npr--2020-05-20--Fact-checking And Assessing Trump's Letter Of Rebuke To WHO

Fact-checking And Assessing Trump 's Letter Of Rebuke To WHO As the world seeks to join together to bring the novel coronavirus under control , President Trump has sent a letter to the World Health Organization threatening that the U.S. will halt all funding and consider leaving the agency , pending an assessment of its response to COVID-19 .
The timing of the letter added to its shock value : Trump sent out a tweet at 10:55 p.m. Monday , in the midst of WHO 's annual assembly , announcing that he 'd sent the letter .
The tweet included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his allegations of incompetence on the part of WHO were `` self-explanatory . ''
WHO responded cautiously : `` We have of course received the letter , and we are looking into it , '' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , director-general of WHO , said at a press conference Wednesday .
Pressed by NPR on what exactly the Trump administration is asking for in terms of changes at WHO to keep the U.S. from leaving the organization , Michael Ryan , executive director of WHO 's Health Emergencies Program , said , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that question to them . ''
Other global health researchers were more direct .
`` I found the letter full of unsubstantiated interpretations of certain events , '' said Kelley Lee , a global health professor at Simon Fraser University .
A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would seriously compromise efforts to unite and provide proper funding for a global response in a `` profoundly important moment , '' Lee said .
NPR spoke to global health experts in the U.S. , Canada and Switzerland and examined the public record to provide context for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter ( reprinted in bold below ) .
The full text of the letter can be read at the end of this post .
China 's delays in providing information and lack of sharing are what Lawrence Gostin , a global health professor at Georgetown University Law Center , calls `` two truths in the president 's letter . ''
First , Gostin said China was not transparent early on in the outbreak .
`` China was anywhere from two to even up to six weeks ' late in reporting to the World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noting there 's evidence that Chinese health authorities knew the coronavirus was circulating in December and that their delays in reporting likely `` seeded the epidemic '' through East Asia , Europe and the United States .
Second , while China quickly shared the genome sequence for the coronavirus , `` it has not been as forthcoming with sharing biological samples which are needed for epidemiology and also for vaccines and treatments , '' Gostin said .
But Gostin said blaming WHO for China 's reporting delays and sample hoarding is misdirected .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : `` They 're valid critiques of China but not the World Health Organization .
The Lancet , a respected medical journal , said : `` This statement is factually incorrect . ''
In a note shared on Twitter , the journal said it published its first papers on the novel coronavirus on Jan. 24 .
In two papers published that day , researchers from China and Hong Kong described the first 41 patients in Wuhan and provided scientific evidence for human-to-human transmission .
WHO also disagrees with the charge that information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early December .
WHO said its representatives first learned of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Wuhan on Dec. 31 through the agency 's epidemic surveillance system , which gathers reports and rumors of outbreaks .
`` There are literally millions and millions of cases of atypical pneumonia around the world every year , and in the middle of an influenza season sometimes it 's very difficult to pick out a signal of a cluster of cases , '' WHO 's Ryan said at a press conference April 15 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that such a cluster was ultimately picked out of 41 confirmed cases in Wuhan . ''
WHO has repeatedly said this assertion is false .
Taiwan 's health authorities also said they did not officially report to WHO that human-to-human transmission was happening by Dec. 31 .
Taiwan 's Ministry of Health and Welfare shared the email its Centers for Disease Control sent to WHO on Dec. 31 : `` News resources today indicate that at least seven atypical pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan , CHINA .
Their health authorities replied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not SARS ; however , the samples are still under examination , and cases have been isolated for treatment .
I would greatly appreciate it if you have relevant information to share with us .
Thank you very much in advance for your attention to this matter . ''
Tedros said this note from Taiwan made no direct references to human-to-human transmission and simply requested clarification on reports Taiwan 's health officials were seeing about a pneumonia cluster from China .
The World Health Organization did praise China at that point .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time , '' Georgetown Law 's Gostin pointed out .
On Jan. 24 , Trump tweeted : `` China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus .
The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency .
It will all work out well .
In particular , on behalf of the American People , I want to thank President Xi ! ''
This demand comes with no specifics , global health observers said .
`` What exactly does the Trump administration want WHO to do ? ''
Simon Fraser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear what `` action '' the U.S. is asking for , or how WHO could demonstrate `` independence from China , '' because no solutions are outlined in the letter .
As for the threat of U.S. withdrawal , Gostin said he thinks the U.S. is unlikely to follow through with leaving WHO , because he does not believe Congress would approve such a move .
Still , Trump 's threats are already causing substantial damage to the global agency tasked with coordinating the world 's response to the pandemic , said Benjamin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .
`` For the United States to blame the World Health Organization for its own months and months and months of inaction seems factually untrue and designed to divide the world at a moment when global solidarity is needed most , '' Meier said .
`` It undercuts the World Health Organization 's efforts to provide a collective response to this common threat [ of the COVID-19 pandemic ] . ''
Jason Beaubien and Pranav Baskar contributed to this story .

Fact-Checking And Assessing Trump's Letter Of Rebuke To WHO
Enlarge this image toggle caption @realDonaldTrump / Twitter screengrab by NPR @realDonaldTrump / Twitter screengrab by NPR
As the world seeks to join together to bring the novel coronavirus under control, President Trump has sent a letter to the World Health Organization threatening that the U.S. will halt all funding and consider leaving the agency, pending an assessment of its response to COVID-19.
The timing of the letter added to its shock value: Trump sent out a tweet at 10:55 p.m. Monday, in the midst of WHO's annual assembly, announcing that he'd sent the letter. The tweet included the letter's full text and stated that his allegations of incompetence on the part of WHO were "self-explanatory."
WHO responded cautiously: "We have of course received the letter, and we are looking into it," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said at a press conference Wednesday. Pressed by NPR on what exactly the Trump administration is asking for in terms of changes at WHO to keep the U.S. from leaving the organization, Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said, "I think you might want to point that question to them."
Other global health researchers were more direct.
"I found the letter full of unsubstantiated interpretations of certain events," said Kelley Lee, a global health professor at Simon Fraser University. A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would seriously compromise efforts to unite and provide proper funding for a global response in a "profoundly important moment," Lee said.
NPR spoke to global health experts in the U.S., Canada and Switzerland and examined the public record to provide context for some of the assertions in Trump's letter (reprinted in bold below). The full text of the letter can be read at the end of this post.
"The International Health Regulations require countries to report the risk of a health emergency within 24 hours. But China did not inform the World Health Organization of Wuhan's several cases of pneumonia, of unknown origin, until December 31, 2019, even though it likely had knowledge of these cases days or weeks earlier. "Even now, China continues to undermine the International Health Regulations by refusing to share accurate and timely data, viral samples and isolates, and by withholding vital information about the virus and its origins. And, to this day, China continues to deny international access to their scientists and relevant facilities, all while casting blame widely and recklessly and censoring its own experts."
China's delays in providing information and lack of sharing are what Lawrence Gostin, a global health professor at Georgetown University Law Center, calls "two truths in the president's letter."
First, Gostin said China was not transparent early on in the outbreak.
"China was anywhere from two to even up to six weeks' late in reporting to the World Health Organization," Gostin said, noting there's evidence that Chinese health authorities knew the coronavirus was circulating in December and that their delays in reporting likely "seeded the epidemic" through East Asia, Europe and the United States.
Second, while China quickly shared the genome sequence for the coronavirus, "it has not been as forthcoming with sharing biological samples which are needed for epidemiology and also for vaccines and treatments," Gostin said.
But Gostin said blaming WHO for China's reporting delays and sample hoarding is misdirected. Of these charges by Trump, he said: "They're valid critiques of China but not the World Health Organization.
"The World Health Organization consistently ignored credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan in early December 2019 or even earlier, including reports from the Lancet medical journal. The World Health Organization failed to independently investigate credible reports that conflicted directly with the Chinese government's official accounts, even those that came from sources within Wuhan itself."
The Lancet, a respected medical journal, said: "This statement is factually incorrect." In a note shared on Twitter, the journal said it published its first papers on the novel coronavirus on Jan. 24. In two papers published that day, researchers from China and Hong Kong described the first 41 patients in Wuhan and provided scientific evidence for human-to-human transmission.
WHO also disagrees with the charge that information relevant to the coronavirus was reported in early December. WHO said its representatives first learned of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Wuhan on Dec. 31 through the agency's epidemic surveillance system, which gathers reports and rumors of outbreaks.
"There are literally millions and millions of cases of atypical pneumonia around the world every year, and in the middle of an influenza season sometimes it's very difficult to pick out a signal of a cluster of cases," WHO's Ryan said at a press conference April 15. "In fact it's quite remarkable that such a cluster was ultimately picked out of 41 confirmed cases in Wuhan."
"By [Dec. 31], Taiwanese authorities had communicated information to the World Health Organization indicating human-to-human transmission of a new virus. Yet the World Health Organization chose not to share any of this critical information with the rest of the world, probably for political reasons."
WHO has repeatedly said this assertion is false. Taiwan's health authorities also said they did not officially report to WHO that human-to-human transmission was happening by Dec. 31.
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare shared the email its Centers for Disease Control sent to WHO on Dec. 31: "News resources today indicate that at least seven atypical pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, CHINA. Their health authorities replied to the media that the cases were believed not SARS; however, the samples are still under examination, and cases have been isolated for treatment. I would greatly appreciate it if you have relevant information to share with us. Thank you very much in advance for your attention to this matter."
Tedros said this note from Taiwan made no direct references to human-to-human transmission and simply requested clarification on reports Taiwan's health officials were seeing about a pneumonia cluster from China.
"On January 28, 2020, after meeting with President Xi [Jinping] in Beijing, [Tedros] praised the Chinese government for its 'transparency' with respect to the coronavirus, announcing that China had set a 'new standard for outbreak control' and 'bought the world time.' You did not mention that China had, by then, silenced or punished several doctors for speaking out about the virus and restricted Chinese institutions from publishing information about it."
The World Health Organization did praise China at that point. "The United States was equally praising China at the time," Georgetown Law's Gostin pointed out.
On Jan. 24, Trump tweeted: "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!"
"The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China. My Administration has already started discussions with you on how to reform the organization. But action is needed quickly."
This demand comes with no specifics, global health observers said. "What exactly does the Trump administration want WHO to do?" Simon Fraser's Lee asked. It's not clear what "action" the U.S. is asking for, or how WHO could demonstrate "independence from China," because no solutions are outlined in the letter.
As for the threat of U.S. withdrawal, Gostin said he thinks the U.S. is unlikely to follow through with leaving WHO, because he does not believe Congress would approve such a move.
Still, Trump's threats are already causing substantial damage to the global agency tasked with coordinating the world's response to the pandemic, said Benjamin Mason Meier, associate professor of global health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"For the United States to blame the World Health Organization for its own months and months and months of inaction seems factually untrue and designed to divide the world at a moment when global solidarity is needed most," Meier said. "It undercuts the World Health Organization's efforts to provide a collective response to this common threat [of the COVID-19 pandemic]."
Jason Beaubien and Pranav Baskar contributed to this story.


npr--2020-05-20--All 50 U.S. States Have Now Started To Reopen, Easing COVID-19 Shutdown

All 50 U.S. States Have Now Started To Reopen , Easing COVID-19 Shutdown The U.S. economy , frozen by COVID-19 shutdowns , is in the process of thawing out .
All 50 states have at least partially eased tight restrictions on businesses , with a mix of policies letting restaurants or stores welcome customers .
Just after midnight Wednesday , Connecticut became the final state to let business serve customers more directly than they have in weeks .
The state is now allowing outdoor seating at restaurants , and non-essential retail stores and malls can also reopen .
The national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , 36.5 million people have filed for unemployment , as state and local leaders weigh how to minimize the economic damage while also protecting lives .
Across the U.S. , some cities and counties are keeping tight restrictions in place , with officials citing persistent levels of hospitalizations and/or new cases .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
Nonessential businesses in Washington , D.C. , remain closed , and could remain so through June 8 , depending on how coronavirus cases develop in the district .
Puerto Rico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen earlier this month , although a curfew will remain in effect through at least May 25 .
Many U.S. states and cities enacted their shutdowns just ahead of St. Patrick 's Day , in hopes of avoiding a mass transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 .
Since then , school years have been derailed and businesses that could continue through remote work or takeout service have done so .
But many broad restrictions have now been dropped ahead of Memorial Day , the traditional start of the summer vacation and outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are now allowed to reopen , more than a dozen states remain under stay-at-home orders .
And in many areas , arguments are playing out over when it 's safe to reopen gyms , movie theaters and hair salons .
In the weeks since Georgia became the first U.S. state to reopen a wide swath of its economy on April 24 , public health experts have warned that in many cases , states are easing restrictions despite not meeting all of the criteria to do so .
The situation creates a quandary for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of exposure they 're comfortable with — either to return to the workplace or to visit other businesses .
In some cases , protesters who are impatient with the shutdown have thronged capitol buildings in Michigan , Wisconsin and other states .
The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Five states – New York , New Jersey , Illinois , Massachusetts and California – have each reported more coronavirus cases than Hubei province , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

All 50 U.S. States Have Now Started To Reopen, Easing COVID-19 Shutdown
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. economy, frozen by COVID-19 shutdowns, is in the process of thawing out. All 50 states have at least partially eased tight restrictions on businesses, with a mix of policies letting restaurants or stores welcome customers.
Just after midnight Wednesday, Connecticut became the final state to let business serve customers more directly than they have in weeks. The state is now allowing outdoor seating at restaurants, and non-essential retail stores and malls can also reopen.
The national shutdown began two months ago; since then, 36.5 million people have filed for unemployment, as state and local leaders weigh how to minimize the economic damage while also protecting lives.
Across the U.S., some cities and counties are keeping tight restrictions in place, with officials citing persistent levels of hospitalizations and/or new cases.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Nonessential businesses in Washington, D.C., remain closed, and could remain so through June 8, depending on how coronavirus cases develop in the district. Puerto Rico allowed a limited number of businesses to reopen earlier this month, although a curfew will remain in effect through at least May 25.
Many U.S. states and cities enacted their shutdowns just ahead of St. Patrick's Day, in hopes of avoiding a mass transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Since then, school years have been derailed and businesses that could continue through remote work or takeout service have done so. But many broad restrictions have now been dropped ahead of Memorial Day, the traditional start of the summer vacation and outdoor season.
Even as thousands of businesses are now allowed to reopen, more than a dozen states remain under stay-at-home orders. And in many areas, arguments are playing out over when it's safe to reopen gyms, movie theaters and hair salons.
In the weeks since Georgia became the first U.S. state to reopen a wide swath of its economy on April 24, public health experts have warned that in many cases, states are easing restrictions despite not meeting all of the criteria to do so.
The situation creates a quandary for many residents who must decide the level of exposure they're comfortable with — either to return to the workplace or to visit other businesses. In some cases, protesters who are impatient with the shutdown have thronged capitol buildings in Michigan, Wisconsin and other states.
The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Five states – New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts and California – have each reported more coronavirus cases than Hubei province, China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.


npr--2020-05-20--Poll: Two-Thirds Expect Return To Normal Will Take 6 Months Or More

Poll : Two-Thirds Expect Return To Normal Will Take 6 Months Or More Two-thirds of Americans do not expect their daily lives to return to normal for at least six months , and as states reopen , three-quarters are concerned that a second wave of coronavirus cases will emerge , a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds .
`` There 's a great sense that normalcy is not around the corner , '' said Lee Miringoff , director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion , which conducted the poll .
He pointed out that with states reopening — some outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's `` a real disconnect between public opinion and public policy . ''
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit , Americans have also grown more wary of voting in person .
Half of them now say they would vote by mail if it 's allowed by their state , according to the poll .
About a quarter of Americans voted by mail in the 2016 general election , Miringoff noted .
On Wednesday , Trump took aim at Michigan and Nevada for taking steps toward increasing voting by mail in this year 's elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to engage in voter fraud , falsely claiming that ballot applications were sent illegally .
( Trump deleted an earlier tweet that accused Michigan of sending actual absentee ballots . )
He also threatened to put a hold on coronavirus relief funds to both states .
It 's not clear if the president has the authority to stop those funds ; states run elections , not the federal government .
Clearly , how to respond to the coronavirus crisis has become political .
Wide political splits have emerged even in regards to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal , how worried they are about a new outbreak and whether to vote by mail .
When will we return to normal ?
While a majority of Republicans ( 55 % ) agree that they do n't expect life to return to normal for at least six months and 57 % are concerned about a second coronavirus wave , they are more optimistic that life will return to normal sooner and less worried about a second outbreak than Democrats and independents are .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polled said they do n't expect life to return to normal for at least six months , including 78 % of Democrats and 68 % of independents .
The most pessimistic about when life will return to normal — not for at least six months — were Democrats ; African Americans ( 75 % ) ; college graduates ( 70 % ) ; white women with a college degree ( 70 % ) ; and Gen Xers , those 39 to 54 years old ( 70 % ) .
The most likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Latinos ( both 42 % ) .
The coronavirus is disproportionately affecting black and Latino communities , both in terms of hospitalization rates and in job losses .
As for being concerned about a second outbreak , 77 % of Americans polled said they are concerned or very concerned about one , including 93 % of Democrats and 76 % of independents .
`` The overwhelming majority feel we 're in no way out of the woods , '' Miringoff said .
`` The notion that there 's the potential or likelihood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we see that clearly across party lines . ''
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
The most concerned were Democrats , African Americans ( 86 % ) , women ( 83 % ) and Latinos ( 81 % ) , even though Latinos were more optimistic than Democrats or African Americans about when life would get back to normal .
Less likely to be concerned were Republicans ( 57 % ) ; white men without a college degree ( 68 % ) ; those in the Silent or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 69 % ) ; those who live in rural areas ( 69 % ) ; and men generally ( 70 % ) .
And there 's a divide on voting by mail : A majority of Republicans ( 56 % ) would rather cast their ballots in person than by mail ( 42 % ) , whereas 61 % of Democrats and 53 % of independents prefer voting by mail this November .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
The most likely to want to vote by mail were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 64 % ) , whites with a college degree ( 62 % ) , those who live in the West ( 62 % ) and Democrats ( 61 % ) .
Western states have been voting by mail for many election cycles .
Among those most likely to say they want to vote in person are Republicans ( 56 % ) , those in the South ( 45 % ) , white women without a college degree ( 44 % ) , those 45 and older ( 44 % ) , whites ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college degree ( 40 % ) .
Some 10 % say they do not intend to vote , which the pollsters indicate is about what would be expected , but the groups with the highest percentages of members who say they wo n't vote cut across key pillars in both parties : Gen Z and millennials , ages 18 to 38 ( 19 % ) ; Latinos ( 16 % ) ; suburban men ( 13 % ) ; those without a college degree ( 13 % ) ; white men without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Americans ( 11 % ) .
The survey of 1,007 adults was conducted by The Marist Poll via landline and cell phone from May 12 to 17 .
Data collection and weighting was provided by SSRS .
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points .

Poll: Two-Thirds Expect Return To Normal Will Take 6 Months Or More
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
Two-thirds of Americans do not expect their daily lives to return to normal for at least six months, and as states reopen, three-quarters are concerned that a second wave of coronavirus cases will emerge, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds.
"There's a great sense that normalcy is not around the corner," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll.
He pointed out that with states reopening — some outside federal guidelines for doing so — there's "a real disconnect between public opinion and public policy."
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, Americans have also grown more wary of voting in person. Half of them now say they would vote by mail if it's allowed by their state, according to the poll. About a quarter of Americans voted by mail in the 2016 general election, Miringoff noted.
On Wednesday, Trump took aim at Michigan and Nevada for taking steps toward increasing voting by mail in this year's elections. The president accused them of potentially trying to engage in voter fraud, falsely claiming that ballot applications were sent illegally. (Trump deleted an earlier tweet that accused Michigan of sending actual absentee ballots.)
He also threatened to put a hold on coronavirus relief funds to both states. It's not clear if the president has the authority to stop those funds; states run elections, not the federal government.
Clearly, how to respond to the coronavirus crisis has become political. Wide political splits have emerged even in regards to when people expect life to return to normal, how worried they are about a new outbreak and whether to vote by mail.
When will we return to normal?
While a majority of Republicans (55%) agree that they don't expect life to return to normal for at least six months and 57% are concerned about a second coronavirus wave, they are more optimistic that life will return to normal sooner and less worried about a second outbreak than Democrats and independents are.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Overall, 65% of Americans polled said they don't expect life to return to normal for at least six months, including 78% of Democrats and 68% of independents.
The most pessimistic about when life will return to normal — not for at least six months — were Democrats; African Americans (75%); college graduates (70%); white women with a college degree (70%); and Gen Xers, those 39 to 54 years old (70%).
The most likely to say less than six months were Republicans and Latinos (both 42%).
The coronavirus is disproportionately affecting black and Latino communities, both in terms of hospitalization rates and in job losses.
Wide concerns about a second outbreak
As for being concerned about a second outbreak, 77% of Americans polled said they are concerned or very concerned about one, including 93% of Democrats and 76% of independents.
"The overwhelming majority feel we're in no way out of the woods," Miringoff said. "The notion that there's the potential or likelihood of a second wave is strong, and we see that clearly across party lines."
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
The most concerned were Democrats, African Americans (86%), women (83%) and Latinos (81%), even though Latinos were more optimistic than Democrats or African Americans about when life would get back to normal.
Less likely to be concerned were Republicans (57%); white men without a college degree (68%); those in the Silent or Greatest generations, over age 73 (69%); those who live in rural areas (69%); and men generally (70%).
Big vote-by-mail splits. Who won't be voting?
And there's a divide on voting by mail: A majority of Republicans (56%) would rather cast their ballots in person than by mail (42%), whereas 61% of Democrats and 53% of independents prefer voting by mail this November.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
The most likely to want to vote by mail were white women with a college degree (64%), whites with a college degree (62%), those who live in the West (62%) and Democrats (61%). Western states have been voting by mail for many election cycles.
Among those most likely to say they want to vote in person are Republicans (56%), those in the South (45%), white women without a college degree (44%), those 45 and older (44%), whites (42%) and people without a college degree (40%).
Some 10% say they do not intend to vote, which the pollsters indicate is about what would be expected, but the groups with the highest percentages of members who say they won't vote cut across key pillars in both parties: Gen Z and millennials, ages 18 to 38 (19%); Latinos (16%); suburban men (13%); those without a college degree (13%); white men without a degree (12%); and African Americans (11%).
The survey of 1,007 adults was conducted by The Marist Poll via landline and cell phone from May 12 to 17. Data collection and weighting was provided by SSRS. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points.


npr--2020-05-20--NIH Chief Francis Collins Awarded 2020 Templeton Prize

Francis Collins , the evangelical Christian who as a physician and scientist directs the National Institutes of Health , has been awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize for his commitment to challenging the idea that science and religion are at odds .
The prize , established in 1972 by the philanthropist Sir John Templeton , is meant to honor those who demonstrate `` the insights that science brings to the deepest questions of the universe and humankind 's purpose and place within it . ''
The prize , one of the world 's largest individual awards , provides the recipient 1.1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Collins is one of the most accomplished scientists in the country , having directed the Human Genome Project to completion , thus illuminating the genetic blueprint of the human species .
As the NIH director , Collins oversees the federal government 's biomedical and public health research efforts , including the effort to find and develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 .
As a medical student , Collins was an unapologetic atheist , but he gradually developed strong religious beliefs , inspired in part by the faith of patients who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Language of God , argued that `` belief in God can be an entirely rational choice , and that the principles of faith are , in fact , complementary with the principles of science . ''
In a response to the Templeton Prize announcement on Twitter , Collins said he was `` profoundly humbled '' by the recognition .
Past honorees include Mother Teresa , Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama .
`` The realization that principles of faith & science are complementary has been of great comfort to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Collins said .
As the NIH director , Collins supervises the work of Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government 's top infectious disease expert and a prominent spokesman for the nation 's response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Fauci has recently roused the ire of conservatives over his contradiction of President Trump 's claim that the pandemic is under control .
But Collins told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he considers Fauci `` an incredible public servant and a dedicated scientist and a wonderful human being . ''
Because of his deep religious convictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persuading his fellow evangelical Christians to heed the advice of health experts when it comes to the importance of social distancing and support for vaccine development .
Some evangelical Christian leaders have expressed skepticism about the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic and opposed government orders to keep churches closed .

NIH Chief Francis Collins Awarded 2020 Templeton Prize
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik / Pool via Reuters Andrew Harnik / Pool via Reuters
Francis Collins, the evangelical Christian who as a physician and scientist directs the National Institutes of Health, has been awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize for his commitment to challenging the idea that science and religion are at odds.
The prize, established in 1972 by the philanthropist Sir John Templeton, is meant to honor those who demonstrate "the insights that science brings to the deepest questions of the universe and humankind's purpose and place within it." The prize, one of the world's largest individual awards, provides the recipient 1.1 million British pounds ($1.3 million).
Collins is one of the most accomplished scientists in the country, having directed the Human Genome Project to completion, thus illuminating the genetic blueprint of the human species. As the NIH director, Collins oversees the federal government's biomedical and public health research efforts, including the effort to find and develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19.
As a medical student, Collins was an unapologetic atheist, but he gradually developed strong religious beliefs, inspired in part by the faith of patients who were near death.
Collins' 2006 book, The Language of God, argued that "belief in God can be an entirely rational choice, and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science."
In a response to the Templeton Prize announcement on Twitter, Collins said he was "profoundly humbled" by the recognition. Past honorees include Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. "The realization that principles of faith & science are complementary has been of great comfort to me in the search for truth," Collins said.
As the NIH director, Collins supervises the work of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert and a prominent spokesman for the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci has recently roused the ire of conservatives over his contradiction of President Trump's claim that the pandemic is under control. But Collins told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he considers Fauci "an incredible public servant and a dedicated scientist and a wonderful human being."
Because of his deep religious convictions, Collins has played a role in persuading his fellow evangelical Christians to heed the advice of health experts when it comes to the importance of social distancing and support for vaccine development. Some evangelical Christian leaders have expressed skepticism about the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic and opposed government orders to keep churches closed.


npr--2020-05-20--Cities Have Never Seen A Downturn Like This, And Things Will Only Get Worse

Cities Have Never Seen A Downturn Like This , And Things Will Only Get Worse The coronavirus has taken a hatchet to municipal budgets everywhere , forcing cities and towns to lay off librarians , parks workers and even first responders like police and firefighters .
From big cities like Detroit to small towns like Ogdensburg , N.Y. , workers are being furloughed , programs are being cut and major capital projects are being shelved .
Houston , which has been hard hit by the drop in oil prices , is grappling with a sharp drop-off in sales tax and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a deficit of almost $ 170 million .
`` This virus has had a much deeper adverse impact on the city of Houston than Harvey did , when more rain fell on this city than any other city in the history of the country , '' says Mayor Sylvester Turner .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
Turner recently proposed a budget that would temporarily furlough all city employees except for police , firefighters and solid waste department employees and delay incoming police cadet classes .
Nationwide , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off in April alone , according to the Labor Department , and the numbers are almost certain to climb , as sales and income tax revenue dwindles .
`` We will see an intense drop-off in sales tax and especially in your income tax collection between now and November , December and certainly we 're looking two years out , '' says Emily Swenson Brock , director of the Federal Liaison Center at the Government Finance Officers Association .
While many cities have tried to spare first responders from job cuts , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000 firefighters have been laid off and projects that 30,000 positions could eventually be affected .
The downturn for cities has been as sudden as it is severe : • In Detroit , casinos have been forced to close , depriving the city of a major source of revenue and leaving it with a $ 350 million deficit .
Most city workers are having to take pay cuts and the city has had to tap into a $ 100 million program to tear down abandoned buildings .
• Las Vegas has asked city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told its unions it may lay off as many as 200 employees .
`` We are in the midst of the most serious fiscal crisis I think the city of Las Vegas has ever faced , '' City Manager Scott Adam said recently .
• Los Angeles faces a deficit of nearly $ 600 million next year .
Mayor Eric Garcetti has moved to cut many employee salaries by 10 % and says many departments `` will have to operate at sharply reduced strength . ''
Big cities like these have been able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal aid , including a $ 500 billion short-term lending facility created by the Federal Reserve , and $ 150 billion in money from Congress , under the CARES Act .
Smaller cities are n't eligible for the programs , unless their states choose to pass on some of the money to them , Brock says .
With restaurants and stores closed , Newport News , Va. , has seen a sharp drop-off in sales tax revenue and has had to cancel big capital projects like the construction of a downtown parking garage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jeopardize our safety services like a fire and police , so we have to make sure those things are in the forefront before we look at projects on the wish list , '' says Mayor McKinley Price .
Projects like these are meant to help lure businesses into the city , and canceling them could hurt the city 's economy long-term , he says .
`` So it 's kind of a domino effect when you start seeing things like that decrease , '' Price says .

Cities Have Never Seen A Downturn Like This, And Things Will Only Get Worse
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
The coronavirus has taken a hatchet to municipal budgets everywhere, forcing cities and towns to lay off librarians, parks workers and even first responders like police and firefighters.
From big cities like Detroit to small towns like Ogdensburg, N.Y., workers are being furloughed, programs are being cut and major capital projects are being shelved.
Houston, which has been hard hit by the drop in oil prices, is grappling with a sharp drop-off in sales tax and fee revenue that has left the city with a deficit of almost $170 million.
"This virus has had a much deeper adverse impact on the city of Houston than Harvey did, when more rain fell on this city than any other city in the history of the country," says Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Turner recently proposed a budget that would temporarily furlough all city employees except for police, firefighters and solid waste department employees and delay incoming police cadet classes.
Nationwide, almost a million government workers were laid off in April alone, according to the Labor Department, and the numbers are almost certain to climb, as sales and income tax revenue dwindles.
"We will see an intense drop-off in sales tax and especially in your income tax collection between now and November, December and certainly we're looking two years out," says Emily Swenson Brock, director of the Federal Liaison Center at the Government Finance Officers Association.
While many cities have tried to spare first responders from job cuts, the International Association of Fire Chiefs says nearly 1,000 firefighters have been laid off and projects that 30,000 positions could eventually be affected.
The downturn for cities has been as sudden as it is severe:
In Detroit, casinos have been forced to close, depriving the city of a major source of revenue and leaving it with a $350 million deficit. Most city workers are having to take pay cuts and the city has had to tap into a $100 million program to tear down abandoned buildings.
Las Vegas has asked city workers to accept pay cuts and has told its unions it may lay off as many as 200 employees. "We are in the midst of the most serious fiscal crisis I think the city of Las Vegas has ever faced," City Manager Scott Adam said recently.
Los Angeles faces a deficit of nearly $600 million next year. Mayor Eric Garcetti has moved to cut many employee salaries by 10% and says many departments "will have to operate at sharply reduced strength."
Big cities like these have been able to tap into an unprecedented amount of federal aid, including a $500 billion short-term lending facility created by the Federal Reserve, and $150 billion in money from Congress, under the CARES Act.
Smaller cities aren't eligible for the programs, unless their states choose to pass on some of the money to them, Brock says.
With restaurants and stores closed, Newport News, Va., has seen a sharp drop-off in sales tax revenue and has had to cancel big capital projects like the construction of a downtown parking garage.
"You know we can't jeopardize our safety services like a fire and police, so we have to make sure those things are in the forefront before we look at projects on the wish list," says Mayor McKinley Price.
Projects like these are meant to help lure businesses into the city, and canceling them could hurt the city's economy long-term, he says.
"So it's kind of a domino effect when you start seeing things like that decrease," Price says.


npr--2020-05-20--A Double-Barreled Approach To Antibody Testing Could Improve Accuracy

Last month the White House issued guidelines suggesting a way to reduce the number of false positive results in antibody tests : Run two tests .
But that strategy has not yet been validated for coronavirus testing .
And the details matter .
Antibody tests identify people who have been previously exposed to the coronavirus .
But false positives are a big concern .
A test that has a 99 % specificity is still wrong 1 % of the time .
And if it 's being used to test a population where 1 % of people are infected , half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a false positive .
This phenomenon may help explain why researchers from Stanford University reported a high rate of coronavirus infection in California 's Santa Clara County – vastly more than would be expected based on known diagnoses .
That problem concerned entrepreneur Michael Wohl , as he set about starting a business to provide quick and reliable testing for coronavirus .
`` I started doing the math of what can be done and figured out that we could do a second test , '' says Wohl , who directs a program at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to teach entrepreneurship .
The two-test system would cost more .
Wohl says he 's seen antibody tests priced from $ 30 to $ 100 or more .
But theoretically at least , the approach could dramatically improve the outcome — provided , that is , that the second test is distinctly different from the first one , so it 's not making the same error .
`` When I came up with this idea , I put together a PowerPoint and sent it to the governor 's office in New York and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between various government agencies , '' he says .
He got a lot of positive feedback and was excited to see the concept embraced by the White House at the end of April .
But the White House testing guidelines have an important omission .
The guidelines just say test twice , but they do n't say to use two different tests .
`` One can infer , actually if you look at the guidelines that it 's the same test given twice .
But it 's critical that the two tests are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person is infected , the immune system produces multiple antibodies , targeted to attach to various features on the coronavirus .
Wohl says this double-testing method should look for two different antibodies , targeting two different regions of the virus .
And there 's another shortcoming of the White House guidelines .
Nobody seems to have conducted real-world tests to see if the concept actually works for the coronavirus .
So Wohl looked up a cousin at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and asked him to see about gathering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , physician-researcher David Wohl , in turn got his colleague John Schmitz , interested in the question .
`` This is really modeling off what we do for a variety of other tests in our lab , like HIV testing , '' says Schmitz , who is a pathology professor and lab director at UNC .
A positive antibody test for HIV is routinely confirmed with a different kind of test , because a false diagnosis can have huge consequences .
So , while the concept is sound , Schmitz wants to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own tests .
One hypothetical worry is that some common factor could cause two tests to both provide false results .
`` In most cases , we do n't know what causes a false positive , to be honest with you , '' Schmitz says .
Sometimes people with autoimmune disease produce antibodies that trigger false positives in tests like this .
Some antibodies that target similar viruses can also create a false signal .
And laboratory processes can also contribute .
`` Given the pervasive talk in the field — in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about false positives , false positive , I thought we ought to look at this to get around that problem as best we can , '' he says .
He figures it will take a couple of months to get results from his study of the issue .
That thought has also occurred to a group at the University of California , San Francisco and UC Berkeley .
They have been running careful comparisons of some of the many antibody tests to measure the performance of those that are already out on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says they may be able to take the data they 've already gathered and reanalyze it quickly , to see if different tests produce a different pattern of false positives , as would be needed for the two-test strategy .
He 's also thinking about broader questions , such as when it would make sense to spend the money on two tests , as opposed to running a single slower but highly accurate test in a lab .
Part of the appeal of the two-test strategy is it can use handy tests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are called lateral-flow tests and require just a drop of blood and can provide results in minutes .
Another approach would be to use a much more sophisticated test called an ELISA test to look for antibodies .
( ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ) .
These tests need to be run in a sophisticated lab , but some are highly precise .
Marson says , depending on the circumstances , it might make sense to run one of these highly accurate tests than running two with lower performance – or perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poplulation and then follow up with the ELISA .
But getting accurate test results only solves one of two major questions around antibody testing .
The other is knowing what a positive result really means .
`` If you know there are antibodies in your blood , are you safe from future infections ? ''
Marson asks .
`` That we do not know the answer to . ''
Antibodies do signal that someone has been infected with the coronavirus .
But it 's not clear yet whether that exposure means people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for how long .
Evidence is starting to accumulate that there is at least passing immunity , but scientists would like stronger evidence before they deem these tests trustworthy .
Even if antibodies do n't indicate immunity , because they are markers of exposure , they are still useful for studying the spread of coronavirus throughout the population .
But the results would not provide actionable information to individuals .
You can contact NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris at rharris @ npr.org .

A Double-Barreled Approach To Antibody Testing Could Improve Accuracy
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Last month the White House issued guidelines suggesting a way to reduce the number of false positive results in antibody tests: Run two tests. But that strategy has not yet been validated for coronavirus testing. And the details matter.
Antibody tests identify people who have been previously exposed to the coronavirus. But false positives are a big concern. A test that has a 99% specificity is still wrong 1% of the time. And if it's being used to test a population where 1% of people are infected, half the time a positive result will be a false positive.
This phenomenon may help explain why researchers from Stanford University reported a high rate of coronavirus infection in California's Santa Clara County – vastly more than would be expected based on known diagnoses.
That problem concerned entrepreneur Michael Wohl, as he set about starting a business to provide quick and reliable testing for coronavirus.
"I started doing the math of what can be done and figured out that we could do a second test," says Wohl, who directs a program at the University of Rochester's business school to teach entrepreneurship.
Loading...
The two-test system would cost more. Wohl says he's seen antibody tests priced from $30 to $100 or more. But theoretically at least, the approach could dramatically improve the outcome — provided, that is, that the second test is distinctly different from the first one, so it's not making the same error.
"When I came up with this idea, I put together a PowerPoint and sent it to the governor's office in New York and the health department. And it propagated between various government agencies," he says. He got a lot of positive feedback and was excited to see the concept embraced by the White House at the end of April.
But the White House testing guidelines have an important omission. The guidelines just say test twice, but they don't say to use two different tests.
"One can infer, actually if you look at the guidelines that it's the same test given twice. But it's critical that the two tests are uncorrelated," Wohl says.
When a person is infected, the immune system produces multiple antibodies, targeted to attach to various features on the coronavirus. Wohl says this double-testing method should look for two different antibodies, targeting two different regions of the virus.
And there's another shortcoming of the White House guidelines. Nobody seems to have conducted real-world tests to see if the concept actually works for the coronavirus.
So Wohl looked up a cousin at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and asked him to see about gathering evidence for this idea. The cousin, physician-researcher David Wohl, in turn got his colleague John Schmitz, interested in the question.
"This is really modeling off what we do for a variety of other tests in our lab, like HIV testing," says Schmitz, who is a pathology professor and lab director at UNC.
A positive antibody test for HIV is routinely confirmed with a different kind of test, because a false diagnosis can have huge consequences. So, while the concept is sound, Schmitz wants to see evidence. He's starting to run his own tests. One hypothetical worry is that some common factor could cause two tests to both provide false results.
"In most cases, we don't know what causes a false positive, to be honest with you," Schmitz says. Sometimes people with autoimmune disease produce antibodies that trigger false positives in tests like this. Some antibodies that target similar viruses can also create a false signal. And laboratory processes can also contribute.
"Given the pervasive talk in the field — in the lay field even — you hear about false positives, false positive, I thought we ought to look at this to get around that problem as best we can," he says. He figures it will take a couple of months to get results from his study of the issue.
That thought has also occurred to a group at the University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley. They have been running careful comparisons of some of the many antibody tests to measure the performance of those that are already out on the market. Dr. Alex Marson at UCSF says they may be able to take the data they've already gathered and reanalyze it quickly, to see if different tests produce a different pattern of false positives, as would be needed for the two-test strategy.
He's also thinking about broader questions, such as when it would make sense to spend the money on two tests, as opposed to running a single slower but highly accurate test in a lab.
Part of the appeal of the two-test strategy is it can use handy tests that are like an early-pregnancy test. These are called lateral-flow tests and require just a drop of blood and can provide results in minutes.
Another approach would be to use a much more sophisticated test called an ELISA test to look for antibodies. (ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). These tests need to be run in a sophisticated lab, but some are highly precise. Marson says, depending on the circumstances, it might make sense to run one of these highly accurate tests than running two with lower performance – or perhaps using the disposable test to screen a poplulation and then follow up with the ELISA.
But getting accurate test results only solves one of two major questions around antibody testing. The other is knowing what a positive result really means.
"If you know there are antibodies in your blood, are you safe from future infections?" Marson asks. "That we do not know the answer to."
Antibodies do signal that someone has been infected with the coronavirus. But it's not clear yet whether that exposure means people are in fact immune, and if so for how long. Evidence is starting to accumulate that there is at least passing immunity, but scientists would like stronger evidence before they deem these tests trustworthy.
Even if antibodies don't indicate immunity, because they are markers of exposure, they are still useful for studying the spread of coronavirus throughout the population. But the results would not provide actionable information to individuals.
You can contact NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris at rharris@npr.org.


npr--2020-05-20--Organ Transplants Down As Stay-At-Home Rules Reduce Fatal Traffic Collisions

On Day 2 of the San Francisco Bay Area 's stay-at-home orders in March , Nohemi Jimenez got into her car in San Pablo , Calif. , waved goodbye to her 3-year-old son and drove to her regular Wednesday dialysis appointment .
The roads were deserted .
No traffic .
Jimenez says it is hard to admit what she thought next : No traffic meant no car crashes .
And that meant she 'd be on the waiting list for a kidney transplant even longer .
`` I do n't want to be mean , but I was like , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to die , ' '' she says .
`` I 'm not going to get my transplant . ''
Jimenez , who is now 30 years old , was 20 and pregnant with her first child when doctors discovered she had been born with only one kidney , and that lone kidney was failing .
By age 29 , doctors told her she needed a new one .
It was strange and scary , she says , waiting for someone to die so she could live .
`` You 're just thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It 's sitting in your mind .
It just can never leave you alone . ''
Deaths from motor vehicle crashes and fatal injuries are the biggest source of organs for transplant , accounting for 33 % of donations , according to the United Network for Organ Sharing , which manages the nation 's organ transplant system .
But ever since the coronavirus forced Californians indoors , those accidents have declined .
Traffic collisions and fatalities in the state dropped by half in the first three weeks of shelter-in-place restrictions , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , Davis .
Drowning deaths dropped 80 % in California , according to data compiled by the nonprofit Stop Drowning Now .
In April , organ procurement organizations typically see a surge in donations related to outdoor , spring break-related activities and travel , but not this year .
From March 8 to April 11 , the number of organ donors who died in traffic collisions was down 23 % nationwide compared with the same period last year , while donors who died in all other types of accidents were down 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Spring break accidents are almost nonexistent because there 's no spring break — beach accidents , motorcycle accidents , hunting accidents , '' says Janice Whaley , CEO of Donor Network West , which manages organ donations for Northern California and Nevada .
Doctors say they 've also noticed a decline in emergency room visits overall , not just for accidents , and this may also be limiting the supply of donor organs .
`` Where are all the people with heart attacks ?
Where are all the people with strokes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor and infectious disease physician at the University of California , San Francisco .
`` Are those patients staying away from the ERs for fear of COVID ?
Clearly , the census is way down in ERs . ''
At Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Northern California , where 4.4 million patients get care , weekly hospital admissions for heart attacks have dropped almost 50 % since the region 's first COVID-19 death was reported in early March .
Strokes and heart attacks are the second and third most common sources of organ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 % of organs , respectively , according to UNOS .
When people die from a stroke or heart attack at home instead of a hospital , their organs can not be used for transplant because of lost blood flow .
Most organ donations occur after a person suffers a near-fatal event and lifesaving measures do not work .
For organs to be viable , people must die or be declared brain-dead while on a ventilator , so blood keeps pumping to the heart , lungs , liver and kidneys .
A range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult during the coronavirus pandemic .
Hospitals have had to scale back surgeries of all kinds to preserve scarce supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators .
And many have n't had the bandwidth to manage the delicate timing and complexity of organ donation , recovery , transportation and transplantation .
Transplant surgeries across the country plummeted 52 % from March 8 to April 11 , according to UNOS data .
`` There are a lot of things that have to happen perfectly , and now we 're in an imperfect situation where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many other things , '' Whaley says .
Earlier in the pandemic , as medical centers braced for a wave of COVID-19 patients , they wanted to free up as many ventilators as possible .
In addition to donors needing to die on ventilators to keep their organs viable , doctors often keep them on ventilators for two or three days while transplant teams and recipients are lined up .
Then the recipients need to be on ventilators during surgery .
`` People were very antsy about having non-COVID-19 patients on ventilators , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They wanted to make sure they were ready for that next patient . ''
Many COVID patients who died had previously signed up to have their organs donated for transplantation upon death ; but those organs were declined , out of concern that recipients could become infected , Whaley says .
And a shortage of coronavirus testing supplies made it difficult for transplant centers to test potential donors who later died of other causes to make sure they were not infected with the virus .
`` So there may have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have seen , '' says Dr. Chris Freise , a professor and transplant surgeon at UCSF .
As a matter of policy , hospitals canceled virtually all organ transplants from living donors — procedures that involve a family member or someone else donating a kidney or section of their liver .
`` That involves bringing two patients into the hospital — the donor and the recipient — and we certainly did n't want to put donors at any significant extra risk , '' Freise says .
`` Living-donor kidney transplants ground down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs across the country . ''
Some hospitals began doing living donations again in early May , while donations from deceased donors started to increase slowly in mid-April .
That 's when Jimenez got her call from Freise 's team at UCSF .
A condition related to Jimenez 's three pregnancies made finding a donor match for her exceptionally difficult , Freise says — `` like a needle in a haystack . ''
That also put her at the top of the waiting list in case a match was found .
On April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 a.m. A transplant staffer told her to get to the hospital right away .
`` I was excited , '' Jimenez says .
`` But then my mind hit me : Somebody died . ''
All she knows is that the donor was 19 and died in an accident in Los Angeles .
Jimenez wrote a letter to the donor 's family .
`` I told them that I will forever be thinking of them , '' she says .
`` I will have him or her in my body for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will live for both of us . ''
Jimenez has six months of recovery ahead of her .
She says she 's looking forward to going back to work and having more energy to play with her kids .
This story comes from NPR 's reporting partnership with KQED and Kaiser Health News .

Organ Transplants Down As Stay-At-Home Rules Reduce Fatal Traffic Collisions
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images
On Day 2 of the San Francisco Bay Area's stay-at-home orders in March, Nohemi Jimenez got into her car in San Pablo, Calif., waved goodbye to her 3-year-old son and drove to her regular Wednesday dialysis appointment.
The roads were deserted. No traffic. Jimenez says it is hard to admit what she thought next: No traffic meant no car crashes. And that meant she'd be on the waiting list for a kidney transplant even longer.
"I don't want to be mean, but I was like, 'Oh, my God. Nobody's going to die,'" she says. "I'm not going to get my transplant."
Jimenez, who is now 30 years old, was 20 and pregnant with her first child when doctors discovered she had been born with only one kidney, and that lone kidney was failing. By age 29, doctors told her she needed a new one. It was strange and scary, she says, waiting for someone to die so she could live.
"You're just thinking about it," she says. "It's sitting in your mind. It just can never leave you alone."
Deaths from motor vehicle crashes and fatal injuries are the biggest source of organs for transplant, accounting for 33% of donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the nation's organ transplant system.
toggle caption Beth LaBerge/KQED
But ever since the coronavirus forced Californians indoors, those accidents have declined. Traffic collisions and fatalities in the state dropped by half in the first three weeks of shelter-in-place restrictions, according to a study by the University of California, Davis. Drowning deaths dropped 80% in California, according to data compiled by the nonprofit Stop Drowning Now.
In April, organ procurement organizations typically see a surge in donations related to outdoor, spring break-related activities and travel, but not this year.
From March 8 to April 11, the number of organ donors who died in traffic collisions was down 23% nationwide compared with the same period last year, while donors who died in all other types of accidents were down 21%, according to data from UNOS.
"Spring break accidents are almost nonexistent because there's no spring break — beach accidents, motorcycle accidents, hunting accidents," says Janice Whaley, CEO of Donor Network West, which manages organ donations for Northern California and Nevada.
Doctors say they've also noticed a decline in emergency room visits overall, not just for accidents, and this may also be limiting the supply of donor organs.
"Where are all the people with heart attacks? Where are all the people with strokes?" says George Rutherford, a professor and infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco. "Are those patients staying away from the ERs for fear of COVID? Clearly, the census is way down in ERs."
At Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Northern California, where 4.4 million patients get care, weekly hospital admissions for heart attacks have dropped almost 50% since the region's first COVID-19 death was reported in early March.
Strokes and heart attacks are the second and third most common sources of organ donations, accounting for 27% and 20% of organs, respectively, according to UNOS.
When people die from a stroke or heart attack at home instead of a hospital, their organs cannot be used for transplant because of lost blood flow. Most organ donations occur after a person suffers a near-fatal event and lifesaving measures do not work. For organs to be viable, people must die or be declared brain-dead while on a ventilator, so blood keeps pumping to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.
COVID preparations slow transplant pipeline
A range of other logistical complications have made transplants difficult during the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals have had to scale back surgeries of all kinds to preserve scarce supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators. And many haven't had the bandwidth to manage the delicate timing and complexity of organ donation, recovery, transportation and transplantation.
Transplant surgeries across the country plummeted 52% from March 8 to April 11, according to UNOS data.
"There are a lot of things that have to happen perfectly, and now we're in an imperfect situation where we're trying to deal with so many other things," Whaley says.
Earlier in the pandemic, as medical centers braced for a wave of COVID-19 patients, they wanted to free up as many ventilators as possible. In addition to donors needing to die on ventilators to keep their organs viable, doctors often keep them on ventilators for two or three days while transplant teams and recipients are lined up. Then the recipients need to be on ventilators during surgery.
"People were very antsy about having non-COVID-19 patients on ventilators, taking up space," Whaley says. "They wanted to make sure they were ready for that next patient."
Many COVID patients who died had previously signed up to have their organs donated for transplantation upon death; but those organs were declined, out of concern that recipients could become infected, Whaley says.
Testing shortage meant some organs wasted
And a shortage of coronavirus testing supplies made it difficult for transplant centers to test potential donors who later died of other causes to make sure they were not infected with the virus.
"So there may have been some organ turndowns that we normally wouldn't have seen," says Dr. Chris Freise, a professor and transplant surgeon at UCSF.
As a matter of policy, hospitals canceled virtually all organ transplants from living donors — procedures that involve a family member or someone else donating a kidney or section of their liver.
"That involves bringing two patients into the hospital — the donor and the recipient — and we certainly didn't want to put donors at any significant extra risk," Freise says. "Living-donor kidney transplants ground down to almost a complete halt in most programs across the country."
Some hospitals began doing living donations again in early May, while donations from deceased donors started to increase slowly in mid-April.
That's when Jimenez got her call from Freise's team at UCSF. A condition related to Jimenez's three pregnancies made finding a donor match for her exceptionally difficult, Freise says — "like a needle in a haystack." That also put her at the top of the waiting list in case a match was found.
On April 17, Jimenez's phone rang at 2 a.m. A transplant staffer told her to get to the hospital right away.
"I was excited," Jimenez says. "But then my mind hit me: Somebody died."
All she knows is that the donor was 19 and died in an accident in Los Angeles. Jimenez wrote a letter to the donor's family.
"I told them that I will forever be thinking of them," she says. "I will have him or her in my body for the rest of my life, and I will live for both of us."
Jimenez has six months of recovery ahead of her. She says she's looking forward to going back to work and having more energy to play with her kids.
This story comes from NPR's reporting partnership with KQED and Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-05-21--Politics Around Hydroxychloroquine Hamper Science

Publicity around the drug hydroxychloroquine spiked this week when President Donald Trump revealed that he 's taking it to prevent COVID-19 .
All the attention on the drug in recent months is increasingly spilling into science , and making it harder for some researchers to actually study whether the drug has potential for COVID-19 .
Doctors have used hydroxychloroquine for decades to treat auto-immune conditions and to prevent malaria .
While the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization for doctors to try the treatment on COVID-19 patients , the agency has also cautioned about its possibly deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive director of the World Health Organization 's emergencies program , Dr. Mike Ryan echoed other leading medical experts , saying at a press briefing that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have `` yet to be found effective in the treatment of COVID-19 '' or for preventing the disease .
Because of potential side effects , Ryan says the WHO advises the drug `` be reserved '' for use in the context of clinical trials , which are now underway in many places .
But for some researchers , running such trials is becoming more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug .
Dr. Jon Giles did n't expect to have any problems drumming up interest in his clinical trial testing if hydroxychloroquine can help prevent COVID-19 .
`` We were getting calls all the time from people who were interested , '' says Giles , an epidemiologist and rheumatologist at Columbia University .
For his study , Giles planned to give a short course of the medication to people who were `` household contacts '' of COVID-19 patients .
Like many of the ongoing trials , it would be randomized with a control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Giles was ready to start enrolling people .
But his team ran into a problem when they started calling potential participants .
`` Pretty much everybody said , Well that 's the drug that 's dangerous to your heart , or , I talked to my friends and they said do n't take it , or that I saw on TV it 's dangerous , '' says Giles .
Just a month earlier , he says demand for the drug was soaring .
Some patients with auto-immune conditions could n't even get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke enthusiastically about the drug .
In April , the FDA issued a warning about using the drug for COVID-19 patients without strict medical supervision in a hospital or as part of a clinical trial .
The agency had received reports of serious heart-related adverse events and death in patients with COVID-19 receiving hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine .
But the back and forth headlines and the ongoing political wrangling seemed to make people wary of the medication , Giles says , even in the context of a carefully run clinical trial .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' says Giles .
Giles says the committee overseeing his study added a new requirement : that study participants needed to have had an ECG within the last year .
As a rheumatologist , Giles knows the medication better than most doctors because he prescribes it to many of his patients .
`` It 's a very , very safe drug , it 's been used for over 75 years , '' he says .
`` When I give someone hydroxychloroquine , I do n't get an ECG or do blood monitoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otherwise healthy people and screen out anyone who could be at risk of heart problems .
But that new requirement , plus the negative press , made it too difficult to find study subjects .
He gave up on doing the study .
He says it 's a missed opportunity .
`` It 's not unreasonable to think that a short course of this drug might have some protective ability , '' he says .
The concern over cardiac risk for hospitalized patients is real , says Dr. Mark Poznansky , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Infectious Disease Division of Massachusetts General Hospital .
Even though the drug has been used safely to prevent malaria , he says , `` that is very different from using the drug in acutely ill patients with COVID-19 . ''
He recently published a review of the evidence for using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 that casts doubt on its effectiveness .
`` The data up to date ... does n't make one entirely optimistic that we are going to find something different in a clinical trial , '' he says .
Poznansky notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with moderate to severe COVID-19 found no benefit and concluded that the drug should not be routinely used on patients .
He says the drug should only be used in the context of clinical trials , `` or under strict compassionate use , in order to do no harm . ''
Still , Poznansky does n't rule out that further well-designed trials could turn up better results .
At Henry Ford Health System in Detroit , cardiologist Dr. William O'Neill says enrollment for their clinical trial studying hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 plummeted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge problem for us , '' O'Neill says .
`` It set us back probably a month . ''
O'Neill attributes the drop in enrollment to the FDA warning and a highly publicized study of over 300 hospitalized veterans with COVID-19 .
The authors of that study found the drug did not reduce the need for a ventilator and even linked hydroxychloroquine to higher death rates .
However , the study was n't a rigorous controlled trial and the results were n't peer reviewed .
`` That was interpreted as a warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says O'Neill .
But he says , using it for prevention is a different matter than treating already sick patients .
`` Everything that we see about hydroxychloroquine suggests that the earlier you use the drug , the more likely it is to be effective . ''
O'Neill says the fact that President Trump is touting this drug means it now has become a political flashpoint .
`` It has made people absolutely committed to proving him wrong , '' he says .
`` The problem with that is this is not politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he says .
`` We 're talking about a treatment .
Who would be rooting for us not to find a therapy , for God 's sakes ? ''
Multiple clinical trials involving hydroxychloroquine are underway at the University of Washington in Seattle .
But Dr. Christine Johnston says recruitment has become a major challenge .
`` We are hearing now from some participants that the study and the drug feel too political and they just do n't want to participate at all , '' says Johnston .
`` As physicians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought was harmful . ''
Johnston 's colleague , professor Dr. Ruanne Barnabas , is trying to recruit 2,000 patients to test whether the drug can prevent COVID-19 .
`` A clinical trial is the only way that we will be able to answer this question quickly and with high confidence , '' she says .
Researchers at Duke University are also testing if hydroxychloroquine can be a new tool for prevention during the pandemic .
But Duke professor of medicine Dr. Susanna Naggie says they need to be able to recruit enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are many well controlled trials that are underway where we wo n't get an answer , '' says Naggie .
`` That , I think , would be a shame . ''
Another researcher conducting large trials , Dr. Wesley Self , says the coverage of hydroxychloroquine has felt a bit like an `` emotional roller coaster , '' which has led to more questions from patients .
`` I actually find it helpful , '' says Self , an emergency physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center .
`` We 're giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which we believe are quite safe .
And we 're monitoring for side effects very closely . ''
Self is the lead investigator of the ORCHID trial that focuses on hydroxychloroquine in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients .
`` This is a perfect situation for a clinical trial to really understand what the balance of those benefits and risks are , '' he says .
Another large clinical trial is looking at whether hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin can keep people with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying .
`` We think the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be better to take it early , rather than later , especially when somebody is really really sick already , '' says Dr. Davey Smith , head of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at University of California San Diego School of Medicine .
`` In reality , the virus does n't care about politics and science should also not care about politics , '' Smith says .
`` I just want an answer one way or the other . ''

Politics Around Hydroxychloroquine Hamper Science
Enlarge this image toggle caption George Frey/AFP via Getty Images George Frey/AFP via Getty Images
Publicity around the drug hydroxychloroquine spiked this week when President Trump revealed that he's taking it to prevent COVID-19.
All the attention on the drug in recent months is increasingly spilling into science and making it harder for some researchers to actually study whether the drug has potential for COVID-19.
Doctors have used hydroxychloroquine for decades to treat autoimmune conditions and to prevent malaria.
While the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization for doctors to try the treatment on COVID-19 patients, the agency has also cautioned about possible deadly side effects.
On Wednesday, the executive director of the World Health Organization's emergencies program, Dr. Mike Ryan, echoed other leading medical experts, saying at a press briefing that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have "yet to be found effective in the treatment of COVID-19" or for preventing the disease.
Because of potential side effects, Ryan says the WHO advises the drug "be reserved" for use in the context of clinical trials, which are underway in many places.
But for some researchers, running such trials is becoming more difficult because of the controversy around the drug.
Missed opportunity
Dr. Jon Giles didn't expect to have any problems drumming up interest in his clinical trial testing if hydroxychloroquine can help prevent COVID-19.
"We were getting calls all the time from people who were interested," says Giles, an epidemiologist and rheumatologist at Columbia University.
For his study, Giles planned to give a short course of the medication to people who were "household contacts" of COVID-19 patients. Like many of the ongoing trials, it would be randomized with a control group.
By the end of April, Giles was ready to start enrolling people. But his team ran into a problem when they started calling potential participants.
"Pretty much everybody said, 'Well that's the drug that's dangerous to your heart,' or, 'I talked to my friends and they said don't take it,' or that 'I saw on TV it's dangerous,' " says Giles.
Just a month earlier, he says demand for the drug was soaring. Some patients with autoimmune conditions couldn't even get their prescriptions filled, after Trump spoke enthusiastically about the drug.
In April, the FDA issued a warning about using the drug for COVID-19 patients without strict medical supervision in a hospital or as part of a clinical trial. The agency had received reports of serious heart-related adverse events and death in patients with COVID-19 receiving hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.
But the back-and-forth headlines and the ongoing political wrangling seemed to make people wary of the medication, Giles says, even in the context of a carefully run clinical trial.
"It became almost impossible to get anyone interested," says Giles.
Giles says the committee overseeing his study added a new requirement: that study participants needed to have had an electrocardiogram within the last year.
As a rheumatologist, Giles knows the medication better than most doctors because he prescribes it to many of his patients.
"It's a very, very safe drug; it's been used for over 75 years," he says. "When I give someone hydroxychloroquine, I don't get an ECG or do blood monitoring."
Giles was planning to enroll otherwise healthy people and screen out anyone who could be at risk of heart problems. But that new requirement, plus the negative press, made it too difficult to find study subjects.
He gave up on doing the study. He says it's a missed opportunity.
"It's not unreasonable to think that a short course of this drug might have some protective ability," he says.
Risks and potential
The concern over cardiac risk for hospitalized patients is real, says Dr. Mark Poznansky, director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center in the Infectious Disease Division of Massachusetts General Hospital. Even though the drug has been used safely to prevent malaria, he says, "that is very different from using the drug in acutely ill patients with COVID-19."
He recently published a review of the evidence for using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 that casts doubt on its effectiveness.
"The data up to date ... doesn't make one entirely optimistic that we are going to find something different in a clinical trial," he says.
Poznansky notes a recent study of nearly 1,400 people with moderate to severe COVID-19 found no benefit and concluded that the drug should not be routinely used on patients.
He says the drug should only be used in the context of clinical trials "or under strict compassionate use, in order to do no harm."
Still, Poznansky doesn't rule out that further well-designed trials could turn up better results.
'The virus doesn't care about politics'
At Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, cardiologist Dr. William O'Neill says enrollment for their clinical trial studying hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 plummeted in late April.
"It really caused a huge problem for us," O'Neill says. "It set us back probably a month."
O'Neill attributes the drop in enrollment to the FDA warning and a highly publicized study of over 300 hospitalized veterans with COVID-19. The authors of that study found the drug did not reduce the need for a ventilator and even linked hydroxychloroquine to higher death rates. However, the study wasn't a rigorous controlled trial and the results weren't peer-reviewed.
"That was interpreted as a warning that the drug is dangerous," says O'Neill. But he says, using it for prevention is a different matter than treating already sick patients. "Everything that we see about hydroxychloroquine suggests that the earlier you use the drug, the more likely it is to be effective."
O'Neill says the fact that President Trump is touting this drug means it now has become a political flashpoint.
"It has made people absolutely committed to proving him wrong," he says.
"The problem with that is this is not politics, this is life and death," he says. "We're talking about a treatment. Who would be rooting for us not to find a therapy, for God's sakes?"
Multiple clinical trials involving hydroxychloroquine are underway at the University of Washington in Seattle. But Dr. Christine Johnston says recruitment has become a major challenge.
"We are hearing now from some participants that the study and the drug feel too political and they just don't want to participate at all," says Johnston. "As physicians, we would not do something that we thought was harmful."
Johnston's colleague, professor Dr. Ruanne Barnabas, is trying to recruit 2,000 patients to test whether the drug can prevent COVID-19.
"A clinical trial is the only way that we will be able to answer this question quickly and with high confidence," she says.
Researchers at Duke University are also testing whether hydroxychloroquine can be a new tool for prevention during the pandemic. But Duke professor of medicine Dr. Susanna Naggie says they need to be able to recruit enough people.
"I do worry that there are many well-controlled trials that are underway where we won't get an answer," says Naggie. "That, I think, would be a shame."
Another researcher conducting large trials, Dr. Wesley Self, says the coverage of hydroxychloroquine has felt a bit like an "emotional roller coaster," which has led to more questions from patients.
"I actually find it helpful," says Self, an emergency physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "We're giving people relatively low doses of hydroxychloroquine, which we believe are quite safe. And we're monitoring for side effects very closely."
Self is the lead investigator of the ORCHID trial that focuses on hydroxychloroquine in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
"This is a perfect situation for a clinical trial to really understand what the balance of those benefits and risks are," he says.
Another large clinical trial is looking at whether hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin can keep people with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying.
"We think the way that this medication works, it would be better to take it early, rather than later, especially when somebody is really really sick already," says Dr. Davey Smith, head of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
"In reality, the virus doesn't care about politics and science should also not care about politics," Smith says. "I just want an answer one way or the other."


npr--2020-05-21--There's Still Time To Get A (Remote) Summer Internship

There 's Still Time To Get A ( Remote ) Summer Internship For Ananay Arora , this spring has brought good news and bad news .
The good news : The Arizona State University sophomore snagged one of the most prestigious internships in the country .
He 'll be working with the software engineering team at Apple .
The bad news : Instead of rubbing elbows with Tim Cook at the company 's futuristic ring-shaped headquarters in Cupertino , Calif. , Arora will be working remotely from his off-campus apartment in Tempe , Ariz..
He 's an international student from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't go home to his family right now , and pandemic restrictions mean he ca n't relocate to California .
`` They 're shipping a Mac and a monitor , '' he says .
`` So I 'm going to set up my workstation at my apartment .
That 's the good part about software engineering .
It 's not ideal , but 100 % of it is possible to be done from home . ''
Summer internships have become a key path to the job market for ambitious college students .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with less privileged students often not being able to afford to take unpaid positions .
But this year , with most office buildings emptied out and the economy under severe hardship , will internships be canceled ?
Well , Arora teamed up with two Arizona State classmates to create a website answering precisely that question : Ismyinternshipcancelled.com .
They 've crowdsourced information from more than 500 companies so far , big and small , ranging from American Airlines to Walmart to Zillow .
The verdict ?
Just over a third of the internship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest are moving online for part or all of the summer .
And some companies are even expanding their programs .
In fact , the CEO of Cloudflare , an Internet security company , told TechCrunch that he decided to double his incoming class of interns after seeing Arora 's website .
Dan Rosensweig is the CEO of Chegg , which runs the site Internships.com .
He says he 's seeing a `` hodgepodge '' when it comes to summer opportunities around the country .
`` Internships have been canceled at companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Larger companies are doing it remote . ''
His site lists `` remote finance , '' `` remote data science '' and `` remote software '' as `` hot markets . ''
He adds that outright cancellations seem to be clustered in harder-hit industries such as travel — Airbnb , for example , and airlines .
Rosensweig 's company is going for a hybrid approach .
It 's starting internships remotely but hoping to invite interns back into its offices sometime in mid-July .
That will depend on location , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bay Area , Portland , Ore. , and New York City .
He notes that , when compared with being able to train students face-to-face , `` it 'll be harder . ''
But he adds , `` We intend to pay them , and we intend to have it because we know how important the internship experience is to the growth of a college student . ''
It 's not only the tech industry that is continuing to support interns through this crisis .
Hamilton College , a private college in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extended the funding it offers for unpaid and underpaid internships to graduating seniors .
Ngoc Ngo , who is taking a few years off before medical school , is taking advantage of that .
She 's got not one but three projects lined up for the summer : first , an extension of her senior thesis research in genetics ; the second is a market research position with CVS Health , and third , research on the microbiome at an Irish university — all three from her home .
The work will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but she says it 's more than she would be doing if she had to commit to a single lab location for the summer .
`` I feel that I 'm so fortunate , '' she says .
`` That I 'm able to even apply for these positions is truly a privilege . ''
Another out-of-the-box option for aspiring interns this year is the Virtual Student Federal Service .
This program has been around for a decade , offering monthlong remote , and unpaid , assignments with dozens of different federal agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In recent summers , it has coordinated about 1,200 interns , says Nora Dempsey , who runs the program .
`` Because [ of the ] coronavirus , our phones and our email boxes are brimming with interest by folks we 've never heard from before , '' she says , `` agencies with long , complicated names coming to us for the first time saying , 'How do you work virtually ?
I hear you 've been working virtually for 10 years .
And can we join in and how can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says the program has created 184 new slots in the past couple of weeks .
And applications for students are still open now .
Remote internships , of course , are n't possible in every sector — think of retail or construction .
The experts I spoke with say online internships work best when they 're project-based , allowing interns to complete assignments on their own time .
Mentors should be assigned to work closely with each intern to make sure they do n't get lost in the shuffle .
Arora is trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He helped start up a series of group chats that now has hundreds of incoming Apple interns on it .
`` We 're hosting things like Zoom socials just to meet with each other .
Asking some questions of previous interns , '' he says .
`` So it 's a fun time , meeting other people . ''
Still , he says he 's sad he 's missing out on the networking and camaraderie of working at Apple 's headquarters .
`` If the internship was in person , it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , you get to make these connections , '' he says .
`` You get to meet new people .
You have people walking by who are seeing how you 're working .
And so it 's a totally different experience . ''

There's Still Time To Get A (Remote) Summer Internship
Enlarge this image Jesse Zhang for NPR Jesse Zhang for NPR
For Ananay Arora, this spring has brought good news and bad news.
The good news: The Arizona State University sophomore snagged one of the most prestigious internships in the country. He'll be working with the software engineering team at Apple.
The bad news: Instead of rubbing elbows with Tim Cook at the company's futuristic ring-shaped headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Arora will be working remotely from his off-campus apartment in Tempe, Ariz.. He's an international student from New Delhi, which means he can't go home to his family right now, and pandemic restrictions mean he can't relocate to California.
"They're shipping a Mac and a monitor," he says. "So I'm going to set up my workstation at my apartment. That's the good part about software engineering. It's not ideal, but 100% of it is possible to be done from home."
Summer internships have become a key path to the job market for ambitious college students. The internships are coveted and sometimes controversial, with less privileged students often not being able to afford to take unpaid positions. But this year, with most office buildings emptied out and the economy under severe hardship, will internships be canceled?
Well, Arora teamed up with two Arizona State classmates, Kaan Aksoy and Devyash Lodha, to create a website answering precisely that question: Ismyinternshipcancelled.com. They've crowdsourced information from more than 500 companies so far, big and small, ranging from American Airlines to Walmart to Zillow. The verdict? Just over a third of the internship programs are canceled outright. Most of the rest are moving online for part or all of the summer.
And some companies are even expanding their programs. In fact, the CEO of Cloudflare, an Internet security company, told TechCrunch that he decided to double his incoming class of interns after seeing Arora's website.
Dan Rosensweig is the CEO of Chegg, which runs the site Internships.com. He says he's seeing a "hodgepodge" when it comes to summer opportunities around the country.
"Internships have been canceled at companies of all sizes," Rosensweig says. "Larger companies are doing it remote." His site lists "remote finance," "remote data science" and "remote software" as "hot markets." He adds that outright cancellations seem to be clustered in harder-hit industries such as travel — Airbnb, for example, and airlines.
Rosensweig's company is going for a hybrid approach. It's starting internships remotely but hoping to invite interns back into its offices sometime in mid-July. That will depend on location, of course; Chegg has offices in the Bay Area, Portland, Ore., and New York City.
He notes that, when compared with being able to train students face-to-face, "it'll be harder." But he adds, "We intend to pay them, and we intend to have it because we know how important the internship experience is to the growth of a college student."
It's not only the tech industry that is continuing to support interns through this crisis. Hamilton College, a private college in New York state, is one that has extended the funding it offers for unpaid and underpaid internships to graduating seniors.
Ngoc Ngo, who is taking a few years off before medical school, is taking advantage of that. She's got not one but three projects lined up for the summer: first, an extension of her senior thesis research in genetics; the second is a market research position with CVS Health, and third, research on the microbiome at an Irish university — all three from her home.
The work will be less hands-on and involve more spreadsheets, but she says it's more than she would be doing if she had to commit to a single lab location for the summer. "I feel that I'm so fortunate," she says. "That I'm able to even apply for these positions is truly a privilege."
Another out-of-the-box option for aspiring interns this year is the Virtual Student Federal Service. This program has been around for a decade, offering monthlong remote, and unpaid, assignments with dozens of different federal agencies, from NASA to the Smithsonian Institution.
In recent summers, it has coordinated about 1,200 interns, says Nora Dempsey, who runs the program. "Because [of the] coronavirus, our phones and our email boxes are brimming with interest by folks we've never heard from before," she says, "agencies with long, complicated names coming to us for the first time saying, 'How do you work virtually? I hear you've been working virtually for 10 years. And can we join in and how can we do this?' "
Dempsey says the program has created 184 new slots in the past couple of weeks. And applications for students are still open now.
Remote internships, of course, aren't possible in every sector — think of retail or construction. The experts I spoke with say online internships work best when they're project-based, allowing interns to complete assignments on their own time. Mentors should be assigned to work closely with each intern to make sure they don't get lost in the shuffle.
Arora is trying to build community among his fellow interns. He helped start up a series of group chats that now has hundreds of incoming Apple interns on it. "We're hosting things like Zoom socials just to meet with each other. Asking some questions of previous interns," he says. "So it's a fun time, meeting other people."
Still, he says he's sad he's missing out on the networking and camaraderie of working at Apple's headquarters. "If the internship was in person, it would have been much better because, you know, you get to make these connections," he says. "You get to meet new people. You have people walking by who are seeing how you're working. And so it's a totally different experience."