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More than 100 years of scientific and medical advances have done little to change how the world responds to a pandemic. Meanwhile, a new study looks at how the 1918 outbreak helped lead to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany -- one example of the ways such a crisis can dramatically change humanity's trajectory.
The negotiations over the next relief package are likely to be anything but smooth. Republicans are pushing for liability protections for businesses in the next round of talks, a “red line” for them that Democrats reject. But Democrats hope to put the pressure on the Senate with a new bill this week. In other news from Capitol Hill: health benefits, burial funds, aid for providers and more.
Democrats were wary about returning to the Capitol, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) defended his decision. "We are going to show up for work like the essential workers that we are,” McConnell said. “Our bosses are the American people, and they’re counting on us to keep on serving.”
Gilead has a well-documented history of charging high prices for lifesaving therapies. But beneath the bright shine of the global spotlight -- with millions of lives possibly in the balance -- the company could help shift the narrative around the drug industry.
Even New York and California -- two of the states hit hardest by the virus -- are talking about their plans to lift restrictions. Many other states are moving at a faster clip. But, as public health experts have warned all along, it's not just like flipping a light switch.
The agency originally relaxed its review standards at the beginning of the pandemic, but scientists have been calling for officials to step back in. A recent study found that only three out of 14 antibody tests deliver consistently reliable results, and even the best have flaws.
NBC News looks at the facts about why some think the outbreak may have started with a worker accidentally infected at either the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The bats that carry the family of coronaviruses linked to the new strain aren't found within 100 miles of Wuhan — but they were studied in both labs. Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissed any talk about the origins, saying that even if it was an accident from a lab, the virus still exists in the wild so the conversation is not worth having.
President Donald Trump is championing governors who are lifting restrictions even though their states haven't met the White House's own guidelines for doing so. Public health experts warn that a push to reopen too soon could lead to a devastating surge of deaths in the coming weeks and months. “There’s this mindset that it's like running a show and you've got to keep people tuned in," a former administration official told Politico. “Viewers will get tired of another season of coronavirus.”
The officials driving the Trump administration's coronavirus response have expanded testing and helped revamp medical supply chains. “I think the administration is at a C now because they’re at least meeting the needs in a pandemic,” said a former Trump administration official. “But they’re not an A or B yet because we’re not getting ahead of the problem.” In other news from the administration: a top FEMA leader to depart and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticizes the White House for not allowing task force members to testify in front of Congress.
In a show of international solidarity, global leaders met online to announce their nations' contribution -- small or large -- to fund vaccine and COVID-19 treatment development. For Romania, it was $200,000. For Canada, $850 million. The United States did not participate.
The country could see as many as 3,000 deaths a day by June 1, the report suggests. Another prominent model also revised the projected deaths to 135,000 by early August. Scientists say the new numbers are reflective of Americans' inability to properly practice social distancing.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
A Stat reporter talks to laboratory staff members about the challenges they faced when told they needed to quickly shut down experiments because of COVID-19. Public health news is on additional terrorism threats, losing a decade of life, more food insecurity, fewer cancer screenings, rampant ageism, understanding the public heath scenario, warnings about dextromethorphan, compounded stress for therapists, coping with medical emergencies, and a silver lining about pollution, as well.
People like those who work suicide hotlines and other crisis call centers are trying to keep their heads above the water as the pandemic sweeps the country. In other news on essential workers: staff cuts, personal protective gear, hazard pay and more.
Meanwhile, patient advocates say legal liability is the last safety net to keep facilities accountable. "If you take the power of suing away from the families, then anything goes,” said Stella Kazantzas, whose husband is among the more than 20,000 patients who have died in nursing homes since the outbreak. In other news on senior facilities: advocates push for a stronger federal response; CMS will form a commission on safety; an elderly social worker dies; veterans' homes and those in home care struggle; and overall staffing levels drop.
Mourning is much harder for the families. Media outlets report on news from New York, Massachusetts, California, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Michigan and Iowa.
In a Friday night announcement, the White House named a replacement for the HHS watchdog whose office found severe shortages of medical supplies in hospitals and U.S. testing delays as COVID-19 cases surged. Christi Grimm was leading the inspector general's office when it issued the report in April, embarrassing and angering President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors announced that Blue Bell Creameries agreed to a plea deal in the federal investigation of conspiracy charges over the company's manufacturing and distribution of ice cream products contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. The outbreak was responsible for three deaths and 10 hospitalizations across four states in 2015.
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