The COVID-19 Pandemic: Serious Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Teens Linked to COVID-19; Trump's Valet Tests Positive; and More

World News:

At the current pace, the world is only days away from topping 4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. Although, of course, given a lack of testing and the percentage of asymptomatic people, the true number of those infected is already much, much higher. Worldometer now reports over 3.8 million cases and over 266,000 deaths.

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Outside of the US, the countries with the most confirmed cases are:

• Spain: 256,855 confirmed cases; 26,070 deaths.
• Italy: 214,457 confirmed cases; 29,684 deaths.
• UK: 201,101 confirmed cases; 30,076 deaths.
• Russia: 177,160 confirmed cases; 1,625 deaths.
• France: 174,191 confirmed cases; 25,809 deaths.

Minorities Dying Disproportionately in UK

Black people in the United Kingdom are four times more likely to die from the coronavirus than whites, according to new data that CNN reported. A reported released by the Office for National Statistics found that black women are 4.3 times more likely to die, and black males 4.2 more likely to die, than their white counterparts. Moreover, the report found that people of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, and mixed ethnicities also have a “statistically significant raised risk of death. The authors of the report wrote that the disparities are attributable to “socio-economic disadvantage and other circumstances, but a remaining part of the difference has not yet been explained.”

Japan Approves Remdesivir

The Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has granted special approval the use of the experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19. Last week, US researchers reported evidence that the drug may help patients recover faster from infection.

For more on the Covid-19 Crisis check out MashupMD for headlines from every major medical journal, news outlet, MD and Scientist.

US Death Toll Tops 75,000; New York Update

The United States, the world epicenter for COVID-19, now reports over 75,000 deaths and 1,271,007 confirmed cases as this article goes to publish. The nation’s leading hot spot, New York, now reports 333,491 confirmed cases and 26,187 deaths. Governor Andrew Cuomo reported on Thursday that 27,000 NY workers have been antibody tested at 25 downstate health care facilities. According to a CNN report,  “The percent of health care workers in New York City and Westchester County who tested positive was actually about half of the general population, he said. In Long Island, the numbers were nearly the same. “That is amazingly good news,” Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced this morning that 140,000 New Yorkers will undergo antibody tests beginning next week.”

Outside of NY, the US states with the most confirmed infections are:

• New Jersey: 133,059 confirmed cases; 8,572 deaths.
• Massachusetts: 72,025 confirmed cases; 4,420 deaths.
• Illinois: 68,232 confirmed cases; 2,974 deaths.
• California: 60,635 confirmed cases; 2,462 deaths.
• Pennsylvania: 55,561 confirmed cases; 3,572 deaths.
• Michigan: 45,054 confirmed cases; 4,250 deaths.

Inflammatory Syndrome in Kids and Teens Linked to SARS-CoV-2

The New York Department of Health issued an alert that said 64 children and teens in New York State are suspected of having a mysterious inflammatory disease linked to COVID-19. Similar cases – including one death – have been reported in other US states and Europe, though the syndrome remains largely a mystery. Pediatricians reassure that the condition remains extremely rare, but that parents should observe for possible warning signs. “If [the child is] looking particularly ill, you should definitely call the doctor,” says Dr. Sean O’Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and member of the infectious disease committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Trump’s Valet Tests Positive for Coronavirus

One of President Donald Trump’s personal valets tested positive for COVID-19, marking the the closest known exposure of the president to the virus. After being made aware of the positive test, both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were both tested, and came back with negative results.

Neiman Marcus Files for Bankruptcy

Neiman Marcus declared for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, making it the largest retailer to do so amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Company CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said in a state that (Neiman Marcus) and other retailers are facing “unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed inexorable pressure on our business.”

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

• President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the White House coronavirus task force will continue working “indefinitely,” reversing an initial decision he made on Tuesday to phase out the team in the coming weeks.
• A new genetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, shows that coronavirus started circulating in people late last year, and spread extremely quickly after the first infection, according to a CNN report.
• The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that at least 4,893 incarcerated or detained people have been infected with COVID-19. Moreover, the CDC reports that at least 2,778 staff members have tested positive for the respiratory disease, resulting in 15 deaths.

• The projected US death toll from COVID-19 has hit an upward trajectory. Researchers who developed the model that has been cited by the White House nearly doubled their estimated death toll to 134,475 deaths through August.
• US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is underway with human testing for an experimental coronavirus vaccine in the US, the company announced on Tuesday. Pfizer, working in conjunction with German drugmaker BioNTech, said the first human participants have been dosed with the potential vaccine, BNT162. Human trials for the experimental vaccine initiated last month in Germany. “With our unique and robust clinical study program underway, starting in Europe and now the U.S., we look forward to advancing quickly and collaboratively with our partners at BioNTech and regulatory authorities to bring a safe and efficacious vaccine to the patients who need it most,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
• Officials in 46 US states, as well as Washington DC, have ordered or recommended that schools remain closed for the duration of this academic school year to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, according to CNN data. Moreover, schools in five US territories – America Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands – will also keep schools closed for the remainder of the academic year.

Monday, May 4, 2020

• Scientists working on the White House’s “Operation Warp Speed” to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 have honed in on 14 vaccines to focus on, a Trump administration official told CNN. President Donald Trump said Sunday night at a Fox News town hall, “We are very confident we are going to have a vaccine by the end of the year.”
• A Trump administration model is now predicting a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the coming weeks as most states begin easing lockdown restrictions that were put in place to mitigate the spread of the virus. The model is projecting up to 3,000 daily deaths in the US by June, according to an internal document procured by the New York Times. However, the White House said in a statement that the document obtained by the Times has not undergone review by the White House’s coronavirus task force.
• New Jersey schools will remain closed for the duration of the 2019-2020 academic year, by order of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Murphy made the announcement at his daily news briefing. “This is a difficult decision and I know that many students, parents, and staff would like to be able to return to school,” Murphy said in the statement. “However, I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion. And while New Jersey is making great strides in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely re-open our schools.”
• J.Crew Group, the parent company of J.Crew ad Madewell Brands, became the first national US retailer to file for bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a CNN report. The popular clothing retailer announced on Monday that it began the process of filing for Chapter 11 proceedings in federal bankruptcy court in the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue all day-to-day operations,” J.Crew Group CEO Jan Singer said in a statement.

Friday, May 1, 2020

National News:

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Trump administration is ramping up efforts for developing a coronavirus vaccine, and one could be available by January, the NY Post reports. “We want to go quickly, but we want to make sure it’s safe and it’s effective,” Fauci said on NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday. “I think that is doable if things fall in the right place.”
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention how the US deals with the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming weeks will be “critical” to how the virus will evolve come the fall season. “I do think that what we do this summer is going to be critical,” said Dr. Ann Schuchat, CDC principal deputy director in an interview with JAMA Network. “The more we intensify the testing and expand the public health capacity and assure that our hospital capacity and material to support the hospitals is adequate or has excess, the better we’re going to be in the fall.”

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/the-covid-19-pandemic-april-round-up/

Here’s a full wrap-up of COVID-19 happenings from the month of March.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/the-covid-19-pandemic-march-round-up-coronavirus-declared-a-pandemic-people-businesses-and-economies-devastated/

DocWire News will provide breaking updates on the COVID-19 pandemic as they become available.