Experts Carefully Watching For Surges In Virus Cases As Tens Of Thousands March In The Streets

The New York Times: A Delicate Balance: Weighing Protest Against The Risks Of The Coronavirus
None of the plans for how the nation might safely emerge from the coronavirus lockdown involved thousands of Americans standing shoulder to shoulder in the streets of major cities or coughing uncontrollably when the authorities used tear gas to disperse them. No one planned on protesters being herded into crowded prison buses or left in crowded cells. Before the eruption of outrage over the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, debates about reopening centered on whether states had adequate systems in place to detect and treat cases of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 110,000 people in the United States since the beginning of the year. (Harmon and Rojas, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Amid Reopenings And Street Protests, Coronavirus Transmission Remains High In Much Of The U.S.
The coronavirus appears to be in retreat in regions that moved decisively to contain it after being hit hard, including New York and New Jersey. But the virus is persisting — and, in some places, spreading aggressively — in parts of the South, Midwest and West, including in states that were among the last to impose shutdowns and the first to lift them. Data compiled by The Washington Post shows that 23 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have seen an increase in the rolling seven-day average of coronavirus cases compared with the previous week. Most have registered an increase of 10 percent or more. (Achenbach and Janes, 6/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Experts Sound Alarm Over Coronavirus Spread As U.S. Ramps Up Reopening, Prepares For More Protests
Experts and officials warned about a possible increase of coronavirus infections as U.S. states continued this week to ease restrictions and thousands of people took to the streets nationwide to protest against the killing of George Floyd in police custody. Nationally, there have been more than 1.87 million confirmed cases and more than 108,000 deaths from Covid-19, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. Last Friday, the U.S. had 1.74 million cases and reported deaths exceeded 102,000. (Ansari, 6/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Protests Complicate Mayors’ Efforts To Combat Coronavirus
The sudden outbreak of large protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd on May 25 at the hands of Minneapolis police came at the same time mayors across the country were working to implement more aggressive testing and tracking programs to combat the coronavirus pandemic, complicating their efforts. Public-health doctors say the federal government hasn’t played a leading role in urging broader testing, so mayors and local officials are increasingly thrust into the breach. Scores of them are guided by leading university institutes and public-health experts. (Burton, 6/7)

The New York Times: George Floyd Protests Add New Front Line For Coronavirus Doctors
Outside medical centers across the country, doctors and other health care workers have been stopping work in recent days for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to join in protesting the death of George Floyd, who was pinned down by a police officer in Minneapolis for that amount of time before his death. For doctors in New York who have strained to meet the challenges of coronavirus care for months, participating in the demonstrations has been especially poignant. Workers at a number of the hospitals hit hard by Covid-19 including Bellevue, Downstate, Lincoln, Mount Sinai and Montefiore have held events displaying their support for the protests this week. (Goldberg, 6/7)

The Hill: Coronavirus Stalks Nation Focused On George Floyd Protests 
The protests over the murder of a black man at the hands of police officers have dominated news headlines for a week, even as the death toll from the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to mount in the United States and across the world. Nearly 11,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in the 11 days since George Floyd died on a Minneapolis street corner, and more than 200,000 people have tested positive. (Wilson, 6/6)

The Hill: Gottlieb: 'We're Certainly Going To See Transmission' Of Coronavirus Coming Out Of Protests 
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that some transmission of the novel coronavirus likely occurred at the protests that have swept the nation over the killing of George Floyd. “We’re certainly going to see transmissions coming out of these gatherings, there’s no question about that,” Gottlieb said on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” noting that the prevalence of infection in the U.S. was currently about one in 200 people. (Budryk, 6/7)

CBS News: Ex-FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb Says There's 'No Question' Protests Will Increase Coronavirus Transmissions 
As tens of thousands of demonstrators have marched in cities across the country calling for an end to police brutality, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, warned Sunday there's "no question" the protests will lead to a spike in coronavirus infections... The demonstrations in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month come against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of nearly 110,000 people in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University. (Quinn, 6/7)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘Street Medics’ At Protests Tweak Their Toolkit To Deal With Pandemic
Teams of volunteer medics are helping demonstrators with injuries and health problems as they protest racism and police brutality. In addition to the normal challenges of flushing eyes burned by tear gas or bandaging wounds from batons these “street medics” are working amid a pandemic, complicating their task. Combating infection amid the chaos requires more cautious practices and more protective equipment, medics treating protesters across the country said. It also involves additional risk since public-health officials and doctors have warned that large, boisterous crowds, and the use of cough-inducing tear gas, create prime conditions for spreading the virus. (Krouse, 6/7)

CIDRAP: CDC Warns Of Protests And COVID-19 Spread
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has resulted in 10 days and nights of protests against racial injustice in major cities from California to Washington, DC, and Robert Redfield, MD, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told members of Congress yesterday that protesters need to get tested for COVID-19. Redfield noted that D.C. and Minneapolis—two cities with the largest mass gatherings—still have significant community spread. (Soucheray, 6/5)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Coronavirus Cases Near 64,000 Amid Protests And Reopenings
Los Angeles County reported 1,523 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday and 25 related deaths. The high number of new cases was in part due to a backlog of test results received from one lab, officials said. “Our community is feeling the sadness and loss of so many who have passed away from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have passed away.” (Wigglesworth, 6/7)

Dallas Morning News: ‘Silence Is Not An Option’: What CEOs Are Saying About Racial Violence In America
Companies and CEOs around the country are denouncing racism and violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Here are portions of their public comments and letters to employees, edited for brevity and clarity. Each selection starts with a link to their full statements. (Schnurman, 6/7)