buzzfeednews--2020-04-29--After One Tweet To President Trump, This Man Got $69 Million From New York For Ventilators

The Silicon Valley engineer , who had no background in medical supplies but was recommended by the White House , never delivered the ventilators .
On March 27 , as emergency rooms in New York and across the country began filling with coronavirus patients struggling to breathe , President Donald Trump posted on Twitter to urge Ford and General Motors to “ START MAKING VENTILATORS , NOW !
” One of the thousands of replies that the tweet attracted struck an equally urgent tone : “ We can supply ICU Ventilators , invasive and noninvasive .
Have someone call me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley .
A specialist in mobile phone technology , he currently has just 75 followers on Twitter and no apparent experience in government contracting or medical devices .
But three days later , New York state paid Oren-Pines $ 69.1 million .
The payment was for 1,450 ventilators — at an astonishing $ 47,656 per ventilator , at least triple the standard retail price of high-end models .
A state official , speaking on background because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the terms of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the contract with Oren-Pines at the direct recommendation of the White House coronavirus task force .
Nearly a month later , New York has terminated the contract , and the state is now trying to recover all of the money it paid the Silicon Valley electrical engineer .
Officials refused to say how much the state had been able to claw back .
“ We are in discussions on a few remaining issues , ” said Heather Groll , a spokesperson for the New York Office of General Services , part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies .
Reached by telephone , Oren-Pines said “ neither me nor my company is providing any comment on this , ” and then hung up .
He did not respond to subsequent text messages .
The money he received on March 30 was the largest single payment made by the New York Department of Health under an executive order issued by Gov .
Andrew Cuomo last month that aimed to streamline the procurement process so that critical medical equipment could reach hospitals as quickly as possible .
The episode underscores the extent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted politicians around the country — and particularly in New York — to turn to untested and at times unqualified vendors .
“ We had no choice but to overturn every rock to find ventilators and other needed equipment , ” said Rich Azzopardi , a senior adviser to Cuomo , referring to the state ’ s scramble to find critical medical equipment as the pandemic overtook New York .
“ States were forced to fend for themselves to purchase lifesaving supplies to combat a global pandemic and with all modeling showing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more hospitalizations and more fatalities , ” Azzopardi said .
He added that the state has since been able to meet most of its needs and is now reevaluating some contracts and canceling others , while going through with other contracts as it tries to build up stockpiles to help prepare New York for any future emergencies .
Like most states , New York ’ s procurement rules typically prohibit payments for goods or services until after an order has been fulfilled .
But Cuomo suspended those rules last month to meet the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gowns , and other personal protective equipment .
A 25-member team now works overtime to vet potential vendors .
In some cases , it has begun paying for orders before they are fulfilled .
Between March 19 and April 27 , the Health Department cut 77 checks for $ 1 million or more for medical supplies , for a total of nearly $ 735 million , state records show .
Some of the recipients are established health care suppliers , such as Henry Schein , a huge , publicly traded distributor with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long history of contracting for New York state .
But the overwhelming majority of the payments were made to an eclectic mix of firms , many with little or no apparent experience in medicine : upscale fashion and other apparel brands ; Chinese iron ore and tool importers ; a company that sells hair and wrinkle removal products ; a number of private equity and investment firms ; and even the Qatar Fund for Development , the state-run foreign aid arm of the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf nation .
Other states and government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed supplies .
The California Department of Transportation agreed to pay $ 12.74 apiece for N95 masks that typically retail for as little as $ 1.25 , while the Federal Emergency Management Agency signed a purchase order for 2 million respirator masks at $ 7.25 apiece — more than 10 times the price it 's paying to buy them directly from 3M — only to cancel after the vendor said it couldn ’ t deliver .
New York City , meanwhile , rushed over the past month to order 214.7 million pieces of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gloves , and face shields .
So far only 8 % — or just 17 million — of those items have arrived .
But it was the state government in Albany that proved most aggressive in its acquisitions as it struggled to deal with COVID-19 .
“ I need 30,000 ventilators , ” Cuomo said in a press briefing on March 24 .
“ How can you have New Yorkers possibly dying because they can ’ t get a ventilator ?
” Three days later , the state issued the second of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a small Brooklyn company called Dome International that rents ventilators and other respiratory devices to hospitals and nursing homes .
The company , which has no website , has no record of prior contracting with New York or with the federal government .
The deal was for 5,700 ventilators , according to a report by the Albany Times-Union , but the devices were never delivered .
A call to Dome International ’ s co-owner , David Chait , was not returned .
But the contract with Oren-Pines stands out even among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with New York state over the past month .
It ’ s unclear how he came to the attention of the White House coronavirus task force , which was established in late January and has featured daily press briefings led by President Trump .
The task force also confers regularly on the state of the pandemic , including the availability of ventilators , N95 masks , gowns , and other much-needed medical supplies around the country .
“ The guy was recommended to us by the White House coronavirus task force because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said the New York state official .
“ I think everyone was genuinely trying to help each other out and get supplies.
” The New York official added that he was unaware of whether Oren-Pines got a federal contract ; federal databases show no record of any such deals .
A spokesperson for the White House referred a request for comment to the office of Vice President Mike Pence , who chairs the task force .
A spokesperson for Pence referred the query to FEMA .
A spokesperson for FEMA said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House and that it does not share information about potential suppliers .
After this article was published , a spokesperson for Pence , Katie Miller , said in a statement that `` The White House Coronavirus Task Force was never informed of this contract and was not involved in it at all . ''
An Israeli immigrant who graduated from the University of Maryland , Oren-Pines has lived in Silicon Valley since the mid-1990s , public records show , and is named on at least 18 different patents .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech sector , including a recent stint with Google and several years at Crocus Technology , a venture-backed firm that specializes in magnetic computer memory , according to his LinkedIn profile and interviews with former colleagues .
Mike Ritter , who supervised Oren-Pines at Google , said that before the pandemic , they had made plans to meet up in Napa this week , but those plans were canceled and the two haven ’ t spoken in weeks .
Ritter said he wasn ’ t aware of the contract for ventilators but said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Asia .
“ He 's always a go-getter .
Anytime there 's opportunity , he 's always been out there trying to help and make a buck , ” said Ritter .
In 2013 , Oren-Pines cofounded Legasus Networks , a networking solutions company , in the Bay Area .
Doug Lee , who ’ s listed on registration documents as the company ’ s chief executive officer , said he had no knowledge of any transactions involving ventilators .
According to Thao Tran , one of its other founders , Legasus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or ventilators ” and has not been active .
“ We don ’ t have any products right now.
” Oren-Pines ’ LinkedIn profile indicates he is the founder and owner of a company called InCommon , described as a consulting and contracting firm for the mobile phone industry .
No listing for InCommon could be found in state registries .
A review of Oren-Pines ’ social media shows he has been tweeting at Trump since 2011 and been a vocal supporter since at least December 2015 when he offered , on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump for President ” lawn sign in front of his house .
Since late January , Oren-Pines has posted a handful of tweets related to the coronavirus , including one on March 20 listing stock index performance in different countries , showing that only China had made a small gain , and describing the idea that China might benefit from the pandemic as an “ interesting conspiracy theory.
” A week later , he tweeted in response to the president ’ s call for ventilators .
A tweet posted less than an hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides one possible clue to his plans .
The tweet was from an account belonging to Israeli entrepreneur Segev Binyamin , whose three Twitter followers include Oren-Pines .
Offering to supply ventilators to Israel ’ s defense minister , Binyamin wrote , “ I own a Chinese company and have the ability to ship 1,400 machines.
” That happens to be almost the exact number of ventilators Oren-Pines contracted with New York state to sell .
Reached by BuzzFeed News , Binyamin , whose account also follows Oren-Pines , repeatedly said “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before hanging up .

Other states and government agencies also scrambled to strike deals for needed supplies. The California Department of Transportation agreed to pay $12.74 apiece for N95 masks that typically retail for as little as $1.25, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency signed a purchase order for 2 million respirator masks at $7.25 apiece — more than 10 times the price it's paying to buy them directly from 3M — only to cancel after the vendor said it couldn’t deliver.
New York City, meanwhile, rushed over the past month to order 214.7 million pieces of personal protective equipment, including N95 masks, gloves, and face shields. So far only 8% — or just 17 million — of those items have arrived.
But it was the state government in Albany that proved most aggressive in its acquisitions as it struggled to deal with COVID-19.
“I need 30,000 ventilators,” Cuomo said in a press briefing on March 24. “How can you have New Yorkers possibly dying because they can’t get a ventilator?”
Three days later, the state issued the second of two payments totalling almost $116 million to a small Brooklyn company called Dome International that rents ventilators and other respiratory devices to hospitals and nursing homes. The company, which has no website, has no record of prior contracting with New York or with the federal government.
The deal was for 5,700 ventilators, according to a report by the Albany Times-Union, but the devices were never delivered. A call to Dome International’s co-owner, David Chait, was not returned.
But the contract with Oren-Pines stands out even among the motley array of vendors that struck deals with New York state over the past month.
It’s unclear how he came to the attention of the White House coronavirus task force, which was established in late January and has featured daily press briefings led by President Trump. The task force also confers regularly on the state of the pandemic, including the availability of ventilators, N95 masks, gowns, and other much-needed medical supplies around the country.
“The guy was recommended to us by the White House coronavirus task force because they were doing business with him as well,” said the New York state official. “I think everyone was genuinely trying to help each other out and get supplies.” The New York official added that he was unaware of whether Oren-Pines got a federal contract; federal databases show no record of any such deals.
A spokesperson for the White House referred a request for comment to the office of Vice President Mike Pence, who chairs the task force. A spokesperson for Pence referred the query to FEMA. A spokesperson for FEMA said it could not speak on behalf of the White House and that it does not share information about potential suppliers.
After this article was published, a spokesperson for Pence, Katie Miller, said in a statement that "The White House Coronavirus Task Force was never informed of this contract and was not involved in it at all."


buzzfeednews--2020-04-14--Here’s What Life Will Probably Look Like In California After The Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order Ends

`` Normal it will not be , at least until we have herd immunity and we have a vaccine , '' Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Tuesday .
As social distancing measures begin to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus , California Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Tuesday began to paint a picture of what life will probably be like in the state when officials determine they can begin to reopen businesses , schools , and other venues to the public .
Whenever the stay-at-home orders are lifted , it wo n't be business as usual , the governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Normal it will not be , at least until we have herd immunity and we have a vaccine , '' Newsom said .
Reopening will only happen as new cases of the disease decline , Newsom said , and businesses and institutions show they can continue to curb the spread of the virus as they reopen .
That means hospitals will have to remain prepared for a surge of patients , and businesses , schools , and childcare facilities will need to keep up physical distancing and other precautions .
Here are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot different , even after parts of the state open back up : Dining out will look a lot different When restaurants are allowed to reopen , they wo n't look the same as they did before the pandemic .
`` You may be having dinner with a waiter wearing gloves , maybe a face mask , dinner where the menu is disposable , where ... half the tables in that restaurant no longer appear , where your temperature is checked before you walk into the establishment , '' Newsom said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Face masks will be more common in public State health officer Sonia Angell said as people begin to spend more time in public , it will become `` even more important '' to wear a mask or another kind of face covering as an added precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
`` Face coverings are not a replacement for physical distancing , but they can add protection , '' Angell said .
Concerts or conferences still wo n't be possible for a while Even though restaurants and other businesses will likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are lifted , it wo n't be safe for people to congregate at large events like conferences and concerts until officials can determine that a significant portion of the population is immune to COVID-19 and a vaccine is available , Newsom said .
`` The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity , '' Newsom said .
`` Large-scale events that bring in hundreds , thousands , tens of thousands of strangers all together across every conceivable difference — health and otherwise — is not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and current expectations . ''
Schools may have to rearrange their desks Classrooms will be reconfigured to help keep up physical distancing within schools when they reopen .
“ We need to do it in a safe way so those kids are not going to school , getting infected , and then coming home and infecting grandma or grandpa , ” Newsom said .
In addition , Newsom said officials were considering staggering start times as well as making changes to cafeterias and locker rooms .
`` Those are the kinds of things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all going to be having over the course of the next number of weeks , ” he said .
Sidewalks and playgrounds will be deep-cleaned regularly As more people leave their homes , Newsom said businesses , schools , parks , playgrounds , and even sidewalks will need to be regularly sanitized to prevent infection .
The state is planning for `` massive deep cleaning , lots of sanitation '' of public places , he said .
The governor said more information on how the state will reopen will be available in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary for modifying or lifting stay-at-home orders will be the ability to test for the virus , conduct contact tracing , and support people who are infected or exposed to COVID-19 and prevent infection in those who are at risk for more severe illness .
In closing , Newsom reiterated that before Californians can start to see parts of the state reopen , they will need to keep staying home and practicing social distancing when out for essential needs .
`` It ’ s put us as a state in a position where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but again , it is all conditioned on us continuing to stay the course on the current road , '' he said .

As social distancing measures begin to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday began to paint a picture of what life will probably be like in the state when officials determine they can begin to reopen businesses, schools, and other venues to the public.
Whenever the stay-at-home orders are lifted, it won't be business as usual, the governor said at his daily press briefing.
"Normal it will not be, at least until we have herd immunity and we have a vaccine," Newsom said.
Reopening will only happen as new cases of the disease decline, Newsom said, and businesses and institutions show they can continue to curb the spread of the virus as they reopen. That means hospitals will have to remain prepared for a surge of patients, and businesses, schools, and childcare facilities will need to keep up physical distancing and other precautions.
Here are some of the ways life will be a lot different, even after parts of the state open back up:


buzzfeednews--2020-04-10--Being Married Right Now Is Hard. “Animal Crossing” Is The Only Thing Saving Us.

Here ’ s the least surprising thing I ’ ve read in recent memory : In March , as China started to emerge from its coronavirus lockdown measures , divorce rates skyrocketed .
I ’ m not sure I ’ ve understood anything more , considering that as I type this , my 42-year-old husband trots into the bedroom where I am trying to work , throws his laundry on the bed , where I am working , and whines loudly about having to fold his clothes , like a child .
( He doesn ’ t even fold the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up as if he ’ s in the army , which he ’ s definitely not because something tells me that an adult man having a mental breakdown about not being able to get a haircut for four weeks likely wouldn ’ t survive in a war . )
For anyone married , or living long-term with their partner during this much-longer-than-originally-anticipated lockdown , a higher-than-normal divorce rate is hardly surprising .
Being trapped with anyone — let alone the person you know best , which means when he clears his throat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fucking purpose — is an unbelievable strain on a relationship , and only made worse by the stress of this particular situation .
It ’ s interesting how the constant , crippling fear that you or someone you love will fall ill from a virus that we don ’ t yet have a vaccine for while also worrying about the country ’ s dizzying lack of medical resources , record unemployment , and a president who seems to think arthritis medicine will cure this disease could maybe push a marriage to its brink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are healthy and employed and largely very fortunate , we ’ re still struggling to not pick at each other every day over things that absolutely do not matter .
That said , if he leaves his hair goop out on the counter one more time , I will strangle him on a livestream so everyone can watch .
Why is he even doing his hair anyway ?
?
No one can see him other than me !
!
!
!
!
!
Improbably , the thing that might actually rescue our relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nintendo Switch .
( Not to put too fine a point on it , but he also initially didn ’ t want to get one because “ you ’ re an adult , you don ’ t need a video game , ” so who ’ s the fucking adult now , Scott ?
Give me all your golden nuggets !
!
! )
After some cajoling from friends , I finally downloaded Animal Crossing : New Horizons , a game that lets you build a world on a remote island where you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want .
All I eat are peaches and coconuts , which is pretty decadent considering my real-world diet is mostly an instant ramen so spicy that it destroys my inside for three days .
I ’ ve stitched together a colorful backpack made of “ Bunny Day eggs ” and live alone in a single room with a double bed , two vanities , a squat toilet ( it fell out of a tree ) , an arcade , and a table made out of sand dollars .
It ’ s like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nothing bad can ever really happen to you in Animal Crossing , and even though you ’ re perpetually in debt to a trio of raccoons , you ’ re never punished , you never die , and even getting bit by wasps only means you get new flooring for your house .
It ’ s petty of me to have started playing this game with the expressed purpose of getting away from my husband , but alas , I am a petty person .
So when he started playing it too , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game for me and only me .
As soon as he logged in , he landed on my island , started leaving garbage on the beach , got mad at me for not building Nook ’ s Cranny fast enough ( give me your iron and I WILL ) , and kept bragging about making a straw shirt before I got the recipe to make the shirt myself .
At least I nabbed the naming rights for the island we both live on : Butt Hole Island was supposed to be my private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silently resent his presence .
There are already plenty of helpful tips for how to keep your marriage from imploding as you share the same three rooms with the same person for yet another week , another month , with no clear end in sight .
But I suppose the best advice I can give is you is to find little ways to offer kindness to each other , whatever that might look like in your little corner of the world .
Though in person we swipe at each other like feral cats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly in the game , we ’ re romantic and gentle .
One night , after a particularly hard Real World Day , I logged on to the game at 2 in the morning , unable to sleep .
When my avatar exited her house , a gift was on her front stoop : It was a nail polish set .
I can ’ t actually use it in real life , and this is a game where you don ’ t have any visible fingernails , but the gesture was enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s some comfort in being able to turn to your game-husband and see that he planted some new flowers around your house , instead of thinking too hard about your mortal-husband who got mad when Hulu stopped working for about 45 seconds and screamed , “ Oh , so what , I just have to listen to my wife chew ?
?
?
?
” No court in America would have convicted me for his murder .
He often leaves me little virtual gifts in the mail or in front of my house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purse the other day that literally made me cry , and yes , I am still seeing my therapist , thanks for asking .
Meanwhile , I send him supplies in the mail and leave him nice notes on the community bulletin board .
It ’ s the only video game where we ’ re this sweet to each other ; we ’ re both irrationally competitive in everything from Super Smash Bros to Mario Kart .
But last week in Animal Crossing , I asked him if he would marry me again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long as he could “ keep the fuck-pad , ” which is what he ’ s calling his house in the game , and forget it , forget it , I don ’ t know why I asked .
I know I ’ m not my best right now .
No one is .
Two weeks ago , I woke up and my first thought was , Gen Z ’ s idea of vintage sunglasses will be the Oakleys my brother wore in 1999 even though he doesn ’ t ski .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m easily annoyed and snippy and emotional .
My parents are stuck in another country during the lockdown , the specters of both death and unemployment loom over us , and my husband and I are increasingly unsure about why we left Canada , a country that doesn ’ t have to argue about whether a COVID-19 test would cost you any money because of course it wouldn ’ t cost you any money .
It ’ s hard to feel like I ’ m in anything other than survival mode , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intimacy are in short supply .
I didn ’ t expect a video game where I dig up eggs and fish for tin cans would remind me of how much I love the person I chose to marry .
It ’ s there that I ’ m seeing anew how kind and selfless he can be .
He even built me one of my two vanities in the game because he knows how much I like the real one he made for me when we moved in together years ago .
Never mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away and left every drawer in our dresser open .
There aren ’ t enough iron nuggets on the entirety of Butt Hole Island to make me forget this .
Nothing ’ s bound to improve all that much in the real world over the next few weeks , and every day , it gets harder and harder to stay upbeat in a dark world .
But this little virtual world we ’ ve built is now a reminder that we ’ re not alone — in a good way .
For now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
●

It’s interesting how the constant, crippling fear that you or someone you love will fall ill from a virus that we don’t yet have a vaccine for while also worrying about the country’s dizzying lack of medical resources, record unemployment, and a president who seems to think arthritis medicine will cure this disease could maybe push a marriage to its brink. Even though my husband and I are healthy and employed and largely very fortunate, we’re still struggling to not pick at each other every day over things that absolutely do not matter. That said, if he leaves his hair goop out on the counter one more time, I will strangle him on a livestream so everyone can watch. Why is he even doing his hair anyway?? No one can see him other than me!!!!!!
Improbably, the thing that might actually rescue our relationship during this indefinite shelter-in-place order is our Nintendo Switch. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but he also initially didn’t want to get one because “you’re an adult, you don’t need a video game,” so who’s the fucking adult now, Scott? Give me all your golden nuggets!!!) After some cajoling from friends, I finally downloaded Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game that lets you build a world on a remote island where you’re allowed to be outside whenever you want. All I eat are peaches and coconuts, which is pretty decadent considering my real-world diet is mostly an instant ramen so spicy that it destroys my inside for three days. I’ve stitched together a colorful backpack made of “Bunny Day eggs” and live alone in a single room with a double bed, two vanities, a squat toilet (it fell out of a tree), an arcade, and a table made out of sand dollars. It’s like The Sims but even more wholesome: Nothing bad can ever really happen to you in Animal Crossing, and even though you’re perpetually in debt to a trio of raccoons, you’re never punished, you never die, and even getting bit by wasps only means you get new flooring for your house.
It’s petty of me to have started playing this game with the expressed purpose of getting away from my husband, but alas, I am a petty person. So when he started playing it too, I was irate: I bought this game for me and only me. As soon as he logged in, he landed on my island, started leaving garbage on the beach, got mad at me for not building Nook’s Cranny fast enough (give me your iron and I WILL), and kept bragging about making a straw shirt before I got the recipe to make the shirt myself. At least I nabbed the naming rights for the island we both live on: Butt Hole Island was supposed to be my private sanctuary, another place for me to silently resent his presence.
There are already plenty of helpful tips for how to keep your marriage from imploding as you share the same three rooms with the same person for yet another week, another month, with no clear end in sight. But I suppose the best advice I can give is you is to find little ways to offer kindness to each other, whatever that might look like in your little corner of the world.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-10--27 Of The Most Powerful Photos Of This Week

A polling official passes out hand sanitizer to voters entering a polling place at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee @ @ @ @ @ waited in line about two hours at the school , one of the few polling @ @ @ @ @ after most were consolidated due to a shortage of poll workers fearful of contracting COVID-19 @

27 Of The Most Powerful Photos Of This Week
As emergency and heath care professionals work tirelessly to save lives on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, communities around the globe are navigating a new normal of life under lockdown.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-09--"Oh, Alexa, I’m Going To Hurt": A Woman Who Died Of The Coronavirus Spent Days Asking Alexa To Help

"Oh, Alexa, I’m Going To Hurt": A Woman Who Died Of The Coronavirus Spent Days Asking Alexa To Help With Her Pain

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
LouAnn Dagen loved Amazon 's Echo Show device .
The 66-year-old had spent more than 10 years in a Michigan nursing home after a stroke , and the device had revived her interest in music and games , her sister Penny Dagen wrote in an online product review in 2018 .
`` My sister is very intelligent and because she is bedridden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things she loved to do , '' Penny wrote in the review .
`` This has opened up new doors for her .
She just loves it .
She can play most of the music she loves , play games , learns from questions she asks . ''
Penny said the device had been a `` lifesaver '' for her sister .
`` It is like a good friend to her , '' Penny wrote .
In the days leading up to her death on Saturday from COVID-19 , LouAnn turned to Alexa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recordings on the device three or four days before her death , some of which Penny shared with WOOD-TV , saying that her sister would have wanted people to be aware of the suffering wrought by the coronavirus .
`` Alexa , help me , '' LouAnn said in one recording .
`` I am in pain .
I have to find a way to relieve it , ” she told Alexa .
`` Can you help me cope with pain ?
” She asked Alexa to help her contact law enforcement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , '' she asked Alexa .
The device gave her directions to the nearest police station .
LouAnn died on Saturday shortly after being hospitalized in Grand Rapids following a drop in her oxygen level and blood pressure , Penny told WOOD-TV .
She was one of the 31 residents and five staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Metron of Cedar Springs nursing home last week .
After her death , her sister discovered her Alexa recordings in her room at the nursing home .
Penny told WOOD-TV that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was everywhere despite the nursing home giving her a pain reliever .
“ I just kept telling her there wasn ’ t anything I could do , ” Penny said .
“ I ’ m sorry I couldn ’ t help you more .
I ’ d take your pain away , ” she said , crying .

LouAnn Dagen loved Amazon's Echo Show device. The 66-year-old had spent more than 10 years in a Michigan nursing home after a stroke, and the device had revived her interest in music and games, her sister Penny Dagen wrote in an online product review in 2018.
"My sister is very intelligent and because she is bedridden she lost interest in a lot of things she loved to do," Penny wrote in the review. "This has opened up new doors for her. She just loves it. She can play most of the music she loves, play games, learns from questions she asks."
Penny said the device had been a "lifesaver" for her sister.
"It is like a good friend to her," Penny wrote.
In the days leading up to her death on Saturday from COVID-19, LouAnn turned to Alexa for help.
She made around 40 recordings on the device three or four days before her death, some of which Penny shared with WOOD-TV, saying that her sister would have wanted people to be aware of the suffering wrought by the coronavirus.
"Alexa, help me," LouAnn said in one recording.
"I am in pain. I have to find a way to relieve it,” she told Alexa.
"Can you help me cope with pain?”
“Oh, Alexa, I’m going to hurt.”
She asked Alexa to help her contact law enforcement.
"How do I get to the police," she asked Alexa. The device gave her directions to the nearest police station.
LouAnn died on Saturday shortly after being hospitalized in Grand Rapids following a drop in her oxygen level and blood pressure, Penny told WOOD-TV.
She was one of the 31 residents and five staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Metron of Cedar Springs nursing home last week.
After her death, her sister discovered her Alexa recordings in her room at the nursing home.
Penny told WOOD-TV that her sister told her that her pain was everywhere despite the nursing home giving her a pain reliever.
“I just kept telling her there wasn’t anything I could do,” Penny said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more. I’d take your pain away,” she said, crying.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-10--For Workers At These Big Companies, It’s Still Work Sick Or Lose Pay

As a server at a combination Dunkin ’ and Baskin-Robbins in southeast Georgia , Mickey Lewis made $ 8 an hour , which amounted to around $ 850 a month after taxes .
After $ 375 in rent , around $ 100 in utilities , and at least $ 200 more in gas , groceries , and car insurance , the 22-year-old usually had $ 40 or $ 50 of wiggle room , to put in the bank or spend on a treat like dinner out .
Down the line , the goal was to enroll in a local technical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 26 , when there were only two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county .
The fever was low , around 99.5 degrees , and sporadic .
Like around 30 million others around the country , Lewis was used to working without paid sick leave .
In nine months with the company , Lewis , who uses the pronoun “ they , ” hadn ’ t missed a single shift : “ If we were n't there and clocked in , we did n't get the hours , ” they said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was supposed to have changed that equation .
A week earlier , Congress had passed a law to “ ensure that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus , ” as the Trump administration put it .
Yet when Lewis informed the store manager about the fever , they recalled , the manager said that the branch ’ s sick leave policy remained the same — except that employees who call in ill now needed to bring in a doctor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 14-day self-isolation , a worker would need a positive COVID-19 test — and even then , it would be unpaid .
Lewis continued to clock in for their shifts over the next week , feeling fine some days , fatigued on others .
By then , Dunkin ’ Brands , the parent company for 21,000 franchise-operated branches worldwide , had limited store service to takeout , delivery , and drive-thru orders .
At Lewis 's branch , lines of 10 or more cars stretched across the lot and into the gas station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the staff of seven served coffee and breakfast sandwiches to dozens of people heading to work at jobs their employers deemed essential — chopping lumber , loading cargo at railway stations , operating the machines at a nearby boat factory .
The afternoons were busier than in normal times , mostly with parents and children .
The workers wore gloves and rationed a half-full jug of hand sanitizer because suppliers were out of stock .
Each seven-hour shift , Lewis estimated , they served at least 200 cars in the drive-thru and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On April 1 , Lewis returned home feeling worse than usual and found that the fever had risen to 103 .
By that point , there were at least a dozen confirmed cases in the county and two deaths .
With mild symptoms and no underlying health conditions , Lewis doubted a test was possible .
( Georgia has one of the worst testing rates in the nation . )
They decided to quit their job right then and take their chances among the millions of newly unemployed .
“ I no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting my family , myself , and the community at any further risk , ” Lewis told BuzzFeed News .
“ I think it was just guilt at a certain point.
” Signed into law March 18 , the Families First Coronavirus Response Act promised two weeks of federally funded paid leave for workers who show COVID-19 symptoms but are unable to get diagnosed , as well as two-thirds pay for those taking care of someone under a quarantine .
But the law doesn ’ t apply to businesses with 500 or more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies still open and providing locked-down Americans with essential supplies .
The Trump administration stated that the law didn ’ t need to cover those companies because they can provide their workers with sick pay on their own .
“ Obviously , big companies can afford these things , ” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News .
But a BuzzFeed News investigation has found that many of those companies are not complying .
At least 24 major retail and food companies that remain open have sick leave policies less generous than what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Grocers , such as Safeway and Walgreens , require a positive COVID-19 test to qualify for two weeks ' paid leave .
Fast-food chains , such as Dunkin ’ Brands and McDonald ’ s , let franchise owners determine time-off policies at more than 90 % of branches , leaving many employees with a few days of paid sick leave at most , and sometimes none at all .
Retailers , such as Dillard ’ s and Michaels , are widely staffed by part-time workers who don ’ t qualify for paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states that have passed laws mandating it .
These companies employ hundreds of thousands of people who are still clocking in .
As the US settles into a hibernation period with no known end date , on-the-ground workers across the country don ’ t have enough paid sick leave to cover a two-week quarantine , sometimes even if they are at high risk of complications due to age or medical history .
More than two dozen service workers who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they continued to clock in even though they or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunocompromised , or had preexisting respiratory conditions .
Thirty-one employees across eight national chains told BuzzFeed News that they or a coworker went to work with a fever or cough in the last month .
“ They wo n't pay you , but you can volunteer to stay home , ” said an Oregon McDonald ’ s employee who developed a cough two weeks after her son and granddaughter began showing COVID-19 symptoms .
“ I ca n't just stay home .
It is n't that easy.
” An ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies and interviews with more than 200 service workers in at least 40 states , has exposed how major companies have created this very dilemma for hourly service workers again and again .
The paid sick leave loophole for large employers underscores the extent to which decisions that can have crucial public health consequences have been placed in the hands of private companies .
Sixteen of the 24 companies contacted by BuzzFeed didn ’ t respond to requests for comment .
The eight that did — Whole Foods , Walgreens , McDonald ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kroger , The Fresh Market , Dollar Tree , and Dollar General — each said that they are committed to the safety of employees and customers and have done their best to adjust policies amid a fast-changing situation .
Are you still working during the coronavirus outbreak ?
We 'd love to hear your story .
Email albert.samaha @ buzzfeed.com or reach out via one of our tip line channels .
America ’ s hourly service workers have little control over the terms of their employment .
In the absence of national standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off , they are mostly left to rely on the generosity of their employers .
Dozens of hourly workers at major retail and food companies told BuzzFeed News that their bosses can unilaterally fire them without compensation , reduce their hours , deny their requests for time off , or move them to a position that earns less commission .
The US stands nearly alone in the world in the power its government grants private companies over its workforces .
Unlike more than 90 % of countries , the US has no minimum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
Of the 32 developed nations comprising the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development , the US is one of three whose national minimum wage hasn ’ t risen in value over the last two decades .
Long before the pandemic hit , service work had replaced factory work as the dominant hourly job , but with lower pay and often fewer benefits .
Around two-thirds of minimum wage jobs in the US are in the retail and hospitality industries , which together employ around 35 million people , a fifth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the combined number of public sector and manufacturing workers .
Around 46 % of the country ’ s minimum wage employees are black or Latinx , according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
Now , many of those hourly workers — those who haven ’ t been laid off , at least — face the risk of exposure while performing vital functions on the ground , sometimes interacting with hundreds of people a day .
At grocery tills , behind drive-thru counters , and atop delivery bikes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home get food and other necessities .
Many continue to do it with little safety net to speak of .
A delivery person at a Papa John ’ s in California — who , like many , spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job — told BuzzFeed News that she is allowed only 24 hours of paid sick leave during a six-month period .
Her husband , who was laid off last month , and their three kids are relying on her , she said , so she needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can get .
“ I ’ m personally terrified of going to work each day , ” she said .
“ We were deemed essential , but in reality we are expendable.
” At a Taco Bell branch in Ohio , the shift manager did what he could to help his staff feel safe .
When an employee with asthma expressed discomfort about coming into work , the shift manager allowed him to go on unpaid leave .
He staffed drive-thru windows with workers in their fifties or younger , moving older employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fry ground beef and wrap burritos farther away from customers .
He emphasized rigorous cleaning , he said , even as it slowed the drive-thru times that his bosses used to evaluate his branch ’ s productivity .
He put up no resistance when employees called in sick with possible COVID-19 symptoms , though he knew other managers required a doctor ’ s note .
But employees were still coming to work unwell .
Most days since the pandemic started , he said , at least two workers have called in sick , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coughing , fever , or chest pressure , but most of them were back the next day — not because they had recovered , but just because they couldn ’ t afford to miss more hours .
“ All the employees have just accepted that at some point they will probably get COVID-19 , ” said the manager , who gets no paid sick leave himself .
“ Once we resolved ourselves to that inevitability , we all relaxed some.
” Some big companies have expanded paid sick leave policies to allow for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ paid sick time so that everyone had at least two weeks available .
Home Depot gave an additional 80 hours of paid time off to full-time employees and 40 to part-timers , and doubled those numbers for people over 65 .
Trader Joe ’ s offered two weeks ' paid sick leave to anyone showing symptoms , and Starbucks offered 30 days paid to anyone who felt uncomfortable coming in .
Best Buy ’ s new policy states that “ anyone feeling sick is told to stay home , and they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GameStop offers two weeks ' paid leave to those who “ feel sick or in any way may have been exposed to a confirmed case , ” and Domino ’ s covers quarantine pay for “ those with any possible exposure to the virus.
” But for employees at many other big companies that are still open — including Safeway , Chick-fil-A , CVS , Walgreens , Dillard ’ s , Dollar General , Dollar Tree , Michaels , Jo-Ann , Rent-A-Center , Costco , Staples , Office Depot , Olive Garden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave are available only with a positive test , even though widespread testing remains unavailable in the US .
Without a test , Walmart employees need a government-ordered quarantine , rare in many places , while employees at Kroger and the Fresh Market require a doctor ’ s order , even though wait times for medical appointments have stretched for days .
Whole Foods , which is owned by Amazon , provides paid leave for employees who take care of somebody diagnosed , but employees with symptoms “ would be handled on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon spokesperson told BuzzFeed News .
McDonald ’ s and Yum Brands , which runs Taco Bell , Pizza Hut , and KFC , announced similar two-week policies requiring a quarantine order from the government or a doctor .
Papa John ’ s and Restaurant Brands International , which runs Burger King and Popeyes , gave managers authority to grant two weeks ' paid leave without a diagnosis .
But even those company policies apply only to corporate-owned franchises , which account for less than 15 % of their branches .
Dunkin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has not issued any paid leave policy guidance to its franchises .
Many franchise owners operate a network of branches independent from the parent company , and those networks are often huge , with hundreds of locations , putting them well above the 500-employee threshold mentioned in the new federal sick leave mandate .
Flynn Restaurant Group , which has around 300 Taco Bell locations , did not respond to a request for comment .
Neither did Dunkin ' Donuts Independent Franchise Owners , a coalition that represents the interests of member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partnering with franchises “ to make changes to restaurant operations to serve food safely and conveniently with the health and well-being of restaurant employees top of mind , ” the company told BuzzFeed News in a statement .
“ Employees at a large percentage of franchised restaurants will receive emergency paid leave through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
” When the Service Employees International Union surveyed 843 McDonald ’ s workers in 39 states in early April , 22 % reported “ coming to work when they felt sick since the Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citing a lack of paid leave , as well as fear of losing their job for missing too many shifts .
After an employee in Los Angeles tested positive for COVID-19 on April 5 , McDonald ’ s workers in more than 50 stores across five states went on strike .
Terrence Wise , a shift manager at a McDonald ’ s branch in Missouri , told BuzzFeed News that when a coworker had close contact with someone who tested positive , the franchise ’ s upper management “ told her not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but “ didn ’ t offer any paid sick leave.
” More than a dozen employees at McDonald ’ s , Taco Bell , and Dunkin ’ franchises told BuzzFeed News that their managers had not implemented sick leave policies on par with the federal mandate for small businesses .
The Taco Bell shift manager in Ohio and a McDonald ’ s shift manager in Michigan each told BuzzFeed News that their higher-ups explained , in conference calls , that they were exempt from the federal policy because their franchise owner employed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Unfortunately most of my coworkers are unable or unwilling to challenge them on this , ” the Michigan shift manager said , because they believe “ that doing so will risk their employment here.
” Every day at work , P. is reminded that she is fortunate to still have a job .
A salesperson at an Indiana Rent-A-Center , one of the company ’ s 22,000 employees , she has seen the pandemic ’ s economic impact in the surge of missed payments she is responsible for tracking .
Under normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were past due at the end any given week ; the first week of April , 24 % of accounts went unpaid .
On Fridays and Saturdays , she drives a van to the homes of past-due customers to retrieve furniture and appliances they ’ d hoped to own after paying off .
She has encountered angry parents , crying children , and frightened senior citizens while extracting couches , chairs , and tables .
“ It breaks my heart , ” she said .
She hasn ’ t yet been assigned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but she said that she has spoken with colleagues who have .
If put in that situation , “ I won ’ t do it , ” she said .
“ I won ’ t take necessities.
” Rent-A-Center did not respond to a request for comment .
Before the world was upended , P. had saved up a week ’ s worth of paid time off for a vacation scheduled for March 22 to 28 .
She had planned to take her 12-year-old daughter to a few state parks , then cap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip .
But on March 16 , she found herself unusually winded at work , went home early , then developed a fever that night .
She needed a positive test to qualify for 10 days of paid sick leave , but the doctor she visited said she wouldn ’ t get one because her symptoms were mild and she had no underlying conditions .
She used her saved-up PTO for her first week out sick , then went unpaid for the next week while she awaited a pending claim for short-term disability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to process and only covered around 60 % of her normal wages .
Her income didn ’ t leave her any room to absorb a week of missed pay , and she has been playing catchup in the days since .
At the start of April , she didn ’ t have enough for her car payment or her internet and electricity bills .
“ This week , ” she said , “ I am going to have to hope that the places I owe money will be more understanding than the place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's has continued welcoming customers wherever there is n't a direct government order , including at some malls where neighboring stores have pulled down their grates .
“ We believe keeping our doors open for as long as we can , where possible , is the best thing we can do to provide income for you and your families , ” Bill and Alex Dillard , brothers whose family founded the company in 1938 , wrote in an email to employees .
Dillard ’ s did not reply to a request for comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s in South Carolina , which has not included department stores in its list of nonessential businesses ordered to close , M. pushed through the second week of March even as she felt unexpectedly lethargic .
By the morning of Monday , March 16 , she “ was feeling really , really just tired and achy , ” she said .
At a staff meeting that day , her manager announced that the store would remain open as long as the government didn ’ t shut it down .
Anyone who didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free to request an unpaid leave of absence .
M. ’ s budget left little margin for lost wages , so she kept coming in .
She made $ 15 an hour , which amounted to around $ 1,400 a month , and with commission for in-store sales she normally earned an additional $ 600 — just enough to cover her $ 1,900 in expenses .
But on Wednesday she developed a cough , so she called in sick that Thursday to go see a doctor .
She hadn ’ t realized she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned out to be 100.1 degrees .
Her symptoms were mild and she didn ’ t have any serious health conditions , so the doctor said that she couldn ’ t get tested for COVID-19 but recommended she quarantine at home for two weeks .
Her combined paid sick and vacation time amounted to 11 days , and she decided to use them .
The next day , March 20 her manager called to inform her that hours were being cut across the board , reducing her paycheck by a third .
Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first week of April .
But by the end of March , many companies that had tried to continue on as normal — as well as those that had announced temporary closures two weeks earlier — were transitioning into long-term cost-shedding plans to survive an extended slowdown , as part of a workforce contraction unlike any the country has seen .
On March 30 and 31 alone , at least eight major retailers employing around 600,000 people announced furloughs .
Dillard ’ s furloughed M. on March 27 , a week into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the nearly 10 million people to file for unemployment in the second half of March .
A technical error on her application meant she had to apply again more than a week later , when the backlog was even longer , delaying her claim during a precarious moment .
Though Dillard 's let furloughed employees cash in accrued paid time off to bridge their last hourly paycheck to their first government insurance benefit , M. had exhausted her PTO when she self-quarantined .
Across the country , a growing number of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employers unwilling to cover the costs of the pandemic ’ s disruption and a government slow to step in with financial support .
Workers from at least 11 states told BuzzFeed News their efforts to collect government benefits have been delayed by crashing websites , hourslong wait times on the phone , and bureaucratic confusion amid the surge of applicants .
A few hours after a furloughed 27-year-old JCPenney sales clerk in Mississippi submitted her unemployment claim online on March 31 , she received an email stating that her application could n't be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and she had to call a number to resolve it .
The line was busy .
She tried 11 more times that day and at least a dozen the next but could n't crack the busy tone .
She has yet to get through .
A 31-year-old furloughed Michaels employee in New York received a similar message on March 30 , asking her to call a number to complete her application , but she couldn ’ t get through .
“ I ’ ve been calling every day , over 100 times since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on April 3 .
Lynn , a 45-year-old Dillard ’ s sales clerk in Virginia , applied for unemployment insurance on March 18 , when her week ’ s hours were reduced from 38 to 26 .
She received a text message confirmation , explaining that the state benefits office would mail her a PIN number she would use to complete her application online .
The following week , her hours were cut again to 16 .
The week after that , she and most of her coworkers were furloughed completely .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come in the mail .
Seeking an update , she called the state unemployment office but got disconnected two hours into her wait .
When she tried the next day , an automated voice estimated the wait time at eight hours .
She had worked at Dillard ’ s for less than a month , so she hadn ’ t begun to accrue any paid time off and wasn ’ t yet eligible for company-subsidized health insurance .
The reduced hours had tightened her budget , but the jolt of two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made her car payment but didn ’ t have enough for rent and planned to move back to her hometown in Georgia , where she ’ d live with a close friend and stay near her parents .
To cover moving expenses and some remaining bills , she sold three pieces of furniture on Craigslist , then her jewelry .
“ Things have gone surprisingly fast , ” she said .
“ Put things on for a very good price , people really jump on it.
” Lynn didn ’ t mind parting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a couple of rings , ” she said , but she had a hard time letting go of “ an heirloom ring from my great grandmother.
” Gold with an oval face inlaid with ruby , opal , emerald , and amethyst , “ it is just so pretty , ” she said .
“ I really was torn , but I know she would want me to get back to friends and family even if it meant selling her ring.
” ●

As a server at a combination Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins in southeast Georgia, Mickey Lewis made $8 an hour, which amounted to around $850 a month after taxes. After $375 in rent, around $100 in utilities, and at least $200 more in gas, groceries, and car insurance, the 22-year-old usually had $40 or $50 of wiggle room, to put in the bank or spend on a treat like dinner out. Down the line, the goal was to enroll in a local technical college.
Lewis started feeling warm on March 26, when there were only two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county. The fever was low, around 99.5 degrees, and sporadic. Like around 30 million others around the country, Lewis was used to working without paid sick leave. In nine months with the company, Lewis, who uses the pronoun “they,” hadn’t missed a single shift: “If we weren't there and clocked in, we didn't get the hours,” they said. “Cut and dry.”
The pandemic was supposed to have changed that equation. A week earlier, Congress had passed a law to “ensure that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus,” as the Trump administration put it. Yet when Lewis informed the store manager about the fever, they recalled, the manager said that the branch’s sick leave policy remained the same — except that employees who call in ill now needed to bring in a doctor’s note. To get approval for a 14-day self-isolation, a worker would need a positive COVID-19 test — and even then, it would be unpaid. Lewis continued to clock in for their shifts over the next week, feeling fine some days, fatigued on others.
By then, Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company for 21,000 franchise-operated branches worldwide, had limited store service to takeout, delivery, and drive-thru orders. At Lewis's branch, lines of 10 or more cars stretched across the lot and into the gas station next door. During the morning rush, the staff of seven served coffee and breakfast sandwiches to dozens of people heading to work at jobs their employers deemed essential — chopping lumber, loading cargo at railway stations, operating the machines at a nearby boat factory. The afternoons were busier than in normal times, mostly with parents and children. The workers wore gloves and rationed a half-full jug of hand sanitizer because suppliers were out of stock. Each seven-hour shift, Lewis estimated, they served at least 200 cars in the drive-thru and 40 people at the counter inside.
On April 1, Lewis returned home feeling worse than usual and found that the fever had risen to 103. By that point, there were at least a dozen confirmed cases in the county and two deaths. With mild symptoms and no underlying health conditions, Lewis doubted a test was possible. (Georgia has one of the worst testing rates in the nation.) They decided to quit their job right then and take their chances among the millions of newly unemployed.
“I no longer felt that the low pay was worth putting my family, myself, and the community at any further risk,” Lewis told BuzzFeed News. “I think it was just guilt at a certain point.”
Signed into law March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act promised two weeks of federally funded paid leave for workers who show COVID-19 symptoms but are unable to get diagnosed, as well as two-thirds pay for those taking care of someone under a quarantine.
But the law doesn’t apply to businesses with 500 or more employees, which includes many of the companies still open and providing locked-down Americans with essential supplies. The Trump administration stated that the law didn’t need to cover those companies because they can provide their workers with sick pay on their own. “Obviously, big companies can afford these things,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News.
But a BuzzFeed News investigation has found that many of those companies are not complying. At least 24 major retail and food companies that remain open have sick leave policies less generous than what the federal government established for smaller businesses. Grocers, such as Safeway and Walgreens, require a positive COVID-19 test to qualify for two weeks' paid leave. Fast-food chains, such as Dunkin’ Brands and McDonald’s, let franchise owners determine time-off policies at more than 90% of branches, leaving many employees with a few days of paid sick leave at most, and sometimes none at all. Retailers, such as Dillard’s and Michaels, are widely staffed by part-time workers who don’t qualify for paid time off, except in the 10 states that have passed laws mandating it.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-10--Thousands Of US Health Care Workers Have Been Infected By The Coronavirus. This Is How Each State St

Thousands Of US Health Care Workers Have Been Infected By The Coronavirus. This Is How Each State Stacks Up.

Nurses at Montefiore Medical Center Moses Division hospital hold a protest demanding N95 masks and other critical personal protective equipment to handle patients during the coronavirus outbreak in New York City .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
At least 5,400 nurses , doctors , and other health care workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States have been infected by the disease , and dozens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News review of data reported by every state and Washington , DC .
However , the true number is undoubtedly much higher , due to inconsistent testing and tracking .
Although President Trump claimed at a coronavirus task force press briefing on Monday that the number of infected workers would be made available , that total currently remains impossible to pin down .
That ’ s both because health care workers are still struggling to access testing for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , if not being actively discouraged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being inconsistently tracked and in some cases uncounted at the state level .
Still , these early numbers show for the first time just how big a toll this pandemic is taking on the nation ’ s health care community , many of whom are treating sick people without adequate protective gear .
`` After my shift , I was told we no longer can use two plastic gowns ( 1 for front and 1 for back ) , now the back one is replaced with a trash bag , '' a staffer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation , told BuzzFeed News .
`` This is getting ridiculous . ''
According to the nursing union National Nurses United , at least 29 registered nurses have died nationwide , including 3 of their members , and 222 of their members have so far tested positive for COVID-19 .
`` We know these are underestimates , '' Stephanie Roberson , government relations director for the California Nurses Association , told BuzzFeed News .
`` It is just so sad . ''
BuzzFeed News reviewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states and the District of Columbia , surveying state coronavirus websites and following up with officials if the information was not readily available online .
As of Thursday afternoon , 12 states reported health care worker infections : Alabama ( 393 ) , Arkansas ( 158 ) , California ( 1,651 ) , Idaho ( 143 ) , Maine ( 97 ) , New Hampshire ( 241 ) , Ohio ( 1,137 ) , Oklahoma ( 229 ) , Oregon ( 153 ) , Pennsylvania ( 850 ) , Rhode Island ( 257 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Additionally , Washington , DC ( 29 ) and Hawaii ( 15 ) reported infections at a specific hospital , not state or territory-wide .
On Friday afternoon , Kentucky reported 129 health care worker infections .
In Ohio and New Hampshire , health care worker infections represented more than 20 % of total confirmed cases in the state .
It ’ s unclear if this is due to health care workers having greater access to testing there compared to other states , or something else , but it highlights the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other states that broke out data on health care workers , rates ranged from a low of nearly 5 % in Pennsylvania up to 17 % in Maine and Rhode Island .
Some other states are trying to collect this information but not yet sharing it publicly , with officials citing reporting holes in their data .
“ There is a field on our case reporting form to collect the person ’ s occupation but it is not filled out consistently , ” Lyndsey Rosales , a spokesperson at Texas Department of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an email .
“ We have determined that the data is too incomplete to release and would grossly underrepresent the number of cases in health care workers.
” And in at least nine states , infection rates among health care workers are not being tracked at all .
That includes New York and Louisiana , two of the worst-hit states by the outbreak , where officials said they aren ’ t specifically collecting this information .
In Michigan , another hard-hit state , 2,200 health care workers have reportedly been infected , yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Because the reporting on these cases did not come from the state itself , BuzzFeed News is not including them in its total . )
Fourteen states do not make these statistics publicly available and did not respond to questions from BuzzFeed News as to its collection .
Meanwhile , health care workers are dying across the country .
According to a roundup by Medscape , more than 30 US nurses , doctors , medical examiners , and others in the medical community have died after testing positive for the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York .
Here ’ s a breakdown of how each state is tracking health care worker infections : So far , 393 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 , or nearly 15 % of confirmed cases in the state .
Alaska does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
“ We are not reporting cases by profession at this time , ” Holly Poynter , an Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
So far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected by the coronavirus , or nearly 14 % of confirmed cases .
The state will soon be publishing this information online each day , according to Danyelle McNeill , an Arkansas Department of Health spokesperson .
As of April 8 , 1,651 health care workers in the state had tested positive for COVID-19 .
This represents a steep jump from previously reported numbers .
That ’ s because this week the state started reporting health care workers who were both infected on and off the job , compared to previously only reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was acquired while on the job.
” “ We do n't have data on healthcare workers who have tested positive easily available , ” a Colorado health department official told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ We do already ask if a test is for a healthcare worker , but right now our information on that is incomplete , so we can not provide numbers at this time.
” Connecticut does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
“ We can say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have tested positive , but we are not tracking that specific number for statistical purposes at this time , ” John Petersen , of the Delaware Joint Information Center , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ We expected positive cases among health care workers as they are [ at a ] higher risk for exposure as they are working directly with individuals with illness.
” '' At this time , we do not have case data broken down by employer or profession , '' according to a spokesperson from the Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Health receives notification that a person has tested positive for COVID-19 , the department conducts an extensive epidemiological investigation in conjunction with the CDC to identify individuals who may have had close contact with the virus ... Each epidemiological investigation includes an extensive contact tracing aspect , where employment is a vital component for identifying close contact . ''
At least one nurse and a doctor have died after getting infected with the novel coronavirus , the Miami Herald reported .
Georgia is not currently tracking this information , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson .
At least two state health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 have died , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .
“ The state is not providing that information publicly , but they are tracking it , ” a state official told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ Yesterday , the County of Maui announced 15 health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Maui Memorial Medical Center .
However , other than the occasional announcement , there is no dashboard tallying those numbers for the media/public at this time.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in health care workers , or about 10 % of total confirmed cases in the state .
Information on health care worker infection is not publicly available , according to an Illinois official .
Indiana officials do not currently have a breakdown of health care worker infections , but the state is looking at gathering and analyzing additional coronavirus data beyond what is currently posted online , according to a state official .
Iowa does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
Kansas does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
As of April 10 , at least 129 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 48 of them have likely recovered .
`` Our health care workers are frontline heroes , '' Anya Weber , a state spokesperson , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
`` They go to work every day knowing they may be exposed , but show up to care for others . ''
“ The Louisiana Department of Health is not currently tracking data on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sean Ellis , a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
So far , 97 health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Maine , or 17 % of total confirmed infections .
“ The Maryland Department of Health ( MDH ) is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates to our dashboard as more data becomes available , ” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News .
Maryland does not publish this information online .
Massachusetts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection data .
Instead , officials share combined resident and health care worker infections in long-term care facilities ; as of April 9 , 1,633 such infections had been confirmed .
“ At this time , we are not specifically tracking this information , ” Lynn Sutfin , of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
About 1,500 employees at Beaumont Health , Michigan ’ s largest hospital system , have tested positive for the disease , and more than 700 employees at Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Bridge Magazine .
Minnesota does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
`` We are tracking various data at this time .
Check our website to see what is available , ” Liz Sharlot , a Mississippi State Department of Health spokesperson , said in an emailed statement .
The state does not publish this information online .
“ We are not tracking cases of COVID-19 by occupation , including health care workers , ” Lisa Cox , a spokesperson for Missouri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BuzzFeed News in an email .
At least one nurse in St. Louis has died of COVID-19 , according to the St. Louis American .
Montana does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
Nebraska does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
Nevada does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
So far , 241 health care workers have tested positive for the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections .
New Jersey does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
`` We do not keep a running tally of health care workers testing positive , but we do address each health care worker case and assure the contacts of that case are contacted and informed , ” David Morgan , of the New Mexico Department of Health , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ The Department of Health does not collect occupational status when someone is tested in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for health care workers , nursing home employees and first responders on the front lines , we do not have data of positive test results by occupation , ” according to a statement provided by the state ’ s health department .
At least one assistant nursing manager died after previously testing positive for COVID-19 , according to the New York Post .
North Carolina does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
North Dakota does not publish this information online and did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So far , 1,137 health care workers have tested positive for coronavirus in the state , or 21 % of total confirmed infections .
As of April 8 , 229 health care workers had tested positive for COVID-19 , or 15 % of total confirmed infections .
As of April 5 , 14 % of the 1,099 coronavirus infections identified then in the state came from health care workers .
As of April 9 , 850 health care workers had tested positive for coronavirus in the state , or less than 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of April 9 , 257 health care workers had tested positive for the virus , or about 17 % of total confirmed cases .
“ Early on , we were testing very specific priority populations , ” including nursing home residents and health care workers , Joseph Wendelken , a Rhode Island health department spokesperson , told BuzzFeed News .
The proportion of positive cases in health care workers was initially overrepresented , he said , and is “ probably still artificially elevated.
” “ The number of those who test positive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't required to be reported to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control , however , we 're working to investigate and compile additional data in the coming days and weeks , ” according to a state official .
South Dakota does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
“ We are working to gather and track this data more systematically , but we do not have a comprehensive number available at this time , ” said Bill Christian , a spokesperson at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There is a field on our case reporting form to collect the person ’ s occupation but it is not filled out consistently , ” Lyndsey Rosales , a spokesperson at Texas Department of State Health Services , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ We have determined that the data is too incomplete to release and would grossly under represent the number of cases in health care workers.
” “ At this time , we are not specifically tracking COVID-19 infections in health care workers , ” Charla Haley , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BuzzFeed News in an email .
Vermont does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
Virginia does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News .
Washington officials are asking everyone confirmed to have COVID-19 about their profession , a state official previously told BuzzFeed News .
But due to incomplete information , they are not currently sharing the information .
As of April 9 , 76 health care workers were infected with COVID-19 , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
“ We are exploring the data when it comes to infections in health care workers , ” Elizabeth Goodsitt , a spokesperson for the state ’ s health department , wrote in an email .
“ We feel it would be irresponsible to provide you information that is n't accurate ahead of the validation that is being done.
” “ We are working on data quality but intend to begin providing that information soon , ” according to a Wyoming official .
At least 29 employees of Saint Elizabeths Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today.
At least 5,400 nurses, doctors, and other health care workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States have been infected by the disease, and dozens have died, according to a BuzzFeed News review of data reported by every state and Washington, DC. However, the true number is undoubtedly much higher, due to inconsistent testing and tracking.
Although President Trump claimed at a coronavirus task force press briefing on Monday that the number of infected workers would be made available, that total currently remains impossible to pin down. That’s both because health care workers are still struggling to access testing for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, if not being actively discouraged to do so, and because infections are being inconsistently tracked and in some cases uncounted at the state level.
Still, these early numbers show for the first time just how big a toll this pandemic is taking on the nation’s health care community, many of whom are treating sick people without adequate protective gear.
"After my shift, I was told we no longer can use two plastic gowns (1 for front and 1 for back), now the back one is replaced with a trash bag," a staffer in a Florida intensive care unit, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, told BuzzFeed News. "This is getting ridiculous."
According to the nursing union National Nurses United, at least 29 registered nurses have died nationwide, including 3 of their members, and 222 of their members have so far tested positive for COVID-19.
"We know these are underestimates," Stephanie Roberson, government relations director for the California Nurses Association, told BuzzFeed News. "It is just so sad."
BuzzFeed News reviewed health care worker infections in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, surveying state coronavirus websites and following up with officials if the information was not readily available online.
As of Thursday afternoon, 12 states reported health care worker infections: Alabama (393), Arkansas (158), California (1,651), Idaho (143), Maine (97), New Hampshire (241), Ohio (1,137), Oklahoma (229), Oregon (153), Pennsylvania (850), Rhode Island (257), and West Virginia (76). Additionally, Washington, DC (29) and Hawaii (15) reported infections at a specific hospital, not state or territory-wide. On Friday afternoon, Kentucky reported 129 health care worker infections.
In Ohio and New Hampshire, health care worker infections represented more than 20% of total confirmed cases in the state. It’s unclear if this is due to health care workers having greater access to testing there compared to other states, or something else, but it highlights the dangers these workers face. In the other states that broke out data on health care workers, rates ranged from a low of nearly 5% in Pennsylvania up to 17% in Maine and Rhode Island.
Some other states are trying to collect this information but not yet sharing it publicly, with officials citing reporting holes in their data.
“There is a field on our case reporting form to collect the person’s occupation but it is not filled out consistently,” Lyndsey Rosales, a spokesperson at Texas Department of State Health Services, told BuzzFeed News in an email. “We have determined that the data is too incomplete to release and would grossly underrepresent the number of cases in health care workers.”
And in at least nine states, infection rates among health care workers are not being tracked at all. That includes New York and Louisiana, two of the worst-hit states by the outbreak, where officials said they aren’t specifically collecting this information. In Michigan, another hard-hit state, 2,200 health care workers have reportedly been infected, yet the state itself is not tracking infections. (Because the reporting on these cases did not come from the state itself, BuzzFeed News is not including them in its total.) Fourteen states do not make these statistics publicly available and did not respond to questions from BuzzFeed News as to its collection.
Meanwhile, health care workers are dying across the country. According to a roundup by Medscape, more than 30 US nurses, doctors, medical examiners, and others in the medical community have died after testing positive for the disease, from Florida to Michigan to New York.
Here’s a breakdown of how each state is tracking health care worker infections:
Alabama
So far, 393 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, or nearly 15% of confirmed cases in the state.
Alaska
Alaska does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Arizona
“We are not reporting cases by profession at this time,” Holly Poynter, an Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News in an email.
Arkansas
So far, 158 health care workers have been infected by the coronavirus, or nearly 14% of confirmed cases. The state will soon be publishing this information online each day, according to Danyelle McNeill, an Arkansas Department of Health spokesperson.
California
As of April 8, 1,651 health care workers in the state had tested positive for COVID-19. This represents a steep jump from previously reported numbers. That’s because this week the state started reporting health care workers who were both infected on and off the job, compared to previously only reporting workers “who had a confirmed case that was acquired while on the job.”
Colorado
“We don't have data on healthcare workers who have tested positive easily available,” a Colorado health department official told BuzzFeed News in an email. “We do already ask if a test is for a healthcare worker, but right now our information on that is incomplete, so we cannot provide numbers at this time.”
Connecticut
Connecticut does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Delaware
“We can say that there are health care workers who have tested positive, but we are not tracking that specific number for statistical purposes at this time,” John Petersen, of the Delaware Joint Information Center, told BuzzFeed News in an email. “We expected positive cases among health care workers as they are [at a] higher risk for exposure as they are working directly with individuals with illness.”
Florida
"At this time, we do not have case data broken down by employer or profession," according to a spokesperson from the Florida State Emergency Operations Center.
"When the Department of Health receives notification that a person has tested positive for COVID-19, the department conducts an extensive epidemiological investigation in conjunction with the CDC to identify individuals who may have had close contact with the virus...Each epidemiological investigation includes an extensive contact tracing aspect, where employment is a vital component for identifying close contact."
At least one nurse and a doctor have died after getting infected with the novel coronavirus, the Miami Herald reported.
Georgia
Georgia is not currently tracking this information, according to a Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson. At least two state health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Hawaii
“The state is not providing that information publicly, but they are tracking it,” a state official told BuzzFeed News in an email. “Yesterday, the County of Maui announced 15 health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Maui Memorial Medical Center. However, other than the occasional announcement, there is no dashboard tallying those numbers for the media/public at this time.”
Idaho
Idaho has identified 143 cases of coronavirus in health care workers, or about 10% of total confirmed cases in the state.
Illinois
Information on health care worker infection is not publicly available, according to an Illinois official.
Indiana
Indiana officials do not currently have a breakdown of health care worker infections, but the state is looking at gathering and analyzing additional coronavirus data beyond what is currently posted online, according to a state official.
Iowa
Iowa does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Kansas
Kansas does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Kentucky
As of April 10, at least 129 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 48 of them have likely recovered.
"Our health care workers are frontline heroes," Anya Weber, a state spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News in an email. "They go to work every day knowing they may be exposed, but show up to care for others."
Louisiana
“The Louisiana Department of Health is not currently tracking data on COVID-19 specifically related to healthcare workers,” Sean Ellis, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health, told BuzzFeed News in an email.
Maine
So far, 97 health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Maine, or 17% of total confirmed infections.
Maryland
“The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates to our dashboard as more data becomes available,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News. Maryland does not publish this information online.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts does not publish comprehensive health care worker infection data. Instead, officials share combined resident and health care worker infections in long-term care facilities; as of April 9, 1,633 such infections had been confirmed.
Michigan
“At this time, we are not specifically tracking this information,” Lynn Sutfin, of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told BuzzFeed News in an email. About 1,500 employees at Beaumont Health, Michigan’s largest hospital system, have tested positive for the disease, and more than 700 employees at Henry Ford Health System have been infected, according to Bridge Magazine.
Minnesota
Minnesota does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Mississippi
"We are tracking various data at this time. Check our website to see what is available,” Liz Sharlot, a Mississippi State Department of Health spokesperson, said in an emailed statement. The state does not publish this information online.
Missouri
“We are not tracking cases of COVID-19 by occupation, including health care workers,” Lisa Cox, a spokesperson for Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, told BuzzFeed News in an email. At least one nurse in St. Louis has died of COVID-19, according to the St. Louis American.
Montana
Montana does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Nebraska
Nebraska does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Nevada
Nevada does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
New Hampshire
So far, 241 health care workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, about 29% of total reported infections.
New Jersey
New Jersey does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
New Mexico
"We do not keep a running tally of health care workers testing positive, but we do address each health care worker case and assure the contacts of that case are contacted and informed,” David Morgan, of the New Mexico Department of Health, told BuzzFeed News in an email.
New York
“The Department of Health does not collect occupational status when someone is tested in New York State. While we are prioritizing testing for health care workers, nursing home employees and first responders on the front lines, we do not have data of positive test results by occupation,” according to a statement provided by the state’s health department. At least one assistant nursing manager died after previously testing positive for COVID-19, according to the New York Post.
North Carolina
North Carolina does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
North Dakota
North Dakota does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Ohio
So far, 1,137 health care workers have tested positive for coronavirus in the state, or 21% of total confirmed infections.
Oklahoma
As of April 8, 229 health care workers had tested positive for COVID-19, or 15% of total confirmed infections.
Oregon
As of April 5, 14% of the 1,099 coronavirus infections identified then in the state came from health care workers.
Pennsylvania
As of April 9, 850 health care workers had tested positive for coronavirus in the state, or less than 5% of total confirmed infections.
Rhode Island
As of April 9, 257 health care workers had tested positive for the virus, or about 17% of total confirmed cases. “Early on, we were testing very specific priority populations,” including nursing home residents and health care workers, Joseph Wendelken, a Rhode Island health department spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News. The proportion of positive cases in health care workers was initially overrepresented, he said, and is “probably still artificially elevated.”
South Carolina
“The number of those who test positive and are employed in the medical field isn't required to be reported to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, however, we're working to investigate and compile additional data in the coming days and weeks,” according to a state official.
South Dakota
South Dakota does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Tennessee
“We are working to gather and track this data more systematically, but we do not have a comprehensive number available at this time,” said Bill Christian, a spokesperson at Tennessee’s Department of Health.
Texas
“There is a field on our case reporting form to collect the person’s occupation but it is not filled out consistently,” Lyndsey Rosales, a spokesperson at Texas Department of State Health Services, told BuzzFeed News in an email. “We have determined that the data is too incomplete to release and would grossly under represent the number of cases in health care workers.”
Utah
“At this time, we are not specifically tracking COVID-19 infections in health care workers,” Charla Haley, a Utah Department of Health spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News in an email.
Vermont
Vermont does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Virginia
Virginia does not publish this information online and did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News.
Washington
Washington officials are asking everyone confirmed to have COVID-19 about their profession, a state official previously told BuzzFeed News. But due to incomplete information, they are not currently sharing the information.
West Virginia
As of April 9, 76 health care workers were infected with COVID-19, or about 14% of total cases in the state.
Wisconsin
“We are exploring the data when it comes to infections in health care workers,” Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokesperson for the state’s health department, wrote in an email. “We feel it would be irresponsible to provide you information that isn't accurate ahead of the validation that is being done.”
Wyoming
“We are working on data quality but intend to begin providing that information soon,” according to a Wyoming official.
Washington, DC
At least 29 employees of Saint Elizabeths Hospital have so far tested positive for coronavirus.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-19--Hundreds Of US Citizens Are Stranded In Latin America With No Idea Who Will Help Them

From Guatemala to Peru to Argentina , Americans are stranded as the global pandemic wreaks havoc on travel plans .
The US has abandoned them , they say .
MEXICO CITY — Americans who are stranded all across Latin America amid the spread of the novel coronavirus say they have no clear support from the US government on how they will get home .
Alone and confused , they have turned to each other , creating WhatsApp and Facebook groups to brainstorm a way to get home amid border closures and growing official restrictions on movement .
Many say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by President Donald Trump ’ s administration .
“ The embassy has completely abandoned us , ” Susie Walden told BuzzFeed News from Lima , Peru .
“ The government is unlikely to bring people home.
” Walden , who was a full-time employee at an organic vegetable farm before quitting to travel across South America , said her volunteering plans in Peru fell through shortly after arriving this month .
It is unclear how many Americans are stranded across the continent , but in Peru alone there are at least 400 members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News .
Consulates around the region have suspended their services and the Department of State has instructed citizens stranded abroad to check embassy websites and their social media accounts for updates .
“ The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas , ” reads a release from the US embassy in Guatemala , before advising Americans to check with their airlines for information about restrictions .
A group of nine Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns over the lack of support for US citizens stranded abroad and asking for an explanation of the department ’ s plans to bring them home .
Hours later , Pompeo said that the US would do everything it can “ to get every American home safely , ” during an interview with Fox News ’ Sean Hannity .
But , he warned , “ it ’ ll take us some amount of time.
” On Thursday , Trump said that the military would help evacuate them , but did not give a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Israel , have made arrangements to repatriate their citizens abroad , leaving Americans even more puzzled about their own government ’ s response .
“ I have no idea what these people have been doing in the last 48 hours , ” Meredith Talusan , an author from New York stranded in Guatemala , told BuzzFeed News , referring to US authorities .
“ I find it very puzzling because the US should have the resources to handle this type of crisis.
” Talusan , who earlier this month traveled to Lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writers retreat , said she is getting official information through the UK ’ s embassy in Guatemala because it is the most reliable English-language news source in the country now .
The UK embassy is coordinating buses to take British citizens to the only border still open in the country — the one with Mexico — for Friday and Saturday .
It is , at the moment , still possible to travel between Mexico and the US .
Talusan , 44 , said she has the means to travel there on her own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go without a government to back her should things go awry .
Some 2,000 miles south , in Lima , the Peruvian capital , Walden said that the situation is becoming increasingly tense .
The government has deployed the military on the streets .
As she walked to a grocery store near her hotel on Tuesday , Walden , 28 , said a police officer stopped her on the street .
But her limited Spanish made it difficult for her to understand his questions , said Walden .
By Thursday , 234 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peru , up from 145 the previous day .
President Martín Vizcarra announced a nationwide 8 p.m. curfew .
On Thursday , no private vehicles would be allowed on the streets .
Having to pay for a hotel room through March is putting a significant financial strain on Walden , who is paying $ 40 a night to share a two-bedroom suite with another American she recently met .
She would rather stay in a hostel , which would be cheaper , but given the restrictions on movement , Walden said she feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to a restaurant and gym .
One thing is certain for Walden : “ The US has no plans to come get us.
” The WhatsApp group chat for Americans stranded in Peru , which Walden is a part of , has had a nonstop stream of messages .
Some people have sent selfies to assemble a collage to raise awareness about their situation on social media with the hashtag # stuckinperu .
Others shared photographs of their hotel room views during the sunset , saying they are grateful to be safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is doing nothing to help get them home .
The embassy in Lima has been unhelpful , many in the chat wrote .
When Daniela Fernández , from Elizabeth , New Jersey , went there to ask for help , police escorted her away from the doors and asked her to call instead .
When she did , Fernández said she was put on hold for four hours , and eventually told to go online for additional information .
As the hours trickle by , movement across the world is becoming increasingly restricted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peru , El Salvador , Costa Rica , and Guatemala have all closed their borders to foreigners .
Off the coast of Ushuaia , Argentina ’ s southernmost city , a cruise ship with about 100 Americans is quarantined until at least Sunday .
Aboard the ship , Heather Sanderson and her husband , who are on their honeymoon , are anxious to get home .
“ It feels as though our window to get home is closing rapidly , ” Sanderson , who lives in Des Moines , Iowa , told BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus before boarding the ship , which is operated by the Seattle-based Quark Expeditions , said Sanderson .
Still , the Argentine government requested it be quarantined upon its return from Antarctica .
Passengers will need to make their way to Buenos Aires , and from there fly to the US .
Sanderson , 37 , said while the travel company is working with the US government to help them get home , staff are encouraging passengers to continue reaching out to the US embassy in Argentina “ to keep momentum going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact the US embassy have been unsuccessful .
She says she ’ s disappointed but not surprised .
“ They are in quite a bit of denial about what ’ s going on .
”

MEXICO CITY — Americans who are stranded all across Latin America amid the spread of the novel coronavirus say they have no clear support from the US government on how they will get home.
Alone and confused, they have turned to each other, creating WhatsApp and Facebook groups to brainstorm a way to get home amid border closures and growing official restrictions on movement. Many say they’ve been left high and dry by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“The embassy has completely abandoned us,” Susie Walden told BuzzFeed News from Lima, Peru. “The government is unlikely to bring people home.”
Walden, who was a full-time employee at an organic vegetable farm before quitting to travel across South America, said her volunteering plans in Peru fell through shortly after arriving this month.