National COVID-19 Update
March 26, 2020
Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures show a total of 68,440 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. in 54 states and U.S. territories, with 994 deaths. New York State leads the nation with nearly 33,000 cases.
The CDC has updated the following resources and guidance:
- Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19);
- Comprehensive Hospital Preparedness Checklist for COVID-19; and
- Collection and Submission of Postmortem Specimens from Deceased Persons with Known or Suspected COVID-19, March 2020 (Interim Guidance).
The CDC has developed a COVID-19 symptom self-checker on its website to help people make decisions about seeking appropriate medical care.
The federal government has developed a COVID-19 website that provides numerous resources on its response to the coronavirus. This is in addition to the website developed by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has released COVID-19 guidance related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and disclosures to law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders and public health authorities.
The latest WHO situation report shows more than 413,400 COVID-19 cases globally, with over 18,400 deaths. The European Region now leads the world in cases and deaths, with more than 220,500 confirmed cases with nearly 12,000 deaths. The Western Pacific Region ranks second with more than 97,700 confirmed cases and more than 3,500 deaths.