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Coronavirus Live Updates: Federal Stockpile of Emergency Medical Supplies Is Nearly Empty Coronavirus Live Updates: Federal Stockpile of Emergency Medical Supplies Is Nearly Empty
(about 1 hour later)
新冠病毒疫情最新消息新冠病毒疫情最新消息
The federal government has nearly emptied its emergency stockpile of protective medical supplies like masks, gowns and gloves as state governors continue to plea for protective gear for desperate hospital workers, according to a senior administration official.The federal government has nearly emptied its emergency stockpile of protective medical supplies like masks, gowns and gloves as state governors continue to plea for protective gear for desperate hospital workers, according to a senior administration official.
The official said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered more than 11.6 million N95 masks, 5.2 million face shields, 22 million gloves and 7,140 ventilators, exhausting the emergency stockpile.The official said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered more than 11.6 million N95 masks, 5.2 million face shields, 22 million gloves and 7,140 ventilators, exhausting the emergency stockpile.
The official said there was a “tiny slice” of personal protective equipment left over that is being preserved for first responders for the federal government. The official said there was a “tiny slice” of personal protective equipment left over that is being preserved for emergency medical workers for the federal government.
While there is no more personal protective equipment in the stockpile left over for the states, the senior official said the administration still has more than 9,400 ventilators ready to be deployed.While there is no more personal protective equipment in the stockpile left over for the states, the senior official said the administration still has more than 9,400 ventilators ready to be deployed.
The dwindling resources have forced the federal government to compete with states and private companies for valuable medical gear across the world. Governors, meanwhile, have continued to try to find ways to scavenge medical supplies for hospital workers exposed to the worsening pandemic.The dwindling resources have forced the federal government to compete with states and private companies for valuable medical gear across the world. Governors, meanwhile, have continued to try to find ways to scavenge medical supplies for hospital workers exposed to the worsening pandemic.
“Really, the only hope for a state at this point is the federal government’s capacity to deliver,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said Wednesday, going on to discuss the powers that the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, gives the president to procure vital equipment.“Really, the only hope for a state at this point is the federal government’s capacity to deliver,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said Wednesday, going on to discuss the powers that the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, gives the president to procure vital equipment.
“The Defense Production Act gives the president of the United States power to say to a company: you make this,” Mr. Cuomo said, noting that while much of the discussion about the act had been about making ventilators, which are complex to build, it could also be used for other gear, including hospital gowns.“The Defense Production Act gives the president of the United States power to say to a company: you make this,” Mr. Cuomo said, noting that while much of the discussion about the act had been about making ventilators, which are complex to build, it could also be used for other gear, including hospital gowns.
“Look, you have a shortfall on gowns,” he said. “American companies can make gowns — they’re not like wedding gowns, they’re like paper gowns. Make the gowns, make the gloves, make the masks. You know, why are we running out of these basic supplies?”“Look, you have a shortfall on gowns,” he said. “American companies can make gowns — they’re not like wedding gowns, they’re like paper gowns. Make the gowns, make the gloves, make the masks. You know, why are we running out of these basic supplies?”
Even though the Department of Defense used authorities under the Defense Production Act to place hundreds of thousands of order for military equipment, the Trump administration for weeks was reluctant to use the law, until last Friday, when Mr. Trump said he would use it to prioritize an order of ventilators from General Motors.Even though the Department of Defense used authorities under the Defense Production Act to place hundreds of thousands of order for military equipment, the Trump administration for weeks was reluctant to use the law, until last Friday, when Mr. Trump said he would use it to prioritize an order of ventilators from General Motors.
Lizzie Litzow, a spokeswoman for FEMA, said the agency had previously acknowledged the Strategic National Stockpile would not be sufficient to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. New regulations could make it even harder for hospitals and clinics outside of China to obtain scarce N95 respirators and other personal protection equipment.
She said the administration has $16 billion to help boost the low level of protective gear, which was first reported by the Washington Post. China, the world’s dominant producer of such equipment, imposed export rules effective on Wednesday. The goal is to improve quality controls for its exports of medical supplies, after European governments complained of substandard masks and unreliable test kits from China.
“The federal government will exhaust all means to identify and attain medical and other supplies needed to combat the virus,” Ms. Litzow said. Under the new rules, which also cover exports of much-needed ventilators, companies will only be allowed to export after proving to Chinese authorities that their products meet Chinese regulatory standards that are equivalent to overseas standards.
The governors of Florida and Georgia belatedly joined most other states on Wednesday in directing their citizens to stay in their houses as coronavirus cases ballooned, but President Trump said he had no plan to issue a similar national order.The governors of Florida and Georgia belatedly joined most other states on Wednesday in directing their citizens to stay in their houses as coronavirus cases ballooned, but President Trump said he had no plan to issue a similar national order.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, relented after a morning telephone call with President Trump, a political ally. On Tuesday, the president had delivered the gravest projections yet from the White House, predicting that as many as 240,000 Americans could die from the infection, even with serious restrictions in place.Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, relented after a morning telephone call with President Trump, a political ally. On Tuesday, the president had delivered the gravest projections yet from the White House, predicting that as many as 240,000 Americans could die from the infection, even with serious restrictions in place.
Mr. DeSantis had long resisted issued a statewide stay-at-home order, saying local regulations were enough because the coronavirus was only affecting parts of the state. That meant that some Florida beaches continued to fill with young spring break revelers, some of whom may have helped spread the virus once they returned to their home states and college campuses.Mr. DeSantis had long resisted issued a statewide stay-at-home order, saying local regulations were enough because the coronavirus was only affecting parts of the state. That meant that some Florida beaches continued to fill with young spring break revelers, some of whom may have helped spread the virus once they returned to their home states and college campuses.
Mr. DeSantis said he started coming around to the necessity of a statewide order once the White House dropped its rosier suggestion that measures could be lifted by mid-April and extended national guidelines to combat the virus until April 30.Mr. DeSantis said he started coming around to the necessity of a statewide order once the White House dropped its rosier suggestion that measures could be lifted by mid-April and extended national guidelines to combat the virus until April 30.
“When the president did the 30-day extension, to me, that was, ‘People aren’t just going to back to work,’” Mr. DeSantis said at a news conference in Tallahassee, the state capital. “That’s a national pause button.”“When the president did the 30-day extension, to me, that was, ‘People aren’t just going to back to work,’” Mr. DeSantis said at a news conference in Tallahassee, the state capital. “That’s a national pause button.”
The governor’s order, which allows people to leave their homes for “essential activities,” will take effect Thursday at midnight.The governor’s order, which allows people to leave their homes for “essential activities,” will take effect Thursday at midnight.
The Republican governors of Georgia and Mississippi also announced new plans for stay-at-home orders Wednesday, as did Nevada’s governor, Steve Sisolak, a Democrat. A vast majority of Americans — 294 million people in 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — are now under orders or instructions to stay home, or will be in the coming days. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California implored the remaining states, including Texas, to follow suit.The Republican governors of Georgia and Mississippi also announced new plans for stay-at-home orders Wednesday, as did Nevada’s governor, Steve Sisolak, a Democrat. A vast majority of Americans — 294 million people in 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — are now under orders or instructions to stay home, or will be in the coming days. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California implored the remaining states, including Texas, to follow suit.
But Mr. Trump said Wednesday that he has no plans to institute a similar national order that would apply even in the 13 states whose governors have not mandated strict social distancing.But Mr. Trump said Wednesday that he has no plans to institute a similar national order that would apply even in the 13 states whose governors have not mandated strict social distancing.
“There are some states that don’t have much of a problem,” Mr. Trump said at his near-daily White House coronavirus briefing.“There are some states that don’t have much of a problem,” Mr. Trump said at his near-daily White House coronavirus briefing.
“It’s awfully tough to say, ‘Close it down,’ if they don’t have a problem,” he added. “We have to have a little bit of flexibility.”“It’s awfully tough to say, ‘Close it down,’ if they don’t have a problem,” he added. “We have to have a little bit of flexibility.”
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the social distancing and other stringent measures to combat the coronavirus could be stepped back in the coming months if the number of infections and deaths approaches zero.Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the social distancing and other stringent measures to combat the coronavirus could be stepped back in the coming months if the number of infections and deaths approaches zero.
But that would depend, he said, on improved ability of public health authorities to identity new infections and isolate those who might have come in contact with people who become ill.But that would depend, he said, on improved ability of public health authorities to identity new infections and isolate those who might have come in contact with people who become ill.
President Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that the federal government is holding 10,000 ventilators in reserve to ship to the hardest-hit hospitals around the nation as they struggle to keep the most critically ill patients alive.President Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that the federal government is holding 10,000 ventilators in reserve to ship to the hardest-hit hospitals around the nation as they struggle to keep the most critically ill patients alive.
But what federal officials have neglected to mention is that thousands more of the lifesaving devices are unavailable, after the contract to maintain the government’s stockpile lapsed late last summer, and a contracting dispute meant that a new firm did not begin its work until late January. By then, the coronavirus crisis was already underway.But what federal officials have neglected to mention is that thousands more of the lifesaving devices are unavailable, after the contract to maintain the government’s stockpile lapsed late last summer, and a contracting dispute meant that a new firm did not begin its work until late January. By then, the coronavirus crisis was already underway.
The revelation came in response to inquiries to the Department of Health and Human Services after state officials reported that some of the ventilators they received were not operational, stoking speculation that the administration had not kept up with the task of maintaining the stockpile.The revelation came in response to inquiries to the Department of Health and Human Services after state officials reported that some of the ventilators they received were not operational, stoking speculation that the administration had not kept up with the task of maintaining the stockpile.
In fact, the contract with a company that was maintaining the machines expired at the end of last summer, and a contract protest delayed handing the job to Agiliti, a Minneapolis-based provider of medical equipment services and maintenance. Agiliti was not given the $38 million task until late January, when the scope of the global coronavirus crisis was first becoming clear.In fact, the contract with a company that was maintaining the machines expired at the end of last summer, and a contract protest delayed handing the job to Agiliti, a Minneapolis-based provider of medical equipment services and maintenance. Agiliti was not given the $38 million task until late January, when the scope of the global coronavirus crisis was first becoming clear.
It is not known whether problems with the ventilators predated the contract lapse, but maintenance of the machines did halt. That delay may become a potentially deadly lapse.It is not known whether problems with the ventilators predated the contract lapse, but maintenance of the machines did halt. That delay may become a potentially deadly lapse.
It may be harder than initially thought for millions of Americans to get the stimulus payments they’ve been promised.
Low-income taxpayers and others who are usually not required to file a tax return will have to do so if they want their stimulus payments, according to guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
Until an abrupt reversal on Wednesday night, the guidance also applied to Social Security recipients who did not submit tax returns. That guidance had been a surprise to policy experts and advocates for seniors because the legislation signed by President Trump gave the Treasury explicit permission to use Social Security databases — and the payment information they contain — to push payments to people automatically, without their needing to do anything else.
On Wednesday evening, the Treasury Department backtracked and said that Social Security beneficiaries who do not typically file returns will receive their payments automatically after all. They will get their payments as a direct deposit or by paper check, depending on how they normally get their benefits, Treasury officials said in a statement.
Sharon Parrott, senior vice president for federal policy and program development with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said she that was pleased about the reversal and that she hoped Treasury would do the same thing for other people in government databases whose eligibility is easy to confirm, like many poor individuals with disabilities and veterans receiving pensions.
People in those situations will still need to file returns to receive their payments. The I.R.S. guidance acknowledged the potential complexity for low-income Americans, and the agency said it would “soon” offer instructions on its website for filing a 2019 tax return that contained “simple, but necessary, information including their filing status, number of dependents and direct deposit bank account information.”
Fears are growing that the global downturn could be far more punishing and long lasting than initially feared — potentially enduring into next year, and even beyond — as governments intensify restrictions on business to halt the spread of the pandemic, and fear of the virus impedes consumer-led economic growth.Fears are growing that the global downturn could be far more punishing and long lasting than initially feared — potentially enduring into next year, and even beyond — as governments intensify restrictions on business to halt the spread of the pandemic, and fear of the virus impedes consumer-led economic growth.
“This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years,” said Kenneth S. Rogoff, a Harvard economist and co-author of “This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,” a history of financial crises. “Everything depends on how long it lasts, but if this goes on for a long time, it’s certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.”“This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years,” said Kenneth S. Rogoff, a Harvard economist and co-author of “This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,” a history of financial crises. “Everything depends on how long it lasts, but if this goes on for a long time, it’s certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.”
Stocks on Wall Street tumbled, with the S&P 500 closing down more than 4 4 percent, bringing its decline over two days to 6 percent, as investors braced for worsening economic conditions ahead.Stocks on Wall Street tumbled, with the S&P 500 closing down more than 4 4 percent, bringing its decline over two days to 6 percent, as investors braced for worsening economic conditions ahead.
The economic readings continue to worsen as well. On Wednesday, surveys of manufacturing and factory activity in the United States, Europe and Japan showed activity slowing to levels not seen in a decade or more. In the United States, factory orders and employment measures fell to their lowest since 2009, the Institute for Supply Management said.The economic readings continue to worsen as well. On Wednesday, surveys of manufacturing and factory activity in the United States, Europe and Japan showed activity slowing to levels not seen in a decade or more. In the United States, factory orders and employment measures fell to their lowest since 2009, the Institute for Supply Management said.
In Washington, there was growing concern that the $2 trillion stimulus package enacted last week could be insufficient. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as President Trump, are increasingly looking toward enacting a huge new infrastructure plan that could create thousands of jobs.In Washington, there was growing concern that the $2 trillion stimulus package enacted last week could be insufficient. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as President Trump, are increasingly looking toward enacting a huge new infrastructure plan that could create thousands of jobs.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior Democrats outlined their infrastructure priorities on Wednesday, ranging from expanding rural broadband to rebuilding the nation’s roads and waterways, for what will likely become part of a broader legislative package to help boost the American economy during the spread of the pandemic. Mr. Trump endorsed the prospect of an infrastructure program on Twitter early Tuesday morning, saying that given low interest rates, it should be “VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars, and be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country!”Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior Democrats outlined their infrastructure priorities on Wednesday, ranging from expanding rural broadband to rebuilding the nation’s roads and waterways, for what will likely become part of a broader legislative package to help boost the American economy during the spread of the pandemic. Mr. Trump endorsed the prospect of an infrastructure program on Twitter early Tuesday morning, saying that given low interest rates, it should be “VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars, and be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country!”
Mr. Trump campaigned in 2016 on a promise to launch a $1 trillion infrastructure initiative, and Democrats and Republicans have long called for such an effort. But the president has clashed with Democrats over how to pay for such a plan, and attempts to transform the bipartisan aspirations into action have fallen short so many times that the phrase “Infrastructure Week” has become something of a joke in Washington.Mr. Trump campaigned in 2016 on a promise to launch a $1 trillion infrastructure initiative, and Democrats and Republicans have long called for such an effort. But the president has clashed with Democrats over how to pay for such a plan, and attempts to transform the bipartisan aspirations into action have fallen short so many times that the phrase “Infrastructure Week” has become something of a joke in Washington.
It remains to be seen whether lawmakers and the White House can reach agreement now, although the crisis has created a new willingness among Republicans to embrace costly and far-reaching government programs of the sort they typically resist.It remains to be seen whether lawmakers and the White House can reach agreement now, although the crisis has created a new willingness among Republicans to embrace costly and far-reaching government programs of the sort they typically resist.
Many Americans are asking for help for the first time in their lives — from nail technicians in Los Angeles to airport workers in Fort Lauderdale, from bartenders in Phoenix to former reality show contestants in Minnesota.Many Americans are asking for help for the first time in their lives — from nail technicians in Los Angeles to airport workers in Fort Lauderdale, from bartenders in Phoenix to former reality show contestants in Minnesota.
“I’ve never had to actually do this,” Dalen Lacy, a 27-year-old father of two, said as he pulled into a food bank in southern Dallas, after he lost his warehouse job and saw his hours at 7-Eleven slashed amid the pandemic. “But I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for my kids.”“I’ve never had to actually do this,” Dalen Lacy, a 27-year-old father of two, said as he pulled into a food bank in southern Dallas, after he lost his warehouse job and saw his hours at 7-Eleven slashed amid the pandemic. “But I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for my kids.”
As the first of the month rolled around there were looming questions about which bills households and companies would be able to pay — including the rent.As the first of the month rolled around there were looming questions about which bills households and companies would be able to pay — including the rent.
The secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, on Wednesday called the outbreak the greatest test the world has seen since World War II.The secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, on Wednesday called the outbreak the greatest test the world has seen since World War II.
This year’s United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely regarded as the most important climate meeting of the last four years, were postponed on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The session, which had been scheduled to take place in Glasgow from Nov. 9 to 19, was postponed to 2021.This year’s United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely regarded as the most important climate meeting of the last four years, were postponed on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The session, which had been scheduled to take place in Glasgow from Nov. 9 to 19, was postponed to 2021.
House Democrats on Wednesday called for the creation of an independent panel to investigate the Trump administration’s response to the novel coronavirus — once the pandemic subsides.House Democrats on Wednesday called for the creation of an independent panel to investigate the Trump administration’s response to the novel coronavirus — once the pandemic subsides.
The panel would be akin to the one that was formed to examine the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011.The panel would be akin to the one that was formed to examine the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011.
“It is clear that we, as a nation, are at another inflection point,” Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement announcing he had introduced a bill to form a coronavirus commission. “Americans today will again demand a full accounting of how prepared we were and how we responded to this global public health emergency. Americans will need answers on how our government can work better to prevent a similar crisis from happening again.”“It is clear that we, as a nation, are at another inflection point,” Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement announcing he had introduced a bill to form a coronavirus commission. “Americans today will again demand a full accounting of how prepared we were and how we responded to this global public health emergency. Americans will need answers on how our government can work better to prevent a similar crisis from happening again.”
Representative Adam Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that he was also drafting legislation modeled to create a 9/11-style commission that would investigate once the country had moved past the coronavirus.”Representative Adam Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that he was also drafting legislation modeled to create a 9/11-style commission that would investigate once the country had moved past the coronavirus.”
“After Pearl Harbor and 9/11, we looked at what went wrong to learn from our mistakes,” Mr. Schiff wrote on Twitter. “Once we’ve recovered, we need a nonpartisan commission to review our response and how we can better prepare for the next pandemic.”“After Pearl Harbor and 9/11, we looked at what went wrong to learn from our mistakes,” Mr. Schiff wrote on Twitter. “Once we’ve recovered, we need a nonpartisan commission to review our response and how we can better prepare for the next pandemic.”
The 9/11 commission, a bipartisan panel, was formed in 2002 and tasked with preparing “a full and complete account of the circumstances” surrounding the attacks, as well as recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.The 9/11 commission, a bipartisan panel, was formed in 2002 and tasked with preparing “a full and complete account of the circumstances” surrounding the attacks, as well as recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.
It is unclear whether Republicans or Mr. Trump would support the formation of a similar panel to scrutinize his administration’s handling of the virus.It is unclear whether Republicans or Mr. Trump would support the formation of a similar panel to scrutinize his administration’s handling of the virus.
While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Never before, researchers say, have so many experts in so many countries focused simultaneously on a single topic and with such urgency. Nearly all research, other than anything related to coronavirus, has ground to a halt.While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Never before, researchers say, have so many experts in so many countries focused simultaneously on a single topic and with such urgency. Nearly all research, other than anything related to coronavirus, has ground to a halt.
Normal imperatives like academic credit have been set aside. Online repositories make studies available months ahead of journals. Researchers have identified and shared hundreds of viral genome sequences. More than 200 clinical trials have been started, bringing together hospitals and laboratories around the globe.Normal imperatives like academic credit have been set aside. Online repositories make studies available months ahead of journals. Researchers have identified and shared hundreds of viral genome sequences. More than 200 clinical trials have been started, bringing together hospitals and laboratories around the globe.
On a recent morning, for example, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh discovered that a ferret exposed to Covid-19 particles had developed a high fever — a potential advance toward animal vaccine testing. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have started work on an academic journal article.On a recent morning, for example, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh discovered that a ferret exposed to Covid-19 particles had developed a high fever — a potential advance toward animal vaccine testing. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have started work on an academic journal article.
“But you know what? There is going to be plenty of time to get papers published,” said Paul Duprex, a virologist leading the university’s vaccine research. Within two hours, he said, he had shared the findings with scientists around the world on a World Health Organization conference call. “It is pretty cool, right? You cut the crap, for lack of a better word, and you get to be part of a global enterprise.”“But you know what? There is going to be plenty of time to get papers published,” said Paul Duprex, a virologist leading the university’s vaccine research. Within two hours, he said, he had shared the findings with scientists around the world on a World Health Organization conference call. “It is pretty cool, right? You cut the crap, for lack of a better word, and you get to be part of a global enterprise.”
Dr. Duprex’s lab in Pittsburgh is collaborating with the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Austrian drug company Themis Bioscience. The consortium has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, a Norway-based organization financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a group of governments, and is in talks with the Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world.Dr. Duprex’s lab in Pittsburgh is collaborating with the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Austrian drug company Themis Bioscience. The consortium has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, a Norway-based organization financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a group of governments, and is in talks with the Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world.
This year’s United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely regarded as the most important climate meeting of the last four years, were postponed on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The session, which had been scheduled to take place in Glasgow from Nov. 9 to 19, was postponed to 2021.This year’s United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely regarded as the most important climate meeting of the last four years, were postponed on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The session, which had been scheduled to take place in Glasgow from Nov. 9 to 19, was postponed to 2021.
The conference venue in Glasgow, an arena where tens of thousands of delegates from around the world were to have gathered, is being turned into a field hospital for people with Covid-19. Covid patients are also being housed in the convention center in Madrid where the Conference of Parties, as the session is called, took place last December; Spain has one of the world’s largest outbreaks.The conference venue in Glasgow, an arena where tens of thousands of delegates from around the world were to have gathered, is being turned into a field hospital for people with Covid-19. Covid patients are also being housed in the convention center in Madrid where the Conference of Parties, as the session is called, took place last December; Spain has one of the world’s largest outbreaks.
With the outbreak not projected to peak in New York, the hardest-hit state, until the end of April, when it threatens to overwhelm the health care system, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made another plea Wednesday for help from the federal government. One is a top-ranked research hospital in West Los Angeles, with buildings named after Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand. Its hallways are hung with works by Picasso, Miro and Warhol, part of a 4,000-piece collection of donated art. Hollywood celebrities and royalty vie to recover in its first-come, first-served luxury suites.
At a news conference where he announced that another 391 people in the state had died of the virus over the last day, bringing the state’s total to 1,941, and the tri-state region’s to 2,381, Mr. Cuomo said that the state was still struggling to get the ventilators and other medical supplies it needs. The other is a community hospital in South Los Angeles, surrounded by fast-food chains, liquor stores and discount shops. It, too, is a state-of-the-art institution, albeit one with far more limited resources, serving one of Los Angeles’s most vulnerable communities, home to the working poor and the uninsured as well as homeless tent encampments.
“Really, the only hope for a state at this point is the federal government’s capacity to deliver,” Mr. Cuomo said, going on to discuss the powers that the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, gives the president to procure vital equipment. But the coronavirus pandemic is testing both Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in ways never seen before, as both institutions brace for conditions they fear will overwhelm them.
In recent days a chorus of governors from across the political spectrum have publicly challenged the Trump administration’s assertion that the United States is well stocked and well prepared to test people for the virus and care for the sickest patients. In many cases, the governors said, the country’s patchwork approach had left them bidding against one another for supplies. Neither has the equipment it says it needs to defend itself or its patients. In both places, doctors are already grappling with ethical dilemmas, putting off even needed surgeries in order to clear beds, and, as they digest the news in harder-hit places like New York and Italy, they are contemplating the even tougher life-or-death choices they fear are coming.
Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican, said on Tuesday that his state was “flying blind” in the fight against the coronavirus because officials did not have enough tests. When asked during an NPR interview about Mr. Trump’s recent comments suggesting that a chronic lack of test kits was no longer a problem in the United States, Mr. Hogan did not mince words: “Yeah, that’s just not true.” In many respects, they say, the virus is the great leveler.
Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, a Democrat, said on Tuesday that it was “disturbing” to learn that a national stockpile of medical supplies was running empty. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from — this isn’t a matter of wealth,” said one Cedars-Sinai emergency room doctor, who was not authorized by the hospital to speak publicly. “This isn’t brain surgery. It’s just logistics and supplies.”
“We are on our own,” he said.
As the crisis has grown more dire across the country, Mr. Cuomo’s briefings, which have become a daily staple of the national news and raised his political profile, have taken on a broader purview.
On Wednesday, the governor again emphasized the regional coordination between his state, New Jersey and Connecticut, before noting that the virus was spreading more rapidly in other states, including California, Michigan and Florida.
And he urged Americans even in states that had not yet been hit hard by the virus to take it seriously.
“So, to the extent people watch their nightly news in Kansas and say, well, this is a New York problem, that’s not what these numbers say. It says it’s a New York problem today. Tomorrow, it’s a Kansas problem and a Texas problem and a New Mexico problem.”
Mr. Cuomo said that playgrounds in New York City would be ordered closed, because people were not following social distancing rules, but that parks and other open spaces would remain open. And he spoke in emotional terms about learning that his younger brother, Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor, had the coronavirus. He explained that even though he knew that statistics suggest that his brother would not require hospitalization, it unsettled him.
“Even though that’s what all the numbers say, when he told me he had the coronavirus, it scared me,’’ Governor Cuomo said. “It frightened me. Why? Because we still don’t know. We still don’t know. And even if there’s just a one percent, two percent chance — it’s frightening. It is frightening. It frightened me.”
The United States Coast Guard has told foreign-flagged cruise ships carrying more than 50 people that they must be prepared to care for any sick passengers and crew members at sea for an “indefinite period of time” or to seek medical assistance from other countries as the pandemic rages.The United States Coast Guard has told foreign-flagged cruise ships carrying more than 50 people that they must be prepared to care for any sick passengers and crew members at sea for an “indefinite period of time” or to seek medical assistance from other countries as the pandemic rages.
The Coast Guard announcement came at a time when dozens of ships were lined up at Port Miami and Port Everglades or waiting offshore because of the pandemic. Dozens of passengers on some of those ships have shown symptoms that correspond to the coronavirus; on one, the Carnival-owned Holland America Line ship, the Zaandam, at least four people have died.The Coast Guard announcement came at a time when dozens of ships were lined up at Port Miami and Port Everglades or waiting offshore because of the pandemic. Dozens of passengers on some of those ships have shown symptoms that correspond to the coronavirus; on one, the Carnival-owned Holland America Line ship, the Zaandam, at least four people have died.
Earlier this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida had said that he would not allow passengers from any ships to disembark, arguing that he could not have “people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources.”Earlier this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida had said that he would not allow passengers from any ships to disembark, arguing that he could not have “people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources.”
On Wednesday, DeSantis reversed himself, saying he was willing to accept Floridians and American citizens on board who needed treatment, but that the state could not afford to expend its limited resources on travelers from other countries.On Wednesday, DeSantis reversed himself, saying he was willing to accept Floridians and American citizens on board who needed treatment, but that the state could not afford to expend its limited resources on travelers from other countries.
The Coast Guard bulletin, published on March 29 and signed by Rear Admiral E.C. Jones of the Seventh District, which includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, said that demand for medical services across the district meant that hospitals in the area were no longer able to take on patients evacuated from ships.The Coast Guard bulletin, published on March 29 and signed by Rear Admiral E.C. Jones of the Seventh District, which includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, said that demand for medical services across the district meant that hospitals in the area were no longer able to take on patients evacuated from ships.
While the major cruise lines are headquartered in Miami, they are incorporated in foreign countries with ships carrying those flags: Royal Caribbean is registered in Liberia, Norwegian in Bermuda, and Carnival in Panama.While the major cruise lines are headquartered in Miami, they are incorporated in foreign countries with ships carrying those flags: Royal Caribbean is registered in Liberia, Norwegian in Bermuda, and Carnival in Panama.
President Trump on Wednesday addressed the shifting discussion among health authorities over whether the broader public should begin wearing face masks to reduce transmission of coronavirus.
“I don’t see where it hurts,” he said of even healthy people wearing masks, adding that where they weren’t available, people could instead wear scarves.
“What I do see people doing now is using scarfs, and I think in a certain way, depending on the fabric, in a certain way a scarf is better,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current guidance says that for health care workers, “caution should be exercised when considering” scarves and other homemade masks.
In recent days, there has been growing public debate about whether most people should wear face masks amid evidence that as many as a quarter of those infected with the coronavirus do not have symptoms of the illness. The World Health Organization and the C.D.C. have repeatedly said that ordinary citizens do not need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing.
And as health care workers around the world face shortages of N95 masks and protective gear, public health officials have warned people not to hoard masks, a concern Mr. Trump echoed during the news conference.
As Iran struggles with a devastating coronavirus outbreak, a broken economy and a severe shortage of medical equipment, it says that American trade sanctions are taking Iranian lives and has called for the United States to lift them on humanitarian grounds.As Iran struggles with a devastating coronavirus outbreak, a broken economy and a severe shortage of medical equipment, it says that American trade sanctions are taking Iranian lives and has called for the United States to lift them on humanitarian grounds.
Iran’s plea is gaining traction around the globe, winning support from allies like Russia and China, but also the European Union, the United Nations secretary general, rights groups and nearly three dozen members of Congress, who have appealed to the Trump administration to suspend the sanctions for as long as Iran is battling the coronavirus.Iran’s plea is gaining traction around the globe, winning support from allies like Russia and China, but also the European Union, the United Nations secretary general, rights groups and nearly three dozen members of Congress, who have appealed to the Trump administration to suspend the sanctions for as long as Iran is battling the coronavirus.
Iran has confirmed more than 47,000 cases and more than 3,000 deaths, although public health experts estimate the real toll to be several times higher.Iran has confirmed more than 47,000 cases and more than 3,000 deaths, although public health experts estimate the real toll to be several times higher.
“We had always said the sanctions are unjust but coronavirus revealed this injustice to the world,” Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a recent video message, which he began by removing a surgical mask from his face with blue latex gloves. He called the sanctions “economic terrorism.”“We had always said the sanctions are unjust but coronavirus revealed this injustice to the world,” Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a recent video message, which he began by removing a surgical mask from his face with blue latex gloves. He called the sanctions “economic terrorism.”
The issue raises questions about the collision of punishing American sanctions with a deadly pandemic, including whether Iran is trying to exploit the crisis to achieve a long-held goal of lifting sanctions, and whether the United States is using the virus to squeeze Iran beyond what sanctions alone could do.The issue raises questions about the collision of punishing American sanctions with a deadly pandemic, including whether Iran is trying to exploit the crisis to achieve a long-held goal of lifting sanctions, and whether the United States is using the virus to squeeze Iran beyond what sanctions alone could do.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Saturday that Iran’s “effort to lift U.S. sanctions isn’t about fighting the pandemic. It’s about cash for the regime leaders.”Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Saturday that Iran’s “effort to lift U.S. sanctions isn’t about fighting the pandemic. It’s about cash for the regime leaders.”
As cases and deaths mount in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has remained defiant, the last notable holdout among major world leaders in denying the severity of the coronavirus.
Brazilians, he declared last week, are uniquely suited to weather the pandemic because they can be dunked in raw sewage and “don’t catch a thing.” On Sunday, defying guidelines issued by his own health ministry, he visited a busy commercial district in Brasília, the capital, where he called on all but elderly Brazilians to get back to work.
Mr. Bolsonaro remains the highest profile figure eschewing the scientific consensus on measures required to keep health care systems from being overwhelmed.
His handling of the crisis has led to consternation across the country’s political spectrum as congressional leaders, editorial boards and the head of the Supreme Court have essentially beseeched Brazilians to ignore their president. A movement to impeach Mr. Bolsonaro is gaining popular support, with Brazilians banging pots from their windows nightly to repudiate their president.
Several world leaders — among them Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson — were slow to grasp the danger of the virus, and reluctant to embrace economically painful social distancing measures.
Elsewhere in the world, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines threatened on Wednesday to have the police and the military shoot people protesting the nation’s lockdown orders affecting millions of people.
Mr. Duterte has locked down the Philippines’ largest and most populous island, Luzon, restricting travel to and from the region, which includes Manila, the capital. Most of the island’s 50 million people have been ordered to stay home, and most work and school has been suspended.
A dangerous overreaction of the immune system in some coronavirus patients is pointing to potentially useful drug treatments.
Doctors in China reported this week that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine helped to speed the recovery of a small number of patients who were mildly ill.
Cough, fever and pneumonia went away faster, and the disease seemed less likely to turn severe in people who received hydroxychloroquine than in a comparison group not given the drug. The new study involved just 62 patients and was not peer-reviewed, but it did have a control group.
It’s not yet clear how the drug could be helping, but hydroxychloroquine is known to dial back an overactive immune system. In laboratory studies, it can also stop the virus from invading cells.
A particular immune-system overreaction, called a cytokine storm, has become all too common in the coronavirus pandemic. Cytokines are molecules that signal cells to marshal an immune response. Usually, the stronger this immune response, the stronger the chance of vanquishing the infection, which is partly why younger people are less vulnerable over all to coronavirus. But in some cases, the immune system continues to release cytokines that keep the body on an exhausting full alert. In their misguided bid to keep the body safe, these cytokines attack multiple organs including the lungs and liver, and may eventually lead to death.
A growing number of doctors say tocilizumab, a drug sometimes used to soothe an immune system in distress, has helped some coronavirus patients recover. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted approval to the pharmaceutical company Roche to test the drug in hundreds of people with coronavirus infection.
Doctors are also looking at a drug called anakinra, which mutes one type of cytokine. They could also turn to corticosteroids, which broadly turn down the entire immune response.
Five weeks ago, when there were 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, Mr. Trump expressed little alarm. “This is a flu,” he said. “This is like a flu.” He was still likening it to an ordinary flu as late as Friday.Five weeks ago, when there were 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, Mr. Trump expressed little alarm. “This is a flu,” he said. “This is like a flu.” He was still likening it to an ordinary flu as late as Friday.
By Tuesday, however, with more than 187,000 recorded cases in the United States and more Americans having been killed by the virus than by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the president’s assessment had rather drastically changed. “It’s not the flu,” he said. “It’s vicious.”By Tuesday, however, with more than 187,000 recorded cases in the United States and more Americans having been killed by the virus than by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the president’s assessment had rather drastically changed. “It’s not the flu,” he said. “It’s vicious.”
The grim-faced president who appeared in the White House briefing room for more than two hours on Tuesday evening beside charts showing death projections of hellacious proportions was coming to grips with a reality he had long refused to accept. At a minimum, the charts predicted that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans would die — and only if the nation abided by stringent social restrictions that would choke the economy and impoverish millions.The grim-faced president who appeared in the White House briefing room for more than two hours on Tuesday evening beside charts showing death projections of hellacious proportions was coming to grips with a reality he had long refused to accept. At a minimum, the charts predicted that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans would die — and only if the nation abided by stringent social restrictions that would choke the economy and impoverish millions.
A crisis that Mr. Trump had repeatedly asserted was “under control” and hoped would “miraculously” disappear has come to consume his presidency, presenting him with a challenge that he seems only now to be seeing more clearly.A crisis that Mr. Trump had repeatedly asserted was “under control” and hoped would “miraculously” disappear has come to consume his presidency, presenting him with a challenge that he seems only now to be seeing more clearly.
The numbers publicly outlined on Tuesday had forced him over the weekend to reverse his plan to reopen the country by Easter, but they were hardly new or surprising. Experts have been warning of a possibility like this for weeks. But more than ever before, Mr. Trump seemed to acknowledge them.The numbers publicly outlined on Tuesday had forced him over the weekend to reverse his plan to reopen the country by Easter, but they were hardly new or surprising. Experts have been warning of a possibility like this for weeks. But more than ever before, Mr. Trump seemed to acknowledge them.
“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” the president said, the starkest such effort he has made to prepare the country for the expected wave of disease and death. “We’re going to go through a very tough two weeks.”“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” the president said, the starkest such effort he has made to prepare the country for the expected wave of disease and death. “We’re going to go through a very tough two weeks.”
Laundry, grocery shopping, even walking the dog is fraught with challenges these days. The key to accomplish any essential task is a little preparation, levelheaded thinking and a lot of hand washing before and after. (A few anti-bacterial wipes can’t hurt either.)Laundry, grocery shopping, even walking the dog is fraught with challenges these days. The key to accomplish any essential task is a little preparation, levelheaded thinking and a lot of hand washing before and after. (A few anti-bacterial wipes can’t hurt either.)
Senator Bernie Sanders called Wednesday for Wisconsin, the only state forging ahead with an in-person primary this month, to postpone. His comments came a day after his rival, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., said it was “hard to envision” the Democratic National Convention taking place in July as scheduled.
The uncertainty in the political calendar has rippled around the country. Also on Wednesday, West Virginia became the 15th state to postpone its nominating contest, from May 12 to June 9, bringing the number of states that have done so to 15. Reporting was contributed by Michael Cooper, Tariro Mzezewa, Keith Bradsher, Jenny Gross, Ron Lieber, Alan Rappaport, Alan Blinder, Karen Zraick, Margot Sanger-Katz, Motoko Rich, Peter Baker, Sarah Mervosh, Tariro Mzezewa, Katie Rogers, Patricia Mazzei, Maggie Haberman, Stephanie Saul, Sydney Ember, Dave Montgomery, Manny Fernandez, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Farnaz Fassihi, Marc Santora, Megan Specia, Iliana Magra, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Somini Sengupta, Ernesto Londoño, Apoorva Mandavilli, Mike Baker, Sheri Fink, Joseph Goldstein, Michael Rothfeld, Benjamin Weiser, Alan Yuhas, Abby Goodnough, Knvul Sheikh, Manuela Andreoni, Letícia Casado, Laura Chang, Denise Grady, Austin Ramzy, Keith Bradsher, Andrew Das, Michael D. Shear, Elian Peltier, Raphael Minder, David D. Kirkpatrick, Kate Kelly, Peter Eavis, Mujib Mashal, Matt Apuzzo, Christopher Clarey, Mohammed Hadi, Erin Griffiths, Tara Parker-Pope, Andy Newman, Jo Becker, Tim Arango, Jeremy W. Peters and Chris Horton.
In Wisconsin, where the primary is scheduled for April 7, Republican lawmakers have blocked a proposal from Gov. Tony Evers to send out mailed ballots. Mr. Evers is planning to deploy the National Guard to work at polling places.
In a statement, Mr. Sanders said that the state should follow the advice of public health experts to promote social distancing.
“People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote,” Mr. Sanders said.
Before the coronavirus upended the campaign, Sanders aides were looking toward Wisconsin as a key state for the senator. But a poll published Wednesday showed Mr. Biden with a big lead there.
Reporting was contributed by Michael Cooper, Tariro Mzezewa, Alan Blinder, Karen Zraick, Margot Sanger-Katz, Motoko Rich, Peter Baker, Sarah Mervosh, Tariro Mzezewa, Katie Rogers, Patricia Mazzei, Maggie Haberman, Stephanie Saul, Sydney Ember, Dave Montgomery, Manny Fernandez, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Farnaz Fassihi, Marc Santora, Megan Specia, Iliana Magra, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Somini Sengupta, Ernesto Londoño, Apoorva Mandavilli, Mike Baker, Sheri Fink, Joseph Goldstein, Michael Rothfeld, Benjamin Weiser, Alan Yuhas, Abby Goodnough, Knvul Sheikh, Manuela Andreoni, Letícia Casado, Laura Chang, Denise Grady, Austin Ramzy, Keith Bradsher, Andrew Das, Michael D. Shear, Elian Peltier, Raphael Minder, David D. Kirkpatrick, Kate Kelly, Peter Eavis, Mujib Mashal, Matt Apuzzo, Christopher Clarey, Mohammed Hadi, Erin Griffiths, Tara Parker-Pope, Andy Newman, and Chris Horton.