Coronavirus Updates: China Lifts Wuhan’s Lockdown, Megan Thee Stallion Gives Back To Houston Nursing Home, Jack Dorsey Donates $1 Billion To COVID-19 Relief; New Unemployment Claims And More

Megan Thee Stallion gives back to her hometown, Jack Dorsey donates $1 billion to a COVID-19 relief fund, China released from lockdown and more in new #coronavirus updates.

We’re still in week four of the coronavirus quarantine, and things are said to become the worst they’ve ever been as the virus reaches a peak in the next few weeks. There are currently 1,508,965 cases, 88,323 deaths related to the virus, and 329,632 recoveries. While things still seem grim, celebs and big-name companies are still stepping in to help as unemployment filings continue to rise.

According to CNBC, 6.6 million additional employment claims were filed this week, and layoffs are turning into permanent removals. With the total of unemployment claims from last week expected to be a total of more than 5.6 million, the number of Americans filing will move to 16 million. The outlet also reports that companies are starting to cut costs by permanent laying off employees or extend their layoff period. While things are looking grim for Americans, China has officially lifted the 76-day lockdown on Wuhan, which was the epicenter of the virus. The city has 11 million citizens, and the first case of coronavirus was detected in December. The city has been on lockdown since January 23 in an effort to contain the outbreak, according to CNN.

Back in America, large companies like #Nike are working to help provide medical equipment to health officials and staff. The sports apparel giant is using material from its top-selling shoes to create face masks for medical workers. The equipment will be assembled “in a streamlined nine-step process” at Nike’s Air Manufacturing Innovation facilities in Oregon and Missouri, the company said. “Nike’s generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do,” said Miko Enomoto, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the OHSU School of Medicine in a statement.

In addition, celebs are still pitching in in the fight against #DaRona. Twitter and Square CEO #JackDorsey is donating $1 billion worth of equity in Square to his Start Small LLC to fund COVID-19 relief around the globe, according to the Verge. Dorsey announced the news in a tweet on Tuesday, writing, “I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education and UBI. It will operate transparently, all flows tracked here.” Dorsey attached a Google document that explained the breakdown of the financial plan. The amount mirrors roughly 28 percent of his current net worth, or about $3.6 billion.

Other celebs giving back are Megan Thee Stallion, Tyler Perry and Cardi B. In an Instagram post, the Houston Hottie wrote that she would be donating supplies and money to the residents and staff at Houston nursing home Park Manor Skilled Nursing Home. “What’s up Hotties, it’s Megan Thee Stallion — a.k.a, the Hot Girl coach. I have teamed up with Amazon Music just to donate some supplies and some money and some Fire tablets to the residents and the staff at the Park Manor Skilled Nursing Home in Houston, TX, my hometown, my city.” She continued, “Just because it’s important to lend out a helping hand at this time and just show everybody that’s still working that we support them,” she continued. “And, to support our grandparents at this time.”

Cardi B is teaming up with Instagram boutique Fashion Nova to donate $1,000 every hour to those impacted financially by coronavirus “Everyone has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Fashion Nova Cares and I have come with a way to help the many families in need,” she wrote. “Many of you are struggling to pay bills, feed your families, and take care of your overall essential needs … Tell us how the $1,000 can help you during these times. We’ll be reading your submissions and selecting stories every day,” said the Bronx native.

Tyler Perry also stepped in and paid for the grocery store purchases of older customers at 44 Kroger stores in Atlanta, GA, and 29 Winn Dixie stores in New Orleans, La. “He wanted to do something special to provide immediate relief for some of the most vulnerable in the two cities he considers home,” a source told PEOPLE.