposure to air pollution increases the worst symptoms from covid-19. more pollution means more respiratory illnesses means more people are at that high risk category that we're so concerned about. so just look at the numbers. combustion particles out of the tail pipes of vehicles, they are extremely small, about 2.5 microns or roughly 30 times smaller than the average width of a human hair. the covid virus is extremely small as well. so these have a great ability to penetrate deep within our lungs and decrease lung function, reduce blood and oxygen flow, ultimately leading to organ

failure and that is what we've seen in some of the fatalities. and just like air pollution, climate change and covid-19 are disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable of our populations. and this is all occurring of course under the backdrop of our climate crisis that is ongoing. can you imagine if our response to the climate crisis was as robust as the worldwide response to covid-19? where would we be? >> that is a very, very good point. and you're right about atlanta, i've been marveling at the blue sky and i normally can't go out in the spring and run or walk because of the pollen. hasn't been a problem, it has been clear. >> me too. i'll enjoy it while it lasts. >> i know. absolutely. derek, thank you so much for that. that is a bright spot in this hour. good to see you, my friend. thank you for watching "cnn newsroom." please don't go anywhere, i'll be right back with another hour of news for you.

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♪ a global fight as coronavirus cases near 1.7 million around the world. 500,000 of those are in the united states. this, agency the u.s. president says the decision of how and when he will reopen the u.s. economy will be his toughest decision yet. and let's raise the glass. how one beermaker turned its