Free Republic

The Wuhan virus appears to be peaking, both globally and in the U.S. The much-maligned University of Washington IHME model says that U.S. deaths should have peaked today, and are expected to decline hereafter. Given that model’s track record, no one is taking it to the bank. But it is an opportune moment to see where we stand today, in terms of fatalities, in the context of other diseases.I have posted this chart, now updated with today’s numbers, several times before. It is simple: it shows, from left to right, the average number of annual deaths attributed to the...

Dallas County has reported a total of 1,644 cases of COVID-19 since March 10. -- Dallas County on Saturday reported its 26th and 27th deaths from COVID-19, as well as 107 additional cases of the new coronavirus. The two residents included a Garland man in his 60s and a Grand Prairie man in his 70s. Both men had underlying health conditions. Their deaths were reported to the county from area hospitals. Dallas County has reported a total of 1,644 cases of COVID-19 since March 10.

The coronavirus we’ve all been talking about for weeks has been officially labeled severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The reason for the 2 is that there is already a SARS-CoV-1. Like the current virus, SARS-CoV-1 spread from Chinese horseshoe bats and is believed to have infected a type of cat called a civet at a Chinese wet market in southern China. From there it spread to humans, eventually resulting in over 8,000 casese worldwide and around 800 deaths.The Chinese government’s response to the original SARS outbreak in 2002-2003 was to lie and attempt to cover it up....

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Pierce County, Washington residents expect our public health system to aggressively confront the virus. Data from South Korea and France demonstrate hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin taken orally for five days have striking results — for example, 95% of severely ill treated patients had symptoms quickly resolved, vs. 25% of untreated patients —and evidence builds that malaria and lupus sufferers taking hydroxychloroquine are COVID-resistant. These are not “gold standard” double-blind studies. But a delta of 70 points is strong evidence that hydroxychloroquine suppresses viral replication and mitigates disease severity, preventing hospitalizations. Our health experts have known about this...

Are President Donald Trump’s rallies the real reason for the Covid 19 shutdown? He was well on his way to an epic landslide re-election, and probably still is. The rallies and support for him were growing by the day and the news had no choice but to report it. I realize that there is an actual medical need to do what has been done, but not to the extent that we are starting to see and at the cost of destroying our economy and country along with it. Pelosi’s newly acquired enthusiasm for a prolonged shutdown and more bailouts got...

A consignment of hydroxychloroquine from India arrived at the Newark airport on Saturday (local time), according to India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu. "Supporting our partners in the fight against #Covid19. Consignment of hydroxychloroquine from India arrived at Newark airport today," he said in a tweet. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump had thanked India for its decision to export the anti-malarial drug which is deemed useful in dealing with coronavirus. "Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you...

A province in northern China is preparing thousands of hospital beds in anticipation of a surge of CCP virus patients—days after lockdown measures were relaxed in epicenter Wuhan, according to internal documents viewed by The Epoch Times. Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, locked down its border city of Suifenhe on April 7, which officials said was an attempt to stem the flow of imported cases from Russia. From March 27 to April 9, the city reported more than 100 imported cases, as well as 148 asymptomatic patients—those infected who do not show any symptoms of the disease—that were imported cases. Only...

There is precious little in the way of good news or humor coming out of the global pandemic, but our colleague Kira Davis at RedState has a story that may bring a smile to your face. She’s interviewed Gregg Bouslog, the owner of On-Target Indoor Shooting Range in Laguna Niguel, California. His operation is also a gun shop, selling the normal range of firearms, ammunition, and accessories. With the pandemic raging around the world, Mr. Bouslog has been on the front lines, seeing a surge in sales and requests for background checks unlike any in his business’ history. And that...

An obstetrician has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for killing a baby who "burst out crying" during abortion procedures. The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convicted the doctor, 65, surnamed Yun, of killing a 34-week-old baby and suspended Yun's medical license for three years. "Medical staff who participated in the operation have consistently said they heard the baby crying," a three-judge panel of the court said in a statement. "It is clear that the doctor killed the baby, who was born alive." Yun, who ran a maternity clinic in Seoul, received 28 million won...

Hollywood director Spike Lee suggested that Earth was “angry” at mankind for going “too far” and unleashed the Chinese coronavirus pandemic as a form of revenge. “Before Corona, after Corona. This is changing everything,” the BlacKkKlansman director said during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show. “But you know why, the reason, I read an article about it. How pollution is clearing up. Skies are clear. Animals are coming out. I mean you know, the Earth was angry at us,” Lee explained. “People may think I’m crazy that I believe it in my heart and soul. That we had...

Mayor Bill de Blasio stood his ground late Saturday on keeping schools closed until the fall, saying that the decision is the right move — despite a lecture earlier in the day from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said Hizzoner lacks the authority to do so. After consulting with Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, de Blasio said they decided to extend the systemwide shutdown until September. The mayor announced the plan early Saturday morning. “We are far from over with fighting the coronavirus,” de Blasio told the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation.” “It was crystal clear the right thing to do...

Students at Abilene Christina University in Abilene, Texas, organized a 500-person virtual choir to celebrate the Easter holiday. To achieve their goal, students solicited contributions from vocalists around the globe. The final product featured over 500 performers, singing in “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” in unison.

For a few minutes Thursday, a number of establishment media outlets reported the truth by accurately noting that Senate Democrats had blocked a Republican proposal to offer further assistance to small businesses during the coronavirus shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attempted to pass a White House-backed $250 billion relief package aimed at helping small businesses Thursday by unanimous consent -- as most lawmakers are currently not in Washington. Republicans sought to increase funding for the Paycheck Protection Program from $350 billion to $600 billion. Democrats, seeking to add an additional $250 billion for pet projects and double the amount...

Houston billionaire restaurateur Tilman Fertitta told FOX News' guest host Brian Kilmeade that he laid off 45,000 workers as a 'favor" to help them access unemployment benefits earlier. "You know, Brian, I went through the '87 crisis, the 2000, the 2008," Fertitta said Saturday on FOX News' Ingraham Angle. "You’re doing the people a favor if you get them furloughed first, because you have them first to unemployment line after the severance that you give them. It’s a trick that I’ve learned many years ago."

I explore Muhammad's track record of prophecy, and explain how the COVID19 outbreak demolishes one of his assertions about the susceptibility of Muslims to succumbing to infectious diseases and viruses.

Refugee contractors, like the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), have issued statements supporting House Democrats’ “No Ban Act” to end presidential-issued travel bans and continued refugee resettlement into the U.S. The State Department has halted refugee resettlement in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, though a handful of “emergency” refugees have been resettled over the last week. Refugee contractors have a vested interest in making sure as many refugees are resettled across the U.S. as possible because their annual federally-funded budgets are contingent on the number of refugees they resettle. “While we understand...

I guess I'll start by noting that in China dealing with Covid-19 has meant things like health screenings where people are asked questions and their temperature is taken. Going to work in the "front lines" for me means going through such a screening. So life in the USA for many of us resembles going to work in Communist China. The media including the "conservative talk show hosts" like to talk a lot about Communist China or even Russia but I feel like they do that really to distract from how much like Russia and China like things are right here...

The last thing I want, emerging on the other side of social distancing, is to feel I could have done more with my time. Plus my show has 11 seasonsMy first week in self-isolation was a flurry of enterprise and initiative. I don’t mean to boast, but it’s astonishing how much I managed to get done. My biggest achievement? I watched almost half a season of the hit Australian competitive-cooking, reality-TV show My Kitchen Rules, a dozen 60-minute episodes, devoured as ravenously as a vegemite buffet. Of course, this demanded commitment and intractable resolve, and there were more than a...

Spain has announced plans to ease work restrictions as the hard-hit country reported a dip in coronavirus deaths Saturday. Spanish health officials said 510 people died from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, a decline compared to the previous day's toll of more than 600. Overall, Spain has reported 16,353 deaths from the virus and 161,852 cases, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. Spain's death toll is second only to Italy (18,849) in Europe. But Spain also has one of the largest number of recoveries, at nearly 60,000.

DOJ: 'Expect action' on government regulation of religious services amid COVID-19 outbreak The Justice Department (DOJ) may take action next week against local governments that have cracked down on religious services as widespread parts of the country are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, a DOJ spokesperson said Saturday. “While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly [and] not single out religious [organizations],” DOJ Director of Communications Kerri Kupec tweeted.