Coronavirus Watch: It's a pandemic, WHO says

The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus a "pandemic," defined as a global outbreak of a serious new illness seeing sustained transmission throughout the world.

"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network, where we update you on everything to know about COVID-19.

Here's the latest, as of 1:30 p.m. ET:

• More than 1,000 people in the U.S. have been infected and 31 have died after contracting the virus. Here's a map of confirmed coronavirus cases.
• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency after coronavirus cases in the state more than doubled in one day. Meanwhile, Michigan declared an emergency yesterday. 
• Health labs in the U.S. are reporting a new shortage of a key testing component.
• There are more than 121,000 cases worldwide and more than 4,300 people have died.
• Italy remains in a nationwide lockdown as confirmed cases jumped past 10,000. The death toll stands at 631, second only to China.
• The Grand Princess cruise ship was set to continue unloading passengers for a third day in Oakland, California. More than 1,400 people have disembarked, leaving at least 1,000 on board.
• U.S. markets opened sharply lower Wednesday, wiping out much of the gains recorded Tuesday. Stocks have been swinging wildly for days but remained more than 10% below record highs. 
• More than a dozen universities and colleges are suspending in-person classes in favor of online classes.
• Music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have been postponed until the fall.

Please keep reaching out to us with your questions! We've put together an explainer that answers many of them, and we've debunked some viral rumors. What else would you like to know?

Kevin from Owego, New York, asks: How many people have been tested? What is the anticipated maximum number of tests per day? 

At CDC and public health labs in the U.S., less than 10,000 specimen have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease) since Jan. 18, according to data compiled by the CDC. The most specimen tested in a given day in the U.S. was 810 on March 6. However, since a test requires more than one specimen from each patient, the number of people tested for the virus is even lower.

By comparison, in the United Kingdom, where six people have died and nearly 400 have been infected, more than 27,000 people have been tested for the virus. In South Korea, where at least 54 people have died and more than 7,700 have been infected, nearly 200,000 people have been tested.

Coronavirus testing in the U.S. has faced a series of roadblocks. Initially, the CDC shipped out test kits that produced potentially inaccurate results. Now some labs have run short on the kits and components needed to conduct the tests. Tests are being done by public health departments and clinical diagnostic laboratory giants such as Quest Diagnostics and Laboratory Corporation of America.

Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with the virus? What has your experience been like? We want to hear your story. Email me at ghauck@usatoday.com if you're interested in sharing.

Finally, thank you all for subscribing. We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Please forward this email so they can sign up here.

Here are today's coronavirus need-to-knows.

— Grace Hauck, Breaking News Reporter, @grace_hauck