First Edition: March 23, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
CDC Coronavirus Testing Decision Likely To Haunt Nation For Months To Come
As the novel coronavirus snaked its way across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early February distributed 200 test kits it had produced to more than 100 public health labs run by states and counties nationwide. Each kit contained material to test a mere 300 to 400 patients. And labs, whether serving the population of New York City or tiny towns in rural America, apparently received the same kits. (Pradhan, 3/23)
Kaiser Health News:
Seattle Nurses Scrounge For Masks To Stay Safe On Pandemic’s Front Lines
As the caseload of patients with the new coronavirus grows, masks and other personal protective equipment are in short supply — and nurses in Washington state are resorting to workarounds to try to stay safe. Wendy Shaw, a charge nurse for an emergency room in Seattle, said her hospital and others have locked up critical equipment like masks and respirators to ensure they don’t run out. (Stone, 3/23)
Kaiser Health News:
Coronavirus Threatens The Lives Of Rural Hospitals Already Stretched To Breaking Point
Rural hospitals may not be able to keep their doors open as the coronavirus pandemic saps their cash, their CEOs warn, just as communities most need them. As the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, all hospitals are facing cancellations of doctor visits and procedures by a terrified populace — profitable services that usually help fund hospitals. (Weber, 3/21)
Kaiser Health News:
Some Hospitals Continue With Elective Surgeries Despite COVID-19 Crisis
In the same week that physicians at the University of California-San Francisco medical center were wiping down and reusing protective equipment like masks and gowns to conserve resources amid a surge of COVID-19 patients, 90 miles away teams of doctors at UC Davis Medical Center were fully suited up performing breast augmentations, hip replacements and other elective procedures that likely could have been postponed. (Gold, 3/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Hoping That Insurance Expansion Will Help Tamp Outbreak, 9 States Reopen Marketplaces
At least nine states are offering their uninsured residents another opportunity to sign up for a health plan this year as they seek new ways to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. The states have reopened their health insurance exchanges this month to help ease consumers’ concerns about the cost of health care so that the sick will not be deterred from seeking medical attention and inadvertently spread the virus. (Heredia Rodriguez, 3/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Now On The Menu At Closed Schools: Drive-Thru Lunches
There were no hugs, handshakes or high-fives Tuesday morning at Juniper Elementary School, where the student drop-off line had transformed into a school lunch drive-thru. “Hi! How many?” asked school cafeteria manager Irene Huerta, 54, as she smiled and leaned toward an open car window. Then she handed over three hot, bagged lunches (taquitos and vegetables) and a breakfast bundle for the next morning (muffins), each meal supplemented with fruit and milk. (Almendrala, 3/20)
The New York Times:
Emergency Economic Rescue Plan In Limbo As Democrats Block Action
Senate Democrats on Sunday blocked action on an emerging deal to prop up an economy devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, paralyzing the progress of a nearly $2 trillion government rescue package they said failed to adequately protect workers or impose strict enough restrictions on bailed-out businesses. The party-line vote was a stunning setback after three days of fast-paced negotiations between senators and administration officials to reach a bipartisan compromise on legislation that is expected to be the largest economic stimulus package in American history — now expected to cost $1.8 trillion or more. In a 47-to-47 vote, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes that would have been needed to advance the measure, even as talks continued behind the scenes between Democrats and the White House to salvage a compromise. (Cochrane, Tankersley and Smialek, 3/22)
The Associated Press:
Congressional Rescue Talks Churn As Viral Crisis Expands
Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House churned late into the night over a now nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, the nation shut down and the first U.S. senator tested positive for the disease. As President Donald Trump took to the podium in the White House briefing room and promised to help Americans who feel afraid and isolated as the pandemic spreads, the Senate voted Sunday against advancing the rescue package. But talks continued on Capitol Hill. “I think you’ll get there. To me it’s not very complicated: We have to help the worker. We have to save the companies,” Trump said. (Taylor, Lemire and Mascaro, 3/23)
Reuters:
Coronavirus Relief Bill Slows In U.S. Senate, Talks Continue
Democrats held their ground with Schumer calling the Republican plan “a giant, giant corporate bailout fund with no accountability.” Amid the partisan attacks, Schumer said that private negotiations were making progress. White House legislative liaison Eric Ueland told reporters a “handful” of disagreements still had to be resolved. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin shuttled between the offices of the Republican leader and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in search of a deal. At one point, Mnuchin also indicated to reporters that progress was being made. (Cowan and Alper, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Senate Falls Far Short Of Votes Needed To Advance Coronavirus Bill As Clash Between Republicans And Democrats Intensifies
Although senators of both parties and Trump administration officials vowed to continue negotiating -- around the clock if necessary -- the failed vote was the latest negative signal about Congress’ ability to come together around the legislation, which aims to inject close to $1.8 trillion into businesses and households. Policymakers are scrambling to address a spike in layoffs and businesses gasping for assistance as millions of Americans stay home to avoid contagion. (Werner, Kim, Bade and Stein, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Republican Coronavirus Rescue Package Fails Procedural Hurdle In Senate
Following the vote, Senate Republican and Democratic leaders blamed one another for the impasse, but vowed to continue working on the plan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said later Sunday that a second procedural vote would be held at 9:45 a.m. Monday, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) objected, effectively blocking it until noon. Mr. McConnell accused Mr. Schumer of rattling the markets further. Mr. Schumer said he wanted to give both sides time to reach a deal. (Andrews and Wise, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Treasury’s Power Over $500 Billion Loan Program Becomes Key Sticking Point In Coronavirus Aid Bill
Congressional lawmakers are feuding over a central component of the massive economic relief package being debated by the Senate, a battle that may threaten the enormous emergency aid package while reprising one of the most bitter political fights of the last decade. The Trump administration and Senate Republicans have called for giving the Treasury Department the authority to disburse hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency federal loans to firms hurt by the economic impact of the coronavirus. (Stein, 3/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Negotiations Stall On Massive Economic Rescue Package As Coronavirus Hits Senate
The bill, which currently totals about $1.8 trillion, would include direct payments to individuals and families (on average about $3,000 for a family of four, Mnuchin said), expanded unemployment benefits and a massive loan program to tide over small businesses. It would be by far the largest such measure in U.S. history, equivalent to roughly half the current federal budget. The bill is intended as a bridge to get the country through the worst of the crisis over the next eight to 10 weeks, with the possibility of further spending later if the emergency continues. (King and Haberkorn, 3/22)
Politico:
Pelosi Pushes Forward With Her Own Emergency Coronavirus Package
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hitting pause on bipartisan negotiations on a $1.6 trillion-plus emergency package in the Senate, saying the House will forge ahead with its own bill to address coronavirus after congressional leaders failed to reach a deal earlier Sunday. Pelosi’s comments come just hours before the Senate is scheduled to take a critical procedural vote on the package aimed at trying to stymie an economic collapse as the coronavirus continues to disrupt massive sectors of the U.S. economy. (Caygle, Ferris and Levine, 3/22)
Politico:
‘Extraordinary Change’: How Coronavirus Is Rewiring The Republican And Democratic Parties
The 2008 financial crisis reshaped American politics, birthing a politics of outrage in the Tea Party on the right and an enduring strain of progressive populism on the left. The coronavirus is already on a similar trajectory, triggering massive prospective bailouts and other policy proposals that stand to rewire the Republican and Democratic parties for a generation — or longer. (Siders, 3/23)
The Associated Press:
Fallout Of '08 Bailout Looms Over Washington Negotiations
In the fall of 2008, an unlikely alliance of lawmakers, regulators and Bush administration officials banded together to rescue an economy they feared was hours away from collapse. They also unwittingly reshaped American politics, unleashing a populist furor that lingers in both parties to this day. More than a decade later, those same political forces are shadowing a new debate over emergency government spending — only with far more taxpayer money at stake and even greater uncertainty over Americans’ futures. (Pace and Sloan, 3/23)
Politico:
Congress Wants To Send Americans Money. Turns Out It's Complicated.
How do you send money en masse to people in the midst of a pandemic? In a world roughly remade by virus every few days, the federal government’s desperate attempt to shore up a plummeting economy changes shape by the hour. But one partial solution has surged to the fore: sending money directly to Americans. (Okun, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Worst Of The Global Selloff Isn’t Here Yet, Banks And Investors Warn
The most brutal stretch for global markets since the financial crisis likely isn’t over yet, say investors and analysts who believe it is too early to assess the possible scale of economic damage from the coronavirus. In just a few weeks, U.S. stocks have lost roughly a third of their value. In recent weeks, investors have even fled assets like U.S. government bonds and gold that typically do well during times of turmoil, underscoring the extent of the panic and the shock to once-robust investor sentiment delivered by the global health emergency. (Hirtenstein and Otani, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Rand Paul Tests Positive For Covid-19, Fueling Anxiety In The Capitol
Senate Republicans were struggling to salvage a more than $1 trillion economic rescue package to respond to the coronavirus crisis when they got the message on Sunday afternoon: One of their own had been walking around the Capitol with Covid-19 for days as they debated how best to confront the rapidly spreading pandemic. Senator Rand Paul had tested positive for the coronavirus, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, told fellow Republicans over lunch. It was the news that lawmakers had been dreading for weeks as they went about their travel- and handshake-heavy routines while the disease circulated around the country. (Fandos and Edmondson, 3/22)
The Associated Press:
Sen. Rand Paul Tests Positive For Virus, Forcing Quarantines
His announcement led Utah’s two GOP senators — Mike Lee and Mitt Romney — to place themselves into quarantine, stepping away from negotiations as the Senate worked on a $1.4 trillion economic rescue package for the coronavirus crisis. At least five senators, including Paul, were in self-quarantine Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. “The coronavirus has hit the Senate today,″ said McConnell, R-Ky. “It’s not just back in our states but right here in the Senate.″ (Daly, 3/23)
The New York Times:
Governments And Companies Race To Make Masks Vital To Virus Fight
President Trump on Saturday sought to assure an anxious American public that help was on the way to overwhelmed hospitals, and that private companies had agreed to provide desperately needed medical supplies to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus. But Mr. Trump resisted appeals from state and local officials and hospital administrators for more aggressive action, saying he would not compel companies to make face masks and other gear to protect front-line health workers from the virus. (Abrams, Silver-Greenberg, Jacobs, Friedman and Rothfeld, 3/21)
The New York Times:
Trump Bets Business Will Answer Call To Fight Virus, But Strategy Bewilders Firms
President Trump’s refusal to invoke the Defense Production Act to commandeer resources for the federal government is based on a bet that he can cajole the nation’s biggest manufacturers and tech firms to come together in a market-driven, if chaotic, consortium that will deliver critical equipment — from masks to ventilators — in time to abate a national crisis. Over the past five days, after weeks of minimizing the virus and dismissing calls to organize a national response, administration officials have been pulling executives into the White House Situation Room, and connecting them by phone, in a desperate effort to unlock existing supplies and ramp up new production. (Sanger, Swanson and Haberman, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Shuns Use Of Law Allowing Control Over Manufacturers
[Trump] said sufficient numbers of companies were volunteering to manufacture masks and other protective gear, so invoking the Defense Production Act wasn’t yet necessary, though he said “we may have to use it someplace along the chain.” “If you go the nationalization route, we’re going to tell the company to make a ventilator—they don’t even know what a ventilator is,” Mr. Trump said. The Korean War-era law gives the president powers to require and provide incentives to businesses to produce goods tied to national defense, as well as control the distribution of those products. (Restuccia and Ballhaus, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
What Is The Defense Production Act, And Why Isn’t President Trump Invoking It?
There’s a drastic wartime tool at President Trump’s disposal to try to get hospitals what they need, but Trump has been reluctant to use it despite bipartisan pressure. After saying he had invoked it, he said Saturday he wouldn’t. It’s not clear why. The Defense Production Act would allow Trump to push U.S. manufacturers such as automakers and clothing companies to pivot to making medical equipment for hospitals and medical workers who say they are out of equipment or will be soon to treat the expected onslaught of coronavirus patients. (Phillips, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
3M Says Shipments Of N95 Masks To New York, Seattle Will Begin Arriving Monday
A large manufacturer of protective N95 masks for medical workers said it is shipping half a million masks to New York and Seattle, with arrivals starting Monday. 3M said it is ready to rush additional shipments across the country and will almost double production of the masks over the next year, to an annual rate of 2 billion masks worldwide. That is a bigger increase than the 30 percent boost the company announced Friday. 3M factories in South Dakota and Nebraska are now producing 35 million N95 masks a month, 90 percent of which are designated for health-care workers after a change in law last week eliminated the threat of lawsuits from such sales. (Whalen, 3/22)
Reuters:
Ford, GM, Tesla Getting 'Go Ahead' To Make Ventilators: Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that U.S. automakers Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Tesla Inc had been given the green light to produce ventilators and other items needed during the coronavirus outbreak. “Ford, General Motors and Tesla are being given the go ahead to make ventilators and other metal products, FAST! @fema Go for it auto execs, lets see how good you are?” he said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear what Trump meant by the companies “being given the go ahead.” (3/22)
Reuters:
Trump Says U.S. To Make A Decision On Coronavirus At End Of 15-Day Plan
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States will make a decision at the end of a 15-day period on “which way we want to go”, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself,” he said on Twitter. He did not elaborate. Trump issued new guidelines on March 16 aimed at slowing the spread of the disease over 15 days. (3/23)
The Associated Press:
Presidents In Health Crises: Trump More Hands-On Than Many
Woodrow Wilson was more focused on the end of World War I than a flu virus that was making its way around the globe, ultimately sickening hundreds of thousands of Americans, including the president himself. George W. Bush stood with a bullhorn on a pile of rubble after the 9/11 attacks on lower Manhattan and promised that the people who were responsible “will hear all of us soon.” Barack Obama was in office for just a few months when the first reports came in about the H1N1 virus, which would eventually be declared a pandemic like today’s new coronavirus. (Superville, 3/2)
Politico:
Trump Wants To Defeat Coronavirus — And Make Sure He Gets Credit
President Donald Trump spent the weekend vacillating between casting himself as an empathetic leader and wartime president as the coronavirus spreads through the United States. But above all, he still wants credit. Credit for cutting off travel from China. Credit for giving up money to run for office. Credit for uniting the nation. (Cook, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
In Age Of Trump, Coronavirus Tries American Belief That Country Can Meet Any Challenge
As the novel coronavirus spreads through communities across the country, it poses a critical question: Can America’s people, institutions and government collectively rise to the occasion to defeat a once-in-a-generation crisis? With a global pandemic testing the country’s political, financial, social and moral fabric, there are growing signs that answering in the affirmative has become increasingly difficult. (Olorunnipa, Witte and Kim, 3/22)
Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. Axed CDC Expert Job In China Months Before Virus Outbreak
Several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China, Reuters has learned. The American disease expert, a medical epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency, left her post in July, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue. The first cases of the new coronavirus may have emerged as early as November, and as cases exploded, the Trump administration in February chastised China for censoring information about the outbreak and keeping U.S. experts from entering the country to help. (Taylor, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
A Onetime Germ-Warfare Site Is Army’s Front Line In Coronavirus Battle
In a series of austere, tightly controlled lab rooms in a military building here, doctors are dissecting strains of the novel coronavirus and are readying to conduct detailed and complex animal testing on potential vaccines. This is the U.S. Army’s front line in what President Trump has declared a “medical war” to stop the spread of the virus and prevent new cycles of outbreak. Here, soldiers wear full-body white suits that cover their camouflage uniforms and combat boots to protect them from the coronavirus strains that they are purposely interacting with. (Youssef, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Governors And Mayors In Growing Uproar Over Trump’s Lagging Coronavirus Response
President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic sparked uproar and alarm among governors and mayors on Sunday as Trump and his administration’s top advisers continued to make confusing statements about the federal government’s scramble to confront the crisis, including whether he will force private industry to mass produce needed medical items. As deaths climbed and ahead of a potentially dire week, Trump — who has sought to cast himself as a wartime leader — reacted to criticism that his administration has blundered with a torrent of soaring boasts and searing grievances. (Costa and Gregg, 3/22)
The Associated Press:
Chaos, Inconsistency Mark Launch Of Drive-Thru Virus Testing
Drive-thru sites have been opening around the United States to make it quicker and safer to test people for the new coronavirus. But much like the rest of the U.S. response to the pandemic, the system has been marked by inconsistencies, delays, and shortages. Many people who have symptoms and a doctor’s order have waited hours or days for a test. More than a week after President Donald Trump promised that states and retail stores such as Walmart and CVS would open drive-thru test centers, few sites are up and running, and they’re not yet open to the general public. (Smith, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
How The CDC’s Restrictive Testing Guidelines Hid The Coronavirus Epidemic
As the coronavirus epidemic spread around the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided restrictive guidance on who should be tested, archived pages on its website show. While agencies in other countries were advising and conducting widespread testing, the CDC, charged with setting the U.S. standard for who should be tested for the virus, kept its criteria limited. A botched initial test batch also meant that tests were slow to be distributed and in short supply. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has allowed private laboratories to develop tests, and the CDC relaxed its criteria. And positive results across the U.S. have poured in. (Wang, Huth and Umlauf, 3/22)
Stat:
FDA Warns New At-Home Coronavirus Tests Are 'Unauthorized'
As a wave of at-home tests for coronavirus are coming on the market, federal regulators issued stern guidance saying that none of them has yet been approved for use and warning consumers to be wary of “unauthorized fraudulent test kits.” Hours after STAT reported on Friday that at least four startups would roll out at-home tests over the next week, the Food and Drug Administration released a statement saying: “We want to alert the American public that, at this time, the FDA has not authorized any test that is available to purchase for testing yourself at home for Covid-19.” (Brodwin, 3/21)
Stat:
At-Home Tests For Coronavirus Are Here. Should You Take Them?
With delays in testing hampering the country’s ability to accurately track the new coronavirus and shelter-in-place orders keeping many Americans at home, startups are swooping in with a seemingly ideal solution: at-home tests. Over the next week, at least four startups are launching the first at-home tests for Covid-19. The companies, whose tests have been mostly greenlit — but not approved in the conventional sense — by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under new guidelines instituted for the coronavirus crisis, aim for their diagnostics to offer some certainty to people who have up until now been unable to get tested as a result of the shortage of test kits. (Brodwin, 3/20)
Reuters:
Gilead Puts Emergency Access To Experimental Coronavirus Drug On Hold Amid Surging Demand
Gilead Sciences Inc said on Sunday it was temporarily putting new emergency access to its experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir on hold due to overwhelming demand and that it wanted most people receiving the drug to participate in a clinical trial to prove if it is safe and effective. The drugmaker said in a statement there had been an exponential increase in so-called compassionate-use requests for the drug. The spread of the virus in Europe and the United States has “flooded an emergency treatment access system that was set up for very limited access to investigational medicines and never intended for use in response to a pandemic,” it said. (3/22)
Stat:
Gilead Suspends Access To Experimental Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir
Remdesivir is being studied in five large clinical trials, two of which could read out results in early April. Up until now, Gilead has made it possible for patients who want the drug to get it through a process called “compassionate use.” To date, the company said, it has provided emergency access to several hundred patients in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The company said in its statement that “enrollment in clinical trials is the primary way to access remdesivir to generate critical data that inform the appropriate use of this investigational medicine.” (Herper, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Scientists Identify 69 Drugs To Test Against The Coronavirus
Nearly 70 drugs and experimental compounds may be effective in treating the coronavirus, a team of researchers reported on Sunday night. Some of the medications are already used to treat other diseases, and repurposing them to treat Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, may be faster than trying to invent a new antiviral from scratch, the scientists said. The list of drug candidates appeared in a study published on the web site bioRxiv. The researchers have submitted the paper to a journal for publication. (Zimmer, 3/22)
Stat:
Why Trump Is At Odds With His Medical Experts Over Covid-19 Drugs
One of the most wrenching questions in medicine has been playing out to garish effect in White House press conferences. The question is this: In an emergency, like the exploding pandemic of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, how much data should doctors require before they use a medicine? President Donald Trump has made clear that he thinks two old malaria drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, should be deployed quickly against the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. But his own lieutenants, the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have been hesitant. (Herper, 3/22)
Stat:
Trump Says His Belief In One Potential Coronavirus Drug Is ‘Just A Feeling’
President Trump on Friday admitted that his enthusiasm for an antimalarial drug unproven as a coronavirus treatment was based largely on gut instinct, after an open disagreement with the nation’s top infectious disease expert at a White House press briefing. When reporters asked Tony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whether the drug hydroxychloroquine was effective at preventing coronavirus, he said simply: “The answer is no.” But when Trump came back to the microphone, he told reporters that “we ought to give it a try.” (Facher, 3/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
In Bid For Coronavirus Vaccine, U.S. Eases Access To Supercomputers
The U.S. government, International Business Machines Corp. and others are giving researchers world-wide access to at least 16 supercomputers to help speed the discovery of vaccines and drugs to combat the novel coronavirus. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Sunday announced the Covid-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, a partnership that includes IBM, the Energy Department national laboratories, Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud, Amazon.com Inc.’s Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corp. and others. (Castellanos, 3/22)
The New York Times:
The Hardest Questions Doctors May Face: Who Will Be Saved? Who Won’t?
The medical director of the intensive care unit had to choose which patients’ lives would be supported by ventilators and other equipment. Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on Bellevue Hospital in New York City in 2012, and the main generators were about to fail. Dr. Laura Evans would be left with only six power outlets for the unit’s 50 patients. Hospital officials asked her to decide which ones would get the lifesaving resources. “Laura,” one official said. “We need a list.” After gathering other professionals, Dr. Evans checked off the names of the lucky few. (Fink, 3/21)
The New York Times:
Where Are All The Face Masks For Coronavirus?
As the heath care system strains to accommodate the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus outbreak, many medical professionals on the front lines do not have adequate protection. Some are reusing masks and gloves. Others have taken to social media with public pleas for help using the hashtag #GetMePPE, an acronym for personal protective equipment. Without proper covering, every new bedside visit might prove fatal, especially for older physicians and their families. (Nierenberg, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Hits Native American Groups Already Struggling With Poor Health Care
The new coronavirus has found its way to Chilchinbeto, Ariz., a remote Navajo hamlet of about 500 in the high desert, a sign of the startling reach of infections in the U.S., and a worrisome harbinger for all Native American communities. As tribal leaders around the country gear up for the pandemic’s arrival, they worry the federal agencies that are supposed to help protect them aren’t ready. The federal Indian Health Service is already facing major shortages, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to leave out some of the most vulnerable tribes when it announces new grants on Monday, according to tribal leaders and government documents. (Frosch and Weaver, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Coronavirus In N.Y.C.: Region Is Now An Epicenter Of The Pandemic
Three weeks after its first coronavirus infection was discovered, the New York City region reached an alarming milestone on Sunday: It now accounts for roughly 5 percent of the world’s confirmed cases, making it an epicenter of the pandemic and increasing pressure on officials to take more drastic measures. Moving to stem the crisis on multiple fronts, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York pleaded with federal officials to nationalize the manufacturing of medical supplies and ordered New York City to crack down on people congregating in public. He suggested some streets could be closed, allowing pedestrians more space. (McKinley, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Cases Surge World-Wide As Trump Ramps Up Aid For States
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who ordered the state’s nearly 40 million residents to stay at home as much as possible last Thursday, said Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook would provide 1 million medical masks to the state specifically. The state was also working on other efforts to acquire more supplies, he said. Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-at-home order to all residents, as the number of confirmed cases in the state topped 800. The order, which takes effect Monday afternoon, allows people to leave their homes for essential tasks like getting groceries and for exercise. (Calfas, Andrews and Wise, 3/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Hospitals Prepare As California Coronavirus Deaths Rise To 24
The death toll rose in California this weekend as coronavirus cases spread and residents tried to adjust to extraordinary restrictions on their movement. Los Angeles County health officials on Sunday confirmed one more coronavirus death, bringing the total number of deaths to five. They also reported 71 new cases in the county, with the total number now at 409. There were 132 new cases reported in last 48 hours. (Wigglesworth, La Ganga, Winton and Queally, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Jails Release Prisoners, Fearing Coronavirus Outbreak
Local governments across the U.S. are releasing thousands of inmates in an unprecedented effort to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in crowded jails and prisons. Jails in California, New York, Ohio, Texas and at least a dozen other states are sending low-level offenders and elderly or sickly inmates home early due to coronavirus fears. At other jails and prisons around the country, officials are banning visitors, restricting inmates’ movement and screening staff. (Elinson and Paul, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
What Will Coronavirus Testing And Treatment Cost Me?
If I need treatment for Covid-19, will that be free? Nope. The new legislation doesn’t guarantee that your health insurer will cover your treatment free of cost. For that, your typical plan rules will likely apply—meaning, you’ll have to pay until you hit your deductible, or you’ll owe a copay or coinsurance, which is a percentage of the cost of treatment. The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that, in high-deductible plans paired with tax-advantaged accounts, insurers and employers could cover Covid-19 testing and treatment without cost-sharing, even before a patient has gotten through the deductible. (Wilde Mathews, 3/22)
The New York Times:
The Virus Can Be Stopped, But Only With Harsh Steps, Experts Say
Terrifying though the coronavirus may be, it can be turned back. China, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan have demonstrated that, with furious efforts, the contagion can be brought to heel. Whether they can keep it suppressed remains to be seen. But for the United States to repeat their successes will take extraordinary levels of coordination and money from the country’s leaders, and extraordinary levels of trust and cooperation from citizens. It will also require international partnerships in an interconnected world. (McNeil, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why It’s So Difficult To Stop The Spread Of The Coronavirus
One night last week, a 27-year-old man on a business trip in Oklahoma City felt sick, stayed home from work and was later tested for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. His positive result jump-started a series of events that led to the complete shutdown of American sports. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first National Basketball Association player widely known to be infected, and his diagnosis has since led to the testing of eight teams and 13 more positives among players, coaches and staff members. (Hernandez and Cohen, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Around The World, Daily Life Comes To A Near-Halt As More Governments Impose Restrictions On Movement
The governors of Ohio and Louisiana issued “stay-at-home” orders on Sunday, instructing residents to restrict their daily movements to all but the most essential activities as governments around the world began or extended nationwide lockdowns to stem the coronavirus pandemic. But a senior official with the World Health Organization warned that even those extraordinary measures might be not be enough to contain the virus, which has now infected more than 335,000 people and killed more than 14,000. (Harris, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Warmer Weather May Slow, But Not Halt Coronavirus
Communities living in warmer places appear to have a comparative advantage to slow the transmission of coronavirus infections, according to an early analysis by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The researchers found that most coronavirus transmissions had occurred in regions with low temperatures, between 37.4 and 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit (or 3 and 17 degrees Celsius). While countries with equatorial climates and those in the Southern Hemisphere, currently in the middle of summer, have reported coronavirus cases, regions with average temperatures above 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit (or 18 degrees Celsius) account for fewer than 6 percent of global cases so far. (Sheikh and Londono, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Outbreaks Could Become Seasonal Woe, Some Researchers Find
As Covid-19 circles the globe, the most severe outbreaks so far clustered in areas of cool, dry seasonal weather, according to four independent research groups in the U.S., Australia and China that analyzed how temperature and humidity affect the coronavirus that causes the disease. If their conclusions are borne out, sweltering summer months ahead might offer a lull in new cases across the heavily populated temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, they said. Even so, several of the scientists predicted that the disease would resurge in autumn, when cooler temperatures and low humidity again favor survival and transmission of the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus responsible for the illness. (Hotz, 3/23)
The Associated Press:
COVID-19 Lung Patterns Show Few Clues For Treating Pneumonia
Scans of the lungs of the sickest COVID-19 patients show distinctive patterns of infection, but so far those clues offer little help in predicting which patients will pull through. For now, doctors are relying on what’s called supportive care that’s standard for severe pneumonia. Doctors in areas still bracing for an onslaught of sick patients are scouring medical reports and hosting webinars with Chinese doctors to get the best advice on what works and what hasn’t. (Neergaard, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Lost Sense Of Smell May Be Peculiar Clue To Coronavirus Infection
A mother who was infected with the coronavirus couldn’t smell her baby’s full diaper. Cooks who can usually name every spice in a restaurant dish can’t smell curry or garlic, and food tastes bland. Others say they can’t pick up the sweet scent of shampoo or the foul odor of kitty litter. Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as peculiar telltale signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and possible markers of infection. (Rabin, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Cases Surge At Nursing Homes As Workers Battle ‘Almost Perfect Killing Machine’
As senior care centers across the country scrambled this week to bolster their defenses against the coronavirus, dozens discovered it already was inside. Across the United States, the numbers of reported cases of coronavirus at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other elder care centers have spiked, with at least 73 facilities in 22 states reporting infections, according to a review by The Washington Post of reports from states, local media and nursing homes. (Whoriskey, Sacchetti and Webster, 3/21)
The Associated Press:
As Virus Spreads, Next Casualty Could Be Tokyo Olympics
As infections soared in Europe and the United States and the world economy spiraled downward, Japan on Monday hinted at the next possible victim of the globe-spanning coronavirus: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged that a postponement of the crown jewel of the sporting world could be unavoidable. Canada and Australia then added to the immense pressure that has been steadily mounting on organizers by suggesting that they wouldn’t send athletes to Tokyo this summer. (Klug, 3/23)