Overnight Health Care: Fauci says US needs to ‘significantly ramp up’ testing | Nearly 3 million New Yorkers may have virus antibodies | Trump escalates WHO fight
Welcome to Thursday’s Overnight Health Care.
There are more than 850,000 COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and the death toll is rapidly approaching 50,000.
The U.S. has tested less than 2 percent of the total population, and the country’s leading infectious disease expert says that has to change.
In New York, initial results of antibody testing showed that nearly 3 million people may have been infected without even knowing it.
And across the country, governors have pushed back on comments from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).
We’ll start with testing:
Fauci: US needs to ‘significantly ramp up’ testing
Even as the White House expresses confidence in U.S. testing capacity, leading coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci had a warning that testing is not yet where it needs to be.
“I agree you don’t need to test everybody, but you should at least be able to test the people in which you have to test to be able to do containment, and right now I think there’s still some gaps there,” Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with Time magazine.
“I mean, on paper it might look OK, but we absolutely need to significantly ramp up not only the number of tests, but the capacity to actually perform them.”
How much more testing? The United States is currently doing about 1 million tests per week, a figure that has been relatively flat for some time, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Fauci echoed other experts when he said the country needs to be doing “closer to 3” million tests per week.
He said if social distancing measures are going to be eased to a large extent, “you may need multiple times that as you get into the late spring and early summer.”
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers test positive for coronavirus antibodies
Preliminary data shows about 13.9 percent of the population of New York state — about 2.7 million people — have at some point been infected with the coronavirus.
About 3,000 people were randomly tested at grocery stores and other public locations to allow officials to get a broader sense of how widely the virus has spread in New York and how many people might now have immunity.
In New York City, 21 percent of residents had antibodies for coronavirus, compared with 3.6 percent in upstate New York, 16.7 percent in Long Island and 11.7 percent in the Westchester and Rockland area.
“They were infected three weeks ago, four weeks ago, five weeks ago, six weeks ago. But they had the virus, they developed the antibodies and they are now recovered,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Thursday.
Why it matters: Officials have said widespread antibody testing is a key component of reopening the country safely, as experts believe that people who have had COVID-19 are now likely immune to it. But it’s not yet known how long that immunity might last. Questions have also risen about the accuracy of some antibody tests.
Related: Georgia governor faces growing pressure, but shows no signs of reversal
Trump escalates WHO fight by redirecting funds to other groups
The Trump administration is escalating its war against the World Health Organization (WHO), shifting contributions previously designated for the organization to other health-focused groups.
The move is part of President Trump’s efforts to punish the WHO after suspending payments to the global health body pending a “review” of its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“For every contract or dollar flowing today, we’re just taking WHO off the table,” Jim Richardson, director of foreign assistance at the State Department, said in a press briefing Wednesday. “We’re going to provide that assistance to these other organizations in order to get the job done. Our system simply can’t wait.”
How much money: The U.S. owes an estimated $203 million to the WHO for its biennial operating budget, which includes funds owed for 2019, according to the WHO. That amount is calculated by each member state’s wealth and population.
But voluntary contributions — funds provided on top of required dues — make up a bulk of the budget. The U.S. provided up to $656 million for 2018-19.
What’s at stake: Various lawmakers and outside groups have criticized any effort to take money away from the global health agency in the middle of a pandemic. The absence of U.S. contributions to the WHO could have a ripple effect on the agency’s COVID-19 response, but it will also take away from health initiatives like HIV/AIDS prevention and vaccine programs, such as the eradication of polio.
House passes $484B coronavirus relief package
Congress is keeping coronavirus relief funds flowing. The House on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation providing roughly $484 billion in coronavirus relief for small businesses, hospitals and expanded medical testing, capping weeks of contentious negotiations that had stalled Washington’s latest round of emergency aid.
The House passed the measure shortly after 6 p.m. EDT, with lawmakers showing up in groups to vote under rules designed to keep them safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Just a handful of conservative Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) voted present.
The massive package is the fourth coronavirus bill to move through Congress over the last seven weeks, and brings the federal response to the global pandemic up to a whopping $2.8 trillion — by far the largest emergency relief effort in modern U.S. history.
Related: House votes to create select committee to oversee coronavirus response
Warren, Levin roll out plan for coronavirus ‘containment corps’
Top House Democrat calls for investigation into HHS vaccine chief’s reassignment
A top House Democrat is calling for an investigation into the ouster of vaccine expert Rick Bright from his role leading the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) wrote a letter Thursday asking the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General to investigate Bright’s abrupt transfer to a more narrow role at the National Institutes of Health.
Pallone said he is concerned that the Trump administration has been politicizing public health agencies.
“Removing Dr. Bright in the midst of a pandemic would raise serious concerns under any circumstances, but his allegations that political considerations influenced this decision heighten those concerns and demand full accountability,” Pallone wrote.
Context: Bright on Wednesday alleged he was pushed out because he stood up for science, and limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, drugs being pushed without evidence of effectiveness by President Trump and other administration officials and allies. Bright is filing a whistleblower complaint with HHS’s inspector general as well as the Office of Special Counsel.
Related: Lawyers accuse Trump officials of ‘demonstrably false statements’ against ousted vaccine expert
Cuomo slams McConnell: States declaring bankruptcy among ‘the really dumb ideas of all time’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took flak from governors in both parties Thursday for suggesting states should seek bankruptcy protection rather than get a federal bailout.
“This is one of the really dumb ideas of all time,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said during his daily press briefing in Albany.
“Not to fund state and local governments is incredibly short-sighted. They want to fund small businesses, fund the airlines, I understand that, but state and local governments fund police and fire and teachers and schools. How do you not fund police and fire and teachers and schools in the midst of this crisis?” Cuomo added.
The governor said if the federal government doesn’t fund the states, the states can’t fund the vital services.
Others weighing in:
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said McConnell’s comments were “incredibly irresponsible.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R): “Mitch McConnell probably regrets saying that.”
Elsewhere in The Hill:
New HHS spokesman made offensive comments about Chinese people in since-deleted tweets
Hard-line immigration groups blast Trump order for not going further
Poll: 8 in 10 say they support strict shelter-in-place measures
4.4 million more people filed for weekly unemployment claims
What we’re reading
New data on Gilead’s remdesivir, released by accident, show no benefit for coronavirus patients. Company still sees reason for hope (Stat News)
Hidden outbreaks spread through U.S. cities far earlier than Americans knew, estimates say (New York Times)
They won the fight against coronavirus. Here’s what life looks like on the other side (CNN.com)
State by state
As protesters swarm state capitols, much of the coronavirus backlash is coming from within (Washington Post)
‘These Numbers Are Staggering’: Baker Reacts To Surge Of Coronavirus Deaths In Massachusetts (CBS 4)
Maryland won’t detail nursing home coronavirus outbreaks, saying ‘disclosure serves no public health purpose’ (Baltimore Sun)
The Hill op-eds
Who gets care in a pandemic? Assuring human rights is part of preparedness
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
