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SACRAMENTO - At first, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to play nice. He limited criticisms of the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and asked for medical supplies through official channels. But nothing came, so he went on television. The first-term Democrat blasted the Trump administration on Sunday on CNN for failing to help states obtain masks, gloves and other protective gear. It got President Donald Trump’s attention. After a Twitter feud and some mudslinging (Pritzker compared Trump to a “carnival barker”), the two got on the phone Monday, and Trump promised Illinois 250,000 masks and 300 ventilators. Facing...

Dyson, the company behind high-tech vacuums and hand dryers, says it has received an emergency order from the United Kingdom for 10,000 ventilators, and that it has already designed a new machine. James Dyson, the billionaire founder, wrote in a letter to employees later obtained by CNN that he received a call from U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding the short supply of ventilators. Just 10 days later, Dyson wrote that the company has designed and built a new ventilator called the “CoVent.” "This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently and at volume," according to Dyson. It has been...

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who created the highly-cited Imperial College London coronavirus model, which has been cited by organizations like The New York Times and has been instrumental in governmental policy decision-making, offered a massive revision to his model on Wednesday. Ferguson’s model projected 2.2 million dead people in the United States and 500,000 in the U.K. from COVID-19 if no action were taken to slow the virus and blunt its curve. However, after just one day of ordered lockdowns in the U.K., Ferguson has changed his tune, revealing that far more people likely have the virus than his team figured....

There is nothing more important to the American public than knowing the answer to these questions: 1) Do all hospitals in America have a supply of Hydroxychloroquine (HC) ? 2) Are they actively using HC on all assisted breathing cases? 3) Why are people still dying? I submit that these are the only three questions the media need ask the President in his briefing today. The reason that I didn't add "Does HC work?" is that we already know the answer.

Ex-PM at centre of 2008 banks rescue suggests taskforce of leaders and health experts Gordon Brown has urged world leaders to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The former Labour prime minister, who was at the centre of the international efforts to tackle the impact of the near-meltdown of the banks in 2008, said there was a need for a taskforce involving world leaders, health experts and the heads of the international organisations that would have executive powers to coordinate the response. A virtual meeting of...

If the hospitals are unable to handle the patient load, and you are coming down with symptoms that may suggest you have the coronavirus, what have you stocked to self-care at home? I'm looking for essentials items that I haven't considered.

Excerpt. See original for excellent graphs and content.

China announced Thursday it would temporarily restrict most foreigners from entering the country to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. The measures go into effect Saturday, March 28, with no given end date, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. The country will not allow foreigners to enter even if they hold valid visas or temporary residence permits, including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation cards. The policy includes short-term visa holders and foreign tour groups from Hong Kong, Macao, Hainan and Shanghai as well as Association of Southeast Asian Nations tourist groups. Foreigners seeking to engage in important business, trade,...

Diamond posted a video on Twitter of himself and his dog sitting next to the fireplace, which in and of itself is calming enough. But he picked up a guitar and told viewers, “I know we’re all going through a tough time right now. But I love you and I think if maybe we sing together, well, we’ll feel a little bit better.” Diamond then began singing “Sweet Caroline” which ironically (or tragically if you think about it) seems to predict something is about to happen. “Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing/But then I know it’s growing strong,”...

Los Angeles residents will be confined to their homes until May at the earliest, Mayor Eric Garcetti told Insider on Wednesday. "I think this is at least two months," he said. "And be prepared for longer."

1/ This is a remarkable turn from Neil Ferguson, who led the @imperialcollege authors who warned of 500,000 UK deaths - and who has now himself tested positive for #COVID; https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238578-uk-has-enough-intensive-care-units-for-coronavirus-expert-predicts/ … 2/ He now says both that the U.K. should have enough ICU beds and that the coronavirus will probably kill under 20,000 people in the U.K. - more than 1/2 of whom would have died by the end of the year in any case bc they were so old and sick. 3/ Essentially, what has happened is that estimates of the viruses transmissibility have increased - which implies...

Alright @TeamJoe, join us for Happy Hour. Watch our virtual round table on the issues that matter to young folks: https://t.co/pFhYghw5dt— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 25, 2020

National coordinator of coronavirus response charms the press. By Jennifer Harper - The Washington Times - Wednesday, March 25, 2020 One member of the White House coronavirus task force is warranting very positive coverage from a wide range of news organizations. Tasked with coordinating the national response to the pandemic, Dr. Deborah Birx has maintained a helpful, steadfast public presence during daily media appearances before a national audience. The press has taken notice. Both CNN and The Guardian called her a global health “legend” while the New York Times described Dr. Birx as “tough and disciplined” and busy “running what...

A lot of these hospitals that say they have nothing are run by the city of New York They just showed Elmhurst in Queens on Fox News...

Back in January the English-language version of the Global Times — a publication controlled by China’s ruling Communist Party — passed along some footage of the drone warnings after they were shared on China’s popular Weibo social network. In the viral video, residents of a village in Inner Mongolia are startled when they hear a disembodied voice from a hovering drone admonishing them for not wearing face masks outside. “Yes, Auntie, this is the drone speaking to you — you shouldn’t walk about without wearing a mask,” the voice announces to an elderly woman. In another segment, the drone warns...

The Health and Human Services Department's watchdog will investigate the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak. A spokesperson for the HHS inspector general told the Washington Examiner that investigators will carry out at least five reviews “related to HHS’s planning and response of the COVID-19 outbreak.” The inquiries will scrutinize issues such as nationwide hospital responses, quarantine procedures, the training and protective gear provided to front-line health workers, nursing home standards amid a disease with an exponentially more deadly effect on the elderly and the already ill, and the ability to care for illegal border crossers and refugees during...

The number of cops calling out sick jumped again Wednesday with more than 3,000 officers out ill as the coronavirus spreads in the NYPD. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on MSNBC Wednesday morning the number of cops taking sick time was three times the normal rate — and currently sitting at about 3,200 officers ill. “The backup plans are already underway. We are certainly making adjustments,” Shea said, without outlining the plan. “We are a very well-resourced department. But make no mistake we are going to get through this and the New York City police department is going to lead...

Thread #27 here: http://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3828191/posts?page=1

Former “throuple” Rep. Katie Hill says she has been “exposed” to the coronavirus — and is showing all the symptoms of being sick from the potentially deadly disease. “I was exposed to COVID-19. Here’s what happened,” wrote the former California congresswoman, who resigned in October under the intense spotlight on her three-way relationship with her husband and a female staffer. “My dad found out Saturday afternoon that he’d spent a lot of time with a person who tested positive for COVID-19,” she wrote in a three-tweet thread online. “I was exposed to my dad, but I could have been way...

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), along with other pro-choice groups, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and several other state officials over a temporary ban on elective abortion during the coronavirus pandemic. The ban was issued as part of an executive order by Abbott aimed at conserving medical equipment and the capacity of the health care system after warnings from health care professionals that patients sick with the coronavirus might overwhelm hospital capacity and deplete supplies, such as personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses. Pro-choice activists say the ban was issued...