Idiot Republican knows but doesn't tell public about COVID-19

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned well-connected constituents about coronavirus three weeks ago...

Richard Burr, jerk Republican.

But he didn't release it publicly, rather, at a social club called the Capitol Hill Club, he delivered an alarming message...

"There's one thing that I can tell you about this [coronavirus]: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history. It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic."

This is the kind of thing we have learned to expect from Republicans, thinking only of themselves, in this case constituents no doubt to enlist their votes. It was at a time when Donald Trump was calling the virus a hoax by Democrats, saying it would go away, as was Burr. Unconscionable and pathetic!...READ MORE...

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The U.S. is still behind in coronavirus testing. WHY?

The short answer to this question is Donald Trump and his incompetent administration, plus a clueless Republican Congress...

Some states are off the board with testing like New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday "there were 950 cases of the virus statewide, the highest of any state in the country. But this is what has happened...

"When the outbreak first came to New York, the state set a target goal of running 1,000 tests a day. By the end of this week, the state expects to be able to perform 7,000 tests per day — an 'exponential increase of what we have done.' Along with the uptick in tests, Americans should expect to see a rise in confirmed cases," Cuomo added.

And that's the problem with coronavirus case numbers across much of the U.S., we won't really know how many cases of the virus there are until we step up the testing. Political has an excellent illustration of test activity, as well as several other components measuring the disease. It shows that so far the United States has given 76,495 tests with 7,721 positive and 112 deaths. Still no comparison with Italy, 134,000 and So. Korea 274,000.

Here's the scenario...

"Many state officials have expressed exasperation over the testing rollout, as it was hampered at first by flawed test kits sent out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to public health laboratories across the country, and then limited by what was then narrow criteria from the agency for who qualified for a test. A shortage of a chemical needed to run the tests last week added to the problems."

 Here's what Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified in a House hearing Thursday...

"The system is not really geared to what we need right now. That is a failing. Let's admit it."

And who can we thank for that? None other than Donald Trump, who disbanded the National Security Council’s office on pandemics, set up by former President Barack Obama. No doubt just for spite. What do you think the families of those 112 coronavirus deaths, above, think of that? Pathetic! READ MORE...

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Trump must step up coronavirus action or 2.2 million people could die in U.S

And according to this new scientific report, it must be "drastic and coordinated government action"...

The gang that couldn't think straight

Well, that's not likely to happen under Donald Trump, especially since he has just come to the conclusion that coronavirus is not a hoax, rather, a real threat to the American people. Not sure where the noodle-head Congress stands on the issue but am sure they are still waiting for Trump's go-ahead before they act. This whole fiasco is so preposterous, illustrating the exact way a presidential administration should not perform in a crisis.

T-rump's reaction to the coronavirus pandemic could be part of the recent calculating by British researchers and which was shared with the White House which found that...

"in the absence of drastic and coordinated government action, the novel coronavirus could kill as many as 2.2 million people in the United States alone."

The report published in the New York Times from researchers at Imperial College London indicates that even with these "drastic" measures...

"different steps, intended to drive down transmission by isolating patients, quarantining those in contact with them and keeping the most vulnerable apart from others for three months, could only cut the predicted death toll by half, the new report said."

The lead author of the study, Neil Ferguson, an epidemiology professor, said that "his group had shared their projections with the White House task force about a week ago and that an early copy of the report was sent over the weekend." One startling finding in the report that "eight to nine percent of people in the most vulnerable age group, 80 and older, could die if infected." With Donald Trump in charge, and based on his incompetence so far, all these calculations could increase.

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Latest coronavirus news from CDC

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now publishing daily updates on the status of the coronavirus pandemic. It will be updated daily at noon, Monday through Friday, and I will publish it for you as soon as it becomes available.

Here are Wednesday's results. More later...

Total cases: 7,038

Total deaths: 97

Jurisdictions reporting cases: 54 (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and US Virgin Islands)

Full Report Here...

Expect the coronavirus pandemic to last 18 months

The U.S. government says it has a plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic and it “will last 18 months or longer” and could include “multiple waves”...

Questions...questions...But no answers

The New York Times article does not specify what "The U.S. government" specifically refers to here, nor am I sure from reading the article that is yet clear, but one might assume it is the upper echelons of the Trump administration healthcare network that is working with the CDC. What they are sure of at this time is the fact there would be...

"widespread shortages that would strain consumers and the nation’s health care system."

Looks like a combination of consumer products and medical needs. We've already experienced the consumer side with a massive shortage of toilet paper and various types of disinfectants among the missing on store shelves. On the medical needs side, it sounds like ventilators will be a high priority item since we are dealing with a respiratory disease. The 100-page plan was presented to Donald Trump as it became obvious he was now taking coronavirus seriously.

In addition it recommended invoking the...

"Defense Production Act of 1950, a Korean War-era law that authorizes a president to take extraordinary action to force American industry to ramp up production of critical equipment and supplies such as ventilators, respirators and protective gear for health care workers."

Pharmaceuticals are mentioned as a possible shortage, something that has prompted experts to warn the public to stock up on all prescription drugs. However, many insurance companies and certainly Medicare limit refills and quantities on medications so you should talk to your doctor right away to make any arrangements you can. The NY Times says...

“While the administration’s response has so far lacked the urgency this crisis has called for, there are still steps you can take to mitigate the damage.”

With Donald Trump in charge, we're pretty much all on our own. Pathetic!
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Protecting yourself from the unknown coronavirus?

HEADLINE: "Infected people without symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realized"...

Okay, which one has it?

Is it impossible to know that the person you are sitting or standing next to you, the one who is coughing without covering his or her mouth, has coronavirus? First of all, with all the ordered shutdowns and curfews, most of us wouldn't even be out. But let's say you have a doctor's visit that you can't cancel and you are there sitting in the office. here's the scenario...

"Officials have emphasized that the virus is spread mainly by people who are already showing symptoms, such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing. If that's true, it's good news, since people who are obviously ill can be identified and isolated, making it easier to control an outbreak."

But there is another side...

"It appears that a Massachusetts coronavirus cluster with at least 82 cases was started by people who were not yet showing symptoms, and more than half a dozen studies have shown that people without symptoms are causing substantial amounts of infection."

And that's the person sitting next to you in the doctor's office. "You really need to just focus on the individuals that are symptomatic," US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said. "It [the containment strategy] really does depend on symptomatic presentation." The CDC agrees. The administration's coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx doesn't exactly agree...

"Until you really understand how many people are asymptomatic and asymptomatically passing the virus on, we think it's better for the entire American public to know that the risk of serious illness may be low, but they could be potentially spreading the virus to others."

Normally I wouldn't quote anything coming from the White House but for once this makes sense...READ MORE... 

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Donald Trump coronavirus reaction: Too little, too late

The idiot has landed but the damage is already done...

It's nice to hear the headline, "Trump, finally, takes the coronavirus emergency seriously," but so much has passed under the bridge, it isn't clear yet whether we will be able to catch up. Much less get a firm handle on the coronavirus in the United States. Testing is critical to knowing who has the disease and we are lagging so far behind it has possibly caused unnecessary deaths. The U.S. has tested only 25,000 specimens, Italy 134,000, So. Korea, 274,000.

In the early stages he called it a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats, with the Republicans in Congress supporting him. Then, he has said repeatedly that he has the coronavirus situation under control. Just yesterday he admitted, "It's bad. It's bad," and started preparations that he should have put in motion weeks ago. But not once has he taken responsibility for the spread of the virus. Pathetic!
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