Coronavirus: The week ahead

The United States was poised to surpass 20,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday as the number of deaths approached 300.

What other changes are happening? Vice President Mike Pence asked Americans to postpone elective medical procedures, including dental care, to conserve supplies for COVID-19 patients and providers. New Jersey joined the list of states on lockdown. Americans returning from abroad reported long lines at airports as health officials try to assess everyone coming back into the country—as of Saturday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had screened 220,000 returnees at U.S. airports. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state is scouting locations for field hospitals to care for thousands of sick patients.

Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s take on the potential for anti-malarial drugs to help treat COVID-19.