Tag: pandemic

‘I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators’: Trump questions New York’s plea for critical equipment

Washington Post logoPresident Trump cast doubt Thursday on New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s assertion that his state, which has become the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, will need 30,000 ventilators to properly care for the influx of patients anticipated to flood hospitals in coming weeks.

“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to be,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a phone interview. “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You know, you go into major hospitals sometimes they’ll have two ventilators, and now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’

The president’s comments came shortly after the New York Times reported that the White House had abruptly called off a plan to announce this week that General Motors and Ventec Life Systemswould be partnering to produce as many as 80,000 ventilators, citing concerns with the deal’s $1 billion price tag. Continue reading. Free article.

Gov. TIm Walz’s COVID-19 Update: March 28, 2020

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March 28, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 12:30 PM on 3/28/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Governor Walz today signed a comprehensive COVID-19 package allocating $330 million in aid for Minnesota’s response, which will help our state care for our most vulnerable in the face of an unprecedented crisis. The legislature passed the bill with broad bipartisan support on March 26.

“The swift, bipartisan passage of this bill is One Minnesota in action,” said Governor Walz. “Legislators put aside politics to fight the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of Minnesotans. We’re only in the early stages of Minnesota’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic – but this law will help ensure we have the right supports in place to prepare for what’s to come.”

HF 4531 includes the following actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other policy proposals that will help Minnesotans: Continue reading “Gov. TIm Walz’s COVID-19 Update: March 28, 2020”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus

The Hill logoBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday confirmed on Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

In his tweet, Johnson said he had developed “mild symptoms” over the past 24 hours and that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus,” he added. Continue reading.

Those covid-19 death figures are incomplete

Washington Post logo“If you look at swine flu …17,000 people died.”

— President Trump, remarks at a news conference, March 17

“We lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the flu. … You know, we average 37,000 people a year.”

— Trump, at a Fox News town hall, March 24

Day after day, news organizations track the death toll for the novel coronavirus, often relying on tallies maintained by universities or researchers. The figure for the United States crossed 1,000 deaths on March 25 — a sharp increase from the 100 or so reported just nine days earlier.

Still, President Trump has taken comfort in often citing death tolls for the 2009 swine flu pandemic and the seasonal flu, appearing to suggest the death toll for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is much smaller. But the numbers he cites are not comparable to the covid-19 statistics. Continue reading.

As Trump signals readiness to break with experts, his online base assails Fauci

Washington Post logoA cadre of right-wing news sites pulled from the fringes in recent years through repeated mention by President Trump is now taking aim at Anthony S. Fauci, the ­nation’s top infectious diseases ­expert, who has given interviews in which he has tempered praise for the president with doubts about his pronouncements.

Although both men are seeking to tamp down the appearance of tension — “Great job,” Trump commended the doctor during the White House’s briefing on Tuesday — the president is increasingly chafing against medical consensus. He has found support from a chorus of conservative commentators who have cheered his promise to get the U.S. economy going again as well as his decision to tout possible coronavirus treatments not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The president was right, and frankly Fauci was wrong,” Lou Dobbs said Monday on his show on the Fox Business Network, referring to the use of experimental medicine. Continue reading.

‘Beyond parody’: Fox News host blasted for saying ‘people are dying’ — but my friends ‘can’t get their nails done’

AlterNet logoThursday’s “Fox & Friends” featured insight into how the rich on the right a struggling to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 1000 people in the U.S., where there are more than 68,000 confirmed cases. A record 3.3 million people filed for unemployment this past week.

“I live in the city,” Ainsley Earhardt told her co-hosts. “You can’t go back to the city – you can, but I don’t want to, I don’t want to be around the area that’s infected the most,” she said. The New York City region is now the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.

“But I’m thinking like all the bills that are stacking up at my apartment. You know, we’ve got to think about that kind of thing. If you bought clothing before all this happened and you want to return it, are stores going to, you know, waive that 30 day period where you can get your money back if you need to return something?” Continue reading.

U.S. leads world in confirmed coronavirus cases for first time

Axios logoThe United States on Thursday reported the most coronavirus cases in the world for the first time, over China and Italy with at least 82,404 infections and more than 1,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

Why it matters: From the beginning, the U.S. — with a population of more than 325 million — has repeatedly underestimated and reacted slowly to the coronavirus, prolonging its economic pain and multiplying its toll on Americans’ health.

First, it happened with testing — a delay that allowed the virus to spread undetected, Axios’ Caitlin Owens reports.

  • Then we were caught flat-footed by the surge in demand for medical supplies in emerging hotspots.
  • And the Trump administration declined to issue a national shelter-in-place order. The resulting patchwork across the country left enough economic hubs closed to crash the economy, but enough places up and running to allow the virus to continue to spread rampantly. Continue reading.

Social Distancing To Fight Coronavirus: A Strategy That Is Working and Must Continue

Center for American Progress logoFor the last several days, President Donald Trump has become increasingly vocal in his opposition to the social distancing policies that state and local governments have put in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing concerns about their business impact. This position is utterly reckless and contradicts the universal consensus of public health and infectious diseases experts. It also ignores the reality that allowing further spread of COVID-19 will result in more damaging and longer-term economic impact than continuing with social distancing. State and local governments must continue to lead in this crisis; measures that may seem overly disruptive remain essential to protect people’s health.

The United States is still in the early stages of this pandemic. For this reason, it may seem to some as though social distancing rules are unnecessary, overly onerous, or not working. In fact, evidence from other countries shows that social distancing interventions can slow the spread of COVID-19. Beyond the international evidence of social distancing’s effectiveness, there is promising data from states that were early adopters of key social distancing policies, including bans on large gatherings and closing bars and restaurants. Together, these case studies should reassure state and local governments that they are continuing on the correct path.

Social distancing and the spread of COVID-19

Mass testing allows officials to utilize up-to-date and localized data on the disease spread, including identifying asymptomatic individuals who can then isolate themselves before they further spread the virus. In the absence of widespread testing, however, the centerpiece of the public health response to COVID-19 is social distancing. The goal of social distancing is also to prevent contagious people from coming into close contact with healthy people in order to “flatten the curve”—slowing down the spread of the virus—which in turn helps to avoid a spike in cases that overwhelms the health care system. To lessen the chances of catching COVID-19, experts recommend that people stay at least six feet away from each other. Social distancing policies include telework and business and school closures. Continue reading.

Gov. Tim Walz COVID-19 Update: March 27, 2020

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March 27, 2020Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 3:30 PM on 3/27/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Minnesota’s two-week Stay at Home order takes effect tonight at 11:59. Below are shareable graphics that help explain what’s open and what’s closed, who is considered an essential worker, and activities that are and aren’t restricted. If you still have questions, head to Governor Walz’s new COVID-19 website for resources and answers to frequently asked questions.

To ensure critical information about COVID-19 is accessible to all Minnesotans, the Walz-Flanagan Administration partnered with TPT to provide closed captioning and translate PSAs into eight different languages (English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Russian, Amharic, Karen, and Oromo). You can access those videos here. In the PSAs, the Governor tells Minnesotans to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying home, describes the efforts the state is taking to protect Minnesotans, and directs them to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Website for more information. Continue reading “Gov. Tim Walz COVID-19 Update: March 27, 2020”

Pelosi vows quick House passage of Senate stimulus Friday

The Hill logoSpeaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House will move quickly on Friday to approve the Senate’s massive, $2 trillion coronavirus relief package through the lower chamber and on to President Trump, who has vowed to sign it immediately.

While a number of House lawmakers — conservatives and liberals alike — are grumbling about both the process and content of the mammoth stimulus bill, Pelosi predicted smooth sailing through the lower chamber with broad support from both parties.

“I feel certain that we will have a strong bipartisan vote,” she told reporters in the Capitol. Continue reading.