By Lieba Nesis
- The Global total of Coronavirus cases reached 307,487 cases and 13,101 deaths. New York State reported 11,675 cases with 55 deaths. In New York City confirmed cases jumped by 1,800 individuals to 6,211-a 30% increase. Much of this increase can be explained by increased capacity for testing which is up to almost 8,000 a day. Comprising nearly half the total cases in the US, New York City has become the epicenter of the crisis. New York is weighing utilizing the Javits Center, two State Universities, and the Westchester Convention center as makeshift hospitals.
- Sick Brooklyn Technical High School teachers have placed the blame on Mayor De Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza for their illness as they failed to close the school for these cases. Department of Education staffers maintain a cover-up to keep public schools open, remarking De Blasio and Carranza have “blood on their hands.” Westchester County has continued to be a hotspot with over 1,387 cases after Patient Zero, Lawrence Garbuz, an orthodox synagogue attender, was reported to be recovering after testing positive two weeks ago.
- A global recession is upon us and experts are predicting a depression is not too far away.
- Italy’s coronavirus death toll continues to rise reporting its highest one-day total yet on Saturday-793. Total number of deaths in Italy are at 4,825-the most of any country including China which claims to have 3,255 deaths. Italy has announced lockdown procedures to be enforced by military personnel but has yet to get a handle on the burgeoning crisis.
- . The US Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized the use of the first rapid diagnostic test that could detect the coronavirus in 45 minutes. Tests will begin shipping next week-an invaluable tool in the war against this invisible enemy.
- Having missed a Friday night deadline, negotiators met on Capitol Hill Saturday to discuss a plan for an economic stimulus package of more than $2 trillion, according to Chief Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow. As bars, restaurants and businesses have shuttered the economy has come to a near halt.
- Trump has touted the promising drug combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin as game changers in the fight against the disease. When combined, these medications made the virus completely undetectable in six test patients within six days as compared to the control group which had only 12.5% testing negative on day 6. These figures are astounding and the utilization of these treatments could be an explanation for China’s ability to keep its death rate to under 3,500. The question becomes whether Italy has been given access to these possibly miraculous panaceas.
- 883 Coronavirus Cases have been reported in Israel with its first fatality being that of 88-year-old Holocaust Survivor Aryeh Even. El Al is flying 550 Israelis stranded in India back to Israel on Saturday night at 9:30 PM and 11 PM. Four flights carrying 1,100 young Israelis from Peru landed on Friday. There are still 2,500 Israelis stranded in India and El Al is planning a third flight to retrieve them.
- Cuomo on Friday shut down all non-essential businesses and is credited with pushing de Blasio to close public schools last week. He has also enacted a lockdown for New York State to begin Sunday night. His daily news briefings have comforted many with the hashtag #PresidentCuomo currently trending on Twitter
- President Trump has continued to show unparalleled leadership as he spearheads economic packages, availability of medicine, and a hurried vaccine to the market. The press continues to hound him with archenemy, The Washington Post, claiming in a Friday night article, that he had early intelligence warnings of the outbreak. These efforts to undermine the president’s heroic attempts to contain the virus only serve to imperil our country and demean the man who is working around-the-clock to save us. No one understood the gravity of the situation until a week ago, as China along with The World Health Organization, downplayed its lethality and contagiousness to an unsuspecting public. The president has since acted with a swiftness that will save thousands as he did when he cut-off travel from China for non-residents on January 31st-way before others were doing so.
- The press continues its fear-mongering with The New York Post’s Friday title “Coronavirus killing more than a person an hour” irresponsible and inaccurate-within the 24-hour period 14 people had died hardly one an hour unless you limit the day to 14-hours. De Blasio maintaining New York will run out of medical supplies and NBC News leading headlines with a report of ventilator shortages only serve to exacerbate an already stressful situation. If quarantine and social distancing are rigidly adhered to we might see cases plummet as China, the epicenter of the outbreak, has. Repeatedly claiming New York will be the next Italy is both panic-inducing and dangerous.
