Patients rushing to join studies of promising coronavirus drug remdesivir
The new coronavirus made Dr. Jag Singh a patient at his own hospital. His alarm grew as he saw an X-ray of his pneumonia-choked lungs and colleagues asked his wishes about life support while wheeling him into Massachusetts General’s Intensive Care Unit.
When they offered him a chance to help test remdesivir, an experimental drug that’s shown promise against some other coronaviruses, it “did not even cross my mind once to say ‘no,”‘ said Singh, a heart specialist.
Coronavirus patients around the world have been rushing to join remdesivir studies that opened in hospitals in the last few weeks.
Interest has been so great that the US National Institutes of Health is expanding its study, which has nearly reached its initial goal of patients. The drug’s maker, California-based Gilead Sciences, is quickly ramping up its own studies, too.
– (Associated Press)
Trump says 1 million Americans tested for coronavirus and touts drugs to fight disease
Japan to go under national state of emergency as COVID – outbreak grows
In what was seen as a long-awaited bow to the inevitable, Japanese Prime Minister Abe has announced he will declare a national state of emergency over the growing coronavirus epidemic in the country . To take effect Tuesday, the action will cover most of Japan’s densely populated metro areas – Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa; and Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka to the west.
The seven jurisdictions have a combined population of .9 million – accounting for about one out of every two Japanese residents.
Local governors, the Japan Medical Association and others have been urging a shutdown, warning that waiting for cases to spike risked the collapse of the national health care system.
“We need your cooperation to prevent an explosive surge,” Abe said Monday evening, appealing to residents for calm and making a point of saying Japan’s shutdown would be far less heavy-handed than lockdowns in the US and Europe.
Tokyo issues stay-at-home order as coronavirus cases surge Most of the measures being taken are “requests” for restraint. Residents are asked to work from home and leave only for essential reasons. Department stores, coffee shops and retail chains had already started to voluntarily shut down in recent days, as Tokyo’s case numbers continued to rise at an alarming clip.
Civil liberties protections in Japan don’t allow authorities to issue jail terms or fines for non-compliance, so a heavy dose of peer pressure and the weight of the emergency declaration are being deployed instead.
Relatively unscathed by COVID – , Jordan looking at ways to bring economy back to life
After more than two weeks with his country under strict lockdown, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has asked his ministers to look into ways to gradually bring the country economy back to work.
“No one in the world has an ideal solution to combat the effects of the coronavirus. This requires us to be more flexible and fast in adapting to the changes, “the king was quoted as saying.
The tough, early measures imposed in Jordan appear to have paid off
“Protecting Jordan from the pandemic requires efforts sustained over a long period,” economic analyst Jawad Abbassi told CBS News.
“To be able to do that effectively the government needs revenue,” he said, urging Jordan’s leaders to “look at this as a marathon and not as short sprint. “
– Amjad Tadros
Jordan imposes coronavirus lockdown as cases spread in Middle East
Another death among passengers from cruise ship docked in Miami
Authorities say 23 People have been taken to hospitals from a cruise ship that docked in Florida with coronavirus victims aboard and that one of them has died. Two fatalities were reported earlier aboard the Coral Princess, which docked Saturday in Miami. The ship had more than 1, (passengers and nearly crew members.
Authorities did not immediately disclose whether any of the people removed for immediate medical attention had confirmed coronavirus links.
The Princess Cruises line ship began disembarking fit passengers cleared for charter flights Sunday. The cruise line said it was delayed by a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policy preventing passengers from being placed on commercial flights.
Anyone with symptoms of the disease or recovering from it was being kept on the ship until medically cleared.
– Associated Press
Cruise passengers to be flown home without quarantine, despite concerns
(Democrats adapt campaigns to coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus crisis has thrown a wrench into the campaign plans for Democratic presidential contenders.
But the candidates and their campaign staff are still working on ways to get their messages across at a time when large social gatherings are banned. Watch Ed O’Keefe’s full report in the video below.
Democrats adapt campaigns to coronavirus pandemic
5: 38 AM
Trump warns “toughest week” coming, but “things will start changing for the better”
President Trump and Vice President Pence voiced optimism Sunday about the coronavirus pandemic, saying the number of new cases reported daily in the country appears to be leveling off.
“The US will reach a horrific point in terms of death, but it will be a point where things will start changing for the better, “Mr. Trump said.
Trump Description U.S. response to coronavirus as “all out military operation” The president said that by Tuesday, 3, military and public health workers will have been deployed across the country. He said the U.S. has conducted and received results of more than 1.6 million coronavirus tests, and that work is ramping up on potential drugs to treat the disease.
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