The COVID-19 Pandemic: White House Coronavirus Task Force to Shift Focus; Genetic Analysis Confirms Virus Started in 2019; and More

World News:

The world is closing in on yet another grim milestone as COVID-19 has infected almost 4 million people worldwide. Worldometer now reports 3.7 million confirmed cases, with the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 now responsible for the deaths of almost 260,000 people across the globe.

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

• Spain: 253,682 confirmed cases; 25,857 deaths.
• Italy: 213,013 confirmed cases; 29,315 deaths.
• UK: 194,990 confirmed cases; 29,427 deaths.
• France: 170,551 confirmed cases; 25,531 deaths.
• Germany: 167,372 confirmed cases; 6,993 deaths.

UK Scientist Steps Down After Breaking Lockdown Rules He Helped Develop

The United Kingdom’s scientific adviser, who helped architect the UK’s lockdown rules, resigned after he broke his own protocols. Professor Neil Ferguson, the leading epidemiologist who advised the British government on its COVID-19 response, stepped down after a story broke in The Telegraph that he allowed his reported lover to visit him at home, thus breaking lockdown orders. London police commented by saying: “We remain committed to our role in supporting adherence to government guidance and have made it clear that our starting position is explaining the need to follow the regulations with anyone who is in breach in order to keep people safe and protect the National Health Service (NHS).”

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

COVID-19 has now killed over 72,000 people in the United States as of Wednesday, May 6. There are over 1.2 million confirmed infections. The US epicenter of New York now reports 330,139 confirmed cases and 25,436 deaths while second leading New Jersey now has 131,705 confirmed cases and 8,292 deaths.

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

• Massachusetts: 70,271 confirmed cases; 4,212 deaths.
• Illinois: 65,962 confirmed cases; 2,838 deaths.
• California: 58,790 confirmed cases; 2,379 deaths.
• Pennsylvania: 53,907 confirmed cases; 3,196 deaths.
• Michigan: 44,397 confirmed cases; 4,179 deaths.

White House Task Force to Shift Focus

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. Trump said that the group, said by Vice President Mike Pence, “has done a fantastic job of bringing together vast highly complex resources,” such as ventilators, face masks and testing systems. “Because of this success, the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN,” the president tweeted. Trump added that, “We may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate. The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics. Thank you!”

Analysis Shows Virus Did Indeed Start Spreading Late 2019

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.. This dispels any rumors that the virus had been around earlier than 2019. The analysis also found no evidence that the virus is becoming more transmissible. “The virus is changing, but this in itself does not mean it’s getting worse,” genetics researcher Francois Balloux of the University College London Genetics Institute told CNN.

CDC Says Almost 5,000 US Inmates Have Contracted Coronavirus

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. “Approximately one half of facilities with COVID-19 cases reported them among staff members but not among incarcerated persons,” the report said. “Because staff members move between correctional facilities and their communities daily, they might be an important source of virus introduction into facilities.”

• 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:

Friday, May 1, 2020

As most US states begin easing their lockdown restrictions, it’s apparent that the US is still not of the virus’ grip. There are now over 1.1 million confirmed cases in the US and over 64,000 deaths. The country’s epicenter, New York, now reports 310,839 confirmed cases and 24,069 deaths. The nation’s capital, Washington DC, has seen an uptick in cases over the past seven weeks, and reported 335 new cases on Friday – its biggest single day rise.

The US states outside of New York with the highest confirmed cases remain:

• New Jersey: 129,345 confirmed cases; 7,951 deaths.
• Massachusetts

Fauci Says US Government Could Have Vaccine by January

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.”

Summer will Be “Critical” in Pandemic Fight, Says CDC

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.