Deaths in US coronavirus hit 16,454 as British PM Boris Johnson leaves intensive care

Updates about coronavirus crisis in the United States of America, as at Thursday night of April 9, 2020 put the deaths toll at 16,454 with 462,391 confirmed cases and 25,139 recoveries so far.

This is also as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday was moved out of intensive care where he was being treated for the coronavirus, a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement. Johnson, 55, is the first world leader to test positive for the virus.

“The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery,” the spokesperson said, adding that Johnson is in “extremely good spirits.”

Manufacturers of the material have been pushed to produce at unprecedented levels, straining an industry that relies on complex machinery and specialized training that’s part technical and part “art form,” according to some in the industry.

“The supply chain has gotten nuts for this particular material,” said Nozi Hamidi, vice president of marketing and business development for SWM International, one of roughly two dozen domestic manufacturers of melt-blown material. “We experienced this when SARS happened 17 or so years ago, but not to this extent. This is just absolutely insane.”