Nightly Rundown: New York at the peak?; U.S. deaths top 16,000; Boris Johnson out of ICU; Where are the relief checks?; 6.6 million more Americans out of work

The Nightly News - with Lester Holt - Nightly News: 4.9.20

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts | View in browser By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News Good Thursday afternoon. Here's what's in our Nightly Rundown tonight. U.S. deaths from coronavirus surge to over 16,000 The staggering death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. has risen to more than 16,000 with more than 450,000 confirmed cases, New York is showing signs it may be hitting its peak, and a stunning 6.6 million more Americans filed for unemployment last week. Here are the latest developments: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is out of the ICU and has been moved back into the hospital ward, where “he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery,” a spokesman said. “He is in extremely good spirits.” Will the lockdown across most of the nation end in time for Americans to take summer vacations? “It can be in the cards,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, in an interview today — but he also warned that we must be prepared if infections “start to rear their heads again” with effective methods to rapidly identify, isolate, and contract trace those new cases. First Lady Melania Trump tweeted a public service announcement showing her wearing a face mask, encouraging Americans to follow CDC guidelines to wear face coverings when social distancing is difficult to maintain. Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican bid to add another $250 billion in coronavirus relief money for small businesses, demanding more resources for hospitals and state and local governments. Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia are being closely monitored as potential emerging hot spots, the White House task force said on Wednesday. In the hot spot of Louisiana, there are 2,014 hospitalized coronavirus patients. Ventilator use appears to have peaked on April 4, when 571 patients were on the breathing machines. Those numbers have fallen for five straight days, and now 473 patients are on ventilators. Los Angeles city parks will be closed this weekend and guarded by police and park rangers, to keep people from gathering for Easter, Mayor Eric Garcetti has said. The CDC has found that about 90 percent of patients who have been hospitalized with coronavirus had at least one underlying condition. A sailor from the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt is now in the ICU at a Navy hospital in Guam. At least 286 crew members have tested positive, but this is the first one to be hospitalized. The ship’s captain Brett Crozier was relieved of duty after he sounded the alarm about the outbreak. Crozier has also tested positive. Smokers or vapers may be at a higher risk for coronavirus. “Smoking or vaping may increase the chances that a person will be infected by COVID-19 and need hospitalization and advanced life support to survive,” according to an advisory issued Thursday by the state of Massachusetts. The advisory also warned that cases of COVID-19 are more likely to be severe for smokers and vapers than those with no smoking history. Amazon tweeted a video of CEO Jeff Bezos visiting an Amazon fulfillment center and a Whole Foods store on Wednesday to thank employees. It comes as Amazon is under scrutiny for its treatment of workers during the pandemic. Some workers have called on the company to add hazard pay and more protective measures. WHO chief: 'Please don't politicize this virus' New York "flattening the curve" but death toll surging New York reported its deadliest day yet of the coronavirus crisis, but there is mounting evidence that the state is “flattening the curve,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. The state remains the epicenter in the U.S., with a record 799 deaths on Wednesday. While that number is staggering, the rate of new hospitalizations continues to fall. "The hospitalization rate does suggest that it's coming down and we are flattening the curve," Cuomo told reporters. Cuomo credits public compliance with social distancing restrictions, but warned that the progress could be lost if New Yorkers grow complacent. "You can't relax," Cuomo said. A total of 7,067 people have died from coronavirus in New York — more than twice the toll of 2,753 New Yorkers killed in the 9/11 attacks. "I don't even have the words for it. 9/11 was so devastating, so tragic," Cuomo said, "then in many ways, we lose so many more New Yorkers to this silent killer." Cuomo said the state is bringing in additional funeral home directors "to deal with the number of people who have passed.�� New York now has 151,598 cases, more than any single country in the world besides the United States. Dr. Anthony Fauci said New York may be reaching its peak in an interview today. "It's tough to tell," Fauci said, "we very well may be there." The influential Gates Foundation-funded IHME model has projected that deaths will peak in New York today, with about 13,300 deaths by early May. Gov. Cuomo bringing in more funeral directors as death toll rises in New York 6.6 million more Americans filed for unemployment last week Another 6.6 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week, bringing the staggering number of jobs lost in the last three weeks to more than 16 million. Tom Costello is reporting tonight on the dismal numbers showing the U.S. has lost 10 percent of the workforce in those three weeks, as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy. Shortly after the weekly jobs report came out, the Federal Reserve announced it will inject and additional $2.3 trillion into the economy through a series of new loan programs. With so many desperately in need of help, millions of Americans should start receiving those $1,200 relief checks from the government's $2.2 trillion relief package beginning next week. 50 million to 70 million Americans will get checks through direct deposit in the first wave, a Treasury Department spokeswoman told the Washington Post. Paper checks will be issued to Americans who don't have direct deposit on file with the government, but if could take months to get all of them out. Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. 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