FDA warns of potential remdesivir drug interaction
8:18 PM CT on 6/15/20
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned providers not to prescribe remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine together, as it could cause remdesivir to be less effective.
Both drugs have been researched as potential COVID-19 treatments. The FDA revoked hydroxychloroquine's emergency use authorization on Monday. Remdesivir is still being evaluated.
"The agency is not aware of instances of this reduced activity occurring in the clinical setting but, is continuing to evaluate all data related to remdesivir," FDA said in its warning.
Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations keep rising, set 1-day high
7:19 PM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) Texas continued an upward trend in hospitalizations of coronavirus patients, setting a new one-day high Monday for the seventh time in eight days.
That trend has local officials in some of the state’s largest cities urging residents to be diligent about social distancing and other measures such as wearing masks.
Texas health officials reported 2,326 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and 1,254 new cases, the most ever reported for a Monday, which is typically the lowest day of the week for new virus cases.
The actual number of people who have contracted the virus is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
The mayors of Austin and Dallas, two cities seeing a strong uptick strong uptick in cases and hospitalizations, urged diligence of social distancing and use of masks.
Hospitalization rate has been noted by Gov. Greg Abbott as a key indicator for re-opening the state economy, but Texas has been steadily expanding customer capacity for businesses for weeks, even as the number of new cases and hospitalizations have been steadily rising.
Hartford HealthCare to ease some COVID visitor restrictions
5:45 PM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) Hartford HealthCare, one of the state's largest healthcare systems, has begun easing some visitor restrictions at its hospitals and outpatient facilities across Connecticut now that there are fewer patients being treated for COVID-19.
In an email sent Monday, the system said one visitor will be allowed at a time and visitors must be age 16 or older, wear face masks, pass a screening for symptoms and maintain physical distancing while inside the hospital.
“Restricting visitors was one of the very first — and one of the most difficult — decisions we made to stop the spread of the virus and protect our patients, colleagues and communities,” the email from the health care system's leaders said. “Now, with fewer patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, and screening processes well in place for anyone entering our healthcare facilities, we are confident we can safely phase in visitation across our system of care.”
Visiting hours will vary by facility and program. There will still be some restrictions on visiting at emergency departments as well as critical and intensive care units and in oncology areas including infusion centers, medical oncology and radiation oncology.
Poll: Black Americans most likely to know a COVID-19 victim
3:53 PM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) African Americans are disproportionately likely to say a family member or close friend has died of COVID-19 or respiratory illness since March, according to a series of surveys conducted since April that lays bare how black Americans have borne the brunt of the pandemic.
Eleven percent of African Americans say they were close with someone who has died from the coronavirus, compared with 5% of Americans overall and 4% of white Americans.
The findings are based on data from three COVID Impact surveys conducted between April and June by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation about the pandemic's effect on the physical, mental and social health of Americans.
While recent surveys conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research have found that black Americans are especially likely to know someone who had the virus, the new data from the COVID Impact research further details the toll the pandemic has taken on black Americans.
Pre-existing conditions and limited access to healthcare have been identified as reasons black Americans have been particularly susceptible to the virus. Experts and medical professionals say the longstanding effects of structural racism and generational trauma exacted upon black Americans in the centuries following slavery also cannot be ignored.
"The health inequities that we're seeing here are nothing new, because we're starting in a place where during slavery, we had black women who were enslaved and were being experimented on by white male physicians," said New York-based Dr. Uché Blackstock, a former associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine and the founder of Advancing Health Equity. "So our healthcare system is founded on racism, and our communities have been essentially made sick by racism. We carry the highest disease burden in almost every parameter. We were already in a crisis."
The COVID Impact surveys show the racial gap is equally striking in some cities and states hit especially hard by the virus. In Louisiana, 16% of black adults, compared with 6% of white adults, are close with someone who has died, according to the surveys. Black people represent about 33% of the state's population but account for 53% of the state's nearly 3,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to data from the state's health department.
The differences are equally stark in several metropolitan areas: Among black adults in Atlanta, 14% have a family member or close friend who has died, compared with 4% of white adults. The comparison is 12% vs. 4% in Baltimore, 15% vs. 2% in Birmingham, Alabama, and 12% vs. 4% in Chicago.
Twenty-six percent of nonwhite New Yorkers say a family member or close friend has died from COVID-19, compared with just 10% of white adults in New York City.
Harrowing blame game over COVID-19 toll in nursing homes
2:13 PM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) A grim blame game with partisan overtones is breaking out over COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents, a tiny slice of the population that represents a shockingly high proportion of Americans who have perished in the pandemic.
The Trump administration has been pointing to a segment of the industry — facilities with low federal ratings for infection control — and to some Democratic governors who required nursing homes to take recovering coronavirus patients.
Homes that followed federal infection control guidelines were largely able to contain the virus, asserts Seema Verma, head of CMS, which sets standards and pays the bills. "Trying to finger-point and blame the federal government is absolutely ridiculous," she says.
Verma says data collected by her agency suggest a connection between low ratings on safety inspections and COVID-19 outbreaks. But several academic researchers say their own work has found no such link.
Advocates for older people say the federal government hasn't provided needed virus testing and sufficient protective gear to allow nursing homes to operate safely. A White House directive to test all residents and staff has been met with an uneven response.
"The lack of federal coordination certainly has impeded facilities' ability to identify infected persons and to provide care," Eric Carlson, a long-term care expert with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, told lawmakers. "That absence remains important as facilities are attempting to open up, which requires an extensive reliance on testing."
Democrats are critical of the Trump administration response.
"We need action," says Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. "We need a plan from CMS and we need resources to stop the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes."
With more coronavirus legislation possible this year, congressional Democrats are pressing for a national testing plan and additional resources for nursing homes. Republicans are mainly seconding the administration's arguments.
During a recent briefing for lawmakers, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican, blamed New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the high numbers of deaths in his state. A since-rescinded state directive that nursing homes had to accept recovering coronavirus patients "ended up being a death sentence" in New York and several states with similar policies, Scalise said.
Scalise echoed earlier, less forceful, comments from CMS head Verma, who has said such state orders were "not appropriate" and "may have contributed to this issue as well."
But Harvard researcher David Grabowski, who serves on a nonpartisan commission advising Congress about Medicare, says neither state policies, nor "bad apples" among nursing homes, have driven the outbreak.
Instead, Grabowski says it's simpler: Because the virus can be spread by people who show no symptoms, that means if it's already in a community, the staff can unwittingly bring it into the nursing home. Once inside it easily spreads among frail residents living in close quarters.
"The secret weapon behind COVID is that it spreads in the absence of any symptoms," Grabowski told lawmakers at a recent briefing. "If COVID is in a community where staff lives, it is soon to be in the facility where they work."
He proposed a federal effort to regularly test nursing home staff and residents, along with greater supplies of masks, gowns and other protective gear.
"The federal government needs to own this issue," said Grabowski.
Germany to take stake in company working on virus vaccine
11:55 AM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) The German government said Monday it is taking a 23% stake in CureVac, a German company working on a potential vaccine for the coronavirus, underlining its determination to keep key industries in the country.
The state-owned KfW development bank will buy 300 million euros ($337 million) in CureVac shares, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said, adding that the aim is to give CureVac "financial security."
He said the government won't exert influence on CureVac's business decisions. The main shareholder in CureVac is Dietmar Hopp, the co-founder of German-based business software company SAP.
"For me and for the whole German government, it is ... absolutely elementary that we preserve and strengthen promising key industries in Germany, be they digital, artificial intelligence industries; electric batteries; the chemical industry, the steel industry and many others," Altmaier said. "That goes in particular for biotechnology and life sciences."
In March, Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Helge Braun, said that German officials had had "very intensive contact" with CureVac and that there had been "thoughts of enticing it to the United States."
He didn't elaborate on the nature of the U.S. interest. CureVac and the then-U.S. ambassador to Germany rejected a newspaper report at the time that President Donald Trump apparently had offered the German firm a large amount to secure its work for the U.S.
Altmaier acknowledged that "the development of vaccines — and medical products in general — can come with risks and the possibility of failure."
"But we must examine every opportunity, and we must give innovative companies the opportunity to prove themselves," he added. "And I am convinced that CureVac deserves such a chance.”
Amid violations, N.Y. governor prepared to reverse local re-openings
9:50 AM CT on 6/15/20
(AP) Upset by "rampant" violations of New York's pandemic-fighting restrictions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened Sunday to reinstate closings in areas where local governments fail to enforce the rules.
Manhattan and Long Island's tony Hamptons were singled out as problem areas by Cuomo, who cited 25,000 complaints statewide of reopening violations. The large gatherings, social-distancing violations and lax face-covering enforcement endanger the state's fragile progress in the fight against the coronavirus, Cuomo said, adding that many complaints involve bars and restaurants.
"We are not kidding around with this. You're talking about jeopardizing people's lives," Cuomo said at his daily briefing.
The warning comes a day after the Democractic governor reacted sternly to a short Twitter video from New York City of young people enjoying a warm day packed tightly on a city street, many without masks.
New York officials are trying to avoid the fate of states seeing a surge in new cases after reopening. New York's coronavirus-related hospitalizations are declining and the state recorded 23 deaths Saturday, the lowest one-day coronavirus death toll since the early days of the crisis.
New York is loosening restrictions slowly, often phased in by region. In the latest move, Cuomo said Sunday that "low-risk" youth sports like baseball, softball, field hockey and gymnastics can begin on July 6 in regions in phase 3 of reopening. There can be two spectators per child.
But Cuomo warned the ongoing re-openings could be "rolled back" in areas where police fail to enforce social distancing and other pandemic-related rules.
"Before I reverse a statewide position, I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm going to reverse it in those areas that are not in compliance with the rules."
Cuomo said police should take action against individuals who violate open container laws and warned that restaurants and bars that violate the rules are at risk of losing their liquor licenses.
New York City officials said they're taking aggressive steps to enforce restrictions, including mask distribution this weekend and encouraging people to disperse after making purchases. A city hall spokesperson wrote in an email that these "businesses are allowed to be open per the governor's guidelines and we don't believe imprisoning people or taking away their livelihood is the answer."
On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said in his briefing Sunday that he had not heard of compliance issues in the Hamptons or elsewhere in the county, but that he would follow up with local police.
Phoenix-area businesses close one month after stay-at-home order is lifted
8:06 PM CT on 6/14/2020
Citing COVID-19 exposures, Phoenix-area restaurants are closing, less than a month after the state's stay-at-home order was lifted.
Eight restaurants in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Chandler temporarily closed, citing employees or patrons who reportedly tested positive for the virus. Some said they would conduct deep cleanings while others said they would only reopen after it felt safe again.
Prior to last week, six other eateries also closed and publicly posted about positive cases.
Arizona has seen an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, 1,540 new positive cases and 39 new deaths, bringing the state's totals to 34,458 positive cases and 1,183 confirmed deaths.
Another 2,000 Floridians test positive for second day in a row
5:41 PM CT on 6/14/2020
Florida’s number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases exceeds 2,000 for second day in a row, according to the Miami Herald.
The 2,016 confirmed new novel coronavirus cases in Sunday’s update represented the second-largest single day total for the state. The percentage of people who tested positive for the first time was 4.46% in Sunday’s update, the lowest in four days and the day after a June high of 6.21%.
Florida has had 75,568 COVID-19 cases with 2,931 deaths and an overall positive test rate of 5.4%.
Trump moved Tulsa rally date after learning about Juneteenth
3:45 PM CT on 6/14/2020
President Donald Trump didn't know the significance to black Americans of the date and location he chose for his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic more than three months ago, key Republican supporters of the president in Congress said Sunday.
Trump had scheduled the rally for June 19, known as Juneteenth because it marks the end of slavery in the United States. Tulsa, Oklahoma, the location for the rally, was the scene in 1921 of one of the most severe white-on-black attacks in American history.
Black community and political leaders denounced the move and called on Trump to reschedule. He resisted until late Friday when, in a rare turnabout, Trump tweeted that he had moved the rally to this Saturday, June 20, out of respect for the view of supporters and others who had asked him to.
“There's special sensitivities there in Tulsa, but Juneteenth is a very significant day, so my encouragement to the president was to be able to pick a day around it,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said Sunday. Lankford said he was among several people who had spoken with Trump.
Lankford said he had called Trump on an unrelated matter and that Trump broached the issue. He said Trump told him he was thinking about rescheduling and asked Lankford's opinion.
“I suggested, ‘Yes, I think that would be a great idea. It would be very, very respectful to the community,'" Lankford said. He said Trump immediately said he didn't want to do anything that would show disrespect to the black community.
“He didn't see it as disrespectful to be able to do it on Juneteenth,” Lankford said. “Other people interpreted it differently and so he moved the rally date.”
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said he was “thankful” that Trump rescheduled the rally.
"The president moving the date by a day once he was informed on what the Juneteenth was, that was a good decision on his part," said Scott, the only black Republican senator.
Trump rally called ‘dangerous move’ in age of coronavirus
1:32 PM CT on 6/14/2020
(AP) After months away from the campaign trail, President Donald Trump plans to rally his supporters this coming Saturday for the first time since most of the country was shuttered by the coronavirus. Trump will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma — a state that has seen relatively few COVID-19 cases.
But health experts question the decision, citing the danger of infection spreading among the crowd and sparking outbreaks when people return to their homes. The Trump campaign itself acknowledges the risk in a waiver attendees must agree to absolving them of any responsibility should people get sick.
Trump’s rally will be held indoors, at a 19,000-seat arena that has canceled all other events through the end of July. Scientists believe the virus spreads far more easily in crowded enclosed spaces than it does outdoors, where circulating air has a better chance of dispersing virus particles.
Trump’s rallies typically draw tens of thousands of supporters. They usually stand outside in line for hours before passing through airport-style security and cramming into an arena, where they sit side by side or stand shoulder to shoulder. The rallies are typically raucous, with much shouting, cheering and chanting. Some people dance and jeer at reporters. Sometimes protesters are met with violence before they are removed by security.
Many attendees are older, which would put them at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. It’s not unusual for several individuals in the crowd to require medical attention when the temperature rises.
The rallies also typically draw supporters from surrounding towns and states. Some die-hard fans travel across the country from rally to rally like groupies for a band.
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, called the upcoming Trump rally “an extraordinarily dangerous move for the people participating and the people who may know them and love them and see them afterward."
Trump supporters coming from neighboring cities and states could carry the virus back home, Jha said. "I’d feel the same way if Joe Biden were holding a rally.”
China reports 57 new cases, highest daily number in 2 months
11:43 AM CT on 6/14/20
(AP) China on Sunday reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in two months after the capital's biggest wholesale food market was shut down following a resurgence in local infections.
There were 57 confirmed cases in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday, the National Health Commission reported. That was the highest daily toll since mid-April and included 36 in Beijing, the capital.
The new cases illustrated how the virus can come back as anti-disease controls are relaxed.
The Xinfadi market on Beijing's southeastern side was closed Saturday and neighboring residential compounds locked down after more than 50 people in the capital tested positive for the coronavirus. They were the first confirmed cases in 50 days in the city of 20 million people.
China, where the pandemic began in December, had relaxed most of its anti-virus controls after the ruling Communist Party declared victory over the disease in March.
Authorities locked down 11 residential communities near the Xinfadi market. Police installed white fencing to seal off a road leading to a cluster of apartment buildings.
NYC H+H shares best practices during peak of COVID crisis
9:30 AM CT on 6/14/20
As of May 22, 2020, New York City (NYC) had 193,000 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Over 50,000 had been hospitalized.1 This placed a tremendous strain on hospitals across the city, requiring rapid planning to accommodate and safely care for the massive influx of patients. Consistent with broader trends, a substantial percentage of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 required critical care.2 Lower income and immigrant communities in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx were especially afflicted.1
As the primary provider of health services in some of New York's most affected neighborhoods, the city’s public health care system, NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H), bore a disproportionate share of the virus’ initial assault. Several of its eleven emergency departments served at the “epicenter of the epicenter," according to a new Health Affairs article.
The following were steps the system took that can provide a model for how hospitals across the nation can expand critical care capacity and manage frontline ED care to lessen the toll on human life.
- Expand Critical Care Capacity
- Use Critical Care Spaces
- Expand Critical Care Staffing
- Expand Critical Care Equipment And Infrastructure
- Protect Staff
- Prioritize Resources To Meet The Clinical Needs
- Expand Capacity And Enhance Efficiency
AstraZeneca agrees to make COVID-19 vaccine for Europe
7:20 PM CT on 6/13/20
(AP) Drugmaker AstraZeneca struck a deal Saturday to supply up to 400 million doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine to European Union countries, the latest in a series of agreements as scientists, governments and pharmaceutical companies race to combat the virus.
AstraZeneca plans to begin delivering the vaccine to European countries by the end of this year under the agreement with the Inclusive Vaccine Alliance, formed this month by France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. All other EU member states will have the chance to take part under the same terms as the original alliance members.
The cost of making the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University, is expected to be offset by funding from the governments.
The deal is the latest in a series of agreements to produce the vaccine — even though it is not certain it will work to prevent coronavirus infections. Because of the desperate need for a vaccine amid the pandemic that has killed more than 426,000 people worldwide, AstraZeneca is scaling up manufacturing with human trials still under way.
The Anglo-Swedish company recently completed similar agreements with Britain, the United States, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a public-private-charitable partnership based in Norway, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, another public-private partnership headquartered in Geneva, for 700 million doses. It plans to produce an additional 1 billion doses under a deal with the Serum Institute of India.
Insurers given latitude to prepay MLR rebates to enrollees
6:00 PM CT on 6/13/20
CMS issued guidance outlining how it has relaxed medical loss ratio requirements in order to keep enrollees insured during the economic pressure created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal is to make it easier for insurers to prepay enrollees a portion or all of any MLR rebate that is estimated to be due to them, according to the guidance.
The agency also extended the deadline for 2019 MLR Annual Reporting Forms, the guidance said.
How the pandemic has energized unions
3:40 PM CT on 6/13/20
(Crain's Chicago Business) COVID-19 is strengthening the hand of unions looking to organize more health care workers.
During the pandemic, unions representing nurses and other front-line medical staffers have stepped forward to advocate aggressively on behalf of their members. They've called attention to shortages of personal protective equipment and staffing ratios that they say endanger both workers and patients. In some cases, they've won paid sick leave and hazard pay—and nonunion workers are watching.
"People who have not been part of organizing campaigns and never were part of a union are upset about the issues at their workplaces—issues related to COVID and how their administrations have handled it," says Dennis Kosuth, a registered nurse at Cook County Health's Provident Hospital and a member of National Nurses United.
With the coronavirus raising new safety and health concerns, unions are gearing up for a big organizing push. Such efforts come as hospitals and health systems navigate dwindling patient volumes, higher operating costs and lower revenues. Successful campaigns, and even concessions employers might make to fend off unionization, could put more pressure on hospitals' bottom lines.
Amid virus surge, Arizona governor won't require masks
1:04 PM CT on 6/13/20
(AP) Coronavirus infections are surging in Arizona. Hospitalizations are increasing and more people are dying since the state relaxed stay-at-home orders last month.
But in one of the nation's COVID-19 hot spots, Gov. Doug Ducey is not requiring residents of the Grand Canyon state to wear masks in public, and it seems a good many people agree with him. In shopping malls, restaurants and the crowded bar scenes of Scottsdale and Tempe, most patrons have disdained the use of cloth face masks that health officials advocate to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Robert Fowler, a truck driver in Phoenix, wears a mask as required for work but otherwise he goes about mask-free. "I'm not worried about it," Fowler said while waiting for a table Thursday at Snooze A.M. Eatery, where the patio was full and only employees were seen donning face masks.
Despite COVID-19 case numbers trending upward, Fowler has no plans to change. "Everybody's going to get COVID one way or the other eventually," he said. "People are gonna do what they want to do regardless."
France has millions of unsold face masks after virus crisis
11:14 AM CT on 6/13/20
PARIS (AP) — The French praised the altruism of their prized textile and luxury goods companies when production facilities got diverted from churning out the latest fashions to making cloth masks designed to protect the general public from the coronavirus.
Now, the companies that helped France avoid a feared shortage of virus-filtering face wear for everyday use say they need help unloading a surplus of 20 million masks. They asked the French government for assistance promoting and finding buyers for the unsold output of the industry's national effort. Hundreds of textile and clothing manufacturers answered the government's call for millions of masks superior to homemade versions.
Yet within weeks, demand dried up for the domestically produced masks that sold for a few euros at supermarkets and pharmacies or were available in bulk for free distribution by businesses and local governments. Manufacturers and the government acknowledged that many suppliers and consumers still opted for cheaper disposable face masks from Asia.
"They were more readily available," Guillaume Gibault, founder of trendy underwear brand Le Slip Francais (The French Brief), told French public radio service RFI.
Texas sets record high of COVID-19 hospitalizations
9:38 AM CT on 6/13/20
(AP) Novel coronavirus infections reached a record high for the third time in four days Friday, even as state officials continue to loosen restrictions on public activities.
State health officials said 2,166 patients were in Texas hospitals with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, 13 more than Wednesday's record.
Friday saw almost 2,100 new cases reported in Texas, bringing the total to 83,680. However, the true number is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. Nineteen new deaths reported Friday from the disease brought the overall state death toll to 1,939.
The upward trend comes six weeks into Texas' reopening that began in May. While thousands of hospital beds remain available, officials are voicing concern.
Alabama virus cases surge, prompting new health warnings
8:13 PM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) A surge of coronavirus cases in Alabama is prompting renewed health warnings from health and public officials that the risk of COVID-19 remains, and people need to take precautions.
As of Friday, more than 23,000 people statewide had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, with more than one-fourth of the cases coming in the last two weeks. The state reported 1,500 cases over a two-day period.
“COVID-19 spreads quickly, and your actions affect others,” State Health Officer Scott Harris said in a Friday statement.
Harris told The Associated Press this week that it is more important than ever for people to take precautions.
“I think reopening the economy gave a lot of people the wrong impression, or they intentionally acquired the wrong impression, that, ‘Hey everything is fine. Let’s go back to normal.’ And clearly, it is not that way. Really, now more than ever we need people to stay 6 feet apart, wear face coverings and wash their hands,” Harris said.
The Alabama Department of Public Health said Alabama has experienced outbreaks at workplaces, long-term care facilities, and as a result of large gatherings, such as those occurring during the Memorial Day holiday.
Suicide help line calls up 20% in Mississippi
6:43 PM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) Officials in Mississippi say calls from people in the state to the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline have increased 20% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The chief of staff at the state Department of Mental Health said Friday that mental health challenges can arise from changes in eating or sleeping habits, anxiety about one’s health or the health of loved ones and stress over the loss of a job. Wendy Bailey said problems can also be spurred by increased drug or alcohol use, something that is common during a major event like the pandemic.
Bailey spoke at a news conference with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
The governor said “There is fear, there is pain and there is anxiety in this country and in our state and those cannot be overstated.”
Treasury chief refusing to disclose recipients of virus aid
5:42 PM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) Building ramparts of secrecy around a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program for small businesses, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has moved from delay to denial in refusing outright to disclose the recipients of taxpayer-funded loans.
Mnuchin told Congress at a hearing this week that the names of loan recipients and the amounts are “proprietary information.” While he claimed the information is confidential, ethics advocates and some lawmakers see the move as an attempt to dodge accountability for how the money is spent.
Businesses struggled to obtain loans in the early weeks of the program, and several hundred publicly traded companies received loans despite their likely ability to get the money from private financial sources. Publicly shamed, a number of big corporations said they would return their loans.
“Given the many problems with the program, it is imperative American taxpayers know if the money is going where Congress intended—to the truly small and unbanked small business,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday. “The administration’s resistance to transparency is outrageous and only serves to raise further suspicions about how the funds are being distributed and who is actually benefiting.”
The Small Business Administration—an agency with about 3,200 employees and an annual budget shy of $1 billion—is shouldering the massive relief effort for U.S. small businesses and their employees left reeling by the economic punch of the pandemic. A signature piece of Congress’ multitrillion-dollar coronavirus rescue, and touted by President Donald Trump, the unprecedented lending program is intended to help small employers stay afloat and preserve jobs in a cratering economy losing tens of millions of them.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, who heads a House subcommittee overseeing the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, said he intends to push vigorously for greater transparency in the wake of Mnuchin’s remarks.
Besieged hospital on edge of Navajo Nation fires CEO
4:43 PM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) The board of a rural New Mexico hospital that was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic fired the chief executive Thursday and asked for unity in a bid to restore confidence in the facility.
A memo sent to staff at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup said CEO David Conejo's termination was effective immediately and a search would begin soon for his replacement. Chief Financial Officer Mary Bevier stepped in as interim CEO. Conejo also will no longer serve on the board of trustees.
The hospital laid off nurses in March as a cost-saving measure only to be overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus infections, including from the neighboring Navajo Nation, which has been hit hard by the virus.
Dozens of hospital staff contracted the virus as doctors and nurses scrambled to attend to critically ill COVID-19 patients, eventually opting to transfer patients with severe respiratory problems to health care facilities in Albuquerque.
Employees protested working conditions and unanswered questions about hospital finances near the height of local infections, calling on Conejo to resign.
Conejo did not respond immediately to phone calls Thursday. He has defended his handling of the pandemic and said decisions on staffing and medical care were not his alone.
"We wish to honor the dedication and sacrifices that all of the staff have made in this very difficult recent past, with not only the coronavirus issues but the negative publicity that has caused some community members to lose confidence," said the email from hospital management to staff.
Officials from McKinley County, which owns and leases the hospital to a private operator, grew frustrated trying to audit hospital finances and threatened in May to cut off property tax funding. State Auditor Brian Colón entered the fray in mid-May to negotiate the release of hospital financial documents.
Arkansas governor defends easing restrictions as cases rise
3:32 PM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday defended his decision to lift more coronavirus restrictions on businesses, even as the state posted a new record one-day increase in virus cases since the pandemic began.
The Health Department said at least 10,816 residents have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 448 over the previous day. The department said 3,294 of those cases are active, meaning they don't include people who have died or recovered.
Thursday marked the biggest one-day increase in cases among non-incarcerated people, with only four of the new cases coming from correctional facilities. The true number is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
The latest increase came a day after Hutchinson said the state will move into "Phase 2" on Monday, meaning bars, restaurants and other businesses can raise their capacity limits to two-thirds.
"Regardless of what we see in the next week, we made the right decision to go ahead and lift some of these restrictions so we don't cause more damage to people's lives and their livelihood," said Hutchinson, who said the eased restrictions shouldn't minimize the seriousness of the virus and the precautions people need to take.
But the decision to ease the restrictions amidst an ongoing spike in cases is still drawing concern. The number of Arkansas active cases, those that don't include people who have died or recovered, has nearly doubled since Memorial Day. The state's hospitalizations have risen by more than 88% in the same period.
"I think it communicates a sense we're out of the woods and a sense that it's less serious rather than more," said Rep. Megan Godfrey, a Democrat from Springdale, where nearly all of the 143 new cases in Washington County reported Thursday were located.
HHS issues guidance on contacting COVID survivors for blood donations
2:04 PM CT on 6/12/20
HHS published guidance Friday for providers about how to contact recovered COVID-19 patients about donating antibody-containing blood and plasma without violating HIPAA privacy rules.
According to the agency, blood and plasma donation centers can't pay providers to communicate with recovered patients about donating unless patients approve the communications ahead of time.
"We're making sure misconceptions about HIPAA do not get in the way of a promising COVID-19 response. This guidance explains how health care providers can connect COVID-19 survivors with blood and plasma donation opportunities and further public health consistent with patient privacy," said Roger Severino, director of HHS' Office for Civil Rights.
Studying systemic racism could help inform pandemic policy
12:12 PM CT on 6/12/20
(Crain’s New York Business) A new study by researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management examined why COVID-19 kills some Americans and leaves others unharmed. The goal was to better determine the factors at play and inform public policies that could help reduce disparities.
The researchers found that black Americans and elderly individuals are more likely to die from the disease relative to whites and people younger than 65, MIT Sloan said. The researchers did not find any correlation, however, with obesity, poverty or ICU beds per capita.
To answer the question of why black Americans are more likely to die from the virus than other races, more research is needed, Christopher Knittel, professor of applied economics at MIT Sloan, said in a statement. The study controlled for patients’ income, weight, diabetes status and whether they smoked, and it found none of those factors caused the correlation.
“We must examine other possibilities, such as systemic racism that impacts African-Americans’ quality of insurance, hospitals and health care, or other underlying health conditions that are not in the model, and then urge policymakers to look at other ways to solve the problem,” Knittel said.
Other findings included that patients who commute via public transportation are more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who telecommute, MIT Sloan said. Further information on the risks associated with public transportation could prove important for policymakers as states gradually reopen their economies and more employees return to work, Knittel said.
Ariz. governor touts hospitals amid focus on rise in virus cases
9:44 AM CT on 6/12/20
(AP) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey dismissed mounting concerns Thursday about the state's alarming rise in coronavirus cases, and focused on hospitals' capacity to care for patients rather than slowing the spread of the virus.
"That's what's most important when there is a rise in cases," the Republican governor told reporters during his weekly virus news briefing. "Because a rise in cases could result in a rise of severe illness that requires hospitalization. I want every Arizonan to be able to have the medical care and comfort and resources necessary and today we are able to provide that."
Arizona is one of several states that has seen a surge in new COVID-19 cases after stay-at-home orders were lifted last month. Ducey said the increase was not unexpected partly because of a wider availability of testing. But some experts disagree, citing a lack of a face mask requirement or contact tracing in the state. Some are calling for tighter restrictions.
The state will be making more of an effort to do public health education, Ducey said. But that would not require enforcing face masks. Ducey himself has been criticized for not wearing a mask in public and in meetings.
"Wearing a mask when you can't social distance is good. I'm going to wear a mask when I'm in those situations," said Ducey, who had a mask in his pocket but didn't wear it.
Arizona has been seeing more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases per day. Those figures prompted Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego to send a letter to Ducey on Wednesday, chastising the governor and demanding to know how he would address the "growing public health emergency our state is facing."
When Ducey ended his business closure and stay-at-home orders in mid-May, there were fewer than 400 new cases a day. Public health experts note that the percent of positive tests has nearly doubled in the past few weeks.
Court backs Trump administration on virus safety at work
8:29 PM CT on 6/11/2020
(AP) The Trump administration does not have to issue an emergency rule requiring employers to protect workers from the coronavirus, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declared that the Labor Department's workplace safety arm “reasonably determined” that an emergency rule "is not necessary at this time.''
A top labor union sued the Occupational Health and Safety Administration last month seeking to compel it to issue an emergency temporary standard on the coronavirus.
The AFL-CIO said in filing the suit that tens of thousands of workers have been infected on the job through exposure to infected patients, co-workers and unscreened members of the public. As the economy reopens and people return to work, person-to-person contact will increase and an already "shocking number of infections and deaths among workers will rise,'' the union said.
In its two-page ruling, the appeals court said OSHA is authorized to issue an emergency temporary standard, or ETS, if it determines that “employees are exposed to grave danger” from a new hazard in the workplace, and that an emergency rule is needed to protect them from that danger.
The decision not to issue an ETS "is entitled to considerable deference,'' the court said.
"In light of the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the regulatory tools that the OSHA has at its disposal to ensure that employers are maintaining hazard-free work environments, OSHA reasonably determined that an ETS is not necessary at this time,'' the ruling said.
The ruling was signed by Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, Robert Wilkins and Neomi Rao. Henderson and Rao were appointed by Republican presidents and Wilkins by a Democrat.
The Labor Department said in a statement Thursday that officials were pleased at the ruling, which backed its contention that existing rules and regulations are protecting America’s workers and that an emergency temporary standard is not needed.
EMS workers sue NYC over punishment for media interviews
7:24 PM CT on 6/11/2020
(AP) Four New York City ambulance workers who gave media interviews about their work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic sued the city on Thursday, saying they were punished for speaking out.
The plaintiffs include paramedic Elizabeth Bonilla, who said she was barred from patient care, overtime work and even wearing her uniform after the Associated Press followed her through the first half of a grueling 16-hour double shift in April. Two other paramedics said they were placed on restricted duty after talking to the media.
Another plaintiff, emergency medical technician John Rugen, said the fire department suspended him without pay for a month for giving a television interview on a day off in April.
All four plaintiffs said the punishments were imposed without warning or an opportunity to fight them and the disciplinary measures violated their free speech rights.
The city confirmed the punishments.
A spokesperson for the city's law department, Nicholas Paolucci, said the fire department respects employees First Amendment rights, but that those rights “must be carefully balanced to respect the privacy rights granted under the law to patients receiving emergency medical care.”
Some of the media reports showed glimpses of patients receiving care.
The lawsuit seeks damages including lost wages and an injunction to prevent the fire department from punishing workers who speak out in the future.
Bonilla, Rugen and paramedics Alexander Nunez and Megan Pfeiffer filed the federal lawsuit through their union, which disputed the fire department's contention that their interviews violated patient privacy.
None of the workers disclosed confidential patient information or said anything to harm the internal workings of the fire department, union president Oren Barzilay said.
Barzilay, the president of FDNY EMS Local 2507, suggested the fire department was retaliating against workers for speaking out about inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment and the risks they faced being on the front lines of the pandemic. At least six members of the union have died of coronavirus.
“We had the right – and the responsibility – to raise our voices and tell the public about the serious threat of this insidious virus to the health and safety of all New Yorkers," Barzilay said in a statement. "That the FDNY responded with vengeance by retaliating against our members for exercising their First Amendment rights is an absolute outrage.”
2 residents die in viral outbreak at Seal Beach nursing home
6:09 PM CT on 6/11/2020
(AP) Two residents have died and more than 60 have tested positive for the coronavirus at a skilled nursing facility in Seal Beach, officials said Thursday.
Forty workers at the Seal Beach Health and Rehabilitation Center have also tested positive for the virus, the city's police department said in a statement.
The virus was detected at the 186-bed facility in the small, seaside community in late May. After three weeks of widespread testing, the number of cases has grown, with 21 reported Wednesday, the facility said on its website.
Matthew Lysobey, the facility's administrator, said in an email that staffing had been affected but "every individual is receiving exceptional care and attention.” He did not provide details of the staffing challenges.
The outbreak comes as California seeks to prevent the spread of the virus in skilled nursing facilities, where residents are especially vulnerable due to their age and health conditions and close proximity to each other.
More than 2,000 residents of skilled nursing facilities have died with the virus in California, accounting for 41% of the state's virus deaths, according to state data.
More than 10,000 residents and more than 6,000 healthcare workers in California's skilled nursing facilities have tested positive for the illness, the data shows.
'Ticking time bomb:' Lack of beds slows Delhi's virus fight
4:15 PM CT on 6/11/20
(AP) In New Delhi, a sprawling capital region of 46 million and home to some of India's highest concentration of hospitals, a pregnant woman's death after a frantic hunt for a sickbed was a worrying sign about the country's ability to cope with a wave of new coronavirus cases.
"She kept begging us to save her life, but we couldn't do anything," Shailendra Kumar said, after driving his sister-in-law, Neelam, and her husband for hours, only to be turned away at eight public and private hospitals.
Two and a half months of nationwide lockdown kept numbers of infections relatively low in India. But with restrictions easing in recent weeks, cases have shot up, rising by a record of nearly 10,000 on Thursday, raising questions about whether authorities have done enough to avert catastrophe.
India's tally has reached 286,579, the fifth highest in the world, with 8,102 deaths. In Delhi, which has reported 32,810 cases including 984 deaths, the rate of infection is higher than the national average, doubling every 12 days.
Half of Delhi's 8,200 hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are already full and officials are projecting more than half a million cases in the city alone by July 31.
"We are sitting on a ticking time bomb," said Dr. Harjit Singh Bhatti, president of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum.
"Unless and until the government increases its spending on healthcare, things won't change. A lot of people will die," he said. "But if some strong policy decisions are made not only in Delhi but across India, we can minimize the damage."
Private hospitals in Delhi — a wider territory that encompasses New Delhi — report that all of their sickbeds and ventilators are in use. Severely ill people have been turned away from public hospitals, too.
Using the Twitter hashtag #SpeakUpDelhi, India's main opposition Congress party has compiled hospital horror stories from relatives of COVID-19 patients complaining of insufficient stretchers and oxygen, and fatal delays in care.
"The surge is clearly visible now so we are in for a tough fight," said Dr. Mukesh Kumar, a neurologist at Delhi's private Max Hospital who, like most of his colleagues, has been pulled in to care for COVID-19 patients.
FCC has approved 50% of COVID-19 Telehealth Program funds
3:08 PM CT on 6/11/20
The Federal Communications Commission to date has approved half of the funding Congress allocated for the agency's COVID-19 Telehealth Program.
The FCC as of June 10 has approved a collective $104.98 million in funding for 305 healthcare organizations as part of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which provides healthcare organizations with funds to purchase telecommunications equipment, broadband connectivity and devices needed to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus outbreak.
Congress under the CARES Act authorized $200 million for the FCC to set up the program.
Healthcare organizations receive funding after submitting an invoice and supporting documentation for eligible services, as a form of reimbursement. That means the $104.98 million in funding the agency has announced to date, while approved, has not necessarily been distributed to designated healthcare organizations yet.
The FCC approves applications for the program on a rolling basis. In its latest set of approvals, the FCC committed $20.18 million in funding to 67 healthcare organizations. It's the 10th set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program applications the agency has approved since it opened the program in April.
"Since the adoption of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, the FCC has acted quickly to review applications and approve funding so that more patients can be treated safely at home," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. "We will continue processing applications as quickly as we can in order to promote worthy telehealth projects across the country."
To view the FCC's running tally of funding recipients, click here.
HealthPartners waives primary care, behavioral Medicare cost-sharing
1:39 PM CT on 6/11/20
HealthPartners will waive cost-sharing for primary care and behavioral health visits for its Medicare beneficiaries through the rest of the year. The Bloomington, Minn.-based insurer covers Medicare patients in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Previously, the insurer had waived cost-sharing for these customers through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to remove any barriers that we can for Medicare members to receive prompt and appropriate care,” said Dr. Patrick Courneya, HealthPartners chief health plan medical officer. “Even through this pandemic, it’s still safe and very important for members to seek primary care and other necessary services to maintain and protect health and well-being.”
Training, tech assistance orgs receive HHS funds to help health centers
11:31 AM CT on 6/11/20
This week 73 training and technical assistance organizations received $8 million from HHS to help health centers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said Thursday.
HHS sent nearly $6 million to primary care associations, or PCAs, based on state and regional needs. It also pushed $2.5 million to national training and technical assistance partners, or NTTAPs, to help health centers boost their operations and capacity “to ensure access to comprehensive primary care services,” HHS said in a statement.
“PCAs and NTTAPs are instrumental in providing technical assistance to health centers so they can provide care to more than 28 million patients across the nation,” said Tom Engels, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
HRSA has granted almost $2 billion to health centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many forces behind alarming rise in virus cases in 21 states
9:30 AM CT on 6/11/20
(AP) States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn't done with the U.S.
Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could worsen as people return to work and venture out during the summer.
In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. Texas has more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than at any time before. And the governor of North Carolina said recent jumps caused him to rethink plans to reopen schools or businesses.
There is no single reason to explain all the surges. In some cases, more testing has revealed more cases. In others, local outbreaks are big enough to push statewide tallies higher. But experts think at least some are due to lifting stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, and other restrictions put in place during the spring to stem the virus's spread.
The virus is also gradually fanning out.
"It is a disaster that spreads," said Dr. Jay Butler, who oversees coronavirus response work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's not like there's an entire continental seismic shift and everyone feels the shaking all at once."
The virus first landed on the U.S. coasts, carried by international travelers infected abroad. For months, the epicenter was in northeastern states. More recently, the biggest increases have been in the South and the West.
The AP analyzed data compiled by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization that collects coronavirus testing data in the United States. The analysis found that in 21 states as of Monday, the rolling seven-day average of new cases per capita was higher than the average seven days earlier.
La. Gov. Edwards stresses precautions, worries about virus spikes
8:23 PM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) As more businesses around Louisiana reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed concern Wednesday that too many people are ignoring public health officials' continued calls for precautions when visiting restaurants, grocery stores and group gatherings.
The Democratic governor intensified his pleas for people to wear face coverings and stay distanced when they leave their homes and interact with others outside of their households. He said too many people have interpreted his loosening of restrictions on businesses to mean that the virus outbreak is over.
"If the problem was gone, we wouldn't ease restrictions. We would remove restrictions," Edwards said. "If we let our guard down, we can easily see those cases start to rise."
Tennessee to allow some visitors at long-term care centers
7:27 PM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) Tennessee officials will soon start allowing some visitors at long-term care centers that meet certain criteria. On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee's office said the visitation options will be available starting Monday.
Facilities must first have tested all staff and residents once and comply with weekly staff retesting regulations.
The facilities also must have no new COVID-19 cases in the past 28 days and they must be in a community where the disease is stable.
Visitation can occur outdoors, using a visitation booth or protective barrier, or in a resident's room if the visitor documents a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours. Appointments must be made, the number of visitors will be limited and visitors must follow precautions about masks, social distancing and screening and temperature checks.
The state is requiring all nursing home residents and staff to be tested by June 30.
Organizations support guidance for device reps entering hospitals
6:20 PM CT on 6/10/20
Another 26 healthcare organizations signed on to using previously released guidance for managing medical device representatives going into hospitals.
The guidance, released last month by the Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses and the American Hospital Association, has been adopted by such groups as: American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Surgeons.
“We’re seeing more and more hospital systems across the country announcing that now’s the time for patients to resume the essential care put on pause as a result of COVID-19. The guidance we released with AORN and AHA will help make that happen safely and responsibly,” said AdvaMed president and CEO Scott Whitaker, in a news release.
Arizona hospitals reach 83% capacity, elective surgeries may stop
4:32 PM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) Arizona hospitals that are expected to be able to treat new cases of coronavirus without going into crisis mode were above 80% capacity Tuesday, a milestone that should trigger an automatic stop to elective surgeries at affected hospitals.
The report showing statewide bed capacity of 83%, released Wednesday by the Department of Health Services, comes as the state deals with a surge in virus cases and hospitalizations that experts say is likely tied to Gov. Doug Ducey's ending of statewide closure orders in mid-May. Ducey has been criticized for not adding requirements that could prevent a surge, and some say the time to put those measures in place has come.
"If we don't do some things right now we're going to end up either at a stay-at-home order or over-capacity or both," former state health director Will Humble said. "But the things that we can do now, they're going to take time to work."
The number of hospitals affected wasn't immediately available from the state Department of Health Services Wednesday. And none of the hospital chains contacted by The Associated Press said they were halting surgeries. Banner Health, the state's largest system with about half the state's beds, said it was below the threshold. But there are some hospitals that have acted, said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.
Mich. nursing homes eye visitors—if virus testing if expanded
1:53 PM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) The leader of a nursing home group told Michigan lawmakers Tuesday that expanded coronavirus testing is crucial to reopening the facilities to visitors, saying the state may be close to relaxing restrictions in a phased way.
Melissa Samuel, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of Michigan, said some initial "baseline" testing of all residents and staff is underway with help from the Michigan National Guard. But it is not complete, and there is not yet resolution on how to pay for ongoing testing or its frequency.
"We certainly recognize the difficulties that ... visitation policies have caused for both family and residents," she said, adding that facilities in the last several weeks have tried to connect residents and loved ones through remote technology. She said interest groups are working with the state Department of Health and Human Services to prepare reopening plans for congregate settings.
"I think we're getting very close. It does have to be a phased-in approach," Samuel told the House subcommittee that handles the health and human services budget. "It's all predicated on testing — establishing baseline testing, establishing a 14-day period where you're clear and then from there moving into phased-in approaches."
Since March 14, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has prohibited visitors from entering congregate care facilities to curb the spread of COVID-19 except in limited circumstances — when a resident is in critical condition or hospice care, for instance. Samuel asked legislators to make nursing homes, which now have 32,000 to 33,000 residents statewide, a priority to receive testing supplies, personal protective equipment and funding.
"We have individuals who are so vulnerable. Their family members were banned from coming to see them, totally affecting the quality of their life," said Rep. Mary Whiteford, a Republican from Allegan County's Casco Township who asked when visitations might resume. "We're going on three months now."
The state on Tuesday reported 25 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 5,943 confirmed or probable deaths. There were 108 more cases, bringing the total to about 65,000. The seven-day average continued to drop and was at its lowest point since March.
Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the state health department, said 132 of Michigan's 463 nursing homes had undergone testing or had been providing testing kits by the National Guard in the Upper Peninsula and 19 counties in the Lower Peninsula as of last week. That covered nearly 24,000 residents and staff. The guard is testing in 10 counties this week.
U.S. expands virus testing of detained migrants amid criticism
12:14 PM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday that it has expanded COVID-19 testing among people held at its detention facilities following criticism of its response to the outbreak.
ICE says it now offers voluntary tests for the virus to all people held at detention facilities in Tacoma, Washington, and Aurora, Colorado, and will consider doing the same at other locations. The announcement follows weeks of criticism that the agency has not taken sufficient steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among people in its custody and those it deports to other countries.
The most recent data available from ICE shows there are 838 people with COVID-19 among the more than 25,000 people in its custody at about 200 facilities around the nation. The largest outbreak, with more than 100 cases, is at a detention center in the Dallas area.
There have been 45 confirmed cases among ICE employees at detention facilities, including 15 at a facility at the airport in Alexandria, Louisiana, where people are held just prior to deportation.
Guatemala suspended deportation flights from the U.S. for nearly a month after at least 186 people tested positive for COVID-19 upon their return even after U.S. assurances that they were healthy. Those flights resumed Tuesday with one from Alexandria.
ICE has disputed claims from detainees and immigrant advocates of insufficient supplies of hygiene materials such as soap and face masks or social distancing at confinement facilities, some of which are operated by private companies or local government agencies.
At a hearing this month, Sen. Dianne Feinstein expressed surprise when Henry Lucero, the agency's executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations, testified that detainees are typically tested only when they show symptoms of the disease. "I am very interested in seeing that everyone is tested," the senator, a California Democrat, told him.
The agency said in a statement released Wednesday that it had tested about 80% of the 570 people held at the the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and all but one test came back negative for COVID-19.
It said that person arrived May 29 and had not yet entered the general detainee population under quarantine policies.
The results for the testing at the Aurora, Colorado, facility are expected to be available within a week.
The agency said it plans to evaluate the results at both places, which are run under contract by the GEO Group, before deciding whether to expand to other locations in the coming months.
Federal judges around the country have ordered the release of hundreds of people held in ICE custody to prevent the spread of the virus, and the agency said it has released at least 700 people after determining they were medically vulnerable to the disease.
The overall number of people held in immigration detention is about half what it was a year ago, due in large part to a Trump administration policy imposed in March of immediately turning away people apprehended at the northern or southern border as a public health measure intended to help curb the spread of the virus.
Missouri reports another triple-digit jump in COVID-19 cases
10:00 AM CT on 6/10/20
(AP) Missouri health officials reported 179 in new confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday, as the state continues to see daily triple-digit increases.
The state has recorded 14,913 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. KMIZ reported that Tuesday was only the second time in the last nine days the daily total was less than 180.
The state's COVID-19 death toll increased to 840 on Tuesday, which was 21 more than on Monday. It was the biggest increase in deaths in Missouri since May 30, when 33 deaths were reported.
A long-term care center in Clay County on Monday reported an outbreak of COVID-19, with 53 cases. The patients include residents and staff at the Pleasant Valley Manor Care Center, Clay County officials said. Two people have died at the facility but health officials did not say if they were staff members or patients.
The center said in a statement that it is working with county, state and federal health officials to ensure proper steps are being taken to stop the spread of the virus.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson ended the statewide stay-at-home order May 4. The state's been trying to ramp up testing since then.
Missouri Medicaid Director Todd Richardson on Tuesday said 108 long-term care facilities performed widespread testing in the past two weeks, which identified 79 staffers and 180 residents with COVID-19.
Testing at state-run homes identified 21 positive staffers at mental health facilities who Richardson said are now self-isolating. Two staffers tested positive at veterans homes, and six staffers and 18 minors tested positive after testing at 21 youth-services homes.
Richardson said testing at three of the state's prisons identified six employees and 15 positive prisoners.
Fauci warns that pandemic isn't over yet
9:33 PM CT on 6/9/20
Dr. Anthony Fauci Tuesday called the coronavirus his “worst nightmare” and cautioned that the pandemic is far from over.
“In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a virtual appearance at a conference held by Biotechnology Innovation Organization. “And it isn’t over yet.”
He said there is still great uncertainty about how the virus spreads and impacts the body.
“The thing that we don’t yet fully appreciate is what happens when you get infected and you get serious disease and you recover? What are the long-term durable negative effects of that infection?” Fauci said.
Texas has 2,000 virus patients in hospitals for first time
7:52 PM CT on 6/9/20
(AP) Texas surpassed 2,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients for the first time Tuesday, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said "everything remains largely contained" as the state prepares to lift more restrictions this week.
It marked the second consecutive day of Texas reporting a new high in hospitalizations, which Abbott has described throughout the pandemic as one of the most important metrics he follows. Seventeen new deaths and 1,600 new cases were also reported, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Abbott said the state is still trying to determine why the numbers are rising, mentioning the Memorial Day weekend as one potential culprit. Since the May holiday, hospitalizations in Texas have jumped 36%.
Texas began reopening faster than much of the country and is continue another phase of rebooting Friday by allowing restaurants to resume service at near capacity. Abbott gave no indication of revering course and said it remains to be seen what impact mass protests around Texas over the death of George Floyd, who was buried Tuesday in Houston, will have on the state's caseload.
"Everything remains largely contained. We do want to avoid any meaningful spike in the aftermath of these protests," he said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
New York nursing homes ask state to ease virus test mandate
6:15 PM CT on 6/9/20
(AP) Nursing homes asked New York regulators Tuesday to ease up on a twice-weekly coronavirus testing mandate for their employees, saying it's impractical, too costly and unnecessary as the number of new infections has steadily declined across the state.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued the testing mandate on May 10 after the virus had already spread extensively through many of the state’s nursing homes, killing at least 5,300 residents. It was intended to address the past failure of homes to detect the virus in either patients or staff until it was too late. The state reports at least 6,100 COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents as of Monday.
“We supported the initiative, but at this point the data shows we should move it back from twice a week to once a week, especially due to the lag time in getting test results,” Stephen Hanse, president of the New York State Health Facilities Association, said in a telephone interview. With twice-a-week tests, results of the first test are often not received before the second test is taken, he said.
With about 205,000 people working at nursing homes and assisted living centers in New York, the mandate requires 410,000 tests a week at a cost of about $100 each, which is often not covered by insurance, Hanse said.
With ample protective gear such as masks, gowns and gloves now readily available for nursing home staff, and safety precautions in place, the risk of infection has declined, Hanse said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the agency is reviewing the letter along with testing data and input from other stakeholders.
Mich. coronavirus cases, deaths hit new lows since outbreak's peak
4:37 PM CT on 6/9/20
(Crain’s Detroit Business) New cases of coronavirus and deaths from the disease have continued to decline as Michigan reopens its economy, according to state figures.
A seven-day rolling average of new cases has fallen by a third over the past week, to an average of 210 new cases per day. That figure stood at 378 new cases per day a week earlier, according to figures from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Deaths have also fallen. The seven-day average for deaths has fallen to 22, down from 39 a week earlier and a peak of 145 on April 16.
On Sunday, the state reported four new deaths, the smallest daily death count since March 23.
Michigan's restaurant dining rooms, bars and some other public facilities are reopening Monday for the first time since shutting down more than two months ago. Hair salons and barbers are expected to do the same June 15.
Senate health committee chair seeks recommendations for COVID-19 congressional action
3:11 PM CT on 6/9/20
Senate health committee chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday solicited feedback on how Congress can work with federal agencies and the private sector on a number of issues related to pandemic preparedness.
The five areas of focus are tests, treatments and vaccines; disease surveillance; stockpiles, distribution and surge capacity; state and local public health capabilities; and inter-agency coordination between federal agencies.
Alexander said he is soliciting suggestions that Congress could act on in 2020, as he is not running for re-election.
“In this internet age, attention spans are short. Even with an event as significant as COVID19, memories fade and attention moves quickly to the next crisis. That makes it imperative that Congress act on needed changes this year in order to better prepare for the next pandemic,” the white paper said.
Suggestions are due on June 26. One area of inquiry is whether hospitals can build their own stockpiles of personal protective equipment, and what the responsibility of state and federal governments should be to contribute to such stockpiles.
California deal for protective masks wins federal approval
1:50 PM CT on 6/9/20
(AP) Millions of protective masks will soon be on their way to California after the manufacturer paid by the state to make them finally won U.S. federal certification, the governor's office announced Monday. It came more than a month after the masks had originally been set to start arriving.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration signed a nearly $1 billion contract with BYD, a Chinese company with California offices, in April for hundreds of millions of protective masks for health care workers and others amid the coronavirus. The deal included both tight-fitting N95 masks ideal for healthcare workers and looser-fitting surgical masks. The surgical masks started arriving last month, but the critical N95 masks were twice delayed as BYD failed to win certification from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Now that the company has approval, the state expects to receive the first shipment in "the coming days," according to a press release from Newsom's office. The state will receive a total of 150 million N95 masks.
That's half of what the state originally planned to receive when it took the unusual step of paying nearly $500 million up front. BYD refunded California half of that in May when it failed to meet its first certification deadline. Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Services, said the state could decide to pay that money back to BYD for more masks.
The masks "are game-changing and play a crucial role in our state's public safety and reopening strategy," Newsom said in a statement.
The contract faced a series of delays since Newsom first announced it in April on a nightly cable news show before the deal was finalized. Lawmakers immediately voiced skepticism when the administration didn't show them the contract.
Newsom's administration eventually released it. The contract revealed the state was paying $3.30 per N95 mask, which officials said was a good deal at a time when many states were paying double that for masks.
State epidemiologist departs as New Mexico reopens economy
11:49 AM CT on 6/9/20
(AP) New Mexico's lead specialist for tracking and combating infectious disease is leaving the state Health Department amid the coronavirus pandemic to take a job with the Virginia Department of Health.
Michael Landen retired as state epidemiologist to pursue work closer to relatives in Virginia, where his parents live, said Health Department spokesman David Morgan.
Landen was appointed in 2012 under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and was a leading figure in the state's response to the opioid epidemic before COVID-19 arrived in March.
Deputy Epidemiologist Chad Smelser will lead the epidemiology and response division, while a nationwide search takes place for Landen's successor, Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel announced Tuesday. Smelser accompanied Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at news conferences in the early stages of the pandemic.
New Mexico aggressively pursued public health restrictions at the outset of the epidemic and this month allowed dine-in restaurants, shopping malls, gyms and hair salons to reopen at limited capacity.
A spike in statewide infections over the past week tied to an outbreak at prison facilities in Otero County has changed the outlook for New Mexico and efforts to safely reopen the economy.
New York’s infection rate at lowest point since pandemic began, Cuomo says
9:55 AM CT on 6/9/20
(Crain’s New York Business) Only 1.2% of New Yorkers tested Sunday were infected with the new coronavirus, the lowest rate since the pandemic began, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
“Why are we reopening? Because these numbers say we can,” Cuomo said at a news conference in Manhattan.
On Sunday, 58,054 tests were done statewide, and 702 people were found to be positive for COVID-19, Cuomo said.
The positive rate was higher in New York City, at 2%, but the governor said the city’s Monday reopening would continue apace. The revival of the nation’s capital of commerce and culture comes after months of quarantine that ended with an explosion of street protests over police violence that some worry may set off another wave of disease.
Black Americans social distance more than white Americans
7:38 PM CT on 6/7/2020
Black Americans were more likely to engage in social distancing behavior than their white counterparts, according to new research by the Surgo Foundation. This was an anomaly among populations considered more at-risk of COVID-19 infection and subsequent death.
Despite being less likely to cope with or recover from an outbreak, people living in U.S. counties that are more vulnerable to COVID-19 tend to social distance less than those living in less vulnerable counties.
The analysis also found that Americans’ social distancing peaked on April 12— four days before President Donald Trump announced guidelines to ease stay-at-home orders. After this peak, and despite continued growth in the total number of new COVID cases, the foundation found significant declines in social distancing nationally. Their analysis also found that shifts in social distancing began prior to specific guidance or policy enactments--suggesting that people may relax their social distancing behavior in anticipation of policy changes.
World leaders not coming to UN assembly debate
5:58 PM CT on 6/7/2020
(AP) The president of the United Nations General Assembly says world leaders will not be coming to New York for their annual gathering in late September for the first time in the 75-year history of the United Nations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande told a news conference Monday that he hopes to announce in the next two weeks how the 193 heads of state and government will give their speeches on pressing local and world issues during the assembly’s so-called General Debate.
He said “world leaders cannot come to New York because they cannot come simply as individuals and “it is impossible” to bring large delegations during the pandemic.
“We cannot have them in person as we used to — what happened in the last 74 years — but it will happen” Muhammad-Bande said of the annual gathering.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended last month that the meeting of world leaders, which was supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, be dramatically scaled back because of the pandemic.
Poll: Pandemic does little to alter U.S. views on healthcare
4:13 PM CT on 6/8/20
(AP) The coronavirus pushed hospitals to the edge, and millions of workers lost job-based coverage in the economic shutdown to slow the spread, but a new poll suggests Americans have remarkably little interest in big changes to healthcare as a result of the pandemic.
People are still more likely to prefer the private sector than the government on driving innovation in healthcare, improving quality and, by a narrower margin, providing coverage, according to the survey by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Those views are basically unchanged since February, when an earlier edition of the AP-NORC poll asked the same questions at a time that the coronavirus was still largely seen as a problem in other countries, not the United States.
The poll found that people are more likely to trust private entities over government at driving innovation in healthcare (70% to 28%), improving quality (62% to 36%) and providing insurance coverage (53% to 44%). Americans had more confidence in the government's ability to reduce costs, preferring it over the private sector 54% to 44%. All of those preferences are unchanged since before COVID-19 arrived.
It could simply be a reflection of human nature to shelve ambitious schemes during a crisis, said health economist Katherine Baicker, dean of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. There's only so much available bandwidth.
"I wonder if the short-term crisis dampens people's appetite for health system reform," Baicker said. "The idea of upending the health system at this moment ... it may be that people think, 'No — let's get a vaccine.' "
After the spectacle of coronavirus-related shortages of everything from cotton swabs, to protective gear for nurses and doctors, to breathing machines for desperately ill patients, the poll did find 56% saying the U.S. is spending too little on improving and protecting the nation's health.
That is a significantly bigger share than the 42% who think the government is spending too little in general. Still, views on the need for more healthcare spending were unchanged since before the pandemic.
While about 3 in 5 said they were very or extremely concerned about Americans in general having access to high quality care, people were less likely than in February to say they were greatly concerned about having access to quality care for themselves (46% to 58%) and about their own healthcare spending (35% to 44%).
Other research is reinforcing that pattern, said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the AP-NORC center. "Our data are showing that in the midst of a public health and economic crisis, people's assessments of their own situations are holding steady, or even better than they were before the COVID outbreak started to unfurl," she said.
"It feels a little counter-intuitive," added Benz.
Assisted-living centers ask for $5 billion in COVID-19 provider relief grants
2:56 PM CT on 6/8/20
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living asked HHS and FEMA on Monday for $5 billion in COVID-19 provider relief grants to be directed specifically to assisted living communities.
HHS directed $4.9 billion to skilled-nursing facilities on May 22, AHCA/NCAL said that assisted living centers have not received any direct federal relief funding, PPE or testing priority. The groups also requested PPE from FEMA and further support to conduct testing.
“While much warranted attention has been focused on nursing homes, there has been an alarming number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in assisted living communities reported,” ACHA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson and NCAL executive director Scott Tittle wrote in a letter.
'All eyes' on New York: Reopening tests city torn by crises
1:25 PM CT on 6/8/20
(AP) Scarred by the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the nation, New York City gradually began reopening Monday in a turning point in the three-month-long crisis and a life-and-death test of the city's discipline.
With the virus in check — at least for now — stores previously deemed nonessential were cleared to reopen for delivery and curbside pickup, though customers cannot yet browse inside. Construction, manufacturing and wholesalers also received the go-ahead to resume work.
"This is the place where it was going to be the hardest to make a comeback, and yet New York City is so strong and resilient, we are making that comeback," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
But he warned the city against letting its guard down and jeopardizing its hard-won progress against the virus: "Let's hold onto it. Let's build on it."
Unrest over racism and police brutality could compound the challenges facing the nation's biggest city as it tries to move past three bleak months. Officials who had focused for months on public health and economic woes are now also facing urgent pressure for police reform.
New York became the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, with more than 21,000 people dying citywide of confirmed or probable COVID-19. That is roughly 1 in 5 of the 110,000 coronavirus deaths across the U.S.
At its peak, the scourge killed more than 500 people a day in New York City in early to mid-April. At the end of last week, the number of deaths per day had dropped into the single digits.
The number of people testing positive for the virus was down to 200 to 300 per day at the start of last week, compared with more than 6,000 a day in early April.
"All eyes will be on New York this next couple of months," said urban policy expert Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future. "The city now has to prove that it really knows what it's doing, that it can still be a dense city like New York and yet figure this out."
AbbVie backs effort to develop COVID-19 antibody therapy
11:27 AM CT on 6/8/20
(Crain’s Chicago Business) AbbVie is backing an effort by researchers to develop an antibody therapy that aims to prevent and treat COVID-19.
The North Chicago, Ill., drugmaker said in a statement that it has entered into a deal with Cambridge, Mass.-based biopharmaceutical company Harbour BioMed, and Utrecht University and Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands to create a COVID-19 drug using human antibodies, the infection-fighting proteins that develop after recovering from the virus.
The collaboration builds on research from Harbour, Utrecht and Erasmus, which discovered a coronavirus-neutralizing antibody known as 47D11. Under the terms of the deal, AbbVie will support preclinical activities of the three parties and prepare for later-stage clinical development work, with an option to exclusively license the antibody, the statement says. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Drugmakers had been focused on testing existing therapies for other diseases, like AbbVie’s HIV drug Kaletra, to see if they improve symptoms associated with COVID-19. Now, drugmakers like Eli Lilly are starting to work on new potential antibody treatments.
"Treatment and prevention of COVID-19 remains a critical global need,” Dr. Tom Hudson, AbbVie’s chief scientific officer, said in the statement. “The antibody discovered by UU, EMC and Harbour BioMed is extremely promising based on the mechanism by which it targets the virus and on its developability as a fully human protein. We look forward to working with this outstanding team to advance this antibody towards clinical trials.”
With recovery of last case, New Zealand has eradicated virus
9:35 AM CT on 6/8/20
(AP) New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus — at least for now — after health officials said Monday the last known infected person had recovered.
The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights.
It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported, during which time an additional 40,000 people have been tested, bringing the total number tested to about 300,000. Monday marked the first time since late February there have been no active cases.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was confident New Zealand had halted the spread of the virus but it still must be prepared for more.
"We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort," she said at a news conference. "We almost certainly will see cases here again, and I do want to say that again, we will almost certainly see cases here again, and that is not a sign that we have failed, it is a reality of this virus. But if and when that occurs we have to make sure — and we are — that we are prepared."
More cases are likely to be imported as people enter the country. For now, the border remains shut to all but citizens and residents, with some limited exceptions. Everybody who does enter has to go into quarantine.
Ardern announced that the Cabinet had agreed to remove almost all remaining virus restrictions from midnight, with the exception of the border strictures.
"We can hold public events without limitations. Private events such as weddings, functions and funerals without limitations," Ardern said. "Retail is back without limitations. Hospitality is back without limitations. Public transport and travel across the country is fully opened."
Experts say a number of factors have helped New Zealand wipe out the disease. Its isolated location in the South Pacific gave it vital time to see the devastating spread of the virus in other countries. Ardern also acted decisively by imposing a strict lockdown early in the outbreak.
