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COVID-19 in the U.S.

As of May 3, 11pm EDT

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that despite widespread mitigation efforts, the coronavirus has exhibited “persistent spread” that could mean a “new normal” of 30,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths a day through the summer.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 66,000 Americans and infected over 1.1 million others in less than three months since the first known death in the U.S., Johns Hopkins data shows.

By the numbers: As states try to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus while easing restrictions, unemployment filings in the U.S. topped 30 million in six weeks, and the number of unemployed could be higher than the weekly figures suggest.

• Over 175,000 Americans have recovered from the virus and over 6.8 million tests have been conducted in the U.S. as of Sunday.

Catch up quick: The number of deaths in states hit hardest by the coronavirus is well above the normal range, according the CDC.

• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that there’s “enormous evidence” to support the theory that the coronavirus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, not a nearby market.
• White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx said images of protestors not distancing while demonstrating against virus restrictions is “devastatingly worrisome.”
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a seven-state consortium for buying PPE in an effort to reduce competition and drive down prices.
• Gilead’s CEO said that the company has donated its entire supply of the antiviral medication remdesivir to the federal government.
• Nearly 5,000 cases and 20 deaths have occurred in 115 meat and poultry processing facilities across the U.S., CDC data shows.
• The Justice Department is probing the communications of Vladimir Zelenko, a New York doctor who promoted hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.
• Texas will weigh forcing oil producers to cut production next week, as demand remains at historic lows due to the pandemic.
• Vaccine frustrations have sparked big talk within the Trump administration, hinting at a willingness to spend billions in the hope of getting coronavirus treatments out this year.
• The last stimulus checks might not arrive until September.

Lockdown measures: Dozens of states have outlined plans to ease coronavirus restrictions, but the pandemic’s impact on our daily lives, politics, cities and health care will outlast stay-at-home orders.

• Ohio Gov. Mark DeWine explained his decision to rescind an order requiring people to wear face masks in retail stores, stating that it “became clear to me that that was just a bridge too far.”
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state’s “phase one” reopening could begin May 15.
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that the protestors calling to reopen her state while bearing Nazi symbols and Confederate flags are “not representative of who we are in Michigan.”
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches and state parks to close on April 30.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced April 29 that phase one of the state’s reopening will begin in most counties on May 4.
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he’d allow the state’s stay-at-home order to lapse this week, at which point Texas will begin “phase one” of its reopening plan.
• West Virginia and Ohio’s governors each released plans this week to gradually reopen their state economies throughout May.
• Colorado and Nevada on April 27 joined California, Oregon and Washington in their pact to work jointly in gradually lifting coronavirus restrictions