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White House officials said Friday that states have enough COVID-19 tests to proceed to phase one of the Trump administration’s plan to restart the economy. Vice President Mike Pence told reporters at a briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force that “our best scientists and health experts assess that states today have enough tests to implement the criteria of phase one if they choose to do so.” Pence’s remarks come as the administration faces pressure to increase testing capacity, seen as key to faster lifting of lockdowns. Meanwhile, protests have erupted across the country amid record job losses and...

Americans won’t put up with permanent COVID-19 restrictions. Over the past month, we’ve had a national experience that has been part medical crisis, part unintentional social experiment. It’s been a bit surreal for almost everyone, I think. (snip) Nobody choreographed the virus. Never blame the buzzards for the roadkill! Nobody stage-managed the crisis, and only a relative few have shamelessly turned it into a political opportunity. Still, we can be sure that leaders and “influencers,” from every political and cultural faction, are observing keenly. As a nation, we need to teach our “ruling class” the right lessons. (snip) That is,...

It was autumn 1989. Momentous things were taking place in the world. The Berlin Wall had fallen. The people of the Eastern Bloc had succeeded at getting to the West through Hungary. The firm line between east and west was wavering. The situation was moving away from the course that Warsaw Pact communist governments had charted: that their populations must remain captive within the borders of the Communist Bloc. It was unclear whether this social contagion for freedom would spread into Czechoslovakia. But then November 17, 1989, arrived, a day etched in history. This was Students Day, a legal holiday....

Columbus, OH – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law today moved to enjoin the Ohio Department of Health from continuing to enforce its criminalization of “non-essential business,” as implemented through the Director’s April 2, 2020 Stay at Home Order. The April 2 Order fails to provide owners of “non-essential businesses” any opportunity for a hearing where the State must demonstrate that such businesses are indeed “non-essential” and incapable of safe operation, even as many other businesses and operations not essential to survival have been exempted. The legal action is brought on behalf of an otherwise-successful Columbus bridal shop and its...

Take a look at the largest virus bank in Asia Date：04-06-2018   |   【Print】 【close】 Recently, the National Health Commission of China officially designated the China Center for Virus Culture Collection (CCVCC) in Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as a "National-Level Culture Collection Center", which is an important milestone in the development of the Center's innovative construction. The species and samples of pathogenic microorganisms are important strategic resources for ensuring national social security, economic security and biological safety. As a national-level culture collection center, the CCVCC will be oriented to national strategic needs and will play an indispensable...

s United States intelligence agencies continue their investigation into the source of the COVID-19 spread, the vice director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology spoke out Saturday to defend the Chinese government and his laboratory from allegations that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan. Yuan Zhiming, who is also the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Branch, broke the lab's silence after Trump administration sources last week said China and the World Health Organization (WHO) were being investigated for a potential coronavirus cover-up. China's foreign ministry on Thursday told reportersthe WHO found "no evidence" the outbreak started at the...

COLUMBUS, Ohio—JoAnn Fabric and Craft and Michaels stores in Ohio will be allowed to remain open during the coronavirus crisis after agreeing to social-distancing precautions, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office. Yost, a Columbus Republican, initially sent cease-and-desist letters to the two retailers, as well as Hobby Lobby, demanding they close their Ohio stores under Gov. Mike DeWine’s order to shut all “non-essential” businesses. But while Hobby Lobby agreed to close its locations, JoAnn and Michaels argued they should be allowed to remain open because they offer “essential” services exempted under the governor’s order...

I live in New York State. But, I live in Western New York—not New York City, or downstate. If you ask anyone from downstate, they are New Yorkers, I am not. And quite honestly, I’m okay with that. I have no problem with not being lumped in with the downstaters. Except I still am. New York is a hotspot when it comes to coronavirus cases and deaths, but that’s only because of downstate. Upstate New York’s coronavirus situation pales in comparison to downstate. New York City, in particular, was doomed due to the incompetence of local leaders, as well as...

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, accused Democrats of exploiting the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic in order to push for "extreme changes in immigration policy." "This concept ought to be simple: We should not turn our back on the citizens and lawful immigrants of this great country to favor those that broke the law and came here illegally or overstayed their visas," said the Ohio congressman during a conference call with Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Matthew Albence and Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan. Democrats have called...

A controversial drug heralded by some as a coronavirus cure comes with symptoms of its own, Rita Wilson says. The actress, 63, says she was given chloroquine after she and husband Tom Hanks tested positive for COVID-19 while in Australia last month. The malaria treatment may or may not have helped her beat the virus, but it certainly gave her “extreme side effects,” she tells Gayle King on Tuesday’s “CBS This Morning.” After getting the chloroquine, Wilson became “completely nauseous” and experienced vertigo and weakened muscles, she warns. “We have to be very considerate about this drug,” she says. “We...

      TIPS FOR THE PITS We have all been there....Blue Monday. Nothing is more miserable than feeling depressed. Depression has been, and continues to be, the world's #1 public health problem. All of us are susceptible to depression. It all begins with the blues, which come and go like the common cold. The "Poor Me" syndrome hits us and drags us to the pits of depression. What are the signs of depression? Dragging through the day, wondering how we will get through it; getting bogged down at the least little obstacle; thinking negatively about everything; all we...

Friday marked the eighth day of new reporting standards to comply with federal guidelines to now include cases identified from non-testing evidence and some other tests not previously included. This has resulted in 249 additional “probable” cases than would have been reported previously, including 74 on Friday. That is just one variable that has played into tracking the numbers. Also, in the last week testing has ramped up significantly in prisons, even among those showing no symptoms. Prison officials on Friday identified 692 inmates and 197 staff with coronavirus, up from 489 inmates and 184 staff on Thursday.

Overwhelmed health care workers across the country are taking to the streets to demand safer working conditions and more personal protection equipment to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this week, Allahpundit wrote about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s strategy of developing a “Trump-proof” strategy for reopening businesses in his state without letting the President take credit for it or Cuomo taking the blame over a longer shutdown and/or a resurgence of the virus, depending on how it plays out. As part of this strategy, Cuomo has hired the consultant firm McKinsey & Company to help him develop the plan. While this may not look like an unusual choice at first glance, a deeper look into McKinsey’s history makes them a very problematic option at best. It’s not...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hydroxychloroquine, a widely available and inexpensive drug initially used for malaria as well as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, has been the subject of intense medical and political debate as researchers work quickly to determine its ability to fight coronavirus. According to this weekÂ’s Sermo COVID-19 Real Time Barometer of 5,158 physicians, one-quarter of global physicians agree that healthcare workers should take hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 infections with 50% having used or seen hydroxychloroquine used in their professional settings since March 25, 2020. There is little data about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, and the Centers for Disease Control...

Prayers up for all the families suffering from the impact of this virus. And we're still praying that the spread starts fading with the warmer Spring weather and that an effective treatment and vaccine are developed before the next flu season starts. And we pray that our people are allowed to go back to work very soon and that our economy comes roaring back. Meanwhile, we may be hurt and slowed down somewhat, but we have faith in the long-run that "what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." God willing, America will survive and we will survive and we...

Did new intelligence data reveal that 21 million people died in China from December 2019 to March 2020 due to the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: An online article being shared uses a statistic about a drop in cellphone users to make a faulty supposition that this figure reflects COVID-19 deaths in China. These numbers are not correlated, fact checkers have previously shown. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by News NT on April 4, 2020, under the headline "21 million Chinese died of coronavirus - US intelligence officials intercept data." It opened: "A new data...

The U.S.-Canada border restrictions will be extended for another 30 days as both countries continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday at a press briefing. "This is an important decision and one that will keep people on both sides of the border safe," Trudeau said. The restrictions took effect on March 21, banning any nonessential travel between the two countries. The U.S. has similar restrictions with the southern border, which allow trade to continue but have slowed down passenger traffic in ports of entry that are typically very busy. As of Saturday, Canada...

Gov. Cuomo should temporarily shut down the NYC subways to help slam the brakes on the coronavirus outbreak, urge four City Council members. “We believe that drastic measures must be taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our transit system,” the lawmakers — Robert Holden, Eric Ulrich, Mark Gonaj and Peter Koo — say in a letter to Cuomo. With MTA workers still lacking protective gear, trains packed with passengers due to reduced service, and homeless people camping in the cars, the subways are fueling the crisis, the councilmen say. ”MTA employees are going to work every day with woefully...

Speaking at his daily Coronavirus Press Briefing, President Trump slammed some Democrat Governors and members of Congress for trying to use the Coronavirus Crisis as a “Witch Hunt” – like they did the “Russia Witch Hunt,” that turned out to be a total phony. He’s right. It’s disgusting how the Democrats are trying to use this virus as a tool to destroy Trump’s Presidency. It’s all about politics for them. President Trump has done a truly outstanding job dealing with this unprecedented crisis. . . .