Coronavirus live updates: Coronavirus researcher fatally shot, Trump defends not wearing mask

President Donald Trump said “there’ll be more death” related to the coronavirus pandemic but claimed it’s time to reopen the country as a growing number of states move to slowly relax their stay-at-home mandates.

“I think we’re doing very well on the vaccines but, with or without a vaccine, it’s going to pass, and we’re going to be back to normal,” Trump told ABC News in an interview while visiting a mask-making factory in Arizona.

Trump also defended his choice not to wear a mask at the factory during a Wednesday press conference, where he said he was told he didn’t have to use one. The president also claimed he wore a mask for “some period of time” during the visit.

At least 64 children in New York state have been hospitalized with an illness apparently linked to the coronavirus. The symptoms are consistent with other inflammatory illnesses, such as Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome.

As scientists around the world race to develop a potential solution, researchers at Pfizer Inc. and New York University are working on a never-before-tried coronavirus vaccine that the pharmaceutical company says could be available by September.

A medical researcher from the University of Pittsburgh was found shot to death over the weekend after what police believe to be a “lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner.” The university said Dr. Bing Liu “was on the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie” the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the U.S. rose to more than 72,000, according to NBC News’ count, and there are more than 1.2 million confirmed cases of the virus.

Here’s what to know about the coronavirus, plus a timeline of the most critical moments:

• MAPS: Confirmed cases in the U.S. and worldwide, confirmed deaths in the U.S. and globally.
• Reopening America: See what states across the U.S. are starting to reopen.

source: nbcnews.com