huffpost--2020-05-02--How Profit And Incompetence Delayed N95 Masks While People Died At The VA

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Before embarking on a 36-hour tour through an underground of contractors and middlemen trying to make a buck on the nation’s desperate need for masks, entrepreneur Robert Stewart Jr. offered an unusual caveat.
“I’m talking with you against the advice of my attorney,” the man in the shiny gray suit, an American Flag button with the word “VETERAN” pinned to his blazer, said as we boarded a private jet Saturday from the executive wing at Dulles International Airport.
It remains a mystery why the CEO of Federal Government Experts LLC let me observe his frantic effort to find 6 million N95 respirators and the ultimate unraveling of his $34.5 million deal to supply them to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, where 20 VA staff have died of COVID-19 while the agency waits for masks.
It’s also unclear why the VA gave Stewart’s fledgling business — which had no experience selling medical equipment, no supply chain expertise and very little credit — an important contract. Or why the VA agreed to pay nearly $5.75 per mask, a 350% markup from the manufacturer’s list price. In the end, after ProPublica asked questions about the deal this week, the VA quickly terminated it and referred the case to its inspector general for investigation.
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Stewart maintained he was trying to do a public service and plans to tell investigators how he was taken for a ride by “buccaneers and pirates,” the multiple layers of intermediaries, fixers and lawyers standing between respirator mask producers and front-line workers who are dying without them.
I had first contacted Stewart last Friday after a ProPublica analysis of federal contracting data showed this sizable deal was his company’s first — and had been awarded without the usual bidding meant to weed out companies that can’t deliver.
Stewart wasn’t alone. The coronavirus pandemic had unleashed a bonanza for untested contractors riding a wave of unprecedented demand and scarcity of everything from hand sanitizer to ICU beds. So far, the administration of President Donald Trump has handed out at least $5.1 billion in no-bid contracts to address the pandemic, federal purchasing data shows. The VA, far more than any other agency, appeared to be awarding large contracts to little-known vendors in search of the personal protective equipment that’s pitted local, state and federal agencies against one another.
I wanted to know how a company the 34-year-old Stewart had formed two years earlier had gotten one of the largest no-bid contracts. And, more importantly, could it fulfill it?
There was reason to wonder. A quick Google search showed large portions of the text on FGE’s company website had been lifted verbatim from a 1982 Harvard Business Review article. The company primarily advertised IT consulting and advertised a “block chain” A.I. solution to government procurement, whatever that means. But I found nothing suggesting the company could buy and ship life-saving medical equipment — and fast.
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In a phone call, Stewart was defensive about an article on federal contracts in The Wall Street Journal that he believed unfairly painted him as a crook. His mother was so upset she wrote a letter to the editor. “My mom and dad raised me to be a man of integrity,” he said.
That’s when the first inconsistency arose. The Journal quoted Stewart as saying he was at the Port of Los Angeles “looking at a few million masks” and “getting ready to step on a Boeing 737 to bring the masks to the VA.”
He told me, however, that he had been in self-quarantine and hadn’t traveled anywhere since Christmas.
But he said he did have 6 million N95 respirators masks lined up in Los Angeles and would be getting a “proof of life video,” in the form of cellphone footage of scores of boxes with 3M labels, sent from an unidentified sender. The next day, he planned to take a private plane to the VA distribution center outside of Chicago to witness the delivery. I asked to tag along.
So here we were, aboard a whirring Legacy 450 Flexjet replete with leather captains’ chairs, dozens of liquor shooters, snacks and two pilots curious as to why we were stopping in Columbus, Georgia, en route to Chicago. It was a pit stop to pick up Stewart’s parents to bring them along for what was supposed to be a proud moment.
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“This is about helping folks, about being able to say to my mom and dad, ‘Thank you,’” he said. “All the work you did, now we are about to help 6 million people — well, 6 million masks.”
“Kind of a Faith Thing”
For a man who said he had spent weeks of sleepless nights in search of masks and learning shipping logistics, Stewart exuded the confidence of a magician about to perform his career-defining trick. But his next act was already falling apart.
We were midair when Stewart revealed that the 6 million masks that were supposedly in LA had slipped from his grasp and been sold to another buyer when he didn’t produce the money fast enough. So, he had no masks.
This was the second time Stewart said he had lost a mask supply before he could get his hands on it. He had tried earlier in April to procure masks from China, but that failed when the Chinese government took control of its mask-producing companies and limited exports.
I asked why on earth we were flying to Chicago to try to meet the VA’s midnight delivery deadline if he didn’t already have the N95s.
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“It was kind of a faith thing,” he said.
For 24 hours, Stewart had frantically reached out to contacts he had made as a former contract officer for the Pentagon. And early Friday, just one day before his shipment was due to the VA, Stewart said he got connected to a fixer in the U.S.
The fixer was Troy King, a former attorney general of Alabama who had just lost a run for Congress in that state’s 2nd District. Stewart said King connected him to an unidentified distributor, who could then connect him with 3M, the manufacturer of N95s, which block 95% of small particles such as those carrying COVID-19. Stewart said King also promised to arrange financing so FGE could get the deal done fast.
“When you’re a poor kid from Alabama,” Stewart said, “you do what you need to do to get the job done.”
Much of what Stewart told me either proved false or impossible to confirm, which he says is because he was being lied to by brokers and middlemen. For instance, he claimed to have a contact within the White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, who was working to help him smooth the deal over with VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. But when I asked spokespeople with the task force and the VA about the name he cited, no one had ever heard of her or had employment records for someone by that name.
Stewart said King was the one who claimed to have Pence task force connections and was brokering the deal through an Alabama LLC, Bear Mountain Development Company. King would charge a broker’s fee for connecting FGE to the distributor, Stewart said, and the payout would depend on shipment volume. But the price per mask kept changing. King told Stewart it would cost him $4.90 per mask — without shipping or overhead — to get the supplies from the distributor, according to text messages Stewart shared.
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King did not respond to my calls or emails, but through a spokeswoman said he talked to Stewart because he was having trouble getting masks.
“I worked all weekend to locate 3M masks that were available. The only 3M masks we could source for him were priced at $4.90 per mask, which is the price that we were being charged by our supplier.”
King said no cash changed hands and that he thought he might forgo the broker fee.
“Due to the fact that these products were for use in veterans’ facilities, we agreed that our efforts might end up being an uncompensated public service,” the statement said.
The deal’s tenuous nature — a broker Stewart didn’t know, buying from a seller he didn’t know, financed by someone he didn’t know — seemed a profound and expensive leap of faith. But Stewart was convinced that he was “getting the VA a good thing at a good price.”
He had been called to action, he said, after seeing a CNN segment where a nurse described making her own face shield out of plastic film. As a former Air Force officer, he said he felt compelled to help.
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“The goal here is not to get rich,” he said. FGE would be lucky to pocket about 10 cents a mask, he said, somewhere around $600,000, when the VA got its goods.
Yet we were bobbing around on a lavish jet, when commercial flights were available at about one one-hundredth of the cost per ticket.
When I asked why he spent more than $22,000 on a private plane, he said it was to prove he was no fly-by-nighter but a reputable government contractor.
“It comes down to me and my credibility,” he said. “Why would anybody pay $22,000 to have a ghost box delivery? It doesn’t make any sense.”
This was money out of FGE’s pocket. The government typically doesn’t pay vendors like Stewart until the goods are delivered. (ProPublica reimbursed FGE for the cost of a commercial ticket.)
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Stewart pulled a faded Bible from his bag and talked about miracles. His chance to prove himself on this deal, he said, is a small miracle.
“Awarding a $34.5 million contract to a small company without any supply chain experience,” he mused. “Why would you do that?”
Price Gouging?
Why the VA would do that is a lingering question. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency is officially leading the effort to scrounge up PPE, reportedly plucking shipments out from under states and other parts of the executive branch, the VA made its own supply purchases in March and April.
But despite signing 1,100 contracts worth $591 million just for PPE, the VA has experienced a devastating shortage for weeks. Nurses and doctors are reusing masks, avoiding patients and rationing gear. As BuzzFeed News reported April 7, despite the VA’s public assurances that the supply chain was “kicked into full gear,” leaders at one hospital said nurses and doctors were allowed only one surgical mask per shift. The more effective N95 masks, which the VA hired Stewart and his company to hunt down three days later, were in such short supply that they could only be used if there was a high chance of aerosolization, meaning the virus was believed to be temporarily airborne.
Though Stewart repeatedly promised to show me his original VA contract pitch, he ultimately declined to share it. What is clear is that FGE, which is designated as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, had a competitive advantage in securing work at the VA, which sets aside certain contracts for small veteran-owned companies. Stewart declined to talk about how he qualifies as disabled.
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Stewart said his deal’s cost was being driven up by high demand and by the brokers trying to collect “success fees.” While he said King never disclosed his fees, he showed me another contract with a different broker. That offer, which FGE declined, would have paid 5 cents a mask — about $300,000 — to the broker setting up the deal.
Ken Curley, a retired Army colonel whose company works with local governments and hospitals to order masks outside of this emerging black market, called the FGE deal “absolutely” a case of price gouging. “So you have a $4.90 mask before you put it on a truck?” he said. “It’s insanity.”
Curley’s company, Raymond Associates LLC, drafted a best practices paper for buyers like local hospitals, pointing out that 3M’s list price for masks like those Stewart was attempting to purchase was $1.27. After shipping costs and overhead, the end price should realistically be around $2 a mask, he said.
“So anybody that’s above that number is gouging,” Curley said. “And they know it.”
Curley said he’s seen numerous offers for respirators, many of which did not really exist, and turned away brokers working through multiple layers of intermediaries. To avoid this, he recommends “a single line” between the distributor and the government agency buying the product, meaning there’s only one facilitator.
Sergio Fernández de Córdova, who chairs a media nonprofit in New York, is working with Curley to help government agencies get reputable masks at better prices. Government agencies are partly to blame, he said, because they’re desperately handing out big contracts to unknown companies and paying exorbitant prices for whatever comes back. In the FGE deal, for instance, the VA essentially set its high price when it agreed to 6 million units at $34.5 million.
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“They’re approving it,” he said. “So that’s why people don’t see a problem with it.”
Though several states have clear price gouging laws, those rules don’t apply to federal government purchases.
“It is the Wild West and a loophole — that’s why so many lawyers are involved,” Fernández de Córdova said. “We’ve seen deals with lawyers making a couple hundred grand.”
3M has filed lawsuits in at least five states against people selling its respirators and masks at obscene markups. The Justice Department is also hunting down alleged scammers, such as two California men who were arrested for selling Chinese versions of the N95 respirators, KN95s, which they didn’t actually possess.
Stewart had read about those cases and had been given a copy of Curley’s best practices memo, and it clearly worried him.
“I’m just trying to fulfill my obligation and not go to jail,” he said.
Empty Hotel, Empty Promises
At 11 a.m. Saturday, Flight N407FX skidded onto warm asphalt in Columbus.
Stewart’s mother and father were waiting with luggage, while a few other family members came by to take pictures.
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Also joining us was Dawn Lockhart, Stewart’s friend from middle school whom he had hired as FGE’s human resources director. She, like me, had been told by Stewart that everyone on board would have access to an N95 mask for protection on the flight. But there were none.
Despite his company’s moniker, there seemed nothing expert about this operation. Stewart said his company lawyer had missed the flight because he slept in. Lockhart, who joked that she was wearing a skirt and heels for the first time in three years, was flipping through a textbook titled “Strategic Staffing.”
Stewart was building his company, like this deal, in midflight.
Once we were airborne, Stewart said he had found a new mask supplier in Atlanta who could quickly deliver to Chicago.
He said that once we landed he would drop his folks off at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort just outside of Chicago and then he and I would take a taxi over to the VA distribution center and wait for a mask delivery “even if we have to wait until 3 a.m.”
But we never left the confines of the vast and vacant Hilton, where two employees sat bored behind makeshift plexiglass barriers.
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In the lobby, Stewart worked the phones. He needed the VA to sign off on his new arrangement, but to win approval, he needed invoices and other documentation that he said King wasn’t sending over.
Just before 2 p.m., King had sent the “proof of life” video that Stewart said he’d been asking for, according to text messages Stewart later shared. The grainy cellphone video pans over what appear to be hundreds of boxes labeled 3M, but it was unclear what was in the boxes or where they were.
The grainy cellphone video pans over what appear to be hundreds of boxes labeled 3M, but it was unclear what was in the boxes or where they were. (Obtained by ProPublica)
By 3 p.m. Stewart had been joined by several friends and associates, including Roosevelt “Trey” Daniels of Frontline Recovery, a Houston disaster recovery firm. Daniels connected FGE to King.
Stewart and Daniels made dozens of calls — to King, to trucking companies, to cargo jet owners. “Hey, Frank,” Daniels said into his cell. “Who is a good freight company?” And that would lead to the next call and the next.
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By 5:20, Daniels had suggested they send a portion of the shipment by truck to Illinois, while they figured out how to get the rest on planes. Stewart insisted that he wanted to get the whole shipment there at once.
Then, a new idea emerged. Maybe they could buy some time by getting the VA to agree to an extension. Daniels had worked as a district director for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, and got her office to draft a letter in support of FGE.
“Can you lend your voice to this veteran-owned, African American business?” Roosevelt said he asked the congresswoman. “And she said yes. She’s always willing to go to bat for folks who are trying to do the right thing.”
Stewart drafted a formal extension request, citing provisions in federal contracting law. As the evening wore on, what was at first frenetic determination to pull off a miracle subsided into resignation and then into finger-pointing — at King, the VA bureaucracy, the market itself.
Daniels says the deal went south because King and Stewart faced a challenging market, trying to move cash too fast, while the federal government doesn’t provide enough guidance for vendors.
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“This situation with Troy King and Rob Stewart is you really have two good guys who had a lot of miscommunications,” he said. “One wasn’t communicating enough. One had his back against the wall.”
“Robert Stewart is a good guy,” Daniels said. “He’s a very honest guy.”
The group ordered tacos for what Stewart said was the company’s “last supper.” “I’ve done everything I can do,” Stewart said. “I called in every favor I had.”
A Federal Investigation
The next morning, as the dejected party boarded for a return flight, the pilot asked: “Anything I can get you before we take off?”
“Six million N95 masks,” Stewart quipped.
We landed in Georgia an hour and a half later, Stewart snapped photos with his family in front of the jet, and the two of us took off for Dulles.
The CEO was in the same gray suit as the previous day, now wrinkled. With his friends and family gone, his joviality had given way to exhaustion and the realization that this article probably wasn’t going to be one he liked. The optics of the private jet, he said, would not be good.
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“The only reason I took the plane was because of my parents,” he said. “They’re old and I didn’t want them to get sick, and I wanted them to see this. I wanted to say thank you.”
Stewart said he had severed ties with King the previous night. Stewart said he and his team couldn’t track down any Juanita Ramos, the connection King purported to have to Pence’s task force. And King hadn’t sent over the invoice he needed for the VA.
“I absolutely do believe he made her up,” Stewart said Wednesday. King did not respond to a question about Ramos.
“He’s the one that made up this figment Ramos lady,” Stewart added. “I didn’t make that up.”
“After several conversations over the weekend, Mr. Stewart informed us that he had secured these masks through another source and that he would not need our services to secure the masks,” King said through a spokesperson. “There have been no further conversations between Mr. Stewart and me. No agreement was ever made, no contract was ever executed, and no money was ever exchanged.”
Stewart believes there were never any masks in LA or Atlanta.
“Every time you get ready to do the due diligence or whatever else — you ask to see the proof of life — people go: ‘Oh, well we don’t have that. We have this kind. Or we can’t do that until this week or this date.’ Stuff just never materializes. It’s a bunch of smoke and mirrors and ghosts.”
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Stewart, to the end, maintained he would find a way to get masks to the VA. He followed up with the VA, offering a contract to get on a production line directly from 3M, at a cheaper cost, just $3.77 a mask.
But the VA terminated the deal Wednesday, after I inquired with the agency and a spokesperson for Pence’s task force. The agency didn’t tell Stewart directly, though he said he was made aware of the IG investigation.
“The story is that we started out trying to do the best thing for the country,” Stewart said. “I failed in that, ultimately.”
Back in DC, I asked a VA spokesperson why any of this, the FGE contract and intermediaries, was even necessary. Couldn’t the VA just buy masks directly?
The agency is waiting, along with much of the federal government, on FEMA, said spokeswoman Christina Noel. More than 166 million respirators are being produced by 3M under the Defense Production Act over the next few months, “some of which are being provided to the VA.”
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In the meantime, the VA was hiring contractors to scour for additional masks.
“To meet the remainder of its N95 respirator needs, VA conducts additional acquisition activities with other vendors,” Noel said.
In the end, the VA ended up with precisely zero additional N95 masks from its deal with Stewart.
On the up side, the VA paid no money to FGE, Noel said.
As of Wednesday, more than 2,200 VA employees had tested positive for COVID-19.


huffpost--2020-05-02--Boris Johnson's Son Named After Doctors Who Saved His Life When He Had COVID-19

LONDON ( AP ) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds have named their baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson in honor of their grandfathers and doctors who saved the U.K. leader ’ s life when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 .
Symonds made the announcement on her Instagram page Saturday , posting a picture of her cradling her 3-day-old son and explaining the name choice .
She praised the maternity team at University College Hospital in London and said her “ heart is full.″ “ Introducing Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson born on 29.04.20 at 9am.
” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Boris ’ grandfather , Lawrie after my grandfather , Nicholas after Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart - the two doctors that saved Boris ’ life last month.
’ ’ The birth came just days after Johnson returned to work following his hospitalization for the coronavirus .
He spent a week at London ’ s St. Thomas ’ hospital , including three nights in intensive care .
Johnson was present for the birth but back working at 10 Downing St. within hours amid the ongoing pandemic .
Johnson ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the year .
Johnson , 55 , and Symonds , 32 , announced their engagement in February and said they expected a baby in the summer .
Wilfred is the third baby born to a sitting British prime minister this century .
The wives of Tony Blair and David Cameron had children during the tenures of their husbands .

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LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds have named their baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson in honor of their grandfathers and doctors who saved the U.K. leader’s life when he was hospitalized with COVID-19.
Symonds made the announcement on her Instagram page Saturday, posting a picture of her cradling her 3-day-old son and explaining the name choice. She praised the maternity team at University College Hospital in London and said her “heart is full.″
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“Introducing Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson born on 29.04.20 at 9am.” she wrote in the post. “Wilfred after Boris’ grandfather, Lawrie after my grandfather, Nicholas after Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart - the two doctors that saved Boris’ life last month.’’
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on March 9, 2020 at Westminster Abbey. zz/KGC-03/STAR MAX/IPx
The birth came just days after Johnson returned to work following his hospitalization for the coronavirus. He spent a week at London’s St. Thomas’ hospital, including three nights in intensive care.
Johnson was present for the birth but back working at 10 Downing St. within hours amid the ongoing pandemic. Johnson’s office said he would take paternity leave later in the year.
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Johnson, 55, and Symonds, 32, announced their engagement in February and said they expected a baby in the summer.


huffpost--2020-05-14--How The Coronavirus ‘Reenergized’ The Anti-Vaccine Movement

As scientists and researchers urgently work to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus that would save lives and help societies to safely reopen , the anti-vaccine movement has been mobilizing to convince people they shouldn ’ t take it .
Anti-vaxxers have become a prominent presence at demonstrations against lockdowns and social distancing , while spreading conspiracies and misinformation to millions on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube .
Dr. Peter Hotez has long tried to push back against anti-vax falsehoods and activists like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , who has promoted widely debunked myths about vaccines and become a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the movement as both a vaccine scientist and the father of a child with autism in his book ” Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel ’ s Autism.
” He is now part of one of the many efforts to find a vaccine that will prevent COVID-19 and stop the pandemic .
Well , people were so eager to see a COVID-19 vaccine come out .
What I thought was that people would see what it ’ s like to live in a pre-vaccine era where you have a real serious threat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine , and that this would put a real dent in the anti-vaccine movement .
I think it did for about a month , before they really figured out how to regroup and respin things .
In some ways , and I ’ m sorry to say this , they ’ ve actually reenergized and gained strength .
The two major things that the anti-vaccine movement claims is that vaccines cause autism , and I ’ ve spent years of my life refuting that , and the other is that vaccines are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through to benefit pharma companies .
Calling it “ operation warp speed ” and putting out press releases saying we ’ re gon na have the vaccine in days or weeks or by the fall ― which is absolutely not true ― was like a gift to the anti-vaccine movement .
I ’ m quite upset about that .
It ’ s a gift to RFK Jr .
The other way they reenergized is quite interesting .
Around 2015 the anti-vaccine movement in America pivoted to the political right .
They started getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating political action groups that usually have the words “ choice ” or “ medical freedom ” in them .
Alex Jones picked up on them , RFK Jr. appeared on Fox News .
Now what you ’ re seeing is that there are far-right and libertarian groups that are flouting social distancing mandates and demonstrating in state capitals .
They ’ re being joined by the anti-vaxxers , and there ’ s this sort of unholy alliance starting between anti-vaxxers and groups protesting social distancing .
Clearly RFK Jr. is out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Children ’ s Health Defense started in fall of 2018 , so it ’ s been going on a couple years now and he ’ s gained strength , clout and funding .
Now he ’ s going after Bill Gates , going after Fauci .
They ’ re throwing out every conspiracy theory that they can .
It ’ s funny , they ’ ve designated me the “ OG villain.
” I had to look up what that means ― it means original gangster villain .
It will depend on what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is and how effective the vaccine is , but we ’ ll model that situation because we need to know .
For measles you need 95 % of the population vaccinated in order to create herd immunity ― is that what we need for this virus ?
Others have come up with 60 to 70 % , but we ’ ll see with a vaccine .
That ’ s going to be an important question ― what happens if so many people are scared off of a vaccine because of the messaging from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see about whether to take it ?
Sometimes you wake up in the morning , all of a sudden everything gels and it clicks an idea in your head .
I suddenly realized why all this talk about having a vaccine by the fall , which is not true , why all that language is around .
I think it ’ s because when you listen to the president or Vice President [ Mike ] Pence , their understanding is that it ’ s a manufacturing problem .
They see vaccines as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnostics ― that we haven ’ t scaled manufacturing .
The whole emphasis in the White House response has been around getting manufacturing contracts in place .
In their mind that ’ s the whole problem , but what they don ’ t understand is there ’ s a good chance many of those vaccines are not going to work and the problem with vaccines is taking the adequate time to accumulate enough data to show the vaccines actually work and are safe .
That ’ s the bottleneck and that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What I ’ ve been pushing really hard on is for the White House and NIH to get a communications strategy and get somebody out there who is explaining all this stuff .
You ’ re asking people to read the tea leaves and that ’ s not the way it should be .
Get somebody out there and roll out the vaccine strategy , why this works and why this is safe .
That ’ s probably one of the best ways to defuse the anti-vaccine lobby .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got some federal funds and a bit of private money .
The issue is that after every pandemic , I ’ ve said this one will be the game-changer and we ’ re going to have more proactive systems in place for vaccines .
I said that after SARS in 2003 , H1N1 in 2009 , MERS in 2012 ― you get the picture ― Ebola in 2014 , Zika in 2016 and I ’ m saying it now .
Maybe this is the one , because you ’ ve never had as @ @ @ @ @

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As scientists and researchers urgently work to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus that would save lives and help societies to safely reopen, the anti-vaccine movement has been mobilizing to convince people they shouldn’t take it. Anti-vaxxers have become a prominent presence at demonstrations against lockdowns and social distancing, while spreading conspiracies and misinformation to millions on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
Dr. Peter Hotez has long tried to push back against anti-vax falsehoods and activists like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted widely debunked myths about vaccines and become a face for the cause. Hotez wrote about the movement as both a vaccine scientist and the father of a child with autism in his book ”Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism.” He is now part of one of the many efforts to find a vaccine that will prevent COVID-19 and stop the pandemic.
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An anti-vaccine protester in Toronto, Canada, during a rally against social distancing. Arindam Shivaani/NurPhoto via Getty Images
HuffPost talked with Hotez, who is dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, about how coronavirus has made the anti-vaccine movement even more dangerous.
You’ve debunked anti-vaccine conspiracies and misinformation for a long time. How have you seen the anti-vax movement change during coronavirus?
Well, people were so eager to see a COVID-19 vaccine come out. What I thought was that people would see what it’s like to live in a pre-vaccine era where you have a real serious threat to you or your family by not having a vaccine, and that this would put a real dent in the anti-vaccine movement. I think it did for about a month, before they really figured out how to regroup and respin things. In some ways, and I’m sorry to say this, they’ve actually reenergized and gained strength.
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It’s happened in part because of a few missteps in some of the messaging around COVID-19 vaccine development that were really unfortunate. One was the messaging coming out of the White House, calling their vaccine initiative “operation warp speed,” along with press releases from biotech and pharma companies. I think those did a lot of damage.
The two major things that the anti-vaccine movement claims is that vaccines cause autism, and I’ve spent years of my life refuting that, and the other is that vaccines are not adequately tested for safety and rushed through to benefit pharma companies. Calling it “operation warp speed” and putting out press releases saying we’re gonna have the vaccine in days or weeks or by the fall ― which is absolutely not true ― was like a gift to the anti-vaccine movement. I’m quite upset about that.
It hit the anti-vaccine conspiracy talking point that these are untested and we don’t know what they’ll do.
It’s a gift to RFK Jr. The other way they reenergized is quite interesting. Around 2015 the anti-vaccine movement in America pivoted to the political right. They started getting Tea Party donor funds and they started creating political action groups that usually have the words “choice” or “medical freedom” in them. Alex Jones picked up on them, RFK Jr. appeared on Fox News. Now what you’re seeing is that there are far-right and libertarian groups that are flouting social distancing mandates and demonstrating in state capitals. They’re being joined by the anti-vaxxers, and there’s this sort of unholy alliance starting between anti-vaxxers and groups protesting social distancing.
A truck bearing the message "Jesus is my vaccine" blares its siren in support while passing anti-quarantine and pro-Trump protestors took over the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Have you noticed any prominent new figures emerging within the movement or is it largely the same sort of groups from before?
Clearly RFK Jr. is out in front on this one. His group Children’s Health Defense started in fall of 2018, so it’s been going on a couple years now and he’s gained strength, clout and funding. Now he’s going after Bill Gates, going after Fauci. They’re throwing out every conspiracy theory that they can. It’s funny, they’ve designated me the “OG villain.” I had to look up what that means ― it means original gangster villain.
Well of all the things to get called, maybe that’s one you can embrace.
Definitely.
We’ve seen with measles how a small group of unvaccinated people can have a disastrous effect on broader public health. Is it the same for when a potential coronavirus vaccine comes? If there are small groups of people who refuse the vaccine, will that make stopping the virus much harder?
Well we’ve just started collaborating with vaccine modeler and health economist Bruce Lee, and we’re now doing an exercise to look at the percentage of people who need to be vaccinated to stop transmission.
It will depend on what the real reproductive number of the virus is and how effective the vaccine is, but we’ll model that situation because we need to know. For measles you need 95% of the population vaccinated in order to create herd immunity ― is that what we need for this virus? Others have come up with 60 to 70%, but we’ll see with a vaccine. That’s going to be an important question ― what happens if so many people are scared off of a vaccine because of the messaging from the anti-vaccine movement that they wait and see about whether to take it?
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Aside from the more fringe anti-vaccine conspiracies that are out there like Bill Gates trying to microchip everyone, do you see common misconceptions about how a vaccine might arrive or how it will work?
Sometimes you wake up in the morning, all of a sudden everything gels and it clicks an idea in your head. I suddenly realized why all this talk about having a vaccine by the fall, which is not true, why all that language is around. I think it’s because when you listen to the president or Vice President [Mike] Pence, their understanding is that it’s a manufacturing problem. They see vaccines as the same problem as the ventilators or the diagnostics ― that we haven’t scaled manufacturing. The whole emphasis in the White House response has been around getting manufacturing contracts in place. In their mind that’s the whole problem, but what they don’t understand is there’s a good chance many of those vaccines are not going to work and the problem with vaccines is taking the adequate time to accumulate enough data to show the vaccines actually work and are safe. That’s the bottleneck and that’s the part you can’t rush.
What I’ve been pushing really hard on is for the White House and NIH to get a communications strategy and get somebody out there who is explaining all this stuff. You’re asking people to read the tea leaves and that’s not the way it should be. Get somebody out there and roll out the vaccine strategy, why this works and why this is safe. That’s probably one of the best ways to defuse the anti-vaccine lobby.
I know you previously tried to get funding and interest for vaccine research against coronaviruses in 2016, but couldn’t find enough support. I imagine it’s a very different situation now. I was wondering how you think this pandemic will change the way that vaccines are researched and developed in the future.
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We’re doing better now. We’ve got some federal funds and a bit of private money. The issue is that after every pandemic, I’ve said this one will be the game-changer and we’re going to have more proactive systems in place for vaccines. I said that after SARS in 2003, H1N1 in 2009, MERS in 2012 ― you get the picture ― Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2016 and I’m saying it now. Maybe this is the one, because you’ve never had as much disruption as this.
But in parallel with that, we still haven’t addressed the anti-vaccine movement in a meaningful way. It is globalized, it is better funded, and rather than losing steam in the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve been able to exploit it and gain strength.


huffpost--2020-05-15--Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club To Partially Reopen This Weekend

An email sent Thursday to members says the Palm Beach resort ’ s Beach Club restaurant , its pool and its whirlpool will reopen Saturday after being closed two months , but its main building that includes hotel rooms , the main dining area and the president ’ s private residence will remain closed .
Members will have to practice social distancing and lounge chairs will be set 6 feet ( 2 meters ) apart .
They will have to bring their own towels .
The email was first reported by The Washington Post .
The Trump Organization did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security guard who answered at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday afternoon said no administrators were available .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis , a close ally of the president , has been slowly allowing the state to reopen , with the hard-hit counties of South Florida trailing the rest of the state .
Restaurants in Palm Beach County , like most of the state , can operate at 25 % capacity indoors and must maintain 6 feet ( 2 meters ) between tables outdoors .
DeSantis is expected to soon boost the capacity limit to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed .
Mar-a-Lago executives told Florida officials last month that it was temporarily laying off 153 workers because of the shutdown , a decision the president defended at the time .
“ You can ’ t have many hundreds of employees standing around doing nothing , ” he said April 21 .
“ There ’ s no customer .
You ’ re not allowed to have a customer.
” The federal government ’ s economic relief bill specifically bars Trump ’ s businesses , as well as those with ties to other top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their immediate families , from receiving emergency loans and other benefits meant to help businesses retain workers during the pandemic .
Palm Beach County has had nearly 4,300 confirmed COVID-19 cases since early March and at least 263 deaths .
As of 2018 , Mar-a-Lago ’ s approximately 500 members paid $ 14,000 annual dues for access to the 17-acre ( 6.9-hectare ) estate , with new members paying a $ 200,000 initiation fee that doubled after Trump ’ s 2016 election .
Members pay extra to dine and stay on the property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s most celebrated private club , ” according to its website — from the foundation of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1985 for $ 10 million and has invested tens of millions of dollars improving the property .
He opened it as a club in 1995 .

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club will partially reopen to members this weekend as South Florida slowly reopens from the coronavirus lockdown.
An email sent Thursday to members says the Palm Beach resort’s Beach Club restaurant, its pool and its whirlpool will reopen Saturday after being closed two months, but its main building that includes hotel rooms, the main dining area and the president’s private residence will remain closed. Members will have to practice social distancing and lounge chairs will be set 6 feet (2 meters) apart. They will have to bring their own towels.
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The email was first reported by The Washington Post. The Trump Organization did not return a call seeking comment and a security guard who answered at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday afternoon said no administrators were available.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a close ally of the president, has been slowly allowing the state to reopen, with the hard-hit counties of South Florida trailing the rest of the state. Restaurants in Palm Beach County, like most of the state, can operate at 25% capacity indoors and must maintain 6 feet (2 meters) between tables outdoors. DeSantis is expected to soon boost the capacity limit to 50%. Bars and nightclubs are closed.
Mar-a-Lago executives told Florida officials last month that it was temporarily laying off 153 workers because of the shutdown, a decision the president defended at the time.
“You can’t have many hundreds of employees standing around doing nothing,” he said April 21. “There’s no customer. You’re not allowed to have a customer.”
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The federal government’s economic relief bill specifically bars Trump’s businesses, as well as those with ties to other top government officials and members of Congress and their immediate families, from receiving emergency loans and other benefits meant to help businesses retain workers during the pandemic.
Palm Beach County has had nearly 4,300 confirmed COVID-19 cases since early March and at least 263 deaths.
As of 2018, Mar-a-Lago’s approximately 500 members paid $14,000 annual dues for access to the 17-acre (6.9-hectare) estate, with new members paying a $200,000 initiation fee that doubled after Trump’s 2016 election. Members pay extra to dine and stay on the property.
Trump purchased Mar-a-Lago — “the world’s most celebrated private club,” according to its website — from the foundation of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1985 for $10 million and has invested tens of millions of dollars improving the property. He opened it as a club in 1995.
The property now boasts 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-meter) ballroom, tennis and croquet courts and three bomb shelters.
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___


huffpost--2020-05-15--Why You Always Feel Tired, Even If You're Moving Less Than Ever

Thanks to hours spent working from your couch , back-to-back Zoom happy hours or just staying idle while binging a new TV show , you may find yourself moving your body less than ever during the coronavirus pandemic .
Since you ’ re not exactly overexerting yourself these days , what gives ?
The short answer is this : While you may be doing less physical activity , your brain has kicked into overdrive .
In other words , the exhaustion you feel is not all in your head ( or technically , in this case , it actually is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commuting to work , taking your weekly spin classes or spending weekends running errands , our drastically new coronavirus lifestyles can have a bigger impact on mental health and energy levels than we might think .
“ I ’ ve probably been the most unproductive I ’ ve ever been , ” said Madonna Matta , a 24-year-old graduate student from Austin , Texas .
“ I ’ m just tired all the time .
I don ’ t know if it may be the food I ’ m eating ― more carbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of structure , but I just feel melancholy .
“ Generally , exercising would make me feel more energetic and lively and now the opposite has made me sluggish , ” Matta continued .
“ Sometimes , it feels easier to just sleep and pretend everything we ’ re living through is fake.
” “ I woke up at 8 a.m. the other day and had a full day , ” Nelson said .
“ Another day , I slept in until 11 a.m. , listened to some podcasts and went to bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days and almost completely inactive days .
I feel like I am on a slow-motion roller coaster .
I don ’ t know when I am going to hit my next peak or my next drop.
” Why stress leads to so much fatigue While certain stressors can be helpful for focusing and problem-solving ― like when you need to make a deadline or when you ’ re driving and someone swerves in front of you ― they are meant to be temporary .
The long-term stress we may feel as a result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news about it is not to be underestimated , and it can exact wear and tear on the body .
“ People face challenges that really activate the sympathetic nervous system , so it ’ s kind of classic ‘ fight or flight ’ response , ” said Craig N. Sawchuk , a psychologist at the Mayo Clinic .
“ You get the hormone release to help keep us going like adrenaline and cortisol ― those are good .
It ’ s really adaptive that our body can flip that switch .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a constant burn , either .
And that ’ s where we run into these physical problems.
” According to Sawchuk , when your brain is constantly trying to adapt to uncertainty , fear and challenges ― like it has during this entire pandemic ― it takes a toll over time .
Your body physically gets tired from managing all the emotional stress .
“ And that ’ s where you start to see some of the energy problems starting to happen where we ’ re fatigued , ” Sawchuk said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , sometimes unintentionally so , but it ’ s not a restorative type of rest.
” “ We think of physical , emotional and mental energy all drawing from that same pot , so we can think of multiple systems in our lives are constantly ‘ on ’ and in turn , are constantly draining and wearing away at us , ” Sawchuk said .
How to boost your energy , even just a little “ All of us as humans are resilient ― we really , really are , ” Sawchuk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rubberized quality to it like ‘ bouncing back.
’ But we will bounce back .
It may not necessarily be to where we were at pre-COVID-19 because experience changes us ; it changes the brain.
” “ We have to watch out when we ’ re making unfair comparisons to people that we think are just doing great , ” Sawchuk said .
“ Our goal isn ’ t to be perfect .
Our goal is to be good enough .
Being good enough is being kind to ourselves .
There may objectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available , but that ’ s not necessarily a good thing nor does it mean that we ’ re going to be more motivated or efficient .
It ’ s about adaptation .
”

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Thanks to hours spent working from your couch, back-to-back Zoom happy hours or just staying idle while binging a new TV show, you may find yourself moving your body less than ever during the coronavirus pandemic. Since you’re not exactly overexerting yourself these days, what gives?
The short answer is this: While you may be doing less physical activity, your brain has kicked into overdrive. In other words, the exhaustion you feel is not all in your head (or technically, in this case, it actually is.)
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Although you may not be commuting to work, taking your weekly spin classes or spending weekends running errands, our drastically new coronavirus lifestyles can have a bigger impact on mental health and energy levels than we might think.
“I’ve probably been the most unproductive I’ve ever been,” said Madonna Matta, a 24-year-old graduate student from Austin, Texas. “I’m just tired all the time. I don’t know if it may be the food I’m eating ― more carbs, less veggies ― or the lack of structure, but I just feel melancholy.
“Generally, exercising would make me feel more energetic and lively and now the opposite has made me sluggish,” Matta continued. “Sometimes, it feels easier to just sleep and pretend everything we’re living through is fake.”
For Cathrine Nelson, a 27-year-old content creator in Providence, Rhode Island, the way she feels depends on the day.
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“I woke up at 8 a.m. the other day and had a full day,” Nelson said. “Another day, I slept in until 11 a.m., listened to some podcasts and went to bed early. I’ve had productive days and almost completely inactive days. I feel like I am on a slow-motion roller coaster. I don’t know when I am going to hit my next peak or my next drop.”
bernardbodo via Getty Images
Why stress leads to so much fatigue
While certain stressors can be helpful for focusing and problem-solving ― like when you need to make a deadline or when you’re driving and someone swerves in front of you ― they are meant to be temporary. The long-term stress we may feel as a result of COVID-19 and the constant flow of news about it is not to be underestimated, and it can exact wear and tear on the body.
“People face challenges that really activate the sympathetic nervous system, so it’s kind of classic ‘fight or flight’ response,” said Craig N. Sawchuk, a psychologist at the Mayo Clinic. “You get the hormone release to help keep us going like adrenaline and cortisol ― those are good. It’s really adaptive that our body can flip that switch. But it’s not meant to be a constant burn, either. And that’s where we run into these physical problems.”
According to Sawchuk, when your brain is constantly trying to adapt to uncertainty, fear and challenges ― like it has during this entire pandemic ― it takes a toll over time. Your body physically gets tired from managing all the emotional stress.
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“And that’s where you start to see some of the energy problems starting to happen where we’re fatigued,” Sawchuk said. “We may be actually resting a lot more, sometimes unintentionally so, but it’s not a restorative type of rest.”
Energy expenditure extends beyond just physical activity. We burn up energy processing emotion, regulating our feelings, thinking, worrying and adapting to new challenges.
“We think of physical, emotional and mental energy all drawing from that same pot, so we can think of multiple systems in our lives are constantly ‘on’ and in turn, are constantly draining and wearing away at us,” Sawchuk said.
Granger Wootz via Getty Images
How to boost your energy, even just a little
There are ways you can boost your energy at home and control stress levels. Johna Hansen, a licensed clinical social worker in New York City, recommended trying these steps:
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Do some deep breathing. “Take 10 deep breaths on the hour or whenever you think about it,” Hansen said.
Drink lots of water and eat as healthy as you can. “Limit your alcohol intake, as alcohol can make you feel less energetic over time.” Hansen also recommended three daily meals around the same time.
Practice grounding your thoughts . “Find an object that is familiar (i.e. your feet) and just notice the object for a minute to help ground yourself to the moment,” she said.
Accept yourself when you think you’re failing. Worrying about not wasting time or not finishing everything on your to do list will drain you, Hansen said. Cut yourself some serious slack.
Exercise creativity in spurts. Do something that you enjoy and know you can finish in a day or two, like drawing a picture, knitting a scarf, cleaning out a closet or writing a letter on paper to a friend or family member, she said.
Take screen breaks. “Give yourself plenty of breaks from your screens throughout the day, especially from the news,” Hansen said. “Also, do not bring your screen into your bed so that you can get quality rest.”
Pace your work. “Just because you have a lot of time at home, this doesn’t mean you have to spend all of it working,” Hansen said.
Take care of your body and your brain. “Zoom with a personal trainer or class, go outside for a walk,” Hansen said. She also suggested meditation and practicing mindfulness body scans .
Seek therapy. If you’re able to, “speak with someone who can focus specifically on your needs,” Hansen said. There are tons of resources for online therapy right now
It’s uncertain how long COVID-19 will keep us in this state of lowered physical activity and heightened stress, but Sawchuk said resilience is key as we navigate the pandemic and the aftermath.
“All of us as humans are resilient ― we really, really are,” Sawchuk said. “Resilience has this almost rubberized quality to it like ‘bouncing back.’ But we will bounce back. It may not necessarily be to where we were at pre-COVID-19 because experience changes us; it changes the brain.”
To Sawchuk, part of building resilience is learning to accept and adapt, which looks different for everyone. In other words, no one should be beating themselves up because they failed to make a sourdough starter or join an online yoga class that day.
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huffpost--2020-05-15--Pregnant Women In New York Are Stuck In Prison Despite Governor’s Promise

Late last month , a top aide to Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) announced that pregnant women in New York prisons would be released if they had fewer than six months left on their sentences and were convicted of nonviolent offenses .
But more than two weeks later , at least four pregnant women remain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility , where the coronavirus outbreak has infected 42 people and killed one .
The delay has caused two other women who were eligible for release to give birth in custody , according to the Legal Aid Society .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is bureaucratic incompetence , a disingenuous interpretation of Cuomo ’ s direction , or simply the criminal justice system ’ s inhumane rigidity that is keeping these women locked up , ” said Sophie Gebreselassie , staff attorney with the Prisoners ’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society .
“ What we do know is that they and their soon to be born children remain at risk of grievous harm and should be released immediately.
” A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said that eight pregnant or postpartum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and two more individuals are expected to transition to the community next week .
The department is continuing to review cases for eligibility .
Prisons are perfect breeding grounds for the coronavirus , with people crammed together into confined spaces with limited control over cleaning supplies or protective equipment like masks .
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began , more than 28,000 prisoners have been infected and 393 have died , according to a tally kept by the COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project , though it is unknown how many of those affected are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only use her first name , said she was relieved when she heard that New York ’ s pregnant inmates were going to be released .
Her 19-year-old daughter , imprisoned at Bedford Hills , was nearing her due date and was terrified of going into labor behind bars .
On Friday , the teen gave birth to a baby girl at a local hospital with correctional officers in the room .
In a few days , she will be returned to Bedford Hills , where she will stay in a trailer with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Virginia urged Cuomo to immediately release her daughter , who has severe asthma , so she can care for her newborn in a safe environment .
Once freed , Virginia said , the new mom and infant will return to their house in a small upstate town where there are few COVID-19 cases .
Legal Aid said another client gave birth in custody on May 10 ― about a week before she was officially due to be released .
According to the woman ’ s lawyers , she was guarded by eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is now in quarantine for the remaining few days of her sentence .
Her family is worried about the impact of severe isolation during the postpartum period .
Among the remaining pregnant women at Bedford Hills is a woman who is due to give birth in a month .
Her lawyers believe that an outstanding warrant stemming from a small unpaid fine and restitution balance may be preventing her from returning home to her family .
“ In essence , a nominal sum may stand in the way of her release from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the higher rates of incidence of COVID-19 in the DOCCS system , to her mother ’ s home in a western New York town with relatively few cases , ” Legal Aid said in a statement .

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Late last month, a top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that pregnant women in New York prisons would be released if they had fewer than six months left on their sentences and were convicted of nonviolent offenses.
But more than two weeks later, at least four pregnant women remain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where the coronavirus outbreak has infected 42 people and killed one. The delay has caused two other women who were eligible for release to give birth in custody, according to the Legal Aid Society.
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“We do not know if it is bureaucratic incompetence, a disingenuous interpretation of Cuomo’s direction, or simply the criminal justice system’s inhumane rigidity that is keeping these women locked up,” said Sophie Gebreselassie, staff attorney with the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society. “What we do know is that they and their soon to be born children remain at risk of grievous harm and should be released immediately.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said that eight pregnant or postpartum women have been released from Bedford Hills and two more individuals are expected to transition to the community next week. The department is continuing to review cases for eligibility.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, in Westchester County, New York, has 42 reported coronavirus cases, and one person has died. Seth Harrison/The Journal News/Imagn
Prisons are perfect breeding grounds for the coronavirus, with people crammed together into confined spaces with limited control over cleaning supplies or protective equipment like masks. Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, more than 28,000 prisoners have been infected and 393 have died, according to a tally kept by the COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, though it is unknown how many of those affected are women.
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In light of the public health crisis, advocates have urged officials to take swift action to release the most vulnerable: the elderly, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women.
But for some families, the efforts have not moved fast enough.
Virginia, who asked to only use her first name, said she was relieved when she heard that New York’s pregnant inmates were going to be released. Her 19-year-old daughter, imprisoned at Bedford Hills, was nearing her due date and was terrified of going into labor behind bars.
“She was very nervous, very scared to give birth,” she said.
Lawyers for Virginia’s daughter say she is eligible for release under Cuomo’s guidelines. But the call never came.
On Friday, the teen gave birth to a baby girl at a local hospital with correctional officers in the room. In a few days, she will be returned to Bedford Hills, where she will stay in a trailer with her newborn to quarantine, Virginia said.
Virginia urged Cuomo to immediately release her daughter, who has severe asthma, so she can care for her newborn in a safe environment. Once freed, Virginia said, the new mom and infant will return to their house in a small upstate town where there are few COVID-19 cases.
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“I want my daughter home safe,” Virginia said. “It’s not that I’m trying to take away the punishment. I’m trying to protect my child.”
Legal Aid said another client gave birth in custody on May 10 ― about a week before she was officially due to be released. According to the woman’s lawyers, she was guarded by eight different corrections officers while in the hospital and is now in quarantine for the remaining few days of her sentence. Her family is worried about the impact of severe isolation during the postpartum period.
Among the remaining pregnant women at Bedford Hills is a woman who is due to give birth in a month. Her lawyers believe that an outstanding warrant stemming from a small unpaid fine and restitution balance may be preventing her from returning home to her family.
“In essence, a nominal sum may stand in the way of her release from Bedford Hills, a prison with one of the higher rates of incidence of COVID-19 in the DOCCS system, to her mother’s home in a western New York town with relatively few cases,” Legal Aid said in a statement.
Another pregnant woman at Bedford Hills has high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. She is due to give birth just one week before her official release date.


huffpost--2020-05-15--Lockdown At Terminal Island Federal Prison Curbs Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak

It ’ s hard to celebrate what has happened at Terminal Island , a coastal facility with what BOP has marketed to potential interns as “ impressive ocean views , ” as a success story .
Along with the deaths , inmates were cut off from email and phone calls for weeks , unable to reach desperate family members searching for information on their loved ones .
And a congresswoman who visited the prison this week expressed concern about the “ terrible situation ” prisoners were in and the facility ’ s ability to implement social distancing in the prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot to the top of the BOP ’ s outbreak list not necessarily because the disease was especially virulent there , but because it was among the first of the federal institutions to implement widespread testing of its prisoner population .
The results underscored how quickly COVID-19 can spread in the low-security prison setting where inmates constantly interact in cramped communal settings .
The federal prison in Lompoc , California , a low-security facility prison located nearly three hours northwest of Terminal Island that recently overtook it atop the BOP ’ s coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early May .
Working with a private company , BOP found that COVID-19 had torn through the facility : 882 of its 963 inmates were listed as positive as of Wednesday , and just 25 had recovered .
Like Terminal Island , Lompoc officials restricted inmates ’ phone and email access and worked to separate inmates by their COVID-19 status .
‘ There Really Is No Way To Maintain Six Feet ’ The BOP announced the most recent death of an inmate there on Wednesday ― James Lino , a 65-year-old who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ventilator since April 18 .
Lino was serving a 34-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute and possess more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute , and had been at Terminal Island since February 2019 .
Barragán said she had difficulty communicating with many of the prisoners under the tour ’ s conditions , but that many were yelling out to the warden asking for air conditioning and to be allowed to talk to their families .
Terminal Island inmates have only recently been able to communicate with their families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the BOP .
“ All they have is a little cloth mask , ” she said .
“ We ’ re in a full gown , we ’ re in a full N-95 mask that seals on your face ... We have a face shield on .
We were fully loaded with protection , and you can only imagine what they felt like when we walked in and they ’ ve got nothing , and their families can ’ t give them anything.
” “ The most important thing we can do is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect particularly vulnerable people who , if they become infected with the virus are at very grave risk of serious illness or death , and to protect those who are left behind to enable them to practice social distancing and enhance sanitation , ” Fathi said .
“ So cutting the population helps both groups , both those who are released… and those who are left behind .
”

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A week ago, Terminal Island federal prison in San Pedro, California, had the biggest known coronavirus outbreak in the federal penal system. More than 700 inmates ― nearly 70% of the low-security facility’s population ― had tested positive for COVID-19.
But a proactive testing and segregation strategy that Bureau of Prisons officials and the Los Angeles Department of Public Health implemented late last month has seemingly produced a rapid reduction in the cases. Faced with the health crisis, officials took dramatic steps ― a lockdown of the facility, mandated testing of all prisoners, and separating inmates by their COVID-19 status.
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After what the bureau termed an “aggressive testing and quarantine mitigation strategy,” more than 567 inmates have recovered, while 130 remain infected. Eight inmates have died in the pandemic.
It’s hard to celebrate what has happened at Terminal Island, a coastal facility with what BOP has marketed to potential interns as “impressive ocean views,” as a success story. Along with the deaths, inmates were cut off from email and phone calls for weeks, unable to reach desperate family members searching for information on their loved ones. And a congresswoman who visited the prison this week expressed concern about the “terrible situation” prisoners were in and the facility’s ability to implement social distancing in the prison environment going forward.
Yet Terminal Island’s actions show how critical testing can be in slowing the spread of COVID-19, which has ripped through prisons across the country. And had Terminal Island’s testing system been implemented a bit earlier, it likely would have saved additional lives.
Terminal Island temporarily shot to the top of the BOP’s outbreak list not necessarily because the disease was especially virulent there, but because it was among the first of the federal institutions to implement widespread testing of its prisoner population. The results underscored how quickly COVID-19 can spread in the low-security prison setting where inmates constantly interact in cramped communal settings.
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An emotional protest this evening at the Terminal Island federal prison, where hundreds of inmates have tested positive for #COVID19. At least six inmates have died of the virus. @LAist @KPCC
“These are fathers, these are sons,” families of incercetated people chant. pic.twitter.com/6sckypPCG0 — Emily Elena Dugdale (@eedugdale) May 9, 2020
Terminal Island began mandatory testing on April 23, after two prisoners had already died and a few others were hospitalized on their deathbeds. The testing regime revealed hundreds of inmates were infected with COVID-19, though officials said the vast majority were asymptomatic.
“The reason the numbers [were] so high at Terminal Island is because we are testing every single inmate,” said John Kostelnik, the western regional vice president of BOP’s union. “We tested everyone, and that’s why the numbers are so high.”
Kostelnik told HuffPost that only about 10% of the inmates were symptomatic when testing started last month. He said it was “extremely difficult” to practice social distancing at Terminal Island, where most prisoners live in open dormitories with bunk beds.
Those inmates testing positive began a 14-day stay with other infected inmates. Those who tested negative were retested after 10 days, and those who then came up positive were removed from the group. The “systematic attrition process,” said BOP, “significantly shortens the overall span of the virus infection within the prison.”
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The federal prison in Lompoc, California, a low-security facility prison located nearly three hours northwest of Terminal Island that recently overtook it atop the BOP’s coronavirus outbreak list, began universal testing in early May. Working with a private company, BOP found that COVID-19 had torn through the facility: 882 of its 963 inmates were listed as positive as of Wednesday, and just 25 had recovered. Like Terminal Island, Lompoc officials restricted inmates’ phone and email access and worked to separate inmates by their COVID-19 status.
‘There Really Is No Way To Maintain Six Feet’
The fact that a bigger outbreak may have been curbed doesn’t mean all is well at Terminal Island.
The BOP announced the most recent death of an inmate there on Wednesday ― James Lino, a 65-year-old who had been hospitalized since April 16 and on a ventilator since April 18. Lino was serving a 34-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute and possess more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and had been at Terminal Island since February 2019.
One of the most recent Terminal Island inmates to die was Scott Douglas Cutting, Sr., a 70-year-old serving a two-year sentence for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Other Terminal Island inmate deaths include a 73-year-old incarcerated on a child pornography distribution charge, another 73-year-old imprisoned on a child pornography production charge, a 59-year-old convicted of a methamphetamine charge, an 80-year-old serving a sentence for child sexual abuse, a 54-year-old convicted of extensive drug charges, and 58-year-old serving an immigration charge.
Democratic Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, whose district includes the prison, is one of the few outsiders to visit Terminal Island since the lockdown began. In an interview with HuffPost after her visit this week, Barragán she was concerned about the living conditions for inmates who had tested positive for COVID-19.
“There were like 70 inmates in this small room where there’s just bunk beds,” she said. “There really is no way to maintain six feet of social, physical distancing that we’re being asked to do.”
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Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan speaks to the media about what she saw while touring the Terminal Island FCI in San Pedro. pic.twitter.com/AHDoiTb1cl — Brittany Murray (@BrittanyMMurray) May 12, 2020
Barragán said she had difficulty communicating with many of the prisoners under the tour’s conditions, but that many were yelling out to the warden asking for air conditioning and to be allowed to talk to their families. Terminal Island inmates have only recently been able to communicate with their families in five-minute phone calls, according to the BOP.
Barragán described touring the facility with the warden while wearing extensive personal protective equipment as she looked upon inmates living in the close quarters amid the pandemic with only the bare minimum protective equipment.
“All they have is a little cloth mask,” she said. “We’re in a full gown, we’re in a full N-95 mask that seals on your face... We have a face shield on. We were fully loaded with protection, and you can only imagine what they felt like when we walked in and they’ve got nothing, and their families can’t give them anything.”
Alex Reynoso, a BOP employee at Terminal Island and union official, said the pandemic has created arduous conditions for corrections officers.
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“It’s been a lot of work. Some staff members are staying at hotels because they don’t want to bring it home,” Reynoso told HuffPost. “They don’t see their children right now, they don’t want to risk it. So staff is giving up a lot of life to be able to run the prisons.”
“Every single staff member has to learn to do every other job, because we’re the ones doing everything now (rather than inmates), from cleaning to cooking,” Reynoso said. “I don’t cook, but I needed to help out and I’ve got to do a little bit of cooking now.”
Officially, 15 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. But while inmate testing has been mandatory, BOP can’t compel that for staff members, meaning the true extent of the outbreak at Terminal Island staffers isn’t known.
“I feel like we need to be treated more by the public as first responders,” Reynoso said. “It’s just amazing what (staff members) do. We’re talking about 12 hour days. That alone drains your body.”
‘Get People Out’
Barragán has advocated releasing more Terminal Island prisoners to home confinement, especially because the vast majority of inmates there require only low-security measures. So far, only a handful of Terminal Island prisoners have been approved for home confinement.
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“These inmates have nowhere to go. They certainly didn’t bring it from the outside,” Barragán said. “The people who are exposing them are really people who are coming in and out, like staff and officers.”
David Fathi, director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said that even at Terminal Island, it’s “not too late” to consider release for those prisoners who haven’t tested positive for COVID-19.
“The most important thing we can do is to get people out, both to protect particularly vulnerable people who, if they become infected with the virus are at very grave risk of serious illness or death, and to protect those who are left behind to enable them to practice social distancing and enhance sanitation,” Fathi said. “So cutting the population helps both groups, both those who are released… and those who are left behind.”
The vast majority of inmates at the Terminal Island prison require only low-security measures. But only a handful of them have been approved for home confinement so far. Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
But Kostelnik, the BOP union official who helped organize Barragán’s tour, thinks proposals for much wider use of home confinement aren’t feasible. He said more than 300 of Terminal Island’s inmates are sex offenders, which makes them ineligible for such status. A history of violence also disqualifies many other inmates for home confinement.
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Kostelnik criticized Barragan’s comments on the conditions at Terminal Island and said she should’ve done more to thank officers who are “putting their own safety and wellbeing in danger” to keep the prison running.
“One thing that should be acknowledged that the congresswoman failed to recognize is that we were able to test over 1,000 inmates in quick time, which was the result of hard work and many hours for our medical staff and correctional officers,” Kostelnik told HuffPost. “We are doing everything feasible to protect the community and inmates, alike.”
Universal testing of inmates won’t be enough to stop coronavirus deaths behind bars, Fathi said. The most effective way to save inmates’ lives is to reduce prison density. Just over 2,500 inmates ― a small fraction of the BOP’s population of nearly 140,000 ― have been placed on home confinement since late March.
“Really, the only thing that the experts are telling us can make a meaningful difference in slowing the spread of the virus in prison is to cut the population,” he said. “On that score, the bureau has failed miserably.”
Do you have a friend or loved one incarcerated at a jail or prison with a coronavirus outbreak? Tell them to write HuffPost: PO Box 65801 Los Angeles, CA 90065.


huffpost--2020-05-15--I'm A Doctor, And I'm Losing Patients To A Deadly Side Effect Of The Pandemic

James had been in remission for months from substance use disorder and was helping to take care of his first grandchild .
He had been an ironworker for decades , building our fancy Boston skyscrapers , and was stable enough to undergo surgery for the chronic low back pain stemming from his job .
But after his surgery , his pain worsened .
He insisted that the opioid medications his surgeon had prescribed post-op were the only thing that controlled the pain and reminded me that untreated pain is a risk factor for relapse .
I switched him to formulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can increase the risk of abuse ― and made sure he had naloxone , a narcotic reversal agent with him .
But then his oral toxicology started to show irregularities , suggesting cocaine use .
He insisted he was safe and still needed the narcotics to control his excruciating pain .
I was worried , but renewed his oxycodone prescription along with naloxone .
Then methadone showed up on his tox screen , which can be abused just like any other drug and can cause overdoses when mixed with other medications .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed relapse of his substance abuse disorder and transitioned him to medication-assisted treatment .
We recommended buprenorphine , which would help manage his pain and cravings , but James declined , citing his previous bad experience with it ― in his case , he got depressed .
Instead , James opted for methadone , which he would have to obtain by visiting a clinic on a daily basis .
The restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have put the community of substance users under severe duress .
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous have set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t necessarily provide the same experience as face-to-face group meetings , and not all patients have access to cell phones or computers .
As result , patients are going to clandestine in-person meetings because this is the only way they believe they can avoid relapse .
In my community , around 30 people are meeting in a nearby field .
They try to sit 6 feet apart on bleachers and use sanitizing wipes .
On top of managing their disorder , many of my patients are out of work and can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food , which is only partly mitigated by a stimulus check .
Many live in overcrowded housing , and some families are allowing loved ones to use drugs at home to keep them off the streets and thus avoid COVID-19 exposure .
Charlestown Coalition has been providing naloxone to as many families as possible to decrease the risk of overdose .
Given the times , some doctors have advocated for patients to have methadone “ take homes ” in an effort to make treatment safer .
Still , Sarah Coughlin , the coalition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We can not minimize the transformative power of the patient/doctor relationship , the lifesaving power of group meetings , and the need to mitigate the risks involved in isolated treatment.
” Her clients are often kicked out of halfway houses and end up on the streets for minor infractions , increasing their risk of relapse and death .
Another group at risk are those being released from prison or jail : Substance use disorder patients are 120 times more likely to overdose after release since they are no longer habituated to opioids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalition are having to make their own rules , as national guidance has been lacking .
Higher Ground Harm Reduction , a national advocacy organization has created guidelines for safer drug use during the pandemic , stressing the need to minimize the sharing of supplies , wiping mouthpieces with alcohol ( still difficult to purchase ) , and having a breathing mask on hand in case rescue breathing is necessary ( it ’ s not clear how one would find a breathing mask or that a substance user would be able to apply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines also suggest that those doing sex work should “ minimize close contact , ” ( difficult to imagine . )
It took countless meetings with therapists , psychiatrists , supervised visits with her kids , and toxin screens before she got her kids back .
Remarkably , Mary stayed sober through weeks of living in a family shelter .
We celebrated when she got a job and housing and child care vouchers .
Finally , the family rented an apartment ; the dad got a job at Home Depot , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stability .
Then the pandemic hit .
Dad was out of work , Mary became the sole breadwinner as well as the school teacher at home .
We had to cancel all in-person follow-up appointments but called her frequently , fearing relapse .
She said things were hard , but that she was OK. Then she sent a photo of an infected wound on her arm , asking for antibiotics .

fizkes via Getty Images
In the last few weeks, I’ve lost two patients of mine at the primary care clinic in Charlestown, Massachusetts, where I work as a physician. But I didn’t lose them to COVID-19. I lost them to drugs.
James had been in remission for months from substance use disorder and was helping to take care of his first grandchild. He had been an ironworker for decades, building our fancy Boston skyscrapers, and was stable enough to undergo surgery for the chronic low back pain stemming from his job.
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But after his surgery, his pain worsened. He insisted that the opioid medications his surgeon had prescribed post-op were the only thing that controlled the pain and reminded me that untreated pain is a risk factor for relapse. I switched him to formulations less likely to cause euphoria ― which can increase the risk of abuse ― and made sure he had naloxone, a narcotic reversal agent with him.
But then his oral toxicology started to show irregularities, suggesting cocaine use. He insisted he was safe and still needed the narcotics to control his excruciating pain. I was worried, but renewed his oxycodone prescription along with naloxone. Then methadone showed up on his tox screen, which can be abused just like any other drug and can cause overdoses when mixed with other medications.
When it happened a third time, we diagnosed relapse of his substance abuse disorder and transitioned him to medication-assisted treatment. We recommended buprenorphine, which would help manage his pain and cravings, but James declined, citing his previous bad experience with it ― in his case, he got depressed. Instead, James opted for methadone, which he would have to obtain by visiting a clinic on a daily basis.
The only problem was the coronavirus pandemic; as a lockdown measure, methadone clinics were closing their doors to new patients. At this point, my only option was a riskier one: I tapered his oxycodone and sent more naloxone. Sensing my concern, James was upbeat as usual: “Don’t worry about me, Doc. I’m safe.”
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Within a week, my phone alarmed with a message from our nurse. James had been found dead in his single room residence after an unintentional overdose. Nauseated by guilt, I blamed myself for failing him and his family.
According to a 2019 report from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 20.3 million people aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs, including 10.3 million who misused opioids.
Although I am a primary care physician, I regularly deal with substance use disorder (SUD). It was not part of the training in my field until recently. Now we’ve got much more support, training and experience with helping this type of patient overcome their challenges.
Our clinic focuses on harm reduction, which involves recommendations to mitigate the worst outcomes of drug use. But substance use recovery and harm reduction are social by nature, and COVID has complicated our work.
Typically, we send people to meetings lead by a peer support specialist where they connect with a sponsor. Our patients have regular appointments with a specialized nurse and myself and get regular saliva toxin screens. For some, we prescribe buprenorphine, a medication that relieves the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Or if they prefer, we refer them to a methadone clinic.
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If they’re not ready to stop using, we urge them to take precautions like cleaning their skin first, obtaining clean needles, and perhaps the most important recommendation of all: not to use alone in case they become unconscious and stop breathing.
In other words, social distancing is uniquely dangerous for this patient population.
I can’t help but wonder if James had not been isolating, could a friend or family member have administered naloxone and saved his life? Or if he had been able to start methadone, would he have overdosed in the first place?
KatarzynaBialasiewicz via Getty Images
The restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have put the community of substance users under severe duress. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous have set up Zoom meetings, but such sessions don’t necessarily provide the same experience as face-to-face group meetings, and not all patients have access to cell phones or computers. As result, patients are going to clandestine in-person meetings because this is the only way they believe they can avoid relapse. In my community, around 30 people are meeting in a nearby field. They try to sit 6 feet apart on bleachers and use sanitizing wipes.
On top of managing their disorder, many of my patients are out of work and can’t meet basic needs like housing and food, which is only partly mitigated by a stimulus check. Many live in overcrowded housing, and some families are allowing loved ones to use drugs at home to keep them off the streets and thus avoid COVID-19 exposure.
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Charlestown Coalition has been providing naloxone to as many families as possible to decrease the risk of overdose. Given the times, some doctors have advocated for patients to have methadone “take homes” in an effort to make treatment safer. Still, Sarah Coughlin, the coalition’s executive director, noted, “We cannot minimize the transformative power of the patient/doctor relationship, the lifesaving power of group meetings, and the need to mitigate the risks involved in isolated treatment.”
Her clients are often kicked out of halfway houses and end up on the streets for minor infractions, increasing their risk of relapse and death. Another group at risk are those being released from prison or jail: Substance use disorder patients are 120 times more likely to overdose after release since they are no longer habituated to opioids after their confinement.
For many of Coughlin’s clients, daily face-to-face meetings with sponsors are worth the risk. The chance of dying from COVID-19 is less than that of overdose from social distancing.
Groups like the coalition are having to make their own rules, as national guidance has been lacking. Higher Ground Harm Reduction, a national advocacy organization has created guidelines for safer drug use during the pandemic, stressing the need to minimize the sharing of supplies, wiping mouthpieces with alcohol (still difficult to purchase), and having a breathing mask on hand in case rescue breathing is necessary (it’s not clear how one would find a breathing mask or that a substance user would be able to apply one effectively or safely.) The guidelines also suggest that those doing sex work should “minimize close contact,” (difficult to imagine.)
The same day my team was grieving James’s death, we got tragic news about a patient, Mary, with whom I’d worked for years to get off heroin and regain custody of her three boys.
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It took countless meetings with therapists, psychiatrists, supervised visits with her kids, and toxin screens before she got her kids back. Remarkably, Mary stayed sober through weeks of living in a family shelter. We celebrated when she got a job and housing and child care vouchers. Finally, the family rented an apartment; the dad got a job at Home Depot, and the kids enrolled in school and sports. Stability.
Then the pandemic hit. Dad was out of work, Mary became the sole breadwinner as well as the school teacher at home. We had to cancel all in-person follow-up appointments but called her frequently, fearing relapse. She said things were hard, but that she was OK. Then she sent a photo of an infected wound on her arm, asking for antibiotics.
“As we move deeper into this crisis, we need to consider our most fragile members.”
A week later, Mary and her partner were in detox. Someone had called the child and family services department to report abuse/neglect; the investigator found the children in their underwear at 5 p.m., the house in disarray. Mary has probably lost her children for good.
James and Mary represent an epidemic within the pandemic. While social distancing is critical to flattening the coronavirus curve, for more stigmatized and vulnerable populations like those with substance use disorder, it can also be very dangerous.
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As we move deeper into this crisis, we need to consider our most fragile members. We can make a difference to these marginalized people by enhancing social services ― especially child care, improving access to methadone, and considering support meetings an essential service.
Thinking about Mary and James feels so disheartening on many different levels. However, what may be worse is the overwhelming dread that Mary and James represent just a fraction of the crisis repeating itself throughout our communities. I am struggling to imagine what a new normal looks like for these most stigmatized and vulnerable patients.
Carolina Abuelo is a primary care physician at the Charlestown HealthCare Center of the Massachusetts General Hospital and a public voices fellow with The OpEd Project.
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