Tag Archives: COVID

Fox News reports: Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Tuesday that he — unlike President Trump — is not taking hydroxychloroquine as part of an effort to stave off coronavirus. “My physician hasn’t recommended that, but I wouldn’t hesitate” to take it if he did recommend it, Pence added. Pence gave the interview following a meeting of the National …

Politico reports: More than 40,000 National Guard members currently helping states test residents for the coronavirus and trace the spread of infections will face a “hard stop” on their deployments on June 24 — just one day shy of many members becoming eligible for key federal benefits, according to a senior FEMA official. The official outlined the Trump administration’s plans …

The military site Task & Purpose reports: The Defense Department should prepare to operate in a “globally-persistent” novel coronavirus (COVID-19) environment without an effective vaccine until “at least the summer of 2021,” according to a draft Pentagon memo obtained by Task & Purpose. “We have a long path ahead, with the real possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19,” reads the …

Florida Today reports: Late last Friday, the architect and manager of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard — praised by White House officials for its accessibility — announced that she had been removed from her post, causing outcry from independent researchers now worried about government censorship. The site was created by a team of Florida Department of Health data scientists and public health …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California is changing its criteria for counties that want to reopen faster than the rest of the state. Counties will have to demonstrate that their hospitalization rates are stable and their rate of positive cases are low. The new criteria represent a move away from the previous rules, which among other standards required that counties have …

The Associated Press reports: Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Monday that the party “will not be holding a virtual convention,” pledging that the presidential nominating convention in late August will be conducted at least partly in-person. “It’s quite a ways away, and there’s ample time for us to adjust, if necessary,” McDaniel said. But later, in response to …

Reuters reports: Delta Air Lines said on Monday it would resume flying several major routes in June that were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, including some Trans-Atlantic and Caribbean destinations. Delta is adding roughly 100 more daily flights in June versus May, including service out of its Atlanta hub and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Florida, …

The Hill reports: A new analysis says nearly 250,000 people in the nation’s 30 largest cities are alive today because of strict stay-at-home orders issued by local and state governments. The report, from the Urban Health Collaborative at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, found the stay-at-home orders likely reduced the number of coronavirus deaths by 232,878, …

NBC News reports: Amid an intensifying blame game over the World Health Organization’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, China’s leader Xi Jinping announced a $2 billion funding package to help tackle the outbreak as he spoke at the organization’s 73rd general assembly on Monday. “China supports the idea of a global review of the response to Covid-19 after it is …

The BBC reports: The mayor of Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, has said its health system could collapse as demand grows for emergency beds to deal with coronavirus cases. Bruno Covas said the city’s public hospitals had reached 90% capacity and could run out of space in two weeks. He accused those who flouted lockdown rules of playing “Russian roulette” …

Reuters reports: Authorities are not seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but are seeing increases in some areas that remain closed, U.S. health secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday. “We are seeing that in places that are opening; we’re not seeing this spike in cases,” Azar said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We still …

Deadline reports: Barack Obama has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House more than three years ago, but today the former President will deliver not one but two virtual commencement addresses for this season of coronavirus pandemic. Starting with Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition at 2 PM ET the ex-POTUS steps up as the marquee name …

The Christian Post reports: “This video has been removed for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines,” reads a message on the now blocked audiobook video by theologian John Piper, the chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minnesota and the founder of DesiringGod.org. The video got over 187,000 views within roughly five weeks that it remained on the platform. It was released …

The New York Daily News reports: “Your subway pole reservation awaits.” That could be the new reality for straphangers as life in New York inches back to some kind of normal during the coronavirus pandemic. Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Pat Foye said Thursday the agency is considering a form of “Ticketmaster technology” that would require riders to book a slot …

Axios reports: An at-home coronavirus collection kit made by health care startup Everlywell has received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced Saturday. This is the only kit that can be used with multiple coronavirus tests, although two other at-home swabs have received authorization from the FDA. The swabs collected at home will be sent to …

The Hill reports: President Trump told reporters at the White House Friday that his administration is “looking at” making coronavirus vaccines free to the public. “We’re looking at that actually,” Trump told reporters before departing for Camp David when asked if he thought vaccines should be free. He did not offer his personal opinion on the matter. The Trump administration …

Religion News Service reports: A Christian group hosted talks promoting what experts say are unfounded claims that alternative health methods such as practicing gratitude and consuming essential oils can combat or even prevent contracting the novel coronavirus, sparking pushback from at least one ally of the group. The talks took place on platforms affiliated with Gabe Lyons and his wife, …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump said the the U.S. will overcome the coronavirus crisis with or without an effective vaccine, claiming that the disease will “go away at some point” either way. “We think we’re going to have a vaccine in the pretty near future, and if we do we’re going to really be a big step ahead,” Trump told …

NBC News reports: Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist and epidemiologist who has been hospitalized with the coronavirus despite being in good health and taking precautions, said Thursday that he believes he contracted the virus through his eyes on a crowded flight. Fair, 42, an NBC News contributor who has responded to multiple outbreaks around the world, got sick about three …

MarketWatch reports: Men in the US report less intention than women to wear face coverings, especially in counties that don’t mandate wearing them, according to a paper authored by researchers from Middlesex University London in the UK and the Mathematical Science Research Institute in Berkeley, Calif. Men are also less likely to believe they’ll be seriously impacted by COVID-19, despite …