Category: Corona Virus

Page 751«..1020..750751752753..760770..»

READ: Trump’s order to temporarily halt immigration amid coronavirus outbreak – CNN

April 23, 2020

SUSPENSION OF ENTRY OF IMMIGRANTS WHO PRESENT A RISK TO THE UNITED STATES LABOR MARKET DURING THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOLLOWING THE 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly disrupted the livelihoods of Americans. In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), I declared that the COVID--19 outbreak in the United States constituted a national emergency, beginning March 1, 2020. Since then, the American people have united behind a policy of mitigation strategies, including social distancing, to flatten the curve of infections and reduce the spread of SARS--CoV--2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This needed behavioral shift has taken a toll on the United States economy, with national unemployment claims reaching historic levels. In the days between the national emergency declaration and April 11, 2020, more than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment.

In the administration of our Nation's immigration system, we must be mindful of the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in an environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labor. We must also conserve critical State Department resources so that consular officers may continue to provide services to United States citizens abroad. Even with their ranks diminished by staffing disruptions caused by the pandemic, consular officers continue to provide assistance to United States citizens, including through the ongoing evacuation of many Americans stranded overseas.

I have determined that, without intervention, the United States faces a potentially protracted economic recovery with persistently high unemployment if labor supply outpaces labor demand. Excess labor supply affects all workers and potential workers, but it is particularly harmful to workers at the margin between employment and unemployment, who are typically "last in" during an economic expansion and "first out" during an economic contraction. In recent years, these workers have been disproportionately represented by historically disadvantaged groups, including African Americans and other minorities, those without a college degree, and the disabled. These are the workers who, at the margin between employment and unemployment, are likely to bear the burden of excess labor supply disproportionately.

Furthermore, lawful permanent residents, once admitted, are granted "open-market" employment authorization documents, allowing them immediate eligibility to compete for almost any job, in any sector of the economy. There is no way to protect already disadvantaged and unemployed Americans from the threat of competition for scarce jobs from new lawful permanent residents by directing those new residents to particular economic sectors with a demonstrated need not met by the existing labor supply. Existing immigrant visa processing protections are inadequate for recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. The vast majority of immigrant visa categories do not require employers to account for displacement of United States workers. While some employment-based visas contain a labor certification requirement, because visa issuance happens substantially after the certification is completed, the labor certification process cannot adequately capture the status of the labor market today. Moreover, introducing additional permanent residents when our healthcare resources are limited puts strain on the finite limits of our healthcare system at a time when we need to prioritize Americans and the existing immigrant population. In light of the above, I have determined that the entry, during the next 60 days, of certain aliens as immigrants would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, hereby find that the entry into the United States of persons described in section 1 of this proclamation would, except as provided for in section 2 of this proclamation, be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions. I therefore hereby proclaim the following:

Section 1. Suspension and Limitation on Entry. The entry into the United States of aliens as immigrants is hereby suspended and limited subject to section 2 of this proclamation.

Sec. 2. Scope of Suspension and Limitation on Entry. (a) The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall apply only to aliens who:

(i) are outside the United States on the effective date of this proclamation;

(ii) do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation; and

(iii) do not have an official travel document other than a visa (such as a transportation letter, an appropriate boarding foil, or an advance parole document) that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation or issued on any date thereafter that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission.

(b) The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to:

(i) any lawful permanent resident of the United States;

(ii) any alien seeking to enter the United States on an immigrant visa as a physician, nurse, or other healthcare professional; to perform medical research or other research intended to combat the spread of COVID-19; or to perform work essential to combating, recovering from, or otherwise alleviating the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees; and any spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old of any such alien who are accompanying or following to join the alien;

(iii) any alien applying for a visa to enter the United States pursuant to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program;

(iv) any alien who is the spouse of a United States citizen;

(v) any alien who is under 21 years old and is the child of a United States citizen, or who is a prospective adoptee seeking to enter the United States pursuant to the IR-4 or IH-4 visa classifications;

(vi) any alien whose entry would further important United States law enforcement objectives, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees, based on a recommendation of the Attorney General or his designee;

(vii) any member of the United States Armed Forces and any spouse and children of a member of the United States Armed Forces;

(viii) any alien seeking to enter the United States pursuant to a Special Immigrant Visa in the SI or SQ classification, subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may impose, and any spouse and children of any such individual; or

(ix) any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees.

Sec. 3. Implementation and Enforcement. (a) The consular officer shall determine, in his or her discretion, whether an immigrant has established his or her eligibility for an exception in section 2(b) of this proclamation. The Secretary of State shall implement this proclamation as it applies to visas pursuant to such procedures as the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, may establish in the Secretary of State's discretion. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall implement this proclamation as it applies to the entry of aliens pursuant to such procedures as the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may establish in the Secretary of Homeland Security's discretion.

(b) An alien who circumvents the application of this proclamation through fraud, willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or illegal entry shall be a priority for removal by the Department of Homeland Security.

(c) Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, consistent with the laws of the United States.

Sec. 4. Termination. This proclamation shall expire 60 days from its effective date and may be continued as necessary. Whenever appropriate, but no later than 50 days from the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor, recommend whether I should continue or modify this proclamation.

Sec. 5. Effective Date. This proclamation is effective at 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on April 23, 2020.

Sec. 6. Additional Measures. Within 30 days of the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall review nonimmigrant programs and shall recommend to me other measures appropriate to stimulate the United States economy and ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of United States workers.

Sec. 7. Severability. It is the policy of the United States to enforce this proclamation to the maximum extent possible to advance the interests of the United States. Accordingly:

(a) if any provision of this proclamation, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby; and

(b) if any provision of this proclamation, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid because of the lack of certain procedural requirements, the relevant executive branch officials shall implement those procedural requirements to conform with existing law and with any applicable court orders.

Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or,

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This proclamation shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Read the original here:

READ: Trump's order to temporarily halt immigration amid coronavirus outbreak - CNN

Donald Trump just threw Georgia’s governor directly under the bus on coronavirus – CNN

April 23, 2020

"I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities which are in violation of the phase one guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia. They're incredible people. I love those people. They are -- they're great. They've been strong, resolute.

But, at the same time, he must do what he thinks is right. I want him to do what he thinks is right, but I disagree with him on what he's doing. But I want to let the governors do -- now, if I see something totally egregious, totally out of line, I'll do. But I think spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlors and barbershops in phase one -- we're going to have phase two very soon -- is just too soon. I think it's too soon.

"And I love the people. I love -- I love those people that use all of those things: the spas and the beauty parlors and barbershops, tattoo parlors. I love them. But they can wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit. Not -- not much. Because safety has to predominate. We have to have that. So I told the governor, very simply, that I disagree with his decision, but he has to do what he thinks is right."

Holy moly.

Now, I have seen a lot of things in politics. And I have seen one politician throw another under the proverbial bus. But I have never seen it happen that badly -- especially when the stakes are so high.

Consider what Trump did in those few sentences:

1) Made clear that Kemp does not have his support for reopening parts of the state's economy, providing him plausible deniability if things turn bad

2) Said Kemp is free to make his own decisions, even if those decisions are -- in Trump's mind -- very bad and wrong

3) Made sure the people of Georgia know he loves them very much, especially those who use nails salons and tattoo parlors

It's an absolutely remarkable bit of political blaming -- made all the worse (or better depending on where you stand) by the fact that Kemp likely went into Wednesday night's coronavirus task force press briefing believing that, even while criticism was mounting, he still had Trump's support to fall back on. It's like a trust fall exercise where the person behind you assures you they will catch you and then not only lets you fall but stomps on you when you are on the ground.

Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who did win Kemp's appointment to the seat, made clear exactly how awkward this whole situation is by putting out a statement that attempted to agree with both Trump and Kemp.

"Of course I support President Trump and I'm proud to serve on his Task Force to re-open America," she said. "And obviously, I support Governor Kemp and his efforts to begin to get Georgians back to work safely." But you can't do that! Because Kemp and Trump support different things when it comes to what's best for Georgia residents!

Given that data, it's a political no-brainer for Trump to saw off the branch that Kemp has walked out on. If Trump was on record as supporting Kemp's decision and, unfortunately, Covid-19 cases began spiking within a few weeks of reopening the state, the blame would be shared by both the governor and the President. Now, with his statement on Thursday, if the worst-case scenario happens, Trump can say something like It's a horrible situation down there in Georgia but you'll remember I told the governor I didn't think he was doing the right thing.

With Trump pulling the rug out from under him, the question now is what Kemp will do. He's got less than 24 hours before his planned reopening of Georgia's economy begins. Does he plow forward under the idea that he's still doing the right thing -- even if the data and the President say he isn't? Or does he try to find a way to claw back his plan? If so, how?

Read the original post:

Donald Trump just threw Georgia's governor directly under the bus on coronavirus - CNN

Arkansas is among states where Republican officials are suspending abortions. : Coronavirus Live Updates – dineshr

April 23, 2020

A federal appeals court says Arkansas can suspend abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.

As non-essential medical procedures are put on hold to help preserve medical supplies like surgical masks and hospital gowns, Republican officials in several states including Arkansas have tried to suspend abortions. Abortion rights opponents argue the procedure should be treated as non-essential.

Reproductive rights groups have accused Republican officials of using the crisis for political purposes. Theyve successfully persuaded courts to block or scale back pandemic-related abortion bans in most states, including Ohio and Alabama. Advocates point to statements from major medical groups who say the procedure is time-sensitive and shouldnt be delayed.

But now, in a reversal of a lower-court decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit says Arkansas can suspend abortions during the pandemic. In the opinion, a federal judge writes

Patients also have been turned away for the procedure in states including Texas, where abortion rights advocates have been engaged in multiple rounds of legal wrangling with the states governor and attorney general. In the aftermath of the ban in Texas, Planned Parenthood has reported a more than seven-fold increase in patients traveling to clinics in nearby states for abortions.

Read the original here:

Arkansas is among states where Republican officials are suspending abortions. : Coronavirus Live Updates - dineshr

Three months in: A timeline of how COVID-19 has unfolded in the US – USA TODAY

April 23, 2020

It was three months ago Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first confirmed coronavirus case in the U.S.

In the weeks since, health officials have confirmed hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 cases across the nation and tens of thousands of deaths. Millions more Americans have lost their jobs, and tens of millions are living under stay-at-home orders.

As we continue to learn more about the virusand grapple with the affects of the pandemic, here's a look back on how the outbreak began, and how it has unfolded in the U.S. so far.

The CDC began implementing public health entry screening at San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK)and Los Angeles (LAX) airports. The CDC would later add screening at two more airports Atlanta (ATL) and Chicago (ORD).

The CDC confirmed the first U.S. case of a new coronavirus that had killed six people so far in China. The Washington state man in his 30s returned from Wuhana week earlier, on Jan. 15. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, called the news "concerning," particularly in light of reports that the virus has begun to spread from person to person.

Chinese authorities locked down at least three cities with a combined population of more than 18 million in an unprecedented effort to contain the virusduring the busy Lunar New Year travel period.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization declined to categorize the coronavirus as a global health emergency, saying there is no evidence of human-to-human infection outside China.

French health officials confirmed the first three cases in Europe.

In China, the Lunar New Year holiday began. Public transportation halted for roughly 36 million people in 13 cities in central China, including Wuhan. Authorities in Wuhan said they were constructing a 1,000-bed hospital like one built in Beijing during a SARS outbreak, a similar respiratory virus.

President Donald Trump thanked China on Twitterfor its efforts to contain the disease. "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!" he said in a post.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged the Trump administration to declare a public health emergency and sent a letter to the CDC requesting information about the agencys plan to combat the virus. "We have to get serious about the threat of coronavirus coming from China," Scott said in a press release.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, comments on the risk to Americans."We don't want the American public to be worried about this because their risk is low," Fauci said."On the other hand, we are taking this very seriously and are dealing very closely with Chinese authorities."

Many health professionals argued that the flu poses a greater threat than the coronavirus.

Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services and chairman of the coronavirus task force, told reporters during a press briefing that the U.S. has "been monitoring this virus and preparing a response since back in December."

The first group ofpassengers returned to the U.S. fromChina. They were expected to remain under observation for up to three days as they were screened, a CDC official said. The American passengers flew into California from Wuhan, with a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, where they had also been screened.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a "public health emergency of international concern." Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO,praised China for its quick response to the crisis, saying the emergency declaration "is not a vote of no confidence in China."

Medical staff in protective clothes are seen carrying a patient from an apartment suspected of having the virus in Wuhan, in Hubei province on January 30, 2020.HECTOR RETAMAL, AFP via Getty Images

The CDC reportedthat thefirst case of person-to-person transmission in the U.S. is the husband of a Chicago woman who developed symptoms after visiting China. "We understand this may be concerning, but based on what we know now, our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low,"said Robert Redfield, director of the CDC.

The Trump administration declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency in the United States, setting quarantines of Americans who have recently been to certain parts of China. CDC officials said it was the first quarantine order issued by the federal government in over 50 years.

Azar also announced a temporary suspension of entry into the United States of foreign nationals who had been in China in the previous 14 days.The ban was effective Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, officials began funneling all flights from China to the U.S. to one of seven airports that were designated ports of entry: New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

The outbreak had infected nearly 12,000 people, most of them in China, and killed more than 250 people, all in China.

A 44-year-old Chinese man hospitalized in the Philippines became the first known fatality outside China from the new virus that has killed more than 300 people.

Autopsies on the bodies of two people who died at home on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 showed they were positive for the virus, a California county announced April 21.

Previously, the first U.S. death had been thought to occur Feb. 29 outside Seattle. The autopsy findings revealed that the virus may have been spreading in U.S. communites earlier than previously known. Thetwo people died during a time when very limited testing was available only through the CDC, and the agency's testing criteria restricted testing to only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms.

TheChinese doctor who was reprimanded by security police for warning fellow doctors about the initial coronavirus outbreak died of the illness.

In the U.S., Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that his departmentfacilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the China, including "masks, gowns, gauze, respiratorsand other vital materials."

A USA TODAY analysis later finds thatAmerican companies sold more than $17.5 million worth of face masks, more than $13.6 million in surgical garments and more than $27.2 million in ventilators to China during the first two months of the year, far exceeding that of any other similar period in the past decade.

The WHO announced a formal name for the coronavirus COVID-19. Meanwhile, China reported its highest daily coronavirus death toll, the 103 additional fatalities pushing the total past 1,100. "With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world," WHO'sDr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The CDC confirmed the 13th U.S. coronavirus case, and about 800 Americans evacuated from Wuhan remain under quarantine. At a rally in New Hampshire,Trumpsaidthat,"in theory" once the weather warms up,"the virus" will "miraculously" go away.

A 60-year-old U.S. citizen became what appears to be the first American fatality from the global virus outbreak. The American victim, who was not identified, died in China after being diagnosed with the coronavirus in Wuhan, according to the U.S. Embassy.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters that U.S. health officials are preparing for the coronavirus to become a pandemic. "We're not seeing community spread here in the United States, yet, but its very possible, even likely, that it may eventually happen,"she said.

Schools, businesses and restaurantswere closed in a dozen northern Italian towns following reports of two deaths tied to an outbreak of the coronavirus in the region. The virus would begin to spread rapidly through Europe and Iran.

The CDC confirmed an infection in California that would represent the first U.S. person to contract the virus despite not visiting a foreign country recently or coming in contact with an infected patient. This brings the number of coronavirus cases detected in the U.S. to 15, with 12 of them related to travel and the other two to direct contact with a patient.

Meanwhile, Trump announced that Vice President Mike Pence would lead the administration's coronavirus response. "We're very, very ready for this," Trump said at a press conference. "The risk to the American people remains very low."

Messonnier told reporters that the CDChas taken steps to address problems with flawed test kits mailed to state and local labs. The agency has also expanded criteria for coronavirus testing.

In an effort to increase testing, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would be opening up its emergency authorization process to allow new testing technologies at hospitals and health care facilities nationwide.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams echoed CDC guidance encouraging Americans not to buy face masks needed by medical professionals."They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk," he said on Twitter.

A man in Washington state died after contracting the coronavirus what was initially thought to be the first death from the new disease in the U.S.Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in Washington hours later, saying that the outbreak "could likely be a worldwide pandemic."

While touring the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Trump told reporters: "Anybody that wants a test can get a test. Thats what the bottom line is."

Trump addressed the nation on the coronavirus outbreak andoutlined strict travel restrictions on passengers arriving in the United States from hard-hit portions of Europe. Three days later, he added the United Kingdom and Ireland to the ban.

The WHO declared that the spread of COVID-19 hadbecome a pandemic, which theorganization has definedas "the worldwide spread of a new disease." Infections outside China have increased 13-fold in two weeks, WHO's director general said. In that same time, the number of countries hit by the outbreak has tripled.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the testing logjam constitutes a "failing" of the nation's health care system. "The idea of anybody getting (a coronavirus test) easily, the way people in other countries are doing it we're not set up for that," Faucitold Congress. "That is a failing."

Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic to be a national emergency. Trump said the movewouldfree up nearly $50 billion in additional disaster funding and would allow HHS to waive regulations and laws to deliver coronavirus testing quicker.

Trumpissued guidelines that called for Americans to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people for the next 15 daysand to limit discretionary travel, among other guidelines. Trump said the country may be dealing with a number of restrictions through July or August as a result of the virus. He acknowledged the economy may be heading into a recession.

Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a wartime authority that allows him to direct industry to produce critical equipment.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that viable virus could be detected up to three hours later in the air, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

A CDCreportfoundthat among the roughly 12% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. known to need hospitalizations, about 1 in 5 were among people ages 20 to 44.

China reportedno newdomestic cases on the mainland only cases in people returning from abroad.

The International Olympic Committee and Japanese government agreed to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics "to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021" due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It is the first time in modern Olympic history that a global health issue has disrupted the Games.

The U.S. surged past China and Italy to become the planet's most infected nation. More than 1,296 people had died in the U.S.

President Donald Trump signed the largest stimulus package in U.S. history.The stimulus package was expected to provide $1,200 checks to many Americans and more for families while making available hundreds of billions of dollars for companies to maintain payroll through the crisis.

Trump alsoordered his administration to use its authority under the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to expedite government contracts to build ventilators.

The CDC issued a request asking residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to curtail nonessential travel for 14 days.

Meanwhile,an infant younger than one year who tested positive for the virus in Chicago died.

Trump announcedthat the White House would be extending its social distancing guidelines through April 30. "The peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks," Trump said. "Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won." Trump said that he expects that, by June 1, "we will be well on our way to recovery."

The worldregisteredmore than 1 million confirmed casesin less than five months. In reality,that markwas crossed much earlier because many more people have the virus but were not tested.

In the U.S., arecord 6.65 million Americans filed first-time jobless claims the previous week, the Labor Department said. That number would later be revised up by 219,000 to an all-time high of 6.86 million.

The Trump administration advisedpeople to start wearing face masks in public to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a reversal on previous guidance that urged people not to wear masks.

The city of Wuhan was lit up after midnight to celebrate the lifting of a 76-day lockdown.

More than 2,000 people in the U.S. died of coronavirus on Good Friday, a new daily high in the nation's fight against COVID-19. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said that the U.S. has not "reached the peak" of the pandemic but that there were "encouraging" signs that the curves were flattening or lowering.

The United States passed Italy to become the country with the most coronavirus deaths. However, as a proportion of the total population in the U.S., virus deaths remain at about one-sixth of those in hard-hit Italy or Spain.More than 19,700 people in the U.S. had died due to complications from the coronavirus.Worldwide, the death count surpassed 104,000.

All 50 statesreported at least one death, and more than 23,000 Americans died. President Donald Trump said his administration will "halt" funding to the WHOas it conducts a review of the global organization's handling of the pandemic.

Demonstrators drove thousands of vehiclesto Michigan's state Capitol, protesting the state'sstay-at-home order. Protests also erupted in Kentucky, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

The White House issued guidelines to states aimed at easing social distancing restrictions and reopening parts of the country. About 14% of the U.S. workforce hadfiled for unemployment in the past month.

The governors of Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia announced various measures aimed at easing restrictions on some businesses in their states.

LabCorp, a global life sciences company based in North Carolina, received FDA authorization for kits that enable people to collect nasal swab samples at home and mail them to a laboratory for testing.

PHOTOS Getty Images, AP; GRAPHICSKarl Gelles, Jim Sergent, Mitchell Thorsonand Veronica Bravo/USA TODAY

Read the rest here:

Three months in: A timeline of how COVID-19 has unfolded in the US - USA TODAY

World Health Organization warns: Coronavirus remains ‘extremely dangerous’ and ‘will be with us for a long time’ – CNBC

April 23, 2020

The World Health Organization warned world leaders Wednesday that they will need to manage around the coronavirus for the foreseeable future as cases level off or decline in some countries, while peaking in others and resurging in areas where the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to be under control.

"Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time,"WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference at the agency's headquarters in Geneva.

While social distancing measures put in place in numerous countries to slow the spread of the coronavirus have been successful, the virus remains "extremely dangerous," Tedros said. Current data show "most of the world's population remains susceptible," he said, meaning outbreaks can easily "reignite."

"People in countries with stay-at-home orders are understandably frustrated with being confined to their homes for weeks on end. People understandably want to get on with their lives," he said. "But the world will not and can not go back to the way things were. There must be a new normal."

The coronavirushas infected more than 2.5 million people worldwide and killed at least 178,845 since it emerged almost four months ago,according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

WHOofficials have previously said partisan politics anda lack of global solidarity are helping to fuel the coronavirus pandemic, urging countries to work together asCovid-19 continues to spread throughout the world.

WHO said Wednesday officials are seeing a number of countries that appeared to be successful in stopping the virus now reporting a resurgence in cases again."And that's because a large proportion of the population does remain susceptible," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, told reporters.

In some regions, such as North America and Europe, public health officials are also seeing "devastating" outbreaks inside long-term care facilities, WHO officials said.

"As long as the virus is here, there's always an opportunity for that to happen,"said Dr.Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies program. "It is very difficult to reduce that risk to zero. Each country is going to have to look at how we can minimize bringing the disease into such a setting."

Ryan also said it's important to have clear communication between government officials and the general population, who need to understand why they are doing certain actions.

Symptoms of the coronavirus can include a sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, fever or pneumonia and can progress to multiple organ failure or even death in some cases, according to WHO. The median time from the first sign of symptoms to recovery for mild cases is approximately two weeks and between three to six weeks for patients with severe or critical disease, according to the WHO, citing early data from China. It can take up to eight weeks for someone to die from the virus, research shows.

Last week, WHO said there's no evidence serological tests can show whether a person has immunity or is no longer at risk of becoming reinfected.

Kerkhove said WHO officials discovered many countries suggesting these tests would be able to "capture what they think will be a measure of immunity."

--CNBC'sNoah Higgins-Dunn contributed to this report.

Original post:

World Health Organization warns: Coronavirus remains 'extremely dangerous' and 'will be with us for a long time' - CNBC

Netflix Plans To Sell Bonds After Adding Millions of Subscribers : Coronavirus Live Updates – NPR

April 23, 2020

Tiger King is one of the streaming service's smash hits during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced billions globally to remain home. Netflix/Courtesy of Netflix hide caption

Tiger King is one of the streaming service's smash hits during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced billions globally to remain home.

A day after the eye-popping announcement that nearly 16 million new subscribers signed up for Netflix in the first quarter of the year, the video streaming giant said it wants to take on more debt so it can acquire and produce more content.

The company plans to offer $1 billion in new bond sales, according to a Netflix statement on Wednesday. Proceeds will go towards items including potential acquisitions, strategic transactions and general corporate business.

Netflix has been one of the rare businesses that has flourished during the coronavirus pandemic as billions of people worldwide are stuck at home and are turning to streaming services for entertainment or a brief escape from reality.

As Bloomberg News reports, Netflix is sitting on a record level of cash and generated more money than it spent running business operations in the first quarter for the first time in six years.

The company also sought $2 billion in bond sales in October.

Netflix has been bolstered by hits like Tiger King and Love Is Blind and announced on Tuesday that it has $162 million in free cash flow. However, this comes in part from halting most production due to the pandemic.

"When it comes to production, almost all filming has now been stopped globally," except in a few countries including Korea and Iceland, Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.

"This has been devastating for millions of workers in the TV and film industry electricians, hair and make-up artists, carpenters and drivers who are often paid hourly wages and work project-to-project," the company said.

Netflix also said it gained 15.8 million net subscribers in the first quarter of the year, though it projects slower growth in subscribers for the next three months, anticipating 7.5 million in what it calls "global paid additions."

Still, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said in a Netflix Q1 2020 Earnings Interview that even with the recent growth in subscribers, it's difficult to know when the company will be able to start new projects because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's super hard to say if there's strategic long-term implications," Hastings said, because "we've just been scrambling to keep our service running well."

Still, he added, "Our small contribution in these difficult times is to make home confinement a little more bearable."

NPR's Shannon Bond contributed to this report.

See original here:

Netflix Plans To Sell Bonds After Adding Millions of Subscribers : Coronavirus Live Updates - NPR

Facebook has released a map of coronavirus symptoms crowdsourced from its users – MIT Technology Review

April 23, 2020

Whats new: Facebook has released a map showing the proportion of people who say they have experienced coronavirus symptoms in each state in the US. The data was gathered from more than one million Facebook users who filled in a survey created by Carnegie Mellon University about whether they were experiencing symptoms like a cough or a fever. The map, which goes down to county level, will be updated every day. Facebook says it will create similar maps for other countries in the coming days and weeks, also based on survey responses.

How it could be used: Knowing who is experiencing symptoms and where could help health officials and governments to prepare for surges of hospital cases and decide where to allocate resources like ventilators, face masks, and personal protective equipment. Given the shortage of tests, and long delays for results, this map could be useful in helping to predict where covid-19 hot spots are forming across the US.

Limitations: Obviously, the map is only as good as the data thats used to create it, and as you can see for yourself, vast swaths of the map dont have enough participants to yield reliable data. The map is part of Facebooks work with CMU and the CDC to predict the coronaviruss spread.

More:

Facebook has released a map of coronavirus symptoms crowdsourced from its users - MIT Technology Review

Can Colleges Survive Coronavirus If They Stay Closed In The Fall? – NPR

April 23, 2020

Most campuses in the United States are sitting empty. Courses are online, students are at home. And administrators are trying to figure out how to make the finances of that work.

"The math is not pretty," says Robert Kelchen, who studies higher ed finance at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. "Colleges are stressed both on the revenue side and on the expenditure side."

On one end of the equation, colleges are spending money to take classes online, in some situations purchasing software, training professors or outsourcing to online-only institutions. That's on top of refunds for room and board and parts of tuition. On the other side, money isn't coming back in, in the form of expected tuition and revenue from events such as athletics, conferences on campus and summer camps. College endowments, which can sometimes offer some insulation from hard financial times, have also taken a hit.

"This will touch every sector of higher education. Every size of institution, every region of the country," says Dominique Baker, a professor of education policy at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

And it already has. The University of Michigan estimates it may lose up to $1 billion by the end of the year. For the University of Kentucky, it's $70 million. Hundreds of schools including some with endowments of more than a billion dollars, like Duke University, Virginia Tech and Brown have announced hiring freezes. Other institutions have cut pay and have laid off staff and contractors. In Vermont, state officials have floated potential college shutdowns.

Despite the fact that no institution will be spared, says Baker, the pandemic will affect different institutions in disproportionate ways. "For some colleges, this is an existential threat that means they'll have to close," she says, while others will have the financial backing to weather the storm. What keeps her up at night? Those institutions that serve more vulnerable populations and are in more remote or rural places. Because, she says, they have the potential to feel the financial pain even more. There, students rely on colleges for services such as health care, campus jobs, child care and free food. Baker says those places, which have already been largely underfunded, will be hard-pressed to stay afloat.

The federal government did attempt a buoy: In the CARES relief package passed in March, Congress allocated about $14 billion for colleges and universities, though many have said that's not enough. "Woefully inadequate" is what the American Council on Education called it. The group, along with 40 other higher education organizations, have lobbied Congress for about $46 billion more. And that's a conservative ask, they say.

Additional state funding for higher education also seems unlikely, considering revenues are way down across the country from an economy on hold. In most states, funding for higher education isn't constitutionally required, so when states are strapped to balance their budgets, it's often an easy target. "When state budgets take a hit, higher ed really takes a hit," says Kelchen. This happened in the last recession, more than a decade ago, and in many places, state funding for higher education never rebounded.

With less funding, colleges have continued to lean on tuition. But over the past eight years, college enrollment nationwide has fallen about 11%. Every sector public state schools, community colleges, for-profits and private liberal arts schools has felt the decline. Over the years, international students, who often pay full tuition, have helped. But now with travel restrictions in play, schools are expecting very few of them this fall.

And we're still waiting for colleges to answer the biggest question: What will the fall look like?

"I don't think there's any scenario under which it's business as usual on American college campuses in the fall," says Nicholas Christakis, a sociologist and physician at Yale University who is studying how the coronavirus spreads. "This idea that we can somehow just get back to normal and go back to school in the fall, because we always have, it's not reasonable, actually. I think we're going to have to figure out other ways of doing this."

Colleges need to have a contingency plan ready, says Bryan Alexander, an educational futurist at Georgetown University. The pandemic, he says, is "going to change things, and the degree depends on the shape of the pandemic in the fall semester."

There are many ways a reconstructed fall might look, including the option of continuing everything online, though many colleges that teach in-person still think of that as a last resort. They cite online learning growing pains and an ambivalent faculty. Plus there's some fear that students and their families won't be willing to pay as much for an online offering. Among the ideas being floated for tweaking the in-person model is changing the traditional academic calendar. Instead of starting in August or September, school might open in October or even January. Instead of 16-week semesters, colleges could shift to quarter systems or even shorter, four-week courses to allow flexibility.

Others have floated a hybrid model, with some smaller classes remaining in-person and larger classes going online. Kim Weeden, a sociologist at Cornell, along with colleague Benjamin Cornwell, set out to study this idea using network modeling on enrollment data on Cornell. She was hoping that if they eliminated large lecture classes, students would have less interaction with each other. It turns out, it didn't matter. The close-knit community often touted as the hallmark of residential campuses persisted. The researchers found that tight networks existed regardless.

"Just eliminating those 100-person or more classes didn't seem to reduce the small-world nature of the network all that much," Weeden says. Their research which was published recently in a white paper, but not peer reviewed was only looking at classes and didn't factor in dorm life or campus events such as social gatherings and athletics.

"There's just so much uncertainty," says Weeden. "You know, a big piece of this, of course, is whether there is going to be [coronavirus] testing available and what those tests can and cannot tell us. And you know, everybody wants to know the answer to that question."

Still, some colleges will be affected less, says Christakis. He points to urban campuses or community colleges that have a large number of commuter students without a residential component. Those schools may be able to thin out the number of students in a classroom and space out when those classes are offered, in order to cut down on crowding and adhere to a semblance of social distancing.

For residential colleges, the question is even harder, since opening campus is more than just classes it's students living in close quarters, often in a dorm. College campuses are also ripe for outbreaks if the disease doesn't fade, like we've seen happen in the past.

With that risk comes liability. If an outbreak occurred on campus, could the administration be on the hook for lawsuits?

Still, very few colleges are publicly admitting other options. Cal State Fullerton announced Monday that it was assuming it would be virtual in the fall. "Of course that could change," said the school's provost, Pamella Oliver, in a virtual town hall, "but at this point that's what we're thinking." Boston University shared that it was making plans in the event it couldn't reopen come fall, and the story gained worldwide attention. The school has since backpedaled and clarified, announcing that "Boston University is planning to resume its on-campus, residential program in the fall of 2020, following the recommended best health practices around the coronavirus pandemic."

In an environment with declining enrollments, says Alexander, schools are competitive. If one school announces plans to remain online, another might flaunt its gorgeous campus in an attempt to steal away students. Every student who agrees to enroll matters in this environment, he says, and higher ed isn't big on working collaboratively.

Planning in the background, without making any public declarations, seems to be the winning play right now.

"I think we're still 50/50 on whether the fall semester looks normal," says W. Joseph King, the president of Lyon College, a small private school in Arkansas. There, he says, his administration is currently planning two, very different options: the typical residential experience they've always had, or a totally virtual one. Regardless of what happens, there's really no scenario, King says, where it doesn't hurt financially. "We're not in a situation where we've been running a surplus," he says. The college has long struggled with its endowment and enrollment, but this spring, he says, was actually shaping up to be pretty good: The number of students who have committed and sent in deposits is higher than expected.

"But the question is, do those deposits, those intentions that we've heard so far, ring true to a final decision?" he says, So much can happen over the summer, especially given how much economic uncertainty and disruption families are facing. Will students actually be there in the fall? That's the question every college in America is wondering right now.

More here:

Can Colleges Survive Coronavirus If They Stay Closed In The Fall? - NPR

28000 Missing Deaths: Tracking the True Toll of the Coronavirus Crisis – The New York Times

April 21, 2020

At least 28,000 more people have died during the coronavirus pandemic over the last month than the official Covid-19 death counts report, a review of mortality data in 11 countries shows providing a clearer, if still incomplete, picture of the toll of the crisis.

In the last month, far more people died in these countries than in previous years, The New York Times found. The totals include deaths from Covid-19 as well as those from other causes, likely including people who could not be treated as hospitals became overwhelmed.

Note: Excess deaths are estimates that include deaths from Covid-19 and other causes. Reported Covid-19 deaths reflect official coronavirus deaths during the period when mortality data is available. In England and Wales, the Covid-19 deaths reflect the revised death figures from the Office of National Statistics. Istanbul reported deaths include those for all of Turkey, as city-level data has not been made public.

These numbers undermine the notion that many people who have died from the virus may soon have died anyway. In Paris, more than twice the usual number of people have died each day, far more than the peak of a bad flu season. In New York City, the number is now four times the normal amount.

Of course, mortality data in the middle of a pandemic is not perfect. The disparities between the official death counts and the total rise in deaths most likely reflect limited testing for the virus, rather than intentional undercounting. Officially, about 165,000 people have died worldwide of the coronavirus as of Tuesday.

But the total death numbers offer a more complete portrait of the pandemic, experts say, especially because most countries report only those Covid-19 deaths that occur in hospitals.

Whatever number is reported on a given day is going to be a gross underestimate, said Tim Riffe, a demographer at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany. In a lot of places the pandemic has been going on for long enough that there has been sufficient time for late death registrations to come in, giving us a more accurate picture of what the mortality really was.

The differences are particularly stark in countries that have been slow to acknowledge the scope of the problem. Istanbul, for example, recorded about 2,100 more deaths than expected from March 9 through April 12 roughly double the number of coronavirus deaths the government reported for the entire country in that period.

Source: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. | Note: Data for the first weeks are excluded, as they may represent partial weeks.

The increase in deaths in mid-March suggests that many people who died had been infected in February, weeks before Turkey officially acknowledged its first case.

In March, the Indonesian government attributed 84 deaths to the coronavirus in Jakarta. But over 1,000 people more than normal were buried in Jakarta cemeteries that month, according to data from the citys Department of Parks and Cemeteries. (The data was first reported by Reuters).

2010-2019

monthly average

2010-2019

monthly average

2010-2019

monthly average

Source: Jakarta Department of Parks and Cemeteries.

We estimated the excess mortality for each country by comparing the number of people who died from all causes this year with the historical average during the same period. The Economist is also tracking these deaths, known as excess deaths, in this way.

In many European countries, recent data show 20 to 30 percent more people have been dying than normal. That translates to tens of thousands of more deaths.

19,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

16,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 7 to Apr. 10

13,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

19,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

16,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 7 to Apr. 10

13,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

19,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

16,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 7 to Apr. 10

13,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

19,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

16,700+ excess deaths from Mar. 7 to Apr. 10

13,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

Notes: Data from weeks 1, 52 and 53 are excluded, as they may represent partial weeks.

In some countries, the authorities are trying to clarify how many excess deaths should be attributed to Covid-19, either by including deaths outside hospitals in their daily totals or by retroactively adjusting death tolls once death certificates are processed.

In France, officials began including Covid-19 deaths outside hospitals in early April. And Britains Office for National Statistics has started to release mortality data that reflects when Covid-19 is mentioned on a death certificate, providing a more accurate albeit delayed account of the pandemic than the figures released each day by Public Health England.

Deviations from normal patterns of deaths have been confirmed in many European countries, according to data released by the European Mortality Monitoring Project, a research group that collects weekly mortality data from 24 European countries.

4,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

2,300+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 12

1,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

4,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 12

2,300+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

4,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 12

2,300+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

4,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,100+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 12

2,300+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

1,000+ excess deaths from Mar. 9 to Apr. 5

Notes: Data from weeks 1, 52 and 53 are excluded as they are incomplete in certain years.

It is unusual for mortality data to be released so quickly, demographers say, but many countries are working to provide more comprehensive and timely information because of the urgency of the coronavirus outbreak. The data is limited and, if anything, excess deaths are underestimated because not all deaths have been reported.

At this stage, its a partial snapshot, said Patrick Gerland, a demographer at the United Nations. Its one view of the problem that reflects that most acute side of the situation, primarily through the hospital-based system.

That is likely to change.

In the next couple of months, Mr. Gerland said, a much clearer picture will be possible.

Age breakdowns in mortality data could provide an even clearer picture of the role of Covid-19 in excess deaths. In Sweden, for example, a high mortality rate among men age 80 and older accounted for the largest increase in deaths, suggesting that the overall numbers understate the severity of the outbreak for older people in particular.

Even taking into account the new numbers, experts say the death toll to date could have been much worse.

Todays rise in all-cause mortality takes place under conditions of extraordinary measures, such as social distancing, lockdowns, closed borders and increased medical care, at least some which have positive impacts, said Vladimir Shkolnikov, a demographer at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. It is likely that without these measures, the current death toll would be even higher.

The rest is here:

28000 Missing Deaths: Tracking the True Toll of the Coronavirus Crisis - The New York Times

F.D.A. Approves First In-Home Test for Coronavirus – The New York Times

April 21, 2020

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it had granted emergency approval to the first in-home test for the coronavirus, a nasal swab kit that will be sold by LabCorp.

The agency said that LabCorp had submitted data showing the home test is as safe and accurate as a sample collection at a doctors office, hospital or other testing site.

With this action, there is now a convenient and reliable option for patient sample collection from the comfort and safety of their home, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner, said in a statement.

Patients will swab their own nose using a testing kit sent by the company, and will mail it in an insulated package back to the company. The test, called the Pixel, will be available to consumers in most states, with a doctors order, the agency said.

LabCorp said that it would first make the tests available to health care workers and emergency workers who may have been exposed to Covid-19 or be symptomatic, and that it would be making the self-collection kits available to consumers in the coming weeks. The company also noted that because the tests are done by consumers in their own home, it would cut down on the demand for masks and other protective equipment that is usually needed to collect testing specimens.

The company said the test will cost $119. Consumers will have to pay out of pocket for the test, a company spokesman said, and see if their insurer will reimburse them.

As the virus spread in the United States, several companies rushed unauthorized home kits to the market, even though the F.D.A. had said it had not evaluated whether they worked properly.

Many of those companies then suspended their marketing of the kits. But one company, Vault, which normally sells testosterone to men, began advertising a Covid-19 kit using saliva on April 14. The F.D.A. has not approved that company to sell a testing kit, and a notice on Vaults website said the tests are currently unavailable until at least Wednesday.

More here:

F.D.A. Approves First In-Home Test for Coronavirus - The New York Times

Page 751«..1020..750751752753..760770..»