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Why is Trump calling for civil disobedience? 2:27
(CNN) - A new week of the United States coronavirus pandemic begins with a case count approaching one million and with several cities and states preparing to relax confinement restrictions.
More than 54,800 deaths from coronavirus have been reported nationwide and more than 965,000 cases of the virus in the United States.
As the numbers continue to grow, several state and municipal officials are expected to announce plans to reopen their economies this week. A University of Washington model frequently cited by the White House coronavirus task force suggests that no state should open its economies before Friday, and many should expect much longer.
In New York, one of the hardest hit states, hospitalization, intubation and death rates have dropped, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.
He said the state is planning a gradual reopening, starting with construction and manufacturing activities in "those companies that are at low risk."
The earliest the state will begin its first phase of reopening is May 15, but only in regions that have seen a 14-day decrease in hospitalizations.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
How much longer stay home
Officials at all levels of government are weighing how to proceed and when to reopen their communities.
While states like Hawaii, Texas, Michigan and Alaska are loosening restrictions on certain outdoor businesses and recreation, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that his state is still weeks to reopen.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez will explain emergency orders Monday on the reopening of parks, canals and golf courses, his press office said Sunday. But at the state level, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he will not set a date for the state's reopening, despite Florida's confinement orders expiring Thursday.
"We are going to do everything smart," DeSantis said at a press conference on Sunday. "I'm less concerned with the date and more concerned with getting it right."
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Reports of overexposure to disinfectants
Several states are also grappling with an increase in calls to their poison control centers, after President Donald Trump's suggestion to inject disinfectant as a treatment for the coronavirus during a White House briefing on Thursday. Later he said he was being "sarcastic".
Maryland has received hundreds of calls from people asking if they can effectively combat the coronavirus by injecting or ingesting disinfectants, Governor Larry Hogan told Margaret Brennan in "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
READ : Trump's incredibly dangerous ideas about disinfectants
In Michigan, there were 65 cases of overexposure reported between April 1 and April 25, a 400% increase from the same period last year. In addition to overexposure to the cleaning supply, the Tennessee poison control center has seen an increase in the number of people hospitalized from exposure to hydrogen peroxide, a common ingredient in disinfectants, according to the Tennessean newspaper.
In Illinois, poison control calls included someone who used a detergent-based solution for a sinus rinse and someone who gargled a mixture of mouthwash and bleach to kill germs, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois Public Health, during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
"All I know is this, when the person with the most powerful position on the planet is encouraging people to think about disinfectants, whether seriously or not, people listen," said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, to ABC's “This Week”. "I want to say unequivocally that no one should digest disinfectants to fight covid-19, please don't."
Hope in antibodies and treatments
Blood test for coronavirus testing outside Delmont Medical Care.
Researchers across the country are working to find effective methods to fight the virus.
Preliminary results of a clinical trial of a heartburn medication in the treatment of coronavirus could appear in the coming weeks, said Dr. Kevin Tracey, president of the Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research at Northwell Health.
READ : New York Hospitals Study Common Heartburn Medication as Treatment for Covid-19
"We don't know if it has any benefit. Not really. I swear not, "he said. "People expect something. But we have to do this clinical trial. "
And while final results aren't expected until mid-to-late May, preliminary results from a clinical trial of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir could appear in a week or two, a trial lead investigator Dr. Andre Kalil said Sunday.
Doctors at an Orlando, Florida hospital said Sunday that at least two patients are seeing "drastic improvements" after plasma transplants, which use antibodies from recovered patients to treat those who are currently ill.
Antibody tests will also help Boston assess exposure to the virus in the city. Mayor Martin Walsh announced that 1,000 asymptomatic residents will undergo diagnostic tests and antibodies, which is expected to take place on Friday.
More sprouts in meat plants
Meanwhile, the ongoing pandemic has led to the closure of another meat production plant.
A JBS USA beef production plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, will temporarily close due to the pandemic, the company announced Sunday. The county where the plant is located has at least 776 confirmed cases and two deaths as of Sunday.
Processing plants and slaughterhouses have been closing their doors in recent weeks. Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, JBS Pork Processing in Worthington, Minnesota, and Tyson Fresh Foods in Waterloo, Iowa, three of the nation's largest pork processing plants, have already closed indefinitely, while the smallest have done so temporarily.
READ : Time to talk more seriously about the food supply amid the covid-19 crisis
"The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have closed in our industry, is pushing our country dangerously close to the limit in terms of our meat supply," said the director of Smithfield Foods, Ken Sullivan. "It is impossible to keep our stores stocked if our plants are not working."
CNN's Holly Yan, Devan Cole, Chuck Johnston, Elizabeth Cohen, Sheena Jones, Laura Ly and Erica Henry contributed to this report.
Pandemic
