Coronavirus is 10 times deadlier than swine flu, WHO leader says

COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, is officially 10 times deadlier than the H1N1 swine flu strain that ripped across much of the world in 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Monday.

The only way to truly halt the spread is a vaccine, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing from Geneva.

More than 1.8 million people have been infected so far worldwide, and at least 115,000 have died.

“Evidence from several countries is giving us a clearer picture about this virus, how it behaves, how to stop it and how to treat it,” Tedros said. “We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly — 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic.”

While swine flu, as it was popularly known, killed 18,500 people, the true toll may have been closer to between 151,700 and 575,400, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported, citing The Lancet.

“We know that the virus can spread more easily in crowded environments like nursing homes,” Tedros continued. “We know that early case finding, testing, isolating, caring for every case, and tracing every contact is essential for stopping transmission.”

Pointing out that in some countries cases are doubling every three to four days, Tedros said the disease accelerates fast but “decelerates much more slowly.”

“In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up,” he said. “That means control measures must be lifted slowly and with control.”

— New York Daily News

Administration seeks to delay census to summer, finish next spring

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This year’s census may finish months late because of the coronavirus pandemic, prompting the Trump administration to seek a significant delay in handing over the population results necessary to draw congressional and legislative districts.

Members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee said that they learned in a conference call Monday with administration officials that the Census Bureau wants to delay field operations by another month, to June 1, and blow past the deadline to deliver new congressional seat distributions by four months, to April 30, 2021.

The agency has already suspended field operations by more than a month to help tamp down the spread of the virus, despite concerns the delays will make it more difficult to count more than 300 million people nationwide.

“The Oversight Committee will carefully examine the Administration’s request, but we need more information that the Administration has been unwilling to provide,” said the committee’s chair, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., in a statement.

The Constitution mandates a census be taken every 10 years, and current statute gives the administration until the end of 2020 to finalize the distribution of congressional seats between states. The administration also gets until spring 2021 to release the specific data for new maps.

In a statement, Census Bureau spokesman Michael Cook confirmed the administration would give out the new calculation of congressional seats in April 2021, and the final data to draw new legislative maps in July.

The administration wants a 120-day extension on the deadline in the Census Act, which lays out the counting process, he said. The administration has already dipped into a $2 billion contingency fund to deal with the crisis, which included increased advertising spending beyond a $500 million campaign to encourage turnout.

— CQ-Roll Call

FDA approves first saliva test for coronavirus

Researchers at Rutgers University now have a new tool to diagnose cases of COVID-19. With the authorization of the Food and Drug Administration, the school said on Monday, they now have clearance to use a new saliva test for coronavirus, which both expands the current testing options available and potentially signals a safer path forward for health care workers.

The test, which will initially be offered through hospitals and clinics affiliated with Rutgers, has the patient spit several times into a plastic tube, with that tube then analyzed for coronavirus at a laboratory. Compared to the current approach to testing, which involves a swab from the patient’s nose or throat, this test is both more convenient for patients and better for workers at risk of being exposed to the virus.

Based on results from 60 patients so far, Rutgers says, they’ve tested for the virus with 100% accuracy, and they have the capacity to process as many as 10,000 tests a day. Still, given the brand-new nature of the test, the FDA is still for the time being requiring anyone who tests negative with saliva to get a second result from a more-proven method.

— New York Daily News

Macron extends lockdown, says France was underprepared

PARIS —French President Emmanuel Macron extended a lockdown to combat the coronavirus and —in the face of criticism of his government’s actions — said the country hadn’t been “prepared enough” before the pandemic hit.

Macron aims to gradually begin opening up the economy and schools again from May 11, he said in a televised address Monday. The extension follows a similar decision in neighboring Italy.

It also came with the first increase in the daily death toll in four days. Fatalities linked to the virus rose by 574 to 14,967, according to the health ministry. The growth of new recorded cases slowed, however, to 4,188 for a total of 136,779.

“We’ll end up winning,” Macron said. “But we’ll need to live with the virus for a few months.”

France is the third-hardest hit country in Europe, after Italy and Spain. While all three countries have imposed lockdowns on most aspects of everyday life, fellow European Union members including Denmark and Austria have eased restrictions, with Norway saying it will follow suit.

According to a study by the French National Health and Medical Research Institute published by Le Monde Sunday, lifting restrictions without a proper strategy of testing and isolation would trigger a second wave and overwhelm the French health care system.

Macron, who has called the crisis a “war,” said France will be able to test all patients with symptoms from May 11. While schools and nurseries are set to gradually reopen from then, universities will remain closed. Public events, venues, bars, cafes, museums and restaurants won’t reopen at least until mid-July, and a specific plan will be unveiled to support the tourism sector, he said.

The president is battling growing mistrust after initially saying lockdown measures weren’t necessary and then reversing the stance a month ago. His government is also facing accusations of having dismissed the use of face masks in public. It has since called for the production of less-protective masks for non-health workers.

— Bloomberg News

Italy’s new coronavirus cases fall as daily death toll increases

ROME — Italy reported a lower number of new coronavirus cases Monday — even as daily fatalities rose — three days after the government extended a lockdown with only slight concessions to businesses demanding a restart of the economy.

There were 3,153 new cases, the fewest registered since April 7, compared with 4,092 a day earlier, civil protection officials said. Italy registered 566 deaths linked to the virus in the last 24 hours, compared with 431 the day before. That brought the total number of fatalities to 20,465. Recoveries reached 35,435.

Confirmed cases in the country now total 159,516. The number has risen since the government decided to ramp up testing, with the number of those assessed reaching 1.05 million Monday and more previously unreported cases being discovered. The number of patients in intensive care declined for the 10th straight day.

On Friday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced he was extending Italy’s nationwide lockdown until May 3, rejecting pressure from businesses and opposition politicians who have clamored to restart the economy.

Conte held out the prospect of a gradual resumption of normal life after the lockdown is lifted, although strict health protocols would remain in force.

The Veneto region is easing some measures as of Tuesday, including reopening outdoor markets and allowing jogging more than 200 meters, or about 650 feet, away from home, Gov. Luca Zaia said on Facebook.

Still, schools might not restart before the summer break. Franco Locatelli, head of Italy’s public health institute, told Rai2 TV Sunday that he believes the government should consider leaving classrooms shut until the next school year.

— Bloomberg News

Navy battling growing COVID-19 outbreak on hospital ship Mercy

SAN DIEGO — Naval health officials are fighting an outbreak of COVID-19 among the crew of the hospital ship Mercy where four more sailors tested positive for the virus over the weekend, bringing the total cases among the crew to seven, a Navy official told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday.

The affected sailors, as well as those with whom they had close contact, have left the ship and are either isolated or quarantined off the ship, according to Cmdr. John Fage, a 3rd Fleet spokesman.

“Seven Medical Treatment Facility crewmembers on board USNS Mercy have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently isolated off the ship,” Fage said in an email. “The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board.”

The outbreak has not affected Mercy’s ability to receive patients, Fage said.

The Mercy is pier-side at the Port of Los Angeles. Its first case of COVID-19 among its crew was reported by the Union-Tribune on Wednesday. On Friday, two more cases on board were confirmed by the Navy.

The Mercy left San Diego March 23 and arrived in Los Angeles four days later. Its mission is to relieve Los Angeles hospitals by treating patients who do not have COVID-19. All incoming patients are tested before coming aboard.

— The San Diego Union-Tribune

Lobbyists, political consultants sue for coronavirus bailout

A group representing political consultants, pollsters and lobbyists sued the U.S. government for a slice of the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 bailout pie.

The American Association of Political Consultants says it’s unconstitutional for its members to be excluded from the small business loans provided by the CARE Act, which Congress passed last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Denial of such important and valuable economic relief based on an otherwise eligible recipient’s political or civic involvement clearly violates free speech and equal protection,” the group said in the lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington.

The group says its members should be granted access to $349 billion in “forgivable loans” provided under the Paycheck Protection Program.

The program excludes various businesses including non-profits, strip clubs and those “primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities.”

The Small Business Administration, which administers the loan program, made an exception to its rules to allow churches to apply for the loans.

Carol R. Wilkerson, press director for the Small Business Administration, declined to comment.

“We do not comment on pending litigation,” she said.

— Bloomberg News