U.S. reports more than 13,000 coronavirus cases, doubling in two days

An ambulance staff in protective suit wheels a stretcher with a patient on into a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington State, U.S., February 29, 2020. /AP

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported an increase of more than 5,000 confirmed cases in the U.S. in 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 13,678 as of 8:43 a.m. local time (EDT) on March 20. The number of confirmed cases doubled in less than two days, and at least 188 died.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, said on Thursday the dramatic increase in the number of new cases is the result of increased testing capacity of the U.S., adding that the number of news cases will continue to increase over the next two or three days.

President Donald Trump urged health regulators to expedite potential therapies aimed at treating COVID-19, saying it could lead to a breakthrough while a vaccine is still under development.

The president also proposed earlier this week to pump one trillion U.S. dollars into the market to contain the coronavirus and save the economy. Republicans and Democrats agreed to meet Friday to seek an agreement over the aid package.

After initially playing down the threat and focusing on the stock market, the Republican president's tone on the pandemic has changed sharply in the last few days. His administration has begun pushing for urgent action to stem the disease's economic and human toll.

U.S. President Donald Trump provides the latest developments of the coronavirus outbreak at the White House, Washington, DC, U.S., March 19, 2020. /AP

The one trillion-plus package will include direct financial help for Americans, relief for small businesses and their employees, steps to stabilize the economy, and new support for healthcare professionals and coronavirus patients, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Aside from the one trillion dollars, the Trump administration is also considering a plan to send checks to individual Americans of over 1,000 dollars to help them weather the crisis.

A key plank is direct payments of up to 1,200 dollars for individuals and 2,400 dollars for couples below a certain income threshold, along with 500 dollars for each child in the family, a Senate Finance Committee statement said.

The bill also includes 208 billion dollars for industries. This breaks down to 58 billion dollars for airlines, and 150 billion dollars for other eligible entities. All of this money would be in the form of loans and loan guarantees.

(With input from agencies)