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Link only - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/04/coronavirus-stimulus-outdated-technology-could-delay-checks-experts-say/5112012002/

Mr Trump called India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, a day after the country banned the export of hydroxychloroquine, which it manufactures in large quantities. The two leaders are on friendly terms, and Mr Trump recently made a high-profile trip to India. But is India really in a position to help the US? And does hydroxychloroquine even work against the coronavirus? What is hydroxychloroquine? Hydroxychloroquine is very similar to Chloroquine, one of the oldest and best-known anti-malarial drugs. But the drug - which can also treat auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus - has also attracted attention over...

The problem with people referring to this bizarre pandemic life limbo as “the new normal” is that there are people out there, both in and out of positions of responsibility, who are digging this opportunity to boss us around. And it is troubling to see that there are a number of prominent folks who are in no hurry to curtail their ability to boss us around. We need to note carefully who these people are and ensure that they never get a chance to control anything again. You are starting to see more of that as this drags out. You...

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WASHINGTON (AP) — After the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the Trump administration squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment. A review of federal purchasing contracts by The Associated Press shows federal agencies largely waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers.

China has tried to restore its image after lying to the world about the seriousness of its coronavirus outbreak, but its attempts at humanitarianism have turned out to be as slippery as its wet markets. After COVID-19 made its way to Italy, decimating the country’s significant elderly population, China told the world it would donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help Italy stop its spread. Reports later indicated that China had actually sold, not donated, the PPE to Italy. A senior Trump administration official tells The Spectator that it is much worse than that: China forced Italy to buy back...

In the summer of 2005, President George W. Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, when he began flipping through an advance reading copy of a new book about the 1918 flu pandemic. He couldn't put it down. When he returned to Washington, he called his top homeland security adviser into the Oval Office and gave her the galley of historian John M. Barry's "The Great Influenza," which told the chilling tale of the mysterious plague that "would kill more people than the outbreak of any other disease in human history." "You've got to read this," Fran...

Unbelievable. Just saw a local report. Began with out of context and unbalanced info on that hydroxo-whatever drug. Just an attempt to bash Trump. Then a praise of CUOMO because the curve may be flattening in New York.

Please FReep Mail me regarding the ping list for these reports. Thanks. COVID-19 Update As of 04/05/2020 23:17 PDST (taken at 23:59) Good morning everyone. Thank you for dropping in to check out this Update. Links to other resources: Near the bottom of this post. Commentary3: Interesting Tid-bits (hopefully) Waking Up Daily to the Same Pandemic There is a certain Groundhog Day (the movie) feel to the situation we are in as this pandemic has it's way in our nation. We experience the bad news one day, go to sleep, and then wake up seemingly starting it all over again,...

Well, it’s, what is this? Day 6 of Q&A? We have pretty well covered “masks”, every one is an expert on epidemiology. Are there any questions left?

Police in Texas announced on Sunday they are looking for a woman who claimed on Snapchat to have tested positive for COVID-19 and was "willfully spreading it." Police identified the woman as Lorraine Maradiaga, 18. She stands to be charged with terroristic threat, Texas Penal Code 22.07, they said. "We have no confirmation Maradiaga is actually a threat to public health," the department announced on Facebook Sunday night. "We are, however, taking her social media actions very seriously."

Health professionals say the majority of Luzerne county's coronavirus cases are in the Hazleton area and the numbers are growing quickly. The mayor of Hazleton will enact a curfew for residents on Saturday at 8PM along with other rules that will be enforced by police. Luzerne County has asked the governor to send in the National Guard...there are many factors that led to Hazleton being a hot spot for COVID-19... ...Hazleton is really going to be ground zero for this... Rep. Toohil says there are many factors that may have led to this including commuters to New York and New...

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A cheering and applauding crowd of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt wished farewell to their captain, whom the Navy relieved of command after he raised concerns about the spreading coronavirus on his ship in a letter that was leaked to the media. Hundreds were pictured in the gathering in the ship’s hangar deck and many chanted Capt. Brett Crozier’s name in multiple videos posted to social media. A video posted Friday to the Facebook page of Michael Washington included the hashtags #MYCO and #WEARETRSTRONG. “That’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had,”...

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says the Chinese coronavirus crisis is vindicating President Trump’s economic nationalist agenda, underscoring how “dangerously over-dependent” the nation is on global supply chains overseas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKmmu9cPReQ&feature=emb_title  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhgm2jlk2o&feature=emb_title A group of Massachusetts shoppers tackled a man and pinned him to the ground until police arrived after catching him allegedly coughing and spitting on produce, fanning coronavirus fears. Cell phone video shot from inside a Stop & Shop in Kingston on Saturday showed at least three men on top of the man as in the produce aisle. “Don’t try and get up,” one of the shoppers tells the man pinned to the floor. Witnesses told police they spotted the 65-year-old man from Duxbury, whose name was not released by authorities, coughing and spitting on produce. Kyle Mann, an 18-year-old shopper from...

A couple have been arrested on suspicion of killing a hotel worker and chopping off his fingers to access his bank account from his mobile and steal a £60,000 inheritance. The women were held after parts of Diogo Goncalves' dismembered body was discovered in different parts of the Algarve. Portuguese police have confirmed they have arrested two women aged 19 and 23 on suspicion of murdering a 21-year-old man and desecrating his body. Local reports say security worker Maria Malveira, 19, allegedly promised Diogo a lap dance so she could tie him to a chair before strangling him and dismembering...

Yet another positive report: LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles doctor said he is seeing significant success in prescribing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc to treat patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine has been touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19 by President Trump among others, but it remains controversial as some experts believe it is unproven and may not be effective. The drug has long been used for treatment of malaria and conditions such as lupus and arthritis but is not technically approved by the FDA for COVID-19. The agency, however, is encouraging trials and...

COVID-19 projections assuming full social distancing through May 2020 Last updated April 5, 2020. Total deaths (US) 81,766 COVID-19 deaths projected by August 4, 2020 (see comment below)

The Prime Minister of Sweden has issued a stark warning to his citizens, telling them to prepare for innumerable deaths following the country's laid back attitude to Covid-19. Stefan Löfven's grim message came after some 2,300 doctors and academics hurled criticism at Sweden for not taking the pandemic seriously - barely tightening up preventative methods. Social Democrat Löfven warned citizens to prepare for thousands of deaths. To the amazement of many European countries, who have for the most part enforced lockdowns and social distancing measures, life in Sweden has been permitted to go on with relative normality. Many bars, eateries,...