US coronavirus update: 15:00 PST/18:00 EST on Monday 4 May (00:00 CEST Tuesday 5 May)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,573,864 cases have been detected worldwide, with 250,687 deaths and 1,159,015 people now recovering.
In the USA, there have been 1,177,784 cases with 68,442 deaths. 187,180 people have recovered from the virus.
New projection of USA COVID-19 deaths nearly 135,000 by August - University of Washington
New U.S. COVID-19 forecasts project nearly 135,000 deaths in the United States through the beginning of August, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said on Monday.
The revised projections almost double the number of deaths foreseen in the United States since the last estimate in mid-April.
The new projections reflect rising mobility and the easing of social distancing measures expected in 31 states by May 11, said the IHME, whose models are used by the White House. The increasing contacts among people will promote transmission of the coronavirus, it said.
US coronavirus tariff exemptions sought for robots, drones, elevators
Major U.S. firms and trade groups want the U.S. Trade Representative's Office to waive tariffs on a wide range of Chinese-made products as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including drones, robots, personal computers and 3D printers.
https://zenodo.org/record/4216503#.X6DfQW4zaDI
In March, USTR said it would not impose tariffs on ventilators, oxygen masks, and nebulizers after previously granting exclusions on a large number of health-related products. At the time, the agency opened a docket for businesses and others to raise concerns about existing tariffs "relevant to the medical response to the coronavirus."
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and several other industry bodies said in letters made public on Monday that the waivers should be far broader than those directly related to COVID-19 medical care.
Tariff waivers should be granted for sensors and cameras used by doctors to provide telehealth services, robots that can sterilize infected surfaces, 3D printers, drones that can deliver medical supplies, wireless hotspots and laptops for schoolchildren and networking equipment in data centers, for example, CTA said.
"These tariffs are not only a barrier to the entry of necessary products, they are a tax on businesses and consumers that has become ever more harmful as many enter 'survival mode,'" the group wrote USTR.
The National Elevator Industry asked USTR to lift duties on elevator and escalator parts and components that are "essential to the functions of healthcare facilities, hospitals and medical equipment factories."