npr--2020-05-27--'We All Feel At Risk': 100,000 People Dead From COVID-19 In The U.S.

'We All Feel At Risk ' : 100,000 People Dead From COVID-19 In The U.S .
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has reached a somber milestone : As of Wednesday afternoon , the highly infectious viral disease has taken more than 100,000 lives nationwide .
Soaring from two known coronavirus fatalities in February to more than 58,000 in April , the tally of U.S. deaths — in a country with fewer than 5 % of the world 's inhabitants — now accounts for nearly one-third of all the known lives lost worldwide to the pandemic .
According to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus Resource Center , about 6 % of the nearly 1.7 million people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the U.S. have succumbed to the disease .
Public health experts said the coronavirus has exposed the vulnerability of a wide range of Americans and the shortcomings of a U.S. health care system faced with a deadly pandemic .
`` What is different about this is , it is affecting all of us in a variety of ways , even if some of us are able to social distance in more effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor Kathleen Cagney , who directs the University of Chicago 's Population Research Center .
`` But we all feel at risk . ''
Even some who are well-acquainted with earlier health scourges in the U.S. were caught off guard by this one .
`` I think anybody who understands anything about infectious disease recognizes that we were going to sooner or later face something like this , '' said John Barry , a professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and author of The Great Influenza : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on NPR 's Fresh Air earlier this month .
`` But , you know , intellectually understanding it is one thing , and having it hit you is something quite different . ''
Demographic disparities in deaths People have died from the disease in all 50 states and most U.S. territories .
But the impact has been felt unevenly .
Demographic statistics that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted of the first nearly 69,000 fatalities show some striking disparities : — The disease has been far deadlier for males @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 75 years old , about twice as many men and boys have been killed by COVID-19 as have women and girls .
— Older people have died in much greater numbers than those who are younger .
Eighty percent of the known fatalities were at least 65 .
— Racial and ethnic disparities in who is dying have also become apparent , even while tracking data that Johns Hopkins has compiled remain incomplete .
In Alabama , for example , 44 % of those killed by COVID-19 were black in a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents are African American .
Similarly , while African Americans make up 14 % of Michigan 's population , they account for 40 % of that state 's COVID-19 fatalities .
Native American communities have also been hit especially hard by the pandemic .
In Arizona , Native Americans account for about 5 % of the population but make up nearly 17 % of that state 's COVID-19 fatalities .
The University of Chicago 's Cagney said that differences in socioeconomic status — and thus the ability to practice social distancing — are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` If you look at the locations where people are disproportionately dying , they are in places that are lower income , '' Cagney said .
`` They are places that likely have multiple residents in a single-unit space .
They are places where people rely on public transit and rely on services like big-box locations , where by entry alone you 're putting yourself at risk . ''
The degree of devastation wrought by the pathogen has taken even some public health experts by surprise .
`` Back in March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible — I was not expecting 100,000 deaths , '' said Christopher Murray , director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington .
`` I really believed we as a nation would have taken the decision to put in place social distancing and accepted the economic hardship that it 's creating , and that we would have stuck to it to get transmission down to a very low level . ''
A study done this month by a Columbia University research team suggests the number of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considerably lower had Americans been told sooner to stay home and maintain social distancing .
A `` pre-print '' version of the report — meaning it has yet to be peer-reviewed — finds that `` 55 % of reported deaths as of May 3 , 2020 , could have been avoided if the same control measures had been implemented just one week earlier . ''
By that measure , the nationwide death toll on that date of 65,307 could have instead stood at 29,410 — meaning nearly 36,000 lives might have been saved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this means for the next time we have a pandemic with a new virus , '' said Jeffrey Shaman , one of the study 's co-authors .
`` The lesson is really what are we doing with this virus as we move forward that it is n't going anywhere and that we still have to contend with it . ''
Asked about the Columbia University study , President Trump dismissed it last week as `` just a political hit job . ''
The number of Americans killed by the pandemic appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection in November .
His predictions have gone up and down several times .
`` We have it totally under control .
It 's one person coming in from China , '' Trump told CNBC on Jan. 22 , one day after the CDC confirmed the first COVID-19 case in the United States .
`` We have it under control .
It 's going to be just fine . ''
Five weeks later , on Feb. 27 — almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a `` public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump continued to downplay the threat posed by the coronavirus .
`` You have 15 people , and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero , '' Trump declared at a White House coronavirus task force briefing .
`` That 's a pretty good job we 've done . ''
But the numbers kept rising .
By the end of March , with the WHO having already declared a global pandemic , Johns Hopkins was reporting more than 188,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was when Trump executed an abrupt U-turn in his effort to manage public expectations : For the first time , he broached the possibility that the pandemic — far from nearing zero — could indeed end up claiming 100,000 U.S. lives .
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on March 29 , Trump cited new mortality projections by Dr. Deborah Birx , response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force , and Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
The two had predicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the pandemic could cause 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. ; if such measures were taken , the toll could be between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths over an unspecified period of time .
`` And so , if we can hold that down , as we 're saying , to 100,000 — that 's a horrible number — maybe even less , but to 100,000 , '' Trump said , `` so we have between 100- and 200,000 — we all , together , have done a very good job . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from supporters to reopen the economy , Trump was back to lowering public expectations about how many lives the pandemic might claim .
`` One is too many .
But we 're going toward 50- or 60,000 people , '' Trump declared on April 20 .
`` That 's at the lower — as you know , the low number was supposed to be 100,000 people .
We — we could end up at 50 to 60 . ''
Trump appeared to be relying on one of the lowest of a dozen fatality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 60,000 to 115,000 deaths modeled by the University of Washington 's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation .
But a week later , with social distancing measures being eased , the institute practically doubled those projected numbers , forecasting that nearly 135,000 — and possibly as many as 242,890 — people would die by August in the U.S. from COVID-19 .
The institute 's Murray said the earlier calculations had been made assuming every state would hold off on loosening social distancing measures until new infections had dropped to a very low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started relaxing the mandates , people start changing their behavior as the national discussion about reopening the economy became pretty dominant , '' said Murray , adding that his team realized keeping those mandates in place until early June `` was just not going to happen .
And so that 's what led to our major change in the modeling 's strategy and assumptions . ''
Trump , for his part , once again raised his predictions about how many lives in the U.S. the pandemic would claim .
`` I used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 during a Fox News interview held at the Lincoln Memorial .
`` And now I 'm saying 80 or 90 , and it goes up and it goes up rapidly .
But it 's still going to be , no matter how you look at it , at the very lower end of the plane . ''
By mid-May , all of the dozen forecasting models for COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. tracked by the CDC surpassed Trump 's latest predictions .
`` All forecast an increase in deaths in the coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in his first public comment on expected deaths , tweeted on May 15 .
Every one of those models , he added , predicted `` a cumulative total exceeding 100,000 by June 1 . ''
Many more deaths expected — and funerals With all 50 states now separately dropping some or all of their social distancing restrictions , health experts warn that the U.S. coronavirus death toll could climb much higher than the approximately 140,000 by August that many of them have been predicting .
`` Now we 're almost getting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the economic hardship and we 're relaxing , '' Murray said .
`` And it seems either now or in the fall , we 're going to have a big second wave , and we 'll be right back to dealing with pressure on the hospital system and dealing with , when is the peak surge coming ? ''
Columbia University 's Shaman said the U.S. has to keep suppressing the spread of COVID-19 while having an acceptable level of a functioning economy .
`` That 's the hard problem we 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure that out and we loosen restrictions , '' Shaman said .
`` If we have these flare-ups , we have to be willing to immediately recognize them and tamp back down and not wait and not dither .
And that goes both for communities that have experienced the virus already and those that have not experienced it as much . ''
And there 's another challenge : Many of the 100,000 who have died have not yet had proper send-offs .
`` It 's been stunning to me that we have had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with as little attention to all those deaths , '' said Dr. Ashish Jha , director of the Harvard Global Health Institute .
`` I think one of the reasons we 've had so little attention to all of this is because we 've not had the kind of public mourning that comes with mass casualties like this . ''
Jha said he expects that as the U.S. opens up from its social isolation , those who have grieved privately will be holding postponed funerals , burials and other commemorations .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this calamity is going to become much more apparent to people in the upcoming days and weeks , '' Jha added .
`` So people are going to , I think , really come to grips with how awful these last couple of months have been . ''

'We All Feel At Risk': 100,000 People Dead From COVID-19 In The U.S.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has reached a somber milestone: As of Wednesday afternoon, the highly infectious viral disease has taken more than 100,000 lives nationwide.
Soaring from two known coronavirus fatalities in February to more than 58,000 in April, the tally of U.S. deaths — in a country with fewer than 5% of the world's inhabitants — now accounts for nearly one-third of all the known lives lost worldwide to the pandemic.
According to a mortality analysis by Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center, about 6% of the nearly 1.7 million people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the U.S. have succumbed to the disease.
Public health experts said the coronavirus has exposed the vulnerability of a wide range of Americans and the shortcomings of a U.S. health care system faced with a deadly pandemic.
"What is different about this is, it is affecting all of us in a variety of ways, even if some of us are able to social distance in more effective ways than others," said sociology professor Kathleen Cagney, who directs the University of Chicago's Population Research Center. "But we all feel at risk."
Even some who are well-acquainted with earlier health scourges in the U.S. were caught off guard by this one.
"I think anybody who understands anything about infectious disease recognizes that we were going to sooner or later face something like this," said John Barry, a professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, on NPR's Fresh Air earlier this month. "But, you know, intellectually understanding it is one thing, and having it hit you is something quite different."
Demographic disparities in deaths
People have died from the disease in all 50 states and most U.S. territories. But the impact has been felt unevenly. Demographic statistics that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted of the first nearly 69,000 fatalities show some striking disparities:
— The disease has been far deadlier for males than females. For age groups up to 75 years old, about twice as many men and boys have been killed by COVID-19 as have women and girls.
— Older people have died in much greater numbers than those who are younger. Eighty percent of the known fatalities were at least 65.
— Racial and ethnic disparities in who is dying have also become apparent, even while tracking data that Johns Hopkins has compiled remain incomplete.
In Alabama, for example, 44% of those killed by COVID-19 were black in a state where fewer than 27% of its residents are African American. Similarly, while African Americans make up 14% of Michigan's population, they account for 40% of that state's COVID-19 fatalities.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
Native American communities have also been hit especially hard by the pandemic. In Arizona, Native Americans account for about 5% of the population but make up nearly 17% of that state's COVID-19 fatalities.
The University of Chicago's Cagney said that differences in socioeconomic status — and thus the ability to practice social distancing — are contributing to COVID-19's uneven lethal impact.
"If you look at the locations where people are disproportionately dying, they are in places that are lower income," Cagney said. "They are places that likely have multiple residents in a single-unit space. They are places where people rely on public transit and rely on services like big-box locations, where by entry alone you're putting yourself at risk."
The degree of devastation wrought by the pathogen has taken even some public health experts by surprise.
"Back in March, I did not think this would be possible — I was not expecting 100,000 deaths," said Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
"I really believed we as a nation would have taken the decision to put in place social distancing and accepted the economic hardship that it's creating, and that we would have stuck to it to get transmission down to a very low level."
A study done this month by a Columbia University research team suggests the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. could have been considerably lower had Americans been told sooner to stay home and maintain social distancing.
A "pre-print" version of the report — meaning it has yet to be peer-reviewed — finds that "55% of reported deaths as of May 3, 2020, could have been avoided if the same control measures had been implemented just one week earlier."
By that measure, the nationwide death toll on that date of 65,307 could have instead stood at 29,410 — meaning nearly 36,000 lives might have been saved.
"The lesson isn't what this means for the next time we have a pandemic with a new virus," said Jeffrey Shaman, one of the study's co-authors. "The lesson is really what are we doing with this virus as we move forward that it isn't going anywhere and that we still have to contend with it."
Asked about the Columbia University study, President Trump dismissed it last week as "just a political hit job."
A roller-coaster ride of presidential predictions
The number of Americans killed by the pandemic appears to be a sensitive subject for a president seeking reelection in November. His predictions have gone up and down several times.
"We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China," Trump told CNBC on Jan. 22, one day after the CDC confirmed the first COVID-19 case in the United States. "We have it under control. It's going to be just fine."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
Five weeks later, on Feb. 27 — almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" — Trump continued to downplay the threat posed by the coronavirus.
"You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero," Trump declared at a White House coronavirus task force briefing. "That's a pretty good job we've done."
But the numbers kept rising. By the end of March, with the WHO having already declared a global pandemic, Johns Hopkins was reporting more than 188,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and some 5,500 deaths.
That was when Trump executed an abrupt U-turn in his effort to manage public expectations: For the first time, he broached the possibility that the pandemic — far from nearing zero — could indeed end up claiming 100,000 U.S. lives.
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on March 29, Trump cited new mortality projections by Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The two had predicted that if no preventive measures were taken, the pandemic could cause 2.2 million deaths in the U.S.; if such measures were taken, the toll could be between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths over an unspecified period of time.
"And so, if we can hold that down, as we're saying, to 100,000 — that's a horrible number — maybe even less, but to 100,000," Trump said, "so we have between 100- and 200,000 — we all, together, have done a very good job."
Three weeks later, amid mounting pressure from supporters to reopen the economy, Trump was back to lowering public expectations about how many lives the pandemic might claim.
"One is too many. But we're going toward 50- or 60,000 people," Trump declared on April 20. "That's at the lower — as you know, the low number was supposed to be 100,000 people. We — we could end up at 50 to 60."
Trump appeared to be relying on one of the lowest of a dozen fatality estimates at the time, a range of 60,000 to 115,000 deaths modeled by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Wenig/AP Seth Wenig/AP
But a week later, with social distancing measures being eased, the institute practically doubled those projected numbers, forecasting that nearly 135,000 — and possibly as many as 242,890 — people would die by August in the U.S. from COVID-19.
The institute's Murray said the earlier calculations had been made assuming every state would hold off on loosening social distancing measures until new infections had dropped to a very low level.
"But even before people started relaxing the mandates, people start changing their behavior as the national discussion about reopening the economy became pretty dominant," said Murray, adding that his team realized keeping those mandates in place until early June "was just not going to happen. And so that's what led to our major change in the modeling's strategy and assumptions."
Trump, for his part, once again raised his predictions about how many lives in the U.S. the pandemic would claim.
"I used to say 65,000," he declared May 3 during a Fox News interview held at the Lincoln Memorial. "And now I'm saying 80 or 90, and it goes up and it goes up rapidly. But it's still going to be, no matter how you look at it, at the very lower end of the plane."
By mid-May, all of the dozen forecasting models for COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. tracked by the CDC surpassed Trump's latest predictions.
"All forecast an increase in deaths in the coming weeks," CDC Director Robert Redfield, in his first public comment on expected deaths, tweeted on May 15. Every one of those models, he added, predicted "a cumulative total exceeding 100,000 by June 1."
Many more deaths expected — and funerals
With all 50 states now separately dropping some or all of their social distancing restrictions, health experts warn that the U.S. coronavirus death toll could climb much higher than the approximately 140,000 by August that many of them have been predicting.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images
"Now we're almost getting the worst of both worlds — we're getting the economic hardship and we're relaxing," Murray said. "And it seems either now or in the fall, we're going to have a big second wave, and we'll be right back to dealing with pressure on the hospital system and dealing with, when is the peak surge coming?"
Columbia University's Shaman said the U.S. has to keep suppressing the spread of COVID-19 while having an acceptable level of a functioning economy.
"That's the hard problem we're trying to address as we try to figure that out and we loosen restrictions," Shaman said. "If we have these flare-ups, we have to be willing to immediately recognize them and tamp back down and not wait and not dither. And that goes both for communities that have experienced the virus already and those that have not experienced it as much."
And there's another challenge: Many of the 100,000 who have died have not yet had proper send-offs.
"It's been stunning to me that we have had as much death as we've had, with as little attention to all those deaths," said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. "I think one of the reasons we've had so little attention to all of this is because we've not had the kind of public mourning that comes with mass casualties like this."
Jha said he expects that as the U.S. opens up from its social isolation, those who have grieved privately will be holding postponed funerals, burials and other commemorations.
"I think the sort of the weight of this calamity is going to become much more apparent to people in the upcoming days and weeks," Jha added. "So people are going to, I think, really come to grips with how awful these last couple of months have been."


npr--2020-05-27--Medical Groups Ask FDA To Ease Access To Abortion Pill During The Pandemic

Medical Groups Ask FDA To Ease Access To Abortion Pill During The Pandemic Reproductive rights advocates are suing the Trump administration , asking a federal court to suspend restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone during the coronavirus pandemic .
The drug mifepristone was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 20 years ago for use in medication abortions in early pregnancy .
It 's also used to help manage miscarriages for some women trying to avoid surgery .
In a federal lawsuit filed in Maryland on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( ACOG ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Union requests an emergency order lifting regulations requiring patients in the United States to pick up the drug at a hospital or medical facility .
Julia Kaye , an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union , said that requirement is putting patients at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic .
`` A patient who has already been evaluated by a clinician , either through telemedicine or at a prior in person visit , still must make this entirely unnecessary trip just to pick up their prescription , '' Kaye said during a conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifting the restrictions , called the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy or REMS , and has said they are medically unnecessary to preserve patient safety .
In 2017 , the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit in Hawaii , seeking to force the FDA to remove the REMS for mifepristone .
But this new lawsuit is more narrow , Kaye said , in asking the court to suspend the rules during the pandemic only .
The lawsuit asks for an emergency order allowing the mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail or by pharmacies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of medicine , federal agencies `` have taken substantial action ... to encourage telemedicine use '' and `` forego unnecessary in-person visits '' during the coronavirus crisis .
Abortion rights opponents have asked the FDA to keep the regulations in place during the pandemic , arguing that women should be required to see a doctor before taking abortion pills .

Medical Groups Ask FDA To Ease Access To Abortion Pill During The Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
Reproductive rights advocates are suing the Trump administration, asking a federal court to suspend restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone during the coronavirus pandemic.
The drug mifepristone was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 20 years ago for use in medication abortions in early pregnancy. It's also used to help manage miscarriages for some women trying to avoid surgery.
In a federal lawsuit filed in Maryland on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other groups, the American Civil Liberties Union requests an emergency order lifting regulations requiring patients in the United States to pick up the drug at a hospital or medical facility.
Julia Kaye, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said that requirement is putting patients at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A patient who has already been evaluated by a clinician, either through telemedicine or at a prior in person visit, still must make this entirely unnecessary trip just to pick up their prescription," Kaye said during a conference call announcing the lawsuit.
ACOG supports lifting the restrictions, called the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy or REMS, and has said they are medically unnecessary to preserve patient safety. In 2017, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit in Hawaii, seeking to force the FDA to remove the REMS for mifepristone.
But this new lawsuit is more narrow, Kaye said, in asking the court to suspend the rules during the pandemic only. The lawsuit asks for an emergency order allowing the mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail or by pharmacies. It notes that in other areas of medicine, federal agencies "have taken substantial action ... to encourage telemedicine use" and "forego unnecessary in-person visits" during the coronavirus crisis.
Abortion rights opponents have asked the FDA to keep the regulations in place during the pandemic, arguing that women should be required to see a doctor before taking abortion pills.


npr--2020-05-27--Poll Shows Only A Quarter Of African Americans Plan To Get Coronavirus Vaccine

Poll Shows Only A Quarter Of African Americans Plan To Get Coronavirus Vaccine As the federal government , public health experts and scientists push toward a coronavirus vaccine , a new survey suggests only about half of Americans say they will get one when it becomes available .
The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 49 % of Americans overall say they plan to get a vaccination , while 31 % of respondents say they are unsure if they will get vaccinated .
The survey found 20 % of respondents flat out said they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and race , other disparities begin to emerge .
`` Older Americans , and those who worry that they or someone in their household could be infected with the virus are more inclined to say they will get a coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available , '' researchers said .
`` Black Americans are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to say they do not plan to get the vaccine if it becomes available . ''
Sixty-seven percent of Americans age 60 and older say they will get vaccinated , compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or under .
The survey also found white Americans lead the way as far as willingness to get the vaccine , outpacing black Americans , 56 % to 25 % .
The study found 37 % of Hispanics say they will get a vaccine if it is available .
As NPR and other outlets have reported , the coronavirus has disproportionately ravaged black and Latino communities .
The early hypothesis as to why that is points to long-standing health challenges , particularly among African Americans .
`` Health disparities have always existed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said in an interview with NPR last month .
He added that the crisis is `` shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is . ''
There also is a history of mistrust between black Americans and public health , perhaps most notably after the Tuskegee experiment of the 1930s .
That 's where researchers and the federal government duped hundreds of black men into thinking they were receiving medical treatments for `` bad blood '' when in reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of untreated syphilis .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out the experiment was slated to last for six months but it went on for 40 years .
Of the overall respondents that say they will not get the vaccine , 70 % raise concerns about the side effects and 42 % say they are fearful of contracting the virus from the vaccine .
It is important to note that the best estimates for any COVID-19 vaccine becoming available is still months away , so the 1,056 adults surveyed are responding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some experts suggest aiming for hundreds of millions of doses of the eventual vaccine to be ready for distribution in the United States by January 2021 .
The survey was conducted May 14-18 and has a margin of sample error of 4.2 percentage points .

Poll Shows Only A Quarter Of African Americans Plan To Get Coronavirus Vaccine
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
As the federal government, public health experts and scientists push toward a coronavirus vaccine, a new survey suggests only about half of Americans say they will get one when it becomes available.
The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 49% of Americans overall say they plan to get a vaccination, while 31% of respondents say they are unsure if they will get vaccinated. The survey found 20% of respondents flat out said they will not.
When broken down by age and race, other disparities begin to emerge.
"Older Americans, and those who worry that they or someone in their household could be infected with the virus are more inclined to say they will get a coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available," researchers said.
"Black Americans are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to say they do not plan to get the vaccine if it becomes available."
Sixty-seven percent of Americans age 60 and older say they will get vaccinated, compared 40% among those 59 years old or under.
The survey also found white Americans lead the way as far as willingness to get the vaccine, outpacing black Americans, 56% to 25%. The study found 37% of Hispanics say they will get a vaccine if it is available.
As NPR and other outlets have reported, the coronavirus has disproportionately ravaged black and Latino communities. The early hypothesis as to why that is points to long-standing health challenges, particularly among African Americans.
"Health disparities have always existed for the African-American community," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with NPR last month.
He added that the crisis is "shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is."
There also is a history of mistrust between black Americans and public health, perhaps most notably after the Tuskegee experiment of the 1930s.
That's where researchers and the federal government duped hundreds of black men into thinking they were receiving medical treatments for "bad blood" when in reality the scientists were allowing them to die of untreated syphilis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out the experiment was slated to last for six months but it went on for 40 years.
Of the overall respondents that say they will not get the vaccine, 70% raise concerns about the side effects and 42% say they are fearful of contracting the virus from the vaccine.
It is important to note that the best estimates for any COVID-19 vaccine becoming available is still months away, so the 1,056 adults surveyed are responding to what is still a hypothetical scenario.
Some experts suggest aiming for hundreds of millions of doses of the eventual vaccine to be ready for distribution in the United States by January 2021.
The survey was conducted May 14-18 and has a margin of sample error of 4.2 percentage points.


npr--2020-05-27--Federal Government Approves Methadone Deliveries During Pandemic

New York City launched a methadone delivery program last month so that patients wo n't have to leave home during the pandemic to get their next dose .
Methadone , a highly regulated medication for opioid addiction , has to be taken every day , otherwise patients risk a painful withdrawal .
Normally , methadone has to be picked up from a treatment center .
But now , the federal government says patients in quarantine can get their methadone delivered to them , if they follow security protocols .
Earlier this month , Ana Pagan , 57 , had her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York , Brooklyn for the first time .
`` I do n't know how to say how I feel because it 's too many emotions going through , but it 's wonderful , '' she says .
Pagan got on methadone eight years ago to fight a heroin addiction , and normally she has to trek to downtown Brooklyn every couple of days to get her supply .
Now , she says she 's grateful that she wo n't have to make that trip during social distancing measures amid the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to go out , especially now because I 'm scared .
I really am . ''
New York City has the capacity to make 1,300 of these deliveries every month .
But since the program started in mid-April , only 70 deliveries have been made .
That 's according to Dr. Denise Paone , a research director at the health department who helped design the program .
`` There are also concerns like is the person stable enough ?
Do they have a safe place to store their medication ? ''
Paone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is trying to ramp up the number of referrals to the program by hosting webinars and daily calls with doctors to answer questions .
Nick Langworthy , chairman of the New York State Republican Party , says he would rather see the health department hand out personal protective equipment to law enforcement officers than invest in this delivery program .
`` Methadone abuse is a very real problem and at it 's best it should only be administered under the care and direct supervision of a treatment facility , '' he says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oxiris Barbot says she 'll encourage the federal government to keep its new , more flexible regulations in place , if data show that the program is helping patients .

Federal Government Approves Methadone Deliveries During Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivia Reingold/NPR Olivia Reingold/NPR
New York City launched a methadone delivery program last month so that patients won't have to leave home during the pandemic to get their next dose. Methadone, a highly regulated medication for opioid addiction, has to be taken every day, otherwise patients risk a painful withdrawal.
Normally, methadone has to be picked up from a treatment center. But now, the federal government says patients in quarantine can get their methadone delivered to them, if they follow security protocols.
Earlier this month, Ana Pagan, 57, had her medication delivered to her house in East New York, Brooklyn for the first time.
"I don't know how to say how I feel because it's too many emotions going through, but it's wonderful," she says.
Pagan got on methadone eight years ago to fight a heroin addiction, and normally she has to trek to downtown Brooklyn every couple of days to get her supply. Now, she says she's grateful that she won't have to make that trip during social distancing measures amid the pandemic.
"I love that I don't have to go out, especially now because I'm scared. I really am."
New York City has the capacity to make 1,300 of these deliveries every month. But since the program started in mid-April, only 70 deliveries have been made. That's according to Dr. Denise Paone, a research director at the health department who helped design the program.
"There are also concerns like is the person stable enough? Do they have a safe place to store their medication?" Paone tells NPR.
Paone says the city is trying to ramp up the number of referrals to the program by hosting webinars and daily calls with doctors to answer questions.
Nick Langworthy, chairman of the New York State Republican Party, says he would rather see the health department hand out personal protective equipment to law enforcement officers than invest in this delivery program.
"Methadone abuse is a very real problem and at it's best it should only be administered under the care and direct supervision of a treatment facility," he says.
New York City's Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot says she'll encourage the federal government to keep its new, more flexible regulations in place, if data show that the program is helping patients.


npr--2020-05-27--National Women's Soccer League To Return In June To Play Tournament

National Women 's Soccer League To Return In June To Play Tournament The National Women 's Soccer League announced Wednesday that it will return in June to play a 25-game tournament without fans .
The league 's nine teams are set to gather in Utah to play for 30 days , according to a statement the league sent out Wednesday .
All players , officials and staff members will be tested two days before their arrival in Utah and will be subject to consistent coronavirus testing and symptom review during the tournament , according to the statement .
The matches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburbs of Salt Lake City .
The teams will begin the tournament at the smaller Zions Bank Stadium and play the semifinals and finals in Rio Tinto Stadium , home of the hosting Utah Royals FC .
According to the league 's protocols , facilities will close immediately if a player or staff member tests positive for the coronavirus .
Then contact tracing will take place for all individuals on the team of the infected person and an opposing team if a game took place within 48 hours of the positive test .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since October when the North Carolina Courage won the 2019 NWSL Championship .
The upcoming tournament is set to start on June 27 , with the championship match slated for July 26 .
`` As our country begins to safely reopen and adjust to our collective new reality , and with the enthusiastic support of our players , owners , as well as our new and current commercial partners , the NWSL is thrilled to bring professional soccer back to the United States , '' NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in support of the NWSL tournament , noting that each player will have the option to participate in the event .
`` Everyone at the league and individual clubs have put in a tremendous amount of hard work to make sure the environment in Utah will be as safe as possible for all involved , and we are looking forward to the return of the NWSL as women 's soccer continues to grow and prosper , '' U.S. Soccer said .
The New York Times reported Wednesday that it 's unclear how many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ players , who won the World Cup last summer , will choose to participate in the event .
The Times reported that some players have cited concerns about the coronavirus pandemic or the possibility of injuries due to the compressed schedule and games played on artificial turf .
Television network CBS will broadcast the opener and final , and other games will be aired on CBS ' streaming platform .
Outside the U.S. and Canada , the games will be streamed on Twitch .

National Women's Soccer League To Return In June To Play Tournament
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The National Women's Soccer League announced Wednesday that it will return in June to play a 25-game tournament without fans.
The league's nine teams are set to gather in Utah to play for 30 days, according to a statement the league sent out Wednesday. All players, officials and staff members will be tested two days before their arrival in Utah and will be subject to consistent coronavirus testing and symptom review during the tournament, according to the statement.
The matches will be played in stadiums in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. The teams will begin the tournament at the smaller Zions Bank Stadium and play the semifinals and finals in Rio Tinto Stadium, home of the hosting Utah Royals FC.
According to the league's protocols, facilities will close immediately if a player or staff member tests positive for the coronavirus. Then contact tracing will take place for all individuals on the team of the infected person and an opposing team if a game took place within 48 hours of the positive test.
The league hasn't played a game since October when the North Carolina Courage won the 2019 NWSL Championship. The upcoming tournament is set to start on June 27, with the championship match slated for July 26.
"As our country begins to safely reopen and adjust to our collective new reality, and with the enthusiastic support of our players, owners, as well as our new and current commercial partners, the NWSL is thrilled to bring professional soccer back to the United States," NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said in a statement.
U.S. Soccer also released a statement in support of the NWSL tournament, noting that each player will have the option to participate in the event.
"Everyone at the league and individual clubs have put in a tremendous amount of hard work to make sure the environment in Utah will be as safe as possible for all involved, and we are looking forward to the return of the NWSL as women's soccer continues to grow and prosper," U.S. Soccer said.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that it's unclear how many of the U.S. women's national team players, who won the World Cup last summer, will choose to participate in the event. The Times reported that some players have cited concerns about the coronavirus pandemic or the possibility of injuries due to the compressed schedule and games played on artificial turf.
Television network CBS will broadcast the opener and final, and other games will be aired on CBS' streaming platform. Outside the U.S. and Canada, the games will be streamed on Twitch.


npr--2020-05-27--'No Reasonable Person Can Assert' Hong Kong Has Autonomy From China, Pompeo Says

'No Reasonable Person Can Assert ' Hong Kong Has Autonomy From China , Pompeo Says U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he has reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China , a move that may have major implications for the trade relationship between the U.S. and the former British colony .
`` After careful study of developments over the reporting period , I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement released Wednesday .
`` No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China , given facts on the ground . ''
The secretary announced his decision at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China .
President Trump has blamed Chinese authorities for failing to prevent the coronavirus from becoming a global pandemic , noting that his administration is `` not going to take it lightly . ''
And earlier this month the Senate trained its legislative fire on China , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some foreign companies off U.S. stock exchanges .
The State Department also has pushed back hard against China 's recent plans for an aggressive new security law that would criminalize behavior in Hong Kong seen as critical of Beijing .
In a statement shortly after news of the proposed legislation surfaced , Pompeo called it `` a death knell for the high degree of autonomy . ''
For more than two decades , the semiautonomous region has been governed under a principle Beijing calls `` one country , two systems , '' which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communist economic and legal systems practiced on mainland China .
Partly for that reason , the U.S. treats Hong Kong as separate from the rest of China as long as the city remains sufficiently autonomous .
But the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong 's residents has grown increasingly fraught in recent years , with the city periodically erupting into massive demonstration against what protesters and the U.S. call Beijing 's attempts to encroach on its freedoms .
The region again saw clashes between protesters and riot police last weekend .
One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joshua Wong , urged leaders abroad to reconsider whether its `` special trade status can still be held since , once the law is implemented , Hong Kong will be assimilated into China 's authoritarian regime , on both rule of law and human rights protections . ''
Now , that status appears in jeopardy with the Trump administration 's reappraisal .
`` Hong Kong and its dynamic , enterprising and free people have flourished for decades as a bastion of liberty , and this decision gives me no pleasure , '' Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires a recognition of reality .
While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China , it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself . ''

'No Reasonable Person Can Assert' Hong Kong Has Autonomy From China, Pompeo Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he has reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, a move that may have major implications for the trade relationship between the U.S. and the former British colony.
"After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997," Pompeo said in a statement released Wednesday. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground."
The secretary announced his decision at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China. President Trump has blamed Chinese authorities for failing to prevent the coronavirus from becoming a global pandemic, noting that his administration is "not going to take it lightly." And earlier this month the Senate trained its legislative fire on China, with a unanimously passed bill that could force some foreign companies off U.S. stock exchanges.
The State Department also has pushed back hard against China's recent plans for an aggressive new security law that would criminalize behavior in Hong Kong seen as critical of Beijing. In a statement shortly after news of the proposed legislation surfaced, Pompeo called it "a death knell for the high degree of autonomy."
For more than two decades, the semiautonomous region has been governed under a principle Beijing calls "one country, two systems," which allows Hong Kong certain freedoms from the communist economic and legal systems practiced on mainland China. Partly for that reason, the U.S. treats Hong Kong as separate from the rest of China as long as the city remains sufficiently autonomous.
But the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong's residents has grown increasingly fraught in recent years, with the city periodically erupting into massive demonstration against what protesters and the U.S. call Beijing's attempts to encroach on its freedoms. The region again saw clashes between protesters and riot police last weekend.
One of Hong Kong's most prominent activists, Joshua Wong, urged leaders abroad to reconsider whether its "special trade status can still be held since, once the law is implemented, Hong Kong will be assimilated into China's authoritarian regime, on both rule of law and human rights protections."
Now, that status appears in jeopardy with the Trump administration's reappraisal.
"Hong Kong and its dynamic, enterprising and free people have flourished for decades as a bastion of liberty, and this decision gives me no pleasure," Pompeo said Wednesday.
"But sound policymaking requires a recognition of reality. While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself."
NPR's Michele Kelemen contributed to this report.


npr--2020-05-27--House Casts Its 1st Remote Votes, With Parties Still Divided On The Issue

House Casts Its 1st Remote Votes , With Parties Still Divided On The Issue The pressure is on for Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego .
For the first time , he traveled to Washington , D.C. with elaborate instructions to vote on behalf of two of his colleagues .
Gallego can do this under historic new rules allowing proxy voting .
So for two days of legislative floor action , Gallego will call his colleagues — Democratic Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán of California and Filemon Vela of Texas — before every vote , amendment and other key developments .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I double check and triple check their phone calls , emails and texts and then I 'll double check with the clerk as I 'm voting for them , '' Gallego says with a laugh .
`` I do n't want to mess this up for them , I want to make sure I do it right and try to not at least not embarrass myself . ''
One by one , Gallego and other members lined up on the House floor to announce their colleagues ' intentions during the first vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval of a human rights policy bill urging protection of the Uighurs , a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China .
The measure was easily approved 413-1 .
In all , more than 70 members submitted noticed to the House clerk 's office that a colleague would vote on their behalf .
All are Democrats and the issue has become a partisan flashpoint about whether the House should reopen for business as usual as states around the country are taking steps to get people back to work .
Earlier this month , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hearings for the first time in the chamber 's history .
Now , a member can vote on behalf of up to 10 colleagues who are unable to travel to the Capitol during the coronavirus pandemic .
Some Democrats closer to Washington , D.C. , including Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia and Jamie Raskin of Maryland , were in even higher demand with plans to vote on behalf of five of their colleagues or more .
It marks the most significant change to the way the House votes since it allowed electronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The new rules were adopted on May 15 along a straight party line vote .
The change was spurred along by the worsening pandemic , which forced the House to extend its recess in the midst of an outbreak on Capitol Hill and as public health risks were assessed .
The chamber has only held a handful of votes related to coronavirus legislation in the last two months .
Texas Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez , who voted by proxy , defended the practice .
Gonzalez seriously injured his back earlier this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his home , and now has to recuperate for several weeks .
He designated a member in his state 's delegation , Rep. Henry Cuellar , to vote on his behalf this week .
`` In times of crisis , our nation must adapt .
It 's past time we modernized Congress ' voting system to allow for remote voting during national emergencies , '' Gonzalez said .
`` Proxy voting allows for Members of Congress to continue working for the people while following the advice of medical professionals to limit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me to represent the people of my district and vote on their behalf despite my recent injuries . ''
However , Republicans have argued proxy voting bucks the chamber 's 231-year institutional history and sets a dangerous precedent .
Late Tuesday , they filed a federal lawsuit to stop the plan on grounds it was unconstitutional .
`` That is why I stand with the members behind me and the constituents across this country in upholding the Constitution , exactly what we swore we would do , '' said House Minority Leader Kevin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming , Steve Scalise of Louisiana and other members , at a morning news conference criticizing Democratic leaders .
McCarthy , Cheney and Scalise are among more than 20 Republican House members and four constituents listed as plaintiffs in the suit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other officials .
Cheney had previously touted the concept of remote voting , but says she 's not on board now because Democrats installed it without bipartisan support .
`` There are ways that we can work together , as I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about wanting to do that , '' she said .
But `` this is not a time for partisanship .
It 's not a time to try to take partisan advantage of a crisis . ''
The House was slated to consider more than a half dozen bills Wednesday and Thursday , including a measure on reforming a popular small business loan program during the pandemic .
Also on Wednesday , the House Rules Committee held the chamber 's first remote hearing via video conference .
It was beset with its own challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficulties as some members gave their presentations .
`` There 's really no excuse to not gather in the same room , '' an obviously frustrated Rep. Warren Davidson , R-Ohio , said during the meeting .
`` And frankly , it 's the United States Congress , so if we need to rent out a freaking stadium , then we should be able to rent a stadium and operate . ''
Under the new rules , committees must hold a virtual practice session , followed by two remote hearings .
Once those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold a markup by video conference as well .
For now , committees are directed to use Cisco Webex to connect .
Later Wednesday , Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , led by ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio , threatened to boycott their future virtual hearings .
They documented grievances of `` quasi-hearings '' by video conference and technical glitches in a letter to the panel 's chair , Rep. Carolyn Maloney , D-N.Y. '' Beyond the unprecedented nature of operating the House in this manner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day perspective , '' the letter said .

House Casts Its 1st Remote Votes, With Parties Still Divided On The Issue
Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Updated at 5:30 p.m. ET
The pressure is on for Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.
For the first time, he traveled to Washington, D.C. with elaborate instructions to vote on behalf of two of his colleagues. Gallego can do this under historic new rules allowing proxy voting.
So for two days of legislative floor action, Gallego will call his colleagues — Democratic Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán of California and Filemon Vela of Texas — before every vote, amendment and other key developments.
"I'm just going to make sure that I double check and triple check their phone calls, emails and texts and then I'll double check with the clerk as I'm voting for them," Gallego says with a laugh. "I don't want to mess this up for them, I want to make sure I do it right and try to not at least not embarrass myself."
One by one, Gallego and other members lined up on the House floor to announce their colleagues' intentions during the first vote series on Wednesday. It was for approval of a human rights policy bill urging protection of the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China. The measure was easily approved 413-1.
In all, more than 70 members submitted noticed to the House clerk's office that a colleague would vote on their behalf. All are Democrats and the issue has become a partisan flashpoint about whether the House should reopen for business as usual as states around the country are taking steps to get people back to work.
Earlier this month, the House approved new rules allowing remote voting and hearings for the first time in the chamber's history. Now, a member can vote on behalf of up to 10 colleagues who are unable to travel to the Capitol during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some Democrats closer to Washington, D.C., including Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, were in even higher demand with plans to vote on behalf of five of their colleagues or more.
It marks the most significant change to the way the House votes since it allowed electronic voting on the House floor in 1973. The new rules were adopted on May 15 along a straight party line vote.
The change was spurred along by the worsening pandemic, which forced the House to extend its recess in the midst of an outbreak on Capitol Hill and as public health risks were assessed. The chamber has only held a handful of votes related to coronavirus legislation in the last two months.
Texas Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who voted by proxy, defended the practice. Gonzalez seriously injured his back earlier this month when he fell 12 feet while working on his home, and now has to recuperate for several weeks. He designated a member in his state's delegation, Rep. Henry Cuellar, to vote on his behalf this week.
"In times of crisis, our nation must adapt. It's past time we modernized Congress' voting system to allow for remote voting during national emergencies," Gonzalez said. "Proxy voting allows for Members of Congress to continue working for the people while following the advice of medical professionals to limit the spread of COVID-19. This solution allows me to represent the people of my district and vote on their behalf despite my recent injuries."
However, Republicans have argued proxy voting bucks the chamber's 231-year institutional history and sets a dangerous precedent. Late Tuesday, they filed a federal lawsuit to stop the plan on grounds it was unconstitutional.
"That is why I stand with the members behind me and the constituents across this country in upholding the Constitution, exactly what we swore we would do," said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., while flanked by Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and other members, at a morning news conference criticizing Democratic leaders.
McCarthy, Cheney and Scalise are among more than 20 Republican House members and four constituents listed as plaintiffs in the suit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other officials.
Late Tuesday, Pelosi called the move a "sad stunt."
Cheney had previously touted the concept of remote voting, but says she's not on board now because Democrats installed it without bipartisan support.
"There are ways that we can work together, as I said, many of us have been public about wanting to do that," she said. But "this is not a time for partisanship. It's not a time to try to take partisan advantage of a crisis."
The House was slated to consider more than a half dozen bills Wednesday and Thursday, including a measure on reforming a popular small business loan program during the pandemic.
Also on Wednesday, the House Rules Committee held the chamber's first remote hearing via video conference. It was beset with its own challenges, with muting issues and other technical difficulties as some members gave their presentations.
"There's really no excuse to not gather in the same room," an obviously frustrated Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said during the meeting. "And frankly, it's the United States Congress, so if we need to rent out a freaking stadium, then we should be able to rent a stadium and operate."
Under the new rules, committees must hold a virtual practice session, followed by two remote hearings. Once those steps are completed, a panel can hold a markup by video conference as well. For now, committees are directed to use Cisco Webex to connect.
Later Wednesday, Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, threatened to boycott their future virtual hearings. They documented grievances of "quasi-hearings" by video conference and technical glitches in a letter to the panel's chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
"Beyond the unprecedented nature of operating the House in this manner, it is unworkable from a day to day perspective," the letter said.


npr--2020-05-27--WHO Warns Of A 'Second Peak' In Countries That Reopen Too Quickly

WHO Warns Of A 'Second Peak ' In Countries That Reopen Too Quickly The world 's top health officials are warning that there could be a `` second peak '' of coronavirus infections during the current outbreak , separate from a second wave expected in the fall .
As cases decline , officials worry that some countries are lifting restrictions too quickly — the U.S. among them .
What 's key to understanding the different patterns emerging around the globe is recognizing that `` this coronavirus is not the flu , '' said Dr. Margaret Harris , a member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team .
`` A lot of people have put what I 'd call a 'flu lens ' on their expectations .
They keep on thinking it 's seasonal , '' Harris told NPR 's Morning Edition .
`` But if you look around the globe , we 've got countries in the middle of their summer and autumn having large , large outbreaks .
So we 're not seeing a seasonal pattern .
What we are seeing is indeed , when people ease too quickly , that they do then see a rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't say you have to be in lockdown , but we are saying ease carefully . ''
Here are excerpts from the interview : What are you advising the U.S. and other countries to do to prevent a second peak ?
First of all , know your transmission .
Of course , the U.S. is a huge country .
You 've got many , many different states , communities , cities experiencing very different transmission .
...
Therefore , of course , they need to pace it according to what 's really going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ?
You have to be testing .
You have to be tracking .
And you have to have very clear eyes on what 's happening with the transmission in your community so that you can pick your moment .
President Trump has threatened to pull U.S. funding for the WHO or just leave altogether .
Given those tensions , are you concerned that the U.S. is not heeding the advice or the guidance from the WHO ?
The U.S. is a fantastic partner , and the U.S. has got extraordinary depths of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of tensions obviously are a concern .
And we do not want to have the U.S. leave .
We know the world benefits enormously from the public health leadership and the role the U.S. has always played .
And we hope that will continue .
New Zealand 's prime minister , Jacinda Ardern , recently celebrated that the country currently has no one in the hospital being treated for COVID-19 .
And then you look at the U.S. , which is perhaps going to suffer a second peak in the current outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now when you take a broad look at the global impact of this pandemic ?
We 're really seeing very , very large outbreaks in many parts of the world .
In fact , last week , every day we recorded the largest number of new cases that we had seen .
One of the issues is when people see their particular outbreak coming down , they go , `` Well , that 's done , done and dusted . ''
But that is not the case .
Certainly , countries like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done with very clear communication , very clear structure , very clear decisions on what to do when and how , and its very , very strong commitment by everyone in the community .
Listen to the full interview at the audio link above .

WHO Warns Of A 'Second Peak' In Countries That Reopen Too Quickly
Enlarge this image toggle caption Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
The world's top health officials are warning that there could be a "second peak" of coronavirus infections during the current outbreak, separate from a second wave expected in the fall. As cases decline, officials worry that some countries are lifting restrictions too quickly — the U.S. among them.
What's key to understanding the different patterns emerging around the globe is recognizing that "this coronavirus is not the flu," said Dr. Margaret Harris, a member of the World Health Organization's coronavirus response team.
"A lot of people have put what I'd call a 'flu lens' on their expectations. They keep on thinking it's seasonal," Harris told NPR's Morning Edition.
"But if you look around the globe, we've got countries in the middle of their summer and autumn having large, large outbreaks. So we're not seeing a seasonal pattern. What we are seeing is indeed, when people ease too quickly, that they do then see a rise in infections. So we certainly don't say you have to be in lockdown, but we are saying ease carefully."
Here are excerpts from the interview:
What are you advising the U.S. and other countries to do to prevent a second peak?
First of all, know your transmission. Of course, the U.S. is a huge country. You've got many, many different states, communities, cities experiencing very different transmission. ... Therefore, of course, they need to pace it according to what's really going on. So how do you know that? You have to be testing. You have to be tracking. And you have to have very clear eyes on what's happening with the transmission in your community so that you can pick your moment.
President Trump has threatened to pull U.S. funding for the WHO or just leave altogether. Given those tensions, are you concerned that the U.S. is not heeding the advice or the guidance from the WHO?
The U.S. is a fantastic partner, and the U.S. has got extraordinary depths of great scientific expertise. Now, these sort of tensions obviously are a concern. And we do not want to have the U.S. leave. We know the world benefits enormously from the public health leadership and the role the U.S. has always played. And we hope that will continue.
New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, recently celebrated that the country currently has no one in the hospital being treated for COVID-19. And then you look at the U.S., which is perhaps going to suffer a second peak in the current outbreak. What is the state of affairs right now when you take a broad look at the global impact of this pandemic?
We're really seeing very, very large outbreaks in many parts of the world. In fact, last week, every day we recorded the largest number of new cases that we had seen. One of the issues is when people see their particular outbreak coming down, they go, "Well, that's done, done and dusted." But that is not the case. Certainly, countries like New Zealand have shown what can be done with very clear communication, very clear structure, very clear decisions on what to do when and how, and its very, very strong commitment by everyone in the community.
Listen to the full interview at the audio link above.


npr--2020-05-27--European Union Plans $825 Billion Coronavirus Recovery Fund

`` This is Europe 's moment , '' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament today , as she proposed a massive fund to help Europe recover from the coronavirus pandemic .
`` Things we take for granted are being questioned .
None of that can be fixed by any single country alone . ''
The proposed 750 billion euro ( $ 825 billion ) fund would be made up of 500 billion euros in grants — a package that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week — and 250 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loans .
The money would be raised on the capital markets and would be paid back over a 30-year period starting in 2028 , in part with new taxes including a carbon tax , a digital tax and a tax on non-recycled plastics , according to the European Commission .
Economies across the European Union have been hit hard by the pandemic , with member states like Italy and Spain bearing the brunt .
The proposed recovery package would `` kick-start our economy and ensure Europe bounces forward , '' according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU 's budget to 1.85 trillion euros ( $ 2.03 trillion ) for the next seven years .
For the proposal to go forward , every one of the EU 's 27 member states needs to back it .
Several countries object to taking on more debt .
Austria , the Netherlands , Denmark and Sweden — known as `` the frugal four '' — reject the idea of cash handouts to relatively poorer countries and would prefer to make low-interest loans to the hardest-hit nations .
`` It 's safe to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us and that there wo n't be any decisions made at the next EU leaders conference , '' Merkel said .
`` We must aim to find enough time this autumn for each member state 's national parliament , plus the EU parliament , to vote on this , so that the budget can come into effect on the first of January 2021 . ''

European Union Plans $825 Billion Coronavirus Recovery Fund
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
"This is Europe's moment," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament today, as she proposed a massive fund to help Europe recover from the coronavirus pandemic. "Things we take for granted are being questioned. None of that can be fixed by any single country alone."
The proposed 750 billion euro ($825 billion) fund would be made up of 500 billion euros in grants — a package that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week — and 250 billion euros ($275 billion) in loans.
The money would be raised on the capital markets and would be paid back over a 30-year period starting in 2028, in part with new taxes including a carbon tax, a digital tax and a tax on non-recycled plastics, according to the European Commission.
Economies across the European Union have been hit hard by the pandemic, with member states like Italy and Spain bearing the brunt. The proposed recovery package would "kick-start our economy and ensure Europe bounces forward," according to the Commission. The fund would increase the EU's budget to 1.85 trillion euros ($2.03 trillion) for the next seven years.
For the proposal to go forward, every one of the EU's 27 member states needs to back it. Several countries object to taking on more debt. Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden — known as "the frugal four" — reject the idea of cash handouts to relatively poorer countries and would prefer to make low-interest loans to the hardest-hit nations.
"It's safe to say that we have difficult negotiations ahead of us and that there won't be any decisions made at the next EU leaders conference," Merkel said. "We must aim to find enough time this autumn for each member state's national parliament, plus the EU parliament, to vote on this, so that the budget can come into effect on the first of January 2021."


npr--2020-05-27--GE No Longer Bringing Good Things To 'Light'

For the first time in its nearly 130-year history , General Electric will no longer be making and selling lightbulbs .
GE is selling its lighting business to Savant Systems .
GE was founded in 1892 by a merger between Thomas Edison 's Edison General Electric Co. , which made Edison 's famous incandescent bulb as well as other inventions , and a rival business .
Throughout the 20th century , GE kept making lightbulbs — and carried on Edison 's tradition of experimentation and innovation by perfecting the fluorescent bulb , halogen bulb and LED , among other lighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GE announced plans to cut off its lighting business , which is only a small part of the modern company .
GE may be best known to the public for its lightbulbs and appliances , but the massive conglomerate makes much more money as a lender , defense contractor and manufacturer of everything from jet engines and wind turbines to X-ray machines and ventilators .
GE did not disclose the financial terms of the deal to sell its lighting business .
It says the proposal calls for the GE Lighting brand to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to be headquartered in Cleveland .
The sale brings a final chapter to the often misheard GE slogan : `` We bring good things to life . ''

GE No Longer Bringing Good Things To 'Light'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 5:57 p.m. ET
For the first time in its nearly 130-year history, General Electric will no longer be making and selling lightbulbs. GE is selling its lighting business to Savant Systems.
GE was founded in 1892 by a merger between Thomas Edison's Edison General Electric Co., which made Edison's famous incandescent bulb as well as other inventions, and a rival business.
Throughout the 20th century, GE kept making lightbulbs — and carried on Edison's tradition of experimentation and innovation by perfecting the fluorescent bulb, halogen bulb and LED, among other lighting innovations.
But several years ago, GE announced plans to cut off its lighting business, which is only a small part of the modern company. GE may be best known to the public for its lightbulbs and appliances, but the massive conglomerate makes much more money as a lender, defense contractor and manufacturer of everything from jet engines and wind turbines to X-ray machines and ventilators.
GE did not disclose the financial terms of the deal to sell its lighting business. It says the proposal calls for the GE Lighting brand to live on and for the lighting company to continue to be headquartered in Cleveland.
The sale brings a final chapter to the often misheard GE slogan: "We bring good things to life."


npr--2020-05-27--Disney World And Other Florida Theme Parks Outline Reopening Plans

Several theme parks in Florida will open their doors to guests again over the next few weeks and have crafted plans they hope will keep employees and others safe from spread of the coronavirus .
SeaWorld received approval for its plan to reopen its parks on June 11 .
The plans are expected to be quickly approved by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis .
Universal Orlando has already received the go-ahead from local and state officials for its plan to reopen its parks on June 5 .
Disney World — where dreams come true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to begin welcoming guests back to its parks in central Florida .
The company received approval in Orlando from the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force for its reopening plan .
Jim MacPhee , senior vice president for operations at Walt Disney World , said two parks , Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom , would reopen on July 11 .
Epcot and Disney 's Hollywood Studios are set to reopen on July 15 .
All of the attractions have plans to limit attendance to ensure guests have enough space to remain socially distanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at least initially , reservations will be required at its parks .
The theme parks say that guests and employees will undergo temperature checks upon arrival and that face coverings will be required .
As much as possible , the parks say they 're making interactions between guests and employees contact-free .
In restaurants and retail stores , guests will be able to access menus and pay using their phones .
Signs with health and safety guidelines as well as hand sanitation stations will be prominent throughout the parks .
At Disney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of `` cast members '' — Disney 's name for its employees — will be trained to encourage guests to practice safe behavior .
`` We 're developing a social distance squad , a dedicated team of highly energetic and informative cast members who are committed to engaging and inspiring our guests to follow the appropriate guidelines , '' he said .
SeaWorld will still hold parades and `` meet and greets '' with its characters , keeping guests at a safe distance .
At Disney 's parks , the company said for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ character interactions and other events that draw large crowds wo n't be available .
Before voting to approve the reopening plans for the SeaWorld and Disney World parks , the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force first heard from local health officials .
Cases of COVID-19 are rising in the Orlando area , but officials said the number of people showing up in hospitals for treatment has continued to decline .
But Dr. Raul Pino , with Orange County 's Health Department , warned members of the task force that they should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 cases .
`` The question is not if we are going to have more cases or not .
We are going to have more cases as social activity increases , '' he said .
The key , Pino said , is having enough testing and contact tracing in place to control outbreaks and not overwhelm the region 's hospital system .

Disney World And Other Florida Theme Parks Outline Reopening Plans
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Raoux/AP John Raoux/AP
Several theme parks in Florida will open their doors to guests again over the next few weeks and have crafted plans they hope will keep employees and others safe from spread of the coronavirus.
SeaWorld received approval for its plan to reopen its parks on June 11. The plans are expected to be quickly approved by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Universal Orlando has already received the go-ahead from local and state officials for its plan to reopen its parks on June 5.
Disney World — where dreams come true — said it will wait until July to begin welcoming guests back to its parks in central Florida. The company received approval in Orlando from the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force for its reopening plan. Jim MacPhee, senior vice president for operations at Walt Disney World, said two parks, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, would reopen on July 11. Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are set to reopen on July 15.
All of the attractions have plans to limit attendance to ensure guests have enough space to remain socially distanced within the parks. Disney World said that at least initially, reservations will be required at its parks. The theme parks say that guests and employees will undergo temperature checks upon arrival and that face coverings will be required.
As much as possible, the parks say they're making interactions between guests and employees contact-free. In restaurants and retail stores, guests will be able to access menus and pay using their phones. Signs with health and safety guidelines as well as hand sanitation stations will be prominent throughout the parks.
At Disney World, MacPhee said a special group of "cast members" — Disney's name for its employees — will be trained to encourage guests to practice safe behavior.
"We're developing a social distance squad, a dedicated team of highly energetic and informative cast members who are committed to engaging and inspiring our guests to follow the appropriate guidelines," he said.
SeaWorld will still hold parades and "meet and greets" with its characters, keeping guests at a safe distance. At Disney's parks, the company said for now, parades, fireworks displays and character interactions and other events that draw large crowds won't be available.
Before voting to approve the reopening plans for the SeaWorld and Disney World parks, the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force first heard from local health officials. Cases of COVID-19 are rising in the Orlando area, but officials said the number of people showing up in hospitals for treatment has continued to decline.
But Dr. Raul Pino, with Orange County's Health Department, warned members of the task force that they should be prepared for an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
"The question is not if we are going to have more cases or not. We are going to have more cases as social activity increases," he said.
The key, Pino said, is having enough testing and contact tracing in place to control outbreaks and not overwhelm the region's hospital system.


npr--2020-05-27--Boeing Cuts More Than 12,000 Jobs Due To Drop In Air Travel

Boeing Cuts More Than 12,000 Jobs Due To Drop In Air Travel Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 jobs as the Chicago-based airplane manufacturer copes with the sudden drop in air travel demand due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The news comes the same day the company announced it is restarting production of its troubled 737 Max airplane , which has been shut down since January .
Two Max plane crashes five months apart in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people led global regulators to ground the plane and started a severe financial crunch at Boeing long before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air travel demand .
The number of people traveling by air has plummeted more than 90 % since the beginning of March , and even though airlines saw a slight uptick in passenger traffic over the last couple of weeks , demand is still far below where it was last year at this time .
Financially beleaguered airlines are deferring and canceling orders for new planes .
In April , Boeing did not book a single new aircraft order for the second month this year and airlines canceled orders for 108 jets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to match that slump in its core business .
Boeing CEO David Calhoun told employees in an email that the `` pandemic 's devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years , which in turn means fewer jobs on our ( factory ) lines and in our offices . ''
He added , `` I wish there were some other way . ''
Calhoun announced in April that the company would need to reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,000 jobs would be need to be eliminated .
In a statement Wednesday , Boeing said it had approved voluntary layoffs for more than 5,500 employees .
Those are workers with enough seniority to receive cash incentives to leave the company .
Nearly 6,800 additional workers will begin receiving involuntary layoff notices this week .
Boeing 's statement indicates there will be more layoffs coming .
`` Today 's numbers represent the largest segment of layoffs .
The several thousand remaining layoffs will come in additional tranches over the next few months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer term , Boeing has much of its future tied to whether it can get approval for the 737 Max to fly passengers again , and whether airlines and ultimately travelers will feel comfortable flying in the troubled plane .
The Max is Boeing 's bestselling commercial jet ever , and it had close to 5,000 of the planes on back order before it was grounded in March of last year .
In fact , Boeing kept producing dozens of 737 Max jets each month while it was grounded , as it tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a flawed flight control system that is partially to blame for the deadly crashes .
But after multiple delays in developing a software fix , and upon discovering other problems with the plane , Boeing halted Max production in January .
With the company now hoping to finally get regulatory approval for its fixes by the end of summer , Boeing is restarting the 737 production line at a low rate .

Boeing Cuts More Than 12,000 Jobs Due To Drop In Air Travel
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elaine Thompson/AP Elaine Thompson/AP
Updated at 8:40 p.m. ET
Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 jobs as the Chicago-based airplane manufacturer copes with the sudden drop in air travel demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The news comes the same day the company announced it is restarting production of its troubled 737 Max airplane, which has been shut down since January. Two Max plane crashes five months apart in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people led global regulators to ground the plane and started a severe financial crunch at Boeing long before the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to air travel demand.
The number of people traveling by air has plummeted more than 90% since the beginning of March, and even though airlines saw a slight uptick in passenger traffic over the last couple of weeks, demand is still far below where it was last year at this time.
Financially beleaguered airlines are deferring and canceling orders for new planes. In April, Boeing did not book a single new aircraft order for the second month this year and airlines canceled orders for 108 jets. The company is moving to cut costs to match that slump in its core business.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun told employees in an email that the "pandemic's devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our (factory) lines and in our offices." He added, "I wish there were some other way."
Calhoun announced in April that the company would need to reduce its workforce by 10%, meaning 16,000 jobs would be need to be eliminated.
In a statement Wednesday, Boeing said it had approved voluntary layoffs for more than 5,500 employees. Those are workers with enough seniority to receive cash incentives to leave the company. Nearly 6,800 additional workers will begin receiving involuntary layoff notices this week.
Boeing's statement indicates there will be more layoffs coming. "Today's numbers represent the largest segment of layoffs. The several thousand remaining layoffs will come in additional tranches over the next few months," the statement said.
In the longer term, Boeing has much of its future tied to whether it can get approval for the 737 Max to fly passengers again, and whether airlines and ultimately travelers will feel comfortable flying in the troubled plane.
The Max is Boeing's bestselling commercial jet ever, and it had close to 5,000 of the planes on back order before it was grounded in March of last year.
In fact, Boeing kept producing dozens of 737 Max jets each month while it was grounded, as it tried to come up with a quick fix for a flawed flight control system that is partially to blame for the deadly crashes.
But after multiple delays in developing a software fix, and upon discovering other problems with the plane, Boeing halted Max production in January.
With the company now hoping to finally get regulatory approval for its fixes by the end of summer, Boeing is restarting the 737 production line at a low rate.


npr--2020-05-28--COVID-19 Has Killed Close To 300 U.S. Health Care Workers, New Data From CDC Shows

COVID-19 Has Killed Close To 300 U.S. Health Care Workers , New Data From CDC Shows The coronavirus continues to batter the U.S. health care workforce .
More than 60,000 health care workers have been infected and close to 300 have died from COVID-19 , according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The numbers mark a staggering increase from six weeks ago when the CDC first released data on coronavirus infections and deaths among nurses , doctors , pharmacists , EMTs , technicians and other medical employees .
On April 15 , the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9,000 cases of infection in health care workers .
The latest tally does n't provide a full picture of illness in this essential workforce , because only 21 % of the case reports sent to the CDC included information that could help identify the patient as a health care worker .
Among known health care workers , there was also missing information about how many of those people actually died .
Still , the growing number of health care workers infected by the coronavirus provides sobering evidence that many are still working in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the virus .
`` It is underreported , '' says Zenei Cortez , president of National Nurses United ( NNU ) , the largest union of nurses in the country .
The union has compiled its own count of more than 530 health care fatalities from COVID-19 , using publicly available information like obituaries .
A recent NNU survey of 23,000 nurses found that more than 80 percent had not yet been tested for the coronavirus .
Across the country , many nurses say they still do n't have enough personal protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gowns , and are required to reuse N95 masks and other supplies – practices that were considered substandard before the pandemic .
Many hospitals and nursing homes continue to operate with inadequate supplies and are rationing them .
`` Everything is under lock and key , if you are going to respond to an emergency , you sometimes have to wait for someone to unlock a cabinet , '' Cortez says of some hospitals ' PPE supplies .
Cortez cites the death of a nurse from Southern California who had rushed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had stopped breathing .
The nurse was only wearing a surgical mask , which offers less protection against airborne infection than the closer-fitting N95 respirator mask .
`` Fourteen days after that incident , she died because she contracted the virus , '' Cortez says .
`` If the PPE was readily available , she maybe could have put on the N95 mask and been prevented from getting the virus . ''
Cortez worries some of these unsafe practices around infection control have become normalized in U.S. health care settings , and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country reopens .
NPR recently reported that , in the spring of 2017 , the Trump administration halted the final implementation of new federal regulations that would have required the health care industry to prepare for an airborne infectious disease pandemic .
Consequently , there are no federal workplace rules that specifically protect health care workers from deadly airborne pathogens such as influenza , tuberculosis or the coronavirus .
`` The really sad thing is not having solid numbers from many states , '' says Pat Kane , executive director of the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of COVID cases and deaths among health care workers .
Kane says early in the outbreak many nurses could not get tested .
Her own statewide union has lost more than 30 nurses in the pandemic .
`` Some of them actually died outside of the hospital , trying to recover at home , '' she says .
Over half of the nurses in the New York state union still report not having enough personal protective equipment .
`` In some places , we still see people operating under contingency and crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early May , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo touted the results of an antibody testing survey , which showed a 12 % infection rate among health care workers in New York City , compared to the 20 % infection rate among residents citywide .
But Kane says that lower number is n't something to celebrate .
`` Our members showed up and many of them made the ultimate sacrifice , '' she says .
`` And many of them got sick .
That was round one .
We should be better informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regions in the U.S. reopen , the safety of health care workers needs to be a key benchmark for decision makers , Kane says , and must include enforceable precautionary standards – not just voluntary guidelines for employers , which shift according to the amount of PPE available .
At Northwestern University , Dr. James Adams says the number of health care workers with COVID-19 dropped significantly after his hospital started requiring everyone on site to wear masks .
Adams says closely tracking the full extent of the COVID-19 burden among health workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improves .
`` Up to this point , we have largely not known what is going on with the workforce and this infection rate , '' says Adams , a professor of emergency medicine .
`` What we need is the confidence of health care workers , and we should track this in order to ensure their health . ''

COVID-19 Has Killed Close To 300 U.S. Health Care Workers, New Data From CDC Shows
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images Mario Tama/Getty Images
The coronavirus continues to batter the U.S. health care workforce.
More than 60,000 health care workers have been infected, and close to 300 have died from COVID-19, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The numbers mark a staggering increase from six weeks ago when the CDC first released data on coronavirus infections and deaths among nurses, doctors, pharmacists, EMTs, technicians and other medical employees. On April 15, the agency reported 27 deaths and more than 9,000 cases of infection in health care workers.
The latest tally doesn't provide a full picture of illness in this essential workforce, because only 21% of the case reports sent to the CDC included information that could help identify the patient as a health care worker. Among known health care workers, there was also missing information about how many of those people actually died.
Still, the growing number of health care workers infected by the coronavirus provides sobering evidence that many are still working in high-risk settings without reliable or adequate protection against the virus.
"It is underreported," says Zenei Cortez, president of National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of nurses in the country.
The union has compiled its own count of more than 530 health care fatalities from COVID-19, using publicly available information like obituaries. A recent NNU survey of 23,000 nurses found that more than 80% had not yet been tested for the coronavirus.
Across the country, many nurses say they still don't have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gowns and are required to reuse N95 masks and other supplies — practices that were considered substandard before the pandemic. Many hospitals and nursing homes continue to operate with inadequate supplies and are rationing them.
"Everything is under lock and key. If you are going to respond to an emergency, you sometimes have to wait for someone to unlock a cabinet," Cortez says of some hospitals' PPE supplies.
Cortez cites the death of a nurse from Southern California who rushed to the bedside of a COVID-19 patient who had stopped breathing. The nurse was wearing only a surgical mask, which offers less protection against airborne infection than the closer-fitting N95 respirator mask.
"Fourteen days after that incident, she died because she contracted the virus," Cortez says. "If the PPE was readily available, she maybe could have put on the N95 mask and been prevented from getting the virus."
Cortez worries that some of these unsafe practices around infection control have become normalized in U.S. health care settings and will persist in the coming months as the country reopens.
NPR recently reported that in the spring of 2017 the Trump administration halted the final implementation of new federal regulations that would have required the health care industry to prepare for an airborne infectious disease pandemic. Consequently, there are no federal workplace rules that specifically protect health care workers from deadly airborne pathogens such as influenza, tuberculosis or the coronavirus.
"The really sad thing is not having solid numbers from many states," Pat Kane, executive director of the New York State Nurses Association, says regarding the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths among health care workers.
Early in the outbreak, Kane says, many nurses could not get tested. Her own statewide union has lost more than 30 nurses in the pandemic.
"Some of them actually died outside of the hospital, trying to recover at home," she says.
More than half of the nurses in the New York state union still report not having enough personal protective equipment.
"In some places, we still see people operating under contingency and crisis guidelines," she says.
In early May, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo touted the results of an antibody testing survey that showed a 12% infection rate among health care workers in New York City, compared with the 20% infection rate among residents citywide.
But Kane says that lower number isn't something to celebrate.
"Our members showed up and many of them made the ultimate sacrifice," she says. "And many of them got sick. That was Round 1. We should be better informed by our experience."
As more regions in the United States reopen, the safety of health care workers needs to be a key benchmark for decision-makers, Kane says, and must include enforceable precautionary standards — not just voluntary guidelines for employers, which shift according to the amount of PPE available.
At Northwestern University, Dr. James Adams says the number of health care workers with COVID-19 dropped significantly after his hospital started requiring everyone on-site to wear masks.
Adams says closely tracking the full extent of the COVID-19 burden among health workers will be crucial as access to testing improves.
"Up to this point, we have largely not known what is going on with the workforce and this infection rate," says Adams, a professor of emergency medicine. "What we need is the confidence of health care workers, and we should track this in order to ensure their health."