10 things you need to know today: April 26, 2020

(Image credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

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1. Global coronavirus deaths surpass 200,000
2. Report: White House considering replacing Azar
3. Trump says coronavirus briefings 'not worth the time and effort'
4. CDC adds 6 new coronavirus symptoms to website
5. Kim Jong Un's train likely spotted at coastal resort by satellite
6. U.K.'s Johnson returning to work Monday
7. China says all coronavirus patients in Wuhan discharged
8. Yemeni separatist group declares self-rule
9. Children under 14 allowed outside in Spain for first time in 6 weeks
10. SNL back again with virtual episode

published 26 April 2020

1. Global coronavirus deaths surpass 200,000

The global death toll from the COVID-19 coronavirus surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, with the total number of infections now beyond 2.9 million. In the United States, there are now more than 900,000 cases and 50,000 deaths. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, said Saturday night that she expects the rate of those hospitalized and dying from the disease in the United States will fall "dramatically" by the end of May, though she also said that won't necessarily mean the number of cases will simultaneously dwindle, since increased testing could pick up many asymptomatic or mild cases.

White House officials are discussing a plan to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, though they're reluctant complete to any major shakeups within the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic, Politico and The Wall Street Journal report. Still, criticism of Azar's role has reportedly mounted in recent weeks, especially after Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Rick Bright was moved to a National Institutes of Health position, a transfer which Bright described as a form of retaliation. President Trump had reportedly expressed frustration with Azar even before the pandemic and ultimately replaced him as the coronavirus task force leader with Vice President Mike Pence.

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President Trump tweeted Saturday evening that holding White House press briefings to address the coronavirus pandemic were no longer "worth the time and effort" because the media asks "nothing but hostile questions" and then "refuses to report the truth." The tweet comes after Friday's briefing, which was the shortest since Trump began holding them in March. There was no briefing Saturday, and Sunday's White House schedule did not list any public events for the president. The decision to scale back the briefings is likely related to backlash to Trump's comments on Thursday, when he pondered whether doctors should look into injecting harmful disinfectants into COVID-19 patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added six new possible symptoms of the coronavirus to its website, bringing the total number up to nine after COVID-19 patients reported a wide range of symptoms. The additions include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell. The list already included fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Doctors are continuing to learn more about the virus, which doesn't always result in symptoms, meaning patients can fall anywhere on the scale of being asymptomatic to experiencing severe illness.

Satellite imagery has shown a train believed to belong to North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un parked at his compound in the coastal resort of Wonson, bolstering evidence that the 36-year-old is alive amid speculation that he either died or was gravely ill. Rumors began swirling after Kim missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, and Reuters reported Saturday that China dispatched a medical team to "advise on" Kim, but veteran North Korea analysts have downplayed the idea that his health is critical, noting that it's not the first time the leader has vanished from the public eye. South Korean intelligence has maintained the belief that Kim is alive. Still, North Korea is one of the world's most secretive and isolated nations, making it difficult to gather accurate reports.

After recovering from the coronavirus at his country residence, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to return to work Monday. Johnson was hospitalized with the virus earlier this month and eventually moved to intensive care when his conditioned worsened before he was discharged, but his medical team has signed off on his return, and he's reportedly "raring to go." Johnson began participating in some meetings last week, but is now heading back to Downing Street. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who filled in for Johnson during his absence, said Johnson coming back to work would be "a boost for the country." The U.K.'s death toll from the virus exceeded 20,000 on Saturday, the fifth highest in the world.

A Chinese government official on Sunday said there are now no coronavirus patients hospitalized in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic. Official statistics show 46,452 total infections and 3,869 deaths from the virus since the outbreak began there late last year, although critics believe the numbers are vastly underreported. Wuhan has been showing signs of recovery in recent weeks as lockdown restrictions eased and makeshift hospitals were cleared. As of Saturday, officials said the city had just 12 coronavirus cases, none of them new infections, while Beijing reported 11 new cases for the entire mainland Sunday. Mi Feng, the spokesman for China's National Health Commission, said the government would continue to guard "against transmissions from the outside and rebounds from within."

The Southern Transitional Council, a United Emirates-backed separatist movement in Yemen, declared self-rule Saturday, breaking a peace deal with the country's internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government. The STC said it would govern the port city of Aden, where it's based, and other southern provinces. The Yemeni government warned of "dangerous and catastrophic consequences" for the move. Both sides have previously fought together in the Saudi-led coalition's war against Yemen's Houthi rebels, but the separatists seized Aden last August before agreeing to the peace deal months later. The latest news further complicates the situation in Yemen, which is mired in a civil war, on the brink of famine, and could soon face a coronavirus outbreak.

Children in Spain under 14 were allowed to venture outside for the first time since six weeks ago when a nationwide lockdown was put into place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which has hit the country particularly hard. The children can go outside for one hour each day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., but they have to remain within one kilometer from their homes, and public parks remain off limits. Children older than 14 are still confined to their homes. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said Madrid is hoping to ease some more restrictions in early May if cases continue to fall.

NBC's Saturday Night Live returned for its second virtual, produced-from-home episode during the coronavirus pandemic Saturday evening. Academy Award-winning actor Brad Pitt kicked things off, appearing as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during the episode's cold open. Pitt's exasperated Fauci warned people not to consume disinfectants in light of recent comments by President Trump, and admitted he was likely getting fired because Trump said he wasn't. Eventually, Pitt broke the fourth wall, removed his wig, and thanked Fauci for his leadership during the pandemic.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.