so we'll see, so.o.o.o. >> our thanks to diane macedo.to turn to our next guest, holly kennington from spartanburg. as news of the virus was spreading, she had to make a gutmgu gut-wrenching choice. he has a life-threateningrain disease, her son. covid-19 made it impossible for you to keep working. i know you don't see it as a choice between a paycheck and your son, and yet that was your choice. >> that was my choice choi, and would absolutely make it over again. this past week the governor of our state has made it a mandate that all bars and restaurants are takeout only. so not just me that's lost their job. are we going to have jobs when we go back? or not? >> and i know for you your job isn't just a paycheck, it as your community. these are your friends. >> it's the only slice of adult normal life that is left. i'm somewhat used to isolation, now. it can be a struggle. >> you know, today, in congress, they were arguing over should we send $1,000 to every american for relief. what could you do with that money? >> i could pay my car insu

thank you for joining us, i'm diane macedo. in the u.s., the call for more covid-19 test kits grows louder. now health officials are trying to clear confusion over supply and demand. here's whit johnson. >> this, i believe, will be one of the most transformative occurrences in the history of our nation. >> reporter: the coronavirus taking hold in the u.s. today. the first containment zone here in new rochelle, new york. just north of manhattan. state officials say 100 to 200 members of the national guard will be here to help clean and sanitize schools and public areas and deliver food wherever it's needed. >> it is a dramatic action. this is literally a matter of life and death. >> reporter: that zone of containment consisting of a one-mile radius around the young israel synagogue where dozens were exposed. the first to test positive, an attorney. new york state is reeling from one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the country. new york city's mayor noting a spike in cases. >> we have a very rapidly evolving situation on

diane macedo joins us live from new york city. diane, i want to bring you in on this news from the fda that so many anxious americans will be glad to hear. the agency now approving a new rapid test for coronavirus? >> reporter: yeah, tom, the fda says this new test authorized today will produce results in hours rather than days. it's projected to be rolled out on march 30th. the agency says this will make testing much more easily accessible to americans who need it. tom? >> very promising news. diane, thank you. >>> now to america's hospitals. trying not to buckle under the pressure of the outbreak. hard-hit facilities across the country running out of bed space. supplies deep in the red. one hospital developing a new way to disinfect and reuse masks. >> reporter: tonight, the massive surge of coronavirus patients slamming hospitals in the hard-hit areas coast to coast. many now running dangerously low on critical supplies. >> we are short on ppe that a lot of folks are short on around the country -- masks, face shields. >> report

jennifer ashton sorts it out with our friend diane macedo. >> how effective are these two-week isolations in stopping the spread of the virus? >> in general when you talk about these kind of social distancing measures, >>> welcome back. when it comes to the coronavirus, there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there. >> abc's chief medical editor dr. jennifer ashton sorts it out with our friend diane macedo. >> how effective are these two-week isolations in stopping the spread of coronavirus? >> when you talk about distancing measures, they can be effective in flattening the curve, that means slowing the spread, protecting other vulnerable populations like those people who may have contact with let's say the elderly. and it buys us time. so how much of a help this will be is tbd, to be determined, because time is a factor. >> i want to get to some of our viewer questions. if i'm in a situation where i can't wash my hands right away, is hand sanitizer the best option until i can get to a bathroom? so many claim hand sanitizer really doesn't do anything. >> right, and that's incorrect.

our own diane macedo goes on a myth-busting mission. on a misbusting mission. asthma. this one? contaminated food. this one? west-nile virus. this? five billion dollars in property damage. and how about this one? lime disease. [male announcer] once you know the serious threats they pose, you'll never see household pests the same way again. learn more at pestworld dot org. ♪ >>> with so many people stuck at home and online, social media, it's going crazy, it's going into overdrive over the coronavirus. >> there's a lot of misinformation. our friend diane macedo is helping us separate fact and fiction. >> reporter: they seem helpful. viral posts full of advice how to treat coronavirus, how to kill coronavirus, even how to test for coronavirus. the problem? many of them simply aren't true. like this viral post claiming drinking water every 15 minutes will flush the virus into your stomach where acid will kill it. the truth? >> so that myth doesn't really pan out, because it's more of a digestive answer for a respiratory problem. >> reporter: another viral post claims specifically d

here's diane macedo. >> reporter: tonight, new york reporting its first two coronavirus deaths as covid-19 spreads across the country. mayor bill de blasio confirming an 82-year-old woman died after being admitted to the hospital last week in critical condition, also battling advanced emphysema. it's unknown how she got covid-19. and another 65-year-old victim with other health issues died in rockland county. >> we're going into a full crisis footing. this is a wartime dynamic. >> reporter: new york state is now reporting 524 cases. >> this is a virus that does not threaten all segments of our society equally. >> reporter: this map from just two weeks ago when the virus was confirmed in just nine states. and the first death had just been announced in washington. tonight, 49 states confirming cases, plus the district of columbia, with more than 50 deaths nationwide. west virginia is the only state not reporting cases of covid-19. the common complaint, lack of thorough testing. >> we don't feel like we have enough tests, i don't think anyone feels like they have enough tests right now. >>

here's abc's diane macedo. >> reporter: tonight, newly released video shows the moment a high-speed policeed into an urgent rescue. watch as an officer jumps out of his cruiser sprinting toward a flipped car he was just chasing. that car had hit a concrete barrier, going airborne and bursting into flames. police say two teenage burglary suspects were trapped inside. one officer jumps on a car breaking the window, as another makes sure the suspects are unarmed. >> hey. let me see your hands! >> reporter: they then lower an officer into the burning car. >> can you hold my feet? >> reporter: finally pulling one girl out. >> hold my feet again. >> reporter: and then the other. >> hold her head, hold her head, hold her head. >> reporter: then wondering if anyone else is trapped inside. >> is it just two? >> that's all i see so far. >> reporter: tonight the department is commending the officers for their bravery. the 16 and 17-year-old girls were both taken to the hospital and both expected to recover, but they also now face a number of charges. four more teens were also arrested, accused of par

oprah winfrey leading a discussion on the pick "american dirt" and our diane macedo is here with muchgood morning to you. >> good morning, dan. when jeanine cummins wrote the book "american dirt," she admits she was worried as a non-immigrant and non-mexican she had no business writing it but amid backlash oprah is keeping it as a book club pick and now leading a discussion about the controversy and how to learn from it. oprah winfrey leaning in after backlash against her latest book club pick, the novel "american dirt." it tells a story of a mother and son who flee mexico pursued by the head of a drug cartel but the book faced harsh criticism for what some called a stereotypical portrayal of migrants. >> it's a very fraught conversation, and i think it's been simmering for such a long time, especially in the publishing industry. >> reporter: the publisher eventually canceled the book tour saying they and the author were receiving threats. >> i fundamentally, fundamentally believe in the right of anyone to use their imagination and their skills to tell stories. if one author i felt, o

abc's diane macedo joins us with developments from coast to coast. diane, good morning. >> whit, good morning. that stockpile is the strategic national stockpile, a network of storage facilities with pharmaceutical and medical supplies. it's intended to be used in public health emergencies severe enough when local supplies run out. some local officials already asking for that help. this morning the number of confirmed cases of covid-19 in the u.s. have climbed above 2,000 with six states activating the national guard and 31 states plus the nation's capital declaring a state of emergency. nationwide, 46,000 schools have closed, sending 26 million students home. this as hospitals set up tents preparing for patient overflow, as officials scramble to make coronavirus testing more widely available. new york's new rochelle, the town with the highest cluster of cases in the country has opened its first drive-thru test facility. >> you drive in in your car a and the medical staff comes to you, does the test, does the swabs. then you pull out. the swabs get se

let's go right to diane macedo outside of new york city's mt. sinai hospital. morning, diane. >> reporter: eva, good morning. all throughout new york, hospitals like this one are bracing for the worst. big surprise that they'll run out of supplies. and fema has declared the whole state a major disaster area, freeing up federal funding that officials say cannot come soon enough. this morning, a major disaster declared in new york as the state reports more than 8,000 cases of the new coronavirus. >> we are now the epicenter of this crisis. >> reporter: in new york city alone, confirmed cases have topped 5,000. now the governor is ordering all workers who don't provide essential services to stay home. with similar orders in at least five other states. >> 100% of the workforce must stay home. this is the most drastic action we can take. >> reporter: illinois is also ordering residents that don't provide essential services to shelter in place. >> i fully recognize that in some cases, i am choosing between saving people's lives and saving people's livelihoods. >> rep

diane macedo sat down with dr. jennifer ashton. >> self-quarantine is not a staycation. self-quarantine is done for a person who may have had an exposure to known coronavirus, and for james it was travel and prolonged exposure, he had been to italy multiple times. when you self-quarantine, the premise is that you're positive, that you actually have been infected. that's why it has to be rigid, it has to be by the book, there has to be significant and aggressive distancing if you live in a home with other people. it's not like you're having family meals, it's not like you're all in the kitchen together, it's not like you're sitting on the sofa together. it's hard. it's logistically hard, it's psychologically hard. it's done out of an abundance of caution, assuming a person that's exposed will in fact become positive. in terms of what we're seeing here in westchester, outside of new york city in that hot zone or epicenter, that is done for three reasons. number one, from an epidemiologic standpoint. we call it flattening the curve. what that does is slows the spread of the

diane macedo is here with this story.l familiar to bachelor nation. bachelor pete is revealing he's in love with madison, the woman he did not propose to. he's getting some advice from a bachelor who has been there as his former fiancee, hannah ann, speaks out. >> reporter: it's deja vu for bachelor nation. hannah ann giving pilot pete his ring back after realizing he still has feelings for madison. >> we're done. >> reporter: then after coming face to face with peter for the first time since the breakup on live television. >> if you want to be with a woman, you need to become a real man. >> reporter: back in 2009, former bachelor jason mesnick found himself in a similar situation calling it quits with then-fiancee melissa on tv and asking for a second chance with runner-up molly, now his wife. >> my piece of advice for him is he's going to have to take his licks. i mean, he and i, very similar, you know, made some really bad decisions in hurting specific women and girls along the way. just be apologetic. >> reporter: han

diane macedo has the story. >> reporter: this morning, the fbi is asking for the public's help after releasing new photos of lori vallow's missing children, 7-year-old j.j. and 17-year-old tylee. they say this september 8th trip to yellowstone national park is the last time tylee was seen. now the bureau is asking for any other photos from the park that day that might show lori, her brother alex, the kids or their car. vallow seen here arriving at the airport in idaho on thursday was just extradited from hawaii to face charges for felony child desertion and misdemeanors like contempt of court. >> let the record reflect that miss daybell is now in the courtroom. >> reporter: on wednesday the 46-year-old appeared in a hawaii court, invoking her fifth amendment right, standing silent with arms folded. >> she is invoking her fifth amendment rights to remain silent. she should not be questioned without an attorney present. >> reporter: vallow had been living in this condo with her new husband, chad daybell, after abandoning her home in idaho when police came looking for her children. her