Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

The Trump administration has made clear that a vaccine is the centerpiece of its response to the pandemic and has promised to deliver one by the end of the year.

But while states filed their plans with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weeks ago, they have received no funds from Congress to start building the infrastructure they will need to distribute those vaccines to tens of millions of people.

There's no hope any money is coming before Election Day. And what happens after Tuesday might make things even worse.

One big fear among public health leaders: If voters repudiate President Donald Trump and his GOP allies in the Senate, will that kill any motivation they had to speed vaccines and other help to the public?

"There is that risk. If there is not only a change in the presidential administration or maybe a change in control of the Senate, that during this lame duck Senate you would have to worry that with all the politicization that has occurred that there would be a deliberate effort to derail all this or to burden the states," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

"I don't think anything's off the table, based on how we have seen politics be injected into all of this. We have to be on guard against all of this."

Adalja said the public should watch and make sure members of Congress and the administration don't simply drop the ball, or move to outright undermine their successors.

The nearly three months between Election Day and Inauguration Day could be almost like a "black hole," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Public health experts say November, December and January are the months that the states and federal government should be working together hardest to plan for distributing vaccines; get the equipment, storage and transport ready; set up a system to track who gets vaccinated and when; and hire an army of people to administer vaccines.

"The case numbers are going to climb dramatically no matter what," Osterholm said. "It's hard to stop a runaway freight train. The election is just going to make it more complicated because people are feeling such angst."

Osterholm and other health experts fear if a new administration is elected, they could still be stymied.

"Even if they want to start working on this issue, they don't have any authority to take over" until January 20, Osterholm said. "(And) we don't know what the administration is going to do.

"The next three months are going to be the darkest days of this pandemic."

Hope for federal support for vaccine distribution

The Trump administration has, meantime, placed most of its bets on vaccine development, while spending almost nothing to support vaccine distribution or build public trust.

"The need is there. We are concerned that it has not happened yet," said Meredith Allen, vice president of health security for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). "If the funding isn't there, there is truly the potential that it will be difficult to vaccinate the population."

Maryland's acting deputy health secretary, Dr. Jinlene Chan, said she hopes the growing death toll will move the administration to act soon, no matter the election result.

"Federal support is really critical to be able to sustain the monumental effort that we have. We continue to hope that the federal government will provide us the resources we need," Chan told CNN.

"The pandemic is touching every part of our lives. It would be hard to be blind to that."

Asked about the concerns, White House spokesperson Michael Bars said the Trump administration's primary goal was preventing closures and restrictions, saying the coronavirus strategy "is fundamentally rooted in the bedrock objective of saving lives and helping our country safely open and stay open."

"We remain intensely focused on harnessing the full power of the federal government, private sector, military, and scientific community in the unprecedented effort to deliver safe and effective vaccines and treatments to U.S. communities in record time," Bars said in a statement to CNN.

"With four vaccine candidates already in the final stage of trials and others nearing this critical stage, the administration is sparing no effort or expense to save millions of American lives."

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said he hopes that means efforts to develop a vaccine infrastructure will be stepped up, but doesn't believe it will.

"The Trump administration has shown they won't do anything," he said.

Trump has claimed, incorrectly, that doctors are inflating coronavirus death counts to get paid more; that the virus is less dangerous than the flu; that the US is "turning the corner" against the pandemic; and that the virus will simply "disappear." He's called supporters to crowded rallies and encouraged them to gather without precautions in conditions that public health experts point out are perfect for helping spread the virus.

"This fatalism that they seem to be espousing -- it's just wrong," Benjamin told CNN. "You've got a President that is just running around like Typhoid Mary."

An unusual level of politics for public health

Public health officials are usually careful not to express political opinions. They must work with with whatever leadership is in place and cannot risk antagonizing anyone.

And they're not critical of everything the Trump administration has done."Operation Warp Speed has been nothing short of an amazing success," said Osterholm, referring to the federal program to speed vaccine development.

But some are making clear the only hope of changing the tide of the pandemic would be a Joe Biden administration.

"We'll have a leader who speaks about the pandemic and infection control in a way that we have traditionally understood it," said ASTHO chief medical officer Dr. Marcus Plescia.

However, Plescia, Adalja and Benjamin all worry that if Trump loses, his administration might be tempted to be less than cooperative.

If Biden wins, "I know the Biden people are going to have to figure between the election and the time they take over how to put together a very robust management plan to hit the ground running," Benjamin said.

"It's also going to take the cooperation of the current administration to do it right, and the politicians may not want to help."

Plescia hopes a big change Tuesday, if one comes, could give renewed hope to Democratic governors, who may start spending on vaccine infrastructure in anticipation of funding coming through.

"If Biden wins the election, are Democratic states with Democratic governors going to basically ignore the (Trump) administration? Basically they are just going to go for it because they know that something is coming?" he asked.

Even Republican governors who have resisted pandemic mitigation measures could have a change of heart, he said.

"Some of them, this may be a way for them to make some changes and save face. They can say 'the public has spoken, and I am going to listen.' It might be an opportunity for some of them to change direction without looking like they are hypocrites," Plescia said.

A change of administrations could embolden the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Plescia said. He and other public health specialists have expressed dismay for months at the silence of CDC officials who would have been expected to be openly and frequently briefing the nation about public health measures to control the pandemic. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has in the past defended the agency and denied politics were put ahead of science

"If this means the people at CDC feel a bit more confident that they can just speak up and not put up with the attempts to censor and silence them," he said. "Maybe CDC can be much more vocal in the next three months. That's where we really get our guidance and leadership. It's kind of a new thing to have HHS (the Health and Human Services Department) and the administration so involved in public health matters."

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The US is facing its darkest months yet in the pandemic, and the election may not help - CNN

As the country faces a dual national crisis a monthslong pandemic and economic devastation voters were deeply divided on what mattered more: containing the coronavirus or hustling to rebuild the economy, according early exit polls and voter surveys released Tuesday.

Their opinion of which was more important fell along starkly partisan lines, with those who viewed the pandemic as the most pressing issue favoring Joseph R. Biden Jr. for president, while those who named the economy and jobs broke overwhelmingly toward re-electing President Trump.

Reflecting a pervasive pessimism, nearly two-thirds of voters said they believed the country was heading in the wrong direction, according to an Associated Press canvass of those who had cast ballots and those voters overwhelmingly picked Mr. Biden. And while Mr. Trump had attempted to focus the campaign on anything other than the pandemic, it remained a defining issue: More than four in 10 voters said it was the most important problem facing the country, far more than any other issue.

A separate survey the traditional exit poll, conducted by Edison Research asked the question differently; it found that, as important as it was to them, only about one in five voters considered the virus the top issue affecting their vote. More said the economy was, and a similar share said racial inequality decided their ballots.

The overwhelming majority of Trump supporters called the economy excellent or good while an equal share of Biden supporters said it was doing poorly.

Views of the virus also cleaved to politics: Roughly four in five Trump supporters called it at least somewhat under control, while as many Biden voters said it was not at all under control.

Those who reported that the pandemic had taken a personal toll tended to back Mr. Biden. More than a third of all voters said they or someone in their household had lost a job or income over the past eight months, and most of those voters favored Mr. Biden.

Those who did not vote in 2016, a group that the Trump campaign said would be key to re-election, appeared to show up in significant numbers but they mostly turned out to oppose him. First-time voters appeared to favor Mr. Biden by wide margins.

Far fewer said they knew someone who had died from the virus, but among those who did, the vast majority chose the former vice president.

Moderate voters also swung heavily for Mr. Biden, in a tacit rejection of the radical label that Mr. Trump had sought to pin on him. Throughout his term, Mr. Trump has alienated moderates with his rhetoric, and was never seen favorably by most independent voters.

It was these voters at the center whom Mr. Biden had most aggressively targeted, using a message of unity and American tradition to offer voters a respite from the bombast of the current president, and to push back against the Trump campaigns portrayal of the Democrat as a tool of the left.

For the first time, not one but two probability-based, scientifically sound voter surveys were conducted amid the election. The Edison exit polls, conducted on behalf of a consortium of news organizations, were carried out by phone with voters who had cast ballots early, and by in-person interviews at voting places.

The Associated Press also conducted its own voter survey, called VoteCast, using a panel of online respondents assembled by NORC, a research group based at the University of Chicago.

Nov. 4, 2020, 1:00 a.m. ET

The overall trends in the results were consistent between the two organizations surveys, though the exit polls appeared to show Mr. Trump running strongly in more states than the VoteCast survey did. The two polls also asked different questions of their respondents; results from both are referred to in this article.

In contrast to four years ago, a very small share of voters, in the single digits, said they had decided within the past few days, according to the exit polls. Four years ago, 13 percent said they had decided in the final week, according to exit polls.

Heres a guide to The Timess election night coverage,no matter when, how or how often you want to consume it.

Pre-election polls throughout this election season had shown that roughly four in five voters held strong opinions on Mr. Trump and his leadership, and strong feelings on both sides continued to define this years election.

Among those voters who cast ballots for him four years ago, about nine in 10 supported him again this time. But Mr. Biden held onto an even stronger share of Hillary Clintons 2016 supporters.

Among white voters, there were stark divides along lines of gender as well as education. While Mr. Trump appeared on pace to come close to repeating his blowout win in 2016 among white voters without college degrees, Mr. Biden held a lead among white voters with a college education.

That group was one among many including suburbanites and political independents that Mr. Trump had narrowly won when facing Mrs. Clinton, but whose support he had long since lost.

In certain key states, Mr. Biden appeared to fall short of Hillary Clintons support four years ago among Latino voters, particularly men. In Florida, the exit poll put his lead in the single digits with Hispanic voters, and in Texas he was barely winning three in five.

But elsewhere his margin among Hispanic voters was much stronger, and nationwide he ran ahead of the president by more than two to one.

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Exit Polls Showed the Vote Came Down to Covid-19 Versus the Economy - The New York Times

El Paso became one of the nation's hot spots for the virus after seeing a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks. Tents were built outside a hospital to treat the influx of patients, health care workers traveled from across the state to help and the medical examiner has received additional morgues.

On Tuesday, people stood in line inside a shopping mall, schools emptied by the pandemic and outside a downtown fire station. Drivers also waited in the parking lot of a shopping mall in West El Paso, where the county set up a curbside polling place.

Brenda Negrete, a generalist for the El Paso County Elections Department, said El Pasoans were "excited" that more than 10,000 people cast their ballots in the first three hours of voting on Election Day.

"It's not stopping them," Negrete said. "We saw it the first day of early voting and we are seeing it now."

Outside the Pavo Real Recreation Center, which served as a polling station in El Paso's Lower Valley area, US Rep. Veronica Escobar spoke to voters in person and virtually.

"Please mask up, go vote and then go back home," Escobar, who is running for reelection in the 16th Congressional District, said on Instagram.

Last week, more than 10,000 people in El Paso tested positive for Covid-19.

State officials are battling shutdown ordered by the county

The city is currently under a two-week shutdown of nonessential services and a curfew related to coronavirus, but officials have said voting will not be affected.

Last week, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, a Democrat, went against directives by the Republican governor and issued a two-week shutdown of nonessential services, such as tattoo parlors, hair and nail salons and gyms. Restaurants in the county will be limited to delivery or curbside service.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion for a temporary injunction on Tuesday to stop the "unlawful lockdown order."

"I am optimistic that the district court will recognize the unlawfulness of this action and quickly stop these orders from further oppressing the El Paso community."

"Judge Samaniego has no authority to flout Gov. Abbott's executive orders by shutting down businesses in El Paso County," Paxton said in a statement.

Texas was one of the first states in the country to begin a phased-in approach of reopening back in May. As the summer surge of cases rippled across Texas and the nation, Gov. Gregg Abbott took steps like closing down bars and issuing a mask mandate, but he largely maintains authority when it comes to shutdowns.

A hearing on the motion has been scheduled for Wednesday.

CNN's Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.

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El Paso is facing its worst Covid-19 outbreak while trying to vote on Election Day - CNN

The representative for Spokane County's District 6 said she was exposed to coronavirus during a hair appointment on Oct. 19.

SPOKANE, Wash. Washington State Republican Representative Jenny Graham is recovering from COVID-19 after she said she was exposed to the virus during a hair appointment.

Graham told KREM 2 on Tuesday that she went to the appointment on Oct. 19 and her hair dresser called the next day with news that she had tested positive. Both Graham and her hair dresser wore masks and followed coronavirus safety protocols, she added.

Ive learned a lot through this process," Graham said during a phone call on Tuesday.

The representative for Spokane County's District 6 said she began experiencing coronavirus symptoms, including body aches and a headache, about three to four days after her exposure. She was also heard coughing during the phone call on Tuesday.

A rapid test for COVID-19 initially came back negative, Graham said. She was tested again several days later, when her symptoms began to worsen, and the result was positive.

She described her symptoms on Tuesday as those of a "bad cold" or "bad flu," adding that she did not lose her senses of taste and smell but experienced a few days where her lips and the inside of her mouth felt numb.

Before I went through this, I didnt really know what someone would go through with COVID," she said. "...Now that Ive been through this, I have a bit better of an understanding.

Graham said she has been quarantining at home since her hair dresser called to say she had tested positive and is the only one in her five-person household to have contracted the virus.

"I have family who are highly susceptible, so weve been...very careful," she said.

Graham has not had to seek care at a hospital, but said she was recently prescribed two medications during a doctor's visit. They include oseltamivir phosphate, which is more commonly known as Tamiflu, and an antibiotic frequently used to treat infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

COVID is not going away. Its here to stay at this point until we get some sort of a vaccine, which I hope is coming soon," Graham said.

Graham had previously expressed concerns about a vaccine being rushed without proper independent testing.

One of the things Id like to see is our medical professionals maybe come up with some sort of a checklist or something that people can do that might prevent this from being as bad or help them recover more quickly," Graham said on Tuesday.

The doctors have been very good and everyone has been very kind. Im looking forward to being right back on my feet again," she added.

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'I've learned a lot through this process': Rep. Jenny Graham is recovering from COVID-19 - KREM.com

Alaskas emergency departments and hospitals are an inflection point. Now is the time we must take steps to slow the spread of COVID-19. If the health care system is overwhelmed, it would result in activation of Crisis Standards of Care. These predetermined standards provide hospitals a framework for deciding who to treat and who not to treat if they are not able to care for every patient. This would apply not only to patients with COVID-19, but all patients who are experiencing a critical illness, whether due to car accident, stroke, heart attack or sepsis from a serious bacterial infection.

Be wary of political leadership that points to previously low hospitalizations as a reason to delay or avoid measures to stop community spread. By the time hospitalizations reach critical levels, it will be too late, because the tide of infection will continue to rise for weeks after any public health measures are implemented. Alternative care sites outside hospitals have been touted as a stopgap measure, yet there are few trained people to staff these facilities. Hospitals are having trouble keeping their own beds staffed fully. National Guard members with health care positions often have a primary job in the civilian sector that needs them right now. When hospitals run out of space and staff, they have run out. There will be no rescue.

We can all agree that we want children in schools and businesses open; taking steps to limit the spread of COVID-19 is the surest, most sustainable way to achieve both of these goals.

Fortunately, we have a very good way to get there: avoiding large gatherings, maintaining physical distancing as much as possible, and wearing masks when unable. The science is not ambiguous or political masks work. Masks prevent you from spreading COVID-19 to others, and protect you from getting it or will make your illness milder by lowering your exposure to the virus. We need everyone to exercise their personal choice to wear a mask when in public places. We need everyone to exercise their personal choice to avoid close contact with others unless absolutely necessary. Now is the time to cancel or postpone large gatherings. Now is the time to support local businesses via takeout or contactless pickup options. We Alaskans value our personal freedoms; we should honor our personal responsibilities.

The benign nature of COVID-19 for some has led to a complacency which has caused people to not take it seriously. But no one is completely safe from COVID-19. Someone with no symptoms can give it to someone who will get critically ill or die. Nor does beating COVID-19 mean you are out of the woods. We see long-haulers who remain sick for extended time, and many will be left with permanent damage to their hearts, lungs and nervous systems. Alaska thus far has an enviably low mortality from COVID-19 specifically because of its success early on flattening the curve. Lets continue to be an example of how to control this disease.

Just as we came together after the November 2018 earthquake and at other times in our history, we can come together now. If it is truly the Alaskan way to look out for one another and act selflessly, then show that Alaska spirit by wearing a mask. Lets not reveal Alaskans actually to be selfish or disinterested in protecting their neighbors. Dont mistake the inconvenience of wearing a mask for oppression.

This pandemic ultimately will come to a close, and each of us will have to reckon whether we did everything possible to limit suffering. We hope we all will be able to look back and say, I did all I could.

Dr. Nate Peimann, Dr. Nick Papacostas, Dr. Dave Scordino, Dr. Russ Johanson, Dr. Stan Robinson, Dr. Leigh Wright, Dr. Chris Mickelson and Dr. Ben Shelton are emergency physicians from across Alaska. They are members of the board of the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

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Alaskans must act now to avoid the worst from COVID-19 - Anchorage Daily News

People Are Now Suing Their Bosses Over COVID-19 at Work, But Can They Win in Court? | New Jersey Law Journal  Law.com

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People Are Now Suing Their Bosses Over COVID-19 at Work, But Can They Win in Court? | New Jersey Law Journal - Law.com

BATH (WETM) The Steuben County Public Health Department received notification that 17 Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 1,195 confirmed cases, 167 of which are currently active.

The individuals are residents of the: City of Corning (2) City of Hornell (2) Town of Bath (2) Town of Caton Town of Corning Town of Erwin Town of Fremont Town of Jasper (3) Town of Troupsburg Village of Bath Village of Cohocton Village of North Hornell

The individuals are isolated and being monitored by the County Health Department. Public Health staff investigated and identified close contacts of the confirmed cases and exposure risks. All those known to have direct contact with the individuals have been notified.Per the CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance, information is collected beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset or date of the test if asymptomatic through the day of the positive test result to identify any potential exposure risks.

The investigations indicate: 13 individuals are contacts to previously reported positives One individual is an employee of Hornell High School One individual is an employee of Arnot Ogden Medical Center One individual is an employee of Pathways One individual participated in the Trump Train and Rally on October 24

In addition to the locations noted above, the individuals reported visiting the following locations that could pose an exposure risk within their investigation timeframes: 10/26, 10/28 American Legion in Addison 10/26 10/28 Town of Troupsburg Highway Department 10/26 10/29 Town of Wheeler Highway Department 10/26 10/29, 11/2 Arkport Post Office 10/28 11/1 Dollar Tree in Geneseo 10/31 Valu Home Centers in Hornell 10/31 Henderson-Smith State Office Building in Hornell

Todays age groups for the positives are as follows: 10 19 years: 3 20 29 years: 1 30 39 years: 2 40 49 years: 1 50 59 years: 7 60 69 years: 3COVID-19 continues to spread in Steuben County quickly, said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. By the time someone gets tested, they could have come in contact with more than a dozen people. Although it makes sense to see that most of our new cases have had contact with known positives, that does not mean the spread is slowing at the moment. You could have already come in contact with someone who will get tested, therefore making you a contact unknowingly. Please take extra precautions during this time of high spread.

All residents should continue to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell and contact their healthcare provider for instructions if feeling ill.For the latest Steuben County updates, visit Steuben Countys website.

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17 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Steuben County - WETM - MyTwinTiers.com

What are the treatment options for COVID-19?There are several, and which one is best depends on how sick someone is.For example, steroids such as dexamethasone can lower the risk of dying for severely ill patients. But they may do the opposite for those who are only mildly ill.In the United States, no treatments are specifically approved for COVID-19, but a few have been authorized for emergency use and several more are being considered. A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health updates guidelines as new studies come ouHeres whats advised for various patients: Not hospitalized or hospitalized but not needing extra oxygen: No specific drugs recommended, and a warning against using steroids. Hospitalized and needing extra oxygen but not a breathing machine: The antiviral drug remdesivir, given through an IV, and in some cases also a steroid. Hospitalized and on a breathing machine: Remdesivir and a steroid.What about convalescent plasma, an infusion of blood from a COVID-19 survivor that contains antibodies that fight the virus? Not enough is known to recommend for or against it, the guidelines say.However, enough is known to advise against hydroxychloroquine and certain drugs that affect the immune system multiple studies have found them ineffective against the coronavirus.Aside from drugs, doctors have learned more about ways to treat hospitalized patients, such as putting them on their bellies and other measures that may prevent the need for breathing machines.

Story provided by the Associated Press

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What are the treatment options for COVID-19? - Delaware State News - Delaware State News

RICHMOND Both major presidential candidates hope to convince voters they have plans in place to protect the health of Americans and the economy as COVID-19 cases rise nationally.

As of Oct. 28, there have been almost 8.8 million total coronavirus cases in the United States and 176,754 in Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past week, the country has reached a record high level of daily new cases, according to The New York Times.

Candidates addressed their plans to address the COVID-19 crisis during the final presidential debate held earlier this month. President Donald Trump criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for wanting to shut down the country and said that a vaccine will come soon.

Im going to shut down the virus, not the country, Biden responded, adding that there need to be standards, or response protocols, in place for when rates increase in a community.

Below are more details on Trump and Bidens plans for handling the pandemic.

Trumps Plan

Samantha Zager, Trumps deputy national press secretary, said that the presidents administration will continue to respond to the virus as they have been.

When reelected, the President will continue his work on developing a vaccine to achieve his vision of a return to normal life and a roaring, post-COVID economy where all Virginians can achieve their version of the American Dream, Zager wrote in an email.

Zager also criticized Bidens proposed response to the virus.

Joe Biden has actively demeaned a coronavirus vaccine for political purposes, and he would surrender to the virus, hurting Virginias small businesses and families with another draconian shutdown of our economy, Zager said.

Under Trump, Congress passed an over $2 trillion dollar coronavirus stimulus packagethe CARES Actthat gave money to every eligible adult in the country, as well as small businesses and healthcare facilities. Legislators recently failed to advance another stimulus package.

Trump has stated that the U.S. is the world leader in testing, having performed 100 million COVID-19 tests. The U.S. however, does not have the highest number of tests per capita, which some health experts say is a more useful metric, according to PolitiFact, a fact checking project run by the nonprofit Poynter Institute.

Trump said the U.S. has led the largest mobilization since World War II to combat the coronavirus and that no American who needed a ventilator has gone without one. Additionally, his administration has launched Operation Warp Speed to fast-track vaccine production. In July, Trump hoped to have 300 million doses of vaccines available by early 2021. The administration announced agreements just weeks before the election with CVS and Walgreens to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities with no out-of-pocket costs.

Trump has also stated that the U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization to hold the organization accountable for mismanagement of the coronavirus.

Bidens Plan

Bidens campaign did not answer direct questions but referred to the candidates website which outlines ways that Biden plans to fight the virus. If elected, his administration would spend whatever it takes, without delay, to meet public health needs and deal with the mounting economic consequences.

He has accused Trump of having no comprehensive plan to curtail the pandemic that has killed over 225,000 Americans. Biden also said he backs the accelerated development of a vaccine, something that has also been a priority for Trumps administration.

Biden promotes swift and aggressive action from the federal government to protect families, small businesses, first responders and caregivers. Biden said helping individuals and small businesses is essential. Corporations shouldnt be bailed out.

Biden states that if elected he will make COVID-19 tests widely available and free by establishing at least 10 mobile testing sites per state and expanding programs which offer tests to people who may not know how to ask for a test, such as nursing home residents. He also plans to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act to make sure individuals arent charged for COVID-19 tests, treatment or vaccines.

Biden has also called on every state governor, as well as local authorities like mayors, to pass a mask mandate.

The Biden administration plans to provide up to 12 weeks of paid sick leave for U.S. workers. Biden promotes the passage of an emergency paid leave program that would require 14 days of paid leave for individuals who get sick from the virus or have to quarantine.

Bidens plan also includes helping vulnerable nations treat coronavirus outbreaks.

What should the next president do?

Dr. Bill Petri, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, said that the next president needs to focus on finding a vaccine for the disease and producing those vaccines within the U.S.

First, the federal government needs to support fundamental research on immunization and vaccines, Petri said. We should be leading the world in providing COVID-19 vaccines, we dont want China or Russia doing that.

Petri also said that the federal government should be more involved in coordinating the COVID-19 responses of individual states, which have differed depending on individual governors.

What one state does affects us all, Petri said.

Many Democratic state governors have criticized the federal government for providing a slow-paced COVID-19 response. Some state governors have coordinated their COVID-19 responses with other states. The governors of Virginia and Maryland, as well as the mayor of Washington D.C, have attempted regional cooperation in battling the pandemic.

Petri said that the next president should continue to support the CDC as well as individual state departments of health, including the Virginia Department of Health.

In a recent Pew Research poll, 57% of registered voters surveyed said they are very or somewhat confident in Bidens ability to handle the impact of the coronavirus, while 40 percent say they are very or somewhat confident in Trumps ability to do so.

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How Biden and Trump plan to face the COVID-19 pandemic - Independent-Messenger

RICHMOND Both major presidential candidates hope to convince voters they have plans in place to protect the health of Americans and the economy as COVID-19 cases rise nationally.

As of Oct. 28, there have been almost 8.8 million total coronavirus cases in the United States and 176,754 in Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past week, the country has reached a record high level of daily new cases, according to The New York Times.

Candidates addressed their plans to address the COVID-19 crisis during the final presidential debate held earlier this month. President Donald Trump criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for wanting to shut down the country and said that a vaccine will come soon.

Im going to shut down the virus, not the country, Biden responded, adding that there need to be standards, or response protocols, in place for when rates increase in a community.

Below are more details on Trump and Bidens plans for handling the pandemic.

Trumps Plan

Samantha Zager, Trumps deputy national press secretary, said that the presidents administration will continue to respond to the virus as they have been.

When reelected, the President will continue his work on developing a vaccine to achieve his vision of a return to normal life and a roaring, post-COVID economy where all Virginians can achieve their version of the American Dream, Zager wrote in an email.

Zager also criticized Bidens proposed response to the virus.

Joe Biden has actively demeaned a coronavirus vaccine for political purposes, and he would surrender to the virus, hurting Virginias small businesses and families with another draconian shutdown of our economy, Zager said.

Under Trump, Congress passed an over $2 trillion dollar coronavirus stimulus packagethe CARES Actthat gave money to every eligible adult in the country, as well as small businesses and healthcare facilities. Legislators recently failed to advance another stimulus package.

Trump has stated that the U.S. is the world leader in testing, having performed 100 million COVID-19 tests. The U.S. however, does not have the highest number of tests per capita, which some health experts say is a more useful metric, according to PolitiFact, a fact checking project run by the nonprofit Poynter Institute.

Trump said the U.S. has led the largest mobilization since World War II to combat the coronavirus and that no American who needed a ventilator has gone without one. Additionally, his administration has launched Operation Warp Speed to fast-track vaccine production. In July, Trump hoped to have 300 million doses of vaccines available by early 2021. The administration announced agreements just weeks before the election with CVS and Walgreens to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities with no out-of-pocket costs.

Trump has also stated that the U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization to hold the organization accountable for mismanagement of the coronavirus.

Bidens Plan

Bidens campaign did not answer direct questions but referred to the candidates website which outlines ways that Biden plans to fight the virus. If elected, his administration would spend whatever it takes, without delay, to meet public health needs and deal with the mounting economic consequences.

He has accused Trump of having no comprehensive plan to curtail the pandemic that has killed over 225,000 Americans. Biden also said he backs the accelerated development of a vaccine, something that has also been a priority for Trumps administration.

Biden promotes swift and aggressive action from the federal government to protect families, small businesses, first responders and caregivers. Biden said helping individuals and small businesses is essential. Corporations shouldnt be bailed out.

Biden states that if elected he will make COVID-19 tests widely available and free by establishing at least 10 mobile testing sites per state and expanding programs which offer tests to people who may not know how to ask for a test, such as nursing home residents. He also plans to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act to make sure individuals arent charged for COVID-19 tests, treatment or vaccines.

Biden has also called on every state governor, as well as local authorities like mayors, to pass a mask mandate.

The Biden administration plans to provide up to 12 weeks of paid sick leave for U.S. workers. Biden promotes the passage of an emergency paid leave program that would require 14 days of paid leave for individuals who get sick from the virus or have to quarantine.

Bidens plan also includes helping vulnerable nations treat coronavirus outbreaks.

What should the next president do?

Dr. Bill Petri, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, said that the next president needs to focus on finding a vaccine for the disease and producing those vaccines within the U.S.

First, the federal government needs to support fundamental research on immunization and vaccines, Petri said. We should be leading the world in providing COVID-19 vaccines, we dont want China or Russia doing that.

Petri also said that the federal government should be more involved in coordinating the COVID-19 responses of individual states, which have differed depending on individual governors.

What one state does affects us all, Petri said.

Many Democratic state governors have criticized the federal government for providing a slow-paced COVID-19 response. Some state governors have coordinated their COVID-19 responses with other states. The governors of Virginia and Maryland, as well as the mayor of Washington D.C, have attempted regional cooperation in battling the pandemic.

Petri said that the next president should continue to support the CDC as well as individual state departments of health, including the Virginia Department of Health.

In a recent Pew Research poll, 57% of registered voters surveyed said they are very or somewhat confident in Bidens ability to handle the impact of the coronavirus, while 40 percent say they are very or somewhat confident in Trumps ability to do so.

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How Biden and Trump plan to face the COVID-19 pandemic - Independent-Messenger