Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
8461

UK social distancing measures should be in place for “most of year,” government advisers say
From CNN’s Emma Reynolds

Restrictions on social contact in the United Kingdom will need to be in place for “at least most of a year” to ensure the coronavirus outbreak is kept under control, the government’s scientific advisers have said.

The strict measures on “social distancing,” such as advising people not to socialize in restaurants, closing schools and keeping vulnerable groups at home, will only be effective if used all together and for a prolonged period, they said. Otherwise, at the peak of the outbreak, the UK’s public health service would be overwhelmed.

The conclusions are contained in a set of papers from Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which provides scientific and technical advice to government decision makers during emergencies, published by the government on Friday.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that coronavirus could be beaten within 12 weeks, the documents suggested the effort would last considerably longer.

Some more background: In a document dated March 16, the advisers said that isolation and the social distancing of vulnerable groups alone were “very unlikely to prevent critical care facilities being overwhelmed."

If the government added school closures and wider social distancing, that “would be likely to control the epidemic when kept in place for a long period” and should be implemented “as soon as practical.”

It said that authorities could alternate between strict and more relaxed social distancing measures. But in total, restrictions would need to be in place for at least a year, with the stricter measures enacted for at least six months.

The government has been criticized for not making its advice mandatory — particularly in London, where the spread of the virus is more advanced than in the rest of the UK.

More than 200 first responders in Washington, DC, are under quarantine
DC Fire & EMS tweeted that there are 141 Washington, DC, firefighters and 70 police officers in quarantine due to the novel coronavirus.

Read the tweet:

DC Fire and EMS
:heavy_check_mark:
@dcfireems
COVID-19 impact on first responders: 141 DC firefighters, 70 police officers in quarantine https://wjla.com/news/local/covid-19-impact-on-first-responders-141-dc-firefighters-70-police-officers-in-quarantine …

COVID-19 impact on first responders: 141 DC firefighters, 70 police officers in quarantine
The coronavirus pandemic is presenting unprecedented challenges for first responders, as firefighter and police officers fight to stay healthy while serving their communities. In the District, D. C…

Treasury Secretary: US tax filing deadline moved to July 15
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced on Friday that the Trump administration will move the tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15.

“At @realDonaldTrump’s direction, we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties,” Mnuchin wrote on Twitter.
The White House had announced previously it would be deferring tax payments.

8462

State Department suspending visa services at all embassies and consulates
From CNN’s Jennifer Hansler

The State Department is suspending routine visa services at all embassies and consulates worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“In response to significant worldwide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State is temporarily suspending routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates,” the department said in an advisory posted on Friday. “Embassies and consulates will cancel all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020."
The move comes following the State Department’s issuance of a global Level 4 Travel Advisory urging Americans not to travel abroad.

The department also announced Thursday that it was suspending regular passport services and only offering services for those with “life-or-death” emergencies.

“As resources allow, embassies and consulates will continue to provide urgent and emergency visa services. Our overseas missions will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time," the department said in the advisory on Friday.

Head of United Nations’ World Food Programme tests positive for coronavirus
From CNN Health’s Jacqueline Howard

David Beasley, head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), has Covid-19, according to a statement released on Thursday.

Beasley said in a written statement that he is now working with his WFP team to trace back anyone he may have been in close contact with during the time he was unaware of the infection.

“We have already started the process of reaching out to alert each and every one of them so that they are made aware that there is a risk that they too may be infected with the virus,” Beasley, a former governor of South Carolina, said in the statement.
Beasley aded: “I began feeling unwell this past weekend after returning to my home in the United States from an official visit to Canada and I took an early decision to go into self-quarantine, five days ago. So far, my symptoms have been relatively light, and I am in good spirits. I am lucky to be close to my family and I have access to excellent medical support.”

Trump’s former top economic adviser is returning to the White House
From CNN’s Matt Egan

Kevin Hassett is returning to the White House to advise President Trump through the severe economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, the former official told CNN’s Poppy Harlow.

Trump asked Hassett, a CNN commentator, to rejoin the administration just as the economic outlook has darkened significantly in recent days.

Hassett told CNN on Thursday the widespread shutdowns caused by the health crisis could spark a repeat of the Great Depression.

“We’re going to have to either have a Great Depression, or figure out a way to send people back to work even though that’s risky,” Hassett said. “Because at some point, we can’t not have an economy, right?”

Some background: Hassett left the Trump administration in June 2019 after nearly two years as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

During his second stint in the White House, Hassett is expected to advise the President on economic matters and have an office in the West Wing.

8463

Kevin Hassett is really really bright. He is also very straightforward and apolitical.

8464

Japan’s prime minister calls for schools to reopen
CNN

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for schools to reopen during a meeting with government officials on Covid-19 on Friday.

Abe said “for the schools closed temporarily at the government request, I ask the ministry of education to draw up specific guidelines to resume the schools at the begging of the new year."

Abe called for primary and secondary schools to close on Feb. 27 through the end of March. The school year in Japan generally begins in April.

On Thursday, a public health expert board held an assessment meeting and relaxed recommended restrictions as the country has avoided an exponential growth in cases. The group still cautioned that the situation could change.

Abe also suggested the country could revisit larger scale events saying “the expert board requested to stay vigilant for the organizers of large scale events. when the organizers make a judgment on holding such events, please refer the examples of infection prevention suggested by the board and have enough caution to prevent the infection.”

Spike in unemployment filings overwhelms state systems
From CNN’s Tami Luhby and Kelly Mena

Newly unemployed Americans are racing to file for jobless benefits as the coronavirus pandemic forces many businesses to reduce staff or shutter their doors, at least temporarily.

The swift, steep jump after years of low unemployment has strained some states’ ability to keep up, forcing them to add representatives to their call centers, extend hours and bolster their online capacity as they await a $1 billion infusion approved by Congress.

The crush also comes as some states have temporarily expanded eligibility and waived one-week waiting periods so people affected by the pandemic can tap into unemployment benefits more quickly.

Around the country: In Illinois, the Department of Employment Security has been deluged in the last couple of days as more residents file for claims amid coronavirus emergency orders — such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandate closing restaurants and bars except for delivery. Between Monday and Wednesday, the agency received over 64,000 unemployment benefit claims, more than ten times the 6,074 claims filed during the same time period in 2019.

New York State’s Department of Labor website is currently averaging 250,000 logins per day — a 400% increase over the normal average, according to Deanna Cohen, a department spokeswoman. The hotline is also ringing off the hook, with more than 75,000 calls a day, compared to an average of 10,000 calls normally.

By noon on Thursday, the department website had 206,080 logins and 159,000 calls.

To handle the onslaught in Ohio, the state Department of Job and Family Services has extended its call center’s weekday hours and added availability on Saturdays to answer questions and process claims from those who can’t file online. New filings skyrocketed from 3,900 the first four days of last week to 111,000 the same period this week, according the agency.

US-led training effort in Iraq has been suspended due to coronavirus
From CNN’s Barbara Starr

The US-led training effort aimed at combating ISIS has been suspended due to COVID-19, according to a defense official.

“To prevent potential spread of COVID-19, Iraqi Security Forces and coalition forces have stopped all training. That has led to the repositioning of some training forces for force protection and operational continuity; some trainers will depart Iraq in the coming days and weeks,” a US defense official told CNN.
The official added that the US-led coalition “remains committed to the lasting defeat of ISIS and if the situation allows training will resume“

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting the US military in places like Iraq and Afghanistan as measures to prevent its spread have caused the US to limit its activities including operations to help counter ISIS.

8465

Oops, I understated the disparity. NY tested 10,000 people in the last day or two. Total tested in NY is 38,000 per Cuomo’s latest statement. So NY - with fewer people than Florida in their state - has had access to literally 10 times the number of tests as Florida has had.

The infection rate in Florida could be worse than in NY. We don’t have tests, so we don’t know.

8466

Supreme Court justices to meet privately Friday
From CNN’s Ariane de Vogue

As the nation and the world self-quarantine in the midst of a pandemic, the Supreme Court justices will meet privately on Friday, either in person or telephonically, to discuss pending cases and presumably how they will handle the rest of a blockbuster term.

The meeting is one of the regularly scheduled conferences the justices hold throughout the term, but it comes as the court has closed its doors to the public and taken other precautions as the country grapples with the coronavirus.

Earlier in the week, the court said that “some justices” may choose to “participate remotely by telephone.” That’s because six of the justices are 65 and older. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer are in their 80s — well within the government’s standard for individuals at a higher risk.

In the same press release, the court said that in order to abide by “public health precautions,” the court would postpone oral arguments for the next sitting, which was scheduled to begin March 23. The most important case from that sitting is President Trump’s bid to shield his financial documents.

Some historical context: The move to postpone is exceedingly rare, but there is precedent. In 1918, arguments were postponed in response to the Spanish flu epidemic. The calendar was shortened in 1793 and 1798 in response to yellow fever outbreaks.

Barbershops, nails salons, tattoo and piercing shops to close in New York and neighboring states
CNN

Barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors, nail salons, hair removal services, and “related personal care services” will be closed to the public beginning Saturday 8 p.m. ET, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, along with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, said in a statement regarding their four states.

These businesses must be closed because "these services cannot be provided while maintaining social distance,” the governors said in the statement.

As of 8 p.m. ET Thursday, indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in the four states were all shuttered across the four states, the statement said.

“We know how the novel coronavirus spreads, and we are making data-driven decisions as the situation evolves to continue to reduce density and slow the spread of the virus,” Cuomo said. “We remain in constant communication with our neighboring states to ensure we are establishing a set of uniform rules and regulations for the entire region. These temporary closures are not going to be easy, but they are necessary to protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers and all Americans.”

8467

FDA “not aware of scientific evidence” linking ibuprofen to worsening of coronavirus symptoms
From CNN Heath’s Jacqueline Howard

The US Food and Drug Administration said it is “not aware of scientific evidence” connecting the use of popular anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, to a worsening of COVID-19 symptoms.

The FDA made this announcement following the publication of a letter last week in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine that hypothesized such non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could increase a certain enzyme in the body, which could aggravate COVID-19 symptoms.

“The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available. However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that ‘the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections,’” the FDA said.

Staying at home and social distancing will continue for “at least several weeks,” Fauci says
From CNN’s Carma Hassan

The top infectious disease expert in the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told NBC’s “The Today Show” he thinks Americans will have to stay home and continue to social distance for several more weeks.

“If you look at the trajectory of the curves of outbreaks in other areas, it’s at least going to be several weeks,” Fauci said on Friday. “I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from, it’s going to be over. I don’t think there’s a chance of that, I think it’s going to be several weeks.”

Fauci also discussed the spread of the novel coronavirus with host Savannah Guthrie.

He said the best thing the US can do right now is to delay any elective surgeries to keep hospital beds and equipment available.

Guthrie asked if President Trump should invoke the Defense Production Act, and Fauci said the president “is very serious about doing everything we could possibly do.”

They will meet today, Fauci said, and he is sure that would come up in their discussions.

Guthrie asked if doctors going to the craft store to make their own medical equipment is considered the worst-case scenario.

“Obviously we are in a very difficult situation and we should be doing everything we can to mitigate that,” Fauci responded.

Regarding the anti-malaria drug Trump said could treat COVID-19, Fauci said they have heard anecdotally that the drugs work, but they have not been tested in controlled trials.

“So what we’re saying is that we want to make them more available, but in the context of a protocol of some sort, that would not only make them available but that we can get some information as to whether they’re safe and whether they really work,” Fauci said.

8468

New York City expected to run out of medical supplies in 2 to 3 weeks
From CNN’s Athena Jones

Will Swanson, a Registered Nurse from Columbia University, picks up personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies at a New York State emergency operations incident command center in New Rochelle, New York, on March 17.
Will Swanson, a Registered Nurse from Columbia University, picks up personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies at a New York State emergency operations incident command center in New Rochelle, New York, on March 17. Mike Segar/Reuters
New York City needs 45 million surgical gowns, coveralls, gloves and face masks – known as personal protective equipment (PPE) – in April to ensure its healthcare system can deal with coronavirus-related issues, Avery Cohen, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio, told CNN Friday morning.

This up from 25 million, as announced by de Blasio in a press conference late Thursday afternoon.

“We increased our ask,” Cohen said. “Things are constantly shifting and changing!”

UK asks 65,000 retired nurses and doctors to come back to work
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) has asked 65,000 nurses and doctors who retired in the last three years to return and help tackle the “greatest global health threat” in a century.

Medical personnel with up-to-date skills and experience, including retirees, will be surveyed on what type of role they could do. Those who join the “NHS army” will be given a full induction and online training to help them to hit the ground running, said the NHS in a statement released Thursday.

“As the health service gears up to deal with the greatest global health threat in its history, my message to former colleagues is ‘Your NHS Needs You,’” said Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England.
Final-year medical students and student nurses are also being offered the chance to take temporary roles on full pay to boost frontline capacity even further, the agency said.

Similar measures are being implemented in other European countries as thousands of medical students are being fast-tracked into early service in an attempt to boost health systems across the continent that are struggling to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

8469

The directive has always been for vulnerable peeps to wear a mask. But the masses, no need.

8470

Thousands of medical students are being fast-tracked into doctors to help fight the coronavirus

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN

(CNN)Thousands of medical students across Europe are being fast-tracked into early service in an attempt to boost health systems across the continent that are struggling to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

In Italy, this year’s medical school graduates will be able to start working as fully-qualified doctors immediately, months ahead of schedule.
Other countries are making sure that qualifying students are joining the workforce as soon as possible, while urging their junior colleagues to volunteer.
Italian doctors hope for a sign the coronavirus lockdown is working, because there’s no plan B

The Italian government announced the measures on Tuesday, among the emergency steps outlined in the “Cure Italy” decree.
The worst-affected country in Europe, Italy has been paralyzed by the coronavirus crisis for much of the past four weeks. Its healthcare system is at breaking point.
More than 3,400 people have died and there are almost 2,500 patients in intensive care units across the country, according to official figures. Doctors and nurses are getting infected because there isn’t enough adequate protective gear.
The government is hoping that an influx of new, young doctors could help ease some of the pressure.
“This means immediately releasing into the National Health System the energy of about 10,000 doctors, which is fundamental to dealing with the shortage that our country is suffering,” university minister Gaetano Manfredi said in a statement quoted by Italian media.

The United Kingdom has taken similar steps. The country’s Medical Schools Council told universities last week that amid the outbreak, it was “important that medical schools do not delay qualification and so prevent new doctors joining the workforce in the summer.”
The council added that if universities can’t run exams as normal, they should find alternative ways of assessing students. This could include looking at previous exam results or by considering how the students did during their clinical placements.
The General Medical Council (GMC), the body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the UK, also said that any final-year medical student that is deemed by their university to have met the necessary requirements can be provisionally registered as a doctor and start working.
One institution, Newcastle University, said that while it would not be able to run its end-of-year exams this summer, it will still let its final year medical students graduate.

“We already have a lot of information on our students. We plan to make graduation decisions based on a number of assessments that have already taken place within the final year, as well as information on each student’s performance from the previous four years of their degree,” a university spokesperson told CNN.
As well as fast-tracking new doctors into the system, the UK is also trying to lure back medical workers who have recently retired or left the profession.
The GMC said Thursday it was contacting doctors who are “not currently in practice” to tell them they may be granted temporary registration to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has taken a similar step, asking former nurses and midwifes to re-register.
In Germany, the Bavarian regional government has also called on its medical students to help. The state’s science minister Bernd Sibler said Bavaria will “need all the support we can get in the coming weeks to advise and protect our population and provide the best possible care for people who are already infected.”
Medical students from a number of universities across the Czech Republic have also stepped up to help in hospitals and other medical establishments. Aleksi Šedo, the dean of the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague said hundreds of the school’s students have signed up to volunteer so far.

Šedo said some of them have been deployed to hospital across Prague, working at clinics and helping with admin tasks. Others are babysitting the children of hospital medical staff, as Czech schools have been closed for more than a week.
“It’s an honor for our faculty that its students have spontaneously created an initiative to help our health care and, more broadly, the entire society,” Šedo said in a statement.
He said that the current epidemic has placed “unprecedented demands on people.”
“At the same time, it is also an extraordinary test of the qualities which we claim to have in calmer times, but which are not really tested that much,” Šedo said. “They are being tested now.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/europe/medical-students-coronavirus-intl/index.html

8471

"While it may appear like the federal government is playing favorites, federal officials said their decisions were based on their best assessment of relative needs. HHS told states this week that it is giving out 25% of the stockpile to states according to population size, and sending another 25% strategically to states with the most severe outbreaks, which can be used for needs such as testing passengers on cruise ships brought back to shore. "

“The system appears to roughly conform to states’ populations, rather than the size of their requests. Florida, a state of 21 million, got all 180,000 N95 masks it wanted. Oregon, a state of 4 million, only received 40,000 of the 400,000 masks it requested, and New Jersey, a state of 9 million, got 85,000 of the 2.9 million masks it feels it needs.”

West Virginia didn’t report any cases until just a day or two ago. Is that because they didn’t have any cases or did they not have any tests? This is something we should all be asking.

8472

Infectious disease experts says two negative tests are needed after recovering from coronavirus
From CNN Health’s Arman Azad

Two negative tests — taken 24 hours apart — are currently needed to “feel safe in going out into society” after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, but that may change as we learn more about the virus, according to an infectious disease expert.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained the possible shift during a live-streamed conversation with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“If you test positive, when is it OK to interact with others?” said Zuckerberg, relaying a viewer’s question.

Fauci responded that “strictly speaking, if you are positive, you have the virus in you. And the way you determined positive was you got a nasal swab in your nasopharynx and you cultured the virus.”

The “strict guideline” for going back out into society is two negative tests a day apart, Fauci said, to confirm that “you’re not shedding virus anymore, so you can feel free to go out.”

But “that might change,” Fauci said. “It may be more flexible, when we get a better feel for what the real bracket of time [is] of people shedding” the virus.

[ in my readings, I’ve heard some countries doing 3. ]

8473

Well, they seem to have more faith in the usefulness of their medical students than do some the posters here.

8474

A coronavirus recurrence is “conceivable” next season but its impact would be more modest, says Anthony Fauci
From CNN Health’s Arman Azad

Novel coronavirus may not recede completely at the end of this season but its impact will likely be more modest in a future wave, the top US infectious disease doctor said Thursday.

“Once we get by it, it is conceivable and maybe likely that when we get to the next season, we may see another blip of this, but it would really be different,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a live-streamed conversation with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The new coronavirus “spreads too efficiently” to disappear like SARS did, said Fauci.

That means that even after this coronavirus outbreak is suppressed, a recurrence is “likely – not inevitable, but likely," he added.

The comments came after Zuckerberg asked about the likelihood of another coronavirus wave, either in the fall or later.

Fauci said that while it may happen, multiple factors would blunt the impact of future outbreaks.

First, “a certain percentage of the population will already have been immune, a bit of what we call herd immunity.”

This means more people – after recovering from coronavirus – would be protected against future infections.

And if a second wave comes, “we likely, by that time, will have tested a number of drugs,” Fauci added. “Hopefully some of them will be effective in treatment.”

Finally, “we hopefully, within a year to a year and a half, would have a vaccine,” Fauci said.

[ some experts are predicting repeated waves until a vaccine is available. In other words, we could have waves of isolating. ]

8475

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/tip-of-the-iceberg-is-our-destruction-of-nature-responsible-for-covid-19-aoe

Permanent changes in how we consume and how we interact with the world are long overdue.

8476

2 more TSA screeners in New York and Atlanta have tested positive
From CNN’s Greg Wallace

Two more airport security screeners who worked shifts this week have been diagnosed with coronavirus, the Transportation Security Administration said Friday.

One involves a screening officer who last worked on Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The other officer last worked in Terminal 4 at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport on Sunday.

The TSA has now publicly reported 14 cases among its workforce.

Trump thinks it’s appropriate to attack a journalist during coronavirus crisis
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked President Trump whether it was appropriate to attack a network correspondent during a coronavirus pandemic he described earlier this week as “wartime.”

“I do because I think Peter is — I dealt with Peter for a long time and I think Peter is not a good journalist when it comes to fairness,” Trump said.

Earlier in the briefing, Trump attacked NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander, who asked Trump his message to Americans who are scared.

Trump did not back down.

“The country has to understand that there is indeed, whether we like it or not… there’s a lot of really great news a journalism and a lot of fake news out there,” he said.

video:

https://metro.co.uk/video/trump-shouts-reporter-frightening-americans-facts-2134570/

8477

Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
·
51m
Attention New Yorkers: Non-essential gatherings of individuals of ANY size for ANY reason are cancelled at this time. #StayAtHome #StopTheSpread

8478

British pubs and restaurants asked to close due to coronavirus
From CNN’s Tara John

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson instructed cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants to close on Friday "as soon as they reasonably can and not to open tomorrow,” in order to stem the tide of the coronavirus.

The closure also applies to “nightclubs, gyms, cinemas and leisure centers,” he added during his daily press conference.

Johnson said the measures will be reviewed each month to see if can be relaxed. “Some people may be tempted to go out and I say please don’t.” He said he was confident the “tide can be turned” but people need to stay away from one another.

It was not immediately clear if the Prime Minister’s instruction was backed by legal force.

3M doubled the amount of respirator masks it produced over last 2 months, company says
3M says it has doubled its global output of N95 respirator masks during the coronavirus outbreak.

According to a statement on Friday, the company has doubled the output of respirators to a rate of 1.1 billion per year, or nearly 100 million per month.

3M is also increasing investments in the US on an effort to expand its global capacity by over 30 percent in the next 12 months.

Mike Roman, 3M chairman and chief executive officer, said the company is mobilizing resources and output to help US healthcare workers.

“This pandemic is affecting us all, and we are doing all we can to support public health and especially our first-responders and those impacted by this global health crisis,” Romans said.
According to the statement, the company is also receiving increasing reports of fraudulent and counterfeiting activities involving 3M.

Vice President Pence says more masks and ventilators coming
From CNN’s Sarah Westwood

CNN

Vice President Mike Pence discussed the administration’s efforts to secure more masks for health care workers as well as more ventilators for sick Americans who may need treatment.

“We continue at the President’s direction to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment,” Pence said.

“We have a policy of procuring, allocating — as well as conserving — the resources that we have in our system,” he said.

Pence teased a “a major procurement from the federal government of N95 masks” coming over the weekend.

He also highlighted “new alternatives to increase the supply of ventilators” in the US amid fears that the health care system does not have enough to keep alive the number of Americans likely to become seriously ill at the height of an outbreak.

Pence said part of those efforts involve a push to “free up other ventilators” in use in the system.

“We’ve literally identified tens of thousands of existing ventilators that can be retrofitted and converted” to help coronavirus patients Pence said.

As part of the concerns about insufficient ventilators, Pence said “we want to continue to urge every American… postpone elective medical procedures.”

8479

No, it was the practice of eating exotic armadillos that eat fruit bats in a Wuhan wet market is the more likely cause than “humans deserve this” according to what the experts tell us.

@sorghum. You have lived in China and perhaps are/were a Chinese citizen. How do these markets work and can anything be done to prevent these animal to human transfers in the future ?

8480

I was watching the advice closely and did not see that added to the CDC advice. They did change to add that sick people should wear them or people caring for sick people, but for a long time they just said masks don’t work, which is not true, of course. And where are people supposed to now get these masks?