Here is a list of the major developments in the coronavirus epidemic facing San Diego County, updated at 9:25 p.m. on Thursday.
• There have been 966 cases of coronavirus disease and 16 deaths among San Diego County residents as of Thursday afternoon.
• Across California there have been 9,191 cases and 203 deaths as of Thursday afternoon.
• Health officials urged all San Diego County residents to begin wearing face coverings and announced new social distancing restrictions as coronavirus cases grew by 117 and another death was reported.
• The captain of the San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt was relieved of duty in the wake of his request in a highly-publicized letter for “decisive action” by Navy leadership as the ship’s crew battled a coronavirus outbreak.
• After efforts to keep people from gathering at the beach proved insufficient, the city of Carlsbad announced it will prohibit parking along nearly six miles of state-owned coastline starting Friday.
• San Diego medical equipment company ResMed was among six manufacturers directed to facilitate the supply of materials needed to produce ventilators amid the coronavirus outbreak under an order issued by President Trump.
• The California Department of Public Health now recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public to provide “additional protection” against the spread of coronavirus.
• A train engineer at the Port of Los Angeles is in federal custody after allegedly running a locomotive at full speed off the end of tracks near the USNS Mercy, claiming the hospital ship was part of a “government takeover.”
• A San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company reported promising results from a clinical trial of COVID-19 treatment conducted in collaboration with Renmin Hospital in Wuhan, China.
• Nearly 80 journalism professors and academics signed an open letter to the owners of Fox News expressing criticism of the cable network’s coronavirus coverage and urging it to stop spreading “misinformation.”
• Sharp HealthCare Thursday advised those who rely on maintenance medications to plan ahead in order to avoid running out of them amid the array of everyday challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis.
• McDonald’s franchisees began serving free breakfast daily to first responders at the company’s 700-plus locally owned and operated restaurants in Southern California.
• The San Diego Humane Society urged pet owners to prepare an emergency plan for their animals amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• The flagship radio station of the San Diego Padres, 97.3 the Fan (KWFN), along with 95.7 the Game (KGME-FM) in San Francisco. will host the “Virtual Game of the Week” at 10 a.m. Friday.
If your organization has relevant news to add to this daily list, please send to news@timesofsandiego.com.