making news in america this morning, the deadliest day yet in the coronavirus emergency. 1,800 american lives lost in 24 hours, and now a growing trend reveals which americans are getting hit the hardest. we look at why. also this morning, new hope with more than 300,000 people now recovering from the virus including this man who was on a ventilator for 17 days. the message from his wife. and more financial help for house.bi, way to se money on a monthly bill. all the overnight developments right here on "america this morning." good wednesday morning, everyone.

we have new signs of hope. america wages war against the coronavirus. the number of people entering the hospital here in new york is slowing down, however, the death toll is not. here's a look at the map. new york is now reporting more than 5,400 deaths. new jersey, more than 1,200 followed by michigan and louisiana. and several states are now reporting between 200 and 500 deaths including california, illinois and florida. here in new york supplies are being brought into a cathedral that's being turned into a field hospital. data shows the state is reaching a plateau but on tuesday the state averaged one death every two minutes. in los angeles, a new rule when it comes to wearing a nonmedical mask. beginning friday essential workers and their customers including those at grocery stores will be required to wear them. abc's megan tevrizian reports on the other new developments this morning. >> reporter: as the coronavirus death toll approaches 13,000 people nationwide,

african-americans are being hit especially hard. in chicago they comprise 30% of fo72th>> it athere getng >> reporter: but dr. anthony fauci warning americans not to stigmatize any group emphasizing that pre-existing conditions are causing the worst outcomes for minorities. >> their underlying medical conditions, the diabetes, the hypertension, the obesity, the asthma, those are the kind of things that wind them up in the icu and ultimately give them a higher death rate. >> reporter: meanwhile, in new york the state suffering its worst 24 hours yet with more than 700 deaths in a single day. >> that is 731 people who we lost. behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father, is a sister, is a brother. >> reporter: but the governor expressing hope saying the hospitalization rate is going down.

>> you see that plateauing. that's because of what we are doing. if we don't do what we are doing, that is a much different curve. >> reporter: it comes as part of louisiana reports a death rate that's more than double that of new york city's. the state now getting more of those critical ventilators. >> just because we think we're starting to flatten the curve doesn't mean our job is over and, in fact, now is the time to double down. >> reporter: the president saying tuesday that all 8,600 ventilators in the national stockpile will be available to states that need them and 110,000 will be ready in the coming weeks before indicating he may cut off funding to the world health organization. >> because you know what, they called it wrong, and if you look back over the years even, they're very much -- everything seems to be very biased toward china. that's not right. >> reporter: he also responded to reports that trade adviser peter navarro issued a dire warning to the white house in a memo back in january stressing

that covid-19 could cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and cause massive economic damage. >> it didn't matter whether i saw it or not because i acted on my own. i guess i had the same instincts as peter. >> reporter: the president says he took swift action to shut down travel from china around the same time navarro wrote that memo, but critics point out the president continued to downplay the risk of the virus well after the memo was sent. kenneth, mona. >> all right, megan, thank you. officials in new york city are considering the use of mass graves digging trenches on hart island off the bronx where people could be buried temporarily. the mayor says all bodies will bereeditity. are now sick in michigan.s of hw the state with the third largest number of coronavirus and local hospitals saying they're running out of protective gear. this morning hospital workers across the country suiting up for war and saving coronavirus patients while putting their own lives on the line.

the virus hitting hospital workers especially hard in michigan where the state's two largest health care systems report a combined 2,200 employees have now tested positive or have shown symptoms. >> we're running dangerously low on ppe. >> reporter: the governor says hospitals are days away from running out of personal protective gear. >> without the public's help, there's no way, we simply do not have the manpower and the nursing staff nor the beds nor the equipment to take care of everyone. >> reporter: the president of the michigan nurses association, jamie brown, who is also a critical care nurse, say she's angry about the lack of supplies and says this crisis will have a long-term impact on the u.s. health care system. >> if you have the nurses dying and then the hospitals aren't protecting us, who is going to want to go into nursing school to learn how to do this without any guarantees for your safety? >> reporter: we've been planning for this since january 28th. >> reporter: in california new data indicates the number of deaths per day won't peak for

another week and a half. this hospital has converted several areas to take in more patients. >> they're grateful for everything everybody is doing with the social distancing and stay-at-home orders because that gives us a chance to care for our patients properly and we don't see the devastation like they're seeing in new york right now. >> reporter: this morning a look inside one of the battlefields already overrun with patients. a new york city hospital's icu. with alarms going off, a medical team rushes to save a patient having trouble breathing. within minutes they're able to stabilize the patient. >> penetration is at 83. we'll take it. it's coming up slowly. >> what happened just now is an absolute emergency. it's a life-or-death situation. unfortunately, that's what we're seeing with a lot of our patients here. you know, we run around this unit many times just putting out fires. [ applause ] >> reporter: in georgia, these hospital workers are playing the role of lifesavers and cheerleaders. >> yes! [ applause ] >> reporter: as they send off another patient who beat the virus. >> thank y'all so much.

thank you. thank you. >> bye-bye. >> and in that area in georgia health care system 340 patients have recovered from the virus in the last week. british prime minister boris johnson is in stable condition after spending a second night in the intensive care unit of a london hospital. johnson has been fighting the virus for nearly two weeks. he is reportedly in good spirits and breathing on his own. back in this country an unusual sight at the ballot box. voters were trying to cover their faces and keep social distance as they went to the polls in wisconsin. abc's andrew dymburt reports it could be a preview of what's to come this fall. frustration at the polling place. >> i'm angry that people are even put in the position. >> reporter: thousands of wisconsin voters being forced to break safety measures to cast their ballot tuesday, some angry over the disregard for social distancing guidelines. >> look at all the poll workers

covered head to toe in ppe. very easy for your average joe to vote today. just another day being an american. >> reporter: one person even used a sign to make their feelings known as they stood in the hours long line, but for others with pre-existing conditions they say the risk of going to the polls was just too high. >> we have moved forward with an election, but we have not moved forward with democracy. >> reporter: while the state's democratic governor tried to postpone the election, republican lawmakers argued that elections are essential services. while the president deemed the democrats' request for a delay a political stunt. >> they had no problem with the election being today until i endorsed the republican candidate. >> reporter: trump also condemned mail-in ballots saying they're prone to fraud even though he himself voted by mail in florida. and the mail-in ballot debate

could be front and center come fall assuming that the coronavirus returns and as for those wisconsin primary results, well, those aren't expected until next week. kenneth, mona. >> andrew, thank you. time now for a look at your weather for this wednesday morning. people outside were dodging hailstones near chicago last night. the same storm system also brought hail and thunderstorms to southern michigan, storms in the ohio valley could produce more damaging wind and hail. thunderstorms are expected from kentucky to the gulf coast and more unsettled weather today in southern california. checking today's high temperatures, much cooler today in the upper midwest, 60s and 70s along the west, dallas and miami get in the 90s, near 60 in new york. coming up, we remember one of america's top songwriters. also ahead, with fewer people on the roads right now, should your car insurance

company be giving you a refund? but first the new prediction on when america will finally be

how will 2020 census data where there are more people, there are more needs for public services. that's why the census is used by the government to inform funding decisions each year. but that's not all. it's also used by nonprofits to inform services, by businesses to create jobs, and even by students for school projects. understanding how the population changes helps us shape communities across the country for the better. shape your future. start here.

visit 2020census.gov. the lockdown in wuhan, china which is ground zero for coronavirus is finally over after 76 days. the city staged an elaborate light show to celebrate. wuhan's airport is now open and trains are running again. the outgoing secretary of the navy is taking accountability for the uproar he created over the firing of a ship captain. saying i own it was a quote quoe thomas modly's final message to sailors before he resigned. in the memo he said the words he used during an address on the "uss theodore roosevelt" were,

quote, poor. modly called the ship's former captain stupid for the way he handled the virus outbreak. wae llions of expertwa icould b massive times lp a lot. >> reporter: struggling families are forced to choose between staying home and getting help. >> it is very important to me, me and my family and, you know, we're making it work. >> reporter: in california and pennsylvania people waiting for hours in these lines outside food banks. >> we were down here first, like around 7:30. >> reporter: in florida hundreds of people were forced to wait for unemployment forms after the state's website crashed. this morning, new hope as the government talks about a second round of relief payments before those first checks are even delivered. >> so we are going to be providing tremendous amounts of money to the small businesses in our country who have been absolutely clobbered. >> reporter: it comes as president trump promises more help for small businesses. in addition to the 350 billion already approved last month, a

senate vote could come tomorrow. >> i'll be asking congress to provide an additional $250 billion for the paycheck protection. >> reporter: the administration saying it's already processed more than $70 billion in loans so far. but many businesses say they're struggling to access the cash. as for when americans will get back to work, one former adviser to the president says it will happen slowly. >> i think we're going to have to go through a very incremental approach in re-opening the economy. i think it's going to be different city by city, state by state and county by county. >> reporter: but he says testing will be key. getting back to work could be and getting back to normal could be a long wait. california's governor says social distancing could extend into june. coming up, meet the coronavirus patient who spent 17 days on a ventilator and lived to tell the story. also ahead, a man is handcuffed in front of his daughter at the park. did police go too far in enforcing social distance?

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yeah, it's sunday and the brighton police are apparently arresting a dad for throwing a ball. >> a colorado father says he's a victim of social distancing gone too far. matt boonie says he was handcuffed in front of his 6-year-old for playing softball on a virtually empty field. the city has apologized and blames a misunderstanding over whether the park was closed. and despite all the grim news about the coronavirus, there are many survival stories. >> including a new york man who spent 17 days on a ventilator, victor almaretti got sick three weeks ago. doctors say the longer a patient stays on a ventilator, the lower the odds of survival. but after 17 days, doctors delivered the good news to his wife, he had beaten the odds. >> there's people, they are surviving, and i really wanted my message to get out

there is hope. there is hope. >> his wife was planning his funeral. now she's planning their anniversary. that's not the only amazing survival story.olorado man spen in the hospital and at one point was in a coma now recovering? >> we're answering your questions about the virus. everything from cleaning your home to the new five-minute test but first new data shows black americans getting hit especially hard and earlier i asked dr. alok patel what this new data could reveal. >> it's kind of multifocal here. according to the cdc african-americans have a higher prevalence of diseases like hypertension, diabetes or even having a stroke. that could potentially contribute to your risk of getting serious complications from covid-19, but here's the thing, these are also communities where people may not be able to socially isolate. they may not have health insurance. they may not be able to get medical care until it's too late. and so by understanding what's

happening in these communities, we'll be better prepared to actually give them the help they need or possibly maybe they need more intervention this early stage. i think what we're really going to see is how the social determinants of health really play out now. it's extremely important topic, not only for covid-19 but for anything related to the public health. >> dr. patel, this week we're seeing drive-through test sites pop up using this five-minute test. in hard-hit states, cvs is doing clinics. only in a few areas. walgreens is getting on board. what are you hearing about the availability about the tests and are you encouraged or frustrated by the pacing of tests? >> to be candid, i'm frustrated. you know, at the end of march we were talking, we were hearing about these large retailers really diving in and prioritizing testing and rolling out drive-through testing and even though these collective retailers have something like 30,000 stores across the country, there were under ten testing sites. and right now you mentioned cvs has a couple, and walgreens just

announced they're going to roll out 15 testing states in 7 states representing hot spot areas. that's not nearly enough. >> i also want to ask you about certain cleaning products. in recent years natural and organic cleaning products have become increasingly popular. but can they actually kill covid-19, or should we be using some of the harsher products like clorox wipes and bleach? >> i'm glad you asked. people want to do the right thing and make sure they're using responsible all natural cleaning products and i respect that but right now the priority needs to be in using products that can kill the virus and, you know, there's a couple products that will say kills household germs or can clean your home, protect you from getting sick, but they don't make the specific claim that they can kill this virus. >> dr. patel adds be sure to check what's in your cleaner. the website epa.gov has a list of ingredients that kill the virus. coming up who, is getting a big refund on car insurance? plus, america's new

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♪ make me an angel that flies from montgomery ♪ the coronavirus has taken the life of country folk artist john prine. "rolling stone" called him the mark twain of american songwriting. he was 73. car insurance companies plan to refund millions of dollars to customers as the coronavirus keeps people off the roads. >> less driving means fewer crashes and big savings for insurers. at least three companies, allstate, american family insurance and geico, say they'll pass those savings on to policy holders. >> all right. well, here's another good news story. fewer robocalls during the pandemic.

700 million fewer robocalls were reported in march than february. baking bread has become a popular activity these days and some home bakers in san francisco are offering a hand to other. >> they're leaving sourdough starter attached to telephone poles because they are sold out in many stores. a woman in chicago is picking up a sweet treat that highlights our health care heroes. she is a doctor and a baker. she's making cookies that show the faces of doctors and nurses on the front lines. >> a way to express myself or relieve some of the tension i'm going through as a physician, as a mom, and just as a citizen, i'm going through what everyone else is going through. >> she bakes late at night to relieve stress after a very long day. thanks to her, you know, baking does help. i want cookies, cakes, everything because i'm going to gain the covid 25 at this point.

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now your health, your safety. this is abc 7 news. making news right now at 4:27 from serious shortage to possible surplus. governor newsom is cutting a deal to provide california with enough protective masks. and efforts to remotely teach students are ramping up as schools are effectively closed for the rest of the school year. and stepping up to help out. bay area rv owners join a national call to help protect doctors and nurses forced to separate from their families. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, april 8th. we'll get to a tsetories te just first checking in with mike nicco for a look at the day ahead. >> good morning, kumasi. how are you? >> doing well. i enjoyed yesterday afternoon. the sun came out and got to take about an hour and 20 minute walk

and felt invigorated and pretty decent weather today and really warm weather this weekend and i'll get to that in the accuweather forecast. live doppler 7 and a light shower is rolling through cupertino, campbell and heading over towards saratoga. this is rotating from east to west and it will head into the santa cruz mountains where it will remain all liquid and it is the only player in town. if you step out this morning, you'll notice a little milder and east bay valleys and some low to upper 40s in the north bay for some of our cooler spots. this afternoon is going to be even milder than yesterday afternoon with a stray shower possible across the south bay. increasing sunshine as you head into the north bay. that's why you see a few 70s there and even a few low 70s in the east bay valley. more on that coming up next. an abc news live update. >> the new development in

california's fight against the coronavirus. governor newsom announced a deal to buy hundreds of mill is of desperately needed n95 masks. >> the last 48 hours we have secured through a consortia of nonprofts and a manufacturer here in the state of california upwards of 200 million masks on a monthly basis. >> he revealed the news on the "rachel maddo" show last night. newsom says california will have enough masks to meet demand. there may even be enough to send to other states. governor newsom said california has distributed 41 million masks. 1 million have come from the federal government. unfortunately, people are still trying to cash in for masks and other high demand items. tweeted a warning about price gouging. n95 masks being sold for 10

bucks apiece and hand sanitizer for $8. anyone fought price gouging faces heavy fines and prosecuti prosecution. students and parents around the bay area are waking up to a new reality. schools closed for the rest of the academic year and now requests to make distant learning possible. amy hollyfield live in walnut creek with more on this. >> hi, kumasi. we all knew it was coming and now it is official and for high school seniors, what a reality. they will not walk the halls of their schools again as students. school has been canceled and the six bay area counties for the rest of this school year. the state superintendent is calling this a very challenging time, the biggest challenge schools have ever faced and he's asking companies and individuals if you can, to donate laptops for students who can't afford one so they can