NYC reported 349 more deaths since this morning as several hospitals in Manhattan and the outer boroughs report that their ICUs are at, or have breached, max capacity during the deluge of serious cases of the virus.
Summary:
- UK reports more than 700 deaths, mortality rate climbs to record 10.35
- Germany reports smallest batch of deaths in 2 weeks
- NYC reports 249 deaths in evening update
- Spain case numbers pass Italy, after reported lowest deaths in a week yesterday deaths
- Journalist says more than 800 health-care workers infected in Massachusetts
- Trump warns “deadliest week” is ahead for US
- NY reports 10k+ new cases as statewide total nears those of Italy, Spain
- Italian government agrees on emergency business loan program
- About 100 more New Jersey residents have died from COVID-19 than on 9/11 as state reports new cases, deaths
- US cases of COVID-19 near 280k
- Coral Princess reports 2 deaths, presumably from COVID-19
- US death toll tops 7k
- Portugal reported 638 new cases
- Italy reports another small slowdown in cases, deaths
- Belgium reported 1,661 new cases and 140 new deaths
- European death toll tops 45k as France reports ~400 new deaths
- COVID-19 pateints ‘accidentally’ brought aboard Navy hospital ship ‘overflow hospital’ docked in Manhattan
- Cuomo authorizes medical students slated to graduate in the spring to start practicing now
- A looting wave has struck NYC businesses
- France says 600 soldiers infected
- UK Health Secretary reminds Britons to stay inside this weekend
- Pop star Pink test positive
- India quarantines 20k people connected to Islamic missionary movement
- Trump uses DPA act to block export of medical equipment
- Tokyo reports more than 100 cases in a day, largest jump yet, as Japan’s 2nd wave worsens
Across the city of New York, chaos is unfurling. pharmacies are running out of common drugs (including Tylenol), cleaning supplies and other essential items. Around Manhattan, the National Guard is setting up makeshift morgues and hospitals. Thousands of workers are still forced to pack into crowded subway cars, dangerously violating social distancing policy as they commute to their “essential” jobs (and for many it’s low paid, hourly work).
Unsurprisingly, some small business owners are starting to get a little frustrated with customers coming in their stores and not respecting social distancing, as most clerks reckon with the reality that they’re practically guaranteed to interact with someone who later tests positive for the virus.
God bless NYC pic.twitter.com/yTIQOkSpCg
— Noah Hurowitz (@NoahHurowitz) April 4, 2020
As the city and state scramble to make sure hospitals are stocked with supplies and other elements of the response are in place, Fox News reports that several COVID-19 patients were accidentally brought aboard the USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital ship docked at Pier 90 in Manhattan that’s supposed to act as a virus-free ‘overflow’ hospital for NYC patients. The number of patients brought aboard the ship were “fewer than five”, and they didn’t test positive until after they had been brought aboard.
Though understandable in a time of intense stress while health-care workers are battling a virus that can lay dormant for weeks, the fact that this happened is just another discouraging reminder of how difficult it will be to keep patients from being infected in a medical setting.
As NYC braces for the peak, the city is still dangerously short on ventilators. As the mayor said in a tweet on Saturday, “our city is facing a dire shortage of ventilators. It is unthinkable to leave a single ventilator in a stockpile or in a warehouse when they could save lives in our hospitals. We need these supplies. We have another difficult week ahead, and our single-minded focus is bringing in the ventilators, hospital beds and health care workers we need to save every life we can.”
The city is still short on health-care workers and essential equipment. Though they’ve exchanged some congenial words, it seems like President Trump and Andrew Cuomo are still feuding over it.
If the city doesn’t get the ventilators it needs, and people die who could have easily been saved with the necessary equipment, there will be political hell to pay.
* * *
Update (1715ET): President Trump reiterated warnings from the last few press briefings (perhaps the administration should start to think about switching the format to a biweekly?) on Saturday, as the administration task force held its latest post-meeting press briefing. Trump warned that the US should brace for the “toughest week”, which Trump said is expected to transpire of the next 7 days as the outbreak ‘peaks’ in the US.
he seven-day figure was also used by Gov. Cuomo earlier. Speaking of Cuomo, Trump insisted that he’s working with the governor to make sure the state has all the supplies it needs before more hospitals in NYC are overwhelmed.
- TRUMP SAYS THERE WILL BE A LOT OF DEATH, THESE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL BE THE TOUGHEST
- TRUMP SAYS LARGE NUMBER OF NATIONAL GUARD TO ASSIST
- TRUMP: SOME AREAS NOT HARD HIT MAKING INFLATED SUPPLY REQUESTS
- TRUMP SAYS HE SPOKE WITH CUOMO, WORKING TO GET SUPPLIES TO N.Y.
If you’re interested in watching a replay of the briefing, you can check it out here.
Amazon Bans Sale Of N95 And Surgical Masks To General Public – Where Can I Buy N95 Masks Now?
Amazon has banned the sale of N95 and surgical masks to the general public, claiming it would restrict sales to hospitals and government organizations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ban took effect April 1, according to Recode, after the company said in a forum for Amazon sellers that the ban includes “facial shields, surgical gowns, surgical gloves, and large-volume sanitizers.”
Hospitals and governments can qualify to purchase said items by filling out a form, while Amazon will be eliminating the commission it usually charges sellers in order “to encourage our selling partners to make additional inventory of these products available at competitive prices to these customers with the greatest need.”
The move is the latest drastic change Amazon has made to its business practices amid the global pandemic that has upended billions of lives and economies across the globe. Amazon has become a lifeline to essential goods during this time for millions of customers ordered to stay at home and those fearful of shopping in stores during the crisis.
In mid-March, faced with merchandise shortages in the United States and Europe due to the pandemic, Amazon instituted sweeping changes on which products it will store and ship from its warehouses, in a move it said was aimed at keeping essential items in stock and speeding up orders. –Recode
Two weeks ago, the Seattle-based e-retailer said that it would be “temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock and deliver these products to customers,” meaning it will no longer accept new shipments to warehouses for discretionary items through at least April 5.
Where Can I Buy N95 Masks?
With Pharmacies, Walmart and nearly all other physical stores out of stock, Amazon out of the game and ebay selling mostly gas masks from China, there’s not much place left to buy N95 masks to protect yourself in th Covid-19 crisis.
As you may already know, the Darknet is selling pretty much everything that is hard to get by in stores or completely illegal. So even if you come by to find a shady shop or entity selling overpriced masks, you never know if they really are what they are advertised (N95 standard) and work and you also never know if they will ever arrive. However, there are still some online shops that are selling the very last N95 masks, one of them being a small company called Amazyble.com.
