Medical stockpile seized from alleged hoarder to be distributed

U.S. officials have seized a stockpile of personal protective equipment from an alleged hoarder.

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Coronavirus: Holland America lets off cruise passengers; 14 critically ill taken to Florida hospitals

President Trump weighed in after passengers from the Holland America Zaandam cruise ship were allowed to touch dry land for the first time in weeks.

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U.S. sounds alarm on coronavirus in Japan, Tokyo pushes for state of emergency

The U.S. government on Friday sounded alarm about the surge in coronavirus cases in Japan, adding to a chorus of prominent domestic voices - including the governor of Tokyo - who have called for decisive action to avoid an explosive outbreak. Amid growing clamour for tighter curbs on people's movements to stem a rising tide of infections, the government has so far been reluctant to pull the trigger, warning of the heavy damage that could ensue in the world's third-biggest economy, already close to recession. Instead, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged school closures and called on citizens to avoid unnecessary and non-urgent gatherings and outings while preparing to roll out an economic stimulus plan next week - even as he acknowledged the country was barely avoiding a major jump in infections.

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1 in 4 people who get the coronavirus may show no symptoms but still be contagious. Here's the latest research on asymptomatic carriers.

"A significant number of individuals that are infected actually remain asymptomatic," the CDC's director, Robert Redfield, has said.

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China Wants to Use the Coronavirus to Take Over the World

What started as a catastrophe for China is shaping up to be a moment of strategic opportunity, a rare turning point in the flow of history. Suddenly, the protests in Hong Kong, carrying a mortal threat to political stability in the mainland, became a physical impossibility. More important, the pandemic set in motion a global competition, to contain the virus, for which China and the Chinese Communist Party seem uniquely prepared.As the virus spread to the whole world, it became apparent that Western societies — Beijing’s true rivals — did not have the ability to quickly organize every citizen around a single goal. As opposed to China, which remains to a large extent a revolutionary society, their political systems were built for normal times. Chinese society is a mobilized army, which can quickly drop everything else and march in one direction.Mao once said, “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos, the situation is excellent.” And so it seems at present, as seen from Beijing. Chinese diplomats stationed all over the world spend their time raising the stakes to a dangerous level. Following instructions from the very top, they have taken to the media to issue a challenge to America, to point out its failure, and to compare the chaos in American cities and hospitals with what they see as a singular success in stopping the epidemic in China.Several commentators have suggested that China may be winning the coronavirus battle by stepping forward in providing medical help to affected countries, mostly in Europe, at a time when the United States is consumed with its own difficulties. This misses the point.The cases have been multiplying where the medical equipment provided by Chinese companies and even the Chinese state turned out to be faulty, provoking justified ire in, for example, Spain, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Moreover, medical help is a normal occurrence in a crisis. China has done nothing different, except perhaps in the clumsy way it publicizes those efforts.Forget about “mask diplomacy.” It is no more than a distraction. There are other ways for China to use the coronavirus pandemic to upturn the existing global order. I see three main levers.The first one is the direct comparison between the situation in China and elsewhere. The numbers of cases and fatalities provided by Chinese authorities almost certainly misrepresent the real figures by more than an order of magnitude, but the fact remains that a semblance of normalcy was achieved in a small period of time. If the United States fails to do the same, its prestige will suffer a severe blow. People all over the world will quickly change their perceptions about relative power and capacity.The second lever resides with industrial value chains. Last month General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler closed all their automotive production plants across the United States and Canada. Other sectors have followed. In the meantime, China contained the worst of the pandemic to one province, allowing economic activity to quickly resume elsewhere. The most recent data show renewed activity in the flow of goods across the country, as well as at ports worldwide that do business with China. If the freeze in Europe and America continues for much longer, Chinese companies will be able to dramatically expand market share and replace Western-led value chains. Just yesterday Chinese authorities announced that manufacturing activity expanded in March, defying expectations of a contraction. In February the official Purchasing Managers’ Index hit a record low of 35.7. It bounced back to 52.0 in March. Prepare for a worldwide wave of Chinese acquisitions at knockdown prices.Finally, in a more extreme scenario, important countries could experience the kind of economic shock that leads to widespread social and political collapse. At that point, China would have a unique opportunity to step in, provide aid, and refashion these countries in its image. It would look like a repeat of the Marshall Plan and the beginning of the American world order after the ravages of World War II. Indonesia, South Asia, and even Russia might be of special interest in such a scenario.We knew that a generalized race or competition between alternative geopolitical models had started, but it was never clear what the background for such a competition would be. If the clash took place within the existing global trade and financial system, which was of course built according to Western rules and principles, the United States was confident the battle could be decisively won. But what if it took place on neutral ground? What if it took place in a kind of neutral landscape, a state of nature with few or no rules, against a chaotic and quickly evolving background? The outcome would become considerably more uncertain.To put it more bluntly: There was always an argument that the existing world order cannot change because only a momentous war has done that in the past and world wars have become impossible. But in pandemics — and soon in climate change — we may have found two functional equivalents of war.

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There Is No Way Out but Through

By BY ROGER COHEN from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/39Ktf1E

A Bit of Relief: Introducing ‘Sugar Calling’

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Coronavirus Models Offer the Big Picture, Not the Details of What May Come

By BY IAN AUSTEN from NYT World https://ift.tt/34aVfu0

Tensions Persist Between Trump and Medical Advisers Over the Coronavirus

By BY PETER BAKER, MAGGIE HABERMAN AND JAMES GLANZ from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2JEVmoh

Does My County Have an Epidemic? Estimates Show Hidden Transmission

By BY JAMES GLANZ, MATTHEW BLOCH AND ANJALI SINGHVI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2ysnkRS

Covid-19: A Look Back From 2025

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Coronavirus in N.Y.: Toll Soars to Nearly 3,000 as State Pleads for Aid

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Pelosi eyes another round of checks to families before tackling infrastructure

The speaker said with coronavirus moving quickly across the U.S. communities “can’t afford to wait”

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Americans purchasing record-breaking numbers of guns amid coronavirus

The pandemic has created a surge in demand, with some gun stores inundated with panic-buyers * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageAmericans have responded to the coronavirus epidemic with a record-breaking number of gun purchases, according to new government data on the number of background checks conducted in March.More than 3.7m total firearm background checks were conducted through the FBI’s background check system in March, the highest number on record in more than 20 years. An estimated 2.4m of those background checks were conducted for gun sales, according to adjusted statistics from a leading firearms industry trade group. That’s an 80% increase compared with the same month last year, the trade group said.Nearly 1.2m total gun background checks were conducted in a single week, starting 16 March, breaking all previous records going back to 1998, according to FBI data.While the number of background checks doesn’t correlate one-to-one in terms of guns sold, the number of firearm background checks conducted through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System is the best available proxy for gun sales in the United States. The figures highlight how the pandemic has created a surge in demand for gun ownership, with some gun stores finding themselves inundated with panic-buyers, including, at least anecdotally, many Americans purchasing a gun for the first time.The record-breaking week of 16 March was when California residents were photographed lining up by the dozens outside local gun stores, as the Bay Area and then California as a whole announced the first emergency stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the United States.Friday 20 March broke records for the highest number of firearms background checks conducted nationwide in a single day: 210,308.Americans can buy multiple guns from a licensed gun dealer with a single background check, meaning that the number of checks conducted does not reflect the total number of guns sold.In most states, private citizens can also sell guns to each other without a background check, and these private sales are not included in the FBI’s numbers. There is no way to track how many guns were bought and sold in private sales over the past month. Some states also allow residents who have a license to carry a concealed firearm in public to buy guns without a background check, another category of gun sales not included in the FBI’s statistics.Federal firearms background checks are also conducted for reasons other than gun sales, including for validating permits to allow people to carry a concealed firearm in public, and, in California, for ammunition sales.The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade group for the American firearms industry, produces regular “adjusted” estimates for gun background checks that subtract out background checks that the FBI tags as related to concealed carry permit applications, or to period checks by officials to make sure permits are still valid. This produces a lower number that is a closer proxy for gun sales.The trade group’s adjusted numbers for March are still “simply eye-popping”, Mark Oliva, a spokesman for the industry group, wrote in an email.The second-highest week of total firearms background checks on record was 17 December 2012, the week after a mass shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, left 20 children dead, and sparked fears that the United States would pass sweeping national gun control measures.More than 950,000 firearms background checks were conducted that week, though US lawmakers ultimately failed to pass any additional gun control legislation after resistance from gun rights activists and many Republican politicians.While the FBI statistics do not include any information on what kind of purchasers are driving the spike in gun sales, some gun sellers have said they are seeing increased numbers of new gun owners.“Retailers have been telling us that the overwhelming majority of those buying firearms over the last month have been first-time gun owners,” Oliva, the spokesman for the firearms industry trade group, wrote in an email.American gun control advocates said they found the statistics on record-breaking numbers of firearms background checks concerning, and urged Americans to think twice before panic-buying a gun, particularly if they had never owned one before.Concerns have also been raised about children sheltering at home in houses where they might have access to guns, as well as the risk of gun suicide, which amount to approximately two-thirds of US gun deaths each year.“We need to prepare for the increased risk of more firearms in untrained hands,” David Chipman, a senior policy adviser at Giffords, a leading gun violence prevention expert, said in a statement. “If you didn’t think you needed a gun prior to March of this year, you certainly don’t need to rush out and get one now.”Activists said that the number of guns sold in the past month could have been even higher, if some cities and states had not told gun retailers to close during stay-at-home orders, deeming them non-essential businesses. However, some of these orders have been changed under pressure from gun rights activists, particularly after the Trump administration included firearms manufacturers, retailers and shooting ranges as part of the national’s “essential critical infrastructure workforce”.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wears 'That Woman from Michigan' T-shirt on 'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah'

During appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wore a "That Woman from Michigan" T-shirt.

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Birx: Face masks not a substitute for handwashing, distancing to help prevent coronavirus spread

At a press briefing, Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the use of face masks should not be a substitute for social distancing and washing hands to prevent contracting the coronavirus.

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Coronavirus: US jobless claims hit 6.6 million as virus spreads

More than 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week as the coronavirus spreads.

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Oil rockets as Trump signals end to price war

Oil prices rocketed Thursday, posting the largeset percent increase ever, after US President Donald Trump said Russia and Saudi Arabia planned to end their price war by slashing output. After Trump tweeted that Saudi and Russia could slash production by up to 15 million barrels, Brent hit $36.29 a barrel, up almost 46 percent, and West Texas Intermediate soared around 35 percent to $27.39.

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Spanish Virus Deaths Climb Past 10,000 With 950 New Victims

(Bloomberg) -- Spain reported an increase in coronavirus deaths and new cases, suggesting severe containment measures have yet to bring the outbreak under control.The Health Ministry recorded its deadliest day on Thursday, with 950 fatalities lifting the total to more than 10,000. The country is dealing with the second-most severe outbreak in Europe after Italy and the government has struggled to check the spread of the disease. A wave of infections has stretched the health service to breaking point and led to a shortage of beds in intensive-care units, while the army has been deployed to assist in its biggest domestic peacetime operation.The number of confirmed cases increased by 8,102, a bigger gain than Wednesday’s 7,719, to 110,238. The daily death toll in Italy -- where more than 13,000 have died -- dropped to 727 on Wednesday, the lowest in six days, and the number of new cases is below highs in mid-March.The newest Spanish figures contrast with optimism expressed by the government. Health Minister Salvador Illa told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday, after the data were released, that the “curve has stabilized and we are entering a process of slowing down.”Illa, a philosopher by training, added that the percentage increase in deaths, hospitalizations and new cases reported Thursday was lower than a week ago.Aside from over-stretched hospitals, the government is also struggling to deal with the impact in nursing homes in a nation with one of the world’s oldest populations. Many homes are understaffed and death tolls are rising rapidly as the virus is especially dangerous for the elderly.Fernando Simon, a Health Ministry official, said Thursday it’s hard to find an explanation for Spain’s relatively high mortality rate. “In certain periods and regions, we have had nursing homes affected, with very fragile people,” he told reporters. “And there can also be a variability in how different countries report their numbers.”The devastating impact on the Spanish economy is evident in recent data. The Labor Ministry on Thursday reported more than 300,000 new jobless claims for March, the highest monthly increase on record. The number doesn’t include hundreds of thousands of workers temporarily laid off after companies shut down following the declaration on March 14 of a state of emergency.The tourism industry, a bellwether of the Spanish economy, has ground to a halt, in a blow to workers who rely on temporary hotel and restaurant jobs over the summer.Airlines are meeting with the government to try to secure liquidity, the transport minister said Thursday. The country’s largest company by market value, retailer Inditex SA, has closed all its stores in Spain and is considering around 25,000 temporary redundancies if the state of emergency continues beyond April 11.(Updates with Health Ministry official in seventh paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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The IRS will reportedly begin issuing $1,200 stimulus payments on April 9, but some Americans could wait up to 5 months to receive their check

About 145 million Americans can expect the cash meant to support those most affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Flying during coronavirus is scary. Flight attendants want you to stop

Flight attendants want nonessential flights to stop amid coronavirus outbreak

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A New Jersey doctor is the first emergency physician to die from coronavirus in the US

Frank Gabrin, 60, died in his husband's arms just days after he developed symptoms consistent with the virus. He was a two-time cancer survivor.

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Japan Fears Country on ‘Brink of the Brink’ of Virus Surge

(Bloomberg) -- Japan is bracing for an explosive surge in coronavirus infections cases, senior government officials said, while continuing to resist calls to declare a state of emergency to fight the pandemic.“We are really continuing on the brink of the brink,” Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters Friday in Tokyo, one of several fresh warnings about the potential for a more widespread outbreak. Nishimura said that the government was concerned about the capital, where confirmed infections have more than doubled in a week to almost 700. Tokyo saw its biggest one-day tally of 97 on Thursday.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has come under increasing pressure to declare a state of emergency to contain the disease’s spread, with Rakuten Inc. founder Hiroshi Mikitani joining those urging such action. Abe told parliament Friday that the situation didn’t yet warrant an emergency declaration, but said he wouldn’t hesitate to do so when the time comes.Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said an emergency declaration twinned with economic aid would be effective. Abe has agreed to handouts of 300,000 yen ($2,780) for households whose income has been hit by the crisis, public broadcaster NHK said, without saying where it got the information.Speaking to reporters, Koike laid out some details of what a state of emergency would look like in the capital, saying she would ask people to avoid going out unnecessarily and to work from home where possible. By contrast with the national government’s low-key approach, she said she had enlisted celebrities including popular Japanese YouTuber Hikakin to help get the message out.Medical staff, supermarket workers, bank tellers and people operating the stock exchange would remain on duty even under an emergency, Koike added.While Japan was one of the first countries outside of the original epicenter in neighboring China to confirm a coronavirus infection, it has fared better than most, with about 2,600 reported cases as of Friday. That’s the lowest tally of any Group of Seven country, although Japan might be finding fewer mild cases because it has conducted a relatively small number of tests.Due to civil liberties protections enshrined in Japan’s postwar constitution, an emergency declaration wouldn’t give local governments power to clear the streets as China and some European countries have done. Still, it would increase their ability to procure essential materials and urge people to stay home.Besides Mikitani, who is one of Japan’s most prominent business leaders, Koike has also pushed for an emergency declaration. Hirofumi Yoshida -- governor of the country’s second most populous city Osaka -- said earlier this week that an emergency should be declared for his own prefecture as well as Tokyo, the Asahi newspaper reported.Abe urged people to cooperate with government recommendations to avoid more severe measures, telling parliament that 62 people infected with the virus were in serious condition as of Wednesday. The country has reported 63 deaths.Japan is at risk of a deepening recession due to the pandemic, a sales tax hike in October and the postponement of the Olympic Games. In the three months starting in April, some analysts see the economy shrinking more than 10%, the biggest plunge since Abe took the helm in 2012. If the Tokyo metropolitan area, which accounts for about one-third of the economy, heads into a lockdown, the damage would get even worse.Nishimura, the economy minister, also said the government was aiming to decide early next week on a stimulus package to support jobs and businesses. He said the government was considering cash handouts, as well as a variety of other fiscal, tax and deregulatory measures.(Updates with cash handout report, Tokyo governor comments)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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