Whistleblower says U.S. facing ‘darkest winter’
America faces the “darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus, says a government whistleblower who alleges he was ousted from his job after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic.
Immunologist Dr. Rick Bright makes his sobering prediction in testimony prepared for his appearance Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Aspects of his complaint about early administration handling of the crisis are expected to be backed up by testimony from an executive of a company that manufactures respirator masks.
A federal watchdog agency has found “reasonable grounds” that Bright was removed from his post as head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority after sounding the alarm at the Department of Health and Human Services. Bright alleged he became a target of criticism when he urged early efforts to invest in vaccine development and downplayed the value of antimalaria drugs touted by the president.
NEW YORK Ads to warn of rare syndrome
New York City is launching a public service campaign to inform parents about a rare syndrome that is thought to be linked to COVID19 and has been diagnosed in more than 80 children in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. Digital ads alerting parents to the symptoms of the inflammatory condition in children will start Wednesday, de Blasio said, and ads on radio and TV, on bus shelters, and in community newspapers will follow. The syndrome affects blood vessels and organs and has symptoms including prolonged fever, abdominal pain and vomiting. Three children diagnosed with the syndrome have died in New York state, including one in New York City.
MIGRANT YOUTH Citing virus, expulsions rise
The young migrants and asylum seekers swim across the Rio Grande and clamber into the dense brush of Texas. Many are teens who left Central America on their own; others were sent along by parents from refugee camps in Mexico. They are as young as 10. Under U.S. law, they would normally be allowed to live with relatives while their cases wend their way through immigration courts. Instead the Trump administration is quickly expelling them under an emergency declaration citing the coronavirus pandemic, with 600 minors expelled in April alone. The expulsions are the latest administration measure aimed at preventing the entry of migrant children, following other programs such as the sincerescinded “zero tolerance” policy that resulted in thousands of family separations.
INADEQUATE HOUSING Millions live in unsafe homes
In 470,000 dwellings in the United States — spread across every state and in most counties — inadequate plumbing is a problem, the starkest of several challenges that make it tougher for people to avoid infection during this pandemic. That’s according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of data from the Census Bureau and the Housing Assistance Council. Nearly a million homes scattered across almost all counties don’t have complete kitchens, raising the risk of hunger and vulnerability to illness, even as people have been expected to eat all meals there amid stayathome orders. And more than 4 million homes are overcrowded, with more than a person per room, making it nearly impossible to isolate the sick.
PUERTO RICO Cafeterias in schools close
Puerto Rico officials say they are closing more than 30 public school cafeterias and several food warehouses after dozens of workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Education Secretary Eligio Hernandez says the closures come after 50 employees tested positive and another 278 were quarantined. The closures hit places including Caguas and Mayaguez, two of the largest cities in a U.S. territory where nearly 70% of public school students are poor. Several mothers and nonprofit organizations have sued the island’s Department of Education, accusing it of dodging its responsibility to feed 300,000 children.
IOWA Restaurants, gyms to reopen
Restaurants, salons, barber shops and gyms in Iowa will be allowed to reopen Friday under new restrictions intended to slow the coronavirus, the governor announced. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday that she would lift an order closing restaurants in 22 counties, including the state’s largest metropolitan areas. Reynolds said she would also allow fitness centers, salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors and massage therapists to reopen in all 99 counties. The move came as deaths from the virus in Iowa surged for the second straight day, surpassing 300. It also came as Reynolds and the state’s medical director selfisolated after potentially being exposed to the virus at the White House last week. Reynolds said she felt confident reopening more of Iowa’s economy because the state has enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat patients and its testing capacity has increased.