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Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day 44 since coronavirus was declared a global

pandemic. Our main story? The dire shortage of life-saving ventilators that plagued the U.S. in March

has been eased in many places. But even though these machines are a treatment of last

resort for the sickest patients, most people on ventilators never recover. When they do, their bodies can be

changed forever. But first, here's what happened today. The death toll from the new coronavirus reached 50,000 in the U.S.

The country is the epicenter of the global outbreak, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

New York City has suffered the most, with more than 16,000 deaths.

In the U.S., some 870,000 people have been infected.

Still, some states have begun planning rollbacks on social

distancing restrictions. That creates a challenge of how to restart the economy without

sparking a second wave of infections. Some European countries, including Germany and Austria,

are already taking cautious steps toward reopening.

The U.S. response to the pandemic remains disjointed, and it's not clear how much policy is driven by science.

In a Thursday evening briefing, President Donald Trump suggested that doctors experiment with

injecting disinfectant to treat coronavirus. His comments came after a Homeland Security

Undersecretary told reporters, bleach and alcohol killed the virus on surfaces. Disinfectant brands and medical experts alike have made statements to the public stating in no uncertain terms that bleach is a toxic chemical and should never be ingested or inhaled in any way.

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