a nation on edge new york city is awaiting word on orders to shelter in place. kansas cancels the school year and las vegas casinos are shutting down as new reality sets in from coast to coast. the growing medical crisis of testing sites back-ups at drive-thru operations new warnings for people wanting to be tested and some sober details on a shortage of life-saving ventilators. and then to the e6rd miracles happening right in front of us as americans pull together to get through the crisis former new england patriot tom brady is heading for tampa

"early today" starts right now >> good morning on this wednesday. i'm cori coffin. >> and i'm frances rivera. an epidemic with no end in sight. the coronavirus reaches a grim milestone as the american death toll hits the triple digits. here's what you need to know at this hour. as the deadly outbreak evolves, u.s. officials are boosting measures to combat coronavirus in new york city the shutdown threatens to go further. mayor bill de blasio urging new yorkers to prepare for a shelter in place order a decision will be made within the next day or so as hospitals become strained by a surge of patients the pentagon announced it is getting 5 million respirator masks and also 2,000 ventilators to the department of health and human services secretary of defense mark esper said 1 million masks would be available immediately. and one south carolina school district is putting meals on wheels the anderson school district is delivering breakfast and lunch to thousands of students the bus driver miss patricia

knows all the kids on her route and is happy to help as president trump urges americans to avoid groups of ten or more, clearwater beach seems to have missed that memo look at the beaches there. they were packed officials in pinellas county say they plan to keep the beaches open until state officials mandate it closed. during these times there's certainly a lot of misinformation getting spread. cvs became the latest victim they mistakenly sent false information toyotas employees. a spokesperson for the company says an e-mail from their chief medical officer falsely suggested that the virus could be killed by drinking warm water. and doctors say there is absolutely no evidence to support that a correction has been made, and staff was alerted. and older shoppers across the world are taking advantage of elder hours several are seen here lining up at grocery store chain in australia. also target, whole foods, and fresh market are offering early hours for their most vulnerable customers so they can shop and as millions of americans

self-isolate an interesting boom is happening with pot sales. increasing by 33% compared to the week before. in california a marijuana company says that delivery is up by 50% from last week. the same trends also being reported in canada and officers in cincinnati bust a buffet for serving food to a large crowd of customers the queen city lodge was breaking governor dewine's orders authorities ended up padlocking and barricading the restaurant as america races to find effective ways to contain this virus many large cities seem to be reaching a point where little is off the table when it comes to controlling the pandemic. and officials are now pleading with young people to get on board with the safety measures here's nbc's miguel almaguer >> reporter: in communities big and small this is the new normal as the coronavirus crisis changes daily life as we know it new york city announcing it could soon follow the bay area's shelter in place directive 7 million people told to go home and stay home.

cable cars here are idle snarled traffic over the golden gate bridge is gone as the mayor works in an empty city hall. >> what we have done is really what should be happening all over the country >> reporter: the three-week order, the most dramatic in the nation, just beginning to impact families who can still go outside but must avoid public gatherings our jake ward lives in oakland >> this is our reality for the next few weeks we're going to be eating out of our kitchen. we're going to be taking conference calls at our dining room table and home-schooling our kids although neither of us is a qualified teacher. all of that's going to be a real challenge. >> reporter: the drastic measures in the bay area could soon be adopted in already eerily quiet new york city the mayor says within 48 hours the city could be ordered to shelter in place the governor >> this is an extraordinary time in this nation's history

it will go down in the history books as one of those moments of true crisis. >> new york state has the most cases of coronavirus while across the country in washington state the death toll is the highest. in dallas, cleveland, seattle and rochester many waited for hours to be tested for virus the white house is now urging more americans to connect with doctors by phone or skype, hoping to unclog overrun emergency rooms while the young are most likely to recover from covid-19 they are also most likely to spread it to someone who will not >> we cannot do it without the young people cooperating please cooperate with us >> reporter: the closing of gyms, theaters, and shopping malls all aimed at reducing transmission >> it probably would be several weeks and maybe longer before we know whether we're having an effect >> reporter: with ohio postponing its primary, florida carried on as plans, though starting at midnight the governor has ordered all bars

and nightclubs to close and restricting public beaches where large groups of spring breakers have gathered. >> they're off >> reporter: even the kentucky derby postponed for the first time since world war ii. >> hey there old timer how are you doing today? >> reporter: but americans are finding ways to stay connected in this new reality. in north carolina carly boyd came to show her grandfather she's now engaged. this sweet life moment a reminder we are all separated together today our newsroom looks like what so many businesses do all across the country on a typical busy newsday like we're having today. every seat in this building would be filled. that is certainly not the case as we operate on only essential personnel. scenes like this are playing out all across the country frances? >> including in our anchor desk here miguel, thank you. the trump administration has announced a plan to inject -- news of the plan sent stocks

surging. the dow added more than 1,000 points the s&p was up 143 and the nasdaq gained 430, although unfortunately it wasn't sustainable. right now dow futures are pointing to a more than 800-point decline. a major concern across the country is the strain this virus is putting on our hospitals. more national guard reserves could potentially be called up to help with the response. as more people rushed to find testing sites. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: across the country demand for a covid-19 test is far xeegd capacity in birmingham, alabama the line of cars was so long it snarled highway traffic. a doctor determining who should and shouldn't be tested. more drive-thru testing on long island and the eastern shore of maryland maryland plans to turn its auto emissions stations into covid-19 testing. the federal government says public and private labs have now processed roughly 59,000 tests

so far >> a lot of people just freaking out wanting peace of mind. >> reporter: nbc's morgan chesky is in dallas >> here at this drive-thru clinic anyone can show up. but to get that precious covid-19 test patients have to test negative for seasonal flu, strep throat, or tell doctors they've come into contact with a positive case. >> reporter: the number of confirmed cases rising by the day. we checked back with dr. ryan kay, who runs the e.r. at everett providence medical center outside of seattle. in the past five days the number of patients with respiratory complaints has jumped 25%. >> i am worried we are going to exceed our total bed capacity for the northwest region of washington in a short period of time in the next one to two weeks. >> reporter: elizabeth schneider tested positive after being sick with what she thought was the flu. her temperature peaking at 103 >> i felt pretty awful for about five days i would say. and then on the sixth day i started feeling better and then the seventh and the eighth day is really when i kind

of broke through a wall. >> reporter: in st. louis ksdk nbc 5 anchor anne allred has been ordered to stay home, having undergone a kid ney transplant three years ago she takes medicine every day >> when i was told what could happen if i contracted coronavirus r vooirs i was told anything between pneumonia and death. >> reporter: in the n. seattle the first clinical trials for coronavirus vaccine are under way with 45 healthy volunteers among them jennifer haller >> everyone's feeling so helpless right now and i was so excited to find an opportunity where i could actually do something tran ji something tangible to help everybody. >> reporter: the nation's icus in a scenario would be overwhelmed and in a moderate scenario the country would need four times as many beds as it currently has. >> our thanks to tom costello for that report.

as we mentioned the trump administration wants into jekt up to a trillion dollars into the economy to help curb the effects of coronavirus but the white house will have to have to get congress on board first. meanwhile president trump will speak with airline executives about the covid-19 response. he'll do that this morning and in the afternoon he'll meet with doctors and nurses. nbc's peter alexander gives us the latest from d.c. the trump administration is purk a huge new prescription to try to boost the devastated economy. sending cash directly to americans. >> we're looking at sending checks to americans immediately. americans need cash now and the president wants to get cash now. and i mean now in the next two weeks. >> reporter: the president promising what he calls bold action s >> we don't want people losing their jobs or not having money to live when they were doing very well just a few weeks ago >> reporter: the white house proposing what would be one of the largest emergency aid

pablgages ever, in the range of a trill dollars. so far no word on how big those checks would be. but not everyone would get one good we don't need to send people who make a million dollars a year checks. okay >> reporter: it's now up to congress how much lawmakers are willing to spend the proposed package also includes emergency loans for small businesses and billions for the hardest-hit industries like the airlines. meanwhile, president trump who's been criticized for repeatedly downplaying the virus threat, insisting his tone has not changed. >> this is a pandemic. i've felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. >> reporter: also this morning some relief ahead of next month's tax deadline while the administration is encouraging people to file on time, they say if you owe the irs money you'll get an extra 90 days to pay it with the interest and penalties waived cori >> all right, peter, thank you in the race for 2020 joe biden is leading bernie sanders in the rearview mirror the former vice president pulled off a clean sweep in tuesday's

primaries, winning over 60% of the vote in florida. biden garnered similar support in illinois. while the vermont senator grabbed about 36% of that state's vote and nbc news projects bide lenn come out on top in arizona the ohio primary was also scheduled for last night but was delayed at the last minute because of coronavirus concerns. biden is now well over half, halfway to the 1,191 delegates needed to clinch the democratic nomination all right. meteorologist bill karins checking systems across th >> unfortunately dangerous weather today. tornadoes. thunderstorms mofgs through areas of oklahoma and also new north texas. we have potential of nash flooding overnight one flash flood between the abilene and dallas area. these storms will roll through in the next two to three hours, should be gone by the time we get to the peak of the morning rush hour but during the day this storm's going to regenerate more storms this afternoon

enhanced risk of severe weather. they'll get to dallas later on tonight and we do have a chance of ice latered tornadoes eveareo that cold air will move in lind the storm later on tonight leading to our snow tomorrow that's a look at your forecast >> bill, thank you in today's quick hits former california republican representative duncan hunter has been sentenced to 11 months in federal prison for corruption charges. hunter pleaded guilty in december to stealing his campaign funds for personal use. tom brady is headed to florida. he has agreed to sign with the tampa bay buccaneers after announcing he'll be leaving the new england patriots a team he has played with for two decades. the deal is believed to be worth roughly $30 million per year according to nfl network

tourism ireland has turned global landmarks green to celebrate st. patrick's day. sites around the world illuminated green including niagara falls in canada, the burj khalifa tower in dubai and many others. "early today" will be right back definitely after meatloaf. like clockwork. do it! run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. a load with as few as 8 dishes, is all it takes to save water. an energy star certified dishwasher uses less than four gallons per cycle. while handwashing uses that, every two minutes. so, do it. run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. the surprising way to save water. ( ♪ ) only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol®. for fast pain relief. discover a new world ♪

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like those from buddy. for one week only, save up to $26 on select claritin products. check this sunday's newspaper for details. an enemy in coronavirus that is faceless, that is raceless, sexless, non-denominational and bipartisan and it's an enemy that we all agree we're going to beat. we want to beat and we're going to beat them all right? so in this time -- >> oscar-winning actor matthew mcconaughey took to social media to offer a calming message of support amid a coronavirus outbreak in this video posted on twitter the 50-year-old gave his heartfelt advice on how to handle what's to come. he also urged people to take care of themselves and to be kind to one another. now to the story about the power of music to bring people together even when they're forced to stay apart. here's nbc's kevin tibbles

>> i'm ready to hear music >> reporter: in uncertain times music to our ears. a front porch symphony in clintonville, ohio tarren chen 9, and kid sister calliope 6, now home from school, had to practice the cello anyway so mom rebecca wielded her conductor's baton. >> it started off for us as a personal bright spot >> reporter: their 78-year-old neighbor helena schlom is isolating herself at home as a precaution >> she was stuck inside of her house, so we decided to do something for her. we just wanted to make her happy. >> reporter: so the mini maestros in their sunday best from a safe distance of course put their fingers to work on a positive note. >> this will give us perspective. and make us aware i hope of what good things we have in our lives. >> reporter: the front stoop this day worthy of carnegie hall kevin tibbles, nbc news. >> any little bit to make us all

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doctor, doctor, how is ms. de desmonds, will she pull through? >> of course, all she has is a common ordinary virus. >> lyle waggoner, the tall actor

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go with align, the pros in digestive health. welcome back we're going to keep checking the curve to see when we flatten it. how are we doing yesterday wasn't a good day. we're having increased testing, the virus is spreading rapidly because we didn't start isolation soon enough. we went from 100 cases march 2nd, yesterday up to 696 cases that's an implied growth of -- that means if we don't flatten it from 12 days from right now we will be over 100,000 cases. in 12 days yesterday west virginia did add some cases these dots show across the country everywhere, every state has it but by far the most are in areas of new york state, california, and also washington state. those three areas alone are half the cases in the country >> alarming breakdown.

bill, thank u.yo jimmy fallon striking a chord about quarantine life. ght. right after dinner. definitely after meatloaf. like clockwork. do it! run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. a load with as few as 8 dishes, is all it takes to save water. an energy star certified dishwasher uses less than four gallons per cycle. while handwashing uses that, every two minutes. so, do it. run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. the surprising way to save water. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair®. we've got the retinol that gives you results in one week. not just any retinol. accelerated retinol sa. one week is all it takes. neutrogena®. test test test test discover what's good - pantene nutrient blends

well, it's start's day, i'm quarantined. ♪ i'm in me house alone ♪ no drinking a guinness unless it's through me phone ♪ ♪ so kiss me i'm irish but stay six feet away ♪ ♪ because no one wants to get the virus on st. paddy's day ♪ >> or ever talk show host jimmy fallon didn't let coronavirus isolation stop him from celebrating st. patrick's day in a very unique way. during the "tonight show" home edition fallon played this hilarious quarantine drinking song which he posted on his youtube page >> you know what anything to get by, right?

entertainment. holding up a pint. whatever gets you through. the coronavirus outbreak is forcing isolation across the country, but one minnesota man is not lethd imposed restriction stop him from seeing his father. reporter boyd hubert from our affiliate kir 11 tv has his story. >> reporter: not unlike the time of year the words are harsh and cold the signs separating visitors from six seniors at whispering pines assisted living. >> we made that very tough decision that we have to lock down >> reporter: vp sharon compton may have had to lock the doors, but hearts are another matter. >> my chair. >> reporter: charlie johnson is taking coronavirus restrictions, sitting down >> hey there, old-timer. how are you doing today? >> charlie's a wonderful son he comes every single day to visit his dad. >> yeah. >> reporter: bernard johnson, retired machinist, is 88 and on oxygen, high risk should he be exposed. >> oh, i don't know. i'm getting by

>> that's good >> reporter: his son couldn't imagine not seeing his dad >> he said i'm going to make it work >> reporter: nursing assistant sandy hamilton snapped this photo on sunday, already shared on facebook more than half a million times. >> i broke down in tears when i seen it, and i wanted to share it with everybody else >> reporter: no pity, no anger >> a lot of people >> reporter: just something constructive >> a few more weeks probably you know i'll sit right here. i'm going to hang a bird feeder up here this spring so he can watch the birds out here >> maybe when people are dealing with fear and the uncertainty of the future just to know that there is some normalcy, you've just got to figure out where it is >> and i'll talk to you later. >> okey-doke bye-bye. >> reporter: as always, love opening doors. >> i'll be back. >> and i'm sure he'll be back again and again and again. our thanks to our reporter boyd hubert for that report but this is the thing. you know, when it's so tough and the isolation is a very real reality. >> it is

you can find human kindness in any situation. thanks for watching "early today. i'm cori coffin. >> i'm frances rivera. tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. eastern lester holt anchors a live special report on the special report on the coronavirus epidemic big thing i recently learned as a parent? baby's skin is absorbent. her skin could actually soak up wetness that her diaper doesn't. that's gross. that's why i use pampers. pampers absorbs quickly to trap and lock wetness away keeping your baby's skin drier and healthier. for a diaper that stays drier, count on pampers. the health of your baby's skin starts with the pampers they're in.

a very good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington along with kari and mike together working on a story impacting all of us and at your home the coronavirus crisis. >> we want to get you up to speed on the very latest headlines from overnight. it is day two of the bay area shelter in place. overnight the number of people impacted by the shelter in place is over 7 million. at midnight sonoma county went into a shelter in place as well. also making news shock waves on the school front, governor gavin newsom saying parents should be