Dr. Fauci says ‘we’ll get through this’ in uplifting coronavirus bedside message
America’s doctor offered an inspiring bedside message of hope as the nation faces the deadliest days and weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci calmly told Americans on Tuesday that we can “get over this” if we continue to observe strict shutdowns and social distancing.
“We really have to hang in there,” Fauci told CNN. “So let’s all hang in there together. We will get over this and this will end.”
Even as he suggested that the Centers for Disease Control may order all Americans to wear masks outside, Fauci said the strategy so far is working as well as could be expected.
“We do believe it’s working. It’s hard. It’s not an easy thing to do,” he said. “There’s suffering and there’s death and there’s massive inconvenience economically and otherwise. But we’re really a strong nation. We’ve been through some amazing things in our history.”
Fauci made news by saying that the national coronavirus task force will discuss a possible recommendation about requiring face covering. He said such an edict would only be made if and when medical personnel have enough protective masks, since they are at highest risk.
He also reiterated his pushback against promoting possible treatments for the pandemic, including the anti-malarial drug that President Donald Trump and his supporters are promoting.
The doctor said firmly that there is still no evidence that chloroquine actually works to battle the deadly virus.
“There’s no definitive evidence that this works,” Fauci said pointedly.
— New York Daily News
Inslee: Thousands are calling about stay-at-home rule violators; online complaint forms to fight coronavirus
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday detailed how state and local governments plan to enforce the emergency measures put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had thousands of calls coming” in with reports some businesses and individuals are not complying with the stay-at-home order, Inslee said in a news conference.
Inslee, joined by law enforcement representatives, said the state will start forcing compliance by reaching out to businesses and others asking them to voluntarily comply. If that doesn’t work, state regulators could impose penalties, for instance, against businesses.
And if those don’t work, the governor said cases could be referred to the state Attorney General’s Office for legal action.
“But taking people to court will be the very last thing” to be considered, Inslee said.
Officials are providing an online complaint form for anyone to alert the state about people or businesses not complying with the emergency measures. People should not contact 911 if their sole complaint is about the possible violation of the stay-at-home order.
Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson were joined Monday by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste. Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett and Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl appeared by video conference.
The news conference comes a week after Inslee ordered the statewide stay-at-home order, which came atop other emergency restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
Those violating the emergency orders could be found guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Since many businesses are overseen by state regulators, those complaints will be routed to the relevant agencies to be reviewed.
From there, agency personnel will contact businesses to give information and guidance about how to comply with the order, according to Inslee’s office, with the goal of getting voluntary compliance.
But enforcement actions will be pursued against businesses that continue to violate the order, according to the governor’s office.
And local law enforcement decisions will take the lead on other enforcement, Inslee said.
By the time he issued the stay-at-home order, Inslee had already put in place restrictions on nonessential businesses, closed schools and banned large gatherings, like sporting events and concerts. Those measures are aimed at keeping people away from each other.
Some data appear to show those efforts to slow the spread are working, Inslee said last Thursday, but the stay-at-home order might need to be extended beyond its original two weeks.
— The Seattle Times
Lizzo buys lunch for UW Medical Center emergency room staff
The world could use more fun surprises right now. The staff at University of Washington Medical Center’s emergency room received one Monday courtesy of one the hottest stars in pop music.
At a time when hospitals are being overwhelmed with potential COVID-19 patients, hard-twerking pop phenom Lizzo treated the ER staff to lunch, her publicist confirmed. The hip-hop/pop star apparently sent food to a number of hospitals, including a University of Minnesota affiliate in Minneapolis, where Lizzo began her career.
“She sent several hospitals food that were hit really hard for staff working around the clock,” the publicist said in an email. “She is planning to send food to more hospitals as well.”
For anyone who hasn’t logged onto the internet in the past 18 months, Lizzo blossomed from a promising Minneapolis rapper to a multi-talented pop sensation on the strength of chart-topping hits “Truth Hurts” (co-produced by Seattle native Tele) and “Good as Hell.” The flute-tooting singer/rapper wraps messages of self-love and body positivity in earth-shaking hip-hop bangers, impossibly catchy pop tunes and soulful power ballads.
While Lizzo’s tab-grabbing move shows her appreciation for health care workers, it was her doctor who purportedly kept her from making her last Seattle date. The genre-fluid artist was slated to be one of the biggest acts at last year’s Bumbershoot, though her doctor recommended she avoid flying after developing a severe sinus infection. Lizzo’s last-minute cancellation was a bit of an opening day bummer for the ailing festival, although earlier that summer she rocked Capitol Hill Block Party in front of around 10,000 fans.
— The Seattle Times
CNN’s Chris Cuomo tests positive for the coronavirus
CNN prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo has tested positive for the coronavirus, the network said Tuesday.
The cable news network said Cuomo, who is the brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will continue to do his nightly program which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern.
“In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus,” Cuomo wrote in a message on Twitter.
“I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fevers, chills and shortness of breath,” he wrote. “I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!”
Cuomo had been broadcasting from CNN’s headquarters on the west side of Manhattan until Monday, when the cable network aired from his home on Long Island.
His interviews with his brother —which have included some sibling teasing —have become a popular highlight of the program during the otherwise grim reporting on the pandemic.
Cuomo is the latest news figure who has contracted the disease. CBS News veteran Maria Mercader on Sunday died from complications of COVID-19.
CBS News has been hard hit by the virus, with more than six staffers testing positive. The network’s programs have moved out of its West Side headquarters to broadcast from other locations.
Other media figures who have tested positive for the virus include NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell and Lucien Grainge, chairman and chief executive of Universal Music.
— Los Angeles Times
