npr--2020-04-29--NFL Commissioner Gives Up His $40 Million Salary And Will Cut League Employees' Pay

NFL Commissioner Gives Up His $ 40 Million Salary And Will Cut League Employees ' Pay NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , who was slated to make up to $ 40 million this year , decided to slash his salary to $ 0 as America 's most popular and profitable sports league deals with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic .
The news of Goodell 's pay cut coincided with an internal league memo , obtained by NPR , in which he announced executive pay reductions and furloughs of league employees .
In the memo , which was sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York , NFL Films and NFL Network on Wednesday , Goodell warned that the pandemic 's economic effects `` will be deeper and longer lasting than anyone anticipated . ''
The pay cuts show that even the NFL , which generated more than $ 15 billion during the 2018 season , is not immune to the economic consequences of a global pandemic .
`` Last month the Commissioner requested that he voluntarily reduce his salary to $ 0 , which went into effect earlier this month , '' NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past six weeks , the league has made several adjustments to deal with the reality of stay-at-home orders , social distancing guidelines and business closures across the United States .
The NFL canceled its annual meeting , closed its league office along with all club facilities and prohibited virtually all travel .
It even turned one of its marquee events , the annual NFL draft , into a virtual affair .
The result was a new ratings record with more than 55 million viewers over three days .
But the continued uncertainty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forcing the league to cut costs further .
Starting on May 22 , the NFL will implement tiered reductions in base salary for managers and executives making more than $ 100,000 .
The reductions will range from 5 % to 15 % , depending on the employee 's position .
League employees who ca n't do their work from home and those whose workload has seen a drastic reduction will be furloughed starting May 8 .
Goodell pointed out in the memo that a furlough is not a termination and that the league @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those workers during the furlough period .
In addition , the league will permanently reduce its pension contributions from 15 % to 10 % starting July 1 .
`` While we continue to prepare for a full 2020 season of NFL football , we also need to manage in a responsible way , adopting a flexible approach that responds to the current conditions in a way that minimizes the risk to our employees , our clubs , and the NFL 's business , '' Goodell wrote in the memo .

NFL Commissioner Gives Up His $40 Million Salary And Will Cut League Employees' Pay
Enlarge this image toggle caption NFL via AP NFL via AP
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was slated to make up to $40 million this year, decided to slash his salary to $0 as America's most popular and profitable sports league deals with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The news of Goodell's pay cut coincided with an internal league memo, obtained by NPR, in which he announced executive pay reductions and furloughs of league employees.
In the memo, which was sent to the NFL league office staff in New York, NFL Films and NFL Network on Wednesday, Goodell warned that the pandemic's economic effects "will be deeper and longer lasting than anyone anticipated."
The pay cuts show that even the NFL, which generated more than $15 billion during the 2018 season, is not immune to the economic consequences of a global pandemic.
"Last month the Commissioner requested that he voluntarily reduce his salary to $0, which went into effect earlier this month," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed in an email to NPR.
Over the past six weeks, the league has made several adjustments to deal with the reality of stay-at-home orders, social distancing guidelines and business closures across the United States. The NFL canceled its annual meeting, closed its league office along with all club facilities and prohibited virtually all travel.
It even turned one of its marquee events, the annual NFL draft, into a virtual affair. The result was a new ratings record with more than 55 million viewers over three days.
But the continued uncertainty over the duration of the crisis is forcing the league to cut costs further. Starting on May 22, the NFL will implement tiered reductions in base salary for managers and executives making more than $100,000. The reductions will range from 5% to 15%, depending on the employee's position.
League employees who can't do their work from home and those whose workload has seen a drastic reduction will be furloughed starting May 8. Goodell pointed out in the memo that a furlough is not a termination and that the league will continue to pay the medical benefits of those workers during the furlough period.
In addition, the league will permanently reduce its pension contributions from 15% to 10% starting July 1.
"While we continue to prepare for a full 2020 season of NFL football, we also need to manage in a responsible way, adopting a flexible approach that responds to the current conditions in a way that minimizes the risk to our employees, our clubs, and the NFL's business," Goodell wrote in the memo.


npr--2020-04-29--Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Shows Promise For Treating Coronavirus In NIH Study

Preliminary results of a major study of the antiviral drug remdesivir show it can help hospitalized patients with COVID-19 recover faster .
Dr. Anthony Fauci hailed the findings , released Wednesday , as `` quite good news . ''
`` The data shows that remdesivir has a clear cut , significant , positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery , '' Fauci said during a meeting between President Trump and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards .
`` This is highly significant . ''
The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , which Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Institutes of Health .
Fauci said it was the first `` truly high-powered '' randomized placebo controlled trial of remdesivir , noting that it involved more than a thousand hospitalized patients at sites in numerous countries .
Another randomized controlled trial in China , with results that were also announced Wednesday , was far smaller .
The NIH trial of the antiviral , which is made by Gilead Sciences , began on February 21 .
The preliminary study results are not yet published in a peer-reviewed trial but NIH released them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitoring board overseeing the trial .
Fauci said the results were announced because of the ethical responsibility to allow the placebo group to access remdesivir , since there was now clear evidence that the drug works .
The analysis found that remdesivir shortened the time it took a hospitalized COVID-19 patient to recover , compared to a placebo .
The study defined `` recovery '' as being well enough to be discharged from the hospital or returning to normal activity .
The preliminary results found that patients who received remdesivir recovered 31 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 11 days rather than 15 days .
The results also suggest a slightly lower mortality rate for the group receiving remdesivir , but until complete data is analyzed it 's not certain if that effect is significant .
Fauci said that while 31 % may not seem like a huge deal , `` It is a very important proof of concept .
Because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus . ''
The results will be sent to a journal for peer review .
Dr. Evelyn Ling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is involved with the remdesivir trial at Stanford University .
`` It 's definitely very promising and very exciting that we might have this option to treat these patients who currently do n't have any great options right now , '' she says .
`` Every day you 're in ICU , that 's a lot of stress on the body , that 's a lot of recovery time needed .
So I think if you could shorten that , I think that 's great for our patients . ''
Dr. Aneesh K. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial site at Emory University , was optimistic about the drug 's potential , based on the preliminary data .
`` We believe that remdesivir is the first medication to show a positive effect on patients with COVID-19 , '' he said at a press conference .
He also offered a few caveats .
First , he underlined that this is preliminary data , based on about half the patients in the trial , and it `` has not undergone the robust analysis that will be conducted by the statisticians and the scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
And while the preliminary data showed no serious side effects of remdesivir , `` we still do n't have all the safety data reported from the NIH , and that will be critically important to understanding how we use this medicine in the future , '' he said .
`` It is very important to understand that remdesivir and antivirals in general are not silver bullets , '' he said .
`` They do not immediately get rid of an infection .
They work by slowly preventing the virus from making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need other care to support their recovery , he said , especially if the inflammation that can be associate with COVID-19 has already damaged their organs .
Fauci said that new studies will examine combining remdesivir with other drugs , such as an anti-inflammatory drug , to see how those compare to using remdesivir alone .
Gilead Sciences also announced on Wednesday that a trial had found that patients receiving a 10-day treatment course of remdesivir achieved similar improvement in clinical status compared with those taking a 5-day treatment .
`` The study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be treated with a 5-day regimen , which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir , '' Dr. Merdad Parsey , chief medical officer of Gilead Sciences , said in a statement .
A separate study , published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet , and including 237 critically ill patients in Wuhan , China , found that remdesivir did not provide significant clinical benefits to those hospitalized with the disease .
But the authors cautioned that the interpretation of their results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early due to difficulty recruiting enough patients after the outbreak was brought under control there .
They concluded that further study of remdesivir is needed .
That study was `` under-powered , '' said Fauci .
`` I do n't like to pooh-pooh other studies , but that 's not an adequate study , and everybody in the field feels that . ''

Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Shows Promise For Treating Coronavirus In NIH Study
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gilead Sciences via AP Gilead Sciences via AP
Preliminary results of a major study of the antiviral drug remdesivir show it can help hospitalized patients with COVID-19 recover faster. Dr. Anthony Fauci hailed the findings, released Wednesday, as "quite good news."
"The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery," Fauci said during a meeting with President Trump and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. "This is highly significant."
The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci leads and which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Fauci said it was the first "truly high powered" randomized placebo-controlled trial of remdesivir, noting that it involved more than 1,000 hospitalized patients at sites in numerous countries. Another randomized controlled trial in China, with results that were also announced Wednesday, was far smaller.
The NIH trial of the antiviral, which is made by Gilead Sciences, began on Feb. 21. The preliminary study results are not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, but NIH released the results after an analysis by the data safety monitoring board overseeing the trial. Fauci said the results were announced because of the ethical responsibility to allow the placebo group to access remdesivir, since there is now clear evidence that the drug works.
The analysis found that remdesivir shortened the time it took a hospitalized COVID-19 patient to recover, compared with a placebo. The study defined "recovery" as being well enough to be discharged from the hospital or returning to normal activity.
The preliminary results showed that patients who received remdesivir recovered 31% faster — the median time to recovery was 11 days rather than 15 days. The results also suggest a slightly lower mortality rate for the group receiving remdesivir, but until the complete data are analyzed, it's not certain if that effect is significant.
Fauci said that while 31% may not seem like a huge deal, "it is a very important proof of concept. Because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus."
The results will be sent to a journal for peer review.
Dr. Evelyn Ling, a professor of medicine, is involved with the remdesivir trial at Stanford University.
"It's definitely very promising and very exciting that we might have this option to treat these patients who currently don't have any great options right now," she says. "Every day you're in ICU, that's a lot of stress on the body, that's a lot of recovery time needed. So I think if you could shorten that, I think that's great for our patients."
Dr. Aneesh K. Mehta, an investigator at the remdesivir trial site at Emory University, is optimistic about the drug's potential, based on the preliminary data. "We believe that remdesivir is the first medication to show a positive effect on patients with COVID-19," he said at a news conference.
He also offered a few caveats.
First, he underlined that this is preliminary data, based on about half the patients in the trial, and that it "has not undergone the robust analysis that will be conducted by the statisticians and the scientists at the NIH in the coming weeks."
And while the preliminary data showed no serious side effects of remdesivir, "we still don't have all the safety data reported from the NIH, and that will be critically important to understanding how we use this medicine in the future," he said.
Mehta also noted that remdesivir isn't a cure-all.
"It is very important to understand that remdesivir and antivirals in general are not silver bullets," he said. "They do not immediately get rid of an infection. They work by slowly preventing the virus from making more of itself."
Patients still need other care to support their recovery, he said, especially if the inflammation that can be associated with COVID-19 has already damaged their organs.
Fauci said that new studies will examine combining remdesivir with other drugs, such as an anti-inflammatory drug, to see how those compare with using remdesivir alone.
Gilead Sciences also announced on Wednesday that a trial had found that patients receiving a 10-day treatment course of remdesivir achieved similar improvement in clinical status compared with those taking a five-day treatment.
"The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir," Dr. Merdad Parsey, chief medical officer of Gilead Sciences, said in a statement.
A separate study, published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet and including 237 critically ill patients in Wuhan, China, found that remdesivir did not provide significant clinical benefits to those hospitalized with COVID-19. But the authors cautioned that the interpretation of their results is limited. The study was stopped early because of difficulty recruiting enough patients after the outbreak was brought under control there. They concluded that further study of remdesivir is needed.
That study was "underpowered," said Fauci. "I don't like to pooh-pooh other studies, but that's not an adequate study, and everybody in the field feels that."
Joe Palca contributed to this report.


npr--2020-04-29--White House's Social Distancing Guidelines Will Be 'Fading Out,' Trump Says

White House 's Social Distancing Guidelines Will Be 'Fading Out , ' Trump Says President Trump said the existing coronavirus social distancing guidelines that are set to expire with the end of April on Thursday will not be extended further , as more governors begin steps to lift restrictions and reopen their economies .
The administration said the existing social distancing recommendations are being incorporated by governors into their new future plans .
`` They 'll be fading out , because now the governors are doing it , '' Trump said .
During a White House meeting with Louisiana Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump commended governors for taking steps to reopen their economies .
The original two-week guidelines that were extended 30 more days called for Americans to work from home , limit travel and avoid large gatherings .
Vice President Pence said the existing guidelines were being applied to the new guidance issued by the White House on how states can reopen safely .
`` Every state in America has embraced those guidelines at a minimum , or even done more , and now our focus is working with states , '' Pence said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can say , are very much incorporated in the guidance that we 're giving states to open up America again . ''
Two weeks ago , the White House released a three-phase plan that provides guidelines for when states might reopen .
The proposal is predicated on states having a downward trajectory of confirmed cases , and it involves states having the capacity to treat all hospitalized patients , test health care workers and trace contacts of those infected .
This comes as governors have struggled with the competing interests of reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A handful of states have taken steps to relax their social distancing guidelines , including Alaska , Georgia and Tennessee .
Others , like North Carolina and Michigan , have extended their restrictions into May .
Though he once said he had `` total '' authority regarding when states could reopen , Trump says he is largely leaving those decisions to governors .
`` We 're doing it very carefully , '' Trump said .
`` We learned a lot over the last couple of months . ''

White House's Social Distancing Guidelines Will Be 'Fading Out,' Trump Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump said the existing coronavirus social distancing guidelines that are set to expire with the end of April on Thursday will not be extended further, as more governors begin steps to lift restrictions and reopen their economies.
The administration said the existing social distancing recommendations are being incorporated by governors into their new future plans.
"They'll be fading out, because now the governors are doing it," Trump said.
During a White House meeting with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday, Trump commended governors for taking steps to reopen their economies.
The original two-week guidelines that were extended 30 more days called for Americans to work from home, limit travel and avoid large gatherings.
Vice President Pence said the existing guidelines were being applied to the new guidance issued by the White House on how states can reopen safely.
"Every state in America has embraced those guidelines at a minimum, or even done more, and now our focus is working with states," Pence said. "The current guidelines, I think you can say, are very much incorporated in the guidance that we're giving states to open up America again."
Two weeks ago, the White House released a three-phase plan that provides guidelines for when states might reopen.
The proposal is predicated on states having a downward trajectory of confirmed cases, and it involves states having the capacity to treat all hospitalized patients, test health care workers and trace contacts of those infected.
This comes as governors have struggled with the competing interests of reopening their economies and keeping their communities safe.
A handful of states have taken steps to relax their social distancing guidelines, including Alaska, Georgia and Tennessee.
Others, like North Carolina and Michigan, have extended their restrictions into May.
Though he once said he had "total" authority regarding when states could reopen, Trump says he is largely leaving those decisions to governors.
"We're doing it very carefully," Trump said. "We learned a lot over the last couple of months."


npr--2020-04-29--Taiwan's Coronavirus Moment — And Delicate Balancing Act

Taiwan 's handling of COVID-19 has won plaudits around the world , creating a historic public relations opportunity for the diplomatically isolated island .
Whether that leads to a higher profile on the international stage or a flare-up in tensions with Beijing — which regards Taiwan as Chinese territory — will depend on how the two sides play their cards at this pivotal moment , experts say .
Taiwan sees a chance to highlight its autonomy from China , and to push to increase its participation in international bodies it 's been frozen out of , including the World Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well in Beijing , under pressure at home and abroad for its own handling of the virus .
Taiwan has so far confirmed 429 cases of COVID-19 and just six deaths -- despite its proximity and links to China , where the novel coronavirus outbreak first appeared .
Its approach to mitigating the spread of the disease — including quick imposition of travel bans and quarantines — has been well documented .
Taiwan 's relative success so far has put it in an unfamiliar position .
`` Usually when Taiwan gets on international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Taiwan Straits or a natural disaster , '' says Alexander Huang , a political scientist at Taipei 's Tamkang University .
`` This is a rare opportunity for Taiwan . ''
The government is seizing it , trumpeting its coronavirus experience and publicly offering international assistance .
The Foreign Ministry even highlighted the fact that Taiwan 's professional baseball season is under way at a time when virtually all other live sports are suspended worldwide .
The pandemic has also cast a spotlight Taiwan 's diplomatic isolation .
Only 15 countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from many international bodies , including the WHO , the global agency charged with leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
But given Taiwan 's success in handling the pandemic and the lessons it may offer the world , international pressure has mounted on the WHO to allow Taiwan to take part in its annual meeting , the World Health Assembly , next month .
The United States , Japan and others have expressed their support publicly .
In recent years , Taiwan has n't even been allowed to attend the assembly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ island to attend between 2009 and 2016 , when Taiwan 's president was Ma Ying-jeou , a leader deemed more China-friendly than current President Tsai Ing-wen .
Beijing has since objected to Taiwan 's participation , wary of Tsai , a member of the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party .
China 's ruling Communist Party has vowed to unite Taiwan politically with the mainland — by force , if necessary .
Analysts say Beijing is even less inclined than usual to give ground now to Tsai , who was re-elected in January amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by months of street protests in neighboring Hong Kong .
`` I do n't think the mainland is now in a mood to make concessions to her , '' says Wu Xinbo , dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai .
Recent U.S. support for Taiwan is particularly irksome to Beijing , he says .
In late March , President Trump signed a bill that supports Taiwan 's international relations and its efforts to strengthen ties with other countries .
On Monday , Taiwan 's Minister of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to discuss COVID-19 , among other issues .
`` When Washington pushes this hard , it only makes things less likely to happen , '' says Wu , adding that Taiwan 's `` road to the international space comes through Beijing , not through Washington . ''
More broadly , the positive international attention that Taiwan has received comes at a time when Beijing is feeling particularly vulnerable .
`` I would say the leadership is profoundly on edge , '' says Evan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council during the Obama administration .
`` They 're not out of the woods on COVID-19 , they 're facing historic lows in economic growth , and doubtless there continues to be criticism of how the Communist Party handled the outbreak . ''
Beijing 's efforts to build goodwill abroad through donations of medical equipment — sometimes called `` mask diplomacy '' — have also backfired in some cases .
There have also been reports of Chinese diplomats brazenly trying to compel aid recipients to praise China .
All of that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but actually elevates the risks it faces .
`` History tells you that some of the most precarious moments for international politics in East Asia are when the Chinese are on edge and they feel as if an external actor is using their domestic weakness as an opportunity to make gains , '' says Medeiros , now a professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University .
Taiwan 's leadership needs to tread a fine line , while keeping the virus in check , to make the most of the opportunity , analysts say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerge from this crisis as a country that is recognized as having been on the side of the angels , '' says Shelley Rigger , a Taiwan expert at Davidson College .
`` But at the same time , they do n't want to do it in such a way that it generates more pressure on Taiwan from China . ''
It does n't help that Taiwan 's biggest benefactor and bulwark against China — the United States — is deeply mired in its own coronavirus crisis , and the rest of East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
China has increased military maneuvers around the island during the pandemic , and may sense opportunity as the gaze of others is fixed on problems at home .
`` Honestly , I 'm as worried at this moment as I have ever been , '' says Rigger .
A crisis in the Taiwan Strait is a real possibility this year , warns Fudan University 's Wu — especially if , in her second four-year term , which begins on May 20 , Tsai adopts a stance that Beijing perceives as provocative .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mainland to respond in a substantive way , '' he says .
For now , though , Taiwan is riding high .
There is rare bipartisan agreement on the island that it has handled the coronavirus well .
And the experience has engendered something else as well : a sense of pride .
`` To many people in Taiwan , that demonstrates to them that we as a nation , we are doing a good job , '' says Lai I-chung , a former foreign policy official for the DPP and director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thinktank .
`` So that has actually brought a renewed confidence among the citizens in Taiwan , that we do n't have to have self-pity , '' he says .
`` We are as capable as anybody else . ''

Taiwan's Coronavirus Moment — And Delicate Balancing Act
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
Taiwan's handling of COVID-19 has won plaudits around the world, creating a historic public relations opportunity for the diplomatically isolated island.
Whether that leads to a higher profile on the international stage or a flare-up in tensions with Beijing — which regards Taiwan as Chinese territory — will depend on how the two sides play their cards at this pivotal moment, experts say.
Taiwan sees a chance to highlight its autonomy from China, and to push to increase its participation in international bodies it's been frozen out of, including the World Health Organization. That isn't going over well in Beijing, under pressure at home and abroad for its own handling of the virus.
Taiwan has so far confirmed 429 cases of COVID-19 and just six deaths -- despite its proximity and links to China, where the novel coronavirus outbreak first appeared. Its approach to mitigating the spread of the disease — including quick imposition of travel bans and quarantines — has been well documented.
Taiwan's relative success so far has put it in an unfamiliar position.
"Usually when Taiwan gets on international news, there is either a crisis in the Taiwan Straits or a natural disaster," says Alexander Huang, a political scientist at Taipei's Tamkang University. "This is a rare opportunity for Taiwan."
The government is seizing it, trumpeting its coronavirus experience and publicly offering international assistance. The Foreign Ministry even highlighted the fact that Taiwan's professional baseball season is under way at a time when virtually all other live sports are suspended worldwide.
The pandemic has also cast a spotlight Taiwan's diplomatic isolation. Only 15 countries recognize it, and Taiwan is barred from many international bodies, including the WHO, the global agency charged with leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gene Wang/Getty Images Gene Wang/Getty Images
But given Taiwan's success in handling the pandemic and the lessons it may offer the world, international pressure has mounted on the WHO to allow Taiwan to take part in its annual meeting, the World Health Assembly, next month. The United States, Japan and others have expressed their support publicly. In recent years, Taiwan hasn't even been allowed to attend the assembly as an observer.
China allowed the island to attend between 2009 and 2016, when Taiwan's president was Ma Ying-jeou, a leader deemed more China-friendly than current President Tsai Ing-wen. Beijing has since objected to Taiwan's participation, wary of Tsai, a member of the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.
China's ruling Communist Party has vowed to unite Taiwan politically with the mainland — by force, if necessary.
Analysts say Beijing is even less inclined than usual to give ground now to Tsai, who was re-elected in January amid an upsurge in anti-China sentiment, spurred by months of street protests in neighboring Hong Kong.
"I don't think the mainland is now in a mood to make concessions to her," says Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
Recent U.S. support for Taiwan is particularly irksome to Beijing, he says. In late March, President Trump signed a bill that supports Taiwan's international relations and its efforts to strengthen ties with other countries. On Monday, Taiwan's Minister of Health and Welfare Shih-Chung Chen held a video conference with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to discuss COVID-19, among other issues.
"When Washington pushes this hard, it only makes things less likely to happen," says Wu, adding that Taiwan's "road to the international space comes through Beijing, not through Washington."
More broadly, the positive international attention that Taiwan has received comes at a time when Beijing is feeling particularly vulnerable.
"I would say the leadership is profoundly on edge," says Evan Medeiros, who served on the National Security Council during the Obama administration. "They're not out of the woods on COVID-19, they're facing historic lows in economic growth, and doubtless there continues to be criticism of how the Communist Party handled the outbreak."
Beijing's efforts to build goodwill abroad through donations of medical equipment — sometimes called "mask diplomacy" — have also backfired in some cases. There have also been reports of Chinese diplomats brazenly trying to compel aid recipients to praise China.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chiang Ying-ying/AP Chiang Ying-ying/AP
All of that may look like a win for Taiwan — but actually elevates the risks it faces.
"History tells you that some of the most precarious moments for international politics in East Asia are when the Chinese are on edge and they feel as if an external actor is using their domestic weakness as an opportunity to make gains," says Medeiros, now a professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University.
Taiwan's leadership needs to tread a fine line, while keeping the virus in check, to make the most of the opportunity, analysts say.
"The immediate goal is to emerge from this crisis as a country that is recognized as having been on the side of the angels," says Shelley Rigger, a Taiwan expert at Davidson College. "But at the same time, they don't want to do it in such a way that it generates more pressure on Taiwan from China."
It doesn't help that Taiwan's biggest benefactor and bulwark against China — the United States — is deeply mired in its own coronavirus crisis, and the rest of East Asia is also focused on the disease.
China has increased military maneuvers around the island during the pandemic, and may sense opportunity as the gaze of others is fixed on problems at home.
"Honestly, I'm as worried at this moment as I have ever been," says Rigger.
A crisis in the Taiwan Strait is a real possibility this year, warns Fudan University's Wu — especially if, in her second four-year term, which begins on May 20, Tsai adopts a stance that Beijing perceives as provocative.
"I think that that will force the mainland to respond in a substantive way," he says.
For now, though, Taiwan is riding high. There is rare bipartisan agreement on the island that it has handled the coronavirus well. And the experience has engendered something else as well: a sense of pride.
"To many people in Taiwan, that demonstrates to them that we as a nation, we are doing a good job," says Lai I-chung, a former foreign policy official for the DPP and director of foreign policy studies at the Taiwan Thinktank.
"So that has actually brought a renewed confidence among the citizens in Taiwan, that we don't have to have self-pity," he says. "We are as capable as anybody else."


npr--2020-04-29--Grocery Cashier Is 'Putting A Little Positivity' Into Seniors' Shopping Trips

Grocery Cashier Is 'Putting A Little Positivity ' Into Seniors ' Shopping Trips Courtney Meadows , a cashier at a Kroger in Beckley , W.Va. , knows her job carries new risks these days , but she also sees the positive side of life as an essential worker .
`` It might sound silly for some , but for me , I 'm grateful that I can still get up and go to work , '' Meadows says .
`` I 'm one of these people ...
I probably will go stir-crazy if I had to stay home . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have carved out special shopping times for seniors , pregnant women and also people with underlying health conditions .
Kroger is no exception and Meadows especially enjoys that hour in the morning .
`` Just to be able to spend that one-on-one time with the elderly customers and get to talk to them .
...
They definitely make me laugh , '' she says .
`` And to just put a little positivity in their lives , it makes you feel good . ''
Meadows , who has worked as a grocery store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus has changed how other people see her job .
`` It 's definitely eye-opening because people are now saying , 'Oh , my God , these people deserve hazard pay . '
But these are the same people who say we do n't deserve $ 15 an hour , '' she says .
Now , she says , they appreciate that workers like her are putting their lives on the line to bring everyone else milk , bread and other essentials .
`` We are people .
We have important jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I mean , not everybody 's cut out to be a lawyer .
Not everybody 's cut out to be a doctor .
Not everybody 's cut out to be a nurse .
And not everybody is cut out to be a grocery worker . ''

Grocery Cashier Is 'Putting A Little Positivity' Into Seniors' Shopping Trips
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Mark Covey Courtesy of Mark Covey
Courtney Meadows, a cashier at a Kroger in Beckley, W.Va., knows her job carries new risks these days, but she also sees the positive side of life as an essential worker.
"It might sound silly for some, but for me, I'm grateful that I can still get up and go to work," Meadows says. "I'm one of these people ... I probably will go stir-crazy if I had to stay home."
During this pandemic, several grocery stores have carved out special shopping times for seniors, pregnant women and also people with underlying health conditions. Kroger is no exception and Meadows especially enjoys that hour in the morning.
"Just to be able to spend that one-on-one time with the elderly customers and get to talk to them. ... They definitely make me laugh," she says. "And to just put a little positivity in their lives, it makes you feel good."
FACES OF THE CORONAVIRUS RECESSION Jobs lost. Businesses in peril. Meetings gone virtual. Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession offers snapshots of working Americans whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.
Meadows, who has worked as a grocery store cashier for almost 10 years, says the coronavirus has changed how other people see her job.
"It's definitely eye-opening because people are now saying, 'Oh, my God, these people deserve hazard pay.' But these are the same people who say we don't deserve $15 an hour," she says. Now, she says, they appreciate that workers like her are putting their lives on the line to bring everyone else milk, bread and other essentials.
"We are people. We have important jobs. You know?" she says. "I mean, not everybody's cut out to be a lawyer. Not everybody's cut out to be a doctor. Not everybody's cut out to be a nurse. And not everybody is cut out to be a grocery worker."
Read more stories in Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession.


npr--2020-04-29--Boeing Cuts Its Workforce Due To The Coronavirus Crisis

Boeing Cuts Its Workforce Due To The Coronavirus Crisis On a day the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank 4.8 % in the first quarter , ending a record long expansion , a company that usually represents American economic might has bad news , as well .
Boeing reported a $ 641 million loss for the first quarter and announced it will be cutting back airplane production and eliminating thousands of jobs .
The aerospace giant will reduce the size of its global workforce by 10 % , eliminating about 16,000 jobs as the company adjusts to nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake of the deadly coronavirus pandemic .
`` This virus is a body blow to the aviation industry , '' Boeing CEO David Calhoun said during a conference call with journalists Wednesday , in which he outlined the severe impact the coronavirus has had on air travel .
The airplane manufacturer was already reeling from the year long grounding of its 737 Max airplane and the coronavirus pandemic has just added to the misery .
The number of people flying is down more than 95 % from the beginning of March .
Airlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17,000 passenger jets — that 's nearly two-thirds of all planes in service — as airlines are on pace to lose more than $ 300 billion this year .
So they 're not buying new planes any time soon , and Calhoun says the company needs to reduce production rates to adapt to the air travel industry 's new realities .
The job cuts will be deepest in Boeing 's commercial jetliner business , where 15 % of the workforce will be eliminated .
There will be fewer cuts in the aerospace giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already begun offering longtime employees incentives to take voluntary layoffs , essentially paying people to leave , but Calhoun acknowledges the company may need to layoff some workers .
`` I know this news is a blow during an already challenging time , '' Calhoun said in a message to employees Wednesday morning .
`` I regret the impact this will have on many of you .
I sincerely wish there were some other way . ''
Boeing is a manufacturing behemoth .
It 's the nation 's largest exporter , accounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Its supply chain has 17,000 manufacturers making the engines , wheels , wings , seats , and countless other parts .
So Boeing 's cuts will ripple across the country and around the world .
`` Boeing is just in a world of hurt , '' says aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton of Leeham Company .
He says the pandemic is hurting Boeing 's rival Airbus , too .
The European company announced it will be cutting airplane production by a third and laying off workers , but Boeing might be worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , it 's exasperated by the fact that the 737 Max has been grounded since March 13 of last year . ''
That was after the second of two Max plane crashes that killed 346 people .
The grounding of the best selling commercial jet ever has cost Boeing billions and it now appears the 737 Max will remain grounded at least through August .
Southwest Airlines , the largest Max customer , just drastically reduced the number of the planes it will take next year .
Boeing is still under investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control system certified , and according to the Wall Street Journal , investigators are also looking into widespread problems on the 737 Max assembly line .
Lawsuits filed by the families of those killed are still pending , too .
Asked about the status of the troubled plane , Calhoun said the company continues making progress towards meeting regulators demands as it addresses flaws that contributed two deadly crashes .
`` I think confidence is as high as it 's ever been , '' the CEO told reporters , adding that he believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recertified by late summer or early fall .
`` Third quarter is when we think it will return to service . ''
But it appears airlines might not have the need to fly the planes by then .
`` The aviation industry will take years to return to the levels of traffic we saw just a few months ago , '' Calhoun said .
`` It is difficult to estimate when the situation will stabilize , but when it does , the commercial market will be smaller and our customers ' needs will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will need to borrow money to get by and he signaled that the company is softening its stance on giving the U.S. government a financial stake in the company in exchange for federal loans .
But they have made no decision yet on whether to apply for the federal aid available under the coronavirus relief package known as the CARES act .
Aerospace analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu at the financial services company Jefferies expects Boeing 's rebound to lag a little behind an eventual resurgence in air travel .
`` There 's going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to travel again , people will get on aircraft , '' she said .
`` And right now , we 're modeling a pretty dire scenario and it 's probably all upside from here . ''
Kahyaoglu and others expect demand to return to 2019 levels within two or three years , but analyst Scott Hamilton says that forecast may be overly optimistic .
`` We think it 'll be more like four years , best case , before you see passenger traffic returning to pre-Covid levels , and worst case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ production of new airplanes will trail that , '' he said .
So what it 'll take for Boeing to make money again ?
`` Good question , '' Hamilton said .
`` I think primarily they 'll rely on defense contracts and um ... huh .
It 's a good question .
I do n't have an answer for that . ''

Boeing Cuts Its Workforce Due To The Coronavirus Crisis
Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery /AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery /AFP via Getty Images
On a day the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank 4.8% in the first quarter, ending a record long expansion, a company that usually represents American economic might has bad news, as well.
Boeing reported a $641 million loss for the first quarter and announced it will be cutting back airplane production and eliminating thousands of jobs.
The aerospace giant will reduce the size of its global workforce by 10%, eliminating about 16,000 jobs as the company adjusts to nearly nonexistent demand for air travel in the wake of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
"This virus is a body blow to the aviation industry," Boeing CEO David Calhoun said during a conference call with journalists Wednesday, in which he outlined the severe impact the coronavirus has had on air travel.
The airplane manufacturer was already reeling from the year long grounding of its 737 Max airplane and the coronavirus pandemic has just added to the misery.
The number of people flying is down more than 95% from the beginning of March. Airlines around the world have parked more than 17,000 passenger jets — that's nearly two-thirds of all planes in service — as airlines are on pace to lose more than $300 billion this year.
So they're not buying new planes any time soon, and Calhoun says the company needs to reduce production rates to adapt to the air travel industry's new realities.
The job cuts will be deepest in Boeing's commercial jetliner business, where 15% of the workforce will be eliminated. There will be fewer cuts in the aerospace giant's defense and space divisions.
Boeing has already begun offering longtime employees incentives to take voluntary layoffs, essentially paying people to leave, but Calhoun acknowledges the company may need to layoff some workers.
"I know this news is a blow during an already challenging time," Calhoun said in a message to employees Wednesday morning. "I regret the impact this will have on many of you. I sincerely wish there were some other way."
Boeing is a manufacturing behemoth. It's the nation's largest exporter, accounting for an estimated 1% of GDP. Its supply chain has 17,000 manufacturers making the engines, wheels, wings, seats, and countless other parts.
So Boeing's cuts will ripple across the country and around the world.
"Boeing is just in a world of hurt," says aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton of Leeham Company. He says the pandemic is hurting Boeing's rival Airbus, too. The European company announced it will be cutting airplane production by a third and laying off workers, but Boeing might be worse off, because "in Boeing's case, it's exasperated by the fact that the 737 Max has been grounded since March 13 of last year."
That was after the second of two Max plane crashes that killed 346 people. The grounding of the best selling commercial jet ever has cost Boeing billions and it now appears the 737 Max will remain grounded at least through August. Southwest Airlines, the largest Max customer, just drastically reduced the number of the planes it will take next year.
Boeing is still under investigation for how it got a flawed flight control system certified, and according to the Wall Street Journal, investigators are also looking into widespread problems on the 737 Max assembly line. Lawsuits filed by the families of those killed are still pending, too.
Asked about the status of the troubled plane, Calhoun said the company continues making progress towards meeting regulators demands as it addresses flaws that contributed two deadly crashes.
"I think confidence is as high as it's ever been," the CEO told reporters, adding that he believes the plane is on track to be recertified by late summer or early fall. "Third quarter is when we think it will return to service."
But it appears airlines might not have the need to fly the planes by then.
"The aviation industry will take years to return to the levels of traffic we saw just a few months ago," Calhoun said. "It is difficult to estimate when the situation will stabilize, but when it does, the commercial market will be smaller and our customers' needs will be different."
Calhoun says Boeing will need to borrow money to get by and he signaled that the company is softening its stance on giving the U.S. government a financial stake in the company in exchange for federal loans. But they have made no decision yet on whether to apply for the federal aid available under the coronavirus relief package known as the CARES act.
Aerospace analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu at the financial services company Jefferies expects Boeing's rebound to lag a little behind an eventual resurgence in air travel.
"There's going to be a big recovery, people will want to travel again, people will get on aircraft," she said. "And right now, we're modeling a pretty dire scenario and it's probably all upside from here."
Kahyaoglu and others expect demand to return to 2019 levels within two or three years, but analyst Scott Hamilton says that forecast may be overly optimistic.
"We think it'll be more like four years, best case, before you see passenger traffic returning to pre-Covid levels, and worst case, eight years, and then of course production of new airplanes will trail that," he said.
So what it'll take for Boeing to make money again?
"Good question," Hamilton said. "I think primarily they'll rely on defense contracts and um... huh. It's a good question. I don't have an answer for that."


npr--2020-04-29--New Coronavirus Safety Measures Pose Challenges For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing

New Coronavirus Safety Measures Pose Challenges For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing The new norms of the coronavirus era — wearing face masks , maintaining social distance and conducting conversations through teleconference software — have made life more complicated for most Americans .
But for the deaf and hard-of-hearing , they have transformed every day tasks into technological labyrinths , and exposed a number of inequities in local health and government systems .
One of the most well-documented pandemic challenges is communicating through face-obscuring masks .
The masks make it impossible for people who read lips to see people 's mouths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the grocery store or doctor 's office .
Facial expressions like nose crinkles and mouth movements are also components of American Sign Language .
Over the past few weeks , manufacturing companies and media outlets have been touting clear face masks as a quick and straightforward fix to the problem .
This is n't a perfect solution , though , for a number of reasons .
For one , not all deaf people lip-read .
Brianne Burger , a deaf resident of Washington , D.C. , lip-reads , but her sister Kerry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pen and paper with her wherever she goes .
`` When I told her my frustration with the masks , she chided me for not bringing paper and pen with me , '' Brianne Burger wrote in an email exchange .
`` Now I have to learn that approach instead of lip reading . ''
Robb Dooling , a federal employee in Washington , D.C. , who is deaf and advocates for people with disabilities , says he fears that a narrative around face masks would perpetuate the myth that all deaf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people also worry that hospitals ' tightened visitor restrictions will mean they wo n't be able to bring interpreters to their medical appointments .
`` In-person interpreters are better for clear communications , but I would rather not put the interpreter at risk of COVID-19 , '' Dooling says .
He plans to use his smartphone to reach a video interpreting service if he needs to seek out medical care .
Accessing breaking news updates and information about stay-at-home orders is another challenge .
Advocates and government officials across the country have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic accessible , with mixed results .
Many local leaders have interpreters present at all of their coronavirus briefings .
But it does n't always go smoothly .
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. `` Jack '' Young apologized to the city 's deaf community last week after cutting off a sign language interpreter during a news conference .
Young had told the interpreter to stop signing the words of protesters who had drowned him out .
And the National Association of the Deaf has published a series of articles and how-tos about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still exist .
For one , the D.C. Public School system 's distance learning software does not make captioning or transcriptions available , making it inaccessible to deaf students and parents such as Brianne Burger .
She has to use speech-to-text software to follow along with her kindergarten daughter 's online classes .
Dooling points out that the pandemic has also created new opportunities to support deaf and hard-of-hearing populations .
The organization Deaf In Government runs weekly webinars on everything from virtual participation in telework meetings to mental health .
Dooling also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visual communication by making eye contact or waving .
Learning even just the alphabet in American Sign Language goes a long way , too .
Burger feels the same way .
`` Knowing ASL would be so helpful , '' she says .
`` Wish the whole world knew how to sign ! ''

New Coronavirus Safety Measures Pose Challenges For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Brianne Burger Courtesy of Brianne Burger
The new norms of the coronavirus era — wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and conducting conversations through teleconference software — have made life more complicated for most Americans. But for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, they have transformed every day tasks into technological labyrinths, and exposed a number of inequities in local health and government systems.
One of the most well-documented pandemic challenges is communicating through face-obscuring masks. The masks make it impossible for people who read lips to see people's mouths or follow facial expressions during essential trips to the grocery store or doctor's office. Facial expressions like nose crinkles and mouth movements are also components of American Sign Language.
Over the past few weeks, manufacturing companies and media outlets have been touting clear face masks as a quick and straightforward fix to the problem.
This isn't a perfect solution, though, for a number of reasons. For one, not all deaf people lip-read.
Brianne Burger, a deaf resident of Washington, D.C., lip-reads, but her sister Kerry does not. Instead, Kerry brings a pen and paper with her wherever she goes.
"When I told her my frustration with the masks, she chided me for not bringing paper and pen with me," Brianne Burger wrote in an email exchange. "Now I have to learn that approach instead of lip reading."
Robb Dooling, a federal employee in Washington, D.C., who is deaf and advocates for people with disabilities, says he fears that a narrative around face masks would perpetuate the myth that all deaf people read lips.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people also worry that hospitals' tightened visitor restrictions will mean they won't be able to bring interpreters to their medical appointments.
"In-person interpreters are better for clear communications, but I would rather not put the interpreter at risk of COVID-19," Dooling says. He plans to use his smartphone to reach a video interpreting service if he needs to seek out medical care.
Accessing breaking news updates and information about stay-at-home orders is another challenge. Advocates and government officials across the country have been working to make all their communications around the coronavirus pandemic accessible, with mixed results.
Many local leaders have interpreters present at all of their coronavirus briefings. But it doesn't always go smoothly. Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young apologized to the city's deaf community last week after cutting off a sign language interpreter during a news conference. Young had told the interpreter to stop signing the words of protesters who had drowned him out.
And the National Association of the Deaf has published a series of articles and how-tos about life during the pandemic.
But gaps still exist. For one, the D.C. Public School system's distance learning software does not make captioning or transcriptions available, making it inaccessible to deaf students and parents such as Brianne Burger. She has to use speech-to-text software to follow along with her kindergarten daughter's online classes.
Dooling points out that the pandemic has also created new opportunities to support deaf and hard-of-hearing populations. The organization Deaf In Government runs weekly webinars on everything from virtual participation in telework meetings to mental health.
Dooling also suggests that hearing people should regularly initiate visual communication by making eye contact or waving. Learning even just the alphabet in American Sign Language goes a long way, too.
Burger feels the same way.
"Knowing ASL would be so helpful," she says. "Wish the whole world knew how to sign!"


npr--2020-04-29--Scram Big Banks: Small Lenders Take Over SBA Lending Program (For A Night)

Scram Big Banks : Small Lenders Take Over SBA Lending Program ( For A Night ) The Small Business Administration on Wednesday will temporarily allow only the smallest financial institutions to access the small business coronavirus relief program , known as the Paycheck Protection Program .
The move to restrict access comes after concerns that the smallest of businesses , and particularly those owned by people of color , were shut out of the first round of the program , which ran out of money in 13 days .
From 4 to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday , applications for the PPP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other lending institutions with less than $ 1 billion in assets .
SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced the policy on Twitter , saying that the move is meant to `` assist small community lenders and ensure their small business customers have access . ''
The program gives small businesses loans that can be forgiven , provided that they use the money only for particular things , including spending at least three-quarters of it on payroll .
Those businesses must apply through banks and other financial institutions , rather than directly through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcry over news that well-known companies had been approved for the forgivable PPP loans , while many smaller businesses were shut out of it .
The SBA also announced Tuesday night that it would be giving extra scrutiny to loan applications for more than $ 2 million .
Data from the SBA show that it approved more than 25,000 loans of $ 2 million or greater during the first round of the program 's funding .
Shake Shack , the Los Angeles Lakers and news website Axios are among the well-known businesses who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the program .
A new round of $ 321 billion in funding for the program opened on Monday .
Overwhelming demand that day caused SBA 's portal for banks to crash .

Scram Big Banks: Small Lenders Take Over SBA Lending Program (For A Night)
Enlarge this image toggle caption Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Small Business Administration on Wednesday will temporarily allow only the smallest financial institutions to access the small business coronavirus relief program, known as the Paycheck Protection Program.
The move to restrict access comes after concerns that the smallest of businesses, and particularly those owned by people of color, were shut out of the first round of the program, which ran out of money in 13 days.
From 4 to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, applications for the PPP program will only be accepted from banks and other lending institutions with less than $1 billion in assets.
SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced the policy on Twitter, saying that the move is meant to "assist small community lenders and ensure their small business customers have access."
The program gives small businesses loans that can be forgiven, provided that they use the money only for particular things, including spending at least three-quarters of it on payroll. Those businesses must apply through banks and other financial institutions, rather than directly through the SBA itself.
There has been public outcry over news that well-known companies had been approved for the forgivable PPP loans, while many smaller businesses were shut out of it.
The SBA also announced Tuesday night that it would be giving extra scrutiny to loan applications for more than $2 million.
Data from the SBA show that it approved more than 25,000 loans of $2 million or greater during the first round of the program's funding.
Shake Shack, the Los Angeles Lakers and news website Axios are among the well-known businesses who have given back PPP loans amid criticism of the program.
A new round of $321 billion in funding for the program opened on Monday. Overwhelming demand that day caused SBA's portal for banks to crash.


npr--2020-04-29--Why The U.S. Government Stopped Funding A Research Project On Bats And Coronaviruses

Why The U.S. Government Stopped Funding A Research Project On Bats And Coronaviruses The U.S. government has suddenly terminated funding for a years-long research project in China that many experts say is vital to preventing the next major coronavirus outbreak .
The project was run by a U.S. nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance .
For more than a decade , the group has been sending teams to China to trap bats , collect samples of their blood , saliva and feces , and then check those samples for new coronaviruses that could spark the next global pandemic .
The idea is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitored , come up with strategies to prevent spillover of the virus into human populations and get a jump on creating vaccines and treatments .
Already the project has identified hundreds of coronaviruses , including one very similar to the virus behind the current outbreak .
But since early this month , U.S. officials have been working to raise suspicions about a key collaborator on the project : the Wuhan Institute of Virology , located in the city where the outbreak began .
U.S. intelligence officials are investigating whether the coronavirus escaped from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contamination accident .
As noted in an NPR story published last week , many scientists have discounted that theory as nearly impossible .
Nonetheless , at an April 17 news conference , President Trump said he had given instructions to check if any U.S. funding was slated for the Wuhan Institute , and if so , he said , it would immediately be terminated .
Days later , on April 24 , the National Institutes of Health , or NIH — which was providing the grant for the project — notified EcoHealth Alliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as first reported by Politico .
To learn more about the cutoff of funds and the possible impact on coronavirus research , NPR interviewed the president of EcoHealth Alliance , Peter Daszak , as well as Robert Garry , a microbiologist at Tulane University who is playing a prominent role in COVID-19 research but who does not work with the nonprofit .
( NPR reached out to both NIH and the White House for comment .
The White House referred questions to the Department of Health and Human Services , which oversees NIH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not respond to a request for comment and neither did officials at NIH . )
Here are the answers we got to four key questions : Who approved funding for this project ?
At the April 17 White House news conference , a reporter mischaracterized key details about the project , stating that `` the NIH , under the Obama administration , in 2015 gave that lab $ 3.7 million in a grant '' and asking Trump , `` Why would the U.S. give a grant like that to China ? ''
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I understand it was a number of years ago , right ? ''
Then he added , `` 2015 ?
Who was president then , I wonder . ''
In fact , while the first grant for the project was indeed given in 2015 ( for $ 3.25 million over five years ) , the $ 3.7 million was approved last year as a five-year renewal .
Also , only about 10 % of the grant — about $ 76,000 per year — was slated for the Wuhan Institute .
This was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was doing the bulk of the on-the-ground sample collection and analysis , says EcoHealth Alliance 's Daszak .
`` You ca n't just turn up as an American and say , ' I want to find out what viruses you 've got , ' `` says Daszak .
`` You have to work with local collaboration and with the permission of the governments . ''
Daszak adds that NIH approved the five-year renewal unusually quickly .
`` When you submit those grants , they get reviewed independently by scientists , and they 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We received a really extremely high priority for funding . ''
What results has the project yielded so far ?
Daszak says the China bat sampling project has already racked up quite a number of successes .
The team and its collaborators at the Wuhan Institute of Virology have collected about 15,000 samples from bats .
From these they have already identified about 400 wholly new coronaviruses .
About 50 of those fall into a category that caused the 2002 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome , or SARS , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The researchers were also able to demonstrate that at least some of the new bat coronaviruses they have found are capable of infecting a human cell in a petri dish .
Then the team sampled the blood of people in China who live near various bat caves .
They found evidence that for some time now , these bat coronaviruses have been spilling over into the human population .
`` Our work has shown that between 1 [ million ] and 7 million people a year are exposed in rural China and rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Daszak .
`` It really gives us a forward look at what could be coming down the pike . ''
Indeed , once the current pandemic began , the Wuhan Institute researchers on the project were able to consult their library of bat coronaviruses .
They found an extremely close match .
All this work makes EcoHealth Alliance a `` major player '' in the field , says Garry , the microbiologist at Tulane .
`` These are notable papers that people will be citing going forward . ''
How did funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost as soon as the pandemic began , conspiracy theories started circulating , pointing to the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the culprit .
In recent weeks , these have gained traction with the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies are assessing the possibility of a lab accident , as well as with the leak of State Department cables obtained by The Washington Post indicating that in 2018 , officials had raised safety concerns about the Wuhan lab .
Trump and other Republican figures have used these points in a broader narrative that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
EcoHealth Alliance 's Daszak says his first `` inkling '' of the impact that this would have on funding for the China research project came in a series of emails from NIH that began shortly after Trump 's April 17 press conference .
In the first email , `` they said , 'Can you not send funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology ? '
`` he recalls .
`` We wrote back straight away and said , 'Of course we wo n't [ fund them ] .
Absolutely . '
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 , he says NIH expressed its thanks .
The very next day , on Friday , April 24 , he received another email from NIH informing him that the funding for the China bat coronavirus project had been eliminated because `` at this time NIH does not believe the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities . ''
This was particularly mystifying , Daszak says , because just a day earlier , NIH had released a strategic plan detailing COVID-19 research priorities .
`` Our work is relevant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategic plan , '' says Daszak .
`` We really do n't understand the rationale behind this , '' he says .
`` And we 've reached out to NIH and have not received a response yet . ''
Garry of Tulane says it is `` highly unusual '' for NIH to halt funding for a project this way .
`` Scientifically this does n't make sense .
Scientists should be able to work with other scientists without politics . ''
What happens to the research that the project was doing ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the NIH grant , says Daszak .
`` So with the funding terminated , we wo n't be able to do this work .
The fieldwork will not carry on . ''
That poses a threat to U.S. national security and public health , he says .
`` Once this pandemic is over , we know of hundreds of other coronaviruses that we 've found evidence of in China that are waiting to emerge , '' says Daszak .
`` We are now going to be unable to know about the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at risk of the next pandemic . ''
At a minimum , EcoHealth — and the many international researchers to whom it provides information — will no longer have the ability to study the vast collection of new coronavirus samples already collected .
`` They 're in freezers in China .
We had free and open access while we were doing this collaboration to get the genetic sequences of the virus from those samples .
But without the funding , we wo n't be able to get that . ''
Another part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue : Over the next four years , Daszak says , they were going to dig deeper into how communities in rural China are getting exposed to coronaviruses .
`` We have anthropologists that try to understand which human behaviors are most likely to cause those viruses to emerge .
We designed programs to help reduce those behaviors — things like the wildlife trade — and to try to persuade governments and communities to do things in a less risky way . ''
Finally , EcoHealth Alliance will have to forgo its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expand the database of novel coronaviruses .
That 's a serious missed opportunity , he says , because `` the genetic sequences of the viruses we find in wildlife are given to labs here in the U.S. — who then work to incorporate them into vaccines and drug designs so that we can be better prepared if there 's an emergence . ''
Already , he adds , at least one of the teams researching a treatment to help in the current pandemic — a group based at the University of North Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a drug called EIDD-2801 against not just COVID-19 but against several of the other bat coronaviruses that the EcoHealth Alliance project helped identify .
After all , says Daszak , ideally drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 will be designed to work on a `` broader spectrum '' of similar viruses — because , he says , it 's only a matter of time before one of those sparks another outbreak .
Not all scientists think that 's achievable .
But Tulane 's Garry agrees it 's a reasonable — if challenging — goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come up with a universal anti-coronavirus vaccine , '' he says .
`` That 's the hope .
It 's aspirational .
But to do that we would need to know what the diversity of the coronavirus species are . ''

Why The U.S. Government Stopped Funding A Research Project On Bats And Coronaviruses
Updated on May 1 at 10:50 a.m. ET
The U.S. government has suddenly terminated funding for a years-long research project in China that many experts say is vital to preventing the next major coronavirus outbreak.
The project was run by a U.S. nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance. For more than a decade, the group has been sending teams to China to trap bats, collect samples of their blood, saliva and feces, and then check those samples for new coronaviruses that could spark the next global pandemic. The idea is to identify locations that need to be monitored, come up with strategies to prevent spillover of the virus into human populations and get a jump on creating vaccines and treatments. Already the project has identified hundreds of coronaviruses, including one very similar to the virus behind the current outbreak.
But since early this month, U.S. officials have been working to raise suspicions about a key collaborator on the project: the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the city where the outbreak began. U.S. intelligence officials are investigating whether the coronavirus escaped from the Wuhan Institute through some sort of contamination accident. As noted in an NPR story published last week, many scientists have discounted that theory as nearly impossible.
Nonetheless, at an April 17 news conference, President Trump said he had given instructions to check if any U.S. funding was slated for the Wuhan Institute, and if so, he said, it would immediately be terminated. Days later, on April 24, the National Institutes of Health, or NIH — which was providing the grant for the project — notified EcoHealth Alliance that the money was being canceled, as first reported by Politico.
To learn more about the cutoff of funds and the possible impact on coronavirus research, NPR interviewed the president of EcoHealth Alliance, Peter Daszak, as well as Robert Garry, a microbiologist at Tulane University who is playing a prominent role in COVID-19 research but who does not work with the nonprofit. (NPR reached out to both NIH and the White House for comment. The White House referred questions to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH. A spokesman for the department did not respond to a request for comment. NIH provided a statement to NPR confirming that the grant has been terminated, adding that "NIH does not discuss details of the decision-making process regarding specific grant awards."
Here are the answers we got to four key questions:
Who approved funding for this project?
At the April 17 White House news conference, a reporter mischaracterized key details about the project, stating that "the NIH, under the Obama administration, in 2015 gave that lab $3.7 million in a grant" and asking Trump, "Why would the U.S. give a grant like that to China?"
Trump continued that erroneous depiction, answering, "I understand it was a number of years ago, right?" Then he added, "2015? Who was president then, I wonder."
In fact, while the first grant for the project was indeed given in 2015 (for $3.25 million over five years, of which nearly $3.1 million was ultimately disbursed), the $3.7 million was approved last year as a five-year renewal.
Also, only about 10% of the grant — about $76,000 per year — was slated for the Wuhan Institute. This was provided in recognition that the Wuhan lab was doing the bulk of the on-the-ground sample collection and analysis, says EcoHealth Alliance's Daszak.
"You can't just turn up as an American and say, 'I want to find out what viruses you've got,' " says Daszak. "You have to work with local collaboration and with the permission of the governments."
Daszak adds that NIH approved the five-year renewal unusually quickly. "When you submit those grants, they get reviewed independently by scientists, and they're assigned a score," says Daszak. "We received a really extremely high priority for funding."
What results has the project yielded so far?
Daszak says the China bat sampling project has already racked up quite a number of successes. The team and its collaborators at the Wuhan Institute of Virology have collected about 15,000 samples from bats. From these they have already identified about 400 wholly new coronaviruses. About 50 of those fall into a category that caused the 2002 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and, now, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The researchers were also able to demonstrate that at least some of the new bat coronaviruses they have found are capable of infecting a human cell in a petri dish. Then the team sampled the blood of people in China who live near various bat caves. They found evidence that for some time now, these bat coronaviruses have been spilling over into the human population.
"Our work has shown that between 1 [million] and 7 million people a year are exposed in rural China and rural Southeast Asia to these viruses," says Daszak.
"It really gives us a forward look at what could be coming down the pike."
Indeed, once the current pandemic began, the Wuhan Institute researchers on the project were able to consult their library of bat coronaviruses. They found an extremely close match.
All this work makes EcoHealth Alliance a "major player" in the field, says Garry, the microbiologist at Tulane. "These are notable papers that people will be citing going forward."
How did funding for the project unravel so quickly?
Almost as soon as the pandemic began, conspiracy theories started circulating, pointing to the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the culprit. In recent weeks, these have gained traction with the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies are assessing the possibility of a lab accident, as well as with the leak of State Department cables obtained by The Washington Post indicating that in 2018, officials had raised safety concerns about the Wuhan lab. Trump and other Republican figures have used these points in a broader narrative that they are advancing, blaming China for the pandemic.
EcoHealth Alliance's Daszak says his first "inkling" of the impact that this would have on funding for the China research project came in a series of emails from NIH that began shortly after Trump's April 17 press conference. In the first email, "they said, 'Can you not send funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology?' " he recalls. "We wrote back straight away and said, 'Of course we won't [fund them]. Absolutely.' "
In another email, on April 23, he says NIH expressed its thanks.
The very next day, on Friday, April 24, he received another email from NIH informing him that the funding for the China bat coronavirus project had been eliminated because "at this time NIH does not believe the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities."
This was particularly mystifying, Daszak says, because just a day earlier, NIH had released a strategic plan detailing COVID-19 research priorities. "Our work is relevant to all four priority areas within that strategic plan," says Daszak.
"We really don't understand the rationale behind this," he says. "And we've reached out to NIH and have not received a response yet."
Garry of Tulane says it is "highly unusual" for NIH to halt funding for a project this way. "Scientifically this doesn't make sense. Scientists should be able to work with other scientists without politics."
What happens to the research that the project was doing?
The China bat research project was funded entirely through the NIH grant, says Daszak. "So with the funding terminated, we won't be able to do this work. The fieldwork will not carry on."
That poses a threat to U.S. national security and public health, he says. "Once this pandemic is over, we know of hundreds of other coronaviruses that we've found evidence of in China that are waiting to emerge," says Daszak. "We are now going to be unable to know about the risk of that, which puts us completely at risk of the next pandemic."
At a minimum, EcoHealth — and the many international researchers to whom it provides information — will no longer have the ability to study the vast collection of new coronavirus samples already collected. "They're in freezers in China. We had free and open access while we were doing this collaboration to get the genetic sequences of the virus from those samples. But without the funding, we won't be able to get that."
Another part of the project that won't be able to continue: Over the next four years, Daszak says, they were going to dig deeper into how communities in rural China are getting exposed to coronaviruses. "We have anthropologists that try to understand which human behaviors are most likely to cause those viruses to emerge. We designed programs to help reduce those behaviors — things like the wildlife trade — and to try to persuade governments and communities to do things in a less risky way."
Finally, EcoHealth Alliance will have to forgo its plans to collect many more samples to expand the database of novel coronaviruses.
That's a serious missed opportunity, he says, because "the genetic sequences of the viruses we find in wildlife are given to labs here in the U.S. — who then work to incorporate them into vaccines and drug designs so that we can be better prepared if there's an emergence."
Already, he adds, at least one of the teams researching a treatment to help in the current pandemic — a group based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — has been testing a drug called EIDD-2801 against not just COVID-19 but against several of the other bat coronaviruses that the EcoHealth Alliance project helped identify.
After all, says Daszak, ideally drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 will be designed to work on a "broader spectrum" of similar viruses — because, he says, it's only a matter of time before one of those sparks another outbreak.
Not all scientists think that's achievable. But Tulane's Garry agrees it's a reasonable — if challenging — goal. "It's entirely possible to come up with a universal anti-coronavirus vaccine," he says. "That's the hope. It's aspirational. But to do that we would need to know what the diversity of the coronavirus species are."


npr--2020-04-29--Compared With China, U.S. Stay-At-Home Has Been 'Giant Garden Party,' Journalist Says

Compared With China , U.S. Stay-At-Home Has Been 'Giant Garden Party , ' Journalist Says As millions of people remain socially isolated and anxious about COVID-19 , several U.S. governors are at least making plans to relax controls in their states and revive economic activity — against the advice of many public health professionals .
New York Times science and health reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. warns that the push to reopen is premature .
`` We 're nowhere near getting on top of this virus , '' he says .
McNeil has spent decades at the Times covering infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ malaria , swine and bird flu , and SARS .
He describes the ways that some Americans are approaching social distancing measures as a `` giant garden party '' compared with what the citizens of China and Italy have faced .
`` I hear anecdotally that people [ in the U.S. ] are holding ... barbecues and people are still going out on Internet dates and having play dates with kids , '' he says .
`` Unfortunately , that 's the reason that we have about 30,000 new infections a day in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen until they had zero new infections a day . ''
McNeil says even a fairly strict stay-at-home policy is `` just the first step '' in the battle against the pandemic : `` There 's a Harvard study that came out recently that said we should have 5 million to 10 million tests per day across [ the U.S. ] in order to have a clearer idea of where the virus is , where cases are going up .
And cumulatively , all the tests we 've done now has been 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a model of how to stop a fast-moving pandemic in its tracks , using widespread testing and a strict quarantine .
`` We 're reluctant to follow China , but they did it , '' he says .
`` They did it brutally , but brilliantly . ''
On how testing worked in China The model in China was , when it was time to be tested , you were taken to a fever clinic .
You were screened in several ways : Your temperature was taken .
You were given a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood cell count to make sure you did n't have a flu or bacterial pneumonia .
And then you 'd be given a quick CT scan .
They could run as many as 200 CT scans a day on some of these portable machines so that they could check your lungs — because their tests had some time before the results came back too .
And only after you cleared all those hurdles and you were definitely still a COVID case , then you got the test , because their tests were imperfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't go home to wait for the results of your test .
You stayed there in the fever clinic , in the center .
You were told to sit far apart from other people — 6 feet away from other people .
And people sat there sort of scared with their envelopes with their CT scan results in their hands , waiting to hear if they were yes or no .
And then , if you were positive , you went straight into isolation — not back with your family but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someplace like that , where you were in bed .
There might be 100 people in a room .
On the idea that China 's lockdown was overly strict Chinese people love their families just as much as Americans love their families .
They were initially reluctant to go into these quarantine shelters too .
But when it became clear that it was saving the lives of their families .
I mean , yes , some of them were forced in .
Some of them were chucked into the back of ambulances by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ norm .
The norm was you were told , `` Please come with us to the shelter .
You will have food .
You will have medical care .
We will keep an eye out for you .
And in three weeks , if you 're good to go back home , we 're going to test you , make sure you 're OK , and then you can go back home . ''
It 's portrayed as brutal .
But there are a lot of brutal things that the government in Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was not brutal to its own citizens .
It saved probably 10 million lives .
That 's how many I estimated would have died in China if this had just gone unchecked .
On what might happen if the U.S. reopens too quickly If we all went back into baseball stadiums and churches and piled into grocery stores and got onto the subway , everything would be quiet for about two weeks , and then , whammo !
You 'd see temperatures go up on the Kinsa app , and then you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then you 'd see hospital admissions go up .
And then you 'd see people being transferred into ICUs go up — and then you 'd see deaths .
We 'd be on our way back to [ previous predictions of ] 1.6 to 2.2 million deaths [ in the U.S. because of COVID-19 ] again .
So we have to go out very carefully , in little bits .
And if we have enough testing to know how much virus there is around — that 's what Tony Fauci [ director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Infectious Diseases ] means when he says , `` The virus will tell us . ''
You 'll see as the percentage of positive tests goes up — if you have millions of tests being done every day — you 'll see , `` Uh-oh .
We have a problem here in southern Georgia , '' or `` We have a problem here in the upper Michigan peninsula , '' or wherever we have a problem , and then you go back into hiding .
You socially distance yourself as much as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything from closing the schools again to keeping the universities open , because college students can socially distance , but kindergartners ca n't .
You make choices , and you see how far you have to back off .
This is probably going to be a series of steps .
We 're going to have to do this again and again , dancing in and dancing out until we get to the point where we either have a vaccine or a prophylactic pill or some regimen — some curative regimen that 's so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I get sick , maybe I get sick , but if I crash , I can count on being saved .
On how we do n't yet know if people can become immune to COVID-19 — and how long that immunity would last We do not know enough , and that 's one of the big unsolved things ... because there are these anecdotal reports of people who seem to have been infected a second time .
But you never know whether or not they had a false negative test that cleared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are some people who have kind of immune systems that are not perfect .
So it 's very fuzzy where we are on this thing .
But , as Fauci says , normally when you recover from a disease , especially if you 've had a bad case of that disease , you have some period of immunity .
With things like chickenpox and measles , it 's lifelong .
Even with flu , it usually lasts a year or two against that brand of flu — that mutation of H1N1 or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect that there 's protection , but we do n't know what the antibody level is that confirms protection .
On a scenario in which people with immunity could have advantages They would be the immune elite .
There [ would ] be a whole new class of X-Men in this country .
I mean , it 's already happening .
People who 've recovered are very much in demand .
We want your blood for the antibodies in it .
And they [ could ] , in theory , do the scary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're medical personnel ) , without fear .
As more of them develop , they 'll take my job or take yours , because they can go into the office and also they can fly on planes and go out to parties as long as everybody there is immune .
It [ would ] be a weird dystopian world of two classes : of the immunes and the vulnerables .
On the possibility that people would be tempted to infect themselves , hoping to achieve immunity I am absolutely sure that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I 'm sure of that , because lots and lots of young people in this country are cooped up — out of work , frustrated .
They 're gon na see their friends outside having fun .
... And they 're going to say , `` What are my chances ?
One percent I end up dead ?
Three percent I end up in a hospital needing oxygen ?
Why do n't I just get infected , take my chances and recover ? ''
On ways in which the pandemic might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is like going through a war .
And if we went through World War I and World War II , and after each of those wars , we tried to create the League of Nations , and we did create the United Nations .
People saw that we were all in this together , and the attitudes changed after those wars .
Unions were strengthened .
Incomes became more level .
People had had it with war profiteers , and taxes on the rich went up .
It led to the GI Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe , the widows ' and orphans ' pension funds led to the creation of the famous European social safety net .
[ They were ] a very equalizing kind of events .
And I 'm hoping that something like that will happen in this country too , that we 'll have kind of a rosy outcome from this and that people will value life more .
You heard it in Wuhan .
People came out after two months in hiding , and they said , `` My God , the flowers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noticed before . ''
I think people will take more pleasure in the simple things in life and feel lucky that they got through this .
So I 'm hoping we have a brighter dawn , but we 're going to go through some pain first .
But then that 's one of the reasons I stay relatively optimistic about this , because I can see maybe a better country emerging from this .
Amy Salit and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview .
Bridget Bentz , Molly Seavy-Nesper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Web .

Compared With China, U.S. Stay-At-Home Has Been 'Giant Garden Party,' Journalist Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As millions of people remain socially isolated and anxious about COVID-19, several U.S. governors are at least making plans to relax controls in their states and revive economic activity — against the advice of many public health professionals.
New York Times science and health reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. warns that the push to reopen is premature. "We're nowhere near getting on top of this virus," he says.
McNeil has spent decades at the Times covering infectious diseases, including AIDS, Ebola, malaria, swine and bird flu, and SARS. He describes the ways that some Americans are approaching social distancing measures as a "giant garden party" compared with what the citizens of China and Italy have faced.
"I hear anecdotally that people [in the U.S.] are holding ... barbecues and people are still going out on Internet dates and having play dates with kids," he says. "Unfortunately, that's the reason that we have about 30,000 new infections a day in this country. ... China didn't reopen until they had zero new infections a day."
McNeil says even a fairly strict stay-at-home policy is "just the first step" in the battle against the pandemic: "There's a Harvard study that came out recently that said we should have 5 million to 10 million tests per day across [the U.S.] in order to have a clearer idea of where the virus is, where cases are going up. And cumulatively, all the tests we've done now has been 5 million."
McNeil points to China as a model of how to stop a fast-moving pandemic in its tracks, using widespread testing and a strict quarantine. "We're reluctant to follow China, but they did it," he says. "They did it brutally, but brilliantly."
Interview Highlights
On how testing worked in China
The model in China was, when it was time to be tested, you were taken to a fever clinic. You were screened in several ways: Your temperature was taken. You were given a quick flu test and a quick white blood cell count to make sure you didn't have a flu or bacterial pneumonia. And then you'd be given a quick CT scan. They could run as many as 200 CT scans a day on some of these portable machines so that they could check your lungs — because their tests had some time before the results came back too. And only after you cleared all those hurdles and you were definitely still a COVID case, then you got the test, because their tests were imperfect like ours are. And then you didn't go home to wait for the results of your test. You stayed there in the fever clinic, in the center. You were told to sit far apart from other people — 6 feet away from other people. And people sat there sort of scared with their envelopes with their CT scan results in their hands, waiting to hear if they were yes or no.
And then, if you were positive, you went straight into isolation — not back with your family but in one of these gymnasiums or armories, someplace like that, where you were in bed. There might be 100 people in a room.
On the idea that China's lockdown was overly strict
Chinese people love their families just as much as Americans love their families. They were initially reluctant to go into these quarantine shelters too. But when it became clear that it was saving the lives of their families. I mean, yes, some of them were forced in. Some of them were chucked into the back of ambulances by policemen. But that was not the norm. The norm was you were told, "Please come with us to the shelter. You will have food. You will have medical care. We will keep an eye out for you. And in three weeks, if you're good to go back home, we're going to test you, make sure you're OK, and then you can go back home." It's portrayed as brutal. But there are a lot of brutal things that the government in Beijing does. ... In this case, it was not brutal to its own citizens. It saved probably 10 million lives. That's how many I estimated would have died in China if this had just gone unchecked.
On what might happen if the U.S. reopens too quickly
If we all went back into baseball stadiums and churches and piled into grocery stores and got onto the subway, everything would be quiet for about two weeks, and then, whammo! You'd see temperatures go up on the Kinsa app, and then you'd see positive tests go up, and then you'd see hospital admissions go up. And then you'd see people being transferred into ICUs go up — and then you'd see deaths. We'd be on our way back to [previous predictions of] 1.6 to 2.2 million deaths [in the U.S. because of COVID-19] again.
So we have to go out very carefully, in little bits. And if we have enough testing to know how much virus there is around — that's what Tony Fauci [director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] means when he says, "The virus will tell us." You'll see as the percentage of positive tests goes up — if you have millions of tests being done every day — you'll see, "Uh-oh. We have a problem here in southern Georgia," or "We have a problem here in the upper Michigan peninsula," or wherever we have a problem, and then you go back into hiding. You socially distance yourself as much as possible in that area. That can include anything from closing the schools again to keeping the universities open, because college students can socially distance, but kindergartners can't. You make choices, and you see how far you have to back off.
This is probably going to be a series of steps. We're going to have to do this again and again, dancing in and dancing out until we get to the point where we either have a vaccine or a prophylactic pill or some regimen — some curative regimen that's so good that we're confident that, if I get sick, maybe I get sick, but if I crash, I can count on being saved.
On how we don't yet know if people can become immune to COVID-19 — and how long that immunity would last
We do not know enough, and that's one of the big unsolved things ... because there are these anecdotal reports of people who seem to have been infected a second time. But you never know whether or not they had a false negative test that cleared them before that or whether or not there are some people who have kind of immune systems that are not perfect.
So it's very fuzzy where we are on this thing. But, as Fauci says, normally when you recover from a disease, especially if you've had a bad case of that disease, you have some period of immunity. With things like chickenpox and measles, it's lifelong. Even with flu, it usually lasts a year or two against that brand of flu — that mutation of H1N1 or whatever it is. So we would expect that there's protection, but we don't know what the antibody level is that confirms protection.
On a scenario in which people with immunity could have advantages
They would be the immune elite. There [would] be a whole new class of X-Men in this country. I mean, it's already happening. People who've recovered are very much in demand. We want your blood for the antibodies in it. And they [could], in theory, do the scary jobs, like intubating patients (if they're medical personnel), without fear. As more of them develop, they'll take my job or take yours, because they can go into the office and also they can fly on planes and go out to parties as long as everybody there is immune.
It [would] be a weird dystopian world of two classes: of the immunes and the vulnerables.
On the possibility that people would be tempted to infect themselves, hoping to achieve immunity
I am absolutely sure that will happen. I haven't found it, but I'm sure of that, because lots and lots of young people in this country are cooped up — out of work, frustrated. They're gonna see their friends outside having fun. ... And they're going to say, "What are my chances? One percent I end up dead? Three percent I end up in a hospital needing oxygen? Why don't I just get infected, take my chances and recover?"
On ways in which the pandemic might change our country for the better
This is like going through a war. And if we went through World War I and World War II, and after each of those wars, we tried to create the League of Nations, and we did create the United Nations. People saw that we were all in this together, and the attitudes changed after those wars. Unions were strengthened. Incomes became more level. People had had it with war profiteers, and taxes on the rich went up.
That's one of the reasons I stay relatively optimistic about this, because I can see maybe a better country emerging from this.
It led to the GI Bill and the Veterans Administration mortgages. In Europe, the widows' and orphans' pension funds led to the creation of the famous European social safety net. [They were] a very equalizing kind of events. And I'm hoping that something like that will happen in this country too, that we'll have kind of a rosy outcome from this and that people will value life more.
You heard it in Wuhan. People came out after two months in hiding, and they said, "My God, the flowers are so beautiful. I've never really noticed before." I think people will take more pleasure in the simple things in life and feel lucky that they got through this. So I'm hoping we have a brighter dawn, but we're going to go through some pain first. But then that's one of the reasons I stay relatively optimistic about this, because I can see maybe a better country emerging from this.
Amy Salit and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Deborah Franklin adapted it for the Web.