Christie says he was wrong not to wear mask in White House
6:53 PM CT on 10/15/20
(AP) Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that he was wrong not to wear a mask at the White House, after he and President Donald Trump both came down with the coronavirus.
Christie, in a statement, said he has recovered from COVID-19 after a week-long stay in a hospital's intensive care unit. He called on all political leaders to advocate for face-coverings, as the practice has become increasingly politicized even as the pandemic has killed more than 217,000 Americans.
“I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that and I and many others underwent every day," Christie said. "I was wrong.”
Christie, who was at the White House for the announcement of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the president's nominee to the Supreme Court and to a participate in several rounds of Trump's debate prep, seemingly chided the president's attitude toward the disease.
“No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others," Christie said.
Trump has since called his illness as “a blessing from god," arguing it exposed him to promising therapeutics. He has also been an inconsistent advocate for mask wearing, holding large rallies of thousands of people where many of supporters do not follow public health guidance to cover their face to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance and to wash your hands frequently every day,” Christie said.
Biden campaign finds 3rd virus link; Harris suspends travel
4:20 PM CT on 10/15/20
(AP) At least three people connected to Joe Biden's presidential campaign have tested positive for the coronavirus, leading the campaign to suspend in-person events for vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris through Monday.
Biden is not altering his public schedule, his campaign said Thursday, because he had no direct exposure to the individuals who tested positive, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It's the Biden campaign's first major coronavirus scare, after months of safety precautions that drew mockery from President Donald Trump, even after he, first lady Melania Trump and others contracted the virus themselves. The Democratic campaign's cautious reaction underscores the differences in how the rival camps have approached the pandemic, both in terms of preferred government response and in the candidates' personal protocols.
Biden's campaign announced two positive cases Thursday morning, identifying Harris' communications director Liz Allen and an unnamed member of the flight crew for one of Harris' recent campaign trips. The campaign announced a third case Thursday afternoon as part of its contact tracing efforts from the first two cases.
The third individual is an aviation company employee who was on Biden's plane for trips to Ohio and Florida earlier this week but who entered the back of the plane and sat far away from Biden, according to the campaign.
Harris and Biden, meanwhile, spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8, when the first two people who tested positive were on a flight with Harris. Both candidates have tested negative for the coronavirus multiple times since then, including on Thursday. Everyone on the Biden campaign plane is required to wear a mask.
Poll finds Americans critical of Trump handling of virus
2:05 PM CT on 10/15/20
(AP) Less than three weeks from Election Day, majorities of Americans are highly critical of President Donald Trump's handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and his own illness, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey also shows that few Americans have high levels of trust in the information the White House has released about Trump's health. Initial accounts of the president's condition were murky and contradictory, and the White House is still refusing to say when the president last tested negative for COVID-19 before his infection became public.
Trump's illness and hospitalization has refocused the critical final stretch of the presidential campaign on the pandemic, which has killed more than 216,000 people in the United States this year. Democratic challenger Joe Biden has sought to make the election a referendum on the Republican president's handling of the virus, arguing that Trump has mismanaged the pandemic and cost Americans lives.
The AP-NORC poll suggests many Americans agree with that sentiment, with 65% saying Trump has not taken the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. seriously enough. The poll, which was taken a week after Trump disclosed his own COVID-19 diagnosis, also shows that 54% of Americans disapprove with how the White House handled the episode.
The Rev. Joseph Wiseman, a 49-year-old registered Republican and Biden supporter from Wichita, Kansas, is among them. Wiseman said he was turned off by the president's "cavalier attitude" toward the pandemic and what he saw as Trump's "disregard for the health and well-being" of people around him who were exposed to the virus at White House events, as well as when the president drove in a vehicle with Secret Service agents to greet supporters during his hospital stay.
Trump spent four days at a military hospital just outside Washington, where he was treated with an aggressive drug regimen. On Sunday, his doctor said he was no longer contagious, and he's returned to the campaign trail this week, holding rallies in battleground states across the country.
The president was eager to return to campaigning in part to send a message to Americans that they should not allow the virus to consume their lives. It's a message that has been well-received by some of the president's supporters.
"I think that from the start to the finish that he came through quite rapidly and he's back out there," said Jim Gula, 71, a Republican and Trump supporter from Jacksonville, Florida. "And I think that's a reflection on the overall people who have come down with a positive test."
The pandemic upended Trump's plans to spend 2020 running on a strong economic record, thrusting him instead into the role of a president governing through crisis. He's repeatedly tried to downplay the impact of the virus, even after his own illness, and has opposed some of the more stringent safety measures recommended by his own administration.
With early voting already underway in much of the country, national polls show Biden leading Trump by a comfortable margin, though many battleground states remain competitive. The president is spending much of this week campaigning in states that should be comfortable territory for him, including Iowa and Georgia, which hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1992.
Dr. Fauci criticizes concept of 'herd immunity'
11:54 AM CT on 10/15/20
(AP) Dr. Anthony Fauci is criticizing a declaration by a group of scientists that supports the concept of “herd immunity,” which the White House is using to bolster a push to reopen schools and businesses.
Fauci says backing herd immunity — the idea that a disease will stop spreading once nearly everybody has contracted it — is “total nonsense.”
The top U.S. infectious disease expert says: “If you talk to anybody who has any experience in epidemiology and infectious diseases, they will tell you that that is risky and you’ll wind up with many more infections of vulnerable people, which will lead to hospitalizations and death,” he told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday. “So I think that we’ve just got to look that square in the eye and say it’s nonsense.”
The U.S. leads the world with 7.9 million coronavirus cases and nearly 217,000 confirmed deaths. Globally, there have been 38 million reported cases and 1.09 million confirmed deaths.
McConnell announces another vote on limited COVID-19 relief bill
9:25 AM CT on 10/15/20
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at a recent campaign event that he is planning to hold another Senate floor vote next week on a limited COVID-19 package that includes some hospital assistance.
However, Senate Democrats are likely to filibuster the pared-down bill, which McConnell said would cost around $500 billion, just as they did with another “skinny” COVID-19 relief bill written solely by Senate Republicans. McConnell’s bill is much smaller than even the White House’s latest offer of $1.8 trillion, which Democrats did not accept.
McConnell said the latest iteration of Senate Republicans’ proposal will also include an extension of additional federal unemployment benefits and the Paycheck Protection Program and money for schools.
Though talks are ongoing it is unlikely the White House, Democrats and Senate Republicans will reach an agreement on a major COVID-19 relief bill before the November election.
Medicare adds 11 services to COVID telehealth payment list
8:04 PM CT on 10/14/20
CMS has expanded the list of telehealth services that Medicare fee-for-service will pay for during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
CMS officials said the 11 additions, which were made using an expedited process that CMS introduced in May for adjusting the Medicare telehealth services list, are part of the agency’s response to an executive order President Donald Trump signed in August telling CMS to review and continue Medicare's coverage of telehealth services.
The 11 additions to the Medicare telehealth service list include cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services.
“Responding to President Trump’s Executive Order, CMS is taking action to increase telehealth adoption across the country,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a statement.
In May, CMS published an interim final rule allowing the agency to add and delete telehealth services during the public health emergency on an expedited basis and without rulemaking.
Medicare now pays for 144 telehealth services.
South Dakota sets daily coronavirus record as hospitals fill
5:53 PM CT on 10/14/20
(AP) South Dakota on Wednesday broke its record for COVID-19 hospitalizations and new cases, and the state has already had more deaths from the disease less than halfway through October than it had in any other month.
Despite the grim prognosis — South Dakota had the nation's highest rate of positive tests over the last 14 days, according to the COVID Tracking Project — Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has resisted pressure to step up the state's response to the disease, explaining Tuesday that the surge in case numbers was "expected" because the state was conducting more tests.
Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said she thinks the state is doing a good job conducting enough tests to detect outbreaks.
However, South Dakota's 14-day average positivity rate of nearly 24% is more than four times the national average of 5.1%, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
State Epidemiologist Josh Clayton said that the increase in testing led to more positive cases being identified. But he also acknowledged that infections are spreading in communities across the state.
"If you take all of that put together, we are seeing a fair bit of COVID-19 transmission," he said.
The state's hospitals are feeling the effects, reporting that they are caring for 303 COVID-19 patients.
As hospitals see patient increases from COVID-19 and other medical issues, some have experienced backups. Roughly 34% of general care beds and 39% of intensive care units statewide remain available, according to the Department of Health.
Noem said she is focused on making sure the state has enough hospital capacity.
Barron Trump was positive for COVID, now negative
4:11 PM CT on 10/14/20
(AP) Melania Trump says her 14-year-old son, Barron, had tested positive for the coronavirus but has since tested negative.
The White House initially said he had tested negative, after both of his parents tested positive earlier this month.
The first lady said Wednesday that subsequent testing showed Barron had also come down with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
He has since tested negative, she said, as have both she and President Donald Trump.
After she and the president received their positive results Oct. 1, Mrs. Trump wrote that "naturally, my mind went immediately to our son."
He tested negative and she was relieved, but kept thinking about what would happen the next day and the day after that.
"My fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive," she said in a lengthy note released on social media.
She said Barron is a "strong teenager" who exhibited no symptoms. Sounding a bit like the president, she said she was "glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together."
She said her son has since tested negative.
The first lady has guarded the privacy of her teenage son. She did not explain why his positive diagnosis was not made public earlier.
France's Macron to restore state of emergency
1:56 PM CT on 10/14/20
(AP) President Emmanuel President Macron’s office says France will restore a state of health emergency that expired three months ago.
Macron is addressing the nation on television Wednesday night and could announce more measures. The move is expected to start Saturday and will allow the government to enforce stricter measures in the future, either locally or nationally.
France initially declared a state of health emergency in March, paving the way for the government to require citizens to stay home in lockdown.
Patients with COVID-19 occupy a third of intensive care units nationwide. France reported about 180 positive cases per 100,000 people during the last week and higher concentrations in some cities.
France has 798,000 confirmed cases and nearly 33,000 deaths.
Study finds child care not linked to COVID-19 spread
11:46 AM CT on 10/14/20
Using child care services did not elevate the risk of spreading COVID-19 from children to adults as long as facilities took safety precautions and local virus outbreaks were under control, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
Researchers surveyed 57,000 child care providers across the U.S. and found no difference in COVID-19 outcome between workers who provided in-person care and those who didn’t, as long as child care programs followed safety protocols like handwashing, social distancing and mask wearing.
“Until now, decision makers had no way to assess whether opening child care centers would put staff at greater risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Walter Gilliam of the Yale University Child Study Center and the study’s lead author. “This study tells us that as long as there are strong on-site measures to prevent infection, providing care for young children doesn’t seem to add to the provider’s risk of getting sick.”
Wisconsin judge blocks governor's order limiting capacity
9:38 AM CT on 10/14/20
(AP) A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked an order from Gov. Tony Evers' administration limiting the number of people who can gather in bars, restaurants and other indoor places, a move that comes as the state breaks records for new coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations.
The Tavern League of Wisconsin sued on Tuesday. Sawyer County Circuit Judge John Yackel on Wednesday blocked the order and set a court date for Monday.
The Democratic governor's order, issued last week, limited the number of customers in any indoor establishment to 25% of capacity. Evers said he was making the move to curb the spread of the virus as it spikes in Wisconsin. The state was opening a field hospital near Milwaukee on Wednesday to handle an overflow of patients from hospitals that hit a record-high number of COVID-19 patients on Tuesday.
The Tavern League, the lobbying group for the state's powerful bars and taverns, argued in its lawsuit that the order amounted to "defacto closure."
A spokeswoman for Evers did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the ruling.
Earlier this year, the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court ended Evers' "safer at home" order. Republican lawmakers are currently suing to end the governor's statewide mask mandate.
The Tavern League, the Sawyer County Tavern League and the Flambeau Forest Inn in the village of Winter brought the lawsuit. It argues that the Flambeau Forest Inn would be forced to limit its capacity to 10 people under the state order, which would include five customers and five employees needed to operate the restaurant.
"Flambeau could not operate profitably under these conditions and would be forced to discontinue its business operations," the lawsuit said.
The state Department of Health Services on Tuesday reported 3,279 confirmed new coronavirus cases, breaking a record of 3,132 set just five days earlier. There were 34 deaths reported, also a new high, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,508. To date, more than 155,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive.
McConnell slates October revote on GOP COVID relief plan
9:24 PM CT on 10/13/20
(AP) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he's scheduling a procedural vote on a GOP COVID-19 relief bill next week, pushing aid to hard-hit businesses in a smaller-bore approach to virus relief that Democrats say they won't go for.
The Kentucky Republican says the first item of Senate business when the chamber returns next Monday will be a procedural vote on a scaled-back aid bill. Democrats filibustered a GOP-drafted aid bill last month and recent talks on a larger deal between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fell apart this past weekend, probably for good.
“Democrats have spent months blocking policies they do not even oppose. They say anything short of their multi-trillion-dollar wish list, jammed with non-COVID-related demands, is ‘piecemeal' and not worth doing," McConnell said in a statement. “And she has worked hard to ensure that nothing is what American families get."
McConnell's move appears unlikely to work. The COVID relief debate appears to have gone back to a phase in which the participants have largely given up and are devoting time and effort to political positioning ahead of the election rather than negotiations and compromise.
For her part, Pelosi defended her demands for more than $2 trillion in COVID relief on a teleconference with other Democrats and a combative performance with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who pressed her about shrugging off a recent $1.8 trillion White House offer. Pelosi said a handful of Democratic critics “have no idea about the particulars” of her negotiations with the administration.
President Donald Trump continues to agitate for “stimulus," saying that Capitol Hill Republicans should “go big" rather than the limited approach they've been advocating.
10 California counties see restrictions eased, risks remain
7:48 PM CT on 10/13/20
(AP) Ten California counties were cleared to ease coronavirus restrictions Tuesday, including some in the Central Valley that saw major case spikes over the summer, but the state's top health official warned that upcoming Halloween celebrations pose a risk for renewed spread.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state health secretary, said no counties moved backwards in California's color-coded, four-tiered system for reopening, but Riverside was on the verge of reverting to the most restrictive purple tier. The county of about 2.5 million residents has asked for a review of its data and will stay in the red tier until the state makes a decision on its status later this week.
“Moving back a tier is important,” Ghaly said. “We don’t want to do it without a significant degree of conversation and understanding."
Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said the county hopes to persuade the state that it can maintain its current status while still slowing the spread of the virus. A slip back to the purple tier would adversely affect small businesses like restaurants and gyms, which could be forced to shut down indoor operations again, the county said in a statement.
Two San Francisco Bay Area counties, Alameda and Santa Clara, will advance to the less-restrictive orange tier, which allows for increased capacity at restaurants, movie theaters and houses of worship — all with modifications to require face coverings.
The lifting of some restrictions in counties that have shown improvement comes as California sees a continued drop in COVID-19 cases. The seven-day positivity rate was down to 2.7%, Ghaly said. The number of hospitalizations is about 2,225 — a significant drop from a peak of around 7,000 over the summer, he said.
Nurses go on strike over protective gear, pay in Connecticut
6:23 PM CT on 10/13/20
(AP) More than 400 nurses at a Connecticut hospital began a two-day strike Tuesday over what union leaders called low wages and struggles to get enough personal protective equipment.
Dozens of nurses hit the picket line outside the William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich in rainy weather and held signs saying “Nurses on strike for unfair labor practice” and “PPE over profits.”
The strike comes amid a breakdown in contract talks between the nurses' union and hospital management, as well as rising coronavirus cases in Norwich and other eastern Connecticut communities. The hospital is operated by Hartford HealthCare. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said he's been in communication with both the union and hospital leaders.
“I’m doing everything I can to remind both parties how important it is we have Backus Hospital going out there ... right where the pandemic looks like it’s probably flaring up a little bit,” he said, adding that there should be no issues with nurses obtaining proper personal protective equipment, given the stockpiles that have been amassed. “I’m very hopeful that they’re getting closer to the finish line. Keep those conversations going. We don’t want to wait another day.”
Statewide, the infection rate was 2.4% as of Tuesday, the highest it has been since June. It has been around 7% in Norwich in recent days. The number of people hospitalized statewide climbed by 17 since Monday to 172, and 25 were in New London County, where Backus is located. In contrast, there were 2,000 daily hospitalizations statewide in the earlier days of the pandemic.
The Backus Federation of Nurses, AFT Local 5149, and hospital management have been in contract negotiations since June. Unionized nurses voted to authorize a strike last month.
Donna Handley, president of Backus and Windham hospitals, said in a statement that Backus will remain open and called the strike “heartbreaking.” She said nurses have been offered “significant” wage increases — 12.5% over three years — along with additional paid time off and a 2% decrease in health care premiums.
Wisconsin hits new daily records for virus cases, deaths
4:11 PM CT on 10/13/20
(AP) Wisconsin hit grim coronavirus milestones Tuesday, reporting record highs for positive cases, deaths and hospitalizations on the eve of an overflow field hospital opening near Milwaukee.
The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 confirmed new cases, breaking a record of 3,132 set just five days earlier. There were 34 deaths reported, also a new high, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,508. To date, more than 155,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases was 2,727 more than double the 1,141 from a month ago.
The number of people in the hospital due to COVID-19 also hit an all-time high for a second day in a row, growing from 950 to 959, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. There were 243 patients in intensive care.
Wisconsin's death count as of Monday was the 30th highest in the country overall and the 42nd highest per capita at more than 25 deaths per 100,000 people. The 595 new cases per 100,000 people in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, which ranks fourth in the country for new cases per capita.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers attributed the increase to the Wisconsin Supreme Court striking down his "safer at home" order in May at the request of his Republican opponents, as well as fatigue over wearing masks and other recommendations to slow the spread.
"We let down our guard," he said on a conference call.
Outbreaks have also been reported at three state prisons — the Racine Correctional Institution/Sturtevant Transitional Facility, the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution and the Oshkosh Correctional Institution.
In the face of rising hospitalizations, the overflow hospital opening at State Fair Park will be prepared to handle up to 50 patients starting on Wednesday and can increase from there depending on need, said state health secretary Andrea Palm.
She urged people to "double down" on taking steps to prevent a spread of the virus so hospitals won't become overrun, forcing patients into the overflow facility.
Evers also called on Republicans who control the Legislature to come forward with their plans for fighting the virus. Republicans successfully sued to overturn Evers' "safer at home" order earlier this year and are now suing to overturn the governor's statewide mask mandate. A GOP-controlled legislative committee took steps on Monday to block new indoor capacity limits that he ordered.
The committee directed the Department of Health Services to submit a rule on the capacity limits, which the Legislature could then vote to overturn. Evers said there was no reason to submit a rule given that his order is in place.
