Live updates: U.S. coronavirus cases surpass 1.8 million as concern over potential spread rises with turmoil

The number of reported coronavirus cases in the United States has surpassed 1.8 million, including more than 104,000 deaths. Officials emphasized the need for testing, physical distancing and face covering, a reflection of concern that the easing of stay-at-home restrictions, as well as large protests against police brutality across the nation, could lead to a spike in new cases.

Amid the turmoil, on Tuesday eight states and the District of Columbia held primary elections; four of them — in Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island — were rescheduled from earlier dates because of the coronavirus outbreak. Voters encountered fewer voting locations, signs encouraging social distancing and poll workers in protective gear, though no serious issues were initially reported.

Here are some significant developments:

• About 7 in 10 Americans say they would get a vaccine to protect against the novel coronavirus if immunizations were free and available to everyone, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The nationwide survey finds that a majority of people of all political affiliations are interested in receiving such a vaccine, but the extent of that interest varies along partisan lines.
• Experts are pushing back on recent reports claiming that the coronavirus is becoming less lethal, although many infectious-disease specialists say the virus will eventually mutate in ways that make it less deadly to humans.
• In an interview Tuesday evening, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Modern’a vaccine candidate. However, he is unsure of the durability of its protection. 
• The pandemic will haunt the U.S. economy for the next decade, costing nearly $8 trillion by 2030, according to a report released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office.
• As Mexico City hits what officials say is the peak of its outbreak, it’s facing an onslaught of cases with an understaffed and undersupplied hospital system. There is concern the country’s death toll is far higher than the official figures.
• Iran reported nearly 3,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest daily rise in two months, as the country’s health minister warned that Iranians are facing another wave.