DUBAI,
United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader refused U.S.
assistance Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded
conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America.
Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei’s comments come as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions
blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing
international financial markets.
But
while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly
criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to
traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese
officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.
“I
do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in
their right mind would trust you to bring them medication?” Khamenei
said. “Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.”
He
also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus “is
specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which
they have obtained through different means.”
“You
might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to
come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in
person,” he said.
There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei’s comments.
However,
his comments come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao
tweeted earlier this month that it “might be US army who brought the
epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us
an explanation!”
Lijian
likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the U.S.
State Department summon China’s ambassador to complain.
Wuhan
is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected
in December. In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly
referred to the virus as the “Chinese” or “Wuhan” virus, while the World
Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the
virus causes. Even a U.S. senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the
unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon.
For
most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms,
such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people
with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness,
including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new
virus.
Scientists
have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected
people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another
animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan. The now-shuttered
Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as
giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often
referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.
An
article published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal
Nature Medicine similarly said it was “improbable” that the virus
“emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like
coronavirus.”
Khamenei
made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across
Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual
speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.
His
comments come as Iran has over 21,600 confirmed cases of the new
coronavirus amid 1,685 reported deaths, according to government figures
released Sunday.
Iran
is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus.
Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and
those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other
countries.
Iranian
officials have criticized U.S. offers of aid during the virus crisis as
being disingenuous. They have accused the Trump administration of
wanting to capitalize on its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran
since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018. However, the U.S.
has directly offered the Islamic Republic aid in the past despite
decades of enmity, like during the devastating Bam earthquake of 2003.
Reassigning
blame could be helpful to Iran’s government, which faced widespread
public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner,
killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass
demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.
Iranian
hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it
suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly
doubted al-Qaida’s role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy
theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves.
Former
hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about
the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a “big lie,” while also describing the
Holocaust as a “myth.”
Meanwhile
on Sunday, Iran imposed a two-week closure on major shopping malls and
centers across the country to prevent spreading the virus. Pharmacies,
supermarkets, groceries and bakeries will remain open.
In
Saudi Arabia, the kingdom said its armed forces are now taking part in
combating the virus, setting up mobile hospitals in various cities.
And
in Kuwait, authorities have instituted a nightly curfew from 5 p.m. to 4
a.m., warning violators face up to three years in prison and fines of
$32,000 if arrested and convicted.
___
Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
___
The
Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Corporate
America is following the White House's lead in combatting economic
fallout from the coronavirus pandemic by standing down on stock repurchases even before potential government bailouts -- and despite the temptation of a more than 28 percent drop on the S&P 500 this year. On Friday, McDonald's, AT&T and Boeing separately announced that share repurchases would be paused or suspended until further notice.
It
was a move President Trump and other lawmakers had advised earlier this
week for companies hit hard by the virus that might receive federal
assistance, one that reflected widespread dissatisfaction with how cash
from government bailouts was invested during the 2008 financial crisis. "I
don't want to have stock buybacks," said Trump. "I don't want some
executives saying we're gonna buyback 200,000 shares of stock. I want
that money to be used by the workers and the company to keep the company
going," he added during a coronavirus task force briefing. Aerospace
giant Boeing took an additional step and suspended its 8.6
percent-yielding dividend indefinitely to conserve cash already depleted
by the yearlong grounding of its best-selling 737 Max. CEO David
Calhoun and Board Chairman Larry Kellner will not take a paycheck for
the rest of the year. BOEING SUSPENDS DIVIDEND, CEO CALHOUN TO FORGO PAY The
company is now "drawing on all of its resources to sustain operations,
support its workforce and customers, and maintain supply chain
continuity through the COVID-19 crisis and for the long term," according
to a statement on Friday. Shares have lost over 70 percent this year. As
for telecom giant AT&T, the company tabled a planned, accelerated
repurchase of $4 billion shares through an agreement with Morgan
Stanley in the second quarter. Scrapping the plan and any other
repurchases will "maintain flexibility and focus on continued investment
in serving our customers, taking care of our employees and enhancing
our network, including nationwide 5G," AT&T said in an SEC filing described
as an update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. "Continued investments
will help ensure the company is well-positioned when the pandemic passes
and economies begin to recover." AT&T stock has fallen 27 percent this year. At
McDonald's, CEO Chris Kempczinski, who took over in November, told CNBC
that the company's buybacks are suspended but its dividend policy
remains unchanged. The payout yields more than 3 percent. The fast-food operator employs 2.2 million people globally and has seen its stock fall 25 percent this year.
In separate news, retailer Macy's,
which joined scores of rivals in closing stores amid the outbreak,
suspended "its regular quarterly cash dividend payout beginning in the
second quarter of fiscal 2020. The company’s previously announced
dividend payment occurring on April 1, 2020, is not affected by the
suspension," the retailer said.
ATLANTA — U.S. elections have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 13 states have postponed voting and more delays are possible
as health officials warn that social distancing and other measures to
contain the virus might be in place for weeks, if not months. The states that have yet to hold their primaries
find themselves in a seemingly impossible situation as they look to
balance public health concerns with the need to hold elections. While
election officials routinely prepare for natural disasters such as
hurricanes and wildfires, the virus outbreak poses a unique challenge. “Usually
when we are dealing with a crisis in elections, it’s something that
happens and then it’s done,” said Chris Harvey, Georgia's director of
elections. “The difference now is that it’s a spreading threat, a
fast-growing threat. We don’t know where, when or how it is going to
end.”
"It’s a spreading threat, a fast-growing threat. We don’t know where, when or how it is going to end." — Chris Harvey, Georgia's director of elections
Primaries
scheduled for Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Louisiana, Connecticut
and Kentucky have all been postponed to May or June. The Rhode Island
Board of Elections has recommended the primary be delayed to June, while
officials in Wisconsin are debating what to do. Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers has insisted the April 7 primary be held as scheduled,
but a state elections commissioner said this past week that doing so
would put people at risk. The state's chief elections official cited a
host of problems Wisconsin could face if it moved forward with the
election: a poll worker shortage, lack of polling places and potential
disruption of absentee voting if mail service in the U.S. were to shut
down. All this comes at the worst possible time for election
officials, in the middle of a major election year. The virus outbreak
erupted halfway through the presidential primary season. Voters in 23
states have yet to cast their ballots. While Arizona, Florida and
Illinois held their elections as scheduled last Tuesday, Ohio halted
voting over public health concerns after federal officials encouraged
people over age 65 to stay home. “We cannot tell people to stay
inside, but also tell them to go out and vote,” Gov. Mike DeWine,
R-Ohio, said on Twitter, in announcing plans to delay. The states
that have opted to press ahead have found themselves dealing with what
one Chicago elections official called a “tsunami” of cancellations by
poll workers, who tend to be older, and a last-minute scramble to
relocate polling places away from nursing homes and senior living
communities. Severe illness and death associated with coronavirus has
been most common in people 65 and older, especially those who have heart
disease or other chronic conditions. In addition to the
presidential race, dozens of congressional and local primaries are in
limbo. Primaries play an important role in deciding which party
candidates will appear on the ballot for the November general election. Runoff
elections in Alabama, Texas and Mississippi were also delayed, as were
local elections in Oklahoma, Missouri and New Jersey. There's no
indication May or June will be any better to hold elections, but
officials say postponing voting even for a few weeks gives them an
opportunity to put in place plans to keep the public safe while voting.
This includes moving polling places, recruiting backup poll workers and
acquiring enough cleaning supplies for voting sites. “At some
point, we have to execute an election,” Harvey said, adding Georgia
planned a major push to expand absentee voting for the May primary. There
have been calls, including from Democratic National Committee Chairman
Tom Perez, for elections to be held mostly by mail. But making this
switch will be difficult for some and impossible for others. In
several states, it would take legislation or even a constitutional
amendment to allow. Even then, election experts say there would be costs
and logistical hurdles. For instance, states would have to decide
whether taxpayers or individual voters would be responsible for return
postage. It would require new machines and software in many places to
track ballots in the mail and process and count them when they’re
returned. All of that could cost billions of dollars, at a time when
state revenues are likely to drop amid increased unemployment and
decreased tax collections.
Voters arrive with masks in light of the coronavirus COVID-19
health concern at Warren E. Bow Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday,
March 10, 2020. (Associated Press)
Further, advocates say not all voters can fill out
ballots by hand and that sending ballots could miss some voters, such as
Native Americans who live on reservations where mail isn’t delivered to
every home. Meanwhile, steps taken — or not taken — to change
aspects of the voting process are being met with lawsuits from political
parties and voting rights advocates. In Ohio, voting rights
groups are suing the state for refusing to reopen the voter registration
window for the state primary, now scheduled for June 2. Under Ohio law,
voters can register up to 30 days before an election. Advocates say the
other states with postponed primaries are allowing voter registration
ahead of rescheduled elections. In Wisconsin, the Democratic Party
has sued to force the state to make it easier to register to vote and
request an absentee ballot. They also have asked for mailed ballots to
count if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days
after voting. Any increase in absentee voting will surely add to
the workload for election offices already stretched thin and navigating
recommendations that people work from home. The elections office
in Cobb County, Georgia, has sent home most of its temporary and
seasonal employees brought on to help prep for elections. That means
more work for the full-time employees who remain, as they are already
seeing an increase in applications for absentee ballots. “As we
prepare for May, there is still so much to do,” said Janine Eveler,
elections director for the metro Atlanta county. “Many of us are here
when we would like to be home with our families because it’s scary right
now.” Looming over the scramble over the primaries are worries
about the general election in November, a date that is set by federal
law. Federal legislation has been proposed that would have all voters
receive a mail-in ballot for the November election and provide federal
funds to help states cover the costs. The
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's School of Law is calling for task
forces in every state to implement plans for executing an election amid a
pandemic and urging Congress to provide money to help states. They
estimate their proposals, including universal mail-in voting, could cost
up to $2 billion. “Things will need to change,” said Wendy Weiser, head of the center's democracy program. For
most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms,
such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people
with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness,
including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new
virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild
illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness
may take three weeks to six weeks to recover. Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON
— Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House are
pushing toward resolution on a ballooning $1 trillion-plus economic
rescue package, as President Donald Trump urged a deal to steady a
nation shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic. With
a population on edge and financial markets teetering, all sides
indicated late Saturday that a deal is within reach. At issue is how
best to keep paychecks flowing for millions of workers abruptly
sidelined by the crisis. Talks also narrowed on a so-called
Marshall Plan for hospitals as well as industry loans to airlines and
others all but grounded by the virus outbreak and national shutdown. The post-World War II Marshall Plan helped to rebuild Western Europe. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Saturday all sides were “very close” to a bipartisan resolution. McConnell
instructed committee chairmen to assemble draft legislation. Officials
put the price tag at nearly $1.4 trillion and said that with other
measures from the Federal Reserve it could pump $2 trillion into the
U.S. economy. “We are poised to deliver the significant relief that Americans need with the speed that this crisis demands,” McConnell said.
“We are poised to deliver the significant relief that Americans need with the speed that this crisis demands.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Talks
will resume Sunday morning when the top four congressional leaders of
both parties are set to confer privately at the Capitol with Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin in hopes of striking a final accord. A
spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said there is “not
yet an agreement.” Spokesman Justin Goodman said Democrats look forward
to reading the draft and further negotiations. “Everybody's
working hard and they want to get to a solution that's the right
solution, I think we're very close," Trump said at Saturday's briefing,
striking a confident tone about the nation's ability to defeat the
pandemic soon.
“Everybody's working hard and they want to get to a solution that's the right solution, I think we're very close." — President Trump
On
Capitol Hill, the Senate convened the rare weekend session as
negotiators raced to complete the package. The Senate's goal is to hold
an initial vote Sunday and win Senate passage on Monday. The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket,
businesses shutter and the financial markets are set to re-open Monday
eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare
crisis and what experts say is a looming recession. Trump has largely stayed out of the details, but said Saturday that he would be lobbying the lead negotiators. On
one topic, Trump appears to be agreeing with Democrats as Washington
tries to steer clear of the politically toxic bailouts from the last
economic crises. Trump expressed a clear distaste for any
industry, including the airlines, that would use federal assistance to
buy back its own stock in an effort to increase profits. Banning stock
buy-backs is one of Democrats’ top business priorities in the emerging
package. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other top White
House officials were on Capitol Hill for a second day of nonstop
negotiations. But no announcement was expected. House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, who has been in talks with Mnuchin, returned to Washington
on Saturday and was scheduled to join Sunday's meeting. Negotiations
are focused on providing direct relief to Americans, with one-time
checks of $1,200, as well as ongoing payroll support and enhanced
unemployment benefits for the newly out of work. Talks are also
focused on loans to airlines and other industries blindsided by the
crisis, as well as possible aid to the states and billions for hospitals
and healthcare providers on the front lines of the outbreak. The
emerging package builds on a GOP proposal but Democrats push for
add-ons, including food security aid, small business loans and other
measures for workers. “We're making very good progress,” Schumer said late Saturday. “We're going to continue working though the night.” On
Saturday, Trump opened the daily virus briefing with a roll call of his
administration's accomplishments, a week-in-review meant to rebut
criticism that the White House was moving too slowly to combat the
crisis. The president pushed back against accusations that he was
sluggish to act for fear of upsetting China, though he told aides last
month that he had not wanted to alienate Beijing by criticizing its
secretive handling of the initial outbreak. Trump did not lose his temper, as he did the day before. But mixed, vague messaging still ruled the briefing. For
example, as hospitals across the nation report a dire shortage of
supplies to care for an expected surge of patients, Vice President Mike
Pence said the government was completing a half-billion-dollar order for
masks. But none of the government officials at the briefing could
suggest when the masks would reach medical facilities, a moment of
confusion that caused Trump to grow visibly frustrated. Dr.
Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, tried not
to over-promise the effectiveness or speed of medication that could
possibly be used to treat the virus. After Trump had exited the briefing
room, Fauci answered a question about a Trump tweet about the drugs by
saying, “I'm not totally sure what the president was referring to." Trump
also sowed confusion about his use of the Defense Production Act to
force American businesses to manufacture needed medical supplies, saying
that while he invoked the act this week, he has not yet needed to
utilize it to compel businesses to mobilize, despite the pronounced
supply shortage. Pence announced that, out of an abundance of
caution, he and his wife, Karen, would be tested for the virus after a
member of the vice president's staff had tested positive. The result for
both was negative, Pence press secretary Katie Miller tweeted Saturday
night. Pence had said the staffer, who did not have close contact with either the president or vice president, was doing well. The
emerging rescue plan from Congress would be a striking intervention at
enormous cost being crafted with a speed unseen since the 2008-09
financial crisis and recession. It builds on Trump's request for Congress to “go big.” A
central element is now $350 billion for small businesses to keep making
payroll. Companies with 500 or fewer employees could tap up to $10
million in forgivable small business loans to keep paychecks flowing. That's
on top of a proposal for one-time checks to all Americans, $1,200 per
individual, $2,400 for couples, cut off at higher incomes. Democrats are pushing for increased eligibility for unemployment insurance for those who jobs are simply disappearing. For
industry, the initial GOP plan called for $208 billion in loans to
airlines and other industries, which would have to be repaid. Negotiators
are still hammering out whether there will be money to the states,
whose governors have requested billions, as well as how much will be
going to hospitals and healthcare providers. Trump
acknowledged the outbreak was hurting his family's business of hotels
and country clubs but said he did not know whether his business would be
one of the many to seek government assistance. For most people,
the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever
and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing
health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The
vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the
World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two
weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks
to recover. ___ Bev Banks contributed. Associated Press
writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and
Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. The Associated Press
receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely
responsible for all content.
The
critical shortage of medical supplies across the U.S., including
testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer, can
be tied to a sudden drop in imports, mostly from China, The Associated
Press has found.
Trade
data shows the decline in shipments started in mid-February after the
spiraling coronavirus outbreak in China led the country to shutter
factories and disrupted ports. Some emergency rooms, hospitals and
clinics in the U.S. have now run out of key medical supplies, while
others are rationing personal protective equipment like gloves and
masks.
The
United States counts on receiving the vast majority of its medical
supplies from China, where the coronavirus has infected more than 80,000
people and killed more than 3,200. When Chinese medical supply
factories began coming back on line last month, their first priority was
their own hospitals.
The
government required makers of N95 masks to sell all or part of their
production internally instead of shipping masks to the U.S.
The
most recent delivery of medical-grade N95 masks arrived from China
about a month ago, on Feb. 19. And as few as 13 shipments of non-medical
N95 masks have arrived in the past month — half as many as arrived the
same month last year. N95 masks are used in industrial settings, as well
as hospitals, and filter out 95% of all airborne particles, including
ones too tiny to be blocked by regular masks.
Governors
across the country are becoming panicked as states run out of
equipment. President Donald Trump has urged them to buy masks on the
open market, but few if any are available.
“Without
adequate protection, more of our hospital staff could become ill, which
would mean there wouldn’t be people to care for patients,” said Nancy
Foster, the American Hospital Association’s vice president of quality
and patient safety policy.
Some hospitals are down to just a day or two of personal protective equipment, she said.
The
AP found that in the past month, hand sanitizer and swab imports both
dropped by 40%, N95 mask imports were down 55%, and surgical gowns,
typically sourced from China, were at near normal levels because the
sourcing was shifted to Honduras.
Typically,
medical supplies are delivered along both coasts. But almost all the
supplies that did arrive in the past month came into Newark, New Jersey,
across the country from the earliest and most severe coronavirus
outbreaks.
The
AP identified the falling imports by looking at shipment data maintained
by ImportGenius and Panjiva Inc., services that independently track
global trade.
In
mid-February, the World Health Organization warned that global demand
for safety gear for medical providers was 100 times higher than normal.
Prices were 20 times higher, stockpiles were depleted and there was a
four- to six-month backlog. Despite this, federal contracting data shows
there was no big effort at that point to submit orders.
Trade
policies haven’t helped. Tariffs on medical supplies made them more
expensive, and they were only lifted March 5, even though health care
associations asked the administration last year to exempt items like
masks, gloves and gowns. And now countries including South Korea, India
and Taiwan are blocking exports of medical supplies to save them for
their own citizens, leaving the U.S. with fewer options.
“The
lag time could be weeks. It could be upward of months,” said Khatereh
Calleja, CEO of the Healthcare Supply Chain Association.
Doctors,
nurses and first responders in the U.S. are resorting to spraying their
masks with bleach at the end of each day and hanging them up at home to
dry to use for another day, according to the American College of
Emergency Physicians.
“There
is a little bit of anxiety, as you can imagine, going to work and not
knowing if you will have enough personal protective equipment,” said Dr.
David Tan, president of the National Association of EMS Physicians.
The
decline in swabs included multiple varieties, not just ones needed to
test for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
for weeks warned state and local health departments about shortages of
swabs, which are needed for the testing that is critical to containing
the pandemic.
Even
over-the-counter medical shipments are decreasing. Ten shipping
containers filled with medical thermometers arrived at U.S. ports a year
ago this month. But in the last 30 days, there were just five.
Hand
sanitizer, also commonly sourced from China, has disappeared from U.S.
stores, and it may stay scarce. Last year by this time, 223 shipments
had arrived. This year, since January, just 157 shipments have come.
The
shortages affect patients because they can’t get tested and their
providers may be carrying the virus from one person to the next. But the
far greater risk is to medical personnel: Already, there are reports of
dozens of doctors, nurses and medical staff who have contracted the
virus.
Nurses
across the country report that they are not receiving the proper
personal protective equipment and their hospitals don’t have the
isolation rooms they need to safely care for COVID-19 patients,
according to National Nurses United, the largest union of registered
nurses in the U.S.
“It’s
not safe at all. Nobody is safe,” said Consuelo Vargas, an emergency
room nurse at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. On Friday morning, after a
possible exposure at work, she went to a local hardware store and
bought all the painter booties and jumpsuits they had to wear while
caring for people.
“It’s
so frustrating because we feel like health care workers are being asked
for a lot — and that’s fine, we can do our job. We’re just asking for
the equipment we need,” she said.
The
shortage doesn’t affect only health care. The humanitarian medical firm
Direct Relief thought it was heading into 2020 well-stocked, with
several million N95 masks. The organization had increased its orders in
2019 after massive wildfires in the West filled cities with smoke,
squeezing its supplies in recent years.
But
then bushfires overwhelmed Australia with smoky skies and so Direct
Relief began sending the masks there, vice president Tony Morain said.
When
the coronavirus hit China, the organization began shipping the masks to
Wuhan — the outbreak’s epicenter — in an effort to contain the disease.
Morain said
they’ve ordered 2 million more masks and are awaiting the shipments.
Those typically take at least five weeks to arrive: two weeks to make
the masks, two weeks of shipping and a week to get through the port.
Meanwhile, he said, Direct Relief has received well over 100 requests
from hospitals and health centers down to their last boxes.
In
an effort to fill the gap, Minnesota-based 3M is running its Aberdeen,
South Dakota, plant around the clock, producing millions of N95 masks
per month. The company is also ramping up production of surgical masks
and commercial cleaning solutions, CEO Mike Roman said.
Nonetheless,
one federal contract with 3M for $4.8 million of N95 masks dated March
12 says the masks will be delivered April 30 — seven weeks later,
according to public contract data.
A
number of Chinese companies told the AP this week that they will be
resuming exports — which bring higher prices — but that they are
overwhelmed and can’t meet demand.
“Chinese
mask manufacturers have received too many orders from abroad, but have
no time to produce all of them and make a delivery,” said David Peng,
manager of Ningbo Buy Best International Trading Co. Ltd.
Coping With the Outbreak:
Trade
data shows importers have managed to maintain some supplies by shifting
to factories outside China. Shipments of surgical gowns, for example,
have dropped less than 5% since December, since they are now coming from
Honduras. The same is true for medical gloves, which are now primarily
coming from South Korea.
The
federal government said a national stockpile was being made available
at the state level, but governors said they weren’t getting what they
need.
“I think
every governor in the United States has been banging on the door of the
federal government with respect to the stockpile. We certainly have, and
we’re going to continue to,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said at a
news conference this week.
Dr.
Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of
California-San Francisco, said he was alarmed by new CDC advice for
hospitals that run out of masks.
“For
the CDC to say people can wear bandanas is actually quite frightening,”
he said. “I never thought the CDC would say something like that. We’re
in the United States of America in 2020, and we have a recommendation to
use bandanas?”
___
AP
researcher Yu Bing in Beijing, reporter Steve LeBlanc in Boston,
reporter Michael Biesecker in Washington and data editor Meghan Hoyer
contributed to this story.
Negotiators
from Congress and the White House, narrowing differences on a sweeping
$1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, were set to resume top-level
talks Saturday after President Donald Trump unleashed fury on those
questioning his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
It
was an extraordinary moment in Washington: Congress undertaking the
most ambitious federal effort yet to shore up households and the U.S.
economy and an angry president lashing out at all comers. All while the
global pandemic and its nationwide shutdown grip an anxious, isolated population bracing for a healthcare crisis and looming recession.
When
one reporter asked Trump what he would tell a worried nation, the
president snapped, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter.”
Despite
the enormous pressure on Washington to swiftly act, the challenges are
apparent. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers and administration officials
labored late into the evening over eye-popping sums and striking federal
interventions, surpassing even the 2008-09 bank bailout and stimulus.
“Everybody
is working very hard,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, exiting
one closed-door session and heading into another.
While
key negotiators said they made progress during the daylong talks, they
failed to hit an end-of-day deadline to strike a deal. Talks broke
around 10:30 p.m.
Mnuchin
launched negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and senators from both parties
using McConnell’s GOP offer as a starting point.
“Our
nation needs a major next step, and we need it fast,” McConnell said
earlier in the day to an empty chamber, the iconic U.S. Capitol closed
to visitors.
Preliminary Senate votes are set for Sunday. McConnell said the goal is passage by Monday.
But
Mnuchin also conferred privately Friday with Schumer and House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi as the two leaders pressed for Democratic priorities.
Pelosi late Friday called the GOP plan a “non-starter.”
At
one point, Schumer told reporters, “We’re making good progress.” But
Schumer acknowledged trying to wrap up “tonight is hard.”
The
GOP plan aims to pump billions into $1,200 direct checks to Americans
and billions to small businesses to pay idled workers during the global
pandemic.
But
Democrats say McConnell’s plan is insufficient, arguing for greater
income support for workers and a “Marshall Plan” for the U.S. healthcare
industry, which is preparing for an onslaught of newly sick patients.
At the White House, Trump welcomed the stimulus plan, believing it is needed to stabilize the economy.
The
administration also announced a further closing of the nation’s border,
as the U.S. and Mexico agreed to limit crossings to all but essential
travel and trade, while the U.S. moved to restrict entry to anyone
without documentation.
Later
Friday, the White House said a member of Vice President Mike Pence’s
staff had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Pence spokeswoman
Katie Miller said the staff member, who is not being identified, did not
have “close contact” either the vice president or Trump.
Unveiled Thursday, McConnell’s rescue proposal from Republicans builds on Trump’s request for Congress to “go big.”
The
GOP plan proposes $300 billion for small businesses to keep idled
workers on payroll and $208 billion in loans to airlines and other
industries. It also seeks to relax a just-enacted family and medical
leave mandate on small to medium-sized businesses from an earlier rescue
package.
It
puts McConnell’s imprint on the GOP approach after the Senate leader
left earlier negotiations to Pelosi and Mnuchin, which angered some of
his GOP senators feeling cut out of the final product.
Keeping paychecks flowing for workers not at work is a top priority for both Democrats and Republicans as jobless claims skyrocket.
But
how best to send direct payments to Americans — as one-time stipends,
ongoing payroll support or unemployment checks — is a crucial debate.
Under
McConnell’s approach, small businesses with 500 or fewer employees
would be able to tap up to $10 million in forgivable loans from the
federal government to continue cutting paychecks.
Democrats
prefer sending the money to workers via the existing unemployment
insurance system. Schumer called it “unemployment insurance on
steroids.”
Both
income support approaches have benefits and drawbacks, lawmakers said.
Republicans say their plan would keep workers linked to employers, for
easy recall once the crisis abates. Democrats argue the unemployment
system provides a ready-made distribution channel, though states could
also become overwhelmed by the surge of jobless claims.
Meanwhile, industries of all kinds are lining up for help.
As
the Senate chairmen hammered out the details — and House chairmen
funneled their input — the total price tag is sure to grow beyond $1
trillion, lawmakers said.
The House, which adjourned last weekend, is not expected to resume until the new package is ready.
Lawmakers
on conference calls with leaders this week said they preferred not to
board airplanes amid the virus outbreak. Despite calls to change the
rules, Congress does not have a mechanism in place for remote voting.
Trump
has already signed into law a $100 billion-plus bill to boost testing
for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of
workers hit by it. Earlier, Trump signed an initial $8.3 billion package
from Congress.
For
most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms,
such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people
with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness,
including pneumonia.
The
vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the
World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two
weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks
to recover.
BERLIN
(AP) — Streets, squares and highways were deserted in large parts of
the world Saturday as curfews and lockdowns multiplied in the face of a
rapidly advancing virus that is severely straining many health systems.
Three
American states with a combined population of 70 million are moving to
restrict residents to their homes to prevent the spread of the new
coronavirus. California started Friday and New York and Illinois were to
follow this weekend. Connecticut and Oregon were preparing to do the
same.
Once-bustling
outdoor plazas fell quiet in Bavaria after it became the first German
state to tell people to stay home, except to go to work, buy food, visit
the doctor or exercise. Police reported fewer people breaching the
curfew than in previous nights.
Colombia
became the latest South American country to announce a lockdown, and
Sri Lanka closed all expressways for a weekend curfew.
The
number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in Africa rose above
1,000 Saturday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. At least 40 of Africa’s 54 countries now have cases.
More
than 275,000 cases have been confirmed globally, including over 11,000
deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. At
least 88,000 have recovered.
For
most people, the new virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such
as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with
existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including
pneumonia. The vast majority recover.
But
with hospitals already under pressure, officials in many countries are
desperate to prevent — or at least limit — a repeat of what has happened
in China and southern Europe. The coronavirus outbreak overwhelmed
medical services in the central Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year
and now is pushing them to the limit in Italy and Spain.
Germany’s
southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Saturday offered to take in
patients from the neighboring region of eastern France that’s
struggling with a surge of infections overwhelming hospitals.
In
Britain, which still lags behind Italy, Spain and France in the spread
of the virus, the country’s overstretched health system is creaking. The
state-funded National Health Service has about 4,000 critical-care beds
and some 5,000 ventilators, and officials say that’s far fewer than
will be needed as the number of cases spikes in the coming weeks.
Britain has already asked 65,000 retired nurses and doctors to return to
work.
Lisa
Anderson, a consultant cardiologist at St George’s Hospital in London,
sad “there is a lack of protection for us which extends to a lack of
plan of how to segregate patients clean and dirty, how to protect us and
keep us away from the public.”
“Doctors have no faith in what is going on,” she told the BBC.
Britain has recorded 3,983 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 177 deaths.
China
has been sending aid to several European countries, promoting its
expertise and experience gained from fighting the outbreak at home. An
Air China flight carrying 18 tons of medical supplies including hundreds
of thousands of surgical and protection masks landed in the Greek
capital, Athens, Saturday morning.
As
the pandemic has eased in Asia, China and other parts of the region are
now trying to avoid importing cases from Europe, the U.S. and
elsewhere.
China
reported Saturday that its mainland had no new home-grown cases of the
disease for the third straight day, but 41 imported ones in the previous
24-hour period. That followed a surge in cases in the territory of Hong
Kong on Friday, including 35 imported ones.
Restrictions
on movement are being eased gradually in China as it tries to restart
the economy without bringing back the disease.
Officials
in Wuhan are permitting supermarkets, convenience stores and some other
retail businesses to reopen from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. if they are in areas
with no confirmed or suspected cases. One person from each household is
allowed to go out daily for a shopping trip of up to two hours.
The
Beijing Zoo said its outdoor areas would reopen Monday, but visitors
have to wear masks and make reservations at least one day in advance.
Most major museums and attractions in China have been closed for nearly
two months to stop the spread of the virus.
In
the U.S., the restrictions on movement take effect Saturday in Illinois
and Sunday in New York. All workers in nonessential businesses will be
required to stay home and gatherings of any size are banned in New York.
Exceptions will be made for important errands, such as buying groceries
and medicine, and for exercise.
The
lockdowns in California and other states sent stock markets tumbling
again. Wall Street had its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis,
with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 900 points and
down 17% for the week.
Car
maker BMW said it would shut down a huge manufacturing complex in South
Carolina from April 3 to 19 and Nissan said it would suspend vehicle
production at its two Mexican assembly plants from next Wednesday
through April 14. Auto production has resumed in China, but only
partially.
A
member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for the
coronavirus, the White House said. A spokeswoman said the person did not
have close contact with either Pence or President Donald Trump.
Colombian
President Iván Duque announced Friday night that everyone would be
required to isolate in their homes for three weeks starting Tuesday. The
capital, Bogota, began its own lockdown Friday, leaving the city’s
usually traffic-filled streets largely empty.
Colombia
has 158 confirmed cases, and officials are hoping that drastic measures
now will limit the number of new cases in the weeks ahead. Peru,
Ecuador and Venezuela already are in lockdown.
Spain
was approaching one week of tight restrictions on free moment and the
closure of most shops Saturday, as hospitals and nursing homes buckled
under the burden of the virus outbreak. Health authorities have
acknowledged that some intensive care units in the hardest-hit areas,
led by hospitals in Madrid, are reaching their limits.
By
Friday, Spain had the third-highest number of infections worldwide,
with nearly 20,000 confirmed cases, and 1,002 deaths. Some privately
owned factories in the country have joined in the effort to combat the
national emergency by converting their production lines to make
much-needed masks, gloves and disinfectant gels for hospitals.
Spanish
soldiers were deployed to disinfect airports and nursing homes, while
police intensified their efforts to enforce confinement rules with fines
and extra patrols to stop city-dwellers with second homes in the
country from leaving town for the weekend.
But
there was concern about the possible unwanted side-effects that
extended curfews around the world might have, including increased
instances of domestic violence.
“The
authorities know or should know that confinement measures will also
cause casualties, among women and children,” Agnes Callamard, a U.N.
appointed human rights expert, said on Twitter.
“An emergency plan to protect them is needed.”
___
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.
___
The
Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Extremely light traffic moves along the 110 Harbor Freeway toward
downtown mid afternoon, Friday, March 20, 2020, in Los Angeles. Traffic
would normally be bumper-to-bumper during this time of day on a Friday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering the state's 40 million
residents to stay at home indefinitely. His order restricts
non-essential movements to control the spread of the coronavirus that
threatens to overwhelm the state's medical system. He called up 500
National Guard troops Thursday to help with distributing food.
(AP)
In the U.S. and across the globe, more people were under official lockdowns or stay-at-home policies early Saturday as coronavirus cases and fatalities mounted. In New York City,
coronavirus patients were dying at a rate of more than one an hour,
with that rate expected to rise, the city’s health commissioner said
Friday, according to The New York Post. After California’s
governor issued the nation’s strictest “stay at home” order Thursday
night, taking effect at midnight Friday. The governors of New York, Illinois and Connecticut did likewise, with Oregon among the states expected to follow suit. All
told, the orders would confine around 75 million Americans to their
homes – able to go out only for essential reasons, such as vital work
duties or to gather food and supplies. “This is not a permanent
state, this is a moment in time,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said,
trying to assure the nation’s most populous state that the order would
eventually lift. In Los Angeles, the sight of nearly empty freeways was startling in a city long known for extensive traffic snarls. New
York, the state with the most COVID-19 cases in the nation, received a
"major disaster" declaration Friday from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), giving it access to a share of $42 billion in
federal Disaster Relief Fund dollars. Early
Saturday, New York had more than 8,400 confirmed coronavirus cases and
nearly 50 deaths, while the entire U.S. had more than 19,600 confirmed
cases and about 250 deaths. “No, this is not life as usual,” New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as the death toll in the U.S. topped 200,
with at least 35 in his state. “Accept it and realize it and deal with
it.” Cuomo said that starting Sunday, all workers in nonessential
businesses must stay home as much as possible, and all nonessential
gatherings of any size for any reason will be banned in the state of
over 19 million people. "When I talk about the most drastic action we can take, this is the most drastic action we can take," Cuomo said. After
announcing the state's fourth fatality related to coronavirus,
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said of the lockdown: “It’s tough medicine. I
think it’s the right medicine. What we’re trying to do is everything we
can to improve the supply when it comes to what we can do for our
health care system.”
Outside the U.S., Colombia’s
president called for three weeks of home isolation, to begin Tuesday,
with the capital Bogota already on lockdown Friday, The Associated Press
reported. Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela were already on lockdown. Nations
were hoping to avoid situations in China and Italy, where the most
cases have occurred. China had more than 81,000 cases early Saturday
while Italy had more than 47,000. Worldwide, there were more than 275,000 coronavirus cases reported and 11,300 deaths. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Voters arrive with masks in light of the coronavirus COVID-19
health concern at Warren E. Bow Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday,
March 10, 2020. (Associated Press)
