Tag Archives: pandemic

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 …

Yahoo News reports: A coronavirus test touted by President Trump and used at the White House may miss nearly half of positive cases, according to a study by New York University. The study looked at Abbott Laboratories’ ID Now molecular COVID-19 rapid test, which Trump hailed as a “whole new ballgame” at a March 30 news briefing because it boasted …

The Baltimore Sun reports: Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday he is lifting Maryland’s stay-at-home order effective at 5 p.m. Friday as the state has seen a slight two-week decline in hospitalizations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hogan said he is replacing the order with a “Safer at Home” advisory that will not be enforced by the rule of law. It …

Politico reports: The former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine division will serve as the Trump administration’s “therapeutics czar,” working to speed the development of potential coronavirus vaccines, three individuals with knowledge of the selection told POLITICO. Moncef Slaoui, who left the drugmaker in 2017 and has worked as a venture capitalist, will help coordinate the development of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments …

CNN reports: Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of a key federal office charged with developing medical countermeasures, will testify before Congress on Thursday that the Trump administration was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic and warn that the the US will face “unprecedented illness and fatalities” without additional preparations. “Our window of opportunity is closing. If we fail to develop …

Austin’s ABC News affiliate reports: On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a letter to Travis County and the city of Austin, warning some requirements in the city and county’s stay-at-home orders are unlawful and must change to meet the state’s most recent order. According to Paxton, those requirements include “strict and unconstitutional demands” on houses of worship, restrictions …

NDTV reports: A newly erected billboard in New York’s Times Square shows the number of US coronavirus deaths that its creator says could have been avoided if President Donald Trump had acted sooner — and it’s called the “Trump Death Clock.” Created by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, the “clock” was installed on the roof of a Times Square building, empty due …

Knoxville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Tennessee election officials say the fear of contracting the coronavirus doesn’t meet the criteria to vote by mail due to illness in the state. Elections Coordinator Mark Goins [photo] said Tuesday the determination was made in consultation with the attorney general’s office. Officials are advising their local counterparts to prepare as though all 1.4 million …

ABC News reports: The California State University (CSU) system said it plans to cancel all in-person classes for the fall and to continue instruction online, due to the coronavirus pandemic. CSU Chancellor Timothy White [photo] made the announcement Tuesday, which will affect all 23 of its universities. “This virtual planning approach for the next academic year is necessary because of …

Reuters reports: Shoppers cut spending on ready-made meals and bought more fruit and vegetables, turning to healthier eating during coronavirus lockdowns, preliminary results of a research project showed. People forced to stay home also tried new recipes and threw away less food, the survey of nearly 11,000 shoppers in 11 countries found. “Amid lockdowns people are eating healthier, are cooking …

The Associated Press reports: The White House shelved a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that coronavirus cases will likely resurge after states reopen, according to a document seen by the Associated Press. The 63-page document offers previously unpublished guidance to help officials decide when to shut facilities down again during future outbreaks of COVID-19. The White …

The Washington Post reports: As the coronavirus spreads across the country, Americans are curbing their expectations about when it will be safe for gatherings of 10 or more people, with about 2 in 3 adults now saying it will not be until July or later before those events can happen, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. Fully half …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Gov. Brian Kemp extended some coronavirus restrictions Tuesday as he eased other limits imposed during the pandemic, setting the stage for summer camps to reopen and some state employees to return to offices within a week. The governor ordered bars, nightclubs and live performance venues to remain shuttered through the end of May, which he said …

The Independent reports: As many as 147,000 people could be killed by the coronavirus in the US by early August, according to a new model frequently cited by the White House. As a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University suggested that at least 82,000 people in the US had perished and more than 1.35m infected, a new model predicted that …

Just in from Pew Research: As a growing number of states ease stay-at-home restrictions imposed in response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a majority of Americans (61%) say it is primarily the federal government’s responsibility to make sure there are enough COVID-19 tests in order to safely lift the restrictions. Fewer (37%) say it is mainly the responsibility …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home orders will “with all certainty” be extended for the next three months, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer [photo] acknowledged during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday. Ferrer, though she didn’t issue an official order, said that timeline would only change if there was a “dramatic change to the virus and …

Media Matters has the transcript: SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The official statistic, Dr. Fauci, is that 80,000 Americans have died from the pandemic. There are some epidemiologists who suggest the number may be 50% higher than that. What do you think? DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: I’m not sure, Sen. Sanders, if it’s going to be 50% higher, but most of us feel …

CBS News reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, is testifying before a Senate committee Tuesday, his first appearance before Congress since March. Fauci is appearing remotely at the 10 a.m. hearing with Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, and other officials to discuss reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci told CBS News …

Axios reports: Democrats are now acknowledging that the coronavirus may make it impossible to conduct the in-person convention in August that they’d envisioned, and they’re taking steps to allow virtual or socially distanced elements. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee meets Tuesday to consider a resolution giving the convention team “maximum flexibility to plan a safe event that …