Top U.S. health officials are warning of a difficult week ahead in the coronavirus crisis.
The ‘Hardest, Saddest’ Days Ahead
With the U.S. coronavirus death toll nearing 10,000 people yesterday, Surgeon Gen. Jerome Adams warned that the coming week will be “the hardest and saddest of most Americans’ lives.” He likened the projected loss of life to “our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment.”
He was not alone in that assessment. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, predicted that the next eight or nine days would be “shocking to some.” His advice: “Just buckle down, continue to mitigate, continue to do the physical separation, because we’ve got to get through this week that’s coming up.”
As for President Trump‘s message? On Saturday, he said America’s “toughest week” of the coronavirus crisis is coming up, but by Sunday, he was largely eschewing talk of dire days, instead expressing hopes for a “leveling-off in the hottest spots” of infection.
Trump also continued to push back against criticism of his administration’s performance, including states being forced to compete against one another and an Associated Press report showing federal agencies largely waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line healthcare workers.
In Europe, the picture was mixed. Deaths were still climbing in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized and Queen Elizabeth II tried rallying the nation.
But Italy — the European epicenter — said Sunday that its daily toll was at a two-week low, with officials crediting strict lockdowns for seemingly slowing the progress of new infections. Hard-hit Spain, too, reported signs of a leveling-off.
The Search for Treatments
Over the past several days, Trump has repeatedly touted chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — used to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and the autoimmune disease lupus — as a potential “game changer.” But those are far from the only drugs that scientists are testing in hopes of finding a proven, effective treatment for COVID-19.
Among the best known are some antiviral medications — remdesivir, lopinavir and ritonavir — that were developed to treat Ebola and AIDS, along with a range of less celebrated drugs and therapies.
Inhaled nitric oxide is also being tested as an experimental treatment for COVID-19 and may prove helpful in protecting healthcare workers on the front line of the pandemic from getting sick.
Church Vs. Stay at Home
Trump tweeted this weekend that he would be “tuning in” on Sunday to listen to Greg Laurie, the Southern California megachurch pastor who organizes the annual Harvest Crusade. Laurie held online services from his empty Riverside campus, which would normally be bustling.
But across the country, including in California, pastors have revolted against stay-at-home orders, pitting public health concerns against claims of religious freedom.
At the Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, the congregants lined up six feet apart on Palm Sunday, waiting to take communion from Pastor Rob McCoy, who resigned his position on the Thousand Oaks City Council to violate stay-at-home orders. In the church parking lot, protesters lined up their cars and honked their horns, disturbed that the church would so brazenly flout stay-at-home orders from Ventura County and the state, put in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
And in Lodi, police officers greeted the pastor of Cross Culture Christian Centerabout an hour before he intended to hold an in-person service.
More Top Coronavirus Headlines
— In a bid to slow the coronavirus, California judicial leaders are expected today to adopt a statewide emergency order setting bail at zero for misdemeanor and lower-level felony offenses. They may also suspend evictions and foreclosures and allow for the expansion of court hearings held by video or telephone.
— While efforts to prevent the coronavirus’ spread by reducing the adult prison population are underway, policies for the early release of juvenile detainees are more complicated. That’s leaving hundreds of them in L.A. County detention centers, which have barred in-person family visits and those of community-based organizations.
— Nursing homes and assisted-living centers across California continue to see significant increases in coronavirus cases, alarming officials who are trying to slow the spread.
— How can the same virus affect people so differently — killing some while leaving others blissfully unaware that they have been infected at all? Two infectious disease experts outline the unknowns.
— School from home is the new reality. What will the next three months look like? It’s uncharted territory.
— A federal investigation is underway after 39 million masks never materialized at hospitals.
