Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Olympics reportedly ‘to be postponed’

Sean Ingle, Guardian

The International Olympic Committee is facing almost irresistible pressure to postpone the Tokyo Olympics this week rather than wait until its mid-April deadline – with a growing number of athletes, governments and national federations saying it is unfair to keep them in limbo during the coronavirus pandemic.

Veteran IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that the Games would be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Pound said he believed that the IOC would announce its next steps soon. “It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”

In the Czech Republic, where as of the middle of last week there is ban on being in public spaces without wearing a face mask or some kind of facial covering, volunteers have set to work sewing masks at home.

Zdenek Hrib, the mayor of Prague, wrote on Twitter last week: “On Prague public transport, it is mandatory to have a covered mouth and nose! Whether you have medical masks, self-made masks, or use a scarf, anything is better than nothing.”

Earlier today, Dagmar Havlova, the widow of playwright-turned-president Vaclav Havel, posted videos on Instagram of her making masks at home. “We are sewing masks and giving them to paramedics free of charge. Wear masks, wash your hands, and keep a sound mind,” she wrote.

There is now a fine of up to 20,000 Czech crowns (£670) for not wearing a face covering when in enclosed public spaces. (Guardian)

India has announced that it is stopping domestic flights and said the majority of the country was under complete lockdown, Reuters news agency reports:

India has reported 471 cases of coronavirus, but health experts have said that a big jump could be imminent, which would overwhelm the underfunded and crumbling public health infrastructure.

On Monday, India confirmed two more deaths, bringing the total to nine. One was a 54-year-old man with no history of foreign travel, suggesting the start of community transmission of the virus, officials said.

The government ordered commercial airlines to shut down domestic operations from midnight on Tuesday on top of a ban on international flights to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak. About 144 million people travelled on domestic flights last year.

Rail travel, which is hugely popular in India, has already been suspended after thousands of people, mostly migrant workers, crowded in train stations to go home as businesses shut down and jobs dried up. (Guardian)

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Malaria drug will be one of the treatment options in coronavirus clinical trial, WHO officials say
From CNN’s Minali Nigam and Jacqueline Howard

World Health Organization officials said that chloroquine, a drug typically used to treat malaria, will be one option included in a large, global clinical trial evaluating potential coronavirus treatment.

“There’s some indications that it could be useful but there are no clear-cut studies that have been rigorously done to either prove or disprove that chloroquine is effective,” WHO chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said during a call with reporters on Monday.

This comes after the announcement President Trump made last week that the US Food and Drug Administration approved the “very powerful” drug chloroquine to treat coronavirus and that there were “very, very encouraging early results.”

The FDA later tempered the President’s remarks regarding chloroquine as an approved treatment, noting larger studies are needed to draw conclusions.

Currently there are no treatments — including chloroquine —that have proven safe and effective against Covid-19, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a separate press briefing on Monday.

“There is a desperate need for effective therapeutics. There is currently no treatment that has been proven to be effective against Covid-19,” Tedros said on Monday.
WHO announced last week that it had organized the SOLIDARITY trial to examine potential treatment options for Covid-19 — chloroquine being one of them.

“We understand that this situation is very complex. Everybody, including President Trump, is trying to identify treatments that could help their people. And I think everybody is interested in further exploring the potential of chloroquine, so we are,” said Dr. Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, a medical officer at WHO’s Department of Immunization Vaccines and Biologicals.

Even without clinical evidence, some patients with Covid-19 are already taking chloroquine, but there could be harm in that too, Swaminathan said. Over the weekend, three people in Nigeria overdosed on the drug, which can cause seizures, nausea, vomiting, deafness, vision changes and low blood pressure.

“We have no knowledge that it’s going to benefit anyone,” Swaminathan said. “It is a really important point to focus our efforts on generating the evidence which could then be used to treat people properly and effectively.”

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US vice president asks governors to identify devices that could be converted into ventilators
From CNN’s Maegan Vazquez

Vice President Mike Pence there may be an opportunity to increase the current ventilator supply in American hospitals by converting devices used by anesthesiologists.

Pence said his team told governors on a call today, “that when the President engaged leaders of a number of medical associations, we determined that the devices that are used by anesthesiologists could be easily converted to ventilators that could be used for people struggling with the coronavirus.”

Pence, who was speaking from Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, said that the FDA has “issued guidance on the changing of a vent in that piece of equipment.”

“And so we directed all of our governors today to survey all of their outpatient clinics to identify what we believe are tens of thousands of these devices which could add to our nation’s resources for ventilators for people that might be severely impacted by the coronavirus,” Pence continued.

Pence said the option received a “strong response” from governors on the call.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pause mortgages for property owners as long as they don’t evict tenants
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency is working to protect renters in multi-family properties during the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the US economy.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will grant owners of multi-family properties who are “negatively affected by the coronavirus national emergency” forbearance of mortgage payments — as long as they don’t evict renters who are unable to pay because of the coronavirus impact.

“Renters should not have to worry about being evicted from their home, and property owners should not have to worry about losing their building, due to the coronavirus," said FHFA director Mark Calabria in a statement.

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Kansas will limit gatherings to 10 people
From CNN’s Raja Razek

Kansas will issue an executive order tomorrow morning limiting mass gatherings to 10 people, Gov. Laura Kelly announced in a press conference on Monday.

Kansas has a total of 82 coronavirus cases, with two deaths in the state.

Clothing and textile manufacturers will deliver face masks to US government this week
From CNN’s Katelyn Polantz

A group of clothing and textile manufacturers, including Hanes, are planning to deliver their first shipments of three-ply face masks to the federal government by midweek to help health care workers respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The largest US yarn spinner, Parkdale Inc., and six other companies planned to begin production of the masks on Monday, according to the National Council of Textile Organizations.

The group aims to make up to 10 million masks a week in the US and Central America about a month from now. The coalition of companies, which also includes Fruit of the Loom, Los Angeles Apparel and American Giant, worked with the White House to set up the increased production, the industry group’s statement said.

The masks will be sent directly to the federal government, a spokesperson for Hanes said.

Plastic surgeons asked to donate equipment and stop elective surgeries
From CNN’s Jacqueline Howard

Plastic surgeons in the United States are being asked to donate their masks, ventilators and other medical supplies and equipment to the nation’s coronavirus response efforts.

The White House’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Federal Emergency Management Agency plan to route those donated supplies and equipment to hospitals or other temporary medical facilities in need, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced on Saturday.

The announcement was made after the group last week had asked plastic surgeons to cease elective surgeries or any nonessential services due to increased risks.

According to a statement from the group’s president, Dr. Lynn Jeffers, the “White House was in direct contact with ASPS leadership to expand the scope of our clearinghouse and potentially facilitate distribution of supplies and equipment nationwide by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”

“Delineating the location of ventilators outside of hospitals is the first urgent need. Hospitals are already facing ventilator shortages and ventilator manufacturing will not meet this need in time,” Jeffers said in the statement. “This is urgent, and the need is now.”

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The UN special rapporteur on racism and xenophobia has criticised Donald Trump and other politicians for encouraging racism by continuing to refer to Covid-19 as “the Chinese virus”.

Tendayi Achiume, assistant professor of law at UCLA, said US president’s “calculated use of a geographic-based name” for the virus was leading to the stigmatising of people perceived to be of Chinese or east Asian descent.

The World Health Organization, in its guidance for naming new infectious diseases, has previously warned that certain names can provoke a backlash against members of religious and ethnic communities. In a statement published to mark the international day for the elimination of racism, which was on Friday, Achiume said:

These consequences have already become a reality. Over the past two months, people who are perceived or known to be of Chinese or other East Asian descent have been subject to racist and xenophobic attacks related to the virus. These attacks have ranged from hateful slurs to denial of services to brutal acts of violence.

Covid-19-related expressions of racism and xenophobia online have included harassment, hate speech, proliferation of discriminatory stereotypes, and conspiracy theories. Not surprisingly, leaders who are attempting to attribute COVID-19 to certain national or ethnic groups are the very same nationalist populist leaders who have made racist and xenophobic rhetoric central to their political platforms.

Churches and other religious centres are to close in Costa Rica after 24 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed on Monday, bringing the total to 158.

President Carlos Alvarado also announced nationwide vehicle restrictions from Tuesday on the Central America country, with only cargo and emergency transportation allowed on the roads from 10pm until 5am.

Earlier on Monday, Panama announced that deaths from from the virus in Panama increased to five on Monday, including a 13-year-old girl.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases rose to 313 over the weekend in the region’s economic and transportation hub.

Belize announced that a 38-year-old woman who had recently returned from the United States was the country’s first Covid-19 case on Monday.

Guardian

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The hospital I was born in is being brought back to life after having been shuttered abruptly last September. Back in the good old days when it was thought we had too much hospital capacity.

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Hackathons? No amount of software or AI will solve this problem without chemistry and biology.

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There are many tools that are used for contact tracing etc. that have been instrumental in flattening the curve. Lots of ways different expertise can contribute to the fight.

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Instacart looks to hire 300,000 people over 3 months

Online grocery delivery platform Instacart said that it plans to hire an additional 300,000 full-service personal shoppers over the next three months, to help it meet the spike in demand. The company said it has seen volume grow 150%, year over year, in the past few weeks. It said basket sizes on average are also up about 15%. Instacart joins a list of retailers looking to hire, including Walmart and Amazon.

Rhode Island postpones its 2020 primary

Rhode Island will move its 2020 primary to June 2 from the originally planned April 28 in response to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced.

Last week, the Rhode Island Board of Elections voted to postpone the state’s primary from April 28 to June 2, according to the board’s deputy director of elections, Miguel Nunez. But the decision was “pending the governor signing an emergency order,” Nunez said.

Rhode Island has 26 delegates up for grabs. Sen. Bernie Sanders won the state in 2016 when he ran against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

CNBC

Most U.S. Adults Practice Some Degree of Social Distancing Amid Coronavirus Spread
As coronavirus spreads, majority of public is avoiding public places

BY YUSRA MURAD
March 20, 2020 at 5:24 pm ET

1 in 4 U.S. adults are avoiding public places but still socializing at homes of friends and family.

At 28%, adults 65 and older are the most likely age group to practice total social isolation, and adults 18-29 are least likely at 8%.

Women (78%) are more likely than men (66%) to practice some form of social distancing.

On March 13, with roughly 2,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, less than a third of states had decided to close schools while bars, restaurants and offices across the nation remained bustling, much to the chagrin of public health officials bracing for crisis. One week later, the United States is settling into a new reality of barren streets, isolation and Zoom calls — but not all Americans are embracing the same level of precautions, according to new Morning Consult data.

The survey, conducted March 17-20, comes as state officials take some of the harshest measures yet to keep people inside their homes, shutting down nonessential businesses and most prohibiting outdoor activity. And despite headlines about college students partying on spring break and packed bars over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the poll of 2,006 U.S. adults finds that most people are now practicing some form of social distancing.

According to the poll, 5 percent of adults are still continuing to socialize in public places, while 19 percent say they are not going to public places nor are they socializing with friends and family. The rest of the public falls somewhere in between.

Graph:

https://morningconsult.com/2020/03/20/coronavirus-social-distancing-poll/

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Number of deaths are what hit me. And hospitalizations rather than diagnoses. If testing not readily available; fewer cases reported. With so many in hospitals, so many dead, it could mean too many not diagnosed until and unless. very ill. Even then , demographics can make the difference. Washington state got hit really hard because COVID19 landed in a nursing home with a lot of elderly and high risk folks in a small contained space.

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Mayors, first responders urge Trump to help them get protective equipment ‘now’ to fight pandemic

Major groups representing U.S. mayors, county executives, police and fire chiefs and first responders are urging President Donald Trump to use a federal act — which he so far has refused to tap — to get them “essential personal protective equipment” quickly to help them respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our nation’s first responders call on you to address the shortage of essential personal protective equipment needed to keep them healthy and safe while on the job,” the groups wrote in a letter to Trump.

“If we lose emergency personnel to the disease, we cannot transport people to hospitals and protect our citizens,” they said.

G-7 finance officials plan coronavirus response call on Tuesday
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G-7 wealthy democracies plan to hold a conference call on Tuesday morning to discuss their coronavirus response efforts, a source familiar with the plans said.

The call, to be led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, will likely result in a statement from the G-7 finance officials, who remain in close touch and are coordinating their efforts, the source told Reuters. —Reuters

Once pandemic ends, businesses may take 6 months to get back to normal, CFO survey says
The biggest task facing the world right now is stopping the spread of the coronavirus. But even when the global public health crisis is under control and global supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 end, many large companies expect that business will not return to normal for between three to six months.

That’s according to the latest CNBC Global CFO Council survey, in which 40% of companies that already have or expect supply chain issues said it could take between three and six months to get business back to normal once the issues end (25% said six months).

“It is complete chaos,” said Andrew Sherman, a partner with Seyfarth Shaw who works with Fortune 1000 clients.

One-third of CFOs taking the CNBC survey indicated it is still too early to know if there will be supply chain disruptions.

CNBC

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Those tools are all good as long as they don’t distract the attention and the funding from the actual solutions.
(Can’t cure cancer with software alone, but be surprised how many we’ll-educated tech folks I know think it can be done. )

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CVS Health looking to fill 50,000 jobs to meet demand

CVS Health said it plans to immediately fill 50,000 jobs across the U.S. to keep up with a demand for over-the-counter medicines, prescriptions, and other items during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a news release, CVS called it “the most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history.”

The major pharmacy chain said it needs more store associates, home delivery drivers, distribution center employees and customer service professionals for part-time, full-time and temporary roles. CVS will use virtual job fairs, virtual interviews and tech-enabled job tryouts to find the right candidates, according to a news release.

GE Aviation plans to cut 10% of its US workforce because of lack of work
General Electric’s aviation unit, which makes some of the world’s most commonly used aircraft engines, said it is laying 10% of its U.S. workers — about 2,600 people — as coronavirus hurts demand.

Aviation has been hit especially hard by the virus, which has decimated air travel demand and prompted airlines including Delta, United, and others around the world to park hundreds of planes and defer deliveries of new aircraft in an attempt to save cash.

GE’s CEO Larry Culp said he would forgo his salary for the rest of the year, following similar moves by airline executives at airlines and at one of the industrial conglomerate’s biggest customers for new engines: Boeing.

Fashion retailer H&M weighs tens of thousands of job cuts

Fast-fashion retailer H&M said it is weighing laying off tens of thousands of workers worldwide temporarily, as it works through interruptions to its business from the coronavirus pandemic.

The company also announced it has canceled its dividend proposal.

H&M, which is headquartered in Sweden and is one of the biggest apparel retailers in the world, has for the time being shuttered all of its stores in its several of its largest markets, including Germany and the U.S. All stores in the U.K. closed as of this past weekend.

As of Monday morning, the company said a total of 3,441 of its 5,062 stores worldwide are closed, “which together with subdued demand in the markets that are still open, has had a significant negative impact on sales so far in March.”

Starbucks hikes pay by $3 an hour

Starbucks baristas who continue to work will receive an extra $3 per hour for shifts through April 19.

The company on Friday closed most of its company-operated cafes across the U.S. and Canada, moving to drive-thru and delivery service only. Employees who are not working will receive catastrophe pay through April 19.

The global coffee chain joins Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon in offering extra pay to its workers during the crisis.

CNBC

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Rep. Ben McAdams hospitalized after positive test

Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, who tested positive last week for the disease caused by the coronavirus, said Sunday night that he has been hospitalized since Friday because of “severe shortness of breath,” NBC News reported.

McAdams said in a statement that he experienced worsening symptoms Friday evening and he called the hotline for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. He said he was told to go to the hospital.

“I was admitted and have been receiving oxygen as I struggled to maintain my blood oxygen at appropriate levels. I am now off oxygen and feeling relatively better and expect to be released as soon as the doctor determines it is appropriate,” he said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

McAdams said his experience has shown him “how critical it is to follow the advice of the CDC and the Utah Department of Health in order to stop the spread of this virus.” —NBC News

Broad testing across the US could be months away, Roche CEO says

Broad testing of every American, symptoms or not, could still be “weeks if not months” away, according to Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche, which has developed a coronavirus test being used in the U.S.

Schwan said his company has rolled out about 400,000 test kits over the past week. The kits are being used in every state, he said. Schwan added that U.S. testing capacity is still too low. “Demand continues to be much higher than supply,” he said.

CNBC

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I doubt people will be distracted from the fact we need vaccines and treatment. I think we all get scientists are important.

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UK Prime Minister announces UK into lockdown over coronavirus
CNN

The British Prime Minister has ordered the UK to lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Calling the virus the “biggest threat” the UK has faced in decades, Boris Johnson said people across the country must “stay home” in order to halt the growth of Covid-19 and protect the health care system.

“Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses,” Johnson said in a televised address.

People will be allowed to leave their homes for limited purposes:

Shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
One form of exercise a day — for example a run, walk, or cycle — alone or with members of your household
Any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
Traveling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
“If you don’t follow the rules, the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings,” he said. The measures will be in place for three weeks and then will be reviewed.

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A member of the Wisconsin Legislature has tested positive.

REP. BOWEN SAYS HE IS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Rep. David Bowen released a statement today saying he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is at home in quarantine. Bowen is the first Wisconsin legislator to announce he has tested positive for the virus.

Source: The Wheeler Report, which covers and collates news about Wisconsin politics and government

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US Supreme Court justices are holding meetings via teleconference
From CNN’s Ariane De Vogue

John Roberts was the only US Supreme Court justice present in the conference room last Friday as the justices “met” for their regular meeting to discuss pending cases.

The other eight justices participated via a teleconference, said Kathy Arberg, the Court’s public information officer.

It was Roberts’ idea “in accordance with the Center of Disease Control’s guidance on social distancing" for the other justices to work from home, Arberg said. It’s likely that when the justices meet again next Friday, they will continue the same pattern.

The news comes as the Court is making changes to grapple with the pandemic.

On Monday, for the first time in a decade, the court released opinions for an argued case without sitting on the bench. They also postponed oral arguments for the next two weeks — something the court has not done since 1918.

Trump signs order to prevent hoarding and price gouging
From CNN’s Jason Hoffman

President Trump has signed an executive order “to prevent hoarding & price gouging of supplies needed in our war against the #Coronavirus,” according to a tweet from White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Stephanie Grisham
:heavy_check_mark:
@PressSec
President @realDonaldTrump just signed an EO to prevent hoarding & price gouging of supplies needed in our war against the #Coronavirus. This sends a strong message – we will not let those hoarding vital supplies & price gougers to harm the health of America in this hour of need.

She included what appears to be a White House photo of the President flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General William Barr.

Reporters were not told about the Oval Office signing prior to the tweet and have no way to independently verify the picture was taken at today’s event.

Ban on unnecessary surgeries and procedures includes abortion, Texas attorney general says
From CNN’s Ashley Killough

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday that the governor’s order to postpone “all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary” includes abortions

Paxton said in a statement that the ban applies to “all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary, including routine dermatological, ophthalmological, and dental procedures, as well as most scheduled healthcare procedures that are not immediately medically necessary such as orthopedic surgeries or any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”

The statement notes that “failure to comply with an executive order issued by the governor related to the COVID-19 disaster can result in penalties of up to $1,000 or 180 days of jail time.”

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UPDATE: Coronavirus shelter-in-place will be issued Tuesday for Austin and Travis County.

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Just being reported: https://www.axios.com/chloroquine-coronavirus-death-09c91a91-4fe7-472c-9de9-79b890aa8fff.html

A man (probably in Arizona, based on the source of the story) has died after self-medicating with chloroquine.