Throughout Friday, on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world.

While this year’s Mother’s Day weekend promises warm weather, Seattle officials are restricting hours in city parks out of fears that large crowds hoping to enjoy the sun could further spread the novel coronavirus. A recent report shows the COVID-19 transmission rate in Western Washington may be steadily increasing, suggesting that the number of virus cases […]

The Gonzaga men clinched a tie for the conference title while the Zags women earned the outright regular-season crown.

Yoeli Childs scored 28 points for host BYU. Gonzaga dropped to 27-2 on a day where No. 1 Baylor and No. 4 San Diego State also lost.

Seattle Times Opinion, for the fourth year, is honoring community members and organizations that have made important contributions to our community in the last year. This year the full-page cartoon is by editorial cartoonist David Horsey. Always running on Dec. 25, the feature is a nice way to reflect on the unsung — and sung […]

The year was 1997. Andy Thompson had an idea. Adam Silver liked his plan. Neither had any clue what they concocted. The ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance” — the story based around Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — premieres Sunday night with the first two episodes of the 10-part series. And […]

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Tom Hanks says graduates of an Ohio university that named a film center after him are “the chosen ones.” The Oscar-winning actor delivered a surprise virtual speech Saturday to the graduates of Wright State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures. The video was posted shortly before the ceremony began. […]

(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump announced a $19 billion bailout package for farmers hurt financially by the coronavirus crisis. The aid plan includes $16 billion in direct payments to farmers to boost their incomes, along with $3 billion in government purchases of meat, dairy products and other foods, the president said Friday at a White […]

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The highest rate of coronavirus cases of any county on the U.S. West Coast is in Washington state’s Yakima County. Health experts point to a large number of essential workers, a large number of cases in long-term care facilities and a large agricultural workforce living and working in close quarters as […]

With hospitals and cemeteries overwhelmed by the coronavirus, the mayor of Manaus, Brazil's hardest hit city, has appealed to world leaders, including President Trump, for help.

Steve Inskeep talks to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the coronavirus threat within the ranks of the military, and guarding against a power competition with China.

About a third of Americans are working from home because of the coronavirus. The technology that enables this has been around for many years, but it took a pandemic to force the move to remote work.

Jackie Stockton and daughter Alice Stockton-Rossini recovered from the virus that killed friends and a relative. Faith and the ability to take life "one minute at a time" help the women persevere.

A moment of Unity fighting the Corona Virus. We are volunteering at the Jameson Crane Swab Station collecting nasal swab samples for testing and diagnosis. We are BUCKEYE STRONG SERVING OUR COMMUNITY IN TIME OF NEED! This IS what we do at THE Ohio State University! The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, or the few.....

Shares of RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (RDHL) are moving up over 9% in pre-market today, after the company announced that the U.S. FDA has approved its Investigational New Drug or IND application for a Phase 2a clinical study evaluating its investigational drug, opaganib, in patients with confirmed moderate-to-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, the cause of COVID-19.

Shares of ViacomCBS Inc. (VIAC) are rising over 19% in pre-market today, following the company's better-than-expected Q1 results.

Shares of SG Blocks, Inc. (SGBX), a fabricator of container-based structures, are surging almost 34 percent or $1.47 in Tuesday's morning trade at $5.80. The stock has traded in a range of $1.16 to $35.00 in the past 52 weeks.

Grocery chain Kroger Co. said it is making free COVID-19 testing available for its employees, based on their symptoms and medical needs. The company's healthcare division, Kroger Health, will begin offering COVID-19 testing to associates from this month. Workers will be provided self-administered kits or an appointment at the company's public drive-thru testing sites.

IBM has rolled out "IBM Rapid Supplier Connect" to help in addressing the shortages in the COVID-19 Medical Supply Chain. The IBM Blockchain-powered solution can help healthcare and government agencies in the U.S. and Canada to rapidly identify and onboard new, non-traditional, alternative vendors to address the shortage of equipment, devices and supplies needed for COVID-19 relief efforts.

Fan engagement platform Socios.com plans to launch blockchain-powered COVID-19 immunity passes for global football fans to enable them to attend live games at stadiums in the aftermath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Socios Pass, an ID and immunity verification tool, will allow fans holding "Proof of Immunity" to return to the stadium and watch live games more safely and securely.

About a third of Americans are working from home because of the coronavirus. The technology that enables this has been around for many years, but it took a pandemic to force the move to remote work.

Doctors in the U.S. and Europe are reporting a small wave of cases of what looks like a "shock syndrome" in young people. They have low blood pressure, inflamed hearts and other serious symptoms.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital on Sunday, when the country's coronavirus death toll passed a grim landmark of 10,000. Boris Johnson was tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms on March 27. He was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London after 10 days with "persistent symptoms" of coronavirus. He was moved to intensive care unit later as his symptoms

The Philippine economy contracted for the first time since 1998 as coronavirus containment measures weighed heavily on investment and shipments, official data showed Thursday. Gross domestic product fell 0.2 percent on a yearly basis in the first quarter, in contrast to fourth quarter's revised 6.7 percent expansion, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

The European Commission on Wednesday downgraded the growth forecasts for the Eurozone and the European Union and said the region is set to witness a recession of "historic proportions" this year due to the "major shock" from the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic and the consequent lockdown.

The United States recorded 2,448 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the biggest rise this month, taking the total death toll to more than 75,000. A total of 75,670 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the U.S., as per latest data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. This makes up nearly one third of the global cases, and more than on

With no let-up in the spread of coronavirus in the United States, virus-related deaths in the country are approaching 50,000. The total number of deaths has risen to 49,963 as per Johns Hopkins University's latest data. U.S. health authorities have identified more than 869,172 COVID-19 cases throughout the United States so far. Of all the infections reported in the country, 263,460 were in Ne

On Monday, coronavirus deaths in the United States crossed 67000, a figure still short of the 100,000 mark that US President Donald Trump has warned of the other day. "We're going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100,000 people," Trump said at a two-hour Fox News virtual "town hall" Sunday. This figure is a significant increase from his previous estimate of 60,000. Trump claimed that without his

Diagnosed cases of coronavirus are nearing the million mark in the United States. The pandemic has so far infected 965,933 people and killed 54,877 others in the country, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Of all the infections reported in the U.S., 288,045 were in New York. The number of casualties reached 22,269 in the sta

After a lull in coronavirus-related death toll in the United States since the beginning of this month, the country recorded nearly 2,000 deaths in the past 24 hours. Daily death toll has been moving around 1000 since May 1, but it rose to the 2000 range for the third day in a row. On Wednesday, 1,949 people died of the killer disease in the U.S. The new surge in casualties brought the total numb

A significant surge in coronavirus-related deaths and infections was reported in the United States on Wednesday. With 2,229 casualties, the total number of deaths has risen to 46,785, according to Johns Hopkins University's latest data. With 29,304 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. increased to 842,624.

World Health Organization revealed 'deeply concerning' estimate that half of the people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe were inmates of care homes. WHO's Europe Director Hans Kluge described it as "an unimaginable human tragedy" at a press conference Thursday. "This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of our society. Across the European Region, long-ter

Deaths in the United States due to coronavirus pandemic has topped 62,000 as of Thursday.

Coronavirus-related deaths in the United States surpassed 70,000 with 1.2 million confirmed cases of infection. As daily death toll moving around 1000 in recent days, President Donald Trump said it's time to reopen businesses, and Vice-President Mike Pence suggested the White House coronavirus task force could be disbanded within weeks. A total of 1,204,475 cases and 71,078 Covid-19 related deaths

CVS Health Corp. extended its rapid COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites to Michigan, with the launch of a new rapid COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Dearborn in collaboration with federal and state officials. Since March, the company has conducted more than 35,000 COVID-19 tests. The new testing is part of CVS Health's efforts to expand access to coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for everybody.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Friday, commercial flooring company Interface, Inc. (TILE) said it has withdrawn its previously communicated financial guidance for the full-year 2020, due to the continued disruption of the global economy due to COVID-19, and the significant level of uncertainty created by the global pandemic.

While reporting financial results for the third quarter on Thursday, dental solutions company Dentsply Sirona, Inc. (XRAY) said it is withdrawing its previously communicated financial guidance for the full-year 2020 as a result of the uncertainty around the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the business.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Friday, energy company Avista Corp. (AVA) said it is lowering its consolidated earnings guidance for the full-year 2020 to reflect regulatory items, expected net impacts from COVID-19, and losses at our non-utility businesses.

While reporting its first-quarter financial results on Friday, Alliance Resource Partners LP (ARLP) said its second-quarter results will suffer due to the demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While reporting financial results for the second quarter on Friday, life science company Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO) raised its adjusted earnings and revenue guidance for the full year 2020, despite the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the unprecedented demand for its Life Science products.

Shares of Roku Inc. (ROKU) are currently slipping over more 6% on Friday morning after the video streaming platform shared a downbeat outlook for ad revenues going forward.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, power company AES Corp. (AES) lowered its adjusted earnings guidance for the full-year 2020, due to the COVID-19-related economic slowdown.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, aerospace and defense company Raytheon Technologies Corp. (RTX) said it is not providing an outlook at this time, due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the scope, severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR) slashed its earnings and revenue guidance for the full-year 2020, reflecting the estimated impact of COVID-19 and other factors on operations.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) slashed its earnings and revenue growth guidance for the full-year 2020, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and its expected impact on the operations, client demand, and financial results.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, tire maker Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (CTB) said it is withdrawing its previously announced financial guidance issued on February 24 for the full-year 2020, due to the rapidly evolving environment and continued uncertainties resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, technology company Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NSIT) said it is withdrawing its 2020 financial guidance for net sales and adjusted earnings per share due to the high level of economic uncertainty and disruption caused by COVID-19.

While reporting financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (AAWW) is providing an outlook for the second quarter of 2020, but its full-year 2020 guidance provided on February 20 of this year no longer applies, and we will provide updates as the year progresses.

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro asks UNC coronavirus researcher Dr. Ada Adimora for the latest information concerning COVID-19.