America’s top infectious disease doctor explains how sports could return amid pandemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease doctor, gave some hope to sports fans who are worried about missing out on baseball and football this year.
In an interview on Snapchat’s “Good Luck America,” Fauci said major sports could possibly return by holding events without fans in arenas and by keeping players in hotels and “very well surveilled.”
“There’s a way of doing that. Nobody comes to the stadium. Put them in big hotels, you know, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. Have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out,” Fauci said.
“I mean people say, ‘Well, you know you can’t play without spectators.’ Well, I think you’d probably get enough buy-in from people who are dying to see a baseball game, particularly me! I’m living in Washington, we have the world champion Washington Nationals, I want to see them play again.”
New Zealand prime minister takes 20% pay cut
In a time of global crisis, many world leaders are taking unique steps to handle the unprecedented situation. New Zealand Prime Minsiter Jacinda Ardern is now in the spotlight after announcing Wednesday that she and other top government officials would take a 20% pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today I can confirm that myself, government ministers and public service chief executives will take a 20% pay cut for the next six months as we acknowledge New Zealanders who are reliant on wage subsidies, taking pay cuts and losing their jobs as a result of COVID-19’s global pandemic,” Ardern said during a press briefing.
Report claims Russian state-run news agency boss behind fabricated story on U.K. prime minister’s hospitalization
A new report claims it was the senior management of Russia’s state-run news agency RIA-Novosti that fabricated an April 5 story claiming British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to be put on a ventilator while hospitalized with COVID-19.
Latvia-based Meduza, a highly-regarded independent online media outlet that covers Russia – and has had run-ins with Russian officials previously – reported Wednesday that RIA Novosti’s story was initiated by the agency’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, who also runs the pro-Kremlin television network RT.
The RIA article cited an unnamed source “close to the leadership of England’s NHS” after Johnson was hospitalized for COVID-19. It was published from Moscow by senior management despite carrying a “London” dateline, Meduza said, adding that the Russian agency’s journalists in Britain didn’t even know about it before it was published.
The story, which was shared widely online, was never confirmed and Johnson’s office at 10 Downing Street dismissed it as disinformation.
Johnson was discharged on Sunday, and British officials say he was given oxygen, but never intubated to be put on a ventilator. Simonyan hasn’t commented on Meduza’s report.
Several states postpone or cancel primaries in response to pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden is considered the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, but several states have yet to hold primary elections. Some states have either postponed or canceled their primaries, due to concerns about in-person voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that no gatherings with 50 people or more take place for two months, and the White House has also recommended that individuals not gather in groups larger than 10 people. Nonetheless, Wisconsin held its primary on April 7, after state Republicans blocked efforts to postpone the election. Biden won the Wisconsin primary.
For the most part, however, states have taken action to ensure the safety of its citizens while voting. June 2 could be considered the new Super Tuesday, as six states have moved their primaries to that date. Other states have canceled in-person voting entirely in favor of vote-by-mail. Puerto Rico postponed its March 29 primary, but a new date has not yet been selected.
New York City mayor urges caution in reopening economy
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged a cautious and deliberative approach to reviving the economy, pushing that moving too quickly could create an opportunity for the coronavirus to come roaring back. De Blasio, whose city is the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, said Wednesday that some parts of Asia have experienced a virus resurgence after reopening.
“We cannot allow that,” the Democrat told “Fox and Friends” a day after President Trump said he’d work with governors on a plan to return things to normal nationwide by the end of the month or even sooner. “We get one chance to get it right.”
“I think we have to be smart about doing it in stages, making sure that we can confirm that we’re containing the disease more and more, getting it back to where it was a month or two ago, before we start to open up a lot,” he said.
De Blasio spoke after the city’s health department revised its death toll by adding 3,778 “probable” coronavirus deaths among people who showed coronavirus symptoms but were never tested, raising the city’s virus toll to more than 10,000.
As coronavirus hits South America, Brazil’s president continues mocking the threat
South America is struggling to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, and cases in countries including Brazil and Ecuador are likely being underreported, researchers say. Brazil has reported more than 25,000 cases, but researchers believe the real number could be 10 times higher.
Protecting Brazil’s poorest neighborhoods is often a do-it-yourself project. Locals have been seen fumigating on their own, and makers of costumes for Rio de Janeiro’s renowned Carnaval are now sewing medical scrubs instead.
Even as cases spike, the country’s autocratic president Jair Bolsonaro continues to mock the threat posed by the virus, posting on YouTube cheery appearances at doughnut shops and glad-handing with supporters.
In Ecuador, meanwhile, nearly 2,000 bodies have reportedly been collected for burial in the largest city of Guayaquil, some put into cardboard caskets amid shortages of wooden ones. Many were left in the streets for days.
South Dakota governor shuns stay-at-home order as coronavirus cases climb
Governor Kristi Noem reiterated Tuesday that she won’t be ordering South Dakota residents to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, as another 121 confirmed cases were reported in the state. The majority of South Dakota’s 988 total cases – 768 – are in Minnehaha County, which includes the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, the site of one of the largest known clusters of COVID-19 cases in the country.
CBS affiliate KELO-TV reports that Noem said 70% of the county’s cases could be traced to the plant: 438 employees and an additional 107 people who had contact with employees have tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to a New York Times analysis, as of Tuesday, the 545 cases made the Smithfield Plant the second largest hotspot in the country, surpassing Chicago’s Cook County Jail and trailing only the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, docked in Guam.
– CBS/AP
Pompeo thanks South Korea for shipment of thousands of COVID-19 test kits
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked South Korea for making thousands of COVID-19 test kids available for purchase by the U.S. government on Wednesday, as the desperately needed supplies made their way from Asia to the U.S.
Pompeo said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had purchased the test kits, which are a vital tool in building a clear picture of how far-spread the new corona virus is in the U.S., and one which has been in short supply. U.S. officials have said that about 600,000 COVID-19 tests are coming from South Korean companies.
As the Trump administration faces condemnation from around the world over President Trump’s sharp criticism of the World Health Organization and his decision to suspend funding for the U.N. agency, Pompeo lauded the South Korean government and said in a tweet: “Partners and allies stand together. #WeAreInThisTogether.”
The test kits were expected to arrive in the U.S. this week.
Iran point’s to Trump’s halting WHO funds as evidence that U.S. policy “kills people”
Iran said Wednesday the world is learning that the United States “kills people,” after President Donald Trump suspended U.S. funding for the World Health Organization amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. president on Tuesday ordered that payments amounting to $400 million be halted pending a review of the WHO’s role in allegedly “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has topped 125,000 around the world, with more than two million people infected by the disease since December.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif likened the funding freeze to Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign against his country.
“The shameful defunding of WHO amid a pandemic will live in infamy,” Zarif wrote on Twitter. “The world is learning what Iran has known & experienced all along… US regime’s bullying, threatening & vainglorious blathering isn’t just an addiction: it kills people.”
– AFP
Stimulus check tracking site goes live in bid to speed emergency payments
With millions eagerly awaiting their federal stimulus checks to help them weather the the coronavirus recession, Americans can now find out when they can expect to get their money after the government on Wednesday launched a tracking tool called “Get My Payment.”
The first batch of stimulus checks — or “economic impact payments,” as they’re officially known — started hitting consumers’ bank accounts on Saturday, the Internal Revenue Service said. But millions remain unsure of when their payments will arrive because it depends on personal income level and whether the IRS has direct-deposit information for individual tax payers. Consumers can also use the site to update their mailing address if they’ve moved since they last filed tax returns.
The “Get My Payment” service went live Wednesday at IRS.gov. It allows consumers to check their payment status, confirm whether they prefer direct deposit or a paper check, and enter their bank account information for direct deposit if the IRS doesn’t have it yet.
German zoo warns it may have to “slaughter animals to feed other animals” as virus blocks visitors
The shutdown of businesses over the coronavirus pandemic has plunged German zoos into a financial crisis as visitors are banned, leading one to consider drastic measures.
The spring sunshine would normally see German zoos and animal parks packed, but with no visitors, the Neumünster Zoo in northern Germany is begging for more donations, and warning that it might have to feed some of its animals to others in the park to keep them alive.
Plans for such a last-straw slaughter have already been drawn up, the zoo said.
Like all zoos in Germany, the Neumünster Zoo is currently relying entirely on donations.
“Worst case scenario, if I no longer have any money to buy food, or if it should happen that my food supplier is no longer able to supply me due to new restrictions, then I would slaughter animals to feed other animals,” zoo director Verena Caspari told German daily Berliner Morgenpost.
The Association of Zoological Gardens, to which 56 zoos and animal parks in Germany belong, has approached Chancellor Angela Merkel with a request for about 100 million euros in emergency aid.
– Anna Noryskiewicz
Two McDonald’s in Hawaii linked to a dozen coronavirus cases
Hawaii officials said Tuesday a cluster of 12 COVID-19 cases had been linked to two McDonald’s locations in Kailua Kona, a town on the Big Island. The state Health Department said seven workers and five of their family members had tested positive for COVID-19.
Officials said they don’t believe any customers were affected.
The eateries are in a mall and inside a Walmart. Both have been closed for a deep cleaning but their owner said workers had been wearing protective gear and following proper social distancing protocols to protect customers. Click here to read more.
Senior EU diplomat says “no reason justifying” Trump’s decision to halt WHO funding
A senior European Union official joined the growing chorus of condemnation Wednesday of President Trump’s decision to halt U.S. funding for the World Health Organization.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles said there was “no reason justifying this move at a moment when their [WHO’s] efforts are needed more than ever to help contain & mitigate the #coronavirus pandemic.”
Moscow digital travel permit system meant to curb COVID-19 leads to dangerous crowding
The first day of Moscow’s new digital travel permit system, meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus, brought traffic jams and crowds of people outside subway stations, raising criticism and health concerns. Moscow has been hit hardest by Russia’s COVID-19 outbreak, which by Wednesday had seen almost 24,500 confirmed cases.
This week the government mandated travel permits for all people using public or private transport in the Moscow region in a bid to enforce a nationwide lockdown. The Kremlin has ordered all non-essential business closed until the end of the month, and all non-essential workers are only allowed to leave their homes to walk their dogs, get groceries nearby or visit pharmacies or doctors offices.
But on Wednesday morning, photos and videos posted to social media showed scores of people standing close to each other outside subway entrances as they waited for their newly-required permits to be checked by security officers.
“Those who are not sick yet will definitely get sick now,” one commuter said on Twitter, with a photo of a long line.
On the roads, traffic police were checking all cars driving into the city, causing massive traffic jams at nearly all entryways to the capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin blamed the lines on the police, and promised to work out an automated system to check travelers’ permits.
Russia says U.S. should “refrain from further attacks” on WHO, stop finding “someone to blame”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday defended the World Health Organization as a respected global body, a day after President Trump blamed the U.N. agency for the dizzying death toll caused by the new coronavirus and accused it of mishandling the world response to the crisis.
“We are calling on the U.S. to refrain from further attacks on the WHO and pursue a responsible policy, which would not ruin the basis of international cooperation in the medical and biological field, but on the contrary would enhance this cooperation and create a basis for its further development,” Ryabkov said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
Russian officials said the decision by Mr. Trump showed the White House’s priority was to scapegoat other institutions as the U.S. grapples with the world’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.
“Politicians in that country always have someone to blame,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS. “The most important thing is to find a fictitious ‘test tube’ and present it to the world as evidence of the guilt of others, and its own flawlessness.”
Germany slams Trump’s WHO payment freeze
Germany slammed Wednesday the U.S. decision to suspend payments to the World Health Organization (WHO), as Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned against “blaming others” for the coronavirus crisis.
“Blaming others won’t help. The virus knows no borders,” Maas wrote on Twitter. “One of the best investments is to strengthen the UN, above all the under-financed WHO… in the development and distribution of tests and vaccines.”
The United States is the biggest contributor to the WHO, making payments of $400 million last year. Mr. Trump accused the Geneva-based body of putting “political correctness above life-saving measures.”
The move sparked criticism across the world, and Maas joined the chorus on Wednesday, stressing the need for countries to “work together closely against COVID-19.”
Maas has previously taken aim at the Trump administration’s reaction to the virus crisis. In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine last week, he said the United States had “played down the virus for a very long time.”
“There really isn’t any dispute, even in the USA, that many of the measures were taken too late,” he told Spiegel.
– AFP
India to start easing some lockdown measures in 5 days in bid to salvage its economy
A day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the coronavirus until May 3, his government has announced plans to relax the measures in some areas less affected by the COVID-19 disease in a bid to revive the failing economy.
The government said that in rural areas where the virus is slowing, from April 20 all farm activity and construction work, and some industry, would be allowed to resume. The inter-state transport of goods and e-commerce would also be allowed to resume throughout the country to help maintain supply chains for food and essential items.
However, in “hotspots” and “red zones” — areas where a high number of coronavirus cases have been found — no economic activity will be permitted to restart yet. India has reported nearly 11,500 cases of COVID-19 and 377 deaths.
The relaxation of the lockdown measures will help some of the 450 million members of the nation’s informal workforce, most of whom have been out of work since the lockdown began on March 25, find work again.
Bill Gates calls Trump’s decision to withhold WHO funding “as dangerous as it sounds”
Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has said President Trump’s decision to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. funding for the World Health Organization in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic “is as dangerous as it sounds.”
Gates has been warning about the threat of a global pandemic since 2015 and has committed $100 million to fight the coronavirus through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mr. Trump announced the halt in U.S. funding Tuesday, accusing the U.N. health agency of deliberately misleading the world about the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak in China and blaming it for the high death tolls around the world.
In a tweet sent hours later, Gates said the WHO’s “work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever.”
Search for vaccine heats up in U.S. and China
Three potential COVID-19 vaccines are making fast progress in early-stage testing in volunteers in China and the U.S., but it’s still a long road to prove if they’ll really work.
China’s CanSino Biologics has begun the second phase of testing its vaccine candidate, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology said Tuesday.
In the U.S., a shot made by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. isn’t far behind. The first person to receive that experimental vaccine last month returned to a Seattle clinic Tuesday for a second dose. NIH infectious disease chief Dr. Anthony Fauci told The Associated Press there are “no red flags” so far and he hoped the next, larger phase of testing could begin around June.
A third candidate, from Inovio Pharmaceuticals, began giving experimental shots for first-step safety testing last week in the U.S. and hopes to expand its studies to China.
South Koreans vote in national elections amid virus fears
South Korean voters are wearing masks and moving slowly between lines of tape at polling stations to elect lawmakers in the shadows of the coronavirus.
The government has resisted calls to postpone the parliamentary elections billed as a midterm referendum for President Moon Jae-in. He enters the final years of his term grappling with a historic public health crisis that is unleashing massive economic shock.
South Koreans are deeply divided along ideological and generational lines and regional loyalties. But recent surveys showed support for Moon and his liberal party, reflecting the public’s approval of an aggressive test-and-quarantine program so far credited for lower fatality rates compared to areas worse hit by the virus.
U.N. chief speaks out after Trump halts U.S. funding for WHO: “Now is the time for unity”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged unity among world powers Tuesday, hours after President Trump said he would halt funding for the World Health Organization.
Guterres reiterated a statement he made on April 8, in which he wrote, “Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis. The lessons learned will be essential to effectively address similar challenges, as they may arise in the future. But now is not that time.”
“It is not that time,” he stressed on Tuesday. “It is also not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus.”
“As I have said before, now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” Guterres said.
