Coronavirus
Boris Johnson remains in intensive care after no change in condition George Parker and Sebastian Payne, Financial Times
Minister declines to say how many of PM’s powers have been transferred to Dominic Raab.
Worried that $2 trillion law wasn’t enough, Trump and congressional leaders converge on need for new coronavirus economic package Erica Werner and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post
Congressional leaders and the White House are converging on the need for a new assistance package to try to contain the coronavirus pandemic’s economic devastation, fearful that a $2 trillion bailout law enacted last month will have only a limited effect.
U.S. government urged to release race, ethnicity data on covid-19 cases Vanessa Williams, The Washington Post
A civil rights group and hundreds of doctors are calling on the federal government to release race and ethnicity data on infections and deaths from covid-19, citing reports that the pandemic is affecting African Americans at a disproportionate rate.
White House pushes unproven drug for virus; doctors wary Zeke Miller and Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press
President Donald Trump and his administration kept up their out-sized promotion Monday of an malaria drug not yet officially approved for fighting the new coronavirus, even though scientists say more testing is needed before it’s proven safe and effective against COVID-19.
Virus is mostly mild and rarely fatal for US kids, data show Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press
The first national data on COVID-19 in U.S. children suggest that while the illness usually isn’t severe in kids, some do get sick enough to require hospital treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Monday shows that fever, cough and shortness of breath were the most common symptoms in kids, but they occurred less often than in adults.
Former FDA chiefs outline plan to reopen the economy — when broad testing in place David Lim, Politico
Two former FDA commissioners, both with bipartisan credibility, are working with lawmakers on a framework to gradually restart the economy — as long as the country builds an ample testing and disease surveillance system to rapidly diagnose coronavirus, isolate infected people and effectively quarantine their close contacts.
Martin Shkreli is trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to get out of prison Damian Garde and Adam Feuerstein, Stat News
Martin Shkreli, currently serving a seven-year sentence for securities fraud, has a pitch to authorities: Let me out of prison and I’ll help stop the novel coronavirus.
When the Coronavirus Outbreak Could Peak in Each U.S. State Paul Murray, Bloomberg
On March 31, the White House coronavirus task force revealed that the death toll from Covid-19 could total in the hundreds of thousands, their first projection of how many people in the U.S. could die over the next couple months. The total is based, in part, on a University of Washington study that considers data from other outbreak hotspots around the world and local conditions in each state—including social-distancing measures and when they went into effect.
Masks should be prioritized for health workers to avoid shortage against coronavirus: WHO Stephanie Nebehay and Silke Koltrowitz, Reuters
The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Monday that the wearing of medical masks by the general public could exacerbate the shortage for health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO says coronavirus vaccine and treatment research has ‘accelerated at incredible speed’ Berkeley Lovelace Jr. et al., CNBC
Research to develop vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus has “accelerated at incredible speed,” World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday.
Delays and Shortages Exacerbate Coronavirus Testing Gaps in the U.S. Sheila Kaplan and Katie Thomas, The New York Times
Testing availability remains a signature failure of the battle against the coronavirus in the United States, despite President Trump’s boast last week that he got a rapid test and results within minutes. And Vice President Mike Pence has repeatedly promised that Americans will be able to get tests at their doctors’ offices, although the timeline for routine access may be months away.
Survivors of Coronavirus Face an Uncertain Road Back to Normal Daniela Hernandez and Mike Cherney, The Wall Street Journal
Because data on Covid-19 progression is scant and knowledge about the virus that causes it is swiftly changing, guidelines about when patients in recovery can safely resume some aspects of their pre-coronavirus lives vary greatly around the globe, and even within countries. Adding to the uncertainty, some guidelines differ depending on the severity and type of case.
Coronavirus Pandemic Leads to Shunning and Shaming in Small Towns Douglas Belkin, The Wall Street Journal
Last week, William Zordani and his large family took their Golden Retriever, Sunshine, for a walk near their home in this leafy suburb north of Chicago as they waited out the coronavirus shutdown. That evening, a woman who lives a few blocks away posted a photo of Mr. Zordani, his mother and five of his six siblings on their walk to the town’s Facebook news site, lambasting them for ignoring social-distancing rules and endangering the community.
Payers
Feds relax Medicare Advantage regulations amid pandemic Bob Herman, Axios
Federal payments to Medicare Advantage companies will increase by 1.66% in 2021, and several of the insurance program’s policies are being waived or changed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday.
For jobless Americans, Obamacare is still a potential lifeline Susannah Luthi, Politico
Millions of Americans losing their jobs may still be able to sign up for Obamacare — but Trump officials haven’t been urging people to grab onto that safety net while they can.
Providers
Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays And Uncertainty As Coronavirus Cripples Hospitals Will Stone, Kaiser Health News
The federal government has encouraged health centers to delay nonessential surgeries while weighing the severity of patients’ conditions and the availability of personal protective equipment, beds and staffing at hospitals.
ER Staffing Company Reverses Benefits Cuts for Doctors and Nurses Fighting Coronavirus Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica
Alteon Health, which employs more than 1,700 doctors and other medical workers nationwide, said Sunday it won’t cut medical directors’ stipends by 20%, as planned, and will continue offering paid time off, which it had said would stop. While Alteon will defer matching 401(k) contributions, it won’t eliminate those contributions, as previously announced.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
The dark side of ventilators: Those hooked up for long periods face difficult recoveries Carolyn Y. Johnson and Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post
For people desperately ill with covid-19, getting hooked up to a mechanical ventilator can mean the difference between life or death. But despite officials’ frantic efforts to secure more of the machines, they are not a magic bullet.
Scientists Rush to Find Coronavirus Cure—but It Still Isn’t Fast Enough Joseph Walker et al., The Wall Street Journal
For drug companies, there is suddenly only one priority: the coronavirus. More than 140 experimental drug treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus are in development world-wide, most in early stages, including 11 already in clinical trials, according to Informa Pharma Intelligence.
Coronavirus patients rush to join studies of Gilead drug Marilynn Marchione, The Associated Press
Coronavirus patients around the world have been rushing to join remdesivir studies that opened in hospitals in the last few weeks. Interest has been so great that the U.S. National Institutes of Health is expanding its study, which has nearly reached its initial goal of 440 patients. The drug’s maker, California-based Gilead Sciences, is quickly ramping up its own studies, too.
Nursing Homes Have Thousands Of Ventilators That Hospitals Desperately Need Joanne Faryon, Kaiser Health News
As the number of COVID-19 patients climbs and health officials hunt for ventilators to treat them, nursing homes across the United States have a cache ― about 8,200 of the lifesaving machines, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
How New York City’s Emergency Ventilator Stockpile Ended Up on the Auction Block Justin Elliott et al., ProPublica
In the end, the alarming predictions failed to spur action. In the months that followed, the city acquired just 500 additional ventilators as the effort to create a larger stockpile fizzled amid budget cuts.
Health IT
The Virus Gives AI a Chance to Prove It Can Be a Force for Good Natalia Drozdiak, Bloomberg Businessweek
The pandemic is opening up a massive opportunity for the tech industry, while it shines a light on calls for more scrutiny of AI innovations being developed faster than regulators are able to devise rules to protect citizens’ rights.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Pharmacy Benefit Managers: Helping to Keep Americans Healthy During COVID-19 JC Scott, Morning Consult
During this public health emergency, it is crucial that every sector of our health care system steps up to the challenge. America’s pharmacy benefit managers have a key role to play.
Research Reports
National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening Scott Gottlieb et al., American Enterprise Institute
This report provides a road map for navigating through the current COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It outlines specific directions for adapting our public-health strategy as we limit the epidemic spread of COVID-19 and are able to transition to new tools and approaches to prevent further spread of the disease.
Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks Nancy H. L. Leung et al., Nature Medicine
Surgical face masks significantly reduced detection of influenza virus RNA in respiratory droplets and coronavirus RNA in aerosols, with a trend toward reduced detection of coronavirus RNA in respiratory droplets. Our results indicate that surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals.
General
U.S. Futures Rally With Stocks While Bonds Retreat: Markets Wrap Sam Potter, Bloomberg
U.S. equity futures gained alongside stocks in Europe and Asia on Tuesday amid continuing optimism the spread of the coronavirus may be slowing in several major economies. Bonds extended declines and the dollar weakened.
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