Now, enough of that! On to the news.

Nothing drives home the grim U.S. COVID death toll — almost at 86,000 as I write this — like a . Funeral directors across the country say they are struggling to as bodies pile up and morgues are overwhelmed. Sometimes body bags are being used two or three times, and when one is not available, bodies are wrapped in sheets with a mask on their faces.

In the early days of the pandemic, popular models being used to project the expected death toll varied wildly. But they are starting . That was before states really started lifting their restrictions, though.

Two big hearings on Capitol Hill took center stage this week. In the first, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top health officials testified — virtually! — in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Fauci of a nation not ready to reopen yet, and warned that moving too quickly to lift restrictions could trigger a bigger surge that would lead to more suffering and death and set the country back even further. Meanwhile, all the lawmakers there wanted to know about reopening the schools. Again, Fauci preached caution, an answer that .

And the irony of the hearing being called “Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School” while the witnesses and the chairman were all self-quarantining and tuning in virtually was certainly noted by a few people.

The second buzzy hearing of the week was in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee. Bright has become a minor celebrity in the coronavirus world for his claims that he was ousted from his HHS position as retaliation for his objections to the widespread distribution of malaria drugs. Bright said “lives were lost” because the administration didn’t heed early warnings about the outbreak. He also testified that there still isn’t a comprehensive plan and that he foresees “the darkest winter in modern history” ahead if officials don’t get their act together.

HHS struck back and struck back hard. “This is like someone who was in choir trying to say he was a soloist back then,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “His allegations do not hold water.” The agency , who has been on medical leave with hypertension since his removal, “has not yet shown up for work” and is “using his taxpayer-funded medical leave to work with partisan attorneys.”

In related news: 

During a trip to Pennsylvania this week, Trump lamented that — logic that was both obvious and baffling to many. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden seized on the comments, saying they showed Trump cares more about . There’s also been chatter that Trump has been quietly questioning whether the high death toll is due to overcounting, a pernicious myth that has been disproved by .

Testing has been a big topic at the White House this week: The West Wing was sent scrambling to contain the after two advisers became infected. But those efforts were hampered by a preliminary study that found Abbott’s rapid tests — the ones that have been touted as a game changer and used for the White House staff — .

Trump also touted the fact that the U.S. has ramped up its testing efforts so much that the country is outpacing South Korea, which has been widely praised for its testing efforts. The boast , though. South Korea no longer has too test as much because it reined in its outbreak in the early days of the crisis. Its death toll stands at 260.

Facing, Trump returned to a tried-and-true strategy this week: and more specifically former .

An emerging trend from the administration’s virus response is contracts awarded to firms that have no experience with the products or tasks. FEMA had to this week after the company failed to deliver any masks. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has awarded to organizations to coordinate farmers and food banks. But the roster features companies like an event planning firm that is known for throwing weddings and putting on high-end conferences.

The White House has often held up its “Project Airbridge,” which delivered personal protective gear across the country, as a success story, but that the positive messaging has been built on exaggerations. For example, records show that the project helped deliver 2.2 million masks a day. But in April Vice President Mike Pence put that number at 22 million.

At the project’s core are partnerships with private companies. The deal between them and the government means taxpayers have ended up subsidizing the distribution of private resources.

Another great investigation by the Post reveals in Texas that had the ability to make millions of masks a month — even as officials and state leaders scrambled to make above- and below-board deals with overseas manufacturers.

In related news:

It’s little surprise that, in a politically divided country, the crucial to the 2020 presidential election. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin went for Trump in 2016, but they swing in that ever-narrowing purple section of the political spectrum — and all three have Democratic governors. The battle came to a head in Wisconsin this week when the state’s high court threw out Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order, ruling that his emergency powers are real but certainly not indefinite. The problem was that the decision has , with bars, restaurants and other businesses unsure what’s legal now.

On that note, in Americans’ decision to leave their houses? People are venturing out by the millions, and they aren’t always following their leaders’ guidance.

In related news: 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with her latest relief bill — probably in a sign that she never expected bipartisan negotiations to be smooth. The $3 trillion package builds on the $2.2 trillion CARES Act and contains billions for health care providers, the creation of nursing home strike teams, hazard pay for heroes on the front lines, and money for testing. The ambitious legislation (which is expected to pass the House any hour now) is dead on arrival in the Senate.

, the FBI seized Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-N.C.) cellphone as part of an investigation into his sale of stocks right before the market was walloped by the coronavirus. Burr has temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

And the first hearing of the special coronavirus committee devolved quickly — and not surprisingly — into partisan bickering with little accomplished. : “The parties started the day miles apart and ended it even further away.”

Before the pandemic, hospitals had been for turning a profit that relied on procedures for patients with private insurers instead of ones with Medicaid or Medicare. When the outbreak turned the world upside down, it upended that model. (See also reporter for an addendum to the story.)

Meanwhile, a lot of the talk around ICU bed and equipment shortages sometimes made it seem like we have one national hospital system that’s going to be overwhelmed. In reality, the hospitals operate like miniature fiefdoms unto themselves, completely siloed from rivals that are sometimes only blocks away. in the differences between New York City hospitals during the pandemic.

Everyone knows hospitals are losing billions a month now on procedures that have been put off because of the outbreak. But it’s not a given that they’re rushing to reopen, either. That’s because many are nervous they’ll without protections from Congress.

In a number that only continues to grow more staggering, since the virus struck. Economists say there aren’t signs that the market has bottomed out, either, so prepare for that total to keep ticking up.

And while the economic devastation created by the shutdown measures has been the main argument behind conservatives’ drive to reopen, a second wave would be worse in the long run than staying closed.

Threaded throughout all these conversations is the need to put a dollar value on human life. While the idea seems callous, it’s actually common practice within the government when it comes to drafting regulations. : “One of the earliest values of life used in regulation came from a 1978 calculation by the Canisius College economics professor Warren Prunella. He estimated the value of a life saved by proposed furniture fabric flammability standards at $1 million.”

World leaders are already worried that Trump’s “America First” mentality will mean other countries will be left out in the cold when it comes to a vaccine. The fear prompted more than 140 world leaders demanding that COVID-19 vaccines be considered a “global good” to be shared equitably. And experts warned that any attempt by the U.S. to hoard a vaccine could lead to other countries refusing to share materials needed to distribute it. (Considering we’re months, if not years, away from a vaccine, this seems like it’s going to get messy.)

Deliberately seems like an idea out of a bygone era in which scientists played fast and loose with ethics. But it could also greatly speed up the development time. Should it be done? Would you volunteer for the duty?

In related news:

Nationally, conservatives are staunchly against mail-in voting. But state officials, reading the room, . In Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and West Virginia, GOP officials are expanding vote by mail. One Kentucky official even lamented his previous role in stoking fears about voter fraud. “It’s partly on me because I talked about it in my campaign,” said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, who says he’s now frustrated by the myth that absentee voting is not secure.

Worried about eating alone in this era of social distancing? Don’t worry — some places have you covered. In D.C. you can so as not to feel lonely; in Thailand, will keep you company.

And in other stories to read during this (hopefully) gorgeous weekend:

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And that is officially it from me! I’m off to write some books, and if you like — or just want to stay in touch — you can find me on Twitter and Instagram at .

Be safe, be happy, be kind to yourselves and others in these trying times, wash your hands, watch out for superbugs, and don’t forget to look at if the news gets you down.

Yours truly,

Bri

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Will the llamas be the ? Not really. But they are cute! Why they’re important: They have two different kinds of antibodies, one of which is much smaller than what our bodies produce. The smaller antibodies can do a better job at neutralizing coronaviruses. Which sounds very exciting… until you get to the part where the protection would only last a month or two without another injection.

Once again we have a little bit of non-coronavirus news before we dive into the thick of things. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments — over the phone! — about the Trump administration’s changes to the health law contraception mandate. Chief Justice John Roberts, who has emerged as a crucial vote on the divided court, religious freedom laws “too broadly.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump that the health law should be overturned even in the midst of a dual pandemic and recession.

In a world full of uncertainty, one thing’s clear: the path of a pandemic is tricky to predict. An internal as well as a popular model adjusted the expected forecasts for total number of U.S. deaths this week. The government memo warned that as states begin to relax social distancing guidelines, the daily death toll could jump to 3,000 a day by June 1. The popular was also adjusted to reflect states’ decision to reopen, with a prediction that 134,475 Americans will die by August.

There seems to be a sense that once the country gets over a certain peak that things will go back to normal, . The pandemic will likely be a soliton wave: a wave that just keeps rolling and rolling, carrying on under its own power for a great distance. We’re in this for the long haul, folks.

Cumulative U.S. deaths as of Friday, May 8 are 76,101, according to .

In related news:

Lots of news out of the administration this week, so buckle up!

While Trump admitted that there will and that people will be affected badly, he urged Americans to think of themselves as “warriors” in this fight and try to return to normalcy. Trump led by example on Tuesday by traveling to Arizona after months at the White house. In Arizona, Trump toured a mask factory — .

(in Politico) seems to sum up the vibe in the White House: “There’s this mindset that it’s like running a show and you’ve got to keep people tuned in, you’ve got to keep them interested and at some point you’ve got to move on and move on quickly,” said a former senior official at the Health and Human Services Department. “Viewers will get tired of another season of coronavirus.”

The White House also shelved even though the CDC has no authority to enforce those suggestions. The move highlighted the fact that an agency that has always been a main player in pandemic responses by the current administration.

Meanwhile, the White House’s early equipment distribution efforts were partly by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Further complicating matters, those volunteers, who played a key role in vetting and communication leads to FEMA, from political allies and associates of Trump.

In related news:

White House-watchers got a bit of whiplash this week when Trump headed up in part by Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx. Trump swiftly back-peddled, saying he didn’t realize “how popular” the task force was until he mentioned breaking up the band. After getting that feedback, Trump decided to keep the task force around indefinitely, but may add or subtract members as the focus of the group shifts toward vaccine development and reopening the country.

An official complaint from Dr. Rick Bright revealed the dysfunction inside HHS during the outbreak of the crisis. Not only did Bright over negative remarks about hydroxychloroquine, but his complaint also contains a number of highly detailed accusations of nepotism within the agency.

Although it’s a bit old now, I’m still going to flag a story that came out in a Friday night news dump from last week: The White House announced that the watchdog who raised concerns about medical shortages at hospitals in Trump’s latest move against the officials who are supposed to be checking the government’s behavior.

And, finally, the pandemic hit close to home for Trump after a military aide who he’s had contact with tested positive for COVID-19. The news rattled the White House enough that there will now be daily tests on Trump and his staff.

Some Democrats have a message to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Put up or shut up . Pompeo has spent the week talking about the “enormous” amount of evidence that shows the virus may have originated in a lab, but most experts who have seen the “evidence” call it circumstantial at best.

? Mainly, most experts widely agree that the virus was not man-made, which means if it did originate in a lab, it’s likely the infection was an accident. An example of the circumstantial evidence: The bats that carry the family of coronaviruses linked to the new strain aren’t found within 100 miles of Wuhan — but they were studied in both labs.

But experts still say that it is far more likely that the outbreak originated in the wet market that has always been thought of as the epicenter. Fauci, meanwhile, dismissed the debate as unimportant, saying that even if it was an accident “that means it was in the wild to begin with. … [That’s] why I don’t spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.”

In a bygone era, could COVID-19 have been thought of as a preexisting condition? Would insurers be able to deny people coverage based on the possibility they were infected? Would getting COVID automatically brand patients as uninsurable? The questions highlight how important the health law’s protections are in the midst of this unpredictable pandemic.

In further evidence that health insurers , UnitedHealth announced that it would offer premium credits to some customers.

States, meanwhile, are buckling under the financial burden of the outbreak and are eyeing their that could provide a bit of relief. The problem is that with millions of Americans losing coverage through their jobs, those programs have never been needed more than they are now.

The Great Reopening Debate of 2020 continues to play out across the country (and will continue to play out in the months and weeks to come). So far, the main players have been the governors and the federal government. But with state legislatures gaveling back in,

Many of the areas that are rushing to reopen are more rural places that on first glance have avoided devastation the likes of New York City. shows that rural America has not emerged unscathed. And cases are continuing to climb. “It’s just gone haywire,” . “People dying left and right.”

Even as protesters grab the national spotlight, , and favor restrictions that are based on public health. The weariness could complicate some conservative leaders’ desire to jump-start the economy.

In related news:

In this politically fraught era, masks to signal what side of the divide the wearer is on a la Trump’s red MAGA hats. Tensions over the scraps of cloth boiled over this week leading to violent — — confrontations.

With all eyes on Gilead after the successful remdesivir study, many wonder if the drugmaker will . The company has a reputation for charging through the nose for its breakthrough drugs. But if it listens to its better angels, there’s a chance the company could actually help alter the price-gouging narrative that has hounded pharma for the past few years.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is in control of distributing the current supply of the drug, but have dominated the process. Even hospitals that have seen a surge of COVID patients say they’re being denied the drug without explanation.

In related news:

The global vaccine race is , and with that comes geopolitical intrigue, safety concerns and… a dash of hope. The rewards are potentially great, but so is the potential disappointment of billions of wasted dollars. What’s more, many what will happen to poorer countries if the United States is the first to develop a successful vaccine.

Scientists also worry that chatter about compressing the vaccine development timeline for Americans. Even if one is proven safe and effective by the fall, that doesn’t mean people will be rolling up their sleeves anytime soon.

How can you not click on a story that posits: “” But it’s more than just a click-bait headline: Since the late-1990s, the porn industry has been implementing policies to keep its workers safe in environments that could lead to dangerous infections. Among other things, workers have to be tested every 14 days before they can be cleared to work. The industry has also had decades to work through the growing pains of large-scale testing and enforcement that could offer lessons as businesses face the daunting task of bringing employees safely back to work.

Speaking of testing, the FDA just approved a and could provide results within an hour. And for companies who are developing at-home tests that consumers could then send off to a lab.

The jobless rate hit 14.7% in April — — meaning that nearly all the job growth achieved during the 11-year recovery from the Great Recession has now been lost in one month. That news came on Friday following Thursday’s unemployment data which found a total of have sought aid since the pandemic began. Many experts say that even though those numbers are eye-popping in and of themselves, the outbreak has wrought.

Democrats are swinging for the fences as they on their next relief package that is expected to focus on individuals, localities and testing access. Some lawmakers say this is a to offer a counter point to then-President Bill Clinton’s declaration that the “era for Big Government is over.”

The Navajo Nation the growing outbreak on their reservation that reaches into three different states. On Wednesday, the Navajo Nation reported nearly 2,500 confirmed cases and at least 75 deaths — more than in all of Utah. The tribe, and others, have been struggling to get help from the federal government, but after a meeting with Trump this week the Navajo Nation announced it would receive about $600 million in federal funds.

is getting repaid (in a story that, no kidding, left me a little teary). During the potato famine nearly two centuries ago, the Choctaw Nation sent $170 to starving Irish families despite their own hardships. Now, Irish residents are getting a chance to return the favor.

As I’ve said, some of my favorite news from the week is always the scientific developments, so here’s a quick glance at what came out this week: studies find the virus was in ; the lungs may be the battlefield, but the virus attacks the body ; UV lights could ; yes the virus has mutated, ; children are being hospitalized with an ; and scientists are befuddled by that is the spread of Covid.

And here are some good reads for your weekend:

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That’s it from me! Have a safe weekend.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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But first–dogs! In a rare bright spot, doggos are being trained to sniff out coronavirus cases, even asymptomatic ones. If it’s successful, it .

If you can believe it, there actually was non-coronavirus health news this week. The Supreme Court , which could open a floodgate of legal suits against the government. Essentially, the government promised to shield insurers from the financial risk of entering into the health exchanges. But then when Republicans took power, they barred HHS from using taxpayer dollars to bankroll the program. The insurers cried foul, and SCOTUS agreed. As Justice Sonya Sotomayor wrote, “These holdings reflect a principle as old as the Nation itself: The Government should honor its obligations.”

And now back to our regularly scheduled coronavirus programming.

The U.S. death toll from the outbreak surpassed that of the Vietnam War, climbing past 63,000 as of this morning. Projecting just is a tricky science that involves so many complicated factors, modelers are just trying to do their best. The predictive model that’s often cited by the White House just to more than 74,000 by August. That model is considered conservative, though. And the government has placed an order , so officials are likely braced for more deaths than that.

In related news:

Dr. Anthony Fauci announced that the NIH study of in a gold-standard, placebo-controlled clinical trial. While some were optimistic about the results–including both Fauci and President Donald Trump–Fauci acknowledged it wasn’t a “knockout” punch. The drug didn’t have a statistically significant impact on death rates.

If you need a remdesivir reality check, Politico that any celebrations should be tempered, such as the fact that the data isn’t publicly available and manufacturing the drug can be tricky.

Meanwhile, another top contender for treatments . The trial for an arthritis drug that had the potential to quiet the immune system and thus ease the cytokine storms that have proven so fatal in younger patients was halted when it was shown it didn’t help seriously ill patients who weren’t on ventilators. The study will continue for patients who are critically ill.

It’s funny how “” in vaccine development land is still a months-to-years long process. But with the equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket waiting at the end, everyone is buckling in and going full throttle. Fauci, who has previously been cautious about over-promising on a vaccine timeline, ready by January.

How are countries and companies shaving years off the process? Picture an open accordion–that’s what the normal timeline looks like. Now squish it together, so that all the steps are squeezed into a tighter space. Whereas companies usually didn’t put money into building factories for an untested vaccine, to be ready to ship as soon as the trials are over (even if that means a potential waste of billions of dollars). Meanwhile, some places like a , having worked on similar coronavirus inoculations that proved harmless to humans.

But if you want another reality check (or just to look at some really cool graphics that allow you toggle around on the timeline to see how each stage in the process affects the whole), . All that optimism from this week? It hinges on successful trials, which are, quite frankly, rare.

Apart from all that, even if a vaccine is found to be safe, –from vials to stoppers to syringes–it’s hard not to imagine a shortage scenario just like we’ve experienced during this outbreak.

In related news:

President Donald Trump has well and truly shifted his message from the science of the virus—where he’s had some serious missteps that may haunt him this election year—back to his messaging . The White House’s social distancing guidelines quietly expired this week to be replaced by a plan to help states reopen. Trump even announced that he’ll be traveling to Arizona soon after sticking mostly to the White House for the past weeks.

And even as the death toll hit that grim Vietnam War milestone, . Instead, he focuses on the “incredible” days ahead, touching on the death count in terms of how good a job his administration is doing. Despite the fact that Trump isn’t known for empathizing during times of struggle, some have still been surprised by the sharp contrast to his predecessors in both parties.

Meanwhile, a new report that finds Trump corroborates other stories that Trump knew about the severity of coronavirus early in the year.

Intelligence agencies took the rare step of confirming that they were investigating Chinese laboratories, but issued a statement that they agree with the broad scientific consensus that the novel coronavirus was not man-made or genetically modified. In recent days, Trump has grown more vocal about the . Trump has continued to focus on China as a scapegoat as he seeks to shift criticism for his own early missteps.

In other news from the administration:

Is wearing a mask going to be the new of the coming months? It’s hard to believe public health guidance intended to allow people to interact without infecting each other has been politicized—but also not hard to believe at all considering where we’re at in this country. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence caused an uproar when he flouted the Mayo Clinic’s mask guidelines on a recent visit. (The pictures of the vice president surrounded by mask-wearers ) Although Pence defended the decision, on .

Whether you want to make a statement or not, though, if you’re flying on some of the bigger airlines, . A group of companies announced this week that they’ll be requiring passengers to don protective face covering if they want to travel. After watching the simulation of just exactly how a (only watch if you want to be forever scarred), I would say it’s about time.

Insurers have gone and sad puppy dog eyes about how they’re being squeezed on both sides during this pandemic. Costs are increasing, but they’re losing premium dollars with the unprecedented wave of job losses, they say. But then they’ve turned around and told their investors that they’re actually good. Cost savings from elective procedures are balancing out coronavirus care.

Some states are chomping at the bit to reopen, with about half relaxing some guidelines heading into May. But the neighboring states who are keeping to public health guidelines are worried they’re going to have to deal with the consequences of what they see as a bad decision. “That’s like having a peeing section in the swimming pool,” , earning himself my favorite-quote-of-the-week award.

Officials are eager to reopen the economy, but many say that it’s not as easy as just lifting stay-at-home orders. Just because people are allowed to go to the movie theaters, . Polls have consistently shown Americans support the restrictions, despite the quarantine fatigue setting in for some.

And conservatives have been growing ‘s “hands-off” approach. Sweden has created controversy throughout the world by avoiding sweeping shut-downs in favor of creating herd immunity. But the strategy relies on a concept antithetical to American conservative philosophy: extreme trust in government. (FWIW: Sweden says its strategy has been misrepresented, and it is taking action against people who are not practicing social distancing. In possibly the most brilliant strategy I’ve seen yet, they’ve also been spreading to keep people from congregating.)

over his decision to call Senators back to Capitol Hill after the House abruptly decided to cancel plans to do the same, in a pitch-perfect representation of the political divide over the issue. One wrench in McConnell’s plan, that also seems quite telling: the Capitol physician , 48 of whom are .

While lawmakers fight over that, is emerging as the next battleground in the debate over the next (hypothetical) relief package. to help support states in their pandemic efforts, but only if the next legislation included protections for businesses against possible lawsuits from workers. Democrats .

The swine flu pandemic that didn’t quite materialize coulda, shoulda, woulda . Hospitals didn’t have enough protective gear, inventory shortages were exposed, the health system was strained at every point in the chain–from hospitals to device makers to the government. And yet instead of learning from those lessons, miscalculations from all the players–and a desire to put profit over preparedness–led to history repeating itself on a far more devastating scale.

Another week of staggering unemployment numbers pushed the total from the pandemic up to 30 million. While that figure seems daunting enough, experts say there are up to another 50% that because states’ systems are overwhelmed by claims. Meanwhile, the harsh economic toll the the outbreak is taking on newly desperate Americans. “I’ve worked since I was 14 years old,” said 55-year-old Jean Wickham, of New Jersey. “We’ve never had to rely on anyone else. … I feel like a failure right now.”

Times like these—when everyone is desperate for information—. () With a pandemic, though, it’s medical data that is in the spotlight. Politico looks at how opinions are changing and what that could mean for the future of safeguarding information about Americans’ health.

And here are just some good stories for you to dive into for the weekend:

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That’s it from me! Have a restful weekend.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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This story can be republished for free (details).

First, though, here’s what you might have missed in the tsunami of news coverage.

There have now been more than 50,000 deaths in the country (, in fact). But, as a shows, that’s likely an undercount. What the NYT team did was look at year-over-year rates to find a percentage of deaths that were either attributed to COVID-19 or related to the pandemic (for example, a patient not having access to care because of an overwhelmed hospital system). New York City is reporting a 300% increase in deaths, which works out to 19,200 “excess deaths.” But only 15,411 have been officially attributed to the coronavirus. That leaves 3,800 that possibly should be included in the totals.

Now take that reasoning and multiply it across the globe. So far, they’ve identified at least 36,000 “missing” deaths.

I’m not sure Lysol PR folks woke up yesterday thinking they’d have to warn people of the fatal consequences of injecting disinfectant into their bodies, but that’s exactly what ended up happening after President Donald Trump floated the suggestion while spitballing coronavirus treatments in his press briefing. that some might take Trump’s words seriously — especially considering a that occurred after Trump championed hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment.

While the disinfectant portion of the briefing grabbed the nation and the Twittersphere’s attention, Trump also touted sunlight as a “cure,” pointing to research that showed the . Trump used the study to bolster even though his own health advisers remain insistent that there will be a second wave in the fall, made worse by a likely overlap with the start of flu season.

(Experts have long warned that we shouldn’t count on the weather to be the silver bullet that ends this crisis, pointing to warm states and humid countries where the pandemic has flourished.)

The topic of whether the virus will have another surge in the fall — as well as the idea that sunlight could be used as a cure in the body — were just two of a handful of examples this week of scientists performing rhetorical contortions to present . The trend was made even more worrisome after a federal official claimed he was ousted from his position because he disagreed about the use of hydroxychloroquine. Scientists are worried the Trump administration’s actions are creating an atmosphere where officials don’t feel free to offer the best information available if it contradicts Trump’s messaging.

Side note: have already seen a rise in accidents with cleaning products, so feel free to spread the word that people should not be dosing themselves with Lysol.

Is “everyone who wants a test can get one” going to become Trump’s version of former President Barack Obama’s promise “if you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep it”? Trump’s advisers are eyeing his bumpy testing rollout as a major vulnerability in the coming election. One even said that testing could be “.” So why is the country still not at full throttle with testing, even after months of scrambling? : It’s extremely expensive to ramp up to the needed level, shortages on the different components are complicating the process, and sometimes fixing one bottleneck creates another.

Meanwhile, the very first stumble all those weeks ago came when the CDC sent out faulty testing kits. say that violations of sound manufacturing practices led to contamination at the CDC facilities.

And the FDA has that will be available with a doctor’s order.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp toward reopening by allowing some nonessential businesses to resume operations Friday. Included in that list are gyms, barbershops, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys (all of which seem like odd choices if you’re still trying to discourage the spread of a highly contagious virus). Even Trump, who has been more eager than other authorities to reopen the country, said he .

The move worried public health experts across the country who look at conditions in the Southern states — — and see for COVID-19. The states were slow to shut down, lag in testing, have rural health systems that are likely to buckle under a surge of patients, and rank among the worst states for medical conditions like obesity that have been linked to poor outcomes in coronavirus patients.

While most states aren’t moving to lift their restrictions yet, they do acknowledge they’ll need to even if there isn’t yet a vaccine or treatment available. In doing so, they’ll have on just how many deaths are acceptable. Considering the economic devastation can lead to a longer-term increase in deaths from despair, hunger and the loss of health coverage, the answer isn’t always easy.

As governors grapple with that question, protesters continue to take to the streets over the shutdown orders. While the rallies may appear to be grassroots gatherings, a well-financed, influential campaign is being waged to stoke the anger driving them. Meanwhile, polls throughout the week that most Americans view the restrictions as worthwhile.

Anyone who was holding onto high hopes about a miracle treatment suffered a crushing blow this week when not one but two front-runners were tripped up by cold, hard data. (caught by Stat! Kudos!) of trial data showed that Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir, which has long been touted as promising, had no benefit for coronavirus patients. The company said the statement misrepresented the results and that more research is needed. But outside experts are not hopeful.

A harsh reality check also came this week for those touting hydroxychloroquine (not long after Trump and Fox News went quiet on the subject). A VA study showed that not only did the drug not benefit patients, it was for those who took it. While the small study might not completely rule out the use of the drug, scientists say it’s a reminder not to rush the use of unproven treatments.

(Ahem, for those scavenger-hunting for the aforementioned Labradoodle headline, you have found it!)

tapped a trusted aide who was inexperienced in public health matters to lead the day-to-day response efforts in the early days of pandemic. The aide, Brian Harrison, had joined the department after running a dog-breeding business for six years. That decision is just one of several missteps that seem to have .

Meanwhile, are shaking any remaining global belief in U.S. exceptionalism. “When people see these pictures of New York City they say, ‘How can this happen? How is this possible?’” said one public policy expert in Germany. “We are all stunned. Look at the jobless lines.”

In how-was-that-not-already-happening news: to report COVID-19 cases to the CDC. Nursing homes have been absolutely ravaged by the pandemic, with at least .

Congress managed to pass the $484 billion stimulus package that will supplement the depleted pot of funds to aid small businesses. Banks say the money allocated in the new measure will be used up in a matter of days, at most. But Democrats did manage to secure money for hospitals and expanded testing.

Although this one did take a bit more time and negotiation, it still managed to eke through. But Capitol Hill watchers say it could be the last measure that gets through before the gloves truly come off and the

Most of the food news is pretty grim (like the fact that a in meat-packaging plants could lead to shortages) but one cool story that emerged this week is on a potential government between farmers with excess food and hungry Americans. Of course, there are hurdles in the path to success — like transportation issues — but it’s heartening they’re at least trying.

And it’s likely the food banks will need all the help they can get as new unemployment numbers push America closer to Great Depression . Another 4.4 million filed for benefits last week, bringing the total number of claims in just five weeks to more than 26 million people.

While the health care industry has long been considered “recession-proof” (e.g., people will always need health care), it’s proving, , not to be “pandemic- proof.”

I think we all know one or two people who are convinced they had COVID-19 sometime over the winter — and emerging data from the first wave of serological testing might prove them right. Small studies in California suggest there could be somewhere between 221,000 to 442,000 (which had fewer than 8,000 confirmed cases at the time). And suggest that 1 in 5 NYC residents have been infected. Those results, in addition to the fact that the happened in early February rather than at the end of that month, hint that the virus may have been here a lot longer than originally thought.

Experts say to take the results with a grain of salt, though. The serological tests can be an important tool in the battle to contain the virus, but they aren’t infallible. They offer advice on how to “” of the research.

So apparently this illness is WEIRD. Every week, doctors are finding out new and strange ways that it’s not acting as it should. The latest revelation: that’s causing younger patients to have strokes and is being seen at such consistent rates that some are wondering whether the standard course of treatment should include blood thinners.

Some other medical developments from the week: more data on severe cases and ; ; and of people who aren’t getting treated for non-coronavirus illnesses.

And in interesting reads for your weekend:

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That’s it from me! Have a safe weekend everyone!

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All right, on to my attempts to summarize years-worth of news that was somehow crammed into one week. Buckle up!

President Donald Trump released a that leans heavily on the idea that reopening the country should not be based on a one-size-fits-all mentality. Hot spots would keep their shutdown measures in place, while areas in the country that haven’t been hit could start slowly getting back to normal.

The guidance was quickly dismissed by critics as “vague and inconsistent.” And considering that governors are the final authority on when shelter-in-place orders are lifted (which after previously drawing an outcry over claims that he alone would make that decision), it may not make a huge impact on what happens next.

Trump also announced his who will help him reopen the country — something that came as a surprise to some of the people he named. One of the first bits of advice to come from the business leaders? The United States is it needs to do to reopen the country. Meanwhile, conversations between Trump and his panel don’t have to be made public because only “formal outside advisory committees” fall under the transparency law requirements.

: Notably, the White House avoided the term “committee” in its announcement.

Speaking of testing, saliva tests based on the 23andMe model are being touted as the . .

WHO became a new target in Trump’s efforts to shift blame from his own administration’s missteps in the early days of the crisis. After a few days of speculation, Trump announced , going against the that the move would be “ceding ground” to China.

Predictably, since the country is in the midst of a pandemic, the decision drew from Trump’s critics and the medical community. And though WHO’s response may not have been pitch-perfect, experts say, the organization as the threat it was far earlier than some nations did.

Although Trump’s decision was based on his criticism of WHO’s early response to the current crisis, the funding cuts the organization’s efforts to fight COVID-19.

As all that was going on, many people were wondering where the CDC — once the preeminent disease-fighting body — has been in this current fight. The agency won high praise for its work helping fight AIDS, Ebola and Zika, and played a major role in eradicating smallpox, as well as the near-elimination of polio. But funding cuts beneath the Trump administration

In an ironic twist of fate, the pandemic could shape Trump’s health care legacy into one . The administration has greenlighted plans that pump billions of government money into the health care system to help offset costs, including a taxpayer-generated fund for hospitals to use to cover patients’ care. (Ahem, does that sound familiar?) Anxiety is rippling through some conservative circles that Trump might oversee historic new levels of federal health spending.

In contrast to all that, though, Trump’s continued could also hamper the administration’s response to the crisis.

And hospitals say that in the $2.2 trillion stimulus package is not only taking far too long to distribute, but also is woefully inadequate.

Thursday marked another deadliest-day record, with the in the span of 24 hours. Meanwhile, New York this week started counting “probable” COVID-19-related deaths, . The change highlights one of the issues with getting an accurate count of the nation’s losses. Not only are COVID-19 cases widely considered undercounted because of a lack of tests, some states are counting (while remaining adamant that their strategy is best).

There’s also been a , which makes some experts think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg in the death toll.

In a nod to the fact that the coronavirus knows no state boundaries, governors in different regions are forming partnerships to create plans to reopen their states in the coming months. The coalitions so far: the , and .

While the partnerships are in their early days, it seems the plans will rely heavily on testing and a slow rollout that takes into account more vulnerable populations.

As the general shutdown effort enters its second month, though, tensions are simmering to a boiling point for some. Protesters, driven by economic and civil liberty concerns to demand governors lift specific shutdown orders. But even as they voiced complaints, in the very states that hadn’t seen the need to shelter in place.

And those of us who have been social distancing laughed a little nervously (without humor) at . For what it’s worth, that seemed like a worst-case-scenario projection that didn’t account for a possible vaccine or increased capacity in hospitals.

It’s so rare these days that I get to talk about good news, but today is the day! There are out of a study on Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir, the drug that’s been a front-runner since the early days of the crisis. But, a warning: The good news comes with a huge helping of salt in that there was no control group used in the study, so the patients might have been getting better on their own.

Meanwhile, studies are going forward on a , targeting the deadly “cytokine storms” that seem to be at the root of younger patients’ deaths. But fears remain that suppressing a patient’s immune system in the midst of a battle against the virus could backfire.

While the global science community has dropped everything to race for a cure, the might actually be doing more harm than good, with researchers working at cross-purposes, duplicating efforts and failing to communicate outside of their realm.

Speaking of hopeful signs, there’s also a lot of movement with . The company is set to get an infusion of cash and expand its trials with hopes that something can get pushed to the public far earlier than the original 12- to 18-month timeframe. (who has been on the extra-cautious side) has said that he thinks it might be possible to have a safe and effective vaccine as early as mid- to late winter.

In the meantime, some observers wonder if the general immune boost that comes with might help bridge the gap during the long wait for a coronavirus vaccine.

And, so far, the big names have not changed their tunes, even as many in the country are looking to a vaccine as the one true exit strategy from the pandemic.

In a man-our-health-system-is-complicated moment, UnitedHealth Group is actually during the pandemic. That’s because the extra coronavirus costs have been offset by the cancellations of other procedures.

Hospitals and states where the virus has not yet struck are growing ever more frustrated (or “poaching,” for the more critically inclined) equipment it needs to brace for any potential surges. Over the past few weeks, the federal government’s response to equipment distribution has been blasted as somehow too chaotic and too controlling at the same time, which seems to be a real feat.

In another attempt to address some of the shortages in hot spots, the Trump administration in which hospitals in “cold spots” send their unused ventilators to places in need.

And all this demand is . A protective mask that used to cost $0.38 now rings up for $5.75. Isolation gowns went from $0.25 to $5. (You get the picture.)

If you expected quick, bipartisan action (haha!) out of Congress during these high-stakes times, you might have to take off the rose-colored glasses. The small-business fund allocated through the $2.2 trillion stimulus package ran out this week, and even in the face of overwhelming requests,.

Meanwhile, a staggering in the past four weeks, sending the country into an economic nosedive that is drawing apt comparisons to the Great Depression. Images of lines of cars miles long might be our generation’s bread-line pictures, with food banks struggling to deal with the onslaught of needy Americans.

Experts say the stress from the pandemic revealed underlying vulnerabilities that suggest the booming economy might not have been all that strong to begin with. “We built an economy with no shock absorbers,” .

Meanwhile, whatever details shake out about the reopening of the economy, one thing is certain: .

We know that health care workers represent a high number of coronavirus cases, but a (though still undercounted) numbers on it: As of April 9, 9,282 health care professionals had contracted the virus and at least 27 had died from it.

On that note, KHN and The Guardian are documenting the lives of U.S. workers who succumbed during the crisis. If you have a story to share, .

With each passing day, scientists are learning more about the coronavirus. Some news from this week includes a , as well as .

And as the coronavirus upends some ironclad medical traditions, they’d known about how the illness presents a month ago.

In an extremely grim snapshot of the devastation that’s hitting nursing homes across the country, an investigation following an anonymous tip found a in one New Jersey facility that was housing 17 bodies.

I hate to leave you on that terrible note, so have a picture that will surely brighten your day, if only a little. Have a restful and safe weekend!

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First, though … if you are having strangely vivid dreams about bugs or lethal injections or tidal waves, you are not alone! A side effect of this pandemic for a lot of people seems to be . One reason? We’re actually getting more sleep now that we’re not go, go, going. (At least that’s what experts guess.)

At the beginning of the week, there were dire warnings that it was going to be a tough one. The surgeon general went so far as to compare it to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. The warnings have played out with states reporting some of their deadliest days, pushing the country’s death toll . as of 1:30 p.m. ET.

But amid those grim numbers, a glimmer of hope can be found. In New York, the curve seems to be stabilizing, and California even saw a decrease in the number of ICU hospitalizations for the first time. That should not be taken as a sign that the worst of the outbreak is over —  are already bracing to become the next hot spots, while the pandemic . But the glimmers do show that the sweeping shutdown measures in the war against the virus.

Meanwhile, Ohio’s early efforts, partly driven by the influential Cleveland Clinic, — Ohio has fewer than a third the number of people with the novel coronavirus than in three comparably sized states.

And from traveling across state borders are growing in popularity.

So, when will we be able to reopen? It depends on a few factors, but one thing a lot of people can agree on: to take that step. And the United States has yet to conquer that particular white whale.

President Donald Trump leaned heavily on familiar strategies () this week at his daily press briefings, with the World Health Organization being one of his most recent targets. Trump for the global organization because of what he claimed were its early missteps, but he quickly softened the threat.

Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to abruptly fire the head watchdog for the $2.2 trillion stimulus package raised alarm bells on Capitol Hill and throughout the country. at the end of the week to try to add a provision to protect the rest of the watchdog panel assigned to overseeing spending. The removal of Glenn Fine is just one of a series of moves against inspectors general in recent days. Trump also publicly scorned .

And make sure to read of a story that details the 70 days at the beginning of the crisis when the administration knew about the threat (a were monitoring a potential outbreak as early as November) and failed to quickly act.

In other news from the administration: a between HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma reignites; CDC Director Robert Redfield has managed to woo over the skeptical MAGA crowd; and Jared Kushner’s brings up unpleasant memories of the Patriot Act.

It was another brutal week for Americans filing for unemployed benefits. , and experts say we haven’t seen this magnitude of layoffs and economic constriction since the Great Depression.

Congress is trying to pass legislation that would help small businesses, which are struggling to get any money from an . But the swift passage of the bipartisan $2.2 trillion stimulus package is appearing more and more like the anomaly we all guessed it was.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to during a procedural session, but Democrats balked at the maneuver they deemed a stunt. (Because it would have required approval of all Democratic senators.) Republicans, on the other hand, balked at Democrats’ push for additional aid for hospitals and health providers.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pumping billions of dollars of aid back into the economy, but that Democrats fought for are in place to catch fraud, abuse or mistakes. For example, one of the members of a congressional panel to monitor the spending has been appointed. In addition, lets the Federal Reserve set up a $450 billion bailout plan without following key provisions of the federal open-meetings law.

And it could be years and years before a full picture emerges of the economic ramifications of the outbreak and shutdown, but experts agree that it will include .

Wisconsin’s primary to the general election if mail-in voting isn’t enacted. Voters were forced into a choice between their civic duty and their health, standing in long lines and braving terrible weather to cast ballots. The images that came out of the state created new momentum for the mail-in-voting movement. Trump is a vocal opponent of mail-in voting (despite the fact he cast an absentee ballot last month). But his claims that it and is are both false.

“Either be in or out, folks”: Governors grew ever-more frustrated with the federal government, which seemed to be intervening in the distribution of ventilators and other medical supplies . They started turning to one another and private businesses for help — California to other states in need. (Some cynics out there couldn’t help but note that Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have national political ambitions.)

Speaking of politics, Trump made waves when he granted a request from Republican Sen. Cory Gardner after weeks of ignoring similar pleas for help from the state’s Democratic governor.

And although there’s a lot of attention on ventilators, . Most patients who end up going on them don’t come off. Patients who need ventilators in the first place (for reasons beyond this outbreak) have mid- to poor outcomes — usually about 40%-50% come off them. But for COVID-19, that number plummets to about 20%.

Meanwhile, HHS has announced that its stockpile of personal protective equipment has . (Fun fact: The stockpile was created in 1999 to prevent supply-chain disruptions for the predicted Y2K computer problems.) The U.S. has been trying to acquire gear, but in the demand has created a bit of a “Lord of the Flies” scenario, and let’s just say .

Anyway, all the problems with acquiring PPE from federal resources led California’s Newsom to say “” and use the “purchasing power” of his state to secure 200 million masks a month through a deal with suppliers.

It’s not just health providers who are suffering from the lack of protective gear. Medical personnel in New York are reporting that as they would because they aren’t able to take as many safety precautions with their gowns and masks. That means patients are being seen less, which can have fatal consequences.

The battle over protective gear continues to pit providers against hospitals, who don’t want their images hurt if their health workers speak out. of protective supplies for her colleagues after using GoFundMe, and her hospital suspended her for distributing “unauthorized” gear. Across the country, there’s a growing from doctors and other health professionals at the government’s failure to ensure that front-line workers in this battle are equipped with the gear they need.

Experts working to find a scientifically sound treatment for COVID-19 are frustrated by the (driven in large part by Trump’s optimistic support of the treatment). When patients take such unproven medications, , said Dr. Andre Kalil, a principal investigator in the federal government’s clinical trial of drugs that may treat the coronavirus.

, pumping their considerable resources into cutting down the frustratingly long timeline for a vaccine. that he would pick the seven lead contenders and build factories to develop them, even though likely only one or two will emerge as viable. When compared to the economic loss mounting every day that the country remains closed, what’s a couple of billions of wasted dollars?

The coronavirus outbreak is laying bare in terrible detail all the systemic disparities in the health system, and the country in general, that lead to poorer health outcomes among black Americans. that COVID-19 can be twice as deadly for both black and Latinx Americans. Black Americans have less access to care and more chronic conditions (something that plays a major role in the lethality of the virus) than white Americans do.

“We are watching, in real time, ,” said Michael Blake, an assemblyman from the Bronx.

And other stories to keep you occupied this weekend:

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This story can be republished for free (details).

But first! Take yourself on this journey about how the most (that gray blob with stone-like texture and red crowns and colored flecks) was made. Sometimes when the government is creating informational illustrations it focuses on the vector or the symptoms, but for this coronavirus the CDC’s Alissa Eckert and Dan Higgins went with what’s called a “beauty shot.” It’s a very cool read!

All right, here we go:

The confirmed number of confirmed cases globally ticked past this week in a grim milestone that experts still say represents only a percentage of the actual cases out there. The U.S. had recorded over as of press time, with more than 6,500 deaths.

President Donald Trump to help manufacturers secure supplies needed to make ventilators and protective face masks, but is it too little, too late? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose state has become the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak, said on Thursday it will in less than a week. Meanwhile, FEMA said that most of the ventilators Trump promised to obtain won’t be .

Governors are distraught over their , likening the process of requesting the equipment to eBay auctions. “You now literally will have a company call you up and say, ‘Well, California just outbid you,’” Cuomo said.

Another roadblock is that in the national stockpile are unusable because of a lapse in a contract that left a monthslong gap, during which the machines weren’t being properly maintained.

In the meantime, General Motors has shrugged off Trump’s attacks on the company (he said GM and its chief executive were dragging their feet on the project) and are moving full-throttle ahead at producing the needed equipment. “Every ventilator is a life,” said one GM exec.

With so much focus on ventilators, doctors are being advised on how to ration care and being told that they’ll be supported in their decisions .

One quick note on that front: New York lawmakers are moving on legislation that would grant sweeping civil- and criminal-liability protections to hospitals and health care workers dealing with coronavirus patients.

And even though there’s a ton of attention on ventilators, the survival rate of any patient who requires one is only 20% — meaning that even without a shortage, they

In other important news on the preparedness front:

Trump ahead and that people should be braced for a “bad two weeks,” with the White House projecting that the death toll could be somewhere between 100,000 to 240,000. For what it’s worth, disease forecasters over where the task force got those numbers, mostly because we don’t yet know enough about the virus.

(What helped change Trump’s mind, considering he’d previously mused that the country could return to normal in time to fill the pews on Easter? .)

To help states deal with the crisis, for hospitals, giving them unprecedented flexibility. The changes include what counts as a hospital bed, how closely certain medical professionals need to be supervised and what kinds of health care can be delivered at home.

The administration decided not to follow suit after a handful of states reopened their exchanges, though Trump seemed to hint that the possibility was still on the table “.” Also, to note, if people have lost their insurance because of their jobs, that counts as a qualifying event and they have 60 days to enroll in the federal exchanges, regardless of what Trump does with a special session.

And although Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, along with Vice President Mike Pence, have emerged as the leading voices of the administration’s pandemic response, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has taken charge behind the scenes. Critics say its adding confusion to .

And reports continue to emerge that the Trump administration was in China just months before the outbreak.

In other news on the administration:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be creating a special committee to oversee the implementation of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package and any other coronavirus legislation coming down the pike. “Where there’s money there’s also frequently mischief,” Pelosi said, in perhaps one of my favorite quotes of the week. Meanwhile, , but . At the very least, they say, they want to see how the current stimulus package plays out.

The news came the same day as it was reported that filed for unemployment benefits. That eye-popping number blows past all previous records. And experts say it represents only a the virus is wreaking on the country. There are many affected Americans who remain uncounted — some have lost jobs or income and did not initially qualify for benefits, and others, encountering state unemployment offices that were overwhelmed by the deluge of claimants, were unsuccessful in filing.

In other news about Congress and the economic damage from the outbreak:

The Democratic National Convention, expected to draw as many as 50,000 visitors, in one of the largest disruptions to the 2020 elections so far. On the other hand, Wisconsin is going ahead with its primary on Tuesday, which is causing mixed reactions … including .

More stories on elections:

Much focus this week was on serology tests that serve the dual purpose of finding Americans who can safely return to some normalcy and helping researchers find treatments for COVID-19. Experts are fairly unified on the fact that to get the country back into operation, we need a way to identify those who are now immune to the disease. And using plasma collected from recovered patients is a century-old practice (which, to be clear, has had mixed results in past diseases).

Beyond studies on actually treating the coronavirus illness ( showed a much-touted malaria drug combo had positive results), doctors are also trying to figure out known as “cytokine storm,” in which the body’s own immune system attacks its organs. This is thought to be the cause of some of the severe cases seen in younger patients.

On a side note, the Food and Drug Administration on Sunday issued an emergency-use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, despite scant evidence that they work against COVID-19.

With to issue the stay-at-home order, the vast majority of Americans are now huddled at home. The good news is that the extreme measures seem to be working in California, which was an earlier disciple of flattening the curve.

the government a report on “mobility data” to help states recognize where social-distancing measures are failing, with a specific focus on how foot traffic has increased or declined to six categories of destinations: homes; workplaces; retail and recreation establishments; parks; grocery stores and pharmacies; and transit stations.

Although things might seem a bit grim right now because of these measures, a look at data from the 1918 flu pandemic shows cities that locked down emerged from the crisis stronger economically than those that didn’t. One caveat, though: Because working-age people were harder hit by the 1918 flu (and the coronavirus strikes worse among older generations), any comparisons might not hold.

So, onto some of the stories I find most fascinating … aka the science behind all of this.

I’m going to cut this off here, or else this will no longer be able to be called the Breeze. If you want a more comprehensive roundup, please check out the Morning Briefings from the week, which are chock-full of more stories than you could ever finish reading. Including ones on workers’ protests and the supply chain; the gun store debate; how jails are “ticking time bombs;” ; snapshots from a New York in crisis; health disparities; and a call to arms for medical workers that doesn’t guarantee coverage of potential hospital bills.

Please have a safe and restful weekend, if possible!

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

All right, onto the news.

As predicted, the United States has surpassed China in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with nearly 93,000 to China’s nearly 82,000, as of 1 p.m. ET Friday. According to we also have surpassed 1,300 recorded deaths. (Worldwide, we’re at more than 566,000 and over 25,000 deaths.) Meanwhile, all that in that most experts believe there are far more cases going unrecorded either because of testing flaws or overwhelmed state health departments that can’t keep up. Either way, not exactly something we want to be first in.

Meanwhile, the House came back to Washington to approve the $2.2 trillion stimulus package the Senate managed to send through this week (more on that in a second), despite concerns over lawmakers’ safety. There had been (dim but existent) hope earlier in the week that the House might be able to pass the legislation by unanimous consent. But that seemed too easy to be true, and it was. Concerns that a voice vote would be derailed by objections from a libertarian Kentucky lawmaker went unrealized, and . The bill now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

So what exactly is in that legislation?

— Direct payments of $1,200 to millions of Americans, including those earning up to $75,000, and an additional $500 per child

— $100 billion for grants to hospitals, public and nonprofit health organizations and Medicare and Medicaid suppliers, including a 20% bump in Medicare payments for treating patients with the virus

— $221 billion in a variety of tax benefits for businesses, including allowing businesses to defer payroll taxes, which finance Medicare and Social Security, for the rest of the year

— More than $25 billion in new money for food assistance programs, like SNAP

— Expanded jobless aid, providing an additional 13 weeks and a four-month enhancement of benefits, and extending the payments for the first time to freelancers and gig workers

— $377 billion in federally guaranteed loans to small businesses and the establishment of a $500 billion government lending program for distressed companies

— Millions in aid for states to begin offering early voting or voting by mail

— A rule that blocks foreclosures and evictions during the crisis on properties where the federal government backs the mortgage

— The suspension of federal student loan payments for six months and waives the interest

Predictably, some sectors () were unhappy with being left out, but for once some people were pleased — for example, the which got the $100 billion it asked for.

For those of you, like me, who love a good tick-tock, here are a few inside looks at how Senate leaders and White House advisers struck a quick, expansive deal in a Washington that typically seems incapable of compromise.

The urgency of the legislation was underscored by an astronomical jump in jobless claims this week. Nearly 3.3. million Americans applied for benefits, up from 200,000 during pre-outbreak days. The “widespread carnage,” as one economist put it, is expected to get worse. While the stimulus package is , many have said it should be .

It seemed strangely appropriate this week that the health law turned 10 amid a pandemic — the legislation’s journey to here has been anything but smooth, why should this anniversary be? But might actually be a boost to the health law, which is likely to serve as a crucial safety net for many Americans who possibly lost their employer-sponsored coverage in the past few weeks. States have already started reopening their marketplaces, and the federal government is being urged to follow suit.

Trump chafed this week at the drastic measures states are putting in place to try to curb the outbreak, raising eyebrows when he said he’d like to see church pews full by Easter. Public health experts have warned that lifting the social-distancing measures would result in a surge of cases that slam an already stretched-thin hospital system. But for Trump, who has tied his reputation to the well-being of the stock market, the economic toll seems too much. (The rhetoric also started a truly bizarre for older Americans to sacrifice themselves )

The president’s most recent proposal to kick-start parts of the country is identifying places by risk level and applying strategies to match. But experts, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warn that even “cool spots” that aren’t seeing many cases might be in for a surge coming down the pike.

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that New York’s experience presages America’s future. But some say that’s not necessarily accurate. say that while it is likely that devastation similar to New York’s will emerge in other places, there’s hope that in lower-density areas, where there are fewer factors like mass transit to exacerbate the spread, the outcome might be different.

Realistically, though, Americans will need to eventually think about returning to normalcy. Are there exit strategies from this complete lockdown that would work effectively? : All the experts say success relies on extreme, aggressive and widespread testing to isolate the sick before they can give it to anyone. This has not exactly been America’s strong suit in recent weeks.

There are two storylines that have taken hold to demonstrate how much this pandemic will strain the hospital system, the first being the lack of ventilators available. States and hospitals have been pleading with the federal government to invoke war powers to jump-start the manufacturing process on the equipment. This comes as doctors are being forced to split ventilators between patients (), planning to make the tough ethical decisions , creating policies to not resuscitate, despite the dangers they might pose, and being warned that .

But Trump, who had been set to announce a partnership with GM to produce up to 80,000 ventilators, . “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators,” he said, in a reference to New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appealed for federal help in obtaining them. “You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”

The second notable thread throughout the country is a lack of personal protective equipment for health care workers on the front lines of the epidemic. There might be a long medical tradition of accepting elevated risk in the middle of a crisis, but many health care workers are frustrated that they’re being put in that position. Some are resorting to which do little to protect them and trash bags for surgical gowns. But others are .

Meanwhile, something that might get missed with everyone’s attention directed at the coasts: Atlanta’s mayor is warning that its .

Gilead, whose antiviral drug is getting a lot of buzz, was granted orphan drug status for the treatment because there are fewer than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in the States right now. The designation would have granted Gilead lucrative perks, like the ability to keep generic competitors from the marketplace. But the news was meant with rage-filled incredulity from, uh, pretty much everyone, and so . As one expert said: “I think it’s embarrassing to take something that’s potentially the most widespread disease in the history of the pharmaceutical industry and claim it’s a rare disease.”

Meanwhile, an antimalarial drug is getting tons of attention after Trump touted it as a possible game changer. But a new, more carefully constructed study that finds it did little to help patients in China shows why people shouldn’t be looking for a quick, miracle cure. Researchers say this doesn’t disprove that the drug works but is a good check on expectations, especially when people are trying to self-medicate with the drug — resulting in for other illnesses and .

On the good-news front (there is some!), Moderna said there could be a vaccine ready for the fall ahead of the wider release that’s not expected to come for about a year.

And another treatment that some scientists are hopeful about is the practice of injecting recovered patients’ blood into new patients. The strategy is at least a century old . “It’s not exactly a shot in the dark, but it’s not tried and true,” says one scientist. Still, in this era, people are willing to try what they can.

And here are some other interesting stories to get you through the weekend.

Federal Response:

2020 Elections:

From The States:

Science And Innovation:

Public Health:

That’s it from me! Have a safe and healthy weekend!

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On that note, though, I’m going to do my very best to give you a quick look at what happened, is happening or could happen with the coronavirus outbreak (with the caveat that it would be impossible to capture the scope of this particular universe).

First, two resources that are very cool: 1) KHN’s map that shows how many ICU beds there are in each county, and 2) and running tally of confirmed cases.

So here we go with the news:

Congress has been working with the administration, namely Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to put together a package that would help Americans battered economically by the shutdowns. At the core? Sending checks directly to Americans. The amount taxpayers would get, , would be tied to income and number of children. It would also create a $300 billion pot for small businesses and .

The price tag on the plan — $1 trillion — sounds huge, but it’s not enough to make anything but a minor dent. Congress should be thinking more in the $2 trillion-$3 trillion range.

President Donald Trump is with sending checks to Americans, a move similar to what happened during the Great Recession.

While we’re on Capitol Hill news, Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in February even as they were reassuring the public that the threat was well in hand. Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also three weeks ago about the potential economic impact of the outbreak. One of the stock purchases Loeffler made was in a technology company that .

Something that’s become abundantly clear over the past week is how ill-equipped the country’s health system is to bear the extra weight of a pandemic. Although Trump invoked this week, he seems . (And much of the government’s potential resources .) He also shifted the to figure out medical device and protective gear shortages. “The federal government’s not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping,” Trump said. “You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.”

Meanwhile, doctors and other health care workers are having to reuse masks, repurpose bandannas and scarves, and take other measures as some hospitals are going through five- to six-months’ worth of supplies in a week. The number of cases is expected to climb across the country and providers are turning to social media to plead for more masks and protective gear. was just one of a flood of quotes from desperate workers.

And protective gear isn’t the only thing that could run out — . The (!) are taking measures to try to address the potential crisis, but hospitals are still preparing to have to make tough about whom to treat.

Although testing in the United States has ramped up, frustration over the — especially since it appears that were able to get tested where others weren’t. South Korea, which identified its first case the same day the U.S. did, serves as a stark contrast. Well over 290,000 people have been tested and over 8,000 infections have been identified in that country, which is also a democracy. .

Yours truly was one of those poor, misguided souls who decided last weekend that watching Contagion was exactly what I needed in the midst of our real-life pandemic. (I immediately regretted the decision, don’t worry.) But in the movie, a scientist tests a vaccine on herself and then — boom! — it’s out in the world.

That’s not how , as we all know, but for many, it’s hard not to hold out hope for a quick miracle cure — either through a vaccine or a treatment.

This week, Trump called chloroquine as a potential game changer. But FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn , saying clinical trials would be needed to test its efficacy. (For a history of how chloroquine popped up on people’s radar, check out this .)

Meanwhile, the only company in the U.S. that makes chloroquine raised the price by almost 100% in January. The company has since reduced the cost.

For a glance at the status of drug and vaccine research, check out .

Many scientists and other experts are grappling with a lot of unanswerable questions, such as: Will the and how long will ? Research is emerging every day on the virus, though, such as a new death rate out of Wuhan, China, that is .

It would be impossible to highlight all the compelling stories that ran this week, so here’s an overview of ones that might make good weekend reads:

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That’s it from me. And before any Shakespeare fans come for my throat, I was just joking! (Though I do prefer his comedies.) Have a safe and restful weekend.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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On to my best attempt to get you the most important and interesting news about the COVID-19 outbreak. This is one of those stories that’s changing by the minute, however, so I would highly recommend checking out for our coverage and also signing up for the Morning Briefings to get a comprehensive look at what’s going on.

But here we go:

— after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (and the lawmakers she tapped to help her) spent yesterday working through partisan complaints together with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been acting as the administration’s point person on the plan. . If President Donald Trump doesn’t embrace the bill, it’s likely to get passed along partisan lines — not a good sign for it getting through the Senate. The president will discuss the coronavirus crisis at a 3 p.m. news conference.

— ? Provisions include unemployment insurance to furloughed workers and hundreds of millions of dollars toward nutrition programs; an additional $500 million to help feed low-income pregnant women or mothers with young children who lose their jobs or are laid off because of the virus outbreak; $400 million to help local food banks meet increased demand; and free coronavirus testing for anyone who requires it, including uninsured people.

— One of the sticking points between the two parties has been paid sick leave. The issue has been thrust into the spotlight as public health experts and doctors say that workers should stay home if they have flu-like symptoms. But because the U.S. has no mandatory sick leave,

— Trump is , which he has been hesitant to announce — despite his propensity of using presidential power in less urgent crises — because it would likely contradict the rosy messaging he’s put forth since the start of the outbreak.

— Meanwhile, the action that the president did take — — was panned by public health experts as a useless distraction. As one said, “This virus is everywhere.” The stock markets seemed to agree with that assessment following Trump’s Oval Office address as they tumbled more sharply than they had previously. It was the , which, for those of us who were paying attention during the 2008 crash, is not exactly reassuring.

— Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had a grim reality check for Congress (and the administration) when he agreed that . He also criticized the government for not providing quick and easy testing, saying that the “” system “is not really geared to what we need right now.” “The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it — ” he said. “Do I think we should be? Yes. But we’re not.”

— On that note, there’s still a slew of anecdotes of people who have symptoms that match the coronavirus, have tested negative for the flu and yet still aren’t receiving tests. A startling shows just how far behind other developed countries the U.S. is in testing. ( for an in-depth look at everything that’s gone wrong, including how a shortage of chemicals used in the kits is hampering scientists’ efforts.)

— So, we know we don’t currently have an accurate snapshot of how many Americans are infected (because of above testing stumbles), but what’s the ? CDC experts have projected that between 160 million and 214 million people in the U.S. could be infected, while as many as 200,000 to 1.7 million could die. Also, 2.4 million to 21 million people in the U.S. could require hospitalization.

— Which leads to what experts say is the scariest part of the outbreak: Hospitals already stretched thin from a bad flu season and ever-increasing budget cuts . There aren’t enough ventilators or ICU beds, and if the United States follows in Italy’s footsteps, health care providers might have to start making tough choices about who gets treated and who gets left behind.

— ? (Or “” as the cool kids say.) Public health officials and experts are recommending social distancing when possible, which includes working from home and avoiding large social gatherings. Even if the total number of cases were to plateau, taking nationwide measures to slow down the speed of the outbreak could help keep hospitals from being overwhelmed (see above).

— A slew of closures, cancellations and post-postponements this week helped toward that end (and possibly helped drive home the seriousness of the threat). Those include, but are not limited to: basketball, soccer, hockey and baseball games; concerts; Disneyland; colleges (which mostly moved to online classes) and schools; Broadway; any gatherings over 250 people in some states; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo; St. Patrick’s Day parades across the country; and more. The unified message from private and government organizations alike: .

— Beyond the astronomical economic toll this crisis will take, some observers are also worried it’s going to . As trivial as it might seem, chronic loneliness, especially in the elderly (the population most in danger of a critical reaction to the coronavirus), can produce severe negative health outcomes.

— Speaking of both closures and vulnerable populations, the U.S. Capitol put the kibosh on public tours following an announcement that a Senate staffer tested positive for the virus. , and given how often lawmakers travel and interact with strangers, politicians are particularly susceptible to getting sick during this outbreak.

— In other news from the administration’s response: more freely to help contain the outbreak. In previous emergencies, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 flu outbreak, both Republican and Democratic administrations loosened Medicaid rules to empower states to meet surging needs.

— And it turns out , traced to CMS, created a snafu for health officials right as the crisis was heating up.

— Oh, you might have noticed that we’ve started calling this thing a pandemic. That’s because , after weeks and weeks of hesitating to make that call. “We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

So, those are the bigger highlights you need to know. But here are some interesting and compelling stories that also appeared this week:

— ? Many insurers have waived testing fees, but they haven’t gone as far as to make promises about treatment costs.

— Trump and other Republicans continue to frame the coronavirus using racist and xenophobic language, despite public health experts saying that’s dangerous and irresponsible.

— One area in which scientists are hoping the coronavirus mirrors the flu is that it tends to . But we simply do not know enough about the virus to say hot temperatures are its kryptonite — yet.

— A series of high-profile people (including and the ) have tested positive for the virus, driving home how seriously people should be taking the threat. As an aside on the Tom Hanks story, his case highlights .

— The pandemic highlights how. It has supposed to act as a global coordinator, but when no one is trying to work together, the organization’s efforts can fall flat.

— ?

— A in China shows just how cruelly random this virus can be.

— including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and more, that can often exacerbate the virus’s toll on the body. on how the coronavirus actually infiltrates your cells.

— And immigration groups call on the government to release from facilities where they’re worried the virus will spread like wildfire.

I think other things happened in the world, but I’ve already forgotten them. Remember, wash your hands, don’t create mask shortages for health care workers who actually need them, practice social distancing when you can to flatten the curve and realize but you don’t let it have to consume you.

Please have a safe, healthy weekend. See you next week!

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).