Tag: pandemic

Fauci says task force ‘argued strongly’ with Trump to extend coronavirus guidelines

The Hill logoDr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said Monday that the White House coronavirus task force aggressively lobbied President Trump to extend social distancing guidelines another month as the U.S. grapples with the fallout of the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

“We felt that if we prematurely pulled back, we would only form an acceleration or rebound of something, which would put you behind where you were before, and that’s a reason why we argued strongly with the president that he not withdraw those guidelines,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“And he did listen,” Fauci added. Continue reading.

Panicked Republicans now want to blame impeachment for bungling the coronavirus response: report

AlterNet logoCongress was slow to understand the threat from coronavirus, and now Republicans want to blame impeachment.

Back in January, as Democrats presented their evidence in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, only a few lawmakers from both parties were urging action against the highly contagious virus that had shut down parts of China and recently arrived in the United States, reported Politico.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) became alarmed over Martin Luther King Day weekend reading reports about the coronavirus in China, which he noticed a disconnect between China’s rosy statements about the outbreak and the drastic steps it was taking to contain it. Continue reading.

Sen. John Hoffman (SD33) Update: March 31, 2020

Event Announcement:  Tele-Town Hall

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On Thursday April 2, 2020 Sen. Jim Abeler and I will be hosting a tele-townhall to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on Minnesota’s disability services. Our discussion will begin at 10:00 AM. Details on how to view or participate will come in a later email.

We ourselves will be broadcasting from the Anoka County Government Center. As the building is closed to the public, we will have to rely on virtual technologies for people to participate.

The townhall will focus on concerns brought to us by disability service providers, including  Day Training & Habilitation, employment services, adult day services, and non-emergency medical transportation service providers. Our discussion is not limited to these topics, so please alert us if you have other concerns about disability services we should discuss. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD33) Update: March 31, 2020”

11 to 100,000: What went wrong with coronavirus testing in the U.S.

Washington Post logoThe Facts

The novel coronavirus was first detected in early December in Wuhan, China. Chinese officials reported the pneumonia-like disease to the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of December, but neglected to mention growing evidence that the virus could spread by human-to-human transmission through airborne droplets.

Still, China’s previous failures to be forthcoming about public health crises meant that public health officials elsewhere already were wary of its government’s official statements. As reports of the mysterious virus increased, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Americans against traveling to China and activated an emergency management tool used to direct operations, deliver resources and share information.

Despite the alarm bells and increased intelligence briefings, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar struggled to get Trump’s attention for weeks. Continue reading. Continue reading.

COVID-19 cases reach 629 in Minnesota, including 12 deaths

Two more deaths were reported Tuesday.

MARCH 31, 3:00 PM Update — The latest updates from the Minnesota Department for Health and Gov. Tim Walz in Tuesday afternoon’s media briefing:

– Both of the patients who were the latest to die from COVID-19 in Minnesota were from Hennepin County. Neither were residents in long-term care facilities. Continue reading “COVID-19 cases reach 629 in Minnesota, including 12 deaths”

51 State Democratic Party Chairs Sign Letter Urging Protection of U.S. Elections from COVID-19

Today, 51 State Democratic Party Chairs from across the United States, the Territories, and Democrats Abroad released a letter urging swift action from federal and state elected officials to protect our voting infrastructure from the coronavirus. The full text of the letter and a list of signatories can be found in the body of this press release and at the following link: http://dfl.org/defending-democracy

“In the United States of America, voters should never have to choose between protecting their health and casting their ballots,” said Ken Martin, President of the Association of State Democratic Committees, Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. “Today, the leaders of 51 State Democratic Parties are calling on our elected officials to enact a set of reforms that will guarantee the freedom to vote does not end up as yet another casualty of this loathsome virus.”

“The reforms we are proposing are not radical, they’ve already been tested by states across the country and they work,” added Martin. “It’s time for lawmakers to listen to the results from years of trials in our laboratories of democracy and enact these reforms nationwide.” Continue reading “51 State Democratic Party Chairs Sign Letter Urging Protection of U.S. Elections from COVID-19”

Journalists slam ‘petty, petulant’ Marco Rubio for claiming the media ‘can’t contain their glee’ over coronavirus pandemic

AlterNet logoFrom CNN and MSNBC to the New York Times and the Washington Post to Axios, countless journalists in the United States have been working tirelessly to bring accurate, up-to-date information on the coronavirus pandemic to the public. But as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida sees it, journalists aren’t informing the public — they are celebrating the crisis. And a long list of journalists, in response, have been lambasting the Florida Republican on Twitter for his boneheaded attack.

On Sunday, March 29, Rubio tweeted, “Some in our media can’t contain their glee & delight in reporting that the U.S. has more #CoronaVirus cases than #China Beyond being grotesque, its bad journalism We have NO IDEA how many cases China really has but without any doubt its significantly more than why they admit to.” Continue reading “Journalists slam ‘petty, petulant’ Marco Rubio for claiming the media ‘can’t contain their glee’ over coronavirus pandemic”

Is the loss of your sense of smell and taste an early sign of COVID-19?

Doctors from around the world are reporting cases of COVID-19 patients who have lost their sense of smell, known as anosmia, or taste, known as ageusia. The director of the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste and the co-director of the UF Health Smell Disorders Program answer questions about this emerging trend.

Is the loss of smell an early sign of COVID-19?

Loss of smell occurs with the common cold and other viral infections of the nose and throat. Anecdotal reports suggest the loss of smell may be one of the first symptoms of COVID-19. Doctors around the world are reporting that up to 70% of patients who test positive for the coronavirus disease COVID-19 – even those without fever, cough or other typical symptoms of the disease – are experiencing anosmia, a loss of smell, or ageusia, a loss of taste. A new study just published found that 20 of 59 patients (ages 50-74) interviewed in Italy reported a smell or taste loss. More research is needed to understand this link, but it may provide a low-cost, practical indicator of which people should self-isolate or get further testing, depending on the symptom severity and testing availability.

What are anosmia and ageusia?

The body’s chemical senses include smell, used to detect volatile odors, and taste, which recognizes food compounds like sugars, salts and acids. A number of chemosensory disorders result in the diminishment, distortion or complete loss of smell or taste functions. For example, anosmia is the complete loss or absence of smell, while hyposmia is a reduced ability to smell. Similarly, ageusia is an absence of taste. Continue reading.

Why COVID-19 Trutherism Is So Popular On The Right

Thirty days ago, Donald Trump said confidently that “we have 15 cases of COVID-19 that have been detected in the United States… [but] because of all we’ve done, the risk to the American people remains very low. … within a couple of days [the number of cases] is going to be down to close to zero.”

Today, less than a month later, we will hit 100,000 confirmed cases. And experts say that because of limited testing capacity, many more than we know are infected. If current trends persist, we’ll have one million cases on April 6.

Yet despite the rapid spread of the disease, there’s still an abiding belief among many conservatives that this is no more serious than the seasonal flu, and the problem is being hyped by Democrats and the media to hurt Trump’s chances in November. A poll released this week found that over 60 percent of Fox News viewers embrace that view. Right-wing pundits talk about the annual death rate from influenza and car accidents, and while doctors and nurses say that many COVID-19 fatalities are going unreported, some on the right are convinced that the rising death toll is also exaggerated. Continue reading.

Internal Emails Show How CDC Chaos Slowed Coronavirus Response

On Feb. 13, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent out an email with what the author described as an “URGENT” call for help.

The agency was struggling with one of its most important duties: keeping track of Americans suspected of having the novel coronavirus. It had “an ongoing issue” with organizing — and sometimes flat-out losing — forms sent by local agencies about people thought to be infected. The email listed job postings for people who could track or retrieve this paperwork.

“Help needed urgently,” the CDC wrote. Continue reading.