Tag: pandemic

Minnesota House Approves COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation for Frontline Responders

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed legislation delivering workers’ compensation benefits to health care and public safety workers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty. In particular, the legislation provides a presumption that if these workers contract COVID, they did so during the course of their employment and are covered by workers’ compensation. 

The legislation goes into effect for employees who contract COVID-19​ on or after the day following final enactment. 

“It’s easy to find the heroes in this pandemic,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “Our first responders and health care workers are putting themselves on the front line of this battle every day. They need to know we have their backs. We are pleased we were able to come to a consensus on this important issue.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Approves COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation for Frontline Responders”

Financial Assistance Available for Veterans Affected by COVID-19

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Minnesota Veterans affected financially by COVID-19 can now apply for financial assistance thanks to new funding approved by the legislature. Approximately $6.2 million is available in two new grants available for veterans.

“The economic effects of COVID-19 have been devastating on the pocketbook of hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans, and our veterans are being hit especially hard,” said Senator Jerry Newton (DFL-Coon Rapids), ranking DFL lead on the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee. “These grant program provides an immediate boost for our veterans, and I encourage people to apply as soon as possible. I want to thank Governor Walz for prioritizing the needs of our veterans, and for my colleagues in the legislature who came together in bipartisan agreement to make this possible.”

The purpose of the COVID-19 Disaster Relief Grant and COVID-19 Special Needs Grant is to mitigate the negative effects and economic impact COVID-19 has had on Veterans and their families by providing one-time financial relief grants in the amount of $1,000 and $3,000 respectively. Applications for either grant must demonstrate a financial loss on or after the date of the Governor’s Emergency Executive Order, March 13, 2020. Continue reading “Financial Assistance Available for Veterans Affected by COVID-19”

Economist Robert Reich: Trump is shamelessly ‘exploiting chaos for personal gain’ during the deadly coronavirus crisis

AlterNet logoWords like “incompetent” and “inept” have often been used by President Donald Trump’s critics to describe his response to the coronavirus pandemic. And while economist Robert Reich, a vehement Trump critic, doesn’t necessarily disagree with those adjectives, he has another term to describe Trump’s coronavirus response: power grab. And in an op-ed for The Guardian, Reich (who served as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton the 1990s) lays out why he sees it that way.

“The utter chaos in America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — shortages of equipment to protect hospital workers, dwindling supplies of ventilators and critical medications, jaw-dropping confusion over how $2.2tn of aid in the recent coronavirus law will be distributed — was perhaps predictable in a nation that prides itself on competitive individualism and hates centralized power,” Reich explains. “But it is also tailor-made for Donald Trump, who has spent a lifetime exploiting chaos for personal gain and blaming others for losses.”

Reich goes on to cite some examples of “chaos” during the pandemic — which, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has killed more than 70,000 people worldwide (as of Monday morning, April 6). Continue reading.

‘Confusion, Fear And Distrust’: U.S. Hospitals Slam Federal Coronavirus Response In Watchdog Report

Topline: An internal government watchdog reportreleased Monday offers the first glimpse into the Department of Health and Human Services’ response to the coronavirus outbreak, with hospitals saying conflicting guidance, along with equipment shortages, has left healthcare workers feeling their safety isn’t insured while treating COVID-19 patients.

  • The report was conducted from March 22 to March 27, with 323 hospitals surveyed.
  • The report describes severe equipment shortages, with hospitals unable to obtain the masks and protective gear required to keep workers safe.
  • Faulty or expired equipment was received by some hospitals, with one describing the elastic bands on N95 masks as having rotted, or were sized for children, instead of adults.
  • Thermometer shortages also left hospitals unable to take employees’ temperatures, the report said, leaving them unable to monitor staff for signs of the coronavirus.
  • A shortage of testing kits was also reported, with wait times for results up to one week, decreasing bed availability in hospitals and forcing workers to use up more protective gear.
  • Ventilator shortages left hospitals scrambling to repurpose anesthesia machines or double up patients on one machine, the report said, with hospitals fearing “difficult decisions about ethical allocation and liability.” Continue reading.

‘Confusion, fear, distrust’: Damning IG report lays out Trump administration’s ‘unprecedented’ COVID-19 failures

AlterNet logoA newly released report from the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services paints a devastating portrait of the Trump administration’s failures during the coronavirus pandemic.

NBC News reports that the HHS IG found that hospitals across the United States are lacking supplies as basic as thermometers, even as they’re being undercut by their own federal government in trying to acquire new supplies.

“Vendors have told us that they need to send whatever they have to the national stockpile,” said Ruthanne Sudderth, senior vice president for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. Continue reading.

Politics Should Not Determine if Americans Receive Aid To Combat Coronavirus

Center for American Progress logoThe Trump administration’s process for getting critical medical supplies to the states and localities that need it to fight the coronavirus pandemic has been an absolute disaster. Confused, disorganized, and opaque, President Donald Trump’s laissez-faire approach has generated a Lord of the Flies-like atmosphere where states are biddingagainst other states—and even the federal government itself—for lifesaving equipment such as ventilators. Meanwhile, every day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) pleads on national television for more ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) from the federal government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), so frustrated with the disorganized and politicized federal response, is now calling on the White House to appoint a nonpartisan senior military officer to quarterback these efforts.

But worse than just a logistics failure, recent reports suggest that Trump may again be abusing his public office for private gain. Last week, details emerged that some states, such as Florida, had received everything they requested from the federal government, while other states, such as Michigan and Louisiana, received only a fraction of the requested supplies. Florida has a Republican governor who is vocally supportive of Trump, while the governors of Michigan and Louisiana are Democrats who have been critical of Trump’s coronavirus response. This week, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, sparked outrage when he suggested that federal resources belonged to Trump and his administration, rather than to the public: “The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile. It’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use.” The administration then proceeded to alter the webpage on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website to reflect Kushner’s new inaccurate description a day after his remarks, and the president himself has implied, repeatedly, that federal support depends on how well he perceives himself to be treated by governors. “It’s a two-way street,” he said last week. “They have to treat us well.” Federal officials have said this aid is being solely distributed on the basis of need, but they have not demonstrated any transparency in their process.

The politicization of aid has dangerous implications

There are multiple problems with the Trump administration’s decision to politicize aid, particularly during a pandemic. Continue reading.

Trump is ‘killing his own supporters’ by mishandling the coronavirus pandemic: Administration insider

AlterNet logoDonald Trump now joins Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx (two key members of his coronavirus task force) in warning that COVID-19 could kill tens of thousands of Americans in the months ahead. But journalist Lloyd Green, in an op-ed for The Guardian, warns that Trump is still handling the pandemic badly in many respects — stressing that his actions will hurt his Republican supporters along with those who don’t support him.

“Trump is telling NFL owners he wants the season to start on time,” Green explains. “He is disregarding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice on wearing face masks in public. And he is touting untested coronavirus cures live on national TV. Think Trump University on steroids — only this time, we all stand to be the victims.”

Green asserts that Trump should be paying attention when Fauci stresses that there is no evidence to suggest that hydroxychloroquine — which the president is very bullish on — could be used to treat COVID-19. Continue reading.

Trump’s coronavirus commentary bolsters attack ads questioning his fitness to lead

Washington Post logoWithin days of President Trump’s assertion that “I don’t take responsibility at all” for coronavirus testing failures, Democrats were spending millions in key November states on an ad that replayed a series of his most pungent remarks.

“One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear,” Trump can be heard saying of the virus, before the ad ends with his refusal to let the buck stop with him.

As audio of his comments played, a chart showed the soaring spread of coronavirus in the United States, which now has the highest number of confirmed cases worldwide. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz’s COVID-19 Update: April 6, 2020

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April 6, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:00 PM on 4/6/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Amid rising reports of discrimination from the Asian Pacific Islander community, Governor Tim Walz launched a Discrimination Helpline today to reinforce the state’s efforts to protect the civil rights of Minnesotans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The helpline will allow Minnesotans who experience or witness discrimination to report incidents directly to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The helpline is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“Minnesotans are resilient people who support their neighbors when the going gets tough,” Governor Walz said. “As Asian Americans in Minnesota report heightened cases of discrimination amid COVID-19, my message is clear: Viruses don’t discriminate, and neither do we.” Continue reading “Gov. Walz’s COVID-19 Update: April 6, 2020”

Cities That Went All In on Social Distancing in 1918 Emerged Stronger for It

New York Times logoThey had lower mortality rates from the influenza pandemic. But their economies also appeared to fare better.

As the first local influenza deaths were counted in the fall of 1918, officials in Minneapolis moved quickly — more aggressively than even state health officials thought was wise — and shut down the city. They closed schools, churches, theaters and pool halls, effective midnight on Oct. 12.

Across the Mississippi River, St. Paul remained largely open into November, with its leaders confident they had the epidemic under control. Fully three weeks after Minneapolis — with The St. Paul Pioneer Press pleading “In Heaven’s Name Do Something!” — St. Paul ordered sweeping closures, too.

Both cities, relative to the worst-hit parts of the country, escaped steep death tolls. But the mortality rate in Minneapolis was considerably lower than in St. Paul. And as researchers today look back on those interventions, it appears the economy in Minneapolis emerged stronger, too. Continue reading.