China concealed extent of virus outbreak, U.S. Intelligence says
Bloomberg reports that the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House, according to three U.S. officials, that China concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country, under-reporting both total cases and deaths. The unidentified officials said the thrust is China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete. Read more.
U.S. lawmakers hunt for PPE for their states, districts
Many members of Congress have taken it upon themselves to coordinate with local, state and federal officials to keep their hospitals and health centers from running out of PPE. New York City has been hit the hardest by coronavirus. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) told Politico, “I start on the phones around 9 in the morning. Sometimes we get a break at 8 or 9 at night. I’m trying to connect, talking to community health centers, talking to the governor’s office, the mayor’s office, the hospital association or HHS or trying to get through to the National Guard or FEMA.” Many other representatives are facing the same situation in their own districts. Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) has been focused on the shortage of 3M’s N95 masks. Read more.
Trump officials put PPE shipment on hold while reviewing U.S. aid procedures
Officials in the White House put a shipment of aid to Thailand on hold after they learned the shipment was one of two shipments of PPE on its way to Bangkok. Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure PPE for doctors and nurses in the U.S. asked the Thais for help, only to learn that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies was already on its way to Bangkok. Vice President Mike Pence ordered his staff to make sure the review process wasn’t holding up coronavirus-related aid to countries assisting the U.S. These incidents have led the U.S. coronavirus task force to scrutinize all of USAID’s deliveries to countries requesting PPE. The administration has also placed a moratorium on overseas shipments of USAID’s stockpiles of PPE and is asking that the PPE be sent to the U.S. instead. Read more.
Mask middlemen: Pop-up brokers seek big paydays
As the novel coronavirus has spread worldwide, an improvised, chaotic market has sprung up. Brokers claim to have access to tens or even hundreds of millions of masks, generally outside the normal supply channels and at prices much higher than the former retail price. It has broken down standard quality controls, opening the market to an influx of masks of uncertain origin and effectiveness. The hot commodity is the N95 device. Reuters spoke to five new mask brokers, including three in the U.S. and two in China, the world’s largest mask manufacturer. Read more.
Florida is only state among eight with highest coronavirus cases that hasn’t issued stay home order
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order. At least 30 states have issued statewide stay-at-home orders so far. Florida is among the eight states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases and is the only one without such an order. Public health experts and emergency management officials disagree on whether a statewide stay-at-home order would make a difference in Florida’s rural counties. Several of Florida’s largest cities and counties, including all of South Florida, have ordered people to stay at home. These orders make exceptions for travel to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations or other essential errands. People are also allowed outside of their homes to walk or run, but not in large groups. Read more.
Underlying health disparities could mean coronavirus hits some communities harder
New data released by the CDC on Tuesday shows that COVID-19 patients with underlying health issues in the U.S. are more likely to need treatment in a hospital, or even in an ICU. They are also at higher risk of dying, according to earlier epidemiological data from both China and the U.S. Experts say the coronavirus could hit low-income populations here much harder. More than one-third of American adults, or 105 million people, are at higher risk of serious illness if they get infected with the coronavirus, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of CDC data. For most, their age puts them in danger, with the rest having underlying health issues. Read more.
Doctors hit by ‘huge avalanche’ of coronavirus patients in Spain
Spain is in crisis with coronavirus having killed more than 9,000 people and sickened more than 100,000 as of Wednesday. The death toll is second in the world only to Italy. “It’s quite difficult to deal with this,” said Dr. Francisco Tejerina, an internal medicine doctor who specializes in infectious diseases. “This week and next week are going to be really bad.” The pandemic has put an enormous strain on Madrid, Spain, with hundreds of city residents dying each day. Authorities have been forced to erect vast field hospitals for the thousands of spillover patients. Read more.