March 21, 2020

In hard-hit areas, testing restricted to health care workers, hospital patients

Officials direct scarce resources where they are needed most to save people’s lives.

With Known U.S. Cases Surging Above 21,000, Pressure for Federal Aid Mounts

President Trump applauds voluntary help from companies as medical officials in a number of states warn of dwindling supplies of crucial gear and equipment. One in four Americans is being asked to stay indoors.

Gov. Cuomo says NY coronavirus cases have hit 10,300, unveils locations for makeshift hospitals, says 2 MILLION masks and 6,000 ventilators are being rushed across the state and reveals the New Rochelle lockdown slowed the spread 





Bars, restaurants and stores are boarded up as three million prepare to file for


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Credit...Erin Scott for The New York Times
Having missed a Friday night goal of reaching an agreement on another economic rescue effort, negotiators gathered on Capitol Hill on Saturday to try to come to terms on a package expected to exceed $1 trillion.
“It’s a very large package,” Larry Kudlow, Mr. Trump’s top economic adviser, told reporters. He estimated that the total economic impact of the aid to Americans and distressed industries would ultimately be more than $2 trillion, although he did not offer a detailed breakdown. The Federal Reserve would play a crucial role in amplifying the effects of government aid, he said, after Wall Street shuddered its way through its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, is aiming for a Senate vote on Monday, and Mr. Trump said he did not intend to travel down Pennsylvania Avenue to join the negotiations in person.





































































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Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times
At a White House briefing on Friday, President Trump enthusiastically and repeatedly promoted the promise of two long-used malaria drugs that are still unproven against the coronavirus, but being tested in clinical trials.
“I’m a smart guy,” he said, while acknowledging he couldn’t predict the drugs would work. “I feel good about it. And we’re going to see. You’re going to see soon enough.”
But the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, delicately — yet forcefully — pushed back from the same stage, explaining that there was only anecdotal evidence that the drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, may be effective against the virus.
The moment of discord between Mr. Trump and one of the nation’s most trusted authorities on the coronavirus was a clash between opinion and fact. It threw Mr. Trump’s faith in his own instincts into conflict with the careful, evidence-based approach of scientists like Dr. Fauci. Mr. Trump appeared eager to sweep aside long-established standards for evaluating drugs in order to champion the remedy he favors.

Coronavirus cases surge at nursing homes as workers battle ‘almost perfect killing machine’

At least 55 coronavirus deaths have occurred in elder care facilities, one quarter of all fatalities, Post review finds









Gov. Cuomo orders ALL non-essential workers to stay home after 2,950 new coronavirus cases are confirmed - bringing state total to 7,102

Young Adults Come to Grips With Coronavirus Health RisksIt can be a serious disease for younger people, and many millennials have chronic physical and mental health conditions.



Trump says he is invoking Defense Production Act

Trump said his administration is now invoking the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of medical supplies.
The president signed the act earlier this week but said he would not use the powers of it unless absolutely necessary.
Trump had a call this morning with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, who urged him to invoke the act, and the president said he is now using it to accelerate medical supply production.

Coronavirus fatality rates appear to be twice as high for males, Birx says

Dr Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force response coordinator, said data from Italy indicate the coronavirus fatality rate is twice as high for men across all age groups.

One After Another, States Are Ordering Residents to Mostly Stay Indoors

New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois were preparing to follow the lead set by California and New York in telling people to stay mostly inside. The Federal Reserve moved to backstop municipal money market funds, and the U.S. was set to close borders with Mexico and Canada.

Stocks fall in another day of market turmoil, erasing the ‘Trump Bump.’

The S&P 500 fell about 4 percent, after rising earlier in the day, as the mood in financial markets grew increasingly dour. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 913 points.

It was another sharp turn in a market that has come to be characterized by dizzying changes in direction over the past month as investors have grappled with the barrage of developments.

Friday’s drop meant that the Dow Jones industrial average closed below where it stood on the day before President Trump was inaugurated, erasing the so-called “Trump bump” that Mr. Trump has cited as evidence of the success of his presidency.
Stocks have collapsed about 35 percent in a month, wiping out trillions in value.





March 20, 2020

Coronavirus Cases in N.Y.C. Near 4,000; Brooklyn Count Soars. UPDATES



As states lock down, more than one in five Americans will soon be under orders to mostly stay indoors. 

 A surge in new infections coincided with an increase in testing capacity in New York State. New York City hospitals will run out of crucial supplies in the coming weeks without new shipments, including three million specialized N95 masks.

The total as of Thursday afternoon was more than 5,200 cases statewide, up from about 3,000 cases on Wednesday. There were more than 750 people hospitalized statewide. At least 29 people had died of the virus in New York State.

About half of those infected in New York City are under 50.

As of Wednesday evening, more than 500 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in New York City, 169 of them in intensive care units, according to city officials, 
The city’s data aligned with recent information from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on Wednesday said that nearly 40 percent of people hospitalized with the virus were 20 to 54.

Fifty-eight percent of those who tested positive in the city were men, and 42 percent were women, according to data from the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Cuomo orders businesses to keep 75 percent of workers home.

Among the essential industries that are exempt from the rule are food, health care and pharmacies, banks, warehousing and shipping, and media.


California governor orders state’s residents to stay home.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Thursday ordered Californians — all 40 million of them — to stay at home as much as possible in the coming weeks as the state confronts the escalating coronavirus outbreak. The order represents the most drastic measure any governor has taken to control the virus, and a decision that Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, which has far more cases than in California, has resisted taking.

The White House and lawmakers scrambled on Thursday to flesh out details of a $1 trillion economic stabilization plan to help workers and businesses weather a potentially deep recession, negotiating over the size and scope of direct payments to millions of people and aid for companies facing devastation in the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Republicans, racing to put their imprint on the crisis response, unveiled a package that would provide hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to big corporations and small businesses, large corporate tax cuts and checks of up to $1,200 for taxpayers. The plan would also place limits on a paid-leave program enacted this week to respond to the crisis.

But the 247-page measure, the product of a feverish round of negotiations among Republicans, was all but certain to face opposition from Democrats who have pressed for more generous paid-leave benefits and targeting help to workers and families rather than large corporations.
The details emerged as Washington grappled with the dimensions of an extraordinary government rescue effort that is likely to last for many months. At the White House, President Trump said he would be open to having the government take equity stakes in companies that require federal help, a move that would be unpopular with shareholders and would give the government more oversight over businesses.

‘At War With No Ammo’: Doctors Say Shortage of Protective Gear Is DireThe lack of proper masks, gowns and eye gear is imperiling the ability of medical workers to fight the coronavirus — and putting their own lives at risk.
“The federal government’s not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping,” Trump said. “You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.”

The Delivery Workers Who Risk Their Health to Bring You FoodDemand for home delivery is rising, and New Yorkers barricaded in their homes are leaning more and more on a largely immigrant work force.

The virus is hitting Europe worse than China.
The epidemic is now bigger in Europe, where governments aren’t used to giving harsh orders, and citizens aren’t used to following them.
The macabre milestones keep coming. By Wednesday, Europe had recorded more coronavirus cases and fatalities than China. On Thursday, Italy — by itself — passed China in reported deaths.

Trump administration’s plea to states: Keep mum about unemployment stats.
The Trump administration is asking state labor officials to delay releasing the precise number of unemployment claims they are fielding, an indication of how uneasy policymakers are about further roiling a stock market already plunging in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump has privately expressed irritation at the dire predictions of some of his advisers, most notably when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers that unemployment could reach 20 percent this year.

The federal numbers released Thursday morning were already alarming: 281,000 people nationwide applied for unemployment insurance last week, up from 211,000 the previous week. They were apparently only a grim preview of what is to come.

Trump signs bill to ensure paid leave benefits to many Americans. Latest Updates.




President Trump has signed into law a multi-billion dollar emergency coronavirus relief bill. The signing of the bipartisan bill came Wednesday evening, just hours after it passed in the Senate. The $105 billion bill provides safety-net programs for Americans affected by COVID-19, including paid sick and family leave. The legislation also provides free testing for the highly-contagious virus.
Entire sectors of the American economy are shutting down, threatening to crush businesses, put millions of people out of work and forcing lawmakers to consider a vast financial bailout that would dwarf the federal government’s response to the 2008 crisis.

Economists fear that by the time the coronavirus pandemic subsides and economic activity resumes, entire industries could be wiped out, proprietors across the country could lose their businesses and millions of workers could find themselves jobless.

After weeks of playing down the outbreak, Mr. Trump appeared on Wednesday to fully embrace the scope of the calamity, saying he saw himself as a wartime president and invoking memories of the efforts made by Americans during World War II.

American adults of all ages — not just those in their 70s, 80s and 90s — are being seriously sickened by the coronavirus, according to a report on nearly 2,500 cases in the United States.The report, issued Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that — as in other countries — the oldest patients were at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill or dying. But of the 508 coronavirus patients known to have been hospitalized in the United States, 38 percent were notably younger — between 20 and 54. And nearly half of the 121 sickest patients studied — those who were admitted to intensive care units — were adults under 65.

In the C.D.C. report, 20 percent of the hospitalized patients and 12 percent of the intensive care patients were between the ages of 20 and 44, basically spanning the millennial generation.

Stocks Plunge, Erasing 3-Year ‘Trump Bump’
The Dow fell below where it was when Mr. Trump was inaugurated. And three big automakers, GM, Ford and Chrysler-Fiat announced they were temporarily closing their factories in the United States

Biden Sweeps 3 States and Takes Commanding Lead
Joe Biden’s overwhelming wins in Florida, Illinois and Arizona puts pressure on Bernie Sanders to end his campaign.

Trump will invoke the Defense Production Act to increase supplies of vital equipment, and Medical Supplies Including Masks, and the manufacture of additional ventilators.

 Trump announced that the U.S. is closing the border with Canada and that hospital ships will head to New York and the West Coast. The virus has now infected more than 200,000 people in at least 144 countries.

The Trump administration is requesting $500 billion for direct payments to American taxpayers as part of a $1 trillion plan. White House plan aims to send $2,000 to many Americans, includes $300 billion for small businessesNo final decisions have been made, and talks with Republican leaders remain fluid, but the growing scale of the $1 trillion rescue plan is coming into sharper focus. It could include an infusion of $500 billion for direct payments to taxpayers and $500 billion in loans for businesses.

Cases in N.Y.C. Near 2,000 as Testing ExpandsAs the citywide toll rose, health officials were also concerned that the virus was spreading quickly in two tightly knit Hasidic neighborhoods.

Hospital Ship Headed to New York as Virus Count Spikes:

Governor Cuomo said that Trump would dispatch a 1,000 bed military hospital ship to New York Harbor.

America’s hospitals are dangerously low on ventilators. and no easy way to lift production.
Layoffs Are Just Starting in the U.S., and the Forecasts Are Bleak

Shutdowns in the retail and hospitality businesses may be an early sign of the job losses that the outbreak will inflict on the economy.

NYC Hospitals postpone elective surgeries because of coronavirus

50 FEMA teams will deploy to help state governments, amid criticism of agency’s second-string role

For the first time since the outbreak began, China reported no new local infections, a sign its epidemic may be coming under control.

Rich and famous patients are getting tested while other Americans are being denied.Politicians, celebrities, social media influencers and even N.B.A. players have been tested for the new coronavirus. But as that list of rich, famous and powerful people grows by the day, so do questions about whether they are getting access to testing that is denied to other Americans.
Some of these high-profile people say they are feeling ill and had good reason to be tested. Others argue that those who were found to be infected and then isolated themselves provided a good example to the public.
But with testing still in short supply in areas of the country, leaving health care workers and many sick people unable to get diagnoses, some prominent personalities have obtained tests without exhibiting symptoms or having known contact with someone who has the virus, as required by some testing guidelines. Others have refused to specify how they were tested.


Analysis Fox News viewers are more confident in Trump on coronavirus than are Republicans

Trump melts down and the media fails the public. Again.



WASHINGTON POST, JENNIFER RUBIN

This is not the first time I have warned that the media’s inability to confront President Trump with his untruths, and to portray vividly and accurately the extent of his derangement and ignorance (e.g., his unhinged rant in the East Room following his impeachment acquittal). But now, with a pandemic potentially threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, the media’s passivity and misguided attempts at “balance” have grave consequences.

A few examples from today’s shambolic press conference illustrate the problem:

A reporter asked Trump why there is a gap between things he says (e.g., millions of tests) and what happens in reality. Trump says he hears “good things” are happening on the ground. No one asks: Well, how can we trust anything you say? Why do you say things that are demonstrably not true?

Trump persists in rewriting history. He argues that things would be better if we had acted earlier but that no one knew the seriousness of the problem. Alternatively, he says, “We were very prepared. The only thing we weren’t prepared for was the media.” No one asks: Until last week you were calling reports documenting the problem “fake news,” so how can you say others did not see this? Did no one in your administration read press accounts of the situation in China and understand the virus would travel here? If you were prepared, why do we have a shortage of tests and medical supplies? Did you not know it was a pandemic, or did you know and not do anything?

Trump gives out blatantly false information (e.g., calling chloroquine a “game changer” to treat coronavirus) only to be contradicted by his own administration. No one asks: You just said something that is wrong according to the Food and Drug Administration. Are you not up to date?

More coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

Trump seems to not know what measures he has signed actually do (e.g., the federal Defense Production Act). Today, he insisted the federal government is not a “shipping clerk,” so it is up to the states to act. No one asks: Isn’t the act specifically designed for the federal government to convert factories? What did you sign on Wednesday? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) today called on you to “immediately use the powers of the Defense Production Act to mass produce and coordinate distribution of these critical supplies, before the need worsens and the shortages become even more dire,” so why haven’t you done that?

Trump says people are “getting better.” No one asks: Aren’t cases (now more than 10,000) and fatalities increasing exponentially?

He smears the press by accusing The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal “of doing things that they shouldn’t be doing. They are siding with many others; China is the least of it. So why, why they’re doing this, you’ll have to ask them. If we had an honest media in this country, our country would be an even greater place.” No one asks: What the heck are you talking about?

Simply because Trump moves on to another reporter is no reason why that journalist cannot ask obvious follow-up questions posed by the previous questioner. The lack of assertive fact-checking in real time allows the president not only to escape accountability but to misinform the American people in the midst of a national emergency. Moreover, he is revealing he has no idea what is going on (cases are exploding), what powers he has and what urgent issues states are confronting, such as a shortage of masks. The media never manages to convey that lack of confusion and dishonesty to Americans.

More than three years into the Trump presidency, you might hope that the media figured out how to convey the degree to which Trump is entirely out of touch and ill-equipped to handle a deadly pandemic of massive proportions. You would be wrong.

March 19, 2020



NYC Hospitals Lack Beds For Expected Coronavirus Cases

Manhattan hospitals may be overwhelmed with patients even if measures to slow the spread of coronavirus are successful.

By Brendan Krisel, Patch Staff
|


Manhattan hospitals will be flooded with coronavirus patients under even conservative estimates of the virus' spread.
NEW YORK CITY — Manhattan's hospitals would be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients even in the most conservative of possible scenarios for infection rates if hospital capacity is not vastly increased, according to a ProPublica report based on data from the Harvard Global Health Institute.

The ProPublica report analyzes how Manhattan's hospital capacity holds up under three distinct scenarios: A best-case scenario of 20% infection rate, a moderate estimate of 40% infection rate and a worst-case estimate of 60% infection rate.

In all three scenarios, there will be a greater number of coronavirus patients than Manhattan hospital beds, according to the report.

ProPublica's report underscores the need to "flatten the curve" of the virus' spread. When infections are spread out over a longer amount of time, hospitals will have fewer patients to treat at any one time, according to the report.

The report didn't give data for Kings, Queens or Richmond counties. ProPublica's study revealed that hospital capacity in the Bronx is also lacking for even the best-case scenario for coronavirus' spread.

New York City and State officials have stressed the need for social distancing in an effort to slow infection, going as far as to shutter venues such as bars and movie theaters and by closing New York City public schools. Hospitals are also implementing measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Mount Sinai Hospital is barring most visitors from its facilities and New York City has canceled all elective surgeries.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city reached 923 on Wednesday morning and numbers will undoubtedly rise past 1,000 over the next day, Mayor Bill de Blasiosaid on NBC's Today Show. Of those cases, 10 have been fatal, the mayor said.

On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order giving the state powers to increase hospital capacity with the goal of creating 9,000 additional beds across the state by giving the national guard, building unions and private developers the ability to identify sites to be retrofitted as hospitals.

"I don't believe we're going to be able to flatten the curve enough to meet the capacity of the healthcare system. So, this business, plan ahead. Plan forward. Anticipate what's coming down the road and get ready for it," Cuomo said during a Monday briefing.

As of March 17, 264 people were hospitalized in the state. The expected peak for infection is expected to come in about 45 days and the state will need between 55,000 and 110,000 hospital beds, Cuomo said.

On Tuesday, Cuomo described the current curve of the spread of coronavirus in New York as "a wave" that is going to "crash on the hospital system."

From ProPublica:

As of 2018, Manhattan had 14,800 total hospital beds, of which about 79% were occupied, potentially leaving only 3,060 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 1,430 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

Manhattan has a population of about 5.2 million residents; 14% are over the age of 65. The experience in other countries has shown that elderly patients have significantly higher hospitalization and fatality rates from the coronavirus.

In the moderate scenario, in which 40% of the adult population contracts the disease over 12 months, Manhattan would be among the regions that would need to expand capacity.

It is estimated that about 8% of the adult population would require hospital care. In a moderate scenario where 40% of the population is infected over a 12-month period, hospitals in Manhattan would receive an estimated 345,000 coronavirus patients.

The influx of patients would require 11,500 beds over 12 months, which is 3.8 times times the number of available beds in that time period. The Harvard researchers' scenarios assume that each coronavirus patient will require 12 days of hospital care on average, based on data from China.

In Manhattan, intensive care units would be especially overwhelmed and require additional capacity. Without coronavirus patients, there are only 620 available beds on average in intensive care units, which is 4 times times less than what is expected to be needed to care for all severe cases.

The Bronx doesn't fare much better, according to ProPublica's study.

As of 2018 the Bronx had 4,010 total hospital beds, of which about 80% were occupied, potentially leaving only 810 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 280 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

ProPublica, a Patch Partner, is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power and other public concerns. Click here to see ProPublica's full story and specifics about hospitals in your area.



March 18, 2020


11 things everyone should know about getting the novel coronavirus

If you have Covid-19 symptoms, here’s when to seek medical care and how to protect the people you live with.
VOX





The Mirror and the Light brings Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy to a gripping close

The new book ends the saga begun 11 years ago with Wolf Hall.






VOX

March 17, 2020


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Global recession begins: A FIFTH of US workers have already lost wages due to coronavirus


  • Mnuchin reportedly said on Tuesday that unemployment may reach 20% 
  • The Treasury secretary made the comment during a meeting with US senators  
  • Mnuchin reportedly said he believes economic fallout from the coronavirus is potentially worse than the 2008 financial crisis 
  • Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs said a global recession is already underway
  • A recession is defined as two or more consecutive quarters of negative growth 
  • New poll finds 18% of US adults have lost jobs or had hours cut due to crisis
  • Trump for the first time acknowledged that the US 'maybe' faces recession 
  • Marriott hotel chain is beginning furloughs for tens of thousands of workers 












What does 'shelter in place' mean? California's coronavirus order, explained.

They can’t ever go outside?

Residents “may leave to provide or receive certain essential services or engage in certain essential activities and work for essential business or government services”.
The key word here is “essential”. Going to get groceries, seeking medical attention, bringing a dog to a veterinarian or picking up medication are all activities that officials consider essential. Residents working in the healthcare field will be able to go to and from their jobs. Workers with jobs such as garbage collection will be able to continue their work.
The order also allows for outdoor exercise, “provided that the individuals comply with social distancing requirements”.
“With this order in place, you will still be able to get food, care for relatives, run necessary errands and conduct the essential parts of your life,” said Dr Grant Colfax, the director of the San Francisco department of public health. “You will still be able to walk your dog or go on a hike alone or with someone you live with or even with another person as long as you keep six feet between you.”

What happens if residents don’t comply?

This is an order, not a recommendation or a guideline. By law, it is enforceable as a misdemeanor, and the order requests that the sheriff and chief of police “ensure compliance with and enforce this order”. “The violation of any provision of this order constitutes an imminent threat and creates an immediate menace to public health,” the order states.

The Castro Theatre has closed due to new coronavirus-related restrictions.
 The Castro Theatre has closed due to new coronavirus-related restrictions. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

“I do interpret that, in theory, that they could actually arrest somebody,” said Jonathan Holtzman, the former chief deputy city attorney in San Francisco. “As a completely practical matter, I do think that it’s very, very unlikely that a lot of people are going to get arrested under this because there are so many different functions that you could be performing that are exempted.” For example, any resident outside their home could very well be on their way to the grocery store, or engaging in outdoor exercise.
At a news conference, William Scott, the San Francisco police chief, said his officers planned on taking a “compassionate, commonsense approach” to the order and would use enforcement as a last resort.

What happens to retail and restaurants?

All businesses considered non-essential, like bars, shops and fitness centers, were ordered to close. Restaurants will remain open in only a takeout and delivery capacity. Grocery stores, hardware stores and pharmacies will stay open.

What about transit?

All non-essential travel “on foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile or public transit” is prohibited. Under the order, essential travel is categorized as traveling for necessary supplies, accessing healthcare or going to provide aid to family or friends. Airports, taxis, Uber, Lyft and public transit will continue running to service essential travel, but those using any mode of travel are expected to practice social distancing.

Tom Brady is LEAVING the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady's first foray into NFL free agency is expected to be a short one as the 42-year-old quarterback is reportedly on the verge of signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after announcing his intention to leave New England earlier on Tuesday. According to multiple reports, Brady will sign a new contract with the Buccaneers on Wednesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that the deal is worth $30 million per season, although the length of the contract is not known. Fox Sports Radio's Colin Cowherd was the first to report the news. Both ESPN and Boston radio station WEEI have since confirmed the reporting independently. Brady's agent did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation from the Daily Mail. Former Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston started at quarterback for the 7-9 Buccaneers last season, throwing 33 touchdowns and a whopping 30 interceptions to lead the league. He is now a free agent and is expected to sign elsewhere. Brady became a free agent for the first time in his career this month. Players can officially begin signing new contracts on Wednesday.


US hospitals will run out of beds if coronavirus cases spike

A USA TODAY analysis shows there could be six seriously ill patients for every existing US hospital bed. No state is prepared.




USA TODAY



With the U.S. economy in trouble, Congress seeks to put coronavirus relief bill on a faster track

USA TODAY

The Senate still doesn’t know when it will vote on the coronavirus bill

Some Republicans are raising concerns about the paid sick leave guaranteed by the legislation.
By Li Zhou

VOX
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