The number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases around the world neared 2 million on Tuesday, as the death toll surpassed 120,000. The disease caused by the newly discovered respiratory virus, known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 24,000 lives in the U.S. with more than 582,000 cases confirmed in the country so far.
Meanwhile, as states continue to see encouraging signs that stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures are beginning to "flatten the curve" of infections, lawmakers are preparing to loosen restrictions and reopen their states amid a surge in unemployment claims provoked by the pandemic.
Here is your COVID-19 update for Tuesday, April 14, 2020:
Number of Daily Coronavirus Deaths Falls Slightly
If you could use a little good news health officials say the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States was slightly lower for the third consecutive day.
According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, the death toll in the U.S. on Monday was 1,509, which is down 48 from Sunday. Health officials say the death toll peaked on Friday, when more than 2,000 people were killed by COVID-19.
States Push Back Against Trump's Claim He Has "Total Authority" to Reopen Economy
President Donald Trump on Monday incorrectly asserted that he had "total authority" on when the country might end public health measures that have closed nonessential businesses and forced millions of Americans to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's got to be. It's total," Trump said. "And the governors know that."
However, several governors pushed back against Trump's claim on Tuesday, including the Democratic governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who told NBC's "Today" show that if the president tried to push it, they "would have a problem.
“If he thinks he's going to force this state, or any state for that matter, to do something that is reckless or irresponsible, that could endanger human life, literally, because we don't reopen correctly, you will see those virus numbers go up again, and more people will die,” Cuomo said.
During Monday's White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump stated, incorrectly, that he had the power to decide when states should reopen and lift stay-at-home orders. However, under the Constitution, the authority to order businesses to close during a public health crisis would be considered a "police power" and thus, left up to the states to decide, not the federal government.
“We don't have a king — we have a president, and that was a big decision," Cuomo said. "We ran away from having a king, and George Washington was president, not King Washington so the president doesn't have total authority. The Constitution is there, the 10th Amendment is there. ... It's very clear states have power by the 10th amendment.”
Governors in states on the West Coast, including California, Washington and Oregon, announced Monday they had formed a "Western States Pact" that will see the three states working together on when they might reopen the state and loosen stay-at-home restrictions.
Gov. Cuomo announced that New York was developing a similar partnership with New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Coronavirus Outbreak Growing on U.S. Navy Hospital Ship
At least seven crew members aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, it was announced Monday.
According to U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Face, the seven infected medical workers on board the vessel have been removed from the ship.
Cmdr. Face said that anyone who'd been in close contact with the infected individuals have been placed in quarantine off the ship, and tested negative so far. One crew member tested positive for COVID-19 and became the fifth confirmed case on board.
"The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board," Face told ABC News. "This will not affect the ability for Mercy to receive patients at this time."
USNS Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles last month as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship is being used for non-coronavirus infected patients to help alleviate the burden on local hospitals.
The first positive case aboard the Mercy was confirmed on April 9.
Wyoming Reports First Coronavirus Death, Last of the 50 States
Officials in Wyoming on Monday announced the state's first coronavirus death, meaning that all 50 states and the District of Columbia have now reported at least one death from COVID-19.
“This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to know they have our sympathy,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist, said in a statement. “The advice we’ve been offering and actions we’ve taken ultimately come down to preventing as many serious illnesses and deaths connected to this disease as we can.”
The patient was reportedly an older man who lived in Johnson County who had health conditions that placed him at a higher risk of developing complications from a COVID-19 infection, the health department said in a statement.
Wyoming had been the only state in the union without a coronavirus death since Hawaii reported its first death on March 31.
As of Tuesday morning, officials had confirmed at least 275 confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming, with another 98 probable cases.
To keep up to date on the latest news about the coronavirus and to understand what you need to stay safe and healthy, check out the Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction podcast from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Photos: Getty Images