I’ve been thinking about this question a lot, and new data from the Harvard Global Health Institute illustrates nine different scenarios. Annie Waldman, Al Shaw, Ash Ngu and Sean Campbell mapped that data to show why public health officials are so intent on “flattening the curve,” or slowing the spread of infections over a longer period of time, like 18 months instead of six. They made a tool where you can look up your region to see how many hospital beds will be needed over six, 12 or 18 months. In most scenarios, “vast communities in America are not prepared to take care of the COVID-19 patients showing up.”
Do as I Say, Not as I Do
Sen. Richard Burr, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, publicly assured Americans that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus. But then he sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading up to $1.72 million of his holdings on Feb. 13, Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis reported. The North Carolina Republican has access to the government’s most highly classified information about threats to America’s security. A week after Burr’s sales, the stock market began a sharp decline.
On Friday, Burr claimed he made the sales based on publicly available news reports, and he invited the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate.
He Invented a Fast Coronavirus Test, After the Trump Administration Drove Him Back to China
There will surely be many accountability stories to tell about the coronavirus in the coming months, but David Armstrong, Annie Waldman and Daniel Golden found a shocking one already. The Trump administration has cracked down on university researchers with ties to China. One of those researchers is Weihong Tan, who left the University of Florida in 2019 while under investigation for undisclosed Chinese funding and affiliations. He went back to China, where he created a COVID-19 test that produces results in 40 minutes. In this crisis, the federal crackdown is costing the U.S. intellectual firepower.
Seriously, Stay Home
We talked to public health officials, and they told us to stay home.
They told us it’s impossible to know how many people are infected right now, but it’s far higher than the running case count.
Reporter Akilah Johnson talked to her mom, a pediatrician and internist, who trusted her instincts to find her first coronavirus patient.
We fact-checked the president, who’s comparing his administration’s handling of COVID-19 to the way President Barack Obama’s team dealt with the H1N1 swine flu outbreak. Turns out, H1N1 is nothing like the coronavirus either.
Please remember to take care of yourself in the coming weeks and months. My current strategies include going to bed early, taking walks with my dog and, now, playing Animal Crossing. Reply with yours, and stay safe.
— Abby Ivory-Ganja
Audience Fellow, Local Reporting Network
What Else We Published This Week
The White House Asked Manufacturers for Help, Then Gave Them No Clear Instructions
Vice President Mike Pence wants the private sector to donate critical medical supplies to help during the coronavirus pandemic. But the White House's chaotic requests have not included consistent information on how exactly businesses can do that.
by Yeganeh Torbati
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The Veterans Health Administration Has Banned Even Administrative Employees From Working From Home
VA employees have expressed alarm that they may be unnecessarily exposed to the coronavirus at a time when the agency could face a flood of new patients. Many VA clients are elderly, a group at especially high risk from COVID-19.
by Bryant Furlow, New Mexico In Depth
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We Tracked the Last Time the Government Bailed Out the Economy. Here’s What to Know About the $1 Trillion Coronavirus Plan.
A decade ago, the government spent more than $1 trillion to bail out companies and stimulate the economy. What have we learned since then?
by Michael Grabell and Paul Kiel
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Here’s Why Florida Got All the Emergency Medical Supplies It Requested While Other States Did Not
The Department of Health and Human Services has come under fire as several states’ requests for supplies from the emergency medical stockpile go unfulfilled. A chaotic distribution plan is buckling under a big problem: Nobody has enough.
by Lydia DePillis, Mike Spies, Joshua Kaplan, Kyle Edwards and Caroline Chen
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ICE Has Repeatedly Failed to Contain Contagious Diseases, Our Analysis Shows. It’s a Danger to the Public.
ProPublica reviewed more than 70 reports detailing deaths in ICE detention over the last decade and found staff often break strict rules for testing contagious diseases. At least 10 detainees face quarantine for potential exposure to coronavirus.
by J. David McSwane
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I’m Not in the NBA Nor Am I Tom Hanks. Here’s How I Lucked Into a COVID-19 Test.
The standard for who gets tested for coronavirus remains confusing and inconsistent. Take my case.
by Haru Coryne
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What Coronavirus Means for Pregnancy and Other Things New and Expecting Mothers Should Know
The experience you expected is likely to be very different from the one you actually get. The key to staying sane is to be as ready as possible to throw your best-laid-plans out the window.
by Nina Martin
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A Congressman Skipped the Coronavirus Relief Vote. Instead, He Went Home to Tell Senior Citizens to Blame Mass Media.
Rep. Don Young of Alaska isn’t the only politician to downplay the threat of coronavirus, in direct contrast with his state government’s public efforts. He may be the only one to do so at a gathering of senior citizens, though.
by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News
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As Doctors and Nurses Grow Desperate for Protective Gear, They Fear They’re Infecting Patients
The CDC and hospitals have put medical providers and patients at risk as they fail to address national supply shortages. One emergency room doctor who did not have proper equipment and learned he had COVID-19 said, “I’m sure I exposed everyone I saw.”
by Topher Sanders, Maya Miller, Lexi Churchill and David Armstrong
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