Saving testing for healthcare workers and admitted patients because of shortage is last I heard.
Deadline to get a REAL ID pushed back at least a year due to coronavirus
From CNN’s Geneva Sands
The deadline to obtain a REAL ID, federally mandated identification that will be needed for passengers to board aircraft, will be extended until at least September 2021 — a year past the current deadline, according to a draft version of the Senate stimulus bill obtained by CNN.
Before the coronavirus pandemic swept across the US, states were preparing to issue residents “REAL ID-compliant” driver’s licenses or identification by the October 1 deadline.
Some context: As of last month, only about 35% of US IDs complied with the REAL ID Act, a post-9/11 law that establishes security standards for licenses. Once in effect, travelers flying commercially in the US will need to have a REAL ID, which is marked by a star on the top of the card.
Even before the outbreak, it was unlikely that all states would meet the deadline. Last month, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told lawmakers that the prospect of all states being able to issue their constituents a REAL ID by October 2020 was “probably fairly small.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for the identification program, is evaluating options regarding the new deadline, a department official told CNN.
Los Angeles County orders coronavirus patients to self-isolate
From CNN’s Alexandra Meeks
Los Angeles County will issue a public order Wednesday that requires the self-isolation of any person who has tested positive for Covid-19, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference.
The order also requires the self-isolation of any person who is presumed by their physician or clinician to be positive for Covid-19 and those who have been in close contact including household members and caregivers, Ferrer said.
“Notify your close contacts including intimate partners, caregivers, people who live in your home or people with whom you spend a significant amount of time each day face to face with less than six feet apart so they can begin their quarantine,” Ferrer said.
One million Californians have filed unemployment claims since March 13
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg
In just over a week and a half, more than one million Californians have filed for unemployment benefits, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in a news conference.
Unemployment payments will be made, and leaders are working with banks specifically to extend a 90-day waiver for mortgage payments, Newsom said.
Wells Fargo, Chase, US Bank, and Citibank have agreed to 90-day waiver of payments for those affected by Covid-19. Bank of America did not join in, the governor said, and is currently only offering 30-days leeway.
That’s a very high ICU rate. If I were to guess, there are probably many unreported cases out there.
White House economic adviser predicts large unemployment numbers Thursday
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow predicted, as expected, significant increases in unemployment numbers ahead of Thursday’s jobs report.
“It’s going to be a very large increase in the weekly unemployment,” he said, adding that he was not at liberty to say what the numbers will be.
“That’ll come out at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow but it’s going to be a very big increase. Everybody in the market knows that,” he said during an appearance on Fox News.
He said the House will pass the stimulus bill: “Yes the House will. They’re on board.”
Kudlow went on to explain how the package will add up to “$6 trillion” through the Federal Reserve.
“Well this whole package is $2 trillion in direct assistance and on top of that, we are giving the Federal Reserve the resources to put up as much as $4 trillion to stabilize financial markets and back up loan guarantees and help some distressed industries. This is all on a short-term basis, cause this is going to be weeks and months, not years. So when you add the two together, you’re looking at $6 trillion package," he said.
Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
·
1h
At my direction,
@NYSDPS
is ordering utilities to suspend rate increases.
Utility rate increases that were to go into effect April 1st have been postponed.
This will provide relief to families and businesses affected by #COVID19.
I think the WHO advice might even be good to use when and if we have future peaks that have been discussed as coming in the fall, etc.
Virginia governor urges Liberty University president to reconsider inviting students back to school
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam urged Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, to reconsider an invitation for students to return to the school’s Lynchburg campus. Northam quoted Biblical scripture in arguing that Liberty should follow the example of other universities and schools in Virginia and remain closed. The “Bible says it is required those who have been given a trust must prove faithful,” Northam said. “It means respecting the duty that liberty university has to student, staff, community and commonwealth.” Virginia has nearly 400 cases of coronavirus.
House GOP leader opposed to unanimous consent for $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus
From CNN’s Haley Byrd
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he does not support passing the phase three coronavirus stimulus bill via unanimous consent.
McCarthy split with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has said repeatedly that she hopes to pass the package by unanimous consent — a move that would keep members from having to return to Washington during the pandemic.
Any one member can block a unanimous consent request.
“I don’t believe we should pass a $2 trillion package by unanimous consent,” McCarthy said Wednesday, indicating he supports the idea of passing it by voice vote instead. “I don’t think this can pass on unanimous consent."
A voice vote would involve debate on the floor and would also not require most members to return to the Capitol, unless a member requested a recorded roll call vote.
“I think that achieves our goal by not slowing the process down, but giving us time to read the bill and making sure that it gets through,” McCarthy said of passing the measure by voice vote. “I want to make sure we review it, but do not slow it down, and be able to move this to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
McCarthy also said he agrees with the group of GOP senators who have taken issue with the bill’s handling of unemployment insurance.
“Yes, that’s a problem,” McCarthy said. “This is not a time, when all of America is trying to come together, that someone should benefit and get a higher payment than they’re actually earning while they’re working, by taking money from a taxpayer to pay it.”
Will retired seniors also get stimulus checks?
Your questions, answered
CNN’s Phil Mattingly is answering your questions on the Senate stimulus package. Many of you asked if retired seniors will get stimulus checks. Here’s what Mattingly said:
So long as they are not listed as a dependent for someone else (and fall within the income thresholds), yes they will.
Coronavirus cases in California climb to more than 2,500
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg
The number of cases in California is climbing steadily and now stands at 2,535, with 53 deaths, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Of these positive cases, over half those infected are between the ages of 18 and 49 and 37 are under the age of 18.
The governor is urging people to abide by stay-at-home orders, imploring the public that “half way is no way.”
“We can defeat this virus, but we can’t defeat it unless we commit to fulfilling our individual obligations and our collective responsibilities to meet this moment. The stay home order is real,” Newsom said. “Don’t think for a second that we’re a day or two away from lifting that order, we’re not even a week or two away.”
Firearm background checks have spiked in Florida
From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt
As the coronavirus pandemic grows, Floridians have been rushing to gun shops.
Last Friday alone 13,192 background checks were conducted, compared to 2,646 background checks the same day last year — representing an increase of nearly 400% (398.56%) year-on-year, according to data provided to CNN by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In the last week alone, the number of background checks also surged. Last Friday, 13,192 background checks were conducted, compared to 5,783 background checks the previous Friday, which represents an increase of 128% week-on-week.
FDLE tracks the number of background checks through its Firearm Purchase Program and does not track the number of guns sold. Currently in Florida, background checks are not required for the purchase of ammunition.
Here is a little update from my corner of the world.
I work on the office end for some people who own a couple restaurants. I was 99% laid off March 16 when Illinois closed all restaurants for dine-in (we are open for curbside pick up and delivery, for now).
I applied for unemployment on March 18. Web site totally jammed. It took HOURS to complete the application, but I finally got to the final “submit”. I have not received any update or info since then.
Naturally, I’m VERY anxious to get some concrete info re: amount of check and start date.
We have the car loans with our local credit union. They are offering a 2 month skip on the payments with the click of a mouse to accept the offer. Nice.
I just got off the phone with our mortgage holder, Bank of America. Nearly 90 minutes on hold waiting. B of A is offering a 3 month forbearance period. However, at the end of the 3 months, I have the option to pay them the 3 skipped months IN FULL (in addition to the next month that is due!) or call them back to “make other arrangements” that MIGHT include adding the payments to the end of our mortgage. No guarantees. Uh, I think I want it spelled out more clearly with a guarantee to be able to add it.
We have property taxes due in June. OMG. I need to see if we can kick the can on those.
Our health insurance? Not employer provided. $1500 each month for H and I. He also works in hospitality on the management end. Single store. Small business. He is unsure if the owners are committed to get through this or whether he will also get laid off or have to accept a pay cut. We can’t hop on the ACA and get subsidies.
So frustrating and it’s likely to get a LOT worse before it gets better. The uncertainty is very hard to manage (mentally).
Nationwide, data shows 20% of all hospitalized patients and 12% of the intensive care patients are either millennials or Generation Z, meaning between the ages of 20 and 44. (Guardian)
Louisiana marks largest day coronavirus increase, now close to 2,000 cases
Oliver Laughland, Guardian
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards updated reporters on a major spike in the Covid-19 death toll and contraction rate in the state, which remains a major coronavirus hotspot.
There are now 1,975 confirmed cases, a day-on-day increase of 407, and 65 deaths, a day-on-day increase of 19.
The numbers mark the largest day-on-day increases so far in Louisiana, and highlight that curve is not being flattened despite the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order issued over the weekend.
The governor has cautioned that the state’s hospital system is set to reach capacity by the first week of April, as he struggles to deliver ventilators to satiate demand.
“Our ventilator capacity is far from OK in Louisiana,” Edwards told reporters.
Last night the Trump administration approved a major disaster declaration in Louisiana, following similar orders in New York, California and Washington state, other states experiencing a major surge of coronavirus cases.
[ people need to stop expecting the curve to be flattened so soon. You don’t get an immediate response. That isn’t how virus spread works, especially one with an incubation period that can go out to two weeks. ]
Congressman announces self-quarantine
Lauren Gambino, Guardian
Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton announced Wednesday that he has self quarantined after experiencing symptoms similar to the novel coronavirus.
“On Thursday, I began feeling unwell with a low grade fever and a concerning tightness in my chest, to a degree I’ve never felt before, that lasted several days,” the congressman said in a statement. “As a general precaution consistent with office policy, well before I began experiencing these symptoms myself, I had proactively instructed my teams in Salem and in Washington, DC (except for two essential members) to work entirely from home and self-isolate”
He noted his wife, Liz, had also developed symptoms.
Moulton added that while the self-quarantine means he’ll likely miss some votes, he vowed to continue “fighting for health care workers who need PPE, for the unemployed who still need to put food on the table, for the sick who need respirators and access to care, and for small businesses who are the lifeblood of our economy”.
Economic relief may not come easy for America’s poorest
The US working class and poor may be left out of immediate relief from the $2tn economic stimulus package meant to combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the NY Times, people who don’t have bank accounts may be especially vulnerable:
Democratic aides in the Senate said on Wednesday that eligible Americans with direct-deposit bank account information on file with the Internal Revenue Service for tax refunds — about 70 million people — should see their payments arrive within a few weeks of the bill being signed into law.
Anyone who doesn’t already have direct-deposit information on file with the IRS may not see their emergency funds for up to 4 months. (Guardian)
DHS warns New York City morgues are near capacity
The US Department of Homeland Security was briefed Wednesday that New York City’s morgues are nearing capacity.
From Politico:
Officials were told that morgues in the city are expected to reach capacity next week, per the briefing. A third person familiar with the situation in New York said that some of the city’s hospital morgues hit capacity over the last seven days. And a FEMA spokesperson told POLITICO that New York has asked for emergency mortuary assistance.
The media outlet confirmed that Hawaii and North Carolina have also asked for mortuary help. According to a spokesperson, the disaster response agency is currently reviewing the requests.
Washington Post: 140 nursing homes have coronavirus cases
The federal agency in charge of nursing homes nationwide confirmed that 140 have at least one confirmed coronavirus case. But the Washington Post reports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are refusing to say which ones.
From the Post:
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control, the press release tucked the new figure in the seventh paragraph. The release said although “147 is a small fraction of the over 15,000 nursing homes across the country, given the disproportionate effect on our nation’s older population, this is a cause for concern.”
Despite that concern, CMS officials referred The Post to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a list of specific nursing homes affected.
Their response?
A CDC spokesman, Scott Pauley, told The Post he was “not sure [the list] will be released at this time.”
NPR affiliate will no longer broadcast Trump pressers
A Seattle NPR affiliate announced late Tuesday it is opting out of airing US president Donald Trump’s daily briefings on the coronavirus pandemic. In a tweet thread announcing their decision, KUOW Public Radio cited “a pattern of false or misleading information.”
KUOW Public Radio
@KUOW
· 22h
KUOW is monitoring White House briefings for the latest news on the coronavirus — and we will continue to share all news relevant to Washington State with our listeners. (1)
KUOW Public Radio
@KUOW
However, we will not be airing the briefings live due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact checked in real time. (2)
The local radio affiliate joined a growing list of media outlets who are vowing not to air the administration’s press conferences. Both the CDC and FDA have had to release corrections or clarifications to the Trump’s comments on public health guidance and vaccine availability.
From Vanity Fair:
A White House reporter had a more blunt assessment: “They are a clown show, just a daily advertisement for Trump. He’s smart to do them, dominating earned media and blocking out the sun for [Joe] Biden.” Are the briefings doing more harm than good at this point? “If he starts telling people to get out and go back to work,” the source said, “which I expect he will soon, then it’s not a close call: harm.”
Trump has now has started telling Americans to get back to work, much to the dismay of health experts.
Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, even offered blunt contradictions of Trump’s coronavirus guidance, telling Science magazine Trump “could lead to some misunderstanding about what the facts are about a given subject”. (Guardian)
California has distributed more than 24 million N95 masks
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg
California has distributed 24.5 million N95 masks and has placed orders for another 100 million more, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced at a news conference Wednesday.
“That is a significant number, but is still insignificant to meet our needs,” Newsom said.
Some context: Describing the “Herculean effort” underway, the governor said it is taking shape and noted that British billionaire Richard Branson has committed to a 747 airplane, and that Elon Musk has given 1,225 ventilators.
New Orleans mayor puts out a call for scrubs for hospital running low
From CNN’s Kay Jones
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is asking for “clean scrubs” because she said Tulane Hospital is running low on supplies.
In a series of tweets, she asked the community for donations of “matched sets of green cotton surgical scrubs.”
Cantrell said the donations, which are going to a group called “Supplies for Saints,” will be for health care workers on the frontlines of the epidemic.
Will full-time college students qualify for stimulus checks?
Your questions, answered
CNN’s Phil Mattingly is answering your questions on the Senate stimulus package. There’s not a clear answer on if college students will qualify for stimulus checks. Here’s why, according to Mattingly:
Depends – and I’m not trying to dodge here, but everyone’s circumstances are different, so I don’t want to generalize. Say an individual is claimed as dependent by their parents, then that’s an automatic no. Say you live on your own, are not claimed as a dependent and had a summer job, then yes.
[ but will those dependent college kids’ parents get the $600 for them?]
Colorado Hospital Association raises concerns over ICU bed capacity
From CNN’s Caroline Kenny
The Colorado Hospital Association is warning that without social distancing, hospitals across the state may not be able to meet the demand for ICU beds.
“It is possible that the current ICU bed capacity will not be sufficient to care for the number of patients that we anticipate Colorado hospitals will need to treat. That is why it is imperative that Coloradans follow all social distancing recommendations, in addition to the many efforts by Colorado hospitals and health systems to expand their current capacity and capabilities. The more we can extend the spread of this virus over multiple weeks or months, the better our hospital system can manage the needs our communities will face," CHA spokesperson Julie Lonborg said.
Lonborg points to a 2018 count of ICU beds across the state that shows Colorado has 973 ICU beds and 10,293 total hospital beds, but warns, “it should be understood that the 2018 numbers reported in this spreadsheet are the baseline, not the current level of ICU and CCU beds in the state, which will now be higher.”
As it confronts the initial surge of Covid-19 patients, Lonborg said that CHA is currently assessing the number of ventilators across the state.
“So when we know that number, we will have to ask: do we have a model to help us understand what the need may be so we have enough? And if we don’t have enough, how far off are we?” Lonborg said.
State Department is now tracking 50,000 Americans who might seek help getting back to the US
From CNN’s Jennifer Hansler
The State Department is tracking 50,000 Americans who might seek assistance in returning to the US, the head of the State Department’s repatriation task force said Wednesday. A dramatic increase from an estimated 13,500 Americans on Monday.
“At the moment we are keeping a running tally of the number of US citizens we estimate will seek our help in returning to the United States. This number changes daily, hourly,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee said on a call with reporters.
The number is more than triple the figure the State Department was tracking just two days ago. On Monday, a senior State Department official said they were looking at approximately 13,500 Americans abroad who were seeking US assistance.
Brownlee, who heads the Department’s repatriation task force, said Wednesday that they had repatriated “over 9,000 people from some 28 countries.”
“We’re planning on another 66 flights over the next nine days or so,” he said. “We have some 9.000 people scheduled – identified for those flights and we hope to move those numbers up.”
I don’t know why you keep posting the same incomplete (and therefore, inaccurate) information. FL ordered more tests than any other state. According to your own governor you have enough to test well over 300,000 people. But FL’s daily capacity to process tests is/was 900/day to NY’s 6,000. It sounds like FL quickly got more tests too, they just didn’t make arrangements to get them processed.
FL also got pallets of other things, including ventilators. According to one report, FL got everything on the wish list it sent to the federal strategic reserves. So if you want to complain about some states getting more supplies faster than others, you should really be saying NY and FL, not just singling out NY for your “stepping on the necks of other states” cracks. As you said, “if the shoe fits…”
“A herculean effort is underway and is taking real shape,” said California governor Gavin Newsom at an afternoon press conference. That includes getting extra funds for unemployed workers, securing shelter for the unhoused, and improvements to testing.
One million new unemployment claims have been filed in California just since March 13. The department typically sees 2,000 claims a day. The explosion threatens to overwhelm the system, even as the federal government rushes to pass a $2 trillion stimulus package that would bolster funds for unemployment.
Newsom said he’s spoken to the CEOs of 200 banks, including four of the largest institutions, who have agreed to a 90 waiver on mortgages and foreclosures. Bank of America will only commit to a 30 day waiver, he said. ]
About 66,800 tests have been administered in California, Newsom said, a huge jump from yesterday’s tally of 39,000 tests. The rise comes California made headlines for its lack of progress on testing – Newsom explained it by saying private labs have started reporting their results.
The governor urged caution on news of the child in Los Angeles who is reported to be the first minor in the country whose death is attributed to the virus, but LA health officials late yesterday walked back news that the minor died of the coronavirus.
(Guardian)
UK government orders 10,000 ventilators from Dyson: Report
The British government has ordered 10,000 ventilators designed by vacuum cleaner company Dyson, the BBC reported.
“Dyson have received uk govt order for 10,000 ventilators designed and made from scratch. Will also produce an additional 5,000 of which 1000 will be donated to uk. 4,000 to other countries,” BBC Business Editor Simon Jack said on Twitter. Dyson’s ventilators will be available in early April, Jack added.
Finland restricts movement to and from capital region
The Finnish government has issued a three-week blockade of the Uusimaa region around Helsinki, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Finland, to prevent people from travelling and spreading the virus to other parts of the country.
The decision came after Finnish health authority updated and worsened its forecast for the outbreak earlier on Wednesday, estimating that between 11,000 and 15,500 people would be hospitalised in Finland, and that from 3,600 to 5,000 of them would require intensive care in the following months.
By Wednesday, authorities had counted three deaths and 880 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Finland, most of them in the capital region.
US dem presidential candidate Sanders threatens to put hold on aid bill
US Senator Bernie Sanders has said he was prepared to put a hold on a $2 tn Senate coronavirus economic relief bill unless a group of Republican senators drop their objections to language on jobless benefits in the legislation.
Sanders, an independent who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a tweet: “Unless these Republican senators drop their objections, I am prepared to put a hold on this bill until stronger conditions are imposed on the $500 billion corporate welfare fund.”
UK boxing champion Amir Khan offers building to NHS
UK boxing world-champion Amir Khan has offered to donate a 60,000 square foot building, meant to be wedding venue, to the National Health System (NHS).
“I am aware of how difficult it is for the public to get a hospital bed in this tragic time,” he said.
The building is located in the town of Bolton and is worth $5.9 million, according to Manchester Evening News.
Al Jazeera
France’s Macron pledges massive investment in health system
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged “massive investments” in the country’s public hospital health system, close to a breaking point as it copes with the coronavirus outbreak which has already caused 1,331 deaths in the country.
“Once this crisis is over, a massive investment plan and an upgrade of the career paths will be put in place for our hospital system”, Macron told a news conference in eastern France, a hotspot of the outbreak in the country.
He also said he had decided to launch an army operation to help the population with health and logistics.
New York Governor: NYC hotel to offer free rooms to medical workers
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that a Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan will provide free lodging to “doctors, nurses and medical personnel” currently responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo said in a tweet he hoped other hotels would also provide lodging.
Over 30,000 cases of the infection have been confirmed in New York State, the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, where over 60,000 people have been infected. <3
Person who lives in papal residence tests positive: Report
A person who lives in the same Vatican residence as Pope Francis has tested positive for coronavirus and is being treated in an Italian hospital, the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero has reported.
The Vatican had no immediate comment on the report.
Francis, who has cancelled public appearances and is conducting his general audiences via television and the internet, lives in the Santa Marta guesthouse. There are currently about 75 people residing there, according to a Vatican source.
The newspaper said the person works in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State and a Vatican source told Reuters news agency he is believed to be a priest.
Al Jazeera