First Edition: March 25, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Are Vital Home Health Workers Now A Safety Threat?
As a hospice nurse in Seattle, Diane Speer said giving out hugs to patients and family members was a routine part of home visits. But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, she now tells family members to keep their distance. “There’s no touching hands or handshakes,” said Speer, who works for Renton, Washington-based Providence St. Joseph Health. It’s “time for a virtual hug.” (Galewitz, 3/25)
Kaiser Health News:
Photo Essay: LA Under Lockdown
Some of Southern California’s most iconic destinations were deserted Monday. There were no tourists trying to fit their palms into Marilyn Monroe’s handprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre, no shoppers on Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive and shockingly few cars on LA’s famously gridlocked freeways. Gavin Newsom on Thursday became the first governor in the nation to order nearly all state residents to stay at home and most retail businesses to close their doors to stem the spread of COVID-19. (de Marco, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Congress And White House Strike Deal For $2 Trillion Stimulus Package
Senators and Trump administration officials reached an agreement early Wednesday on a sweeping, roughly $2 trillion stimulus measure to send direct payments and jobless benefits to individuals as well as money to states and businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation, which is expected to be enacted within days, is the biggest fiscal stimulus package in modern American history, aimed at delivering critical financial support to businesses forced to shut their doors and relief to American families and hospitals. (Cochrane and Fandos, 3/25)
The Associated Press:
Trump, Congress Agree On $2 Trillion Virus Rescue Bill
The unprecedented economic rescue package would give direct payments to most Americans, expand unemployment benefits and provide a $367 billion program for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. One of the last issues to close concerned $500 billion for guaranteed, subsidized loans to larger industries, including a fight over how generous to be with the airlines. Hospitals would get significant help as well. (Taylor, Mascaro and Lemire, 3/24)
Reuters:
U.S. Congress, Negotiators Reach Deal On $2-Trillion Coronavirus Aid Package
The Senate will vote on the $2-trillion package later in the day and the House of Representatives is expected to follow suit soon after. “This is a wartime level of investment into our nation,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech announcing the pact after days of negotiations between Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other top aides to President Donald Trump. (Cowan and Morgan, 3/24)
The Washington Post:
Senate, White House Reach $2 Trillion Stimulus Deal To Blunt Coronavirus Fallout
As lawmakers neared a deal, the White House made a significant concession to Democrats’ demands, agreeing to allow enhanced scrutiny over the massive loan program that is a centerpiece of the Senate’s $2 trillion coronavirus economic package. This pertains to the $500 billion loan and loan guarantee program that the Treasury Department would be tasked with administering for companies, states and cities. Of that amount, $425 billion is supposed to go to businesses, cities and states. An additional $50 billion would go to passenger airlines, as well as $8 billion for cargo airlines, and $17 billion for firms that are deemed important to national security. (Werner, DeBonis, Kane and Stein, 3/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Reaches Deal With Lawmakers On $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he had spoken to President Trump about the agreement and that Mr. Trump would “absolutely” sign it as it is written today. “He’s very pleased with this legislation, and the impact that this is going to have,” Mr. Mnuchin said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the bill had been “improved substantially” since Democrats joined the negotiations. “To all Americans I say: Help is on the way, big help and quick help,” Mr. Schumer said. (Jamerson and Duehren, 3/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Deal Reached On $2-Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill — Largest By Far In U.S. History
House members have not returned from their scheduled recess, and remote voting is not allowed under House rules. Pelosi indicated Tuesday that the fastest way for the House to approve the Senate bill would be by unanimous consent, a tactic generally reserved for small, noncontroversial legislation. It requires the consent of all current 430 House members, meaning a single representative could object, as long as he or she is on the floor to do so. If that happens, Pelosi said she would probably need to call back the entire chamber for an in-person vote, a more time-consuming process that would also raise health risks and logistical challenges for members. It could also lead to potential changes to the legislation that would have to be reconciled with the Senate. (Wire, 3/24)
Politico:
Negotiators Strike Deal On Massive Coronavirus Rescue Package
But Democratic and Republican leaders in the House don’t yet know whether it would be possible to muscle through a sweeping $2 trillion bill without a single objection from any of the chamber’s 435 lawmakers. In fact, the House GOP's whip team held a conference call Tuesday evening where they acknowledged that there's a strong possibility that a member will object to a unanimous consent agreement, according to a whip team source. But passing the rescue package by voice vote is another viable option and being discussed with the GOP conference, the source added. (Desiderio, Zanona and Ferris, 3/24)
The Hill:
Democratic Leaders Forecast At Least Two More Coronavirus Relief Bills
Even as lawmakers in both chambers are racing this week to enact a massive coronavirus relief package — the third in as many weeks — House Democratic leaders are telling members to expect at least two more stimulus measures in the weeks and months ahead. On a marathon conference call with the House Democratic Caucus Tuesday afternoon, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told lawmakers there will likely be a fourth and fifth phase of pandemic relief, according to a source on the call. (Lillis and Wong, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Trump Wants U.S. ‘Opened Up’ By Easter, Despite Health Officials’ Warnings
President Trump said on Tuesday that he wanted to reopen the country for business by Easter, on April 12, despite widespread warnings from public health experts that the worst effects of the coronavirus were still weeks away and that lifting the restrictions now in place would result in unnecessary deaths. The president said he believed a crippled economy and forced social isolation would inflict more harm than the spread of the virus. But experts have warned that spread could be slowed if businesses remain shuttered and people remain in their homes as much as possible. (Karni and McNeil, 3/24)
The Associated Press:
Trump Hoping To See US Economy Reopened By Easter Amid Virus
Trump’s optimism contradicted the warnings of some public health officials who called for stricter — not looser — restrictions on public interactions. But federal officials suggested that advisories could be loosened in areas not experiencing widespread infection. With lives and the economy hanging in the balance, Trump said Tuesday he was already looking toward easing the advisories that have sidelined workers, shuttered schools and led to a widespread economic slowdown. “I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter,” he said during a Fox News virtual town hall. Easter is just over two weeks away — Apr. 12. (Miller and Superville, 3/25)
The Washington Post:
Easing Coronavirus Restrictions For The Economy Would Be Disastrous, Experts Say
The greatest alarm has come from scientists, epidemiologists and health experts who have spent the past three months studying the new coronavirus and have witnessed the destructive, contagious swath it has cut through other countries. “To be a week into these restrictions and already be talking about abandoning them is irresponsible and dangerous,” said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Removing restrictions now would allow the virus, he said, to “spread widely, rapidly, terribly, and could kill potentially millions in the year ahead with huge social and economic impact.” (Wan, Albergotti and Achenbach, 3/24)
The Hill:
Fauci Says Trump's Easter Goal For Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions Should Be 'Flexible'
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday said President Trump’s stated timeline for the lifting of restrictions on parts of the country by Easter Sunday should be "flexible." Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a prominent member of the White House's coronavirus task force, added it is important for public health officials to gauge how widespread coronavirus is in parts of the country that haven't reported significant numbers of cases. (Samuels and Chalfant, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Hopes To Have U.S. Reopened By Easter, Despite Health Experts’ Warnings
For days, Mr. Trump and his aides have been discussing easing social-distancing guidelines as early as next week. The president has been pushed by advisers and business leaders to boost an economy beset by deepening job losses nationwide as state and local governments have directed people to stay home, people familiar with the discussions said. Financial markets have taken a steep dive in recent weeks and volatility in American stocks has reached historically high levels. Unemployment claims, which are reported this week, are expected to have soared. (Ballhaus, Armour and Leary, 3/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump And Governors In Heated Debate Over Saving Lives Versus The Economy
His remarks drew sharp rejoinders and resistance from governors in both parties — the officials who have the final say over limitations on daily life. “If you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy, then it’s no contest,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “No American is going to say ‘accelerate the economy at the cost of human life.’” “My mother is not expendable. And your mother is not expendable,” he said. “We’re not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable.” (Megerian, 3/24)
Reuters:
Explainer: Trump Has Little Power To Restart U.S. Economy
The United States is a federalist system, meaning power is shared between a national and state governments. Under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, state governments have power to police citizens and regulate public welfare. In the country’s early years, it was up to state and local authorities to lead the response to the yellow fever epidemic, not the federal government. Reflecting these principles, “disaster response and aid is typically state-led and federally supported,” said Steve Bunnell, the former top lawyer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a partner at O’Melveny & Myers. (Wolfe, 3/24)
The Washington Post:
Trump Is In A Tug-Of-War With Scientists Over Coronavirus Policy
On Monday, during the daily coronavirus news conference, President Trump tried to drag White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx into bashing the media with him — an entreaty she deftly sidestepped with a smile and talk of how much she had recently learned about “social distancing and respiratory diseases.” Then on Tuesday, during a Fox News virtual town hall with virus task force members, Trump tried to prod Birx into criticizing New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) for the rapidly growing outbreak of coronavirus cases in his state. (Parker, Dawsey and Abutaleb, 3/24)
Stat:
Social Distancing, Politicized: Trump Allies Are Urging An End To Isolation, Worrying Public Health Experts
How and whether to prevent disease is suddenly a political question. And in the face of the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus, a small but growing number of conservatives has come down forcefully on the side of “don’t.” (Facher, 3/24)
The Washington Post:
Liberty University Students Return Despite Coronavirus
Students returned to Liberty University after spring break this week, even as colleges and universities across the country have sent students home to try to slow the spread of covid-19. Earlier this month, Jerry Falwell Jr., the school’s president, said on Fox News that people were overreacting to the coronavirus pandemic and that the campus would open as usual this week. A few days later, after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) banned gatherings of 100 people or more, Falwell reversed course and said most classes would be conducted online. (Svrluga and Vozzella, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Can We Put A Price Tag On A Life? The Shutdown Forces A New Look
Can we measure the cost of hundreds of thousands of dead? President Trump and leading business figures are increasingly questioning the wisdom of a prolonged shutdown of the American economy — already putting millions out of work — to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “Our people want to return to work,” Mr. Trump declared Tuesday on Twitter, adding, “THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM!” (Porter and Tankersley, 3/24)
The Associated Press:
Of America And Sacrifice: Is The Country Ready To Step Up?
For most Americans alive today, the idea of shared national sacrifice is a collective abstraction, a memory handed down from a grandparent or passed on through a book or movie. Not since World War II, when people carried ration books with stamps that allowed them to purchase meat, sugar, butter, cooking oil and gasoline, when buying cars, firewood and nylon was restricted, when factories converted from making automobiles to making tanks, Jeeps and torpedos, when men were drafted and women volunteered in the war effort, has the entire nation been asked to sacrifice for a greater good. (Tackett, 3/25)
The Washington Post:
With Masks, Ventilators In Short Supply, Governors And Hospitals Call For Federal Intervention
A mad scramble for masks, gowns and ventilators is pitting states against each other and driving up prices. Some hard-hit parts of the country are receiving fresh supplies of N95 masks, but others are still out of stock. Hospitals are requesting donations of masks and gloves from construction companies, nail salons and tattoo parlors, and considering using ventilators designed for large animals because they cannot find the kind made for people. The market for medical supplies has descended into chaos, according to state officials and health-care leaders. They are begging the federal government to use a wartime law to bring order and ensure the United States has the gear it needs to battle the coronavirus. So far, the Trump administration has declined. (Whalen, Romm, Gregg and Hamburger, 3/24)
Reuters:
Trump Administration Unclear Over Emergency Production Measure To Combat Coronavirus
The Trump administration sowed confusion on Tuesday over use of a 1950s-era emergency act to procure coronavirus test kits amid severe shortages of tests, masks, ventilators and other equipment for medical workers fighting the highly contagious disease. Peter Gaynor, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN the administration had decided to use the Defense Production Act to procure 60,000 coronavirus test kits, in what would mark the first use of the act to confront the coronavirus crisis. (Chiacu, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
FEMA Pulls Back From Defense Production Act Amid Mixed Signals
For much of the day, the administration sent conflicting signals on whether it was using the Defense Production Act. On CNN Tuesday morning, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Peter Gaynor said the law would be used for the production of certain test kits. Mr. Gaynor said the federal government was also inserting “DPA language” into its mass contract for 500 million masks. But Mr. Trump, speaking Tuesday evening at a White House news conference, said the Defense Production Act hadn’t been used, saying the government hadn’t “found it to be the case” that the law was needed. Mr. Gaynor’s comments surprised some in the White House, according to an administration official. (Ballhaus and Restuccia, 3/24)
Reuters:
Trump Seeks South Korea's Help For Medical Equipment To Tackle Coronavirus
South Korea said it will send medical equipment to the United States to fight the coronavirus if it has any spare after an urgent request from U.S. President Donald Trump in which he promised to help Korean firms gain U.S. government approval. The news, which sent shares in South Korean manufacturers of test kits for the virus rocketing higher, highlights the diverging paths the two countries have taken since both discovered their first coronavirus cases on the same day. (Roh, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Who Should Be Saved First? Experts Offer Ethical Guidance
How do doctors and hospitals decide who gets potentially lifesaving treatment and who doesn’t? A lot of thought has been given to just such a predicament, well before critical shortages from the coronavirus pandemic. “It would be irresponsible at this point not to get ready to make tragic decisions about who lives and who dies,” said Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. (Frakt, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Communities Struggle To Deal With Coronavirus Testing Backlogs
Despite efforts to ramp up mass testing for the new coronavirus this week, many cities and states are facing more shortages and backlogs as demand surges. Nearly a month into the outbreak, local officials are increasingly taking matters into their own hands so they can obtain critical equipment and grasp the extent of the virus’s spread in their communities. That includes working with private labs and forging direct relationships with test suppliers on the other side of the world. (Frosch, Paul and Mai-Duc, 3/25)
The New York Times:
Coronavirus In N.Y.: ‘Astronomical’ Surge Leads To Quarantine Warning
White House officials expressed growing alarm on Tuesday about the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, advising people who have passed through or left the city to place themselves in a 14-day quarantine. Officials warned that the outbreak could reach its peak in New York City much sooner than expected and said they had begun treating the region as a coronavirus hot zone, akin to areas of China and Europe overwhelmed by the virus. About 60 percent of the new cases in the country were in the New York City metropolitan area, and the infection rate was eight to 10 times greater than other parts of the country, officials said at a briefing with the White House Coronavirus Task Force. (Feuer and Rosenthal, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Officials Say Anyone Leaving New York Area Should Self-Isolate For 14 Days
With more than 25,000 cases, New York has emerged as the epicenter of the crisis nationwide with the highest and fastest rate of infection, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. Infections are doubling every three days, the governor said, and the state expects its peak in these cases in two weeks, earlier than officials had anticipated. New York City hospitals are already straining to keep up with a surge of patients. Officials have sought to increase hospital capacity, including turning Manhattan’s Javits Center into a makeshift hospital, and find additional staff, like retired doctors. “I will turn this state upside down to get this number of beds that we need,” he said, adding that the state’s 53,000 beds fell drastically short of the estimated 140,000 beds needed. (Calfas, Fan and Ballhaus, 3/25)
Politico:
‘We Are Your Future’: Will All Of America Become Like New York?
Not all public health experts share Cuomo’s certitude on the point of whether other parts of the country will soon experience outbreaks comparable to New York City’s. "Nobody knows the specific answer to that," said Joseph Vinetz, an infectious diseases specialist at the Yale School of Medicine. Indeed, POLITICO interviews with five leading public-health specialists indicated that while Cuomo’s point is well taken – there likely will be other places where the level of contagion will equal New York’s – there are also reasons to be hopeful that the transmission of the virus will be slower, and less widespread, in many parts of the country. Among the factors that make New York more vulnerable are its extensive public transportation system and its sheer size. (Schreckinger and Eisenberg, 3/25)
The Associated Press:
'Cacophony Of Coughing': Inside NYC's Virus-Besieged ERs
A “cacophony of coughing” in packed emergency rooms. Beds squeezed in wherever there is space. Overworked, sleep-deprived doctors and nurses rationed to one face mask a day and wracked by worry about a dwindling number of available ventilators. Such is the reality inside New York City’s hospitals, which have become the war-zone-like epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus crisis. (Sisak, Mustian and Peltz, 3/25)
The New York Times:
How Andrew Cuomo, New York Governor, Became The Politician Of The Moment
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo awoke before dawn on Tuesday, emerging after a few hours’ sleep to board a helicopter to New York City for the coronavirus briefing that has become a daily ritual for him and for the millions of people now watching. But this event would be different. The outbreak was moving faster than he had expected, with the number of confirmed cases doubling every three days, and he decided he needed to show people — including the White House — how desperate the situation had become. (McKinley and Goldmacher, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Drugs, Vaccine Are Many Months Away, Health Experts Say
A federal health official on Tuesday sought to tamp down mounting excitement in some quarters over the potential for antimalarial drugs to treat the new coronavirus, though a Trump administration adviser voiced more optimism. Doctors, patients and researchers have been looking for treatments that can tackle the virus as it spreads across the world. World-wide cases of Covid-19, the pneumonialike disease caused by the virus, surpassed 400,000 on Tuesday and more than 18,500 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (Rockoff and Abbott, 3/24)
The Associated Press:
Potential Coronavirus Treatment Granted Rare Disease Status
The pharmaceutical giant that makes a promising coronavirus drug has registered it as a rare disease treatment with U.S. regulators, a status that can potentially be worth millions in tax breaks and competition-free sales. What that specialty status will actually mean for the marketing or profitability of Gilead Science’s experimental drug remdesivir isn’t clear. The drugmaker did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment. (Perrone and Lardner, 3/25)
NPR:
Remdesivir Gets Rare Disease Perks From FDA
The agency's decision would provide lucrative incentives to the drug's maker, Gilead Sciences, and could keep lower-priced generic versions of the medicine off the market for several years if remdesivir is approved for use, public health advocates say. Remdesivir is an intravenous, antiviral medicine that is being studied in clinical trials around the world as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Clinical trials for remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment got started in China in early February. Tests of the drug are now enrolling patients elsewhere, including the United States. (Lupkin, 3/24)
Reuters:
Gilead's Potential Coronavirus Treatment Gets FDA's Orphan Drug Label
The orphan drug status provides a seven-year market exclusivity period, as well as tax and other incentives for drug companies developing treatments for rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people. Gilead on Sunday said it was temporarily putting new emergency access to remdesivir on hold due to an exponential increase in so-called compassionate-use requests for the drug. There are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Most patients currently receive only supportive care such as breathing assistance. (3/23)
The New York Times:
Some Doctors Stockpile Trial Coronavirus Drugs For Themselves, States Say
Doctors are hoarding medications touted as possible coronavirus treatments by writing prescriptions for themselves and family members, according to pharmacy boards in states across the country. The stockpiling has become so worrisome in Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Texas that the boards in those states have issued emergency restrictions or guidelines on how the drugs can be dispensed at pharmacies. More states are expected to follow suit. “This is a real issue and it is not some product of a few isolated bad apples,” said Jay Campbell, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy. (Gabler, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trials Needed To Assess Antimalarial Drugs For Treating Coronavirus, FDA Official Says
A randomized controlled trial is the “most appropriate way” to determine whether antimalarial drugs fit within a potential treatment program for patients with Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, Amy Abernethy, principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Tuesday during The Wall Street Journal Health Forum. (Hopkins, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Roche Sending Arthritis Drug To Coronavirus Doctors
Roche Holding AG is supplying its arthritis drug Actemra to doctors on the front lines fighting the new coronavirus, Alexander Hardy, chief executive of Roche’s Genentech business, said during The Wall Street Journal Health Forum on Tuesday. Actemra isn’t approved to treat the new coronavirus. Yet there are signs it might work, and Roche has said it would start testing the drug to see if it works against the virus. (Abbott, 3/24)
The Associated Press:
Can Blood From Coronavirus Survivors Treat The Newly Ill?
Hospitals are gearing up to test if a century-old treatment used to fight off flu and measles outbreaks in the days before vaccines, and tried more recently against SARS and Ebola, just might work for COVID-19, too: using blood donated from patients who’ve recovered. Doctors in China attempted the first COVID-19 treatments using what the history books call “convalescent serum” -- today, known as donated plasma -- from survivors of the new virus. (Neergaard, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Approves Plasma Treatment For Coronavirus On Conditional Basis
The treatment is considered investigational, and based on the possibility that the so-called convalescent plasma—a portion of whole blood from recovered victims—contains antibodies to the virus that may be effective against the infection. The agency stressed that “convalescent plasma has not been shown to be effective in every disease studied.” So the plan is for clinical studies of the procedure to begin, probably in about two weeks, FDA officials said. The agency said such research is necessary before routinely using such an approach to treat patients with Covid-19. (Burton, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Oracle Providing White House With Software To Study Unproven Coronavirus Drugs
The White House is preparing to use software provided by the technology giant Oracle to promote unproven coronavirus treatments, including a pair of malaria drugs publicized by President Trump, potentially before the government approves their use for the outbreak, according to five senior administration officials and others familiar with the plans. (Weiland and Haberman, 3/24)
Politico:
DHS Wound Down Pandemic Models Before Coronavirus Struck
The Department of Homeland Security stopped updating its annual models of the havoc that pandemics would wreak on America’s critical infrastructure in 2017, according to current and former DHS officials with direct knowledge of the matter. From at least 2005 to 2017, an office inside DHS, in tandem with analysts and supercomputers at several national laboratories, produced detailed analyses of what would happen to everything from transportation systems to hospitals if a pandemic hit the United States. (Lippman, 3/24)
Politico:
Those Who Intentionally Spread Coronavirus Could Be Charged As Terrorists
People who intentionally spread the coronavirus could face criminal charges under federal terrorism laws, the Justice Department’s No. 2 official said Tuesday. In a memo to top Justice Department leaders, law enforcement agency chiefs and U.S. Attorneys across the country, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said prosecutors and investigators could come across cases of “purposeful exposure and infection of others with COVID-19.” (Gerstein, 3/24)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Mutation Rate Is Good For Vaccine Development
The coronavirus is not mutating significantly as it circulates through the human population, according to scientists who are closely studying the novel pathogen’s genetic code. That relative stability suggests the virus is less likely to become more or less dangerous as it spreads, and represents encouraging news for researchers hoping to create a long-lasting vaccine. All viruses evolve over time, accumulating mutations as they replicate imperfectly inside a host’s cells in tremendous numbers and then spread through a population, with some of those mutations persisting through natural selection. (Achenbach, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Teenager’s Death In California Is Linked To Coronavirus
A California teenager whose death was linked to the coronavirus may be one of the youngest victims of the outbreak in the United States. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Tuesday said the death, of a 17-year-old boy from Lancaster, Calif., was from the coronavirus. Hours later, it walked back that statement, saying the death would be further evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality,” the health department said in a statement. (Gross and Arango, 3/24)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A.'s First Child Coronavirus Death: What We Know
Experts have long said older people are more susceptible to the virus and that young people in general are less likely to contract the illness. But health officials said Tuesday the death underscores the threat that coronavirus poses to the entire population. “This is a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages,” L.A. County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said. (Shalby and Lin, 3/24)
Reuters:
U.S. Task Force To Tackle Coronavirus Market Manipulation, Hoarding
The United States is launching a task force to address market manipulation, hoarding and price gouging related to the coronavirus pandemic, following an order by President Donald Trump to crack down on such crimes. At the same time, federal law enforcement agencies across the country are prioritizing investigations into an array of coronavirus-related crimes following reports they have surged. (Lynch, 3/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Crisis Threatens To Shutter Doctors' Offices
As hospitals in California and across the country struggle with a surge of coronavirus infection patients, a second crisis is brewing in physicians’ offices, threatening to push the nation’s healthcare system further to the brink. Primary care physicians are being leaned on to keep patients out of hospitals, and to make do with limited protective equipment and other supplies. Yet they are seeing steep drop-offs in visits as patients stay away, fearful of getting ill. (Levey, 3/24)
The New York Times:
A Medical Class ‘Minted By The Pandemic’
Preparations for the Cadaver Ball, at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, begin in the fall. Radial Grooves, an a cappella group, selects two songs to perform; the campus hip-hop and bhangra groups choreograph routines. This year’s theme was the “Roaring 2020s,” which was a relief to the class president, Varun Menon, because it meant that the only costume he needed was a tuxedo. (Last year’s class president had the unfortunate task of tracking down a full P.T. Barnum get-up, when the theme was “The Greatest Show.”) But plans for the event, which celebrates the “matching” of fourth-year medical students to their residencies, were cut short this year. On March 10, students were notified by email that their match day ceremony would be virtual. The Cadaver Ball was canceled. (Goldberg, 3/24)
Politico:
Fed Breaks The Bank In Bid To Rescue Economy
The Federal Reserve has been thrust into the lead role of saving the U.S. economy from the coronavirus pandemic, taking on the extraordinary task of rescuing households, businesses and local governments as Washington lawmakers have spent weeks debating how to come to grips with the crisis. In just over a week, the Fed has slashed its main borrowing rate to zero, pledged unlimited purchases of U.S. government bonds, announced plans to back state and local governments, and even promised to buy debt from large corporations. It has said it will set up a program to lend to small businesses and eased pressure on rates for student loans, auto loans and credit card debt. (Guida, 3/24)
Politico:
Governors Beg For Cash As Unemployment Claims Crush States
Governors are pleading for more financial help from Congress as unemployment claims surge to near-unprecedented levels this month, leaving states incapable of covering the mountainous costs. The full problem won’t become clear until the Department of Labor releases national unemployment data on Thursday. But eye-popping numbers have already trickled out as state after state has imposed sweeping orders shutting down non-essential businesses. (Landergan and Murphy, 3/24)
Politico:
Trump Hasn’t Yet Released Disaster Unemployment Funds
The three states that President Donald Trump has formally declared coronavirus disaster areas have not received the disaster unemployment assistance that they expected to follow that designation. New York, California and Washington state all requested access to several aid programs provided under a disaster declaration, including disaster unemployment assistance. (Rainey, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Drivers Say Uber And Lyft Are Blocking Unemployment Pay
In a typical week, Jerome Gage, a Lyft driver in Los Angeles, makes $900 to $1,000 before expenses during roughly 50 hours on the road. This week, with most of the state holed up and demand for rides evaporating, he expects to work even longer to make far less than half that amount. Given the option, Mr. Gage said, he would stop wasting his time and risking his health and file for unemployment benefits. But unlike workers employed by restaurants, hotels and retail establishments, gig workers like Uber and Lyft drivers typically have not been able to collect unemployment benefits or take paid sick leave. (Scheiber, 3/24)
The New York Times:
The Complicated Calculus Of Helping Neighbors During A Pandemic
For more than a week, Clark Hamel has not left his Brooklyn apartment. He cannot risk exposure to the coronavirus: Since he was a teenager, he has been on drugs that suppress his immune system so he will not experience the excruciating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Still, Mr. Hamel, 24, and his partner have not been alone. In a gesture of friendship, another young couple in their building has also effectively shut themselves off from the outside world in order to protect Mr. Hamel. They venture out only to pick up groceries, leaving the food outside his apartment in bags and disinfecting milk cartons with bleach wipes. (Correal, 3/24)
The New York Times:
You’ve Got Mail. Will You Get The Coronavirus?
Scientists agree that the main means by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumps from an infected person to its next host is by hitching a ride in the tiny droplets that are sprayed into the air with each cough or sneeze. But with deliveries now at holiday levels as locked-down Americans shop online rather than in person, the question remains: Can you catch the coronavirus from the parcels and packages your overburdened mail carrier keeps leaving at your door? The first formal process for curbing the spread of infection by detaining travelers from an affected region until their health was proved was instituted in what is now Dubrovnik, Croatia, in 1377, against the bubonic plague. (Twilley, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Coronavirus Spurs A Wave Of Suspect Websites Looking To Cash In
A popular technology company that has helped launch thousands of online retail sites has become a favorite tool for fly-by-night businesses looking to cash in on the coronavirus pandemic. New e-commerce sites that use the company’s services are filled with wildly exaggerated claims about virus-fighting products that may not even exist. The New York Times analyzed registrations with the company, Shopify, which allows just about anyone with an email address and a credit card to create retail websites in short order. (Keller and Lorenz, 3/24)