US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has warned Americans abroad to come home “immediately” after the country’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak surpassed that of 9/11 and passed the 3,000 mark, with the country now suffering some 163,000 confirmed cases of the respiratory disease.
Former vice president Al Gore has meanwhile reminded Donald Trump “you can’t gaslight a virus” as the president seeks to project an image of unity and bipartisan approval of his response to the crisis, despite his initial denial and inaction unquestionably making matters worse and drawing widespread criticism.
As New York continues to battle the crisis, new makeshift field hospitals are opening in Central Park’s East Meadow, offering 68-beds to support the nearby Mount Sinai Hospital, as well as aboard the USNS Comfort and at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, more commonly the site of the US Open.
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It comes after the WHO named "gaming disorder" as a specific disease, in a decision that caused some upset to some gamers. It warned then that while the disorder only affects a small number of gamers, everyone "should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities", especially if it was happening to the exclusion of other activities.
Now Raymond Chambers, the WHO's ambassador for global strategy, said that games could be an important way for people to follow public health guidelines. He also thanked the gaming industry for their part in the new project."
Dr Fauci warns of another coronavirus outbreak in the fall
An infectious disease expert on the White House coronavirus task force said he “anticipated” another outbreak in the fall and added “things are going to be very, very different” during a second wave of cases.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Monday at a White House press briefing that the US would be far better equipped to handle a second coronavirus outbreak after the summer months.
Asked whether the country would likely face another outbreak in the fall, Dr Fauci said: “In fact, I would anticipate that that would actually happen because of the degree of transmissibility.”
He added: “However, if you come back in the fall, it will be a totally different ballgame of what happened when we first got hit with it in the beginning of this year.”
“Our ability to go out and be able to test, identify, isolate, and contact trace, will be orders of magnitude better than what it was just a couple of months ago,” the doctor said.
Story to come...
Here's Andrew Naughtie with a recap of the president's comical gaffe yesterday.
I wonder if he's seen Parasite yet...
The New York City mayor has hit back at the president after he suggested in a White House press briefing on the coronavirus over the weekend that medical staff must be stealing surgical masks to explain the current shortage in hospitals.
“It’s insulting, it’s outrageous, it’s incredibly insensitive to people right now who are giving their all,” De Blasio said during an interview on NY1. “Our healthcare workers are suffering - they’re literally watching some of their own lost to this disease. They’re fighting with all they got.”
In the latest developments from the Big Apple, the city is to begin fining people for breaking quarantine.
Graig Graziosi has this report.
The European Commission (EC) has said today there is no evidence that a drug touted by the president as a potential miracle cure against Covid-19 was effective against the disease.
Trump had said that hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, could be among "the biggest game changers in the history of medicine" for its potential effects against Covid-19.
"The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19 patients has to date not been proved," a spokesman for the EC said on Tuesday, relaying an internal opinion from the European Medicine Agency.
The spokesman said there was also no evidence either of the positive effects of chloroquine, another malaria drug, which is also being tested for its possible use against Covid-19.
The US Health and Human Services listed hydroxychloroquine as a protected medical resource on Thursday after Trump signed an executive order to prevent its hoarding and price gouging.
Hungary, a European Union member, last week banned the commercial export of hydroxychloroquine.
"As Hungary is one of the world's largest exporters of this ingredient, the protection and medical supply of the Hungarian population is now a priority," the government said.
Even Trump supporters are growing weary of the president doing favours for his pals like born-again Christian philanthropist Mike Lindell, who called on Americans to come to God in the middle of the White House press briefing yesterday.
Judging by his latest tweets, the president does not appear to have got the message.
Richard Hall has this on the frustrations expressed by New York sports radio personality Mike Francesca, which are no doubt shared by many.
Here's the latest from the secretary of state.
A federal judge in Washington has pressed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release migrants held in family detention centres, citing the imminent risk of coronavirus outbreaks in confinement and their rapid spread to surrounding communities.
Judge James Boasberg stopped short of ordering the immediate release of about 1,350 members of migrant families detained at three centres in Pennsylvania and Texas as part of a lawsuit advocates recently filed. But during a hearing on Monday, the judge directed US immigration authorities to report on their efforts to release families in custody by next week.
“I will order that in a week [6 April], the government has got to come back to me and give me answers about the capacity of these centres, videotapes of living conditions and steps taken towards release,” Judge Boasberg said after a 45-minute hearing.
"It is disgraceful that Amazon would terminate an employee who bravely stood up to protect himself and his colleagues," said James. "At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling and are deeply concerned about their safety, this action was also immoral and inhumane."
Gino Spocchia has more.
Despite not being able to attend church in person without getting busted for breaking quarantine laws, many Americans are finding comfort in faith right now, according to a new survey.
Trump hinted at this possibility in the Rose Garden yesterday and now it seems the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are seriously considering making such a recommendation.
Gino Spocchia has more on this.
Trump was watching that Pelosi interview - and is being suprisingly measured about it.
Here's what else she had to say.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi has slammed Donald Trump for what she called his resistance to "do much more" to protect medical workers from contracting coronavirus during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
The California Democrat also raised concerns about doctors being told, in some areas, to make abrupt life-and-death decisions, and panned the president for not doing more to ramp up testing faster.
"We're asking people to make a judgement on who gets a ventilator," she said. "That should not be happening."
Pelosi did applaud Trump for reversing course on opening parts of the country by 12 April, saying without such changes by the administration "there will be more deaths."
John T Bennett has more on this developing story.
Workers at Amazon-owned grocery chain Whole Foods are calling in sick en masse in a co-ordinated strike as they demand paid leave and better conditions during the coronavirus outbreak.
The “sick-out”, planned for Tuesday, is the first collective action by Whole Foods workers since 1980. It follows several walkouts at US Amazon warehouses, with workers complaining of unsafe working conditions and claiming that the company has been less than transparent about the spread of Covid-19 cases through its workforce.
Also striking are workers at grocery delivery company Instacart. All three companies are facing an unprecedented spike in demand as three in every four Americans enter stay-at-home mode to stop the spread of coronavirus, and accordingly turn to online companies to deliver grocery and essentials.
Andrew Naughtie has this report.
The River at Tampa Bay Church held two services on Sunday, despite a county order for residents to stay at home and warnings from the sheriff's office to both Pastor Howard-Browne and church attorneys.
Oliver O'Connell has the full story.
Graig Graziosi reports.
As The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler points out today, Trump's latest re-election promo, entitled "Hope", features some staggeringly dishonest use of clips of governors Newsom and Cuomo and TV anchors Dana Bash and Joe Scarborough speaking generously about the president's response to Covid-19 taken wildly out of context.
As his first tweet of the day indicates, he's clearly seeking to create an illusion of harmony:
You can judge the video for yourself below:
