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The serological survey data that's been trickling in over the past few days has been shocking--showing just how much the coronavirus has spread through mild or asymptomatic cases. While experts say that the tests are an important tool, the results shouldn't be taken as gospel.
"I think it's fair to say that hospitals are facing perhaps the greatest challenge that they have ever faced in their history," says Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. Federal aid is being distributed to help needy health system, but some wonder if it will be enough. Meanwhile, some hospitals start inching toward resuming non-coronavirus procedures.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that instead of the federal government helping states that are struggling financially beneath the burden of the outbreak that those states should instead declare bankruptcy. “That’s how you’re going to bring this national economy back?” asked an incredulous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who called McConnell irresponsible and reckless. “You want to see that market fall through the cellar?" There is a growing consensus in Washington, though, that states will need more fiscal help.
The fourth stimulus package was meant to supplement the depleted fund to help small businesses, but Democrats fought to include money for hospitals and expanded testing as well. This bill took longer to negotiate than the previous three, and it could be the last measure that gets through without an intense and public political fight.
For contact tracing alone, a recent report estimated 100,000 additional contact tracers are needed to keep the virus in check. That effort would require an estimated $3.6 billion in national emergency funding, as a starting point. And those figures don't account for what states also need for testing programs, health officials say. In other news: a saliva-based test, the need for real-time reporting, nerves at the drive-thru line, contact tracing on a tribal reservation and more.
Gilead spokesperson Amy Flood said the company believes “the post included inappropriate characterization of the study" because it was stopped early due to the fact that it had too few patients. The experimental drug remdesivir has been viewed as a frontrunner in the race to find a successful treatment for COVID-19.
Some high-ranking Republicans have been watching the protests warily and reiterating their own decisions to shelter in place. But as the protests grab national attention, some in the GOP reckon with how a movement that most Americans disagree with will impact the elections. But other state Republican lawmakers are joining the protest efforts. Meanwhile, more polls find that a majority of the country think strict restrictions are worth it.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) set his state on an aggressive path toward reopening that starts today, despite a barrage of criticism that the decision to lift restrictions is premature. Meanwhile, states that haven't been hit has hard as some of the hot spots start considering how to reopen.
There's a political divide over who is pushing states to reopen and who is keeping stay-at-home orders in place. President Donald Trump's own messaging has been mixed. While he has pushed for a quick return to normalcy, he also criticized the Georgia governor's aggressive plan to reopen as "too soon."
In a moment where people want to believe there's a magic pill to cure COVID-19, scammers are flourishing. Other news from the Trump administration looks at the coronavirus being used as a possible bioweapon and and increase in violent extremism.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the World Health Organization, which President Donald Trump targeted in recent weeks, needs a "structural fix" for its "shortcomings" before the U.S. would consider resuming funding. Critics of the Trump administration say the president is unfairly scapegoating the global organization as a way to shift blame from his administration's early missteps. Meanwhile, the United States' response to the pandemic may have undermined its position as a global leader.
Some outside experts are concerned that administration scientists must tip-toe around President Donald Trump as they offer their medical expert advice to the American people. Claims from one federal official that he was ousted because he pushed back against Trump's favored treatment did nothing to ease those worrying impressions.
"The whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute, that’s pretty powerful," President Donald Trump said in a press briefing where he also offered a suggestion that disinfectant could be injected into the body to fight the virus. Scientists knock down the idea as dangerous and potentially fatal. Other news reports on the public's opinion of information delivered by the president.
As of Friday morning the U.S. crossed the grim 50,000 death mark, though many experts think that's an undercount. On California's worst day of the pandemic so far, COVID-19 became Los Angeles County's leading cause of death.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Global news is from Kenya, India, Colombia, Iraq, China, North Korea, and France.
Many health systems report revenue declines of 40% to 50%, and even pay for front-line workers is expected to be cut in some places. In other health care worker news: returning to work after being sick, doctors being sent to help Native American reservations, tracking worker deaths and more.
Among those being cited by police for violating the Ohio governor's orders are those struggling with addiction. They aren't being jailed, but are facing fines and the possibility of jail time. "It's such a shame that we're there and ladling on charges to someone who's really in a health crisis," said one addiction expert. Other news on the opioid crisis is in online counseling services.
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