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Desperate for medical equipment, states encounter a beleaguered national stockpile

Desperate for medical equipment, states encounter a beleaguered national stockpile

The Washington Post reports: On Feb. 5, with fewer than a dozen confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the United States but tens of thousands around the globe, a shouting match broke out in the White House Situation Room between Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and an Office of Management and Budget official, according to three people aware of the outburst. Azar had asked OMB that morning for $2 billion to buy respirator masks and other supplies for a…

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The coronavirus crisis is overwhelmingly the sole responsibility of the Trump administration

The coronavirus crisis is overwhelmingly the sole responsibility of the Trump administration

Micah Zenko writes: Last September, I met the vice-president for risk for a Fortune 100 company in Washington DC. I asked the executive – who previously had a long career as an intelligence analyst – the question you would ask any risk officer: “What are you most worried about?” Without pausing, this person replied, “A highly contagious virus that begins somewhere in China and spreads rapidly.” This vice-president, whose company has offices throughout east Asia, explained the preventive mitigating steps…

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How a U.S. plan to address a shortage of ventilators failed

How a U.S. plan to address a shortage of ventilators failed

The New York Times reports: Thirteen years ago, a group of U.S. public health officials came up with a plan to address what they regarded as one of the medical system’s crucial vulnerabilities: a shortage of ventilators. The breathing-assistance machines tended to be bulky, expensive and limited in number. The plan was to build a large fleet of inexpensive portable devices to deploy in a flu pandemic or another crisis. Money was budgeted. A federal contract was signed. Work got…

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As Americans face virus threat to respiratory health, EPA eases restrictions on air pollution

As Americans face virus threat to respiratory health, EPA eases restrictions on air pollution

The Guardian reports: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended its enforcement of environmental laws during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, signaling to companies they will not face any sanction for polluting the air or water of Americans. In an extraordinary move that has stunned former EPA officials, the Trump administration said it will not expect compliance with the routine monitoring and reporting of pollution and won’t pursue penalties for breaking these rules. Polluters will be able to ignore environmental…

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It’s wrong to blame bats for the coronavirus epidemic

It’s wrong to blame bats for the coronavirus epidemic

A small colony of Townsend’s big eared bats at Lava Beds National Monument, Calif. Shawn Thomas, NPS/Flickr By Peter Alagona, University of California, Santa Barbara Genomic research showing that the COVID-19 coronavirus likely originated in bats has produced heavy media coverage and widespread concern. There is now danger that frightened people and misguided officials will try to curb the epidemic by culling these remarkable creatures, even though this strategy has failed in the past. As an environmental historian focusing on…

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How Covid-19 spread undetected across America because of a failure to implement large-scale testing

How Covid-19 spread undetected across America because of a failure to implement large-scale testing

The New York Times reports: Early on, the dozen federal officials charged with defending America against the coronavirus gathered day after day in the White House Situation Room, consumed by crises. They grappled with how to evacuate the United States consulate in Wuhan, China, ban Chinese travelers and extract Americans from the Diamond Princess and other cruise ships. The members of the coronavirus task force typically devoted only five or 10 minutes, often at the end of contentious meetings, to…

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Trump suggests he can gag inspector general for stimulus bailout program

Trump suggests he can gag inspector general for stimulus bailout program

The New York Times reports: When President Trump signed the $2 trillion economic stabilization package on Friday to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, he undercut a crucial safeguard that Democrats insisted upon as a condition of agreeing to include a $500 billion corporate bailout fund. In a signing statement released hours after Mr. Trump signed the bill in a televised ceremony in the Oval Office, the president suggested he had the power to decide what information a newly created inspector…

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As Congress pushes a $2 trillion stimulus package, the ‘how will you pay for it?’ question is tossed in the trash

As Congress pushes a $2 trillion stimulus package, the ‘how will you pay for it?’ question is tossed in the trash

Stephanie Kelton writes: Throughout the Democratic presidential primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren offered a slew of robust proposals to reshape the American economy. Yet the Democratic presidential primary hardly engaged with questions of whether that restructuring was wise, who would benefit, and who would lose. Instead, the debate was dominated in no small part by a single question: “How will you pay for it?” On Friday, the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi…

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How the world’s wealthiest country ran out of 75-cent face masks

How the world’s wealthiest country ran out of 75-cent face masks

Farhad Manjoo writes: Why is the United States running out of face masks for medical workers? How does the world’s wealthiest country find itself in such a tragic and avoidable mess? And how long will it take to get enough protective gear, if that’s even possible now? I’ve spent the last few days digging into these questions, because the shortages of protective gear, particularly face masks, has struck me as one of the more disturbing absurdities in America’s response to…

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Would everyone wearing face masks help us slow the pandemic?

Would everyone wearing face masks help us slow the pandemic?

Science reports: As cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ballooned last month, people in Europe and North America scrambled to get their hands on surgical masks to protect themselves. Health officials jumped in to discourage them, worried about the limited supply of masks for health care personnel. “Seriously people-STOP BUYING MASKS!” began a 29 February tweet from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. The World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have both said that only…

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More Americans should probably wear masks for protection

More Americans should probably wear masks for protection

The New York Times reports: As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, experts have started to question official guidance about whether ordinary, healthy people should protect themselves with a regular surgical mask, or even a scarf. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to state that masks don’t necessarily protect healthy individuals from getting infected as they go about their daily lives. The official guidance continues to recommend that masks should be reserved for people…

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ER doctor who criticized hospital’s coronavirus protections gets fired

ER doctor who criticized hospital’s coronavirus protections gets fired

The Seattle Times reports: An emergency room physician who publicly decried what he called a lack of protective measures against the novel coronavirus at his workplace, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, has been fired. Ming Lin, who has worked at the hospital for 17 years and became a local cause célèbre for his pleas for more safety equipment and more urgent measures to protect staff, was informed of his termination as he was preparing for a shift at the hospital…

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Coronavirus modelers factor in new public health risk: Accusations their work is a hoax

Coronavirus modelers factor in new public health risk: Accusations their work is a hoax

The Washington Post reports: In the one month since the first U.S. coronavirus death, America has become a country of uncertainty. New cases of infection and casualties continue multiplying. New York and Louisiana hospitals are grappling with a flood of patients that threatens to overwhelm their health-care systems. Meanwhile, the president and political conservatives are increasingly agitating to end drastic restrictions meant to buy time and save lives. Running beneath it all, in a continuous loop through our national psyche,…

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The road to coronavirus hell was paved by evangelicals

The road to coronavirus hell was paved by evangelicals

Katherine Stewart writes: Donald Trump rose to power with the determined assistance of a movement that denies science, bashes government and prioritized loyalty over professional expertise. In the current crisis, we are all reaping what that movement has sown. At least since the 19th century, when the proslavery theologian Robert Lewis Dabney attacked the physical sciences as “theories of unbelief,” hostility to science has characterized the more extreme forms of religious nationalism in the United States. Today, the hard core…

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