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U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic topped 1,000 in another grim milestone for a global outbreak that is taking lives and wreaking havoc on economies and the established routines of ordinary life. Worldwide, the death toll climbed past 21,000, according to a running count kept by Johns Hopkins University, and the U.S. had 1,050 deaths and nearly 70,000 infections. (Peltz and Long, 3/26)

State and local governments around the country have issued stay-at-home orders or requests, in some cases ordering non-essential businesses to close, as a way to slow the spread of the virus and prevent health systems from being overwhelmed. Major sports have been canceled or put on hiatus, gambling was ordered shut down in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada, and in places with stay-at-home orders bars and restaurants were ordered closed or restricted to take out and delivery. In Los Angeles, which along with California has ordered non-essential businesses to close in order to slow the spread of the virus, the mayor warned "we have not seen the darkest days."(Helsel, 3/26)

A leading epidemiologist advising the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated the peak of deaths in the US coronavirus pandemic will be three weeks from now, after which "most of the damage will be done," and says it may be possible to only isolate the vulnerable, allowing many back to work. The CDC confirmed that Ira Longini, professor at the Center for Statistics and Quantitative Infectious Diseases at the University of Florida, is a "funded partner." The agency said he works with them on Covid-19 modeling. (Krever, Yu and Paton Walsh, 3/26)

Since the first U.S. case of the coronavirus was identified in Washington state on Jan. 21, health officials have identified more than 65,000 cases across the United States and more than 900 deaths. By March 17, the virus had expanded its presence from several isolated clusters in Washington, New York and California to all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Renken and Wood, 3/25)

The American population is growing at its slowest pace since 1919, new government data shows, as a drop in births and an acceleration in deaths put the country closer than ever to an overall decline. The figures, released by the Census Bureau on Thursday and analyzed by demographers, were for the 12 months that ended in July 2019, long before the coronavirus began to spread in the United States. Experts said that if one of the more dire projections of coronavirus-related deaths holds true, the country could face its first yearly drop in population, particularly if immigration continues to fall. (Tavernise, 3/26)