'You can save lives:' Facebook group donating RVs to doctors

DALLAS -- Emily Phillips is the wife of an emergency room doctor.Her husband, Jason, is on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, and while his focus is aimed at protecting family members in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Emily's focus is on protecting him and their three children.“Imagine being scared of living in your own home, I mean it was horrible and it caused a lot of tension between my husband and I," Emily said.It prompted the couple to find a way -- another place for Jason to stay."She put out a post that asked if anybody had an RV they would be willing to donate," said Lynn Bender.With Bender's help, Emily was connected to an RV immediately, but she quickly realized the problem stretched far beyond her family.

2,100+ positive for COVID-19 in Wisconsin; 23K+ test negative, 66 deaths

MILWAUKEE -- More than 2,100 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in 66 deaths, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and county health departments.

Officials report 1st coronavirus-related death in Kenosha County

KENOSHA -- The Kenosha County medical examiner confirmed Saturday, April 4, the county's first death related to COVID-19.The medical examiner identified the victim as an 85-year-old Kenosha man who had multiple underlying health issues."We are saddened to have lost one of our residents," said Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser. "Please take the Safer-at-Home order seriously and avoid going out as much as possible."Kenosha County Health Officer Dr.

President Trump warns US is facing 'toughest' weeks ahead

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned Saturday that the county could be headed into its “toughest” weeks yet as the coronavirus death toll mounts, but at the same time he expressed growing impatience with social distancing guidelines and said he’s eager to get the country reopened and its stalled economy back on track.“There will be a lot of death, unfortunately,” President Trump said in a somber start to his daily briefing on the pandemic. "There will be death.”Joining President Trump were Vice President Mike Pence, virus task force coordinator Dr.

Milwaukee leaders moving forward with plans for alternative COVID-19 care facilities

MILWAUKEE -- As the number of cases and deaths continues to rise, Milwaukee leaders worked through the weekend preparing for what to do in the event that hospitals run out of space for COVID-19 patients.Staff at Milwaukee-area hospitals say more and more medical professionals are having to switch from the jobs they normally do, to help treat patients with COVID-19.

Meijer announces new efforts to reduce COVID-19 risk in stores

MILWAUKEE -- Meijer announced Saturday, April 4 additional steps it is taking to make its stores safe for both shoppers and team members.In addition to amplifying its communication to customers about social distancing practices, Meijer is now asking its customers to limit the number of shoppers who come to the store on each trip.Following are the newest steps the retailer has taken to help make the stores as safe as possible:

6-year-old cystic fibrosis 'warrior' announces he beat coronavirus

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVT) -- A six-year-old Tennessee boy who has cystic fibrosis said he beat COVID-19 after testing positive for the virus on March 19, a video shows.In a heart-warming video posted by Joseph’s mother Sabrina on Facebook, Joseph thanks everyone for their cards, prayers and gifts and announces that as a “cystic fibrosis warrior” he has beaten COVID-19.On March 19, Sabrina posted on Facebook that Joseph had tested positive for the virus after developing a fever and cough.Since then, Sabrina has posted daily updates on Joseph and his condition during quarantine, including a drive-by parade organized by Joseph’s school to wish him well.

'Anybody can do it:' Racine sewing shop starts quilt-making project to support essential employees

RACINE -- With handshakes and hugs off the table, a Racine sewing shop is using a needle and thread to support essential businesses.In the age of social distancing, Karin Janssen-Potter still wanted to thank the essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic."They're going out every single day, risking their lives to keep us healthy and to keep us safe," Janssen-Potter, manager of Sew 'n Save of Racine.

Police: Illinois man who killed wife, self feared they both had COVID-19

WILL COUNTY (WFLD) -- A man who killed his wife and then himself earlier this week in southwest suburban Lockport Township told family that he feared he and his wife had contracted the coronavirus, according to police.At about 8 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a home for a wellbeing check and found Patrick Jesernik, 54, and Cheryl Schriefer, 59, lying dead in separate rooms of the house, the Will County sheriff’s office said.

President Trump speaks with sports commissioners about COVID-19 response, community work

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump met by phone with many U.S. pro sports leaders Saturday to discuss how that industry has been affected by the global coronavirus pandemic, saying he was looking forward to the resumption of competitions “as soon as we can.”The NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball were all represented on the call by their commissioners — Adam Silver, Gary Bettman, Roger Goodell and Rob Manfred, respectively.“I want fans back in the arenas,” President Trump said later in a briefing at the White House. “I think it’s ...

Chicago convention center, largest in US, re-christened as coronavirus field hospital

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The governor of Illinois and mayor of Chicago on Friday re-christened North America’s largest convention center as a pandemic-battling field hospital and publicly hoped it would never see a single patient.Gov.

NY to get 1,100 ventilators with help from China, Oregon

NEW YORK — New York is poised to get over 1,100 ventilators from China and Oregon as it scrambles to line up more breathing machines for the sickest coronavirus patients, Gov.

Hunt for medical supplies creates marketplace of desperation

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Shady middlemen, phantom shipments, prices soaring by the hour, goods flown in on a private plane.What sounds like an organized-crime thriller is now the new reality for governors desperately trying to find the medical equipment their states need in the throes of a pandemic.

Hidden suffering of coronavirus: Stigma, blaming, shaming add to the perils of the virus

BOGOTA, Colombia — No one should have known Bella Lamilla’s name, but within hours of her diagnosis as Ecuador’s first coronavirus case, it was circulating on social media along with photos showing the retired schoolteacher unconscious and intubated in a hospital bed.Her large, close-knit family watched in horror as a dual tragedy began to unfold: While Lamilla fought for her life in intensive care, strangers began tearing apart her reputation online.“Knowing she had it, the old lady didn’t care and went all around,” one person commented on Facebook.“It was ugly,” said Pedro Valenzuela, 22, Lamilla’s great-nephew. “It hurt a lot.”The spreading global pandemic has tested the competing interests of public health and privacy, with thousands of individuals experiencing both physical illness and the less-visible stigma that can come with it.