Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Florida will deliver more than 200,000 pieces of medical equipment to facilities across the state

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said today that in the next 48 hours the Department of Emergency Management will send out more than 200,000 personal protection equipment items to facilities across the state in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The items include:

Almost 60,000 N95 masks
141,000 procedure masks
Nearly 27,000 shields
22,000 gowns
28,000 gloves

CNN

Merkel tests negative in first coronavirus test
From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has tested negative for coronavirus after taking a preliminary test.

“The result of today’s test is negative and further tests will be carried over the next few days,” a spokesperson for the Chancellery has told CNN.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Merkel said the chancellor will self-quarantine after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus, and would be continually tested throughout.

European Union will provide more than $20 million in aid to Iran for coronavirus
From James Frater, CNN London

The European Union will provide more than $20 million in humanitarian aid to Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by Covid-19.

The aid is in the “pipelines” and is expected to be delivered in the “next weeks,” Joseph Borrell, High Representative for the European Union told CNN. “We are going to support this request because these countries are in a very difficult situation mainly due to the American sanctions that prevent them from having income by selling their oil.”

“We believe in these situations it has to be reaffirmed that humanitarian trades, goods that can be delivered to these countries on a humanitarian level – it means agri-food. It means medicines. It means medical stuff – are not on the American sanctions.”
The situation in Iran: On Monday, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpoor told state news that the country has confirmed 1,411 new cases of coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to over 23,000.

US senator says the chamber voting remotely is “inevitable”
From CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, said today it will become “inevitable” that the Senate will change the rules to allow voting remotely, as more members of Congress become sick or are quarantined.

“I think at some point it’s going to become inevitable and it will have to be of course limited to an emergency like this,” Klobuchar said today on a conference call with reporters. “I think the fact that we will have people that are quarantined as we do right now, a number of the senators, it just hits home that people are going to keep getting quarantined even if they are not sick.”

She added:

“We’ve got to find a way. The technology exists. Many departments of the government use technology that allows them.
Klobuchar said she continues to push leadership and Sen. Roy Blunt, the chairman of the Rules committee, about the Durbin-Portman legislation that calls for a rule change to allow for senators to vote remotely. Blunt has so far rejected calls to change the rules.

“Senator Blunt hasn’t changed his position but is listening,” she said, adding that she spoke to Blunt as recently as yesterday on this issue. “I am continuing to push.”

Additionally, Klobuchar also spoke briefly about her husband’s diagnosis of coronavirus saying, “While I wish I was with him, I’m going to keep working in the Senate to get help to the American people.”

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Death toll at Lambeth House in NewOrleans continues to climb. It is now at 8.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_c2e38e82-6d21-11ea-9dc1-ff1d3c5b137d.html
…Williams is now among at least eight people, all men, to die over less than a week at the retirement community on Broadway near the Mississippi River from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has been striking the elderly with particularly fatal force.

Williams had lived at Lambeth House for six years and at St. Anna’s, the nursing care section of the facility, since September, Buckley said.

His death is the second now known to be related to COVID-19 in Lambeth House’s nursing care section, with the rest occurring in an independent living section where measures were taken to prevent illness from spreading…

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Mexico will hand hospitals over to the army to prepare for “critical stage” of coronavirus outbreak
From CNN’s Hira Humayun and Jackie Castillo

Mexico will hand over control of approximately 10 hospitals to the army to prepare the country to deal with the “critical stage” of the coronavirus outbreak, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Sunday.

In the video, he said the hospitals are new and in need of equipment and staffing.

Obrador ended his remarks by announcing the country “is prepared” and will be triumphant against the war on coronavirus.

Top infectious diseases specialist in southern Russia faces jail for spreading coronavirus
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina in Moscow

A criminal case has been opened against a top infectious diseases specialist who tested positive for coronavirus after violating mandatory quarantine and spreading the disease in her region, a regional branch of the Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law-enforcement body, said Monday.

A statement released by committee said the agency’s Stavropol branch had charged a professor of infectious diseases at the Stavropol Medical Institute for allegedly failing to disclose a trip abroad to her employers and evading a mandatory two-week quarantine upon return to Russia.

According to the statement, the woman — who also holds a position as a top infectious diseases consultant with the local branch of the Ministry of Health — had vacationed in Spain between March 6 and 9, and allegedly failed to disclose her travels.

The woman continued her usual way of life — gave lectures at the university, participated in a conference, visited other institutions and departments, and a few days later, on March 17, due to health deterioration, was hospitalized and diagnosed with coronavirus infection COVID-19,” the Investigative Committee alleged.
Criminal proceedings have been launched based on “negligence” and “concealment of information that endangers the life or health of people,” both articles of Russia’s criminal code, the Investigative Committee added.

Vladimir Vladimirov, the regional governor, said authorities were working to establish the suspect’s contacts in the past days, and were testing over 1,200 people for coronavirus. In 11 cases, the preliminary tests returned positive, Vladimirov said in an Instagram post.

Violation of quarantine is punishable by law in Russia by up to five years in prison if the violation leads to a coronavirus-related death. The Investigative Committee did not publish the name of the woman alleged to have violated quarantine, a matter of practice in the agency’s public statements.

Germany calls for summer Olympics to be postponed

Germany has asked the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Olympic Games to 2021, a German National Olympic Committee spokesperson told CNN.

The spokesperson said the German committee’s president, Alfons Hörmann, made the decision to call for a delay to the Games due to the global health situation and the absence of training possibilities for athletes.

Germany follows in the footsteps of several nations around the world who have already called for the Games to be postponed till 2021.

Canada and Australia are so far the only two nations to confirm that they will not sending athletes to Tokyo this year because of the risks associated with the virus.

The latest call for postponement comes after the head of the Japan Olympic Committee, Yasuhiro Yamashita, said on Monday postponing this summer’s Games should now be considered among the options

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More than 150 people have died from coronavirus in New York
As of Monday morning, at least 157 people who have tested positive for coronavirus have died, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference.

More than 20,000 people across the state have tested positive, Cuomo said. CNN

New York governor says the state was able to get more masks for hospitals
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state was “successful in getting more” respirator masks for health care workers.

Cuomo said, “today, we can get masks to anyone who needs them.”

He added that he can’t promise that next week or the week after he’ll be able to make the same claim about mask availability.

He reiterated his call for President Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act so that the federal government can help the state deal with the shortage of masks and other needed personal protective equipment for health care workers.

New York has more than 20,000 positive cases
More than 20,000 people across the state of New York have tested positive for coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a news conference Monday.

“In absolute terms, New York has by far the greatest need in the nation,” he said.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest numbers in the state:

20,875 positive cases, including 5,707 new cases.
16,000 people were tested overnight.
To date, there have been around 78,000 people tested. About 25% of all testing nationwide is being done in New York.
13% of positive cases are being hospitalized (has gone has high as 20, 21% previously). 24% of that 13% require hospital ICU beds.

CNN

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Michigan governor signs executive order telling people to stay home

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is ordering people to stay home unless they are critical workers. The order goes in to effect at 12:01 a.m. local time tomorrow, according to a press release from her office.

She signed a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order which lasts for the next three weeks.

“This is an unprecedented crisis that requires all of us working together to protect our families and our communities. The most effective way we can slow down the virus is to stay home. I know this will be hard, but it will be temporary. If we all come together, get serious, and do our part by staying home, we can stay safe and save lives,” Whitmer said in a news release.
The order allows people to leave their homes for exercise, but Whitmer is now banning gatherings, public and private, “of any number of people occurring.” This does not apply to single households where people may already live together.

New Jersey is releasing about 1,000 inmates from county jails
From CNN’s Kara Scannell

The chief state judge in New Jersey ordered the release of hundreds of inmates in county jails by Tuesday “based on the dangers posed by coronavirus disease 19.”

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court issued the order on Monday after consulting with the state attorney general, County Prosecutors Association, Public Defenders Office and the ACLU of New Jersey.

The ACLU of New Jersey estimates up to 1,000 people may be released under the order.

“The reduction of county jail populations, under appropriate conditions, is in the public interest to mitigate risks imposed by Covid-19,” the judge wrote.

Inmates who are detained for probation violations, municipal court convictions, disorderly persons offense, and for fourth-degree or petty crimes, will be released beginning Tuesday, according to the order.

An inmates release can be appealed if there are questions about public safety. The judge said no inmates who have tested positive for the virus will be released until the judge determines a plan to isolate the individual.

“This is truly a landmark agreement, and one that should be held up for all states dealing with the current public health crisis,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey.

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Archbishop of New Orleans tests positive for coronavirus

Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement on the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ website.

The Archbishop said that he is experiencing mild symptoms and is self quarantining.

“I will use this quiet time for additional prayer and sacrifice for all those seriously affected by the virus. I pray to get well soon and continue ministry,” the Archbishop said in the statement.
CNN

Italy reports 601 new deaths of coronavirus
From CNN’s Lindsay Isaac

Italy has confirmed 601 new coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 6,077.

This is the second day that has seen a small decrease in cases and deaths.

Another 4,789 new cases have been diagnosed, bringing the total number of cases to 63,927.

[Both new cases and deaths are down slightly for the second day in a row. <3 ]

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New York governor says all hospitals must increase bed capacity by 50%

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergency order to hospitals to increase their bed capacity by 50%.

“You must increase your capacity by 50%,” he said in an ongoing press conference in Albany.

“I think it’s unreasonable to say to every hospital basically, ‘double your capacity.’ I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say, ‘try to reach 100% increase’ but you must reach a 50% increase,’" he said.

Cuomo also confirmed that the state will build four emergency hospitals with the help of the federal government to deal with the need for increased hospital capacity due to the coronavirus outbreak. He called this “a big deal.”

Cuomo was complimentary of the President in helping make that happen. “President Trump did deliver yesterday,” Cuomo said.

He added: “That’s government working, that’s government working quickly, and I thank him for it.”

New York governor: “We’re doing more testing than anyone”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is now testing 16,000 people a day for coronavirus.

That’s up from 1,000 a day 10 days ago.

“How much is that? That’s more than any other state in the United States is testing,” Cuomo said. He added that South Korea — the “gold standard” of testing — tests 20,000 people a day, but their population is about double of New York state.

New York governor says there’s “density control” issues in New York City

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this morning that the “greatest density control issue” in the state is in New York City.

He said he wants a plan today for how the city is going to reduce the density of people and wants it to focus on young people.

CNN

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At least 23 Italian doctors have died in coronavirus epidemic
From CNN’s Livia Borghese in Rome and Sharon Braithwaite in London

The number of doctors who have died in Italy since the coronavirus epidemic began has risen to 23, the Italian federation of doctors said today.

Unfortunately, the sad list of doctors who fell during the Covid-19 epidemic is getting longer. And while the official data of infected health workers increases, released every evening by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, many doctors die suddenly, even if the cause of death is not directly attributable to the virus," the federation says in a statement on its website.

Some 19 of the 23 deceased doctors worked in the Lombardy region, the worst affected by coronavirus. The other four worked in Naples (South Italy), Emilia Romagna (north Italy) and Marche (central Italy).

Some 4,824 health workers have been infected by coronavirus, according to the latest report by the institute published on Sunday.

Amy Klobuchar’s husband has coronavirus
From CNN’s Clare Foran

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said her husband has tested positive for coronavirus.

“I have news that many Americans are facing right now: my husband John has the coronavirus. We just got the test results at 7 a.m. this morning,” Klobuchar wrote in a Medium post.

The Democratic senator and former 2020 presidential candidate said that her husband has been “cut off from all visitors” and that she will also not see him during this time, but that she and her daughter “are constantly calling and texting and emailing.”

“We love him very much and pray for his recovery. He is exhausted and sick but a very strong and resilient person,” she wrote. Her husband was admitted to a Virginia hospital, she wrote, and now has pneumonia “and is on oxygen, but not a ventilator.”

Klobuchar said that she and her husband have not been in the same place over the last two weeks and because “I am outside the 14-day period for getting sick, my doctor has advised me not to get a test.”

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One thing to keep in mind is that these “Safer at Home” (Lock Down) policies have many exceptions for example in California the “Essential Workforce” includes:

  • Critical manufacturing,
  • Health care/Public health,
  • Emergency services
  • Food service & farming,
  • Energy
  • Chemical
  • Government (City & State)
  • Water & Wastewater
  • Transportation & Logistics
  • Defense Industrial Base
  • Communication & Information Technology
  • Financial Services
  • Professional Services (ex. Legal and Accounting)

My point is that there are a lot of people who work in the above industries and are allowed to enter their place of business. Millions of CA citizens are continuing to work outside the home and millions more are able to work from home. I’m sure the other states have similar exceptions read “Essential Workforce”.

If some ways, these “lock downs” are a false sense of security (too many exceptions to the rule), they may be slowing down the spread but it’s never going to go away unless we are extremely aggressive with containment (i.e. Wuhan style) or we find a vaccine.

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Scientists working on $25 coronavirus test
From CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a 30-minute test for COVID-19, which can be done anywhere. The raw materials for it cost about $25.

A team at the Engineering Science Laboratory, working with partner medics in China had an 8 week head-start on developing the test, which uses a mix of chemicals and enzymes which turn from pink to yellow in color in the presence of the virus.

The test has a huge advantage in both its speed, but also because the chemicals only need to be kept at 65°C (or 150°F) for half an hour, which can be done easily in any hospital, or even eventually at home.

While there are hurdles ahead, the test may be able to complete clinical trials in the coming days.

“We have 3 things to do,” Professor Zhengfang Cui, who led the team, said. "The first is to get clinical trials. We just started those here at Oxford University Hospital. The second thing is regulatory approval, which is based on the number of tests done.

“The third is to get industry partners to implement large scale manufacture. For that, we need clean rooms and manufacturing facilities. And then we can roll out he product,” Zhenfang said, adding that he hoped the steps can be completed in 2 to 4 weeks.

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Do you mean they don’t have a plan yet? Their case number has passed WA and CA and they still don’t have a plan to limit the group? What’s wrong with them?

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That should have said
Keep in mind both of the graphs use logarithmic scale.
(I must have somehow erased part of the sentence. Sorry about that)

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Massachusetts is closing all non-essential businesses

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced today that the state is closing non-essential businesses. The order goes into effect on Tuesday at noon.

Businesses that are exempt include grocery stores, gas stations and medical suppliers. Mass transit will still run, the governor said.

Baker is advising people to stay at home, but he is not ordering it.

“Due to evolving spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, Governor Baker has directed the Department of Public Health to issue a stay at home advisory outlining self-isolation and social distancing protocols. Residents are advised to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel and other unnecessary activities during this two-week time period,” his administration said in a press release.

Baker said the state wants 3 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care providers and is getting some via donation. CNN

US senator with coronavirus is isolating at home
From CNN’s Manu Raju

Sen. Rand Paul is at home in Kentucky, his office tells CNN. He drove himself home from Washington.

Paul is the first US senator to test positive for coronavirus. A statement from Paul’s office posted to his Twitter account Sunday said he was “feeling fine” and was “tested out of an abundance of caution.”

But some senators and aides are angry at Paul for not doing more to self-quarantine earlier and for potentially exposing senators to the coronavirus.

Paul attended a major black-tie social event in Louisville, Kentucky, two weeks ago where several attendees have subsequently tested positive, including the wife of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

Trump is itching to scale back social distancing after 15 days, aides say
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak

Another week of self-isolating — or, for many Americans, mandatory lockdowns — will raise more questions for President Trump on how long the coronavirus mitigation measures will last and whether they are worth the economic pain.

Aides say Trump is itching for the guidelines to be eased at the end of the 15 day period, but realistically there are few health experts who think that’s enough time to know whether the measures he announced last week will suffice.

The dynamic has led to a robust internal debate over how best to balance the actual health of the country — with potentially hundreds of thousands of lives at stake — with its economic health.

Some of Trump’s allies have continued to publicly suggest the measures announced by the White House last week were too stringent and have caused unnecessary economic pain. Many of his conservative allies circulated a Wall Street Journal editorial from last week, which questioned whether the shutdown was worth the trade off of a shuttered economy.

That has helped fuel growing opposition among some of Trump’s advisers to an extended lockdown.

Officials aren’t sure where Trump will ultimately land after 15 days — and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, will continue to act as a critical voice behind the scenes.

Trump was initially resistant to Fauci’s recommendations that he take steps to encourage social distancing during the first go-around, people familiar with the deliberations said. The President remains unconvinced it was the fight decision. And there are people around him who aren’t exactly reinforcing Fauci’s message, including some of his economic advisers.

An open question is whether Trump is willing to blow off Fauci once the economic picture becomes clearer. Meanwhile, Fauci has been vocal in his disagreements with Trump — Including interviews openly discussing his role in correcting the president’s false or misleading statements.

[ This is backed up by his tweet last night. When the president sends mixed messages, you get the lack of compliance you see from many. It’s up to governors to do the right thing. Unfortunately, my governor hasn’t yet. ]

ETA this:

Trump’s retweets signal desire to end social distancing after 15 days
From CNN’s Nikki Carvajal

President Trump is sending retweets that seem to be encouraging an end to strong social distancing measures after the current 15-day period, despite concern from public health officials that it won’t be long enough to blunt the worst of the coronavirus.

“15 days,” one user tweeted. “Then we isolate the high risk groups and the rest of us get back to work before it’s all over for everyone!! #Landslide2020”

“Flatten the curve NOT the Economy,” reads a follow up tweet.

“After 15 days are over the world can begin to heal!,” another user tweeted.

Yesterday, Trump tweeted this:

Donald J. Trump
:heavy_check_mark:
@realDonaldTrump
WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!

On Monday he retweeted one user, responding to his original tweet, who wrote, “Correct. 15 days, then we keep the high risk groups protected as necessary and the rest of us go back to work.”

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Slowing down the spread is what increases survival rates, because people are able to get treatment when hospitals are not overwhelmed.

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Survival rates and numbers of people dead are not the only things that a President needs to worry about.

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US Treasury Secretary asks small businesses not to lay off employees
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin pleaded with small businesses to not fire their employees as he appeared via phone on Fox Business this morning.

“All small businesses: We will have an immediate mechanism. That’s close to 50% of the US economy for workers. We are encouraging small businesses, make sure you hire people back. If you haven’t let people go, don’t let people go, because we are providing you necessary liquidity and we’re going to get that money out fast,” he said.

He claimed that some “new drugs” have been approved to fight coronavirus when asked if there would need to be a second stimulus if this lasts beyond 10 to 12 weeks.

“I’m very hopeful that we’re going to kill this virus in that time period, if not shorter. I spoke to the President last night. I know he is very pleased with the medical professionals and then some of these new drugs that have been approved. This legislation prepares us for what I would say, the 10 to 12 week period, but I hope we don’t need to last that long. And for whatever reason, this turns out that it’s gonna last longer, we will go back to Congress,” he said.
He outlined how the current legislation will provide liquidity for small businesses and said it needs to be passed “ASAP.”

Spain’s ICU cases are slowing, bringing “some hope,” health official says
From CNN’s Mia Alberti

The number of patients in ICU due to coronavirus has dropped from 15% to 13% in the last few days, health officials in Spain said on Monday.

Although the decrease is “small,” it “gives some hope the problem is being contained,” said Fernando Simón, director of the Spanish Coordinating Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies.

Simón said another “uplifting number” was the number of patients discharged — 3,355 — which now represents 10% of all cases.

He also gave some insight into the profile of those who have died from the virus: 87% were older than 70 years old, “which was expected and goes in line with our country’s normal mortality rate”.

“We know all groups can be affected, but the most affected one are the elderly with more than 70 years of age, which we expected”, he said.

UK prepared to impose stricter distancing measures, as health official calls those who refuse to stay apart “very selfish”
From CNN’s Luke McGee and Niamh Kennedy

The British government is prepared to do more to force people to keep apart if necessary, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said Monday.

Pubs and restaurants were told to close across the UK on Friday to curb the spread of coronavirus, but large numbers of people continued to visit parks and beaches across the UK over the weekend, despite government advice to stay home.

“We will look at data to see if people have been interacting. If they have then we will need to take further measures. We are getting data all the time. Discussion are taking place all the time. If we do need to take further measures then we won’t hesitate,” the spokesperson said, adding that public transport and high street footfall data was being monitored “daily.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday UK citizens who fail to practice government-advised social distancing are “very selfish.”

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today program, Hancock said: “If people go within two meters of others who they don’t live with, then they are helping to spread the virus and the consequence of that costs lives and it means that for everyone this will go on longer.”

Hancock added that the UK government have been “clear in their actions” in asking the British public to maintain a distance of 2m (about 6.5 feet) away from all those they don’t live with.

Watching Europe: Hancock said that the UK government is “looking at what other European countries are doing,” adding: “They are further down the curve. They have a higher number of cases than we do here. Now that means we can act sooner and earlier in this epidemic but all the way through we have said that we are prepared to take the actions that are necessary and we are.”

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US is “looking into” why young people are getting coronavirus
From CNN Health’s Jacqueline Howard

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said the US is looking into why young people in the country are being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

“So far the demography definitely seems to be very different in the United States versus in other countries that saw this hit earlier,” US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said on the “Today” show on Monday morning.

“And we’re looking into that,” Adams told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie.

“There are theories that it could be because we know we have a higher proportion of people in the United States and also in Italy who vape,” Adams said. “We don’t know if that’s the only cause.”

In New York state so far, more than half of coronavirus cases — 53% — have been among young people between the ages of 18 and 49, Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted on Sunday.

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‘My daughters are safer here than in England,’ mayor of Italy’s worst-hit area says
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite

The mayor of Italy’s worst-hit coronavirus area is bringing his daughters home from England because he thinks they are safer in Italy, he told a British news channel on Monday.

I have two daughters. They’re studying in England, and when I saw what the British government was thinking about this problem, I decided to bring them back because I think that even if we are at the center of the epidemic, probably they are more secure here than in England," Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori told Sky News.
I don’t understand why the (British) government did not decide in time to protect citizens.”

The UK government has stopped short of ordering a lockdown across the country and in London after pubs and restaurants were told to close on Friday. Large numbers of people continued to visit parks and beaches across the UK over the weekend despite government advice to stay at home.

Bergamo, north of Milan, is the worst-hit province by coronavirus in Italy with 6216 confirmed cases, according to the Italian Civil Protection department.

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The list of “essential” businesses in Indiana is unbelievably long. Hoping at least this shutdown gives stronger encouragement for people to stay at home otherwise.

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US Surgeon General: “This week, it’s going to get bad”
From CNN Health’s Jacqueline Howard

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams gave a “somber” message to the nation while speaking on NBC this morning,

“I want America to understand — this week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, adding that some people have not been properly practicing social distancing.
“This is how the spread is occurring. So we really, really need everyone to stay at home,” Adams said. “I think that there are a lot of people who are doing the right things, but I think that unfortunately we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”

44% of all US hotel employees could be laid off due to coronavirus
From CNN’s Kate Trafecante

The hotel industry expects 44% of all US hotel employees could lose their jobs as the coronavirus outbreak drys up demand.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association says in a new study that the drastic decline in occupancy is causing hotel owners to implement “massive, unavoidable layoffs and furloughs,” and believes it will only get worse.

“The impact to our industry is already more severe than anything we’ve seen before, including September 11th and the great recession of 2008 combined,” said Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the trade group.

The hotel industry directly employees or supports more than 8 million jobs in the US. The group estimates that more than 4 million have been lost already, or will be eliminated in the next few weeks.

The states expecting the biggest losses are California, Florida, Nevada and New York.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association represents companies across the hotel industry, including Marriott International, Hyatt, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, announced last week it had begun furloughing some of its 130,000 employees.

Brazilian soccer stadiums and convention centers convert to field hospitals to treat coronavirus patients
From CNN’s Flora Charner in Atlanta

Some of Brazil’s soccer stadiums, arenas and convention centers will be converted into field hospitals to treat patients infected with coronavirus.

In São Paulo, the city with the largest number of confirmed deaths and cases, the mayor’s office announced that 2,000 hospital beds would be added to the Pacaembu stadium and the Anhembi convention center in the next few weeks.

São Paulo Mayor Bruno Covas said 200 beds would be made available in Pacaembu within two weeks and 1,800 beds in Anhembi within three weeks.

In Rio de Janeiro, 2019 Copa Libertadores winner Flamengo said it had made its facilities available to the state and city government, including the city’s iconic Maracanã stadium.

Other soccer clubs that have offered their facilities include Corinthians, Santos, São Paulo’s Morumbi stadium and Goiás, which said it would offer its Serrinha stadium as a vaccination center.

The Brazilian Football Confederation suspended all national soccer tournaments last week, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brazil has more than 1,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 25 deaths, according to the Brazilian Health Ministry.