What I like about this plan is the recognition that the well-being of a state is not a zero-sum game: Denmark is allocating resources to preserve both the economy and public health.
An ice rink is being turned into a temporary morgue for Covid-19 victims in Spain
From CNN’s Al Goodman, Laura Perez-Maestro and Ingrid Formanek in Madrid, and Max Ramsay in London
The bodies of Covid-19 victims are being delivered to an ice rink that is being used as a temporary morgue in Madrid.
The regional government announced on Monday that the Ice Palace (Palacio de Hielo) in Madrid’s Hortaleza neighborhood was being prepared to act as a morgue. Spain’s Emergency Military Unit (UME) has started delivering some bodies already, authorities said.
This is a “temporary and extraordinary measure,” the regional government said, in order to “lessen the pain of the families of the victims and the situation that’s being recorded in Madrid’s hospitals.”
On Monday, the Madrid city government’s funeral service announced they would stop collecting the bodies of those who die from coronavirus as they are “without sufficient protective material,” according to a statement sent to CNN.
They said other services would continue as normal, and the funeral service would still hold cremations and burials for coronavirus victims who are “sent by other funeral services businesses in a closed coffin.”
Spain – one of the worst-hit countries in Europe – has now recorded 35,212 cases and 2,316 deaths, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he would extend Spain’s state of emergency for another 15 days as the number of Covid-19 deaths soared.
India faces up to potential coronavirus crisis, but is the country really prepared?
From CNN’s Julia Hollingsworth, Manveena Suri and Swati Gupta
India is the world’s second most populous country and its fifth biggest economy, with trade connections all over the globe.
Despite that, the country of 1.34 billion has appeared to so far avoid the full hit of the coronavirus pandemic. It has only 492 confirmed cases of the virus and nine deaths.
But fears are growing that the country remains susceptible to a wider, potentially more damaging outbreak. Experts have cautioned that India is not testing enough people to know the true extent of the problem – and warn that the country faces several issues that could accelerate the spread of the virus.
Testing capacity: India has a test capacity of 60,000 to 70,000 per week, according to Balram Bhargava, director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research. By comparison, the United Kingdom – a country with 5% of the population size of India – says it is hoping to increase its test capacity to 25,000 a day.
Why an outbreak could be hard to control: In parts of India, even basic isolation measures would be extremely difficult.
Slums: In 2011, an Indian government report estimated that 29.4% of the country’s urban population live in low quality, semi-permanent structures, known as slums. Many of the homes here don’t have bathrooms or running water. Some slum residents get their water from a communal tap, while others collect theirs in canisters and buckets from tankers that visit a few times a week.
This all makes it difficult to wash hands regularly. “Where on earth are they going to find the water and soap that they need?” asks Bellur Prabhakar, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Illinois. “I think it’s going to be nearly impossible to implement that plan.”
Social distancing: In India, there are 455 people per square kilometer (or 1,178 people per square mile), according to World Bank statistics – significantly more than the world average of 60 people, and much higher than China’s 148.
Millions of jobs at risk: India’s cleaners, household workers, and construction workers could be hurt by lockdowns. According to official statistics from 2011-2012 – the most recent data available – there were around 400 million people in India’s labor market. Of those, more than half were self employed, and 121 million were casual workers.
Bombed out church basements in Europe, staffed by medics primarily and locals saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of critically wounded soldiers and civilians.
Why can’t we just take every darn gym and hotel in nyc and make these hospitals. Move every non covid and non icu cases there and open the beds.
And empty college dorms…
I feel like abandoning social distancing measures at this point would render the pain we’ve already gone through worthless. Like stopping a 10-day course of antibiotics halfway through. If we “return to normal” now, will we have accomplished anything at all other than shooting ourselves in the foot?
On a more practical matter, I’m curious exactly what the federal government can do to “return to normal”? My understanding is the federal social distancing advisory is simply an advisory. The states might, and likely would, continue with enforceable social distancing policies regardless of what the feds say.
Other than that, they can reopen travel to Europe and China. But what other restrictions are in place at the federal level that are hurting the economy?
Cuomo just said they’re going to use every space available…including college dorms.
So far, the rich(er) countries have the hardest hit - I can’t imagine what it would be like if it’s the other way around.
I think we should be prepared for another month. If we get the stimulus package approved the pressure to relieve the economy for a few more weeks will be lessened.
Some of the dialogue and positioning is political theater and also signaling to institutional investors etc.
Europe and China won’t allow this if our strategy is “herd immunity”, which basically isn’t a strategy.
The last thing we should do is reopen travel to Europe and China. I can’t see any travel as being necessary in the internet/video conference age.
There are more than 25,000 coronavirus cases in New York, governor says
State of New York
CNN
There are at least 25,665 cases across the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, underscoring his point that the federal government should send what it has in its ventilator stockpile to New York.
Cuomo noted that New York has the highest and the greatest rate of infection — but it’s only a matter of time it that apex moves to other parts of the countries.
New York is trying experimental procedure for ventilators: “We have no alternative”
State of New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York’s greatest critical need is ventilators to treat “people who will have acute needs” and those “under respiratory distress” from coronavirus.
He said the state has procured 7,000, but needs at a minimum another 30,000 — and he needs them in 14 days. Ventilators will “make the difference between life and death” for some patients, Cuomo said.
He said New York is “scouring the globe” for ventilators and has resorted to trying experimental procedure where they split the ventilators between two patients because “we have no alternative.”
Cuomo said the only way we can obtain these ventilators is through the federal government. He went on to criticize President Trump for not enacting the Defense Production Act to ramp up the number of ventilators that can be made available to New York. To not use federal powers to get ventilators to New York is “inexplicable,” he said.
New York governor: “I will turn this state upside down” to find hospital beds
From CNN’s Adrienne Vogt
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state needs 140,000 beds for expected coronavirus patients.
Officials will consider using college dorms and hotels to meet the demand, he said.
"I will turn this state upside down to get the number of beds we need, but we need the staff for those beds,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo added that he wants to enlist a backup reserve staff for health care workers, including retirees.
Wuhan is just now listing quarantine, I believe. That’s 2 months or a bit more for the residents. And that was a very strong quarantine. I think thinking this could end in 2 weeks is not realistic. 2 weeks for most to show symptoms, so anyone who was exposed and stayed home who got sick in that time, could spread it to their family, who would then have two weeks to add on to that time. Add in some who might get exposed via having to go out to the store or doctor’s appointments for something urgent and it extends that longer. Add in those who are not taking precautions, and it extends it out even longer. 2 months total would be a hopeful time length if people work hard and our country gets its act together, as we seem to start to be doing.
India orders 3-week nationwide lockdown
From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a 21-day nationwide lockdown starting at midnight Wednesday.
All of India’s 36 states and territories will be under a complete lockdown in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
Here’s how Modi explained it on a televised address:
“You have seen the worldwide situations arising from the coronavirus pandemic in the news. You have also seen how the most powerful nations have become helpless in the face of this pandemic. It’s not that these nations aren’t making efforts or face a lack of resources. But the coronavirus is spreading so rapidly that despite all these efforts, the challenge is increasing. The result of a two-month study of these countries and what the experts are saying is that social distancing is the only option to combat coronavirus. That is to remain apart from each other and stay confined to within your homes. There is no other way to remain safe from coronavirus. If we have to stop the spread, we have to break the cycle of infection.”
"I request you to remain wherever you are in this country. In view of the current situation, the lockdown shall be enforced for 21 days, which means the next 21 days are crucial for us,” Modi continued.
These are the essential services that will be operational:
Water
Electricity
Health services
Fire services
Groceries
Municipal services.
All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, markets and places of worship will be closed. Interstate buses and metros will be suspended. Construction activity will also be on a halt during this period.
New York governor says the peak of pandemic is 14 to 21 days away
CNN
Cuomo said the apex of the coronavirus will be “higher” and “sooner” than experts anticipated — and it could be two or three weeks away.
“We haven’t flattened the curve,” he said at a news conference. “The apex is higher than we though and the apex is sooner than we thought. That is a bad combination of facts.”
New York revised its estimated needs to 140,000 hospital beds and 40,000 ICU beds.
Currently, the state has 53,000 hospital beds, he said.
New York governor: “We haven’t flattened the curve … the curve is actually increasing”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “the rate of increase has gone up” when it comes to new coronavirus cases across the state.
He said that new infections are “doubling about every three days,” which he called a “dramatic increase in the rate of infections.”
On the rate of infections in the state, Cuomo said, “We’re not slowing it, and it is accelerating on its own.”
He said that, based on what experts are telling him, the new projection for hospital capacity is “as high as 140,000” hospital beds in the state to treat cases.
“We haven’t flattened the curve, and the curve is actually increasing,” Cuomo said.
Russia is to close night clubs and cinemas due to the coronavirus, reports the RIA Novosti news agency.
New York authorities have procured 7,000 ventilators but will need at a maximum another 30,000 ventilators, according to New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who says his officials have been scouring the globe.
“You cannot get them. Every state is trying to get them other countries are trying to get them.”
It’s good that companies such as General Motors are considering getting into the ventilator business, but he said that they were needed in 14 days.
Such was the pressing need that authorities in New York were now experimenting with splitting one ventilator between two people.
One solution would be for the federal government to exercise powers that would release ventilators, bring forward their production and provide equipment from a US federal stockpile.
“Not to exercise that power is inexplicable to me,” says Cuomo.
“We have 25,000 cases. We need the federal help and we need the federal hel[ now.”
New York is “the canary in the coalmine” and will be “going first” in terms of the impact of the virus in the US, says Cuomo.
He says that the ventilators should be moved around the country depending on how the “apex” of the outbreak moves to different states.
“Don’t leave them sitting in a stockpile and say we are going to wait to see how we allocate them across the country,” says the New York governor, who adds he will take personal responsibility to move the equipment to any state that needs them, along with healthcare professionals.
Cuomo goes on to take aim at Donald Trump’s tweet that the “cure must not be worse than the problem itself.”
It’s all very well, the New York governor says, “But if you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy then it’s no contest.”
“No American is going to say, accelerate the economy at the cost of human life because no American is going to say how much a life is worth. Job one has to be save lives. That has to be the priority.” (GUARDIAN)
I read your long article previously. I think that most people do not comprehend large numbers well. (including me) The numbers sound huge, but the population is also huge. I understand that the hospitals are overwhelmed. but
Population of NYC = 18,804,000, number infected = 13,000.
Definitely cause for concern but to shut down the entire US as has been proposed? How?
The best way to get ventilators quickly to where they are needed most is to give money directly to the hospitals and allow a bidding process to take place.
Americans are an entrepreneurial people, and companies can respond very quickly to economic incentives, especially if the first to produce will reap the greatest profit.
Obviously, prices will fall rapidly as supply comes on. Also, those hospitals with truly the most need will bid the highest, preventing the equivalent of “hoarding” by hospitals that project lower need (and this type of hoarding will happen, along with all sorts of political machinations, in any program in which the government is making the allocations rather than prices).
Do we have a federal stockpile of ventilators somewhere? And if so, why haven’t we accessed those?
Would invoking the Defense Production Act get more ventilators manufactured more quickly? I am not sure any country will be giving/selling us ventilators right now beyond what they already are.
City people flocking the the country could potentially overload their meager health care services. Joshua Tree is trying to deal with crowding, people are camping on private property. (This info from another article).
Exactly, yesterday Dr. Birx clearly mentioned three waves over a couple of years, if left unchecked. (And it will be unchecked in third world countries.) A three week shut down does little to contain the virus; the only value is that it buys some time to produce more PPE for health care workers (a great thing, of course).
No, their job is to advise.
Indeed, they do, but it IS their job to make decisions. If they make the wrong call, retire them at the next election.