Category: Covid-19

Health officials are concerned the number of Americans dying from the coronavirus will increase in the coming weeks following Thanksgiving gatherings.

John Hopkins University says more than 2,000 Americans died Tuesday from the virus.

Doctors say even small gatherings are shown to be some of the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 and warn that a negative test does not give you the green light. They say you may test negative at first after an exposure, but test positive in a few days.

The country continues to wait for a new stimulus bill to be passed.

Congress is on a Thanksgiving break until Nov. 30.But some states like Minnesota are working on their own stimulus bills.

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COVID-19 Deaths Expected to Rise After Thanksgiving - 9 & 10 News - 9&10 News

President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks about the economy on Nov. 16, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris looks on. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks about the economy on Nov. 16, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris looks on.

Multiple coronavirus vaccines appear to be on the horizon, but the U.S. economy is on shaky footing, and before those vaccines are expected to become widely available, millions of Americans could first fall off an economic cliff.

Some 12 million people are expected to lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas, and moratoriums on evictions and student debt payments are set to expire at the end of the year.

Yet Congress has been unable to reach a compromise that would alleviate that economic hardship. Despite months of on-and-off negotiations, Republicans and Democrats haven't agreed on the terms of another COVID-19 relief bill.

Then, last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Federal Reserve it must wind down a series of pandemic lending programs. Congress had given the Treasury Department $454 billion in the spring to backstop the Fed on emergency loans. Much of that money had remained untapped, and, in theory, could have been used by the Biden administration. But by ordering the Fed to return the money, the Trump administration is essentially tying the incoming administration's hands.

The focus for immediate aid is back to legislative action. Last week, in his first economic speech since the election, President-elect Joe Biden urged lawmakers to step up.

"Right now, Congress should come together and pass a COVID relief package like the HEROES Act that the [Democratic-led] House passed six months ago," Biden said.

The sticking point is that Democrats want over $2 trillion in economic assistance. Republicans insist the economy is doing significantly better than it was when Congress passed the CARES Act in March. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has called for $500 billion in new relief.

A question for Biden and his team is whether they should be encouraging Democrats to move quickly, to deliver aid faster, even if that means accepting a smaller deal. The dilemma is testing how he's able to influence Congress before he's sworn in to office.

On Friday, Biden met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to discuss an emergency aid package during the lame-duck session. A Biden spokesman rejected the idea that Biden is actively encouraging a smaller deal and says the president-elect "fully supports the speaker and leader in negotiations" with Republicans in Congress and in the White House.

But there's an open debate in Democratic circles about priorities for relief.

Jared Bernstein who was chief economist for Vice President Biden during the last recession and is now a transition adviser told reporters in a Q&A with the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing that typically an incoming administration would wait until it's officially in charge to put its fingerprints on policies.

"That's certainly what we did in the Obama administration where we had the Recovery Act in the field a month after President Obama took office," he said.

But Bernstein says the current environment is different.

"You hear the president-elect saying this is something that should happen now, and the reason is because the economy is at a very precarious moment," he said.

Bernstein says there are three primary factors to consider in framing a new stimulus package size, composition and speed. He singled one out.

"Composition is important, size is very important, but speed is so essential right now," he said in the SABEW interview.

It's a receptive argument for Jason Furman, who was a chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration.

"I think a meaningful something is a lot better than nothing, and holding out for more is a strategy to prolong suffering," he said in an interview with NPR.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's a debate within Biden world of, '$500 billion sort of sucks but we may not be able to do better, and this means like the economy will be better under us,' " Furman imagined. "'And we don't need to take ownership for it' ... versus other people who won't want to look like they're party to a cave even before he's in office."

It would be complicated for some Democrats to look like they're giving in. But regardless, Harry Reid, who was Senate majority leader during the 2009 negotiations, says rarely does Congress pass much legislation around the holidays.

"I think it will be very difficult to get a meaningful relief bill done before Jan. 20," Reid said, referring to Inauguration Day.

Reid believes the dynamic will shift in Biden's favor once President Trump is no longer in office and McConnell will face more pressure from the public.

"I think it will put some wind under the wings of McConnell not to be the Grim Reaper," he said.

Reid thinks if anyone could work with Republicans to pass more aid, it'd probably be Biden. Reid helped Biden push through the last major stimulus bill under a Democratic administration. But back then, in 2009, Democrats controlled the Senate, whereas now control of the chamber depends on two Georgia runoffs in early January. And by then, regardless of which party wins those races, the economy could be even shakier.

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How Biden And Democrats Are Thinking About More COVID Relief - NPR

There were more than 144,000 new cases of Covid-19 reported among children last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said Monday.

Over the last two weeks, there has been a 28% increase in child Covid-19 cases and children now account for more than 11% of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, according to the AAP.

About 144,145 new cases among children 17 and under were reported from November 5 to 19, AAP said.

Now doctors are pleading for Americans to stay home to avoid a similar fate next year.

"What most concerns me now is, you know, the immediate situation with people traveling from different places, coming home for Thanksgiving," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an interview with the PBS Newshour.

"When you leave a location and have to go to an airport or wherever it is, a train station, etc., the possibility of exposing yourself and then going home to your home community for a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving holiday might actually, unfortunately, be a source of, or even amplification of, the surge."

Nationwide, new Covid-19 hospitalizations are soaring at unprecedented rates -- threatening reduced care for even those who don't have coronavirus.

"Look, the virus doesn't care how much you love people," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine. "So let's stay safe this year."

"This Thanksgiving is going to suck a bit. We need to be careful, and we need to take care of each other, which means we should really have Thanksgiving for people that we live with."

Millions of travelers ignore CDC's guidance

"What is at stake is the increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then being hospitalized and dying around the holidays," said Dr. Henry Walke, Covid-19 incident manager for the CDC.

Yet more than 1 million travelers passed through security at America's airports on Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

That's the second day since Friday that more than 1 million passengers traveled through airports.

"These people are infecting each other, and they're going to infect the people that they're having Thanksgiving with. And there will be consequences in terms of disease and death as a result of what you're seeing today."

Testing can be very helpful for finding positive cases, so the infected person knows to stay home and isolate.

People who recover still have 'post-Covid syndrome,' Fauci says

A percentage of people who recover from Covid-19 experience a set of symptoms -- a post-Covid syndrome -- that is raising concern, said Fauci.

Fauci was especially concerned for those who got seriously ill and were admitted into an ICU, even if it wasn't for Covid-19.

"Anyone that goes through that is not going to feel perfectly normal for a considerable period of time," Fauci said during a live video interview with The Washington Post national political reporter Robert Costa on Monday.

Health experts are finding anywhere from 20% to 30% of people who have had symptomatic disease "have what's called a post-Covid syndrome," Fauci said. The exact percentage isn't known yet, but a larger cohort study is being done, he said.

"Namely, they no longer have virus in them, they can't infect anybody, but it takes them anywhere from weeks to months -- and maybe even beyond -- to feel perfectly normal," he said. "They have a constellation of symptoms and signs that seem to be consistent when you talk to different people."

These symptoms can include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath -- even among people who are athletes -- temperature control problems, sleep disturbances and sometimes what is described as brain fog, or difficulty focusing or concentrating.

Fauci also told the Post he doesn't necessarily agree with states like New York and California reviewing Covid-19 vaccine data separately for themselves.

"I can understand, though I don't agree with they're doing that," Fauci told the Post. "I would hope that if they do that, they do it in an expeditious manner that doesn't delay anything."

States crack down after nationwide surge

Unlike previous surges that pummeled certain hot spots in the US, "Covid-19 is everywhere" now, emergency medicine physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

"It's out of control. It's running rampant in communities around the country," she said Monday.

And the rate of new infections has consistently outpaced the rate of new testing, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.

In Nevada, cases are rising at "wildfire level," Gov. Steve Sisolak said. He announced new restrictions that will begin Tuesday, including a mask mandate indoors and outdoors, limiting private gatherings to 10 people or less and requiring restaurants seat no more than four people at each table.

In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper tightened mask requirements as the state adds 10 more counties to its "critical" list for Covid-19 spread, according to a news release from Cooper's office. The new requirements make it clear that everyone needs to wear a mask whenever they are with someone who is not from the same household, the release said.

The new requirements will also add the mask requirement to several additional settings including any public indoor space even when maintaining 6 feet of distance, gyms even when exercising, all schools public and private and all public or private transportation when taveling with people outside of the household.

The new guidelines in North Carolina will go into effect Wednesday, and remain in place until December 11.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday that the Maryland State Police is expanding its Covid-19 compliance and coordination center and deploying high visibility compliance units across the state.

"Additional state troopers will be assigned in every single county to work in partnership with county leaders, county health departments, liquor boards, licensing and permitting departments, as well as municipal and county law enforcement agencies to investigate any reports of violations of state law," Hogan said.

Beginning on Thanksgiving Eve, the high visibility compliance units "will be detailed to popular downtown areas, main street areas, in places including Bel Air, Towson, Salisbury, Silver Spring, Baltimore City, and two other spots around the state," Hogan said.

And in California, Los Angeles County officials are preparing to announce a "targeted safer-at-home order" this week that would only allow residents to leave their homes for essential work and services for a three-week period, County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

The new restrictions come after the county surpassed a daily average of more than 4,500 cases over a five-day period.

Brooklyn pier stores hundreds of dead bodies of Covid-19 victims

Many of the bodies are those whose families have not been located, or whose families cannot afford to pay for burial or funeral services, according to the WSJ article. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's office in New York confirmed the details of the Journal report to CNN.

"Supporting families and helping facilitate respectful final arrangements for individuals who passed at the height of the pandemic reflects the core mission of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner," Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in a statement to CNN.

WSJ, citing the New York State Funeral Directors Association, reported that the average cost of funeral arrangements in New York is between $6,500 and $9,000. New York City only provides $1,700 in burial assistance to residents, an increase of $800 since May.

"Those who we lost, their families are still trying to determine the best way to provide services for them, and just have been struggling because of the pandemic challenges," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. "We're trying to work with each and every family of those we lost during that situation to make sure that they can have the kind of services they want at the right time."

More good news on the vaccine front

Doctors say Americans won't need to hunker down forever -- just for the coming months, until vaccines help the country get closer to normal.

The US Food and Drug Administration set a December 10 meeting for the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee to discuss possible emergency use authorization, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn tweeted on Sunday.

"Measures that include wearing masks, frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance and restricting the size of gatherings will remain crucial," the Infectious Diseases Society of America said.

Reiner said he normally celebrates Thanksgiving with people from different households, but "we're not doing that this year."

"It's just my family, hunkered down, because the stakes are simply too high," he said.

With promising news about vaccines, "there is a bright light coming," he said.

"But for now, we need to get to that point. So let's stay safe. Let's try and push the curve down a little bit. Protect our health care workers and protect each other, so that we can really have a great celebration next year."

CNN's Jenn Selva, Hollie Silverman, Naomi Thomas, Maggie Fox and Pete Muntean contributed to this report.

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There was a 28% increase in child Covid-19 cases over the last two weeks, American Academy of Pediatrics says - CNN

In the past 7 days, the state has reported more than 53,000 -- meaning three times more Floridians have tested positive in the past week than in the week before the reopening.

As the US grapples with the worst month yet in the pandemic for coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, Florida is nearing 1 million cases. As of Monday morning, the state had reported 938,414 infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

In an effort to curb the spread of the virus, a bipartisan group of mayors from across the state asked DeSantis last week to issue a mask mandate, bolster contact tracing, increase funding for Covid-19 testing, and give mayors more local control.

While DeSantis issued a video message sharing "promising news" about therapeutics and vaccines, he did not address the increase in cases in his state.

When the governor reopened the state, many of the local leaders raised objections.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he intended to keep restrictions in place despite the order, and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he was disappointed he did not know about DeSantis' executive order until the news conference.

"As we deal with this pandemic, everything happens at a local level, this is where the rubber meets the road. And in order for us to be effective at dealing with the virus, we have to have good communications across the state," Demings said, adding that his office received calls from "numerous businesses" seeking clarity following the governor's statement.

"What they've done is opened up everything as if nothing had ever happened there and you and I could be talking probably in eight to 10 weeks, and I will likely bet that Florida will be a house on fire," Osterholm told CNN's Jake Tapper.

CNN's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.

Continue reading here:

The number of Covid-19 cases reported each week in Florida has tripled since the state reopened - CNN

This free webinar will be held at 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 1.

The experts at the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition will turn their attention to the question of coronavirus testing in a new free webinar.

At 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, the coalition will discuss the questions of diagnostic vs. antibody tests, at-home vs. point-of-care, sensitivity vs. specificity, and all other facets of testing past or current COVID-19 infection.

Sign up for the free webinar, Innovative Testing Strategies for COVID-19, here.

The coalition sprang from MJHs mission to improve quality of life through healthcare communications, education, and research, the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition was formed to help keep healthcare professionals up-to-date and informed on the science and latest learnings on COVID-19.Leveraging relationships with top thought leaders across a variety of key specialties, the Coalition generates the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the pandemics ever-evolving impact on healthcare professionals and the patients they treat. For more information on the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition, visitmjhlifesciences.com/covid19-coalition.The speakers at this webinar will be:

Excerpt from:

MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition to hold innovative testing strategies webinar - Medical Economics

Updated: 7:30 a.m.

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90 percent effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals.

The results are based on interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine.

AstraZeneca is the third major drug company to report late-stage results for a potential COVID-19 vaccine as the world anxiously waits for scientific breakthroughs that will bring an end to a pandemic that has wrought economic devastation and resulted in nearly 1.4 million confirmed deaths.

Pfizer and Moderna last week reported preliminary results from late-stage trials showing their vaccines were almost 95 percent effective. But, unlike its rivals, the AstraZeneca vaccine doesn't have to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, making it easier to distribute, especially in developing countries.

I think these are really exciting results, Dr. Andrew Pollard, chief investigator for the trial, said during a news conference. Because the vaccine can be stored at fridge temperatures, it can be distributed around the world using the normal immunization distribution system. And so our goal to make sure that we have a vaccine that was accessible everywhere, I think weve actually managed to do that.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also cheaper. AstraZeneca, which has pledged it wont make a profit on the vaccine during the pandemic, has reached agreements with governments and international health organizations that put its cost at about $2.50 a dose. Pfizers vaccine costs about $20 a dose, while Moderna's is $15 to $25, based on agreements the companies have struck to supply their vaccines to the U.S. government.

All three vaccines must be approved by regulators before they can be widely distributed.

Oxford researchers and AstraZeneca stressed that they aren't competing with other projects, and that multiple vaccines will be needed to reach enough of the world's population and end the pandemic.

Were not thinking about vaccinations working in terms of one person at a time. We have to think about vaccinating communities, populations, reducing transmission within those populations, so that we really get on top of this pandemic, said Sarah Gilbert, a leader of the Oxford research team. And thats what it now looks like were going to have the ability to contribute to in a really big way.

AstraZeneca offices and the corporate logo in Cambridge, England, in July.

Alastair Grant | AP Photo file

The results come as a second wave of COVID-19 hits many countries, once again shutting businesses, restricting social interaction and pummeling the world economy.

AstraZeneca said it will immediately apply for early approval of the vaccine where possible, and it will seek an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, so it can make the vaccine available in low-income countries.

The AstraZeneca trial looked at two different dosing regimens. A half-dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose at least one month later was 90 percent effective. Another approach, giving patients two full doses one month apart, was 62 percent effective. The combined results showed an average efficacy rate of 70 percent.

The vaccine uses a weakened version of a common cold virus that is combined with genetic material for the characteristic spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19. After vaccination, the spike protein primes the immune system to attack the virus if it later infects the body.

The vaccine can be transported under normal refrigerated conditions of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), AstraZeneca said. By comparison, Pfizer plans to distribute its vaccine using specially designed thermal shippers that use dry ice to maintain temperatures of minus-70 degrees Celsius (minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit).

Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said the finding that a smaller initial dose is more effective than a larger one is good news because it may reduce costs and mean more people can be vaccinated.

The report that an initial half-dose is better than a full dose seems counterintuitive for those of us thinking of vaccines as normal drugs: With drugs, we expect that higher doses have bigger effects, and more side-effects, he said. But the immune system does not work like that.

The results reported Monday come from trials in the U.K. and Brazil that involved 23,000 people. Late-stage trials are also underway in the U.S., Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America, with further trials planned for other European and Asian countries.

AstraZeneca has been ramping up manufacturing capacity, so it can supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine starting in January, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said earlier this month.

Soriot said Monday that the Oxford vaccines simpler supply chain and AstraZenecas commitment to provide it on a nonprofit basis during the pandemic mean it will be affordable and available to people around the world.

This vaccines efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency, Soriot said.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he felt a great sense of relief at the news from AstraZeneca.

Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, and the government says several million doses can be produced before the end of the year if it is approved by regulators.

Just months ago, the idea that by November we would have three vaccines, all of which have got high effectiveness I would have given my eye teeth for, Hancock said.

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3rd major COVID-19 vaccine shown to be effective and cheaper - Minnesota Public Radio News

President-elect Joe Biden has signaled that fighting the COVID-19 pandemic will be an immediate priority for his administration. He recently announced a coronavirus advisory board of infectious disease researchers and former public health advisers along with an updated strategy that will include increases in testing and contact tracing, as well as transparent communication.

But Inauguration Day is still two months away. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases are likely to increase to 20 million by the end of January, nearly doubling the current level of 11.4 million cases, predicts a Washington University in St. Louis COVID-19 forecasting model.

The model, which accurately forecasted the rate of COVID-19 growth over the summer of 2020, was developed by Olin Business Schools Meng Liu, Raphael Thomadsen and Song Yao. Their paper presenting the model and its forecasts was published Nov. 23 byScientific Reports.

One of the key reasons for the increased accuracy of this model over other COVID-19 forecasts is that this model accounts for the fact that people live in interconnected social networks rather than interacting mostly with random groups of strangers, said Thomadsen, professor of marketing. This allows the model to forecast that growth will not continue at exponential rates for long periods of time, as classic COVID-19 forecasts predict.

An interactive online version of the model also allows users to observe the impact different levels of social distancing will have on the spread of COVID-19. The current social distancing reflects an approximate 60% return to normalcy, as compared with the level of social distancing before the pandemic. If we continue, as a nation, at the current level of social distancing, the model forecasts that we are likely to reach 20 million cases before the end of January 2021.

Even small increases in social distancing can have a large effect on the number of cases we observe in the next two and a half months, Thomadsen said. Going back to a 50% return to normalcy, which was the average level of distancing in early August, would likely result in 5 million fewer cases by the end of January.

We could effectively squash out the COVID growth within a few weeks if we went back to the levels of social distancing we experienced in April.

We could effectively squash out the COVID growth within a few weeks if we went back to the levels of social distancing we experienced in April, he added.

However, the researchers caution that this is likely a conservative estimate due to increased testing and the upcoming holidays.

In our model, we assume that only 10% of cases are ever diagnosed, meaning that we will start to hit saturation, said Song Yao, associate professor of marketing and study co-author. However, more recently, testing has increased, and probably more like 25% of cases are diagnosed. In that case, total COVID cases would increase beyond 20 million in the next few months unless we, as a society, engage in more social distancing.

The upcoming holiday seasons will present a great deal of uncertainty to the outlook of the pandemic as people travel more at the end of the year. This will likely make our forecast an optimistic one, said Meng Liu, assistant professor of marketing and study co-author.

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COVID-19 cases could nearly double before Biden takes office - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom

As Dr. Timothy Donovan led his daughter and granddaughter on a lengthy hike near Tucson, Arizona, he stumbled and fell. The Madison doctor brushed himself off and insisted the group keep going so his granddaughter, 10 or 11 at the time, could experience success in the outdoors.

The next day, Donovan went to urgent care, where an X-ray revealed a fracture. He had broken his wrist, but he didnt say one word to anybody, said his daughter, Kristin Nelson, who was with her daughter on the hike. He wanted to give her a sense of accomplishment.

Donovan was never one to complain, Nelson said, whether it was growing up as the eldest son of 10 children in southeastern Wisconsin, ushering Dean Clinic through mergers as president or fighting multiple myeloma in his later years, when he became UW-Madisons oldest stem-cell transplant recipient at the age of 72.

He would listen to the rest of us complain about one thing or another, Nelson said. But hed just focus on the positive.

Timothy Donovan helped lead Dean Clinic through mergers as president. In later years, he fought multiple myeloma and became UW-Madisons oldest stem-cell transplant recipient at the age of 72.

Donovan died from COVID-19 and his blood cancer on April 10 at age 82. He became ill from the coronavirus in late March.

He didnt even get that sick with COVID-19. But he was so sick with his cancer, that was all it took, said Dr. Conrad Andringa, a longtime friend and Dean Clinic colleague.

Donovan, from a Catholic family, entered the seminary but started a hunger strike to bring attention to his desire to attend college. It was to let his parents know he wanted to be a doctor, not a priest, Andringa said.

After attending Marquette University, Donovan received his medical degree from UW School of Medicine and Public Health. He and Andringa, medical school classmates, ended up at Dean Clinic, Andringa as a pediatrician and Donovan an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Timothy Donovan on a trip to Italy in 2010.

Donovan became president of Dean Clinic, helping it merge with another doctor group and launch an HMO, Dean Health Plan.

He was a friend you could count on, said Andringa, who played the card game Sheepshead with Donovan and joined him in attending Badgers football, basketball and hockey games.

Donovan was a dedicated tennis player, spending many hours at the John Powless Tennis Center in Madison. He also played bridge, achieving the title of life master.

He worked extremely hard at whatever he did, whether it be tennis or golf or bridge, said Nelson, a veterinarian in Janesville.

As with many COVID-19 deaths, a traditional memorial service was not held.

Its a big Irish family and there was no big funeral, no big wake, Nelson said. There wasnt a lot of closure.

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3000 people have died from COVID-19 in Wisconsin. Here are stories of 6 lives lost. - Madison.com

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico's governor is calling for $1,200 cash payments to workers who have qualified for unemployment since the pandemic began.

New Mexico lawmakers were drafting legislation Monday aimed at providing about $300 million in direct economic aid for the unemployed, small businesses, and emergency housing subsidies. They're set to meet Tuesday in a special session in hopes of delivering an emergency aid package before Thanksgiving.

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UNM doctors treat first COVID-19 patient with experimental therapy - KRQE News 13

ESTERO

Hertz Arena announced over the weekend that they were creating a pop-up COVID-19 testing site in the parking lot. The testing is free for those who live in The Village of Estero.

But Molecular Testing is different from other types of coronavirus testing because it takes just a little bit longer. However, medical experts say it is more accurate, which is important during the week of Thanksgiving.

Peter Cordon took one of those molecular COVID-19 tests. Im older and I thought I would check it out and see if Im ok. I feel ok, but you never know, said Cordon.

On Monday, he came out to get a free test just to sure hes okay. cordon says he isnt taking any chances with the holidays right around the corner.

We are doing a little get together six people. And I want to be sure, comfortable. And its great that they have this testing available, Cordon said.

At Hertz Arena, Cordon and hundreds of others were able to get a molecular test instead of the rapid antigen tests offered at sites like CenturyLink.

Molecular tests are more sensitive and look for the viruss genetic material. Antigen tests only look for pieces of the virus. That is how those antigen tests provide faster, yet less accurate, results.

Dr. Yuka Manabe is an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins. Infectious people are likely to be found by a test like Abbott ID Now and other molecular tests overall, its more sensitive than an antigen test, Dr. Manabe.

For Cordon, the level of accuracy that comes with the molecular test is worth the wait. Of course, Id like to know right now but Id rather have more thorough, Id rather have that versus false positives or false negatives. So Im glad its more thorough, a higher percentage of success, he said.

Neither an antigen nor a molecular test can tell if the virus in your body is still alive or contagious, only that youve been exposed to coronavirus.

The third available kind of tests is an antibody test, thats what tells you had the virus already.

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Molecular COVID-19 testing offered at Hertz Arena pop-up site - Wink News