Washington State Officials Point To Unified Approach In ‘Breaking Back Of Virus’; Chicago, LA Fight To Avoid Being Next Hot Spots

CNN: Once The Coronavirus 'Epicenter,' This American City Reversed Course
"Chaos" was how Dr. Kevin Hanson described his emergency department at EvergreenHealth hospital in suburban Seattle. Nearly 20 coronavirus patients were coming in every day. Staff members were running out of personal protective equipment. Even one of the doctors became severely ill with the virus. "It's very sobering," Hanson said. "It gave us all a lot of pause, saying 'are we doing the right thing?'"  But that was a month ago. Now, Hanson strolls past room after room with empty beds. The lights are off. The waiting room is nearly empty. (Kravarik and Sidner, 5/8)

The New York Times: In Chicago And Los Angeles, Virus Spread Is Slower, But Persistent
As cases of the coronavirus spiraled upward in New York City, leaders of other big cities watched with worry, searching for ways to avoid an escalation of the magnitude that might overwhelm hospitals. In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, fear of explosive growth — the kind that overtook New York City, Detroit and New Orleans — has faded in recent days, but the Chicago area has faced its own stubbornly high numbers. Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago and its closest suburbs, has added more cases of the coronavirus than any other county in the United States on some recent days. On Friday, Cook County added more new cases than the five boroughs of New York City combined. (Bogel-Burroughs and Smith, 5/9)

CNN: South Dakota Sioux Tribe Refuses To Take Down Checkpoints That Governor Says Are Illegal 
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota is refusing to end coronavirus checkpoints declared illegal by the state's governor, saying they are the best tool they have to stop the virus from spreading. Gov. Kristi Noem sent letters Friday to the leaders of the Oglala Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux tribes demanding that the checkpoints along the US and state highways through tribal land be removed. Her office released an update Sunday clarifying the request: "The checkpoints on state and US highways are not legal, and if they don't come down, the state will take the matter to Federal court, as Governor Noem noted in her Friday letter." (Sidner, Perrot, Moshtaghian and Cullinane, 5/10)

The Washington Post: Street Sense Newspaper Was A Lifeline For The Homeless In D.C. Coronavirus Forced It To Stop The Presses.
After waking up on a recent Monday, Ron Dudley pulled on his Washington Nationals jersey and walked down his street, past a bus stop where he had slept one night, and stopped in front of Trader Joe’s for the first time in three weeks. “When Trader Joe’s opens, I open,” he thought that morning. But unlike every other time he had stood outside of the grocery store on 14th Street in Northwest Washington for the past three years, Dudley had not a single newspaper to sell. (Davies, 5/10)

The Associated Press: Shutdown Of Tribal Casinos Deals Blow To Indian Country
When the Kalispel Tribe of Indians closed its casino as the coronavirus took hold in Washington state, it essentially shut down its economy. That difficult choice has played out nationwide as some 500 Native American casinos have voluntarily closed during the pandemic, often taking away tribes’ main source of income in an effort to protect people’s health in communities with limited medical resources. (Geranios, 5/10)

Dallas Morning News: 423 Coronavirus Cases Reported In Federal Prison Outbreak In Tarrant County
Tarrant County reported 423 cases of coronavirus Sunday in a federal prison outbreak that led to the highest one-day increase in a North Texas county’s tally since the pandemic began. Two more coronavirus-related deaths were also reported in the county, bringing the total to 103 (Keomoungkhoun, Branham, Hoyt and Smith, 5/10)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Ranks Highest For Prisoner Deaths From Coronavirus
The Michigan Department of Corrections has logged more coronavirus deaths than any other state prison system and ranks second nationwide behind New Jersey for prisoner deaths per capita, according to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit journalism outfit that reports on the criminal justice system and is tracking the virus in prisons across the country.  (Jackson and Tanner, 5/9)

Dallas Morning News: For Third Time, Dallas County Reports Single-Day High Of 10 Coronavirus Deaths; It Also Adds 249 Cases
Ten more Dallas County residents have died from the coronavirus, tying the county’s single-day high, officials said Friday. Six of the victims were residents of long-term care facilities: a Dallas man in his 60s, a Dallas woman in her 80s, a Duncanville man in his 40s, a Duncanville man in his 70s, a Garland man in his 90s and a Richardson woman in her 60s. (Steele and Marfin, 5/8)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: All Of Georgia’s 159 Counties Now Have At Least One Case Of COVID-19
The highly contagious disease has spared no corner of Georgia. Not metro Atlanta. Not the state’s coastal areas. And not its rural, out-of-the-way communities like Taliaferro and Glascock. As of Friday morning, 31,611 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Georgia and 1,352 people had died from the disease, according to Georgia Department of Public Health data. (Redmon, 5/8)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Dentists Struggle To Meet New Infection-Control Measures
Less than three weeks ago, the Georgia Dental Association, which represents thousands of the state’s dentists, sent a letter to the governor’s office expressing concerns that most of its members would not be able to meet the CDC’s minimum requirements. Fears, echoed by industry leaders in other states, are that dentists could be subject to disciplinary action, and some could lose their licenses, if they are found to be in violation of the new requirements. (Berard, 5/9)

State House News Service: Mass. Virus Reporting Includes Big Gap: The Recovered 
A COVID-19 simulator built by Massachusetts General Hospital estimates that the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts — meaning "anyone who is in the infectious period" — is roughly 6,200. But there is no real way to know for sure yet. Clinicians in Massachusetts are required to report positive cases of COVID-19, but are not required to report when a patient recovers and the Mass. Department of Public Health (DPH) does not track the number of recoveries in the state, a DPH spokeswoman said. (Young, 5/8)

WBUR: Worcester Leaders Say Coronavirus Measures Allow City To 'Do Wonders' For Homeless Community
City officials in Worcester say thorough testing for the coronavirus in the homeless community has allowed them to control the spread of the virus and get people help for other conditions as well. The most recent round of testing found just four out of the 59 people (7%) staying at the city's emergency adult shelter had the coronavirus, city leaders say. (Joliocoeur, 5/8)

WBUR: In Northern Virginia, A Grassroots Push To Help Latinos Combat Coronavirus 
As Latino households across the country are pummeled by the virus outbreak, staff from Neighborhood Health, a chain of medical clinics in northern Virginia, have stepped up testing efforts in areas where that community is hardest-hit. Of the health center's 30,000 patients, 50% are Latino immigrants hailing from Central America. They are predominantly low-income and uninsured. And though they make up half of the patient population, Latinos represent nearly 90% of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the group's clinics. (Simons, 5/9)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan’s Definition Of Coronavirus ‘Recovery’ Looser Than Others
As Michigan’s first and worst-hit coronavirus patients leave hospitals and rehab units and head back home, the disconnect between the state’s definition of “recovered” and their everyday life is startlingly clear. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services counts those “who are 30 days out from their onset of illness” as recovered. In other words, unless the state receives a death certificate stating otherwise —  every person who tests positive is considered “recovered” 30 days after the onset of symptoms. (Erb, 5/10)

Bangor Daily News: State Says Ban On In-Person Church Services Is Constitutional 
Attorneys for Gov. Janet Mills on Friday said that her prohibition on in-person worship services do not violate the Constitution in light of the current health crisis as an Orrington church has claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. (Harrison, 5/8)

The Oklahoman: Status Of School Reopenings Still Unclear In Oklahoma
COVID-19 has thrown Oklahoma school districts and state leaders into a whirlpool of contingency plans, as a model of the 2020-21 school year remains in flux. The ever-changing pandemic creates multiple possibilities, influenced by logistical and financial challenges, that could alter the course of the next school year. (Martinez-Keel, 5/10)

Bangor Daily News: What Doctors Need As Maine Begins To Test More People For The Coronavirus 
With Maine aiming to triple its coronavirus testing capacity by the end of next week, doctors are relieved that more will be diagnosed while warning that more protective equipment will be needed to treat an influx of patients. (Andrews, 5/9)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada To Begin Coronavirus Antibody Testing This Month 
The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory plans to begin antibody studies this month of those on the front lines of the pandemic and of the general public to better understand what portion of the population has been infected by the new coronavirus and may have developed some immunity. (Hynes, 5/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Is Ramping Up Antibody Tests. The Technology Is Promising, But Big Questions Remain
California public health officials have begun distributing tens of thousands of coronavirus antibody tests from Abbott Laboratories to more than a dozen labs across the state as counties prepare to reopen and allow people to return to work, school and recreation. Other testing and health service companies are promoting antibody testing as a way to help people feel safer, get back to work and establish “a path toward normalcy for Americans.” (Dizikes, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Is Publicly Sharing Incomplete Data On Coronavirus Outbreaks At Nursing Homes 
California is publicly sharing an incomplete picture of how far the potentially deadly coronavirus has spread throughout skilled nursing facilities for the elderly. Experts say the state’s decision to publish only point-in-time data for each facility rather than case totals over time creates confusion about the scope of infections. Getting a handle on the true extent of the outbreaks at skilled nursing homes is crucial to containing the spread of the virus and saving lives. (Ravani and Thadani, 5/9)

KQED: Poll: Most California Voters Support Farmworker Protections During The Pandemic 
Most voters in California support greater economic protections and health care for farmworkers, as they continue to help feed the country through the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new statewide poll. The survey found that 71% of voters agree that agricultural workers who contract COVID-19 should have medical benefits and paid sick leave, even if they are undocumented immigrants. The poll, released Friday, was conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and the California Initiative for Health Equity & Action. (Romero, 5/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Counties Start Reopening Stores, Slowly And Cautiously 
Glimmers of an economic reopening that could bring relief to small businesses and laid-off workers are spreading in the Bay Area, particularly in the more rural North Bay. Solano County said late Thursday it would allow some retailers to open, as well as manufacturers and some other businesses, provided they follow social distancing rules. Napa County suggested on its website that some businesses could reopen as soon as Friday, though it deferred to the state on which ones that might be. (Narayan, Phillips and Cassidy, 5/8)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans To Spend $300K To Address Opioid Epidemic As Overdoses Spike Amid Coronavirus
New Orleans will spend $300,000 to address a health epidemic that has been overshadowed in recent months by the coronavirus: the city's opioid problem. The City Council has agreed to spend the cash on medication that can reverse opioid overdoses and on vaccines for hepatitis A, a virus common in people who inject drugs. (Williams, 5/10)