Tag: COVID-19 coronavirus

Trump’s Operation Warp Speed promised a flood of covid vaccines. Instead, states are expecting a trickle.

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The administration pledged several hundred million doses in 2020. Companies will actually ship about 10 percent of that.

Federal officials have slashed the amount of coronavirus vaccine they plan to ship to states in December because of constraints on supply, sending local officials into a scramble to adjust vaccination plans and highlighting how early promises of a vast stockpile before the end of 2020 have fallen short.

Instead of the delivery of 300 million or so doses of vaccine immediately after emergency-use approval and before the end of 2020 as the Trump administration had originally promised, current plans call for availability of around a tenth of that, or 35 to 40 million doses.

Two vaccines, from manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna, which both use a novel form of mRNA to help trigger immune response, are on the verge of winning Food and Drug Administration clearance this month. Approval would cap an unprecedented sprint by government and drug companies to develop, test and manufacture a defense against the worst pandemic in a century — part of the Operation Warp Speed initiative that promised six companies advance purchase orders totaling $9.3 billion. Continue reading.

Biden Team, Pushing Quick Stimulus Deal, Prepares for Renewed Recession

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Economists warn that lawmakers must pass aid now, as a renewed coronavirus surge chills consumer spending and business activity.

WASHINGTON — Advisers to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. are planning for the increasing likelihood that the United States economy is headed for a “double-dip” recession early next year. They are pushing for Democratic leaders in Congress to reach a quick stimulus deal with Senate Republicans, even if it falls short of the larger package Democrats have been seeking, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Until now, Mr. Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, have insisted that Republicans agree to a spending bill of $2 trillion or more, while Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, wants a much smaller package. The resulting impasse has threatened to delay additional economic aid until after Mr. Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Many of the president-elect’s advisers have become convinced that deteriorating economic conditions from the renewed surge in Covid-19 infections and the looming threat of millions of Americans losing jobless benefits in December amid a wave of evictions and foreclosures require more urgent action before year’s end. That could mean moving at least part of the way toward Mr. McConnell’s offer of a $500 billion package. Continue reading.

U.S. hits all-time high in new coronavirus cases, exceeding 80,000 in a day for the first time

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NOTE: This article is provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

The United States hit an all-time high in new coronavirus cases on Friday, surpassing the previous mark set during a summer surge across the Sun Belt. Friday’s tally of new U.S. cases — the first above 80,000 — comes as covid-19 hospitalizations are soaring across the country; according to data tracked by The Washington Post, the average number of hospitalizations has jumped in at least 38 states over the past week, a trend that cannot be explained by more widespread testing.

Fourteen states have reported new highs in hospitalized covid-19 patients in the past seven days: Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Iowa, Utah, Montana, West Virginia, Missouri and Kansas. Health experts say the current wave is setting the stage for an even greater surge heading into colder months. View the post an additional COVID-19 news here.

Military officers quarantined as top Coast Guard official tests positive for COVID-19

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Most of the top military officers in the United States are quarantining after the Coast Guard’s second-in-command tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday.

Coast Guard vice commandant Adm. Charles Ray tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday after experiencing mild symptoms over the weekend, the Coast Guard announced Tuesday.

Ray was at the Pentagon on Friday, according to the Coast Guard. Some of his meetings included other service chiefs, top Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in his own statement. Continue reading.

E-mails detail effort to silence CDC and question its science

Experts were challenged when virus science didn’t align with rosy narrative. 

WASHINGTON – On June 30, as the coronavirus was cresting toward its summer peak, Dr. Paul Alexander, a new science adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, composed a scathing two-page critique of an interview given by an experienced CDC scientist.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, a 32-year CDC veteran and its principal deputy director, had appealed to Americans to wear masks and warned of “too much virus across the country.” But Alexander, a part-time assistant professor of health research methods, appeared sure he understood the virus better.

“Her aim is to embarrass the president,” he wrote, commenting on Schuchat’s appeal in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association. Continue reading.

Some assertions Donald ‘I don’t want to create panic’ Trump has made since February

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President Trump’s defense for having privately admitted in early February that the novel coronavirusposed a significant threat to the United States — a message that he repeatedly undermined in the following months — was a simple one. He repeatedly downplayed the threat the virus posed because he didn’t want Americans to live in fear.

“The fact is, I’m a cheerleader for this country. I love our country,” Trump said during an event at the White House on Tuesday. “And I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic, as you say. And certainly, I’m not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy.”

One can certainly argue that there is a difference between being honest with the public and instilling panic. It’s the difference between the phlebotomist saying that you’ll feel a slight pinch and his trying to get you to look in the other direction while he without warning jams a needle into your arm. My 3-year-old doesn’t like medicine, but we’re past the point where we pretend he’s just getting a funny-colored glass of apple juice. Continue reading.

Trump gets an education in the art of reversal

The president’s backdown in fighting with schools about their reopening marked the latest in a long line of failed red lines for Trump.

President Donald Trump has strong views on just about everything. Until he doesn’t.

He ordered states to reopen in the spring, only to extend national social distancing guidelines. He insisted he would have the Republican convention at full size, only to scrap much of the event. He suggested the election should be delayed, only to reverse course and declare it should actually be held early

And, in recent weeks as parents, teachers and local officials debated how to teach America’s 50 million public school students this fall, he threatened to withhold federal aid from districts that failed to offer in-person learning. But instead of fighting the many districts that defied him, he scaled back his combative rhetoric and toned down his demands. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 30, 2020

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June 30, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Today, Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan announced a public-private partnership of philanthropic and business leaders from across Minnesota to meet the technology and connectivity needs of families who have children in school. The partnership, ConnectedMN, is led by Best Buy, Comcast, Blandin Foundation, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and the Minnesota Business Partnership, in collaboration with the State of Minnesota.

Before the start of the upcoming school year, ConnectedMN’s goal is to bring technology and internet access to students across the state, especially communities most in need, including Indigenous students and students of color, students from low-income families, and families who live in rural Minnesota. Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 30, 2020”

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Public Safety Update

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Updates from the Governor

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is working to help Minnesotans safely get back to the sports they love. On Friday, Governor Walz announced a careful turn of the dial to allow for more activity, which included updated guidance for youth and adult sports.

According to MDH, different sports carry different risks of COVID-19. These depend on how close people are, whether they share equipment, and other factors as guided by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic organizations, NCAA, and others. Different risk levels mean different precautions. See guidance for youth and adult sports, including the full list of sports at Stay Safe Guidance for Organized Sports.

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Public Safety Update”

The Hill interview: Fauci on why a vaccine by end of year is ‘aspirational’

The Hill logoThe nation’s top infectious disease expert said Friday that an aggressive investment into the development and production of a vaccine against the coronavirus might make it possible to distribute millions of doses as the year comes to a close.

In an interview with The Hill, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), urged caution and said the rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine was not guaranteed.

But he said the government was taking the unprecedented step of beginning production on promising vaccine candidates even before they are proven, a financial risk that would shave months off a typical development schedule. Continue reading.