COVID-19 News from Around the Web

Even as the president plays down that possibility, the C.D.C. chief and other experts warn of a dual challenge. Could the United States face two epidemics at the same time next fall, flu and the coronavirus? That frightening idea was raised by Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during an interview on Tuesday with The Washington Post. He suggested that a new surge in coronavirus cases could coincide with the next flu season, causing an even more difficult crisis than the one the nation is facing now. “We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time,” he said. He added: “The key to my comments and the reason I really wanted to stress them was to appeal to the American public to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence. One of the greatest tools we have as we go through the fall-winter season is to get the American public to embrace the influenza vaccine and thereby minimize the impact of flu to be the other respiratory disease we confront.”

Following CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield's warning that a second wave of the coronavirus in the winter could be worse than the current outbreak, the FDA commissioner said the whole White House Coronavirus Task Force is concerned about a resurgence of the disease. Dr. Stephen Hahn said on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday that because of that possibility, surveillance and testing will be "critical." "Dr. Redfield's concern is that there also might be flu at the same time," Hahn said. "But that's why we have built into the plan the surveillance mechanisms to look for the respiratory illnesses and then do the appropriate testing at that time. That's going to be a critical part of the reopening plan to allow us to move forward." The United States is currently doing fewer than 200,000 new coronavirus tests per day, according to the COVID Tracking Project, but experts have said that number needs to at least double or triple for social distancing measures to be lifted safely.

A giant study that examined outcomes for more than 2,600 patients found an extraordinarily high 88% death rate among Covid-19 patients in the New York City area who had to be placed on mechanical devices to help them breathe. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is one of the largest reviews published to date of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in the U.S. The researchers examined outcomes for coronavirus patients who were admitted between March 1 and April 4 to 12 hospitals in New York City and Long Island that are part of the Northwell Health system. Overall, the researchers reported that 553 patients died, or 21%. But among the 12% of very sick patients that needed ventilators to breathe, the death rate rose to 88%. The rate was particularly awful for patients over 65 who were placed on a machine, with just 3% of those patients surviving, according to the results. Men had a higher mortality rate than women. The observational nature of the study made it impossible to draw any conclusions about how best to use of ventilators in coronavirus patients.

Doctors are finding that some patients infected with the novel coronavirus have a propensity towards developing blood clots, which can be life threatening if the clot travels to the heart or lungs. "The number of clotting problems I'm seeing in the ICU, all related to Covid-19, is unprecedented," Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, a hematologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, wrote in an email to CNN. There are three major reasons why Covid-19 patients might have an especially high risk of clotting. One is that vast majority of patients who become severely ill with coronavirus have underlying medical problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. These patients -- whether they have coronavirus or not - have a higher tendency to clot than healthy patients. Second, one way coronavirus can kill patients is through a "cytokine storm," where the body's own immune response turns on itself. Patients experiencing that storm, because of coronavirus, influenza, or any other reason are at a higher risk for clotting. The third reason is that there could be something about the novel coronavirus itself that's causing clots. Doctors say it's hard to know exactly what's behind what they're seeing with Covid-19 patients in the ICU.

A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported. The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it’s the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19, which has killed more than 171,000 people as of Tuesday. The study was posted on an online site for researchers and has been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine, but has not been reviewed by other scientists.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his new U.S. immigration ban would last 60 days and apply to those seeking ‘green cards’ for permanent residency in an effort to protect Americans seeking to regain jobs lost because of the coronavirus. Trump plans to institute the ban through an executive order, which he said he was likely to sign on Wednesday. He said it would not apply to individuals entering the United States on a temporary basis and would be re-evaluated once the 60-day period had passed.

Health officials say two people died with the coronavirus in California weeks before the first reported death from the disease. Santa Clara County officials said Tuesday the people died at home Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, with the first death in the nation from the virus reported on Feb. 29 in Kirkland, Washington. The Medical Examiner-Coroner received confirmation Tuesday that tissue samples sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested positive for the virus, officials said.

President Donald Trump said on Monday he will suspend all immigration into the United States temporarily through an executive order in response to the coronavirus outbreak and to protect American jobs. The move, which the Republican president announced on Twitter, effectively achieves a long-term Trump policy goal to curb immigration, making use of the health and economic crisis that has swept the country as a result of the pandemic to do so.

Three Southern states are moving to reopen parts of their economies, even as health experts and government leaders debate whether there is sufficient coronavirus testing available to relax restrictions. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster allowed some stores to reopen Monday afternoon, only two weeks after ordering them closed. Department stores, sporting goods stores and flea markets can now open there, along with stores selling furniture, books, music, flowers, clothing and accessories. They will be allowed to open at 20% capacity, or 5 people per 1,000 square feet. Beaches will reopen at noon Tuesday, McMaster said at a press conference.

Georgia’s governor announced plans Monday to restart the state’s economy before the end of the week, saying many businesses that closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus could reopen as early as Friday. The governor in neighboring Tennessee planned to let businesses in most of his state begin reopening as soon as next week. Georgia’s timetable, one of the most aggressive in the nation, would allow gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen as long as owners follow strict social-distancing and hygiene requirements. Elective medical procedures could also resume. By Monday, movie theaters may resume selling tickets, and restaurants limited to takeout orders could return to limited dine-in service.

Boeing and at least one other U.S. heavy-equipment manufacturer resumed production and some states rolled out aggressive reopening plans Monday, despite nationwide concerns there is not enough testing yet to keep the coronavirus from rebounding. Boeing said it was putting about 27,000 people back to work this week building passenger jets at its Seattle-area plants, with virus-slowing precautions in place, including face masks and staggered shifts. Doosan Bobcat, a farm equipment maker and North Dakota’s largest manufacturer, announced the return of about 2,200 workers at three factories around the state.

The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.

Ventilators aren’t the only machines in intensive care units that are in short supply. Doctors have been confronting an unexpected rise in patients with failing kidneys. In recent weeks, doctors on the front lines in intensive care units in New York and other hard-hit cities have learned that the coronavirus isn’t only a respiratory disease that has led to a crushing demand for ventilators. The disease is also shutting down some patients’ kidneys, posing yet another series of life-and-death calculations for doctors who must ferry a limited supply of specialized dialysis machines from one patient in kidney failure to the next. All the while fearing they may not be able to hook up everyone in time to save them.

Europe's coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 on Sunday, according to an NBC News tally, less than 24 hours after protesters took to the streets of several U.S. state capitol buildings this weekend, to demand an end to shutdown orders. In Texas some of the demonstrators brandished signs with phrases like, "This is tyranny, not quarantine" and "Open now!" While others, in Maryland, marched or drove their cars carrying placards against the encroachment of personal liberties. Meanwhile, other U.S. states began preparing to ease restrictions related to the outbreak. Residents in Florida returned to the beach Saturday and three northeastern states reopened boatyards and marinas for personal use only.

Mayor Lenny Curry reopened beaches and parks in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, after Governor Ron DeSantis gave the green light for them to reopen, despite the state hitting a record number of coronavirus cases. When they opened at 5 p.m., crowds flooded the area, ignoring social distancing warnings. Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach are now open from 6-11 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. for "essential activities." They are closed during all other times.

Protests flared in U.S. states on Sunday over stay-at-home orders while governors disputed President Donald Trump’s claims they have enough tests for the novel coronavirus and should quickly reopen their economies. An estimated 2,500 people rallied at the Washington state capitol in Olympia to protest Democratic Governor Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order, defying a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people. Despite pleas from rally organizers to wear face coverings or masks as public health authorities recommend, many did not. “Shutting down businesses by picking winners and losers in which there are essential and non-essential are violations of the state and federal constitution,” rally organizer Tyler Miller, 39, an engineer from Bremerton, Washington, told Reuters.