Trump gets factories in supply mode

WASHINGTON－US President Donald Trump invoked rarely used emergency powers on Wednesday in a bid to make up for a lack of medical supplies as the country contends with the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Trump exercised his authority under the Defense Production Act to give the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to overcome shortages in masks, ventilators and other supplies, reports said.

The defense statute, enacted in 1950 at the outset of the Korean War (1950-53), empowers the president to expand the industrial production of key materials or products for national security and other reasons.

"It's a very tough situation here. You have to do things," Trump said.

The move also came as Trump took a series of other steps to steady the nation hit by the virus, as the number of infections in the US soared to 9,415 as of Thursday, with 105 deaths.

The Canada-US border, the world's longest, was effectively closed on Wednesday, save for commerce and essential travel. The White House also said it will push ahead in its plan to send relief checks to millions of US citizens.

Trump said he will expand the nation's diagnostic testing capacity and deploy a Navy hospital ship to New York City, which is rapidly becoming an epicenter of the outbreak, and another such ship to the West Coast. The Housing and Urban Development Department said it will suspend foreclosures and evictions through April to help the growing number of people who face losing their jobs and missing rent and mortgage payments.

Wall Street on Wednesday extended a four-week plunge in the face of deepening concerns over the fast-spreading virus that has paralyzed large sectors of the US economy and led to fears of a global recession.

Two members of the US House of Representatives－Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Ben McAdams of Utah－said on Wednesday they had each tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first two lawmakers in Congress known to have become infected.

The implications for Capitol Hill were not immediately clear. The news came after the US Senate passed legislation providing over $100 billion in emergency spending for free coronavirus testing, paid sick leave and expanded safety-net benefits.

The White House also urged hospitals to cancel all elective surgeries to reduce the risk of being overwhelmed by cases. The president was pressed on why a number of celebrities, like professional basketball players, seemed to have easier access to diagnostic tests than ordinary citizens.

"Perhaps that's the story of life," Trump said. "I've heard that happens on occasion."

Meanwhile, in a report issued on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it found that adults of all ages in the US－not just those in their 70s, 80s and 90s－are being seriously sickened by the coronavirus.

The report, which investigated nearly 2,500 of the first recorded cases in the US found that－as in other countries－the oldest patients had the greatest likelihood of dying and of being hospitalized. But of the 508 patients known to have been hospitalized, 38 percent were notably younger－between 20 and 54. And nearly half of the 121 patients who were admitted to intensive-care units were adults under 65.

Virus in Latin America

Brazil, the hardest-hit country in South America, had confirmed 529 cases and four deaths as of Thursday, with more than 1,200 cases across the continent.

Donning a surgical mask, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday warned Brazilians of "difficult days" ahead as the number of infections has been on the rise. Three of his ministers have tested positive.

"With basic hygiene measures, we can flatten the curve of the epidemic so we can give those who need it quality attention," Bolsonaro said.

In neighboring Argentina, health officials reported 19 new cases, bringing the total to 97, with two fatalities.

Ai Heping in New York, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.