>> that's what's making news in america this morning. breaking news in america this morning, a dangerous new chapter in the coronavirus emergency. president trump revealing the government's emergency stockpile coronavirus has claimed the all gone. this morning, governors sounding the alarm about skyrocketing prices. overnight, more firsthand accounts from the front lines. one nurse calling her job a suicide mission. the disturbing number of hospital workers now infected and what they need the most. one big city mayor now urging everyone to wear a mask in public. but is that really necessary? we hear from a top doctor. plus, the economic toll. wall street bracing for a new report today on the number of people losing their jobs. unemployment offices overwhelmed. the shocking wait times being reported.

all the overnight developments right now on "america this morning." good thursday morning, everyone. vice president mike pence says it could be memorial day before we get through the most challenging part of this national coronavirus crisis. nearly 1,000 americans have died in just the last 24 hours. here's the map this morning showing the death tolls by state. new york is reporting more than 2,000 deaths. new jersey and michigan each have more than 300 followed by louisiana, washington and california with over 200 each. president trump says the strategic national stockpile of ongo one we.nlqpmsey 40in y five states have not yet issued a stay at home order or some kind of

statewide close. they include arkansas, missouri, nebraska and the dakotas. abc's ines de la cuetara begins our coverage. >> reporter: with more than 5,000 deaths reported from covid-19 across the country, president trump striking a grim tone. >> difficult days are ahead for our nation. we're going to have a couple of weeks starting pretty much now but especially a few days from now that are going to be horrific. >> reporter: and warning the national stockpile of personal protective gear for health care workers is nearly depleted. >> it is because we're sending it directly to hospitals. we don't want it to come to the stockpile because then we have to take it. >> reporter: "the new york times" reporting the contract to maintain the government's stockpile lapsed last summer. it meant a new firm did not begin its work until january. the virus is expected to kill tens of thousands of americans. florida, georgia and mississippi joining at least 42 other states ordering residents to stay at home. the president now facing growing calls to issue similar

nationwide restrictions. >> there are some states that are different. there are some states that don't have much of a problem. >> reporter: across the country, field hospitals going up from massachusetts to illinois. a doctor taking abc news inside new york's mt. sinai queens hospital now pushed to the brink. >> all these patients here are sitting out in the hallways because we are full. >> reporter: in los angeles, mayor eric garcetti announcing the city is recommending citizens wear face masks while in public as dr. fauci weighs in on how long social distancing could last. >> when it goes down to essentially no new cases, no death that, period of time. >> reporter: vice president mike pence says he expects the worst of the pandemic to be over by memorial day, which is still about two months ad mona >> ines, thank y w n york where the of cases may not peak for several weeks. one nurse calls her job a, quote, suicide mission and now

grim new guidelines have been issued for emts. this morning a new model shows coronavirus cases in new york not peaking until the end of april, two weeks later than previously believed. >> this model projects you're going to have a high death rate through july. if this model is correct, this could go through the summer. >> reporter: the number of patients in new york city alone skyrocketing to nearly 48,000 with more than 1,300 deaths. governor andrew cuomo is now taking steps to force social distancing closing new york city playgrounds where kids were seen playing basketball wednesday. >> how reckless and irresponsible and selfish for people not to do it on their own. i mean, what else do you have to know? what else do you have to hear? >> reporter: social distancing also apparently not happening on the subways. this video of a standing room only train taken just yesterday.

.a plan in place would bring in officers from other parts of the state if needed. iconic places are now being used for makeshift hospitals including a cruise terminal in brooklyn. the billie jean king national tennis center, the home of the u.s. open and central park. also this morning, our first look inside the u.s. navy hospital ship "comfort" now treating noncoronavirus patients. while city hospitals are overrun, abc news has obtained grim new guidelines being distributed to ems workers saying if medics can't get a pulse on their own, they should not take that patient to the hospital unless there is imminent physical danger to the ems providers on the scene. also on the front lines some new york hospitals are now facing an oxygen shortage. >> this is a demand that we've never seen before throughout the united states or throughout the world.

>> we're in front of lenox hill hospital on the upper east side. lots of ambulances that continue to come and bring patients into the emergency room but here at the end of the block, they anticipate a need for so much oxygen during this crisis, they just hooked up this external tank to the hospital system. >> reporter: the number of infected health care workers also climbing including victoria christina, a school nurse who volunteered at a testing site. we were warned of it. i tried everything that i could do in my facility to ensure proper infection control, sent out email blasts, lysoled my doorknobs, everything, wore a mask, a regular plain old mask until this. again, i don't know how i contracted it. >> we are hearing of so many selfless and heroic acts. one doctor in brooklyn has now

returned to work after personally fighting the virus for would weeks. hospital in massachusetts are facing a growing number of infections among their own staffs. more than 600 hospital workers across the state have now tested positive. 139 of them at mass general hospital. workers on the front lines there and across the country are pleading with the public to help. >> working in an icu we are faced with life and death every day and are dedicated to saving as many lives as possible. but i would be lying if i said i wasn't scared. hospitals across the country are low on protective equipment. >> unfortunately right now family and loved ones aren't at the bedside because of their risk of disease exposure and so one of the hardest things is knowing that when i'm about to intubate a patient and put them on the ventilator that my voice and my words may be the last they ever hear. >> one of the first things when we join is that we have a mask fitted specifically for us where

they put a hood over us, and they spray really stinky stuff up the hood to see if the seal is correct. we know actually how to properly seal it around our nose, make sure it's completely around our jaw line. when i come home from my shift, i strip down of my clothes and spray everything down and keep a can of lysol down there and spray down my boots and everything and completely strip down and put on my robe, come upstairs and take a calculated route to the shower. we've got this and we're kind of all in it together. >> we'll be posting more firsthand accounts from doctors and nurses on our website throughout the day. two holland america cruise ships at sea for nearly a month remain in limbo as they arrive in florida today with hundreds of sick passengers. four people have died. several others have tested positive for coronavirus. florida's governor is only willing to accept the 49 florida residents on board. holland america is now asking to transfer healthy passengers onto charter flights while the others isolate on board. but the plan must still be approved by state authorities. and wall street is bracing

for bad news about the economy this morning. we're expecting to learn that another 4 million americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. the highest number ever. that's in addition to 3 million the week before. unemployment offices are overwhelmed. one man says he tried to call his local office 30 times in just one day. and this morning "the wall street journal" reports boeing will be offering buy-outs and early retirement to workers. more coronavirus coverage ahead, but right now let's check your thursday weather forecast. the storm that brought heavy snow to the northern rockies moves into the plains in western great lakes region today. the dakotas will see significant snow, and there could be thunderstorms from missouri into wisconsin. looking at today's high temperatures, we're expecting upper 50s for minneapolis to detroit. 70s from new mexico all the way to georgia. low 80s along the gulf coast and into miami and seasonally cool in the pacific northwest today.

stay safe. coming up, two award winning musicians lose their battles with the coronavirus. also ahead, the range of symptoms being reported, and we hear from patients living with the virus including a 104-year-old veteran who survived it. and later how to clean your groceries when you get home from the store. we ask a top doctor about this video going viral online.

♪ stacy's mom has got it going on ♪ ♪ stacy, can i come over after school ♪ coronavirus strikes the music industry again. adam schlesinger, the voice

behind "stacy's mom" has died. he was just 52 years old. the virus has taken the patriarch of the jazz world, ellis marsalis died from pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. he was 85. we're hearing more stories about how the estimates of this virus can take a sudden and very series turn. abc's kimberly brooks reports. >> reporter: we already know it's a matter of life and death. but between those two is living life after being diagnosed with the coronavirus. at its best no symptoms. but at its worst, cautionary tales of unexpected turns. cnn anchor chris cuomo broadcasting from his basement says he suffered extreme night sweats tuesday like he's never experienced before. >> it was like somebody was beating me like a pinata, and i was shivering so much that sanjay is right, i chipped my tooth. these are not cheap. >> reporter: for julia in yonkers, new york, it was manageable until day eight. >> i spiked a fever of 102.7. >> wow.

>> and i started with the cough, and that triggered my asthma. >> reporter: but the only thing more difficult than julia's one positive test was her second positive test. after self-isolating for 21 days and going to donate blood, she learned she still had the virus. tom buttaccio went to an er twice only to be sent home both times. now the father of three is hospitalized with pneumonia and congestive heart failure. >> for me it's because i can't be there and that's the struggle. >> reporter: the virus proving no family is immune even touching our abc news family. our ginger zee tweeting tuesday about body aches and a tight chest. and our george stephanopoulos announcing from his home studio that his wife actress ali wentworth had symptoms and later posted, i tested positive for the coronavirus. i've never been sicker. this is pure misery.

#stayhome. but with every positive test, there are so many survivors. this veteran from oregon is celebrating his remarkable recovery from the virus, and he's 104 years old. yeah, this veteran is the good news that we all need. his name is william, and when he was asked how he felt when his 104th birthday came, he said pretty good, i made it. kenneth, mona. >> glad to hear. thank you, kimberly. and coming up, a special tribute on the las vegas strip. also ahead, we're answering your questions from the new advice on wearing a mask outside to the increasing number of healthy people getting sick. our medical expert weighs in. a , but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr, a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb;

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plus a powerful decongestant. so you can always say "yes" to putting your true colors on display. say "yes" to allegra-d. back now with symbols of love on the las vegas strip where hotels are supporting health care workers and patients lighting up certain rooms to form hearts and spell the word "love." and from miami, this image of health care workers praying together as they start their shift. an emergency room died from the coronavirus just days after showing symptoms. dr. frank gabrin beat cancer twice. he was a leader in his field and wrote a book in 2013 called "back from burnout" with advice on managing stress. he was only 60 years old. the virus also claimed the life of a new jersey firefighter. 33-year-old israel tolentino leaves behind a wife and two and friends say the death of this california man serves as a

watching. scott blanks was sent home from the hospital but later returned with pneumonia. he was 34. and as we mentioned earlier the mayor of los angeles is recommending that everyone wear a nonmedical mask or face covering in public. many are looking back at the 1918 flu pandemic when a san francisco newspaper mentioned, quote, slackers arrested for not wearing a mask. earlier i spoke with dr. imran ali. i asked him if we should all be wearing masks. >> i was looking back at a study in 2008 at emory university where they actually did look at this very issue. they looked at the n95 masks, compared them to surgical masks and also homemade masks where people actually use terry cloth material, and they had a device which measured particles as small as one micron, and they used a sensor to see how many particles crossed the barrier and it was amazing that, of course, the n95 is the optimal choice.

even the homemade material did capture some large particles. now, of course, you're not going to be able to catch the small -- filter the smallhomemade mask bl reduced some of the large droplets, so there is some sense in having at least some sort of mask covering yourself. >> we've been hearing that people with underlying conditions are most at risk of getting in trouble but new figures out today show that as many as 76% of the people that are hospitalized in l.a. county have no underlying conditions. >> and the only theory i have right now because i don't have all the data to make a definitive answer about why this is is that, you know, young, healthy immune systems can be triggered by this virus and can cause an inflammatory cascade and they canand, you know, we rn

immune system to defend ourselves, but it also can cause inflammation and cause constriction of the airways in the lungs, and that could be the explanation why these people need to be hospitalized because their immune systems are so healthy that they're actually overacting reacting really violently to this virus. >> these days a lot of the times that people leave their houses to go to the grocery store, so as you can imagine, there are a lot of concerns about how people can protect themselves when they are in these store. there's a video that went viral. a doctor telling people when you get home from the store, use tape to divide your kitchen counter in half using one side for sterile item, the other side for nonsterile items and wipe them down or wipe down everything that you buy, so what is the school of thought on that? what should you do once you go to the grocery store and as soon as you bring them home? >> although the grocery stores are doing a great job of infection control and we have the people who stock the shelves doing a great job, some people

are not wearing masks. they're in the fresh produce aisle. we don't have control over everything so it's not unreasonable to wipe down some of the items that you get. >> and dr. ali says it's important to know you can't get the virus by ingesting it. you get infected when it gets into your airways. >> good to know. coming up, a 7-year-old boy on a mission to help. plus, some surprising news from the liquor store. that's next. mom! look! take something that can wipe you out? or don't, and fight through every second. new quick-dissolve nurtec™ can bring you back when migraines attack. just one dose can work fast and last so you can keep going. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effect was nausea. nurtec one migraine. one dose. onederful™ one migraine. one dose. she's driven by a primal desire for meat. a lynx in the wild and your cat. for a lynx this need is satisfied by what the wild provides.

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now, washing your hands during this crisis definitely isn't monkey business. sandra, the orangutan, is taking it seriously as you can tell. she lives at a sanctuary in florida, and she started washing her hands after seeing the zookeepers do it, so be like sandra. a second grader in virginia is doing his part to help during this crisis. >> 7-year-old zaheb begg has been collecting thousands of masks, gloves and other items from hotels. he's giving them to hospitals. his work got him a twitter shoutout from former president obama. >> that's what's up. well, americans are buying lots of alcohol during this pandemic. >> you don't say. >> what? are we surprised? sales up 55% compared to this time last year. this is surprising, though. tequila and gin are especially popular with sales up 75%. >> not surprising to me.

and you've heard of officer friendly. now meet the corona cop. that's right. he's patrolling the streets of india wearing a coronavirus helmet. he says he wants to make people aware of the importance of staying home. back in this country, one father played the perfect april fools' joke on his daughter. >> he told them it was time to go back to school, so they got ready, packed their bags and headed outside. >> can you tell me what day it is? can you tell me the date? >> i hate you! oh, my god. >> dad! >> it's april fools' day. >> the little one was fed up. afterward dad simply said got 'em. >> got 'em. take a look at this 5-year-old sporting a unique haircut. george asked his older brother for what he called an old man hairdo. their dad caught them using his clippers then finished the job. >> benjamin button is wowing. >> we definitely need our hairstylists and barbers back at

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now your health, your safety. this is abc 7 news. making news at 4:27. bridging the digital divide. learning at home is a major challenge for a lot of kids. more people are losing their jobs and paying rent is getting tougher. if governor newsom doesn't take action, they will. the mayor of l.a. is urging everybody there to start wearing masks. so, now the question is, will the bay area be next? good morning, everyone. it is thursday, april 2nd. we'll get to all those stories in just a few minutes. first, checking in with mike for a look at the forecast. >> hi, everybody. if you haven't stepped outside yet, it's a little bit cooler. you need a heavier jacket when you step outside.

let's look at those temperatures. most of us in the 40s this morning. clear conditions out there. we do have a 50 in brentwood one of the warm spots and upper 30s in places like livermore and clearlake 33 and 37 in ukiah. one of our warmest and driest afternoons moving forward. temperatures in the low to mid-60s not only along the coast but in the bay. pretty breezy along the coast and along the shoreline. inland valleys breezy up in the hills and not as much in the valleys and that will help temperatures warm into the mid and upper 60s. tracking wet weather and the possibility of thunderstorms and the snow level down to 3,500 feet. an update coming up. now, breaking news from the abc 7 live desk. >> breaking news in the south bay this morning. 16 people are without a home right now because of a fire that started at an rv and then spread to two nearby homes. what we learned this morning is that the two alarm fire started

in an rv around 11:45 last night near st. james street. each containing eight people ined is. one person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but appeared to require restraint. you can see he was chained to the stretcher and what appears to be spit bag was placed over his head before he was loaded into the ambulance. three children were among the people displaced and the cause of the fire is still under investigation this morning. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, jobina. this morning parents and children in the state are waking up to a new reality, now school districts and parents are left to best educate students. live at brook tree elementary with more on this. julian? >> hi, kumasi, good morning. we know so many parents are concerned about child care, keeping kids fed and, of course,

keeping kids learning. with the governor's announcement that schools will not be in session this year. many school districts across the bay area have been working out rolling out lesson plans to get students learning at home. getting students without internet access connected online and working to get computers to those who don't have them. >> how do we get those students connected who are disconnected when they leave our school district and we go home. so, you know, we're now looking at vendors to see how can we get hot spots and solutions at about how can we radiate the wi-fi that we have at different schools. >> that was the director of technology for the school district. his schools have handed out