With White House effort, states set to get test kits
Washington, Feb. 29: Federal health officials scrambled Friday to get Covid-19 testing up and running in every state, as the Trump administration signalled it may also invoke a 70-year-old defence law to guarantee the availability of protective gear should the virus spread.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said two more Americans tested positive for the virus out of the group of quarantined passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The World Health Organisation upgraded the risk level from the virus to “very high” as it continued to spread around the globe.
Two days after the White House abruptly shifted gears from President Donald
Trump’s initial assurances of minimal US fallout to an all-out mobilisation under Vice President Mike Pence, the administration’s messaging still wasn't completely seamless. Trump administration political appointees and non-partisan career government scientists both agree that the current risk to Americans is low, although that could quickly change. But some political officials are continuing to offer assurances that concerns will blow over soon, while the scientists are emphasising preparations for circumstances as yet unknown.
“I acknowledge that this could change. I acknowledge the situation could deteriorate. I acknowledge the risks,” White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters Friday.
Later in the day Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signalled that the central bank would cut interest rates to support the economy if needed. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers of both parties are working on a spending bill to be unveiled early next week and expected to be two to three times more than the
$2.5 billion the White House had requested for antivirus efforts. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar called attention to the breadth of options under consideration, telling reporters the administration may invoke the
1950 Defence Production Act to ensure production of needed supplies for anti-virus effort.