Tag Archives: pandemic

Reuters reports: With jury trials on hold throughout the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, court officials in Texas are preparing to try something new: let jurors hear a case through Zoom. Lawyers in an insurance dispute in Collin County District Court on Monday will present their case by videoconference, in what officials believe will be the first virtual …

NBC News reports: Amid an intensifying blame game over the World Health Organization’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, China’s leader Xi Jinping announced a $2 billion funding package to help tackle the outbreak as he spoke at the organization’s 73rd general assembly on Monday. “China supports the idea of a global review of the response to Covid-19 after it is …

The New York Daily News reports: With the city’s blood banks facing dire shortages during the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor de Blasio called on New Yorkers to lend some lifesaving liquid. “Right now, we have a challenge with our blood supply,” he said at a Sunday press conference. “We need to address it. The plea came after the Daily News reported …

The BBC reports: The mayor of Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, has said its health system could collapse as demand grows for emergency beds to deal with coronavirus cases. Bruno Covas said the city’s public hospitals had reached 90% capacity and could run out of space in two weeks. He accused those who flouted lockdown rules of playing “Russian roulette” …

Axios reports: President Trump is leaning toward preserving his total funding cut for the World Health Organization after being on the brink of announcing he’d restore partial funding, according to three sources familiar with the situation. A fourth source, a senior administration official, cautioned that the decision-making was fluid and was still subject to change. Behind the scenes: Trump spent …

“You’re being asked to find your way in the world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and terrible recession. The timing is not ideal. And let’s be honest. A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. “We see it in the disproportionate impact …

Axios reports: An at-home coronavirus collection kit made by health care startup Everlywell has received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced Saturday. This is the only kit that can be used with multiple coronavirus tests, although two other at-home swabs have received authorization from the FDA. The swabs collected at home will be sent to …

NPR reports: For the first time in its history, the Democratic-led House approved rule changes that will allow members to vote by proxy and hold hearings remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. For weeks, lawmakers debated the proposal as the pandemic worsened and forced the House to extend its recess as public health risks were assessed. House Democrats installed the new …

Talking Points Memo reports: At least five sailors who had returned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier after a coronavirus quarantine have tested positive for the virus again, the Navy confirmed Friday. “This week, five USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors who previously tested COVID positive and met rigorous recovery criteria, exceeding CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, have …

NBC News reports: A barber who continued to cut hair at a shop in New York over the past few weeks in violation of the state’s stay-at-home order has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the Ulster County Department of Health and Mental Health. In a statement the county health commissioner advised anyone who …

The New York Times reports: Hundreds of thousands of New York City residents, in particular those from the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, left as the coronavirus pandemic hit, an analysis of multiple sources of aggregated smartphone location data has found. Roughly 5 percent of residents — or about 420,000 people — left the city between March 1 and May 1. In …

The Austin Statesman reports: State health officials reported 58 new deaths related to the coronavirus and 1,448 new cases Thursday, the highest single-day increase for both numbers. The record number of fatalities brings the statewide death toll from the coronavirus to 1,216, according to the latest data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The previous high was 50 …

Newsweek reports: Wisconsin’s coronavirus figures continue to rise with more than 300 newly confirmed cases as citizens return to normality after a stay-at-home order was lifted across the state. Its cumulative cases throughout the pandemic rose to 11,275, with 373 of those recorded on Thursday, the third-largest daily peak for the month. The freshly reported cases are of infections that …

NBC News reports: Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist and epidemiologist who has been hospitalized with the coronavirus despite being in good health and taking precautions, said Thursday that he believes he contracted the virus through his eyes on a crowded flight. Fair, 42, an NBC News contributor who has responded to multiple outbreaks around the world, got sick about three …

MarketWatch reports: Men in the US report less intention than women to wear face coverings, especially in counties that don’t mandate wearing them, according to a paper authored by researchers from Middlesex University London in the UK and the Mathematical Science Research Institute in Berkeley, Calif. Men are also less likely to believe they’ll be seriously impacted by COVID-19, despite …

The Huffington Post reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he was wrong to claim former President Barack Obama didn’t leave a “game plan” to deal with a pandemic when he left the White House to President Donald Trump. “I was wrong,” McConnell told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “They did leave behind a plan, so I clearly made …

The Week reports: President Trump wants the U.S. to keep increasing its coronavirus testing capacity — but also keeps insisting that more testing is making the country “look bad.” “We have the best testing in the world. Could be that testing is, frankly, overrated,” Trump said Thursday at a medical supply facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Still, Trump acknowledged that he …

The New York Daily News reports: Beaches will open on the Jersey Shore by Memorial Day with distancing rules in place, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday afternoon. The shore’s famous rides, arcades and playgrounds will remain shuttered for the foreseeable future, according to a coronavirus notice shared by Murphy. But the state’s sandy public and private beaches are …

USA Today reports: Former immunologist at the Department of Health and Human Services Rick Bright expressed concern that the nation is rushing too quickly on a vaccine for coronavirus, risking a vaccine being used before a full assessment is made of its efficacy. He called the hope that a vaccine could be available in 12 to 18 months an “aggressive …

Milwaukee’s ABC News affiliate reports: Following Wednesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling overturning Gov. Tony Evers’ stay home order, the Tavern League of Wisconsin issued this directive on social media to bars: “open immediately.” The Tavern League is a powerful trade association, advocating for bars across Wisconsin. It also encouraged establishments to follow Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation guidelines, which includes face …