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The latest coronavirus updates: Sunday, April 19, 2020

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(WXYZ) — All of the updates on the coronavirus and the incredible impact it's having on our lives can be hard to keep up with. To help you keep up, we'll post this daily blog on our homepage. You can find all of our stories on our coronavirus page.

6:27 p.m.

During a briefing at the White House on Sunday, President Donald Trump said he would use the Defense Production Act to force medical manufacturers to create more swabs that can be used in COVID-19 tests.

Trump's comments come after weeks of requests from state governors for help in increasing coronavirus testing capacity.

On Sunday, Trump reported that the U.S. had tested 4 million people for the coronavirus, the most in the world. However, U.S. tests represent about 1 percent of the population, and currently only has the capacity to test those who are most at risk for the disease. Health experts agree that more testing needs to be conducted in order to more fully understand how the virus behaves. More here.

3:47 p.m.

More than 40,000 people in the U.S. have now died of the novel coronavirus, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington — a model followed closely by federal medical officials — the total number of reported deaths linked to the novel coronavirus has doubled in the last eight days.

The first death linked to the virus occurred on Feb. 26. More here.

2:57 p.m.

There are now 2,391 deaths and 31,424 total cases of coronavirus in Michigan, according to the latest numbers released by the state on Sunday afternoon.

State officials confirmed 83 new deaths and 633 new positive cases, which may be further indication of a plateau in the state.

A cumulative total of 3,237 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Michigan, as of April 17, according to state officials. More here.

1:51 p.m.

The Ford Sheldon Plant in Plymouth, Michigan, has manufactured more than 4 million face shields for health care workers as the country battles against the spread of the coronavirus.

The announcement was made on Facebook April 18, by Production Management Supervisor Doug Geiss.

"(We're) shipping as fast as we can make them," Geiss wrote.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.

Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

Find out how you can help metro Detroit restaurants struggling during the pandemic.

See all of our Helping Each Other stories.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.