Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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US military increases security at bases worldwide

The US military has said it is elevating its health-related security level at bases worldwide over the spread of the coronavirus, as it acknowledged the persistent growth in the rate of infections across the force.

The Pentagon said it was raising its health protection condition, or HPCON, to Charlie, its second highest level, which suggests sustained community transmission. The Pentagon announced 53 new cases of infected service members on Wednesday, bringing the worldwide total to 227.

Germany’s Merkel, China’s Xi agree on close cooperation

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has discussed the coronavirus crisis in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two leaders have agreed to stay in close contact regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the German government said in a statement.

“They agreed that the current crisis can only be resolved through close international cooperation,” the statement read.

World Bank, IMF urge debt relief for poorest countries

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged official bilateral creditors to provide immediate debt relief to the poorest countries in the world that are facing severe consequences from the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

In a joint statement, the institutions called on official bilateral creditors to immediately suspend debt payments from International Development Association (IDA) countries, which are home to a quarter of the world’s population and two-thirds of the world’s population living in extreme poverty.

“This will help with IDA countries’ immediate liquidity needs to tackle challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak and allow time for an assessment of the crisis impact and financing needs for each country,” the IMF and the World Bank said.

Switzerland restricts exports of protective equipment

Switzerland has introduced temporary restrictions on the export of protective equipment to head off shortages among medical staff and others fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

Licenses will now be needed to export masks, gloves, goggles and swabs as of March 26, the government said on Wednesday. Exceptions to the licensing requirement will apply to the EU and the three other states in the European Free Trade Association as long as they treat Switzerland the same way, it added.

The government also announced a raft of measures to cut red tape related to recruitment and short-time working. The measures are designed to make it easier to recruit medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural or logistics workers, it said.

Switzerland extends border controls to all Schengen countries

The Swiss government has said it was expanding its border controls to include all countries in the Schengen open border zone to help protect people from coronavirus.

The move comes after Switzerland last week introduced controls at its borders with Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Spain and all countries not in the Schengen zone.

“Since midnight, the tightened entry requirements have also been applied to flights from all remaining Schengen states with the exception of the Principality of Liechtenstein,” the government said in a statement.

Al Jazeera

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French death tally much higher than official data: hospitals chief

The number of people in France who have died from coronavirus is much higher than the official daily government tally, which only accounts for those dying in hospitals and does not include those dying at home or in retirement homes, the head of the hospitals federation said.

“We only know the data provided by hospitals… The increase in the official data is already major, but the absolute numbers would no doubt be effectively much higher if we aggregated what is happening in retirement homes as well as the people who die at home,” Frederic Valletoux, president of the French hospitals federation, said on France Info radio. (Al Jazeera)

Missouri governor asks Trump for major disaster declaration
From CNN’s Andy Rose

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is asking President Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for the entire state due to coronavirus.

Parson hopes a declaration like this would “provide federal assistance for state and local Covid-19 pandemic preparedness and emergency response efforts,” the governor’s office said in a news release.

“Although it is still developing, it’s already clear Covid-19 will have a more sweeping impact across the entire state than any other disaster we have dealt with in our lifetime,” Parson said Wednesday afternoon in a press conference.
Missouri has been in a state of emergency since March 13. There are eight confirmed deaths in the state due to coronavirus.

As Congress aims to rush a financial assistance package, Representatives are under quarantine
Lauren Gambino, Guardian

California Congresswoman Katie Porter announced on Wednesday that she is self-quarantining after experiencing symptoms related to CONVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Rep. Katie Porter
:heavy_check_mark:
@RepKatiePorter
When I was elected, I committed to being transparent and accountable. I have kept that promise throughout my time in Congress. (1/4)

6,972
4:27 PM - Mar 25, 2020
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At least two members of Congress and one US senator have tested positive for the virus, while more than a dozen are self-quarantined after brushes with people who have symptoms or have tested positive for the disease.

On Wednesday, Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton said he and his wife are also experiencing symptoms.

This comes as Congress aims to rush immediate financial assistance to workers and businesses as the economy careens toward recession. Some House leaders had hoped to pass the bill – after it is approved by the Senate – by “unanimous consent” which would preclude members of Congress from having to come back to Washington to vote on the legislation.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday disagreed with the approach while progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested she too might object.

“I know we’re in a very challenging time, I know we have members who are quarantined, members who are battling the virus, members in New York City who could not travel here without 14 days, but I don’t believe we should pass a $2 trillion package by unanimous consent,” he told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.
If one lawmaker objects, it would prevent passage under the rules and members would be called back.

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French troops will temporarily withdraw from Iraq due to coronavirus

From Ya Chun Wang in Paris

France will repatriate its troops stationed in Iraq until further notice starting Thursday during the coronavirus crisis, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced Wednesday evening.

This withdrawal applies to 100 French soldiers who are training with the Iraqi army as well as national support units in Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters in Baghdad.

The ministry reassured its commitment to operations in Levant as the fight against ISIS continues.

The French army will continue its support for the Iraqi government in maritime deportments in the Syrian Canal and in aircraft supply.

Training activities will resume “as soon as the situation permits,” according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

New Orleans could run out of ventilators by early April, governor says

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said a region of the state, which includes Orleans Parish, could run out of ventilators by early April.

“So we’re trying to acquire ventilators anywhere we can, whether it’s through the federal government, finding vendors. We actually distributed another 100 today,” Edwards later told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “We actually need a 1,000 more just in the New Orleans area.”

He continued: “So this is a big challenge. We’re doing everything that we can. We are obviously asking for help from wherever we can get it.”

“To the extent the federal government can facilitate the allotment, the allocation of more resources to Louisiana, we would certainly accept that and be grateful. But we know that this is a challenge because we’re not the only ones asks. Every state is asking for the same things.”

By the numbers: Edwards said the state has received about 100,000 N95 masks to date, and added that Apple CEO Tim Cook is donating 100,000 M95 masks to the state soon.

CNN

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Donald Trump has continued to ignore public health experts imploring Americans to continue observing physical distancing as the number of coronavirus cases spike across the country.

Ahead of the Coronavirus Task Force briefing, he blamed the media for “trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success”.

Donald J. Trump
:heavy_check_mark:
@realDonaldTrump
The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success. The real people want to get back to work ASAP. We will be stronger than ever before!

85.4K
4:04 PM - Mar 25, 2020

Experts said it’s too soon to ease distancing measures, even as the president insisted yesterday he wanted to reopen the country for business by Easter. A spike in cases would drive up the coronavirus death toll, further strain hospitals and set the economy back even further, per public health officials, including the senior official Dr Anthony Fauci. (Guardian)

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Some of the problems in Florida relate to inadequate facilities to process a high volume of tests as well as a shortage of staffing:

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/03/05/florida-isnt-widely-testing-for-coronavirus-officials-blame-lack-of-kits/?clavis&utm_expid=.rZxRlJI0T86fmAabR1Jv8w.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

" [Florida’s] state labs might be ill-equipped to handle such molecular-level testing, according to David Krause, who has a Ph.D. in toxicology and was a former state toxicologist at Florida Department of Health from 2008-2011. He said state health labs were never built or intended to manage a high number of samples per day and are better equipped for handling simple tests like water quality samples.

“I have limited expectations that they’re capable of doing this in a broad fashion,” he said.

Mary Jo Trepka, a Florida International University professor who worked as an epidemiologist at the Department of Health from 1998-2003 and visits state labs every year for teaching purposes, said the testing situation indicates a “big problem,” but said it was more a question of staffing than expertise.

“They don’t have a large staff,” Trepka said. “When we had the Zika outbreak, they had to have commercial labs help with all the testing, and that’s going to have to happen here, too, most likely.”

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And what the matter with the admins at Liberty University…and the governor of Virginia? Both should be ordering those students to stay home…like everyone else. Thoughts and prayers won’t prevent one from getting this virus.

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I am in Virginia - hope the governor can override anything Liberty University tries to do. If not, hopefully the kids and parents just have the common sense to just say no!

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The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday praised President Trump for his leadership in handling the novel coronavirus outbreak and said the president is “taking responsibility” for leading the United States’ response to the global pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the United Nations health agency has repeatedly called for the heads of state to lead a “whole of government” response to COVID-19 and said Trump was leading by example.

“That’s exactly what he’s doing, which we appreciate because fighting this pandemic needs political commitment,” Tedros said during an afternoon press briefing in Geneva

https://www.foxnews.com/world/world-health-organization-praises-trump-leadership-coronavirus-pandemic

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Treasury secretary says stimulus deal would keep US economy afloat for three months
From CNN’s Maegan Vazquez

The coronavirus stimulus deal agreed upon by the Senate will keep the US economy afloat for three months, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday during a White House press briefing.

When asked how long the deal would keep the economy afloat, President Trump didn’t have a concrete timeline.

“Hopefully, a long time. If we have to go back, we have to go back. We have to take care of the American worker. We’re going to take care of these companies that fuel this country … it’s not their fault,” Trump said.
Mnuchin clarified that the administration anticipates the deal to cover the needs of the US economy for three months.

“Hopefully we won’t need this for three months,” Mnuchin continued. “We expect that this is a significant amount of money if needed to cover the economy.”

Trump says New York governor is “happy” with ventilators from the administration
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

Trump said Wednesday he spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about ventilators and they are “happy,” even though Cuomo has repeatedly said the state needs more to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Noting that the administration has sent 4,000 ventilators from the national stockpile to New York, Trump said, “I spoke with the governor about that. He was happy. I spoke with the mayor, also, Mayor de Blasio.”

“It’s hard not to be happy with the job we’re doing,” Trump said.

Some context: The White House said Tuesday that the state would receive two shipments of 2,000 machines this week from the national stockpile. But the state needs 30,000, Cuomo has repeatedly said.

The Strategic National Stockpile said Wednesday that it held approximately 16,660 ventilators before the coronavirus response and ventilators have been deployed over the past few days.

There are 236 NYPD members who have tested positive for coronavirus
From CNN’s Mark Morales
There are 236 members of the New York Police Department who have tested positive for coronavirus, according to numbers provided by the department.

Of those, 197 are officers and 39 are civilians, the department said.

Additionally, 3,200 police officers are out sick, which is just about 9% of the entire NYPD.

:open_mouth: :frowning:

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President Trump securing testing kits from South Korea.

“President Trump reiterated his commitment to employ the full weight of the United States Government and work with global leaders to save lives and restore economic growth,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/coronavirus-testing-kits-south-korea-trump-call

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Trump: “Large sections” of US can go back to normal “much sooner” than others
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

President Trump continued to suggest that social distancing guidelines for certain parts of the country could be eased in the coming days.

"More aggressively we commit to social distancing, so important, social distancing, such an important phrase, and we do it right now, the more lives we can save and the sooner we can eventually get people back to work, back to school, and back to normal. And there are large sections of our country probably can go back much sooner than other sections and we’re obviously looking at that also,” he said during Wednesday’s briefing.

“People are asking, ‘Is that an alternative?’ And I say, ‘Absolutely,’” Trump continued.

Trump’s comments come as many public health officials warn against easing the guidelines to stop the spread of the virus too quickly.

The President also announced that he has approved disaster declarations for the following states: New York, California, Washington, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, something, he said, “that has great significance, as you know, and legal significance.”

Trump noted that he spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, praising his work.

New York, he said, has “a number of very tough weeks ahead of them.”

At least 8,000 children of emergency workers have been enrolled in enrichment centers in NYC
From CNN’s Sheena Jones

At least 8,000 children of emergency workers have been enrolled in enrichment centers across New York City, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

The city has created a space for 40,000 children across the city, officials said.

At least 5,000 volunteers will help man the centers.

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Coronavirus is decimating our economy.

The country needs a clean bill to pass. Does it really make sense to pay people more while on unemployment then they earn while they are working? After all taxpayers will be paying for this eventually.

Why do they need an 1100 page bill?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sanders-threatens-to-stall-coronavirus-package-over-gop-bid-to-change-unemployment-aid

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New research suggests that “off label” repurposing of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine could lead to “drug-induced sudden cardiac death”.

A paper by the nonprofit medical organisation the Mayo Clinic found that chloroquine and Kaletra, an HIV drug also being used against coronavirus, can cause the heart muscle to take longer than normal to recharge between beats. (Guardian)

Covid-19 cases have risen to 201 in Costa Rica but there is growing hope the virus could be contained in the Central America country.

No community transmission of the disease has been officially recorded in Costa Rica, the health ministry confirmed again on Wednesday, amid stringent nationwide measures to control the spread of the virus.

The government implemented strict social distancing rules early in the outbreak, including banning tourists from entering the country, closing most public areas and asking the public to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

In neighbouring Panama, a nationwide curfew is in force after 443 confirmed cases and eight deaths were recorded on Tuesday. The country has the largest outbreak in Central America and the number of confirmed cases has increased rapidly in the last week. (Guardian)

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Coronavirus Task Force briefing begins

“Social distancing, so important,” Donald Trump began. “Such an important phrase.”

He repeated his wish that “some sections of the country” return to normalcy earlier than others. New York “is by far the hottest spot,” Trump said.

New York “is by far the hottest spot,” Trump said, referring to the rising number of cases in the state. He said he’s been working with the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo.

“I want you to know that I’m doing everything in my power to help the city pull through this challenge,” he said. He called the Defense Production Act — which allows the government to compel private companies to produce critical medical supplies — a “great negotiating tool”.

“I don’t have to use it very much at all,” he said, referencing companies that have voluntarily pitched in to increase production of key supplies. Cuomo has repeatedly raised alarm over a lack of face masks and other protective equipment available at New York hospitals.

“We’re also doing some very large testings throughout the country,” Trump said, boasting that the US has done more tests than South Korea.

But South Korea, which has a much smaller population, has administered more coronavirus tests per capita.

Trump also confirmed that he’ll sign stimulus package “immediately” when it gets to his desk, adding that he’ll have a “beautiful” signing.

The $2tn coronavirus bill moving through the Senate will re-energize the economy, Trump said, urging Congress to pass the “vital legislation”.

Soon, the president reiterated — contradicting public health experts — the country will open up “like a rocket ship.” The sooner it happens, the better, he said.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — who negotiated the stimulus package with Senate leaders late into the night — said he expects that it will sustain the economy for about three months.

Trump added that if more economic relief is needed, it will come: “If we have to go back, we will go back.”

Mnuchin said he hopes the bill will pass the Senate tonight.

Addressing a recent tweet in which he claimed that the media was inflating the crisis, Trump doubled down. “I think there are certain people who would like [the country] to do financially poorly,” he said, in order to tank his chances of reelection.

“I think it’s very clear that there are people in your profession who write fake news,” he said, pointing out individual reporters in the briefing room. “You do, she doesn’t,” he said.

“We don’t have to test the entire state in the Middle West,” Trump said, suggesting that areas of the country were barely affected. “I think it’s ridiculous.”

Public health experts said that the surest way out of the pandemic is to test widely and to continue social distancing measures. (Guardian)

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Tesla CEO says its New York factory will reopen to aid with ventilator production
From CNN’s Kate Trafecante

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company’s shuttered Buffalo, New York, factory would reopen “as soon as humanly possible” to aid with ventilator production.

Telsa’s Giga New York factory suspended activity on Monday to protect employees from the spread of coronavirus.

But in a verified tweet Wednesday, Musk says the factory “will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York.”

CNN has reached out to Tesla for further comment.

Musk previously said that Tesla factories could convert to ventilator production if there was a crisis of supply.

A tough situation: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called the need for ventilators “our single greatest challenge.”

New York needs 30,000 ventilators, Cuomo said in a news briefing Wednesday.

The state has 4,000 ventilators in the existing hospital system, the federal government has sent 4,000, and the state has purchased 7,000 others and is “still shopping,” Cuomo said.

Colorado governor declares stay-at-home order
From CNN’s Stephanie Gallman

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a stay-at-home order beginning Thursday through April 11.

“Now is the time to stay home," Polis said.
As of Wednesday, the state had 912 cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths.

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As American’s hunker down, Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison says they’re doing home projects

Along with binge-watching TV, Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison said Americans are also doing DIY projects as they stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview with CNBC, Ellison said the home improvement retailer has seen an increase across nearly every store category as customers stock up on cleaning supplies, buy appliances and purchase other items to fix up or maintain their homes.

“As customers are sheltering in place, they’re looking at that deferred list of home projects,” he said. “As they spend time around the home, they now have more time on their hands to tackle some of those things.” Some of their purchases are inspired by staying in. For example, Ellison said customers are buying new water heaters as homes fill up with kids home from college, or additional refrigerators and freezers as they stock-up on food. (CNBC)

Walmart offers to help its small business partners

Walmart said Wednesday it is offering help to its small business partners as the coronavirus forces consumers to self-isolate and companies to shut stores. More than 10,000 businesses operate within Walmart Supercenters and Sam’s Clubs, including hair and nail salons, optometrists, restaurant franchises, veterinary clinics and local and regional banks. Walmart is waiving rent for all of these property partners for the month of April. In addition, Walmart is making changes to its supply-chain financing program to help qualified suppliers get payments faster. The retailer is adding dedicated resources to speed up its onboarding process and eliminate an eligibility requirement and has added a third banking partner. JPMorgan Chase. Citibank and Wells Fargo were already partners. (CNBC)

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Yup. I work for a Swiss-German company. Freaking out would be a very American reaction but categorizing things as “extremely dire” sound just about right. Keep calm and carry on…

[quote=“doschicos, post:10154, topic:2080517”]

"“German business sentiment has become ‘extraordinarily dire,’ Ifo Institute says
Sentiment among German managers has become “extraordinarily dire,” Germany’s closely watched Ifo index of business sentiment shows, as its business climate index falls from 96.0 points in February to 86.1 points in March.”

[quote=“doschicos, post:10154, topic:2080517”]

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Trump explains why he agreed to government funding of Kennedy Center in stimulus bill
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

President Trump addressed a provision in the stimulus bill that gives $25 million to the Kennedy Center, a performing arts space in Washington, DC, named for the late President John F. Kennedy.

Trump said it was a provision from the Democrats that initially started at $35 million, but they negotiated to $25 million, saying he approved it because he is a “fan” of the facility.

“I approved that, it was 35 million, and we actually took off 10. But I’m a fan of that although I haven’t spent time there because I’m far too busy. I’d love to go there, evenings, but I’m too busy doing things because that’s more important for me than going there,” the President said.

The Kennedy Center, he said, “has suffered greatly because nobody can go there, it’s essentially closed.”

Trump also praised Democratic negotiators.

“And they do need some funding, and I said, look, that was a Democrat request, that was not my request, but you gotta give them something. It’s something that they wanted, you know, works that way. The Democrats have treated us fairly. I really believe we’ve had a very good back and forth. And I say that with respect to Chuck Schumer, I spoke to him a number of times, but you know, they had requests also. So that was a request,” Trump said.

Even though the funding is a “lousy soundbite,” Trump was resigned to it.

“That’s not a good soundbite but that’s the way life works. With that being said, the Kennedy Center, they do a beautiful job, an incredible job, David Rubenstein does a fantastic job, he’s very much involved and puts up a lot of money and does things a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do. But they’ve been essentially closed. They have tremendous deficits that are built up, I mean, this thing has been devastating to it. So I didn’t have problem with it but this was a request from the Democrats because of the fact that they have a facility that’s essentially closed,” he said, later adding that he’d “love” to go see Romeo and Juliet, but he can’t because it’s closed.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., lambasted funding for the arts included in the bill last night, tweeting, “Republicans want to save your job, Democrats want to save the Picassos.”

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Direct payments to taxpayers could be issued 3 weeks of bill signing, Treasury secretary says
From CNN’s Maegan Vazquez

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday that the Trump administration expects to issue direct payments to taxpayers within three weeks of a stimulus package being signed into law.

“Our expectation is within three weeks we will have direct payments out where we have depository information. We’re looking to get a lot more information and we have procedures to do that,” Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin added that by the end of next week, the administration wants all banks to be able to originate loans on a “same day” basis.

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Wisconsin’s total cases went up 28 percent from yesterday to today. Now 585 cases. Two more deaths reported since yesterday, for a total of 6.
https://madison365.com/breaking-128-new-coronavirus-cases-in-wisconsin-biggest-single-day-jump-yet/