Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Mnuchin pledges ‘full transparency’ over $500 billion bailout to big business

The White House is providing “full transparency” over the coronavirus economic stimulus package that allocates $500 billion for loans to big business, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said.

The part of the $2 trillion stimulus bill that provides funding to distressed companies has been a major point of contention between Republicans and Democrats.

“We have full transparency in reporting what we’re doing to the American public,” Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox News Sunday.

After arguments over the bailout fund, Republicans agreed to add on a congressional oversight committee and inspector general to oversee how the money is allocated.

However, upon signing the bill Friday, Trump said he thinks the inspector general needs his permission in order to report back to Congress with information about loans and business recipients.

“I do not understand, and my administration will not treat, this provision as permitting the [the inspector general] to issue reports to the Congress without the presidential supervision,” he wrote in a signing statement. (CNBC)

Facing testing supply shortage, Washington governor calls for mobilizing manufacturing base ‘like we did in World War II’

In Washington state, which has been dealing with the COVID-19 crisis the longest, there is “desperate need” for testing kits, Gov. Jay Inslee said.

“We simply don’t have materials to take the test itself,” Inslee told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

Citing materials like swabs, “we just do not have those simple things, that’s why we have to mobilize the entire manufacturing base of the United States like we did in World War II,” Inslee said.

Inslee said that he spoke to Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk, who offered help in getting ventilators. Musk pointed out that “we don’t necessarily have a shortage, we have a maldistribution of ventilators, where we have ventilators sitting in places where they’re not being used and aren’t going to states hit first, like New York, like Washington state, like California,” according to Inslee.

“This is where we need federal coordination to get the assets where they’re really needed,” Inslee said.

Inslee said he’s been in communication with the Army, FEMA and Vice President Mike Pence. “We’re not distracted by some of the noise out of the White House,” he said. (CNBC)

New Orleans could run out of ventilators, hospital beds by early April
GP: Coronavirus New Orleans shutdown

New Orleans, which has emerged as a hot spot for the coronavirus health crisis in the U.S., could run out of ventilators and hospital beds by early April.

The outbreak’s current trajectory in the city puts it on pace for a shortfall of ventilators by April 4, and hospital beds by April 10, according to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

“Ventilators are the short-term, really big pressing issue we’re trying to solve for,” he said on “Meet The Press.” “Really difficult because every state is looking for these. There are only so many to be had.”

Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her state’s numbers are “climbing exponentially.”

“We have hospitals that are already at capacity,” she said. “We’re running out of [personal protective equipment] as well.” (CNBC)

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Let’s raise a glass to this hero, Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Public Health Officer. We had one of the first cases of community transmission in the country. She was the one who shut down large gatherings in Santa Clara County on March 9. She persuaded the other Bay Area counties to shut everything down March 15, well before the rest of the state shut down. She is fantastic.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/29/she-shut-down-the-bay-area-to-slow-the-deadly-coronavirus-none-of-us-really-believed-we-would-do-it/

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@jym626 I have no words. I’m sending your family love and comfort in this very difficult time.

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I’m relieved that our state has instituted mandatory quarantine as nearly all our cases have been related to travel—returning residents and visitors.

It’s been devastating to our economy which relies so heavily on tourism but we don’t have vast medical resources and need to flatten the curve for the protection of all. We have a very population of elderly in our state as well. Until this quarantine that started Thursday, incoming passengers received virtually no screening except for having them complete ag form about whether they were bringing in any plants or animals (forbidden).

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She will be a Benacquisto scholar, entering in the fall 2020. She has other options, but is likely to choose the Benacquisto. But again, I’m skeptical those schools will be doing anything other than virtual instruction for the rest of 2020.

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https://www.acgme.org/COVID-19/Stage-3-Pandemic-Emergency-Status-Guidance

The ACGME has declared a Stage 3 Pandemic Emergency and has suspended all specialty training requirements for at least 30 days, longer if the program requests an extension.

Basically the ACGME is allowing all residents and fellows to be assigned to the any area of need within a hospital or clinic, regardless of their specialty.

Residents & fellows are only guaranteed:

–current caps on work hours won’t changed (for residents that 80 hours/week; fellows have no upper limits)
–they will be trained in infection control and provided with PPE as approved by the program for their particular clinical placement
–supervision appropriate to their level of training or whatever level the program deems appropriate.

11307

I was looking at data regarding testing in 2 states : Michigan and Minnesota. Michigan has a population close to 10 mil and Minnesota 5.3 mil. Michigan tested 13.700 and Minnesota 16.000. 111 deaths in Michigan, 5 in Minnesota. That means that Minnesota is testing also people with milder symptoms while Michigan is testing only the sicker ones. Now, how come one state is able to get more testing than the other ? That has to do with local incompetence. Some states were more prepared than others.

11308

Dr Fauci addresses this issue. They are making vaccine before it is proven to be ready. The cost is borne out by the gov.

11309

This may very well be true for all/huge majority of the schools. On some level, this may be easier for incoming freshmen as they have many classes to take and can hopefully postpone lab related classes or any classes that require in-person instruction or extensive additional equipment.

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Trump backed off quarantine for New York area after meeting with task force and governors, Mnuchin says

The White House coronavirus task force recommended a travel advisory for New York after meeting with the president on Saturday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

President Donald Trump backed off talk of imposing a quarantine on New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut on Saturday. He said he decided a quarantine wasn’t necessary after consulting with the White House task force and the states’ governors.

“The president did very seriously consider it,” Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox News. “The president wanted to consider all the options.”

The CDC is urging people from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to avoid nonessential travel for 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

[ Maybe Trump should get his ducks in a row and talk to all parties before loosely throwing out his ideas to the public. One can wish. ]

Fauci warns against nonessential travel for New York region, says US could see up to 200,000 deaths

White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci is telling people in hot spots such as New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut to forgo nonessential travel for the time being, elaborating on the reason for the CDC’s travel advisory for the region.

“Just hold off,” Fauci told CNN’s State of the Union. “What you don’t want is people traveling from that area to other areas of the country and inadvertently and innocently infecting other people.”

Fauci’s warning comes after President Donald Trump backed off the idea of imposing an “enforceable” quarantine on the region. Fauci said he and other experts made it clear to Trump that a strong travel advisory would be better than a quarantine.

“You don’t want to get a point where you’re enforcing things that would create a bigger difficulty, morale and otherwise, when you could probably accomplish the same goal,” Fauci said.

The infection rate in the New York City area now represents 56% of all new infections in the country, Fauci said. The U.S. could see up to 200,000 deaths and millions of infections, Fauci added, though he cautioned that nobody knows for certain. (CNBC)

Chanel switches workshops to making face masks as coronavirus spreads

Luxury fashion group Chanel said it would launch the production of face masks to help bolster supplies in France, as the coronavirus sweeps across the country.

Prototypes were being worked on and would roll off production lines once they received the approval of French authorities.

On Saturday, Health Minister Olivier Veran said the government had ordered more than a billion face masks, mostly from China, to be supplied in the weeks and months ahead.

France was using 40 million face masks per week, he said. Doctors, nursing home carers and police have complained of shortages. —Reuters

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If I was a graduating senior, I’d consider taking a gap year (obviously one without travel).

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Vaccine will be made by many companies. Mine thinks it can produce 300 million doses by Feb- March 2021, presumably for US market. Production facilities are being ramped up. And it will be produced before formal fda approval (same practice fore any drug). They will ship as soon as fda approved.

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Relief Therapeutics, NeuroRx get FDA nod to start coronavirus trial

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has authorized the start of a mid-stage trial by U.S.-Israeli NeuroRx and Relief Therapeutics for the use of Aviptadil to treat Acute Respiratory Distress in coronavirus patients.

The companies said they are recruiting study sites and pharmacies to begin a phase 2 trial. The FDA issued a “study may proceed” letter 24 hours after their investigational new drug application.

Aviptadil is a patented form of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide that has previously shown promise in treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), the companies said.

Coronavirus death is primarily caused by ARDS, in which severe inflammation causes the lungs to fill with fluid. —Reuters

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@“Cardinal Fang” , @amsunshine FYI, even though Florida doesn’t have a statewide “stay at home” policy in effect, many counties and municipalities do have such policies. A fairly up-to-date list is provided at:
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/325112-a-round-up-of-which-florida-communities-have-stay-at-home-orders-in-place
There are also numerous other things, such as local beach closures, that are not included in that list. I can say that in my area, most of the locals are following social distancing very seriously.

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@jym626 , what a horrible time this must be for your family. Sending strength and love over the Internet.

I fear we have a large number in this forum either in hotspots or with family in them.

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NYC will begin fining social distancing violators $250-500, BilldeBlasio
says. Police will still start with warnings, but will escalate to fines if people fail to disperse.

Source: Erin Durkin, New Yorker reporter, on Twitter. 3:56 p.m., 3/29/20

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There will certainly be plenty of students doing exactly that. But perhaps if one cannot travel and has to stay at home, then they may as well put their time in good use and spend it at home learning. Of course, there is a chance one could be able to volunteer and make significant difference if they had coronavirus antibodies.

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Nurse at Elmhurst Hospital in New York describes how quickly patients are deteriorating
From CNN’s Paul Murphy

A nurse at Elmhurst Hospital in New York described to CNN how quickly patients are deteriorating in their hospital.

“It’s frightening because although they are sick, they appear stable,” the nurse said. “Then right before your eyes they start to desaturate and in a few moments, they are gone.”

Desaturate refers to a patient’s oxygen saturation levels dropping to unsafe and, in this case, fatal levels.

The nurse said they watched, completely helpless, with two doctors alongside, as patients died from coronavirus complications.

“Even though you restart the heart, they cannot breathe and before you get a minute to process the life lost, they come and snatch the ventilator,” the nurse said. “And (then) another patient is crashing.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the stresses this particular hospital is experiencing during his daily press conference.

Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Elmhurst had been the hospital hit hardest by the surge in cases and more medical personnel were being sent there. CNN previously reported that 13 patients died at the hospital from coronavirus within 24 hours last week.

Country singer Joe Diffie dies of complications from coronavirus
From CNN’s Steve Forrest

Grammy Award-winning country singer Joe Diffie, 61, died Sunday from complications of coronavirus, according to his publishing agency Adkins Publicity.

Two days before his death, Diffie released a statement admitting he tested positive for coronavirus.

“I am under the care of medical professionals and currently receiving treatment. My family and I are asking for privacy at this time. We want to remind the public and all my fans to be vigilant, cautious and careful during this pandemic.”
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Diffie was a 25-year member of the Grand Ole Opry. Some of his hits included “John Deere Greene” and “Home.”

German state’s finance minister kills himself

The finance minister of Germany’s Hesse state, Thomas Schäfer, has killed himself after apparently becoming “deeply worried” about how to deal with the economic impact of coronavirus, the Local reports.

“We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad,” state premier Volker Bouffier said in a statement. (Guardian)

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That is a very bold statement to say on just a guess from looking at some numbers.

In Michigan, private labs are not required to report the number of negative tests they’ve had. Only positive. Also, the data from today shows that at least 15,000 tests have been reported.

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Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
·
37m
A new drive-thru #Coronavirus testing center is coming to the Bronx.

The facility will be in Co-Op City and opens Monday.

Residents MUST make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065.

Priority will go to higher-risk individuals.