Category: Corona Virus

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wears a protective mask during a meeting in Brussels last week. Olivier Matthys/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wears a protective mask during a meeting in Brussels last week.

The head of the European Commission said Monday that she is recommending that nonresident travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 and those from "countries with a good health situation" be allowed to travel to the European Union this summer.

However, von der Leyen cautioned in a tweet Monday that if variants of the coronavirus emerge, "we have to act fast: we propose an EU emergency brake mechanism."

Current EU restrictions allow only travelers from seven countries to enter the 27-member bloc, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated.

Last week, von der Leyen said U.S. travelers would be allowed to resume travel to EU countries but did not give a time frame. The economies of many EU nations, such as Spain and Italy, rely heavily on tourism and have been hard hit by the prolonged absence of Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The recommendation is set to be discussed on Tuesday and must be approved by all EU member states to come into force, according to Reuters. Individually, countries could still decide to honor the recommendation even if some don't, the news agency said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, in a letter to President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, several groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others representing the airline and travel industries in both the U.S. and the U.K., urged the two leaders to reopen their travel markets.

A planned G-7 summit in the U.K. on June 11 the first since the start of the pandemic "would be an ideal opportunity for a joint announcement of the full reopening of the U.S.-UK air travel market for both U.S. and UK citizens," they suggested.

"We are confident that the right tools now exist to enable a safe and meaningful restart to transatlantic travel," the industry groups wrote, according to Bloomberg.

Among the groups that signed on to the letter are Airlines for America, the Global Business Travel Association, the Air Line Pilots Association, Virgin Atlantic, the Association of UK Airlines and the Aerospace Industries Association.

Although air passenger numbers in the U.S. remain historically low, the country has been rebounding, with the Transportation Security Administration reporting that more than 1.6 million people were screened at airports on Sunday, compared with only around 170,000 a year ago.

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EU Moves Closer To Welcoming Vaccinated Tourists This Summer : Coronavirus Updates - NPR

A better approach would be for a trusted figure to address the root cause of the hesitancy fear, mistrust, misconceptions, ease of access or a desire for more information, said Mary Politi, an expert in health decision making and health communication at Washington University in St. Louis.

People often need to see others in their social circle embracing something before they are willing to try it, Dr. Politi said. Emphasizing the benefits of vaccination to their lives, like seeing a family member or sending their children to school, might be more motivating than the nebulous idea of herd immunity.

That would resonate with people more than this somewhat elusive concept that experts are still trying to figure out, she added.

Though children spread the virus less efficiently than adults do, the experts all agreed that vaccinating children would also be important for keeping the number of Covid cases low. In the long term, the public health system will also need to account for babies, and for children and adults who age into a group with higher risk.

Unnerving scenarios remain on the path to this long-term vision.

Over time, if not enough people are protected, highly contagious variants may develop that can break through vaccine protection, land people in the hospital and put them at risk of death.

Thats the nightmare scenario, said Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University.

How frequent and how severe those breakthrough infections are have the potential to determine whether the United States can keep hospitalizations and deaths low or if the country will find itself in a mad scramble every couple of years, he said.

I think were going to be looking over our shoulders or at least public health officials and infectious disease epidemiologists are going to be looking over their shoulders going: All right, the variants out there what are they doing? What are they capable of? he said. Maybe the general public can go back to not worrying about it so much, but we will have to.

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Reaching Herd Immunity Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe - The New York Times

A suburban Chicago family who lost their fully vaccinated father to COVID-19 said they hope his story can help others with certain pre-existing conditions and immune deficiencies as they say his unexpected passing left them with a major "what if."

Alan Sporn, owner and president of Spornette Internationaland an outgoing father of four who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2019, had been taking added precautions throughout the coronavirus pandemic, despite not yet requiring treatment for his cancer.

"We were very careful when we visited him, always wore masks," his daughter Bonnie Sporn told NBC Chicago. "When we came to his house we either ate outside, we would wear masks."

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But the 75-year-old hairbrush salesman was eager to get vaccinated as travel was his career and his life. He received his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine in January and his second in early February, his family said.

By March, he had decided to have dinner at a restaurant with some friends, one of whom tested positive for coronavirus in the days following the meal.

Sporn started experiencing a fever and his doctor urged him to go to the emergency room and get tested. There, he found out he was positive for coronavirus.

Doctors told Sporn's family that his lungs were clear and he was able to recover at home.

"That's where we wish we would have paused and hit the pause button because we feel that some communication, some red flag wasn't alerted that because my dad has CLL, even though it's dormant, because he's immunocompromised - anybody with cancer or HIV or lupus, you know, like anybody that has an autoimmune disease - it should be a red flag," Bonnie Sporn said.

Three days later, Sporn was admitted to another hospital. By then, his lungs were "completely covered," his family said.

"He had eight antibodies," Bonnie Sporn said. "And you're supposed to have thousands of [antibodies]. You know after you get your second vaccine, it should show up in your system."

One week later, on March 29, Sporn died. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office listed his primary cause of death as pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.

"We feel that if he were given an antibody test when he found out he had COVID it would have alerted us to his low antibody count, and we wouldn't have let him drive home," Bonnie Sporn said. "We would have been, you know, either send him straight to the hospital or at least monitor him."

The Illinois Department of Public Health has so far reported 32 deaths due to COVID-19 or related complications in fully vaccinated individuals since Jan. 1, but further details on those cases aren't available. As of April 28, another 97 "breakthrough" vaccine cases - those who test positive for coronavirus at least two weeks after their final vaccine dose - had been hospitalized.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, citing data from a recent U.K. study, reports that "some blood cancer patients may not get optimal protection from the vaccines and may be more susceptible to COVID-19 infections after vaccination compared to the general public."

In that study from Kings College London, data showed that three weeks after one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, an antibody response was found in 39% of solid cancer patients and just 13% of people with blood cancer, compared to 95% in healthy individuals, the society reported.

The group urged blood cancer patients to continue wearing masks and taking preventative measures like social distancing and handwashing.

Similarly, a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that "people with cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes are at elevated risk ofCOVID-19 vaccinefailure, particularly those with chronic lymphocytic leukemia."

The study tested blood from 67 patients with "hematologic malignancies" who had been vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 two-dose vaccines three weeks earlier. The tests found that more than 46% of the participants had not produced antibodies against COVID-19 and only three in 13 patients withchronic lymphocytic leukemia had produced measurable antibodies, even though 70% of them werent undergoing any form of cancer therapy.

As we see more national guidance allowing for unmasked gatherings among vaccinated people, clinicians should counsel their immunocompromised patients about the possibility that COVID-19 vaccines may not fully protect them against SARS-CoV-2, the study's senior authorDr. Ghady Haidar, a transplant infectious diseases physician and assistant professor inthe university's Department of Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. Our results show that the odds of the vaccine producing an antibody response in people with hematologic malignancies are the equivalent of a coin flip.

According to Haidar, however, a negative antibody test does not necessarily mean a patient isn't protected from the virus.

Many medications and treatments for certain cancers or other conditions can cause immune suppression or weaken an immune system.

The University of Chicago wrote in a blog post in February that there is little-to-no data surrounding the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness in immunocompromised people because they weren't included in the vaccines' initial trials.

"Researchers dont know whether these immunosuppressant treatments make the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines less effective as some do in the case of flu vaccines or if pausing or delaying treatment could make the vaccines work better. But its important that patients not change their treatment schedule without first speaking to their doctor," the university's post read.

With little data to offer, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is asking those living with blood cancers to register to become a "citizen scientist" and share their experiences with COVID-19 and the vaccines currently available.

The Sporns said they hope people continue getting vaccinated, but also want their father's story to raise awareness for the need to take added precautions.

"It's just extremely sad and, you know, everybody does a what if," Bonnie Sporn said. "So we're trying to help people with their what ifs. What if this person has a pre-existing condition? Should they get the vaccine? Should they be monitored? Should they still wear masks until... until when?"

Sporn's obituary states that he "made friends where ever he went -- in school, traveling and through work."

"He left a warm and loving impression on everyone he met, even if it was for just a brief meeting," the obituary read. "He knew people in every city he visited and even knew the airlines that got you directly to that city. He did not know a stranger. Alan was so generous with his time and love. He was a very loyal friend, a mentor, and a philanthropist. To honor Alan please do something nice for someone or reach out to an old an old friend."

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After Fully-Vaccinated Father Dies of COVID-19, Family Hopes Story Raises Awareness - NBC Chicago

HONOLULU (KHON2) Demand for COVID-19 testing is at an all-time high on Kauai where case numbers are expected to increase after four locations were linked to positive cases.

Mondays one new case was a welcomed break after the Garden Isle reached 73 active cases in two weeks, but with so much virus in the community, many residents are going out to get tested.

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A week ago, we were testing 50 to 60 people a day in the community testing site at the Convention Hall, and then by the middle of the week, we were testing 350 a day, said Kauai District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman.

The increased number of people promoted free testing over the weekend, which was a first for the County, and they increased testing capacity to 400 tests a day for the rest of the week.

I believe all 400 appointments were gone by 10:15 this morning, she added.

Wilcox Hospital helped by offering free-drive thru testing over the weekend too.

We did hear that the wait was about two and a half hours. So clearly, theres a lot of demand, and I think thats a good thing, Berreman said.

She said more people might be coming out to get tested who might have been associated with possible positive cases.

On Saturday, the District Health Office encouraged people who went to Robs Good Times Grill or Troys Bar between Friday, April 16, and Thursday, April 29, to get tested; and for people who attended the Ekolu Mea Nui drive-in concert at Vidinha Stadium on April 24 and the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort Brunch Babes show on April 17 or 18 to get tested too.

We have seen transmissions have occurred at the two restaurants and bars, she explained. At the performance events, we have not seen evidence of transmission, but what we know is that there were individuals there during their infectious period.

Berreman said she wasnt there, but anecdotally, theres been a lot of close contact without mask wearing.

She said discussions continue with Mayor Derek Kawakami about shifting tiers for the first time.

Were about to go into our second and then third meetings of the day about what kinds of actions the County should take at the point that the tier system would tip us into the next tier, which is Tier 3, Berreman said.

These tiers were made a while ago, and so we want to make sure that they really reflect our best knowledge and understanding now and factoring in variants, vaccine, CDC guidance on masking indoor versus outdoor risk, and the patterns of disease that were seeing here on Kauai, she said. All of those things play into the mix.

Berreman said vaccinated employees can return to work, although businesses have closed voluntarily for the time-being.

She said vaccinated residents do not need to get tested unless they have symptoms.

All symptomatic people are asked to not go to the free testing site and go to a health care provider instead.

She also asked for the publics help when it comes to contact tracing.

Everything that we do is completely dependent on our community members when we call them, meeting us halfway, providing as much information as they can, listening to the information and complying as best they can with our directions, she said.

I dont think theres a feeling of panic, but theres certainly a sense of fear and concern on our island that we havent seen for a long time, she added.

Individuals identified as a close contact of a positive case are asked to contact their primary care physician, a hospital, or an urgent care clinic to schedule a drive-up test.

Drive-up testing is available at KVMH, Wilcox, Kauai Medical Clinic Kapaa, and Longs Kapaa with a doctors order.

The County of Kauais free testing location at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall has reached capacity for several consecutive days.

We have been forced to turn people away from the free testing clinic after reaching capacity at 400 available spots per day, said Kauai COVID-19 Incident Management Team Section Chief Patrick Porter. If you have insurance and need a test, please kokua and get a doctors order for a drive-up test so the free option can remain available for those who need it. Drive-up testing is also a safer option for those who may have been exposed to COVID. Please do not come to the testing clinic if you are sick with fever or a cough; stay home and call your doctor or go to a healthcare facility.

Hoola Lahui Community Clinic, in partnership with Malama Pono, the Hawaii Department of Health, and the County of Kauai, is offering vaccine appointments onSaturday, May 8, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Anahola Clubhouse.

Adults over 18 are eligible for this clinic. Participants will be able to choose between the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

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COVID-19 testing at all-time high on Kauai to curb community spread - KHON2

"India is literally gasping for oxygen,"Health Minister Greg Hunt said, beforeannouncingthat the Morrison government wouldquickly send donations of ventilators, masks, goggles and gloves to the country.

The announcement came as India faced a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, with hospitals overrun, oxygen in high demand, and vaccines in short supply.

Closer to home, Australia recentlydonated8,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring Papua New Guinea,strugglingwith its ownoutbreakand with only 500 doctors and fewer than 4,000 nursesto carry the load.

These donations are helpful but they alone are not an effective long-term strategy to fight COVID-19.

What India, Papua New Guinea and many other countries in the developing world need urgently is the ability to make more of their own vaccines, treatmentsand testing kits.

Right now, Australia is on the wrong side of the global tussle over access to the intellectual property to make COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Australia has not supported an Indian and South African proposal at the World Trade Organization that seeks to waive some intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and other medical products.

India's coronavirus surge has broken records, but the numbers reported are widely expected to be under representative of the actual figures.

Known as the "TRIPS waiver",since it seeks to adjust terms of the agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the proposal is backed by more than 100 mostly developing countries.

A small number of countries are stonewalling the proposal, including the United States, the EU and the UK.

Although other factors affect global supply, if this waiver was accepted it would untie the hands of producers everywhere, allowing them to contribute to efforts to massively scale up manufacturing of desperately needed tests, treatments and vaccines worldwide.

Instead of debating about how to ration vaccines better or more equitably, we could be rationing less.

If the TRIPS waiver had been adopted last October when it was first proposed, it could already be giving low and middle-income countries like India the ability to expand the production of life-saving medical products.

The devastating images coming from India over the past few weeks prove that Australia ignores this at its own peril. In this common goal of ending the worst pandemic in a century, no-one is safe until everyone is safe.

Photo by NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images

Recognising the unprecedented nature of the crisis we face, Australian scientists and Nobel LaureatesPeter DohertyandElizabeth Blackburnrecentlyjoinedthe chorus demanding support for a TRIPS waiver, echoingformerworld leaders, USpoliticians, the head of theWorld Health Organization, faith leaders likePopeFrancis, and hundreds ofcivil society organisationsfrom around the world.

From free oxygen tanks andfood drives, to freeing up space formakeshift hospitals, many are helping the needy during India's overwhelming COVID crisis.

Like many other wealthy countries, Australiaprebookedfar more doses than it needed to cover its population of 25 million, placing orders totalling144milliondoses with multiple manufacturers.

In the past few weeks, wealthy countries includingFrance,New ZealandSpainand theUShave begun to donate some of these "surplus" doses to countries in need of vaccines.

The sooner we increase global vaccine supply, the sooner all countries can stop competing against each other for a vaccine supply and can co-operate and even share.

As a part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the heads of government of the US, Australia, Japan and India announced a jointplanto boost vaccine manufacturing and address delivery gaps in the region.

As a part of this effort, in which American vaccines will be manufactured in Indian factories with Japanese financial support, Australia promised $100 million focused on "last mile" distribution in South-East Asia.

Unfortunately, in the face of yawninginequitiesin global access, these kinds of charitable measures won't be enough.

In Australia, where there is limited community spread of the virus, about5 per cent of the populationhas been vaccinated, but that ratio drops to1 in 500in poorer countries. In many countries around the world even front-line health workers may need to wait months for their shot.

The World Trade Organization meets again on the issue in Geneva on Wednesday.

It is not too late for Australia to change course and finally listen to leading experts and elected representatives, by announcing support for the TRIPS waiver.

Akshaya Kumar is crisis advocacy director at Human Rights Watch

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Indian coronavirus outbreak shows Australia is on the wrong side of the global fight over vaccine access - ABC News

There has also been positive news from laboratory studies showing that the two main vaccines being used here, Pfizer and Moderna, are effective against the New York variant, which is responsible for about 40 percent of new cases.

There are many pieces of the puzzle that all seem to be encouraging at this point in time, said Wafaa El-Sadr, an epidemiologist at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Last summer, in the months following the first wave, the daily case count got to below 300 on average. Dr. Chokshi said that he anticipated case counts dropping below 550 a day a threshold the city set as a goal last year by July.

To get there, however, public health officials say they must raise vaccination rates across the city. Pockets with low vaccination rates, they say, could enable localized outbreaks, similar to those that the city saw in 2019 with measles. For that reason, the slow, person-by-person efforts to get people vaccinated must take center stage.

In early April, it was not uncommon for 100,000 vaccine doses to be administered a day in New York City. But the pace of vaccinations has begun to slow over the last two weeks. Distrust of the vaccines is a significant factor. On Monday, 45,000 vaccine doses were administered.

Tomas Ramos, the founder of the Bronx Rising Initiative, which has been organizing pop-up vaccine clinics in low-income areas of the Bronx, said that skepticism about the safety of vaccines, already a hurdle, rose considerably after the federal pause for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 13, with people canceling appointments even for other brands of shots.

In the days following the pause, as a result of six serious cases of blood clotting nationally, only 80 of about 250 people scheduled to receive a dose of the Moderna vaccine at his clinic showed up. We are very microfocused on this population that doesnt trust the government and doesnt trust the vaccine, he said. So this is hurting us a lot.

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New Yorks Spring of Optimism: Finally, the Second Coronavirus Wave Is Ebbing - The New York Times

Funeral pyres burn in a disused granite quarry repurposed to cremate the dead due to COVID-19 on Friday in Bengaluru, India. The U.S. is set to impose new travel restrictions against travelers from the country. Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images hide caption

Funeral pyres burn in a disused granite quarry repurposed to cremate the dead due to COVID-19 on Friday in Bengaluru, India. The U.S. is set to impose new travel restrictions against travelers from the country.

The Biden administration is set to enact a travel ban on any non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents coming to the country from India as multiple coronavirus variants have driven India's COVID-19 outbreak to troubling new heights. The policy will take effect starting on Tuesday, the White House said.

India had already been under a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory from the State Department, which issued or updated scores of travel advisories related to the continued spread of the coronavirus last week. The new ban will take the precaution to a new level.

The policy will not apply to U.S. citizens, a Biden administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Lawful permanent residents and other people with exemptions would also be allowed to travel from India to the United States.

As part of existing restrictions on international passengers, anyone arriving in the U.S. would still be subject to coronavirus testing measures and must enter quarantine if they have not been vaccinated.

The travel ban is being imposed on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

In a statement issued Friday, Psaki said, "The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating" in India.

Like many countries, India dealt with an initial wave of the coronavirus in 2020. But it's now enduring a tsunami of new cases, forcing a shortage of key resources, from hospital space to oxygen tanks.

Unlike some nations that have been able to avoid a new spike in deaths and critical hospitalizations despite recent outbreaks, India is also seeing an unprecedented number of deaths. The country reported nearly 3,500 deaths on Friday alone. And some health professionals allege that local officials have pressured them to underreport COVID-19 deaths, as NPR's Lauren Frayer and Sushmita Pathak reported. Testing kits are also in short supply in India, feeding speculation that the scale of the outbreak is even larger than official reports suggest.

India has been setting, and breaking, world records for the most daily reported COVID-19 cases for the past week as its citizens and public health officials watch infection rates rise at terrifying rates. It reached a new high mark Friday when India's Health Ministry reported 386,453 new infections.

The rate of new cases in India has steadily eclipsed the previous world record of more than 312,000 cases that the U.S. reported in early January. The U.S. remains the country with the most reported COVID-19 cases, with more than 32.3 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. India has reported nearly 18.8 million cases.

The U.S. is sending several emergency relief shipments to India; the State Department said late Thursday night that the first flight landed.

Vice President Harris also told reporters Friday that a plane loaded with aid, including oxygen, was leaving the U.S. for India that night. "We have long-standing, decades-old relationships with India, with the Indian people in particular, around public health issues," Harris said.

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U.S. Will Impose New Ban On Travel From India As Coronavirus Rages - NPR

Uganda will suspend flights to and from India after midnight on Saturday amid the coronavirus surge in the Southeast Asian nation, the country's health ministry said on Friday, two days after neighbouring Kenya did the same.

Also on Friday, a senior Ugandan health official said the country has detected the Indian variant of the novel coronavirus, igniting fears the East African nation could suffer a resurgence of cases just when its outbreak has waned. read more

The head of the African Union's disease control body John Nkengasong told a news conference on Thursday that the raging state of the pandemic is India is a wake-up call for Africa that its governments and citizens must not let their guards down.NL1N2MM0XM

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Uganda to stop flights to and from India amid coronavirus surge - Reuters India

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu attends a news conference for foreign journalists in Taipei, Taiwan April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan's first batch of aid to India to help it fight a surging increase in COVID-19 infections left for New Delhi on Sunday, consisting of 150 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said.

Countries around the world have been rushing to help India alleviate the crisis. India recorded more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time on Saturday as it battles a devastating second wave. read more

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the aid consignment left on a China Airlines (2610.TW) freighter on Sunday morning and would be received by India's Red Cross.

Taiwan will continue to provide aid as needed, it added.

"These oxygen concentrators & cylinders are love from Taiwan. More help for our friends in India is on the way. #IndiaStayStrong!" Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted.

An oxygen concentrator reduces nitrogen from an air supply to produce an oxygen-enriched air supply to a patient.

While India, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, the two have drawn closer in recent years thanks to their shared antipathy of Beijing.

Taiwan sees India as an important like-minded democracy and friend, and there are close cultural and economic links too.

Last year, Taiwan accused Beijing of trying to impose censorship in India after China's embassy in New Delhi advised local journalists to observe the "one-China" principle following advertisements in newspapers that marked Taiwan's national day.

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Taiwan's first batch of COVID-19 aid leaves for India - Reuters India

Just as in November, voters in Texas 6th Congressional District have once again been casting ballots in a special election that concludes Saturday. Montinique Monroe/Getty Images hide caption

Just as in November, voters in Texas 6th Congressional District have once again been casting ballots in a special election that concludes Saturday.

Texans around Dallas will finish going to the polls on Saturday to fill the seat of the late Rep. Ron Wright, deciding from a field of 23 candidates including Wright's widow to replace the Republican in the state's 6th Congressional District.

Wright, a second-term congressman, died in February after being diagnosed with the coronavirus. He was the first sitting member of Congress to have died of the virus.

Now, the race to fill his seat has become one of the year's most closely watched contests, representing the changing demographics of many suburban congressional districts in the South, and the influence of former President Donald Trump.

Recent polls show Susan Wright, wife of the late congressman, narrowly leading the pack. But neither she nor the next leading candidate, Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez, appear set to capture the majority of votes required to win the seat outright.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will go head-to-head in a runoff.

Trump has endorsed Wright in the race, giving her a much-desired boost among conservatives. But the district has trended more blue in recent years.

Last year, according to Ballotpedia, Trump won the district by just 3 percentage points as Ron Wright won it by 9 points.

While Susan Wright and other Republicans are tying themselves to the former president, the field also includes an anti-Trump GOP candidate, Michael Wood.

Wright on Friday reached out to federal law enforcement after her campaign learned of robocalls baselessly claiming she had killed her husband. "There's not a sewer too deep that some politicians won't plumb," she said in a statement.

Early voting for the contest started April 19.

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Voters In Texas's 6th District Will Replace Ron Wright - NPR