Coronavirus update: Senate passes aid package, UN asks for funding, global cases near 500,000

The Senate passed the historic $2 trillion coronavirus assistance package late on Wednesday. President Trump has promised to sign the bill, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled that her chamber will support the measure.

The aid package included $100 billion that will be sent to hospitals fighting on the frontlines against the virus, $300 billion in assistance for struggling small businesses, $500 billion in bailout dollars for distressed American companies, and the signature $1,200 each to millions of qualifying Americans.

The coronavirus pandemic death toll has surpassed 1,000 in the United States. The number of total confirmed cases of the illness globally is nearing 500,000, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

The United Nations requested $2 billion in global funding to help the world’s poorest countries fight coronavirus, as the infectious disease begins to descend on the emerging world. Libya and Syria announced their first confirmed cases of the virus this week, while numbers in South American and Africa continue to multiply every day.

The President and the Governor of New York are worried about the mental health of Americans during the pandemic. Governor Cuomo has arranged for 6,000 mental-health professionals to volunteer their services for free. New Yorkers can call a hotline and schedule an appointment.

President Trump has begun reassuring thee public that life and country will return to normal as the crisis begins to de-escalate. During a Fox News town hall this week he worried about the increased number of suicides we could see.

Some crisis hotlines have seen dramatic spikes in the number of texts and calls they’re getting this month.