March 25, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

New York hospitals are being hit with a crush of patients suffering from COVID-19. There are over 30,000 confirmed cases in the state, and more than 280 people have died. While the hospitalization rate has slowed, it is still doubling every four or five days. William Brangham discusses the crisis with Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University.

Russian cases of COVID-19 have been low until now, according to the country’s government. But there are serious doubts about the veracity of those numbers, especially in Moscow -- Europe’s largest city. For a population accustomed to packing tightly into churches, the concept of social distancing has not yet taken hold. Special correspondent Lucy Taylor reports.

President Trump held another news briefing on COVID-19 Wednesday evening, this time announcing his intention to sign the pandemic aid package the Senate drafted in conjunction with his administration. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what Trump said about that bill as well as progress on coronavirus testing in the U.S.

Leaders in the states hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic so far are facing difficult choices amid limited resources. One of those states is Louisiana, which has experienced an explosion of cases and was declared a federal disaster by President Trump. Gov. John Bel Edwards joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the “alarming” growth rate of Louisiana cases and the desperate need for ventilators.