WEDNESDAY COVID-19 UPDATE: 220 New Cases. Largest 1 Day Increase in RI.

Rhode Island has had its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases, with 220 additional cases reported on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the state is now 1450, with 35 total deaths. Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health says that the five most recent deaths include three people in their 70's, one in their 80's and one person in their 90's. Three of the cases were from Golden Crest(1) and Oak Hill(2) nursing centers, which have become coronavirus hot spots in the past month.

In her daily briefing Governor Gina Raimondo reiterated that the state is in the "rapid spread" phase of the pandemic. Following Monday's opening of the CVS-run COVID-19 testing site at the Twin River Casino parking lot in Lincoln, Raimondo says that some people have been walking into CVS stores requesting a test. To clarify, she says, tests can only be requested on the cvs.com website and that no one who is sick should be leaving home to enter any public place. The rapid-results site is open only to adults. Parents who wish to request tests for children must contact their pediatrician who can refer them to another testing site.

On Wednesday the governor announced that Rhode Island state courts closed until May 1st.

Raimonodo says that the launch of the RIDelivers.com website has been a success. The site is designed to provide meals to people who are in quarantine or can't get out to buy food.She says the site has helped deliver meals to over 40,000 residents in the past week. Anyone who does not have internet access can request food delivery by calling 2-1-1 in order to reach the United Way, which can help facilitate the process.

Over the past two weeks Raimondo has asked Rhode Islanders to keep a journal of everyone they come into contact with, so that the source of any new coronavirus cases can be more easily tracked. At her Wednesday briefing, the governor said "I can't get everyone back to work, unless we all keep a contact journal," noting that stamping down the pandemic quickly depends on tracking cases to their source as soon as possible.

photo: WJAR TV NBC10 video


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