Coronavirus Watch: 6.6M unemployment claims

The number of Americans who filed claims for unemployment benefits surged to a record 6.6 million last week as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spark massive layoffs and furloughs across the nation.

If you've been affected economically by the pandemic, here's some resources to help find a job and apply for unemployment. 

It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network.

This is the latest news, as of 1 p.m. ET:

• More than 226,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S. On Wednesday alone, more than 1,000 people died, raising the death toll to over 5,300. See a map of confirmed cases here.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, has been the target of online threats and has been issued an armed security detail.
• Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Nevada have joined states with stay-at-home orders, leaving fewer than 15 states without such orders.
• FEMA has asked the Pentagon for 100,000 body bags as the COVID-19 pandemic spirals. Known as mortuary pouches, the heavy-duty zippered bags are typically used in the military to contain the remains of troops killed in combat.
• The FBI has seized personal protective equipment, including almost 200,000 N95 respirator masks, from "hoarders"  and will distribute to health care workers battling the pandemic, federal officials said Thursday. 
• The first group of USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors who tested negative for COVID-19 will be shuttled to a hotel off-base to be quarantined within hours.
• More than 17,250 National Guard troops have been deployed in all 50 states and territories to help battle the coronavirus crisis.
• More corporations are looking to temporarily halt 401(k) contributions, trying to cut costs as the coronavirus crisis hits their revenue and profits.
• The mayor of Los Angeles told everyone in the nation’s second-largest city to start wearing masks to combat the the coronavirus, but California’s governor isn’t ready to take that idea statewide.

What do you want to know about the coronavirus? From 3 to 4 p.m. ET today on Facebook, I'll be answering your questions in a chat. You can participate by joining our Facebook group here. 

If you can't join, you can submit your questions at this form and we'll continue to update our reader Q&A. 

Stephanie from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, asks: How many people have recovered from the virus?

More than 204,000 people worldwide have recovered from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Most of the recoveries have been in China, followed by Spain, Germany, Italy and Iran. Of the more than 217,000 confirmed cases in the U.S., more than 8,800 have recovered.

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— Grace Hauck, Breaking News Reporter, @grace_hauck