Reopening the country will not be "game over" on avoiding risks, Fauci says
[...]
"No matter what phase you are in, there are certain fundamental things that we've done that are not like it was in September and October," he said. "You want to call it the new normal, call it whatever you want, but even if you are in phase one, two or three, it is not game over. It's going to be a way that we protect ourselves."
Fauci said it is important to continue to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus until there is a vaccine.
[...]
Birx says vulnerable populations must be monitored as states prepare to reopen
[...[
“We want every state to have a plan for the health and safety of its workers in critical industries and protect the health and safety of those living in high-risk facilities,” she said.
Birx said the federal government will be conducting “sentinel surveillance throughout nursing homes, throughout inner-city federal clinics, throughout indigenous populations to really be able to find early alerts of asymptomatic individuals in the community and both for the syndromic cases.”
[...]
FDA approves new swabs that would allow for safer at-home coronavirus testing
[...]
The new swab is shorter and can collect a sample from the front of the nose, the FDA said.
“The type of testing at the front of the nose used in this study is notable because it allows self-collection by patients thereby limiting exposure of healthcare providers; it is more comfortable for patients and it can be performed by a swab that is more readily available and manufacturable at scale,” the FDA said in a statement.
[...]
More than 660,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the US
There are at least 658,263 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 32,186 people have died from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University's
tally of cases.
On Thursday, Johns Hopkins reported 29,114 new cases and 2,024 reported deaths.
[...]
New Mexico governor on White House recovery plan: "We appreciate their suggestions"
[...]
“We appreciate their suggestions, and we will evaluate them thoroughly,” said the Democratic governor, “but the plain overriding fact is we cannot put the cart before the horse.”
Grisham noted in a statement that Thursday had the highest daily number of coronavirus deaths New Mexico has recorded during the epidemic.
[...]
Birx: "What we're seeing in most patients is that they recover and they have antibody"
[...]
Cooper: But we don't know 100% for sure if someone is immune after getting the virus?
Birx: What we have the example of is the biology of someone getting infected, recovering and developing antibody. So in traditional infectious disease, that is the progress you would normally see and that antibody would be effective in controlling subsequent infections. I don't ever want to say never, but that's what we're seeing in most patients is that they recover and they have antibody.
Birx: "There is no disease where we test 140 million workers on a weekly basis"
[...]
"Let's say we had 140 million workers in the United States. There is no disease where we test 140 million workers on a weekly basis," she said.
"The virus doesn't come from nowhere. It has to actually be in the community. So that's why you have to really have a combination of sentinel surveillance, some early warning systems like the syndromic and influenza-like illness, combined with testing."
[...]
US social distancing measures are being followed more than expected, health metrics expert says
[...]
"There's a bunch of providers out there sharing cell phone movement data, of course anoymized to protect people's privacy. But what that tells us is that there's been more social distancing across the country than I think we expected, even in some of the states that haven't had as strong mandates. So that's going to factor into our new estimates."
Murray said it appears that several states in the southern US may have smaller epidemics than previously expected.
[...]
We don't know if newborns can get immunity, former Baltimore health commissioner says
[...]
Dr. Wen: I've been thinking a lot about this as a new mother myself. There is a lot that's not yet known about Covid-19 and pregnancy. We do know that the antibody to coronavirus does cross the placenta and there are studies ongoing now to look at how much of the antibody, if any, is present in breast milk.
"There is a question that remains though, because even if the newborn is able to get those antibodies in some way, we still don't know if that gives that newborn immunity, meaning that the newborn somehow is less affected by coronavirus or gets a less severe form of it."
3 things need to happen before society can reopen, doctor says
Dr. Leana Wen, the former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, told CNN's coronavirus town hall that three things need to happen before economies and society can reopen safely.
They are:
- Widespread testing capacity.
- Infrastructure for contact tracing and surveillance.
- A stabilized health care system.
[...]
Coronavirus live news and updates: Cases top 2 million globally - CNN
