ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) To know that they have so much love throughout our community, they should feel special and if they dont, I want every single one of them to feel the love we have for them.

On this Good Friday, dozens of cars lining the Antioch Kaiser parking lot tonight to say thank you to the hospital workers, flashing their car lights, praying and playing music to show their appreciation for all of their hard work and bravery during the coronavirus pandemic.

Event organizers say this is not the first hospital theyve done this at and it certainly wont be the last.

Families staying safely inside their cars, parking outside of Kaiser in Antioch, honking their horns and flashing their lights thanking hospital staff for saving lives and working during the coronavirus pandemic.

They are putting themselves on the front line like some of these people dont even come home to their family because they are afraid of what they may bring home so we just want them to feel comfort that we are there for them, Shasha Martinez said. If not in person from a distance that we are there for them we are praying for them we are thanking them and we just want them to know we appreciate them.

Dozens of people are parked in the parking lot. Nurses and staff are waving through the windows.

Thats what gets us going, they hear us they see us and we are not leaving, Martinez said.

I didnt expect this big of a turnout but obviously a lot of people were touched by it so I am really thankful, Tracy Chavez said.

Chavez organized the event. Earlier this month they parked outside John Muir in Walnut Creek thanking hospital workers there. They plan to park outside Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch on Saturday.

I was speechless. I couldnt even really speak, Chavez said. I was emotional. There were a lot of people who were there and were emotional.

We just want people to get recognized and to know that they are not alone we are there we are praying for them, we are rooting for them and we just want them to know theres hope, Martinex said. Theres hope.

At the end, we are going to get through this together

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Dozens of cars line up outside Antioch hospital to thank health care workers - KRON4

(KWQC) - John Deere is teaming up with multiple organizations to produce protective face shields for health-care workers in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

In a release, officials say this is in collaboration with the UAW, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association has joined multiple organizations and companies across the country to produce them.

Employees began production on Wednesday at the John Deere Seeding Group in Moline. The factory manufactures planting equipment and precision ag solutions for a global customer base.

Officials say Deere expects to produce 25,000 face shields in the initial stages of production and has ordered materials and supplies to produce an additional 200,000 face shields. Additionally, officials say the first 25,000 will be delivered to 16 United States Deere-Hitachi factory for local distribution. The initial run will help officials meet the immediate needs of health-care workers in those communities.

You can read the full announcement below.

"John Deere, in collaboration with the UAW, the IowaDepartment of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers Association, announced today it is producing protective face shields at John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Illinois. Deere employees will initially produce 25,000 face shields to meet the immediate needs of healthcare workers in several of its U.S. manufacturing communities.

Materials and supplies are on order to produce an additional 200,000 face shields. The company is using an open-source design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the project and leveraging expertise, skills, and innovation of its employee base.

Our manufacturing and supply management teams, along with our production and maintenance employees, the UAW, and our partners have worked tirelessly to ensure we could lend our support and protect our health-care workers during this crisis, said John May, Chief Executive Officer, Deere & Company. By working closely with the communities where our employees live and work, we can help support the needs weve identified close to home and, as the project expands, address additional, urgent needs across the country.

John Deere Seeding Group employees are supporting the special project and are utilizing extensive and robust safety measures adopted across the company to safeguard employees.

This is a very proud day for the UAW and our UAW members, said Rory L. Gamble, UAW President. I want to recognize the hard work that Secretary-Treasurer and Agriculture Implement Department Director Ray Curry and Region 4 Director Ron McInroy contributed to this effort. This included working to put the necessary health and safety provisions in place for our members to begin manufacturing critically-needed face shields for the health-care workers who are on the front lines of this crisis saving lives. We are especially proud of the courageous UAW members who are stepping up to do this critical work.

The production of protective face shields is one of many initiatives the company and its employees have executed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Efforts in the U.S. have included the following:

PPE donations to health care facilities 2:1 employee match program encouraging donations to local food banks and the American Red Cross Production of approximately 18,000 protective face shields for use by factory employees Employee volunteerism efforts to sew cloth masks for community members along with a match from the John Deere Foundation for the time invested in this volunteer activity Launch of a COVID-19 innovations site to share open-source specifications for related projects, including 3D-printed clips to affix face shields to protective bump caps.

For additional information regarding Deeres response to COVID-19, visit our Coronavirus Update Center."

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John Deere starts production of protective gear for health-care workers - KWQC-TV6

New Hampshire Hospital has some much-needed masks -- thanks to a donation. Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday helped deliver 3,500 KN95 masks for staff at the hospital in Concord. The masks were donated by Peterborough company SoClean. New Hampshire Hospital said the donation is especially important because it was running low on personal protective equipment and had to conserve it.This was just critically important for our staff and our patients to do everything we can to reduce and mitigate risk for transmission of COVID, said New Hampshire Hospital CEO Heather Moquin.SoClean is giving 250,000 masks to more than 200 health care facilities across the state.Most of the facilities that are reaching out are smaller. It's nursing homes. It's elderly rehab facilities, said Eric Burbank, SoCleans vice president of operations.SoClean worked with private donors to get the money needed to make it happen. Through its program Masks for New Hampshire, 50 SoClean employees will make deliveries over the next week.Something like this has never happened before, but it's fabulous to see how everybody's coming together, said John Gargasz, the coordinator of Masks for New Hampshire.250,000 masks is, I think, barely scratching the surface of what New Hampshire needs, Burbank said. This is about the health care workers, and I think we all feel a little helpless not knowing what we can do to help them. They're the real heroes in this. Not us, he added.

New Hampshire Hospital has some much-needed masks -- thanks to a donation.

Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday helped deliver 3,500 KN95 masks for staff at the hospital in Concord. The masks were donated by Peterborough company SoClean.

New Hampshire Hospital said the donation is especially important because it was running low on personal protective equipment and had to conserve it.

This was just critically important for our staff and our patients to do everything we can to reduce and mitigate risk for transmission of COVID, said New Hampshire Hospital CEO Heather Moquin.

SoClean is giving 250,000 masks to more than 200 health care facilities across the state.

Most of the facilities that are reaching out are smaller. It's nursing homes. It's elderly rehab facilities, said Eric Burbank, SoCleans vice president of operations.

SoClean worked with private donors to get the money needed to make it happen. Through its program Masks for New Hampshire, 50 SoClean employees will make deliveries over the next week.

Something like this has never happened before, but it's fabulous to see how everybody's coming together, said John Gargasz, the coordinator of Masks for New Hampshire.

250,000 masks is, I think, barely scratching the surface of what New Hampshire needs, Burbank said.

This is about the health care workers, and I think we all feel a little helpless not knowing what we can do to help them. They're the real heroes in this. Not us, he added.

Continued here:

250,000 masks being distributed to health care facilities in NH - WMUR Manchester

Doctors see patients at a New Delhi hospital on 18 March. India recommends hydroxychloroquine for health care workers at risk of COVID-19.

By Kai KupferschmidtApr. 7, 2020 , 3:50 PM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

When malaria researcher Nicholas White saw coronavirus infections picking up around the world 2 months ago, he immediately thought of the impact they could have on poorer countries. In fragile health care systems, if you start knocking out a few nurses and doctors, the whole thing can collapse, says White, who is based at Mahidol University in Bangkok. So we realized that the priority would be to protect them.

White and his colleagues at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit wondered whether widely available drugs could help. They have designed atrialin which 40,000 doctors and nurses in Asia, Africa, and Europe will prophylactically receive chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, two old drugs against malaria. White hopes the trial will start this month, but its launch has been incredibly difficult because of bureaucratic processes, he says

The international study is one of several in preparation or underway that seek to use drugs for what is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a strategy already widely used against HIV. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding plans for another huge study that will test the same two drugs in Africa, North America, and Europe. Separate studies of the same drugs are planned or underway in the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, and Mexico. Researchers are also considering other potential preventives, including nitazoxanide, a drug used to treat parasitic infections, and the antibody-laden serum from people who have recovered from an infection.

If there was a drug that could prevent infections and that health care workers could take, that would be an enormous public health benefit, says Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, which is funding Whites effort.

PrEP studies of the malaria drugs could also be the best way to settle the heated debateinflamed by U.S. President Donald Trumps advocacyover whether they are a promising treatment for COVID-19, says virologist Matthew Frieman of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The weak and equivocal studies so far were mainly done in seriously ill patients. To show an effect you really have to treat early, Frieman says. I dont know any drug that works better late in infection. Giving a drug before exposure is as early as it gets.

White adds that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are good choices to test because they are widely availablea major consideration given the huge number of people who might be eligible for any drug that proves its worth. The attraction of these drugs is that they are potentially readily deployable and we know an awful lot about them.

In Whites proposed trial, health care workers in Asia will be randomized to take chloroquine or a placebo for 3 months, while hydroxychloroquine will be used in Africa and Europe. Participants have to take their temperature twice a day and report it, along with any symptoms, through an app or a website. The researchers will compare the number of symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in both groups, as well as the severity and duration of illness in those who become infected.

Meanwhile, a trial of a related approach called postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) started in Barcelona, Spain, in mid-March. The idea behind that study, born before Spains COVID-19 epidemic exploded, is that a short course of a drug might prevent disease or lessen its impact in health care workers, nursing home residents, and household contacts of COVID-19 patients who have already been exposed to the virus. We said, we need something stronger than nonpharmacological interventions like isolation and quarantine, says Oriol Mitj of the Germans Trias I Pujol University Hospital, who leads the study.

In the Spanish trial, people with symptoms who test positive for COVID-19 are treated with the HIV combination drug darunavir/cobicistat plus hydroxychloroquine. Anyone known to have spent more than 15 minutes with them in the previous 5 days is treated with hydroxychloroquine for 7days. Patients in a control group and their contacts receive no drugthere was no time to prepare an appropriate placebo, Mitj says.

The researchers plan to compare how many new symptomatic infections occur in the two groups after 14 days. More than 1000 contacts have been included already; the first result from that subset should be available around 15 April, Mitj says. Similar studies are underway in Minnesota, Washington, and New York.

Experience with HIV has shown that PrEP and PEP can work to reduce infections. But before large-scale studies in HIV began, scientists had an amazing amount of data from a monkey model and epidemiology studies suggesting the strategies would work, says Steven Deeks, an HIV researcher at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Im not sure any of that applies to whats happening now.

Potential side effects of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, including heart arrhythmia, are another concern. The risks that might be acceptable in someone with disease may be much less acceptable when you are treating someone who doesnt have it, says Annie Luetkemeyer, an infectious disease physician at UCSF. And youre very unlikely to be monitoring them in the same way.

Some countries arent waiting for the new trials. India, for instance, has already recommended hydroxychloroquine for health care workers caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as patients household contacts; Bangladesh has a similar policy. (White says he had to exclude both countries from the international study as a result.) There is no basis for recommending wide use of the drug, many scientists say. The idea that it is better than nothing is not true, White says. It could be worse than nothing.

Thats not just because of the potential side effects. People who think they are protected may also become less cautious and run a greater risk of infection. And broad use of the drugs will make them harder to obtain for other conditions. In addition to curing malaria, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are mainstays for patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, Luetkemeyer says. We better be really sure that these drugs are working before we start impacting that drug supply.

Because the demand could be so big, there has been some debate among researchers about which dose to test. White has decided to go with the highest possible dose, to maximize the chance of getting a positive result. But the Gates-funded study plan calls for evaluating medium and low doses as well. If one of those shows an effect, more patients could benefit if supplies are low.

Even if chloroquine works, it is unlikely to confer 100% protectionand a low level of protection may not make the risk of side effects worthwhile. If you were a health care worker and I said, Heres a medicine which you have to take every day and it reduces your risk of getting COVID-19 by 20%, would you take it? White asks. Below that, people probably wouldnt bother, he says.

White hopes to start the international trial on 22 April in the United Kingdom, but he is still navigating the myriad rules, regulations, and sequential hurdles that govern the conduct of clinical trials. No one is acting with ill intent, he adds, but he thinks the emergency warrants faster action. Is it really ethical to take 3 weeks to review an application for a medicine that has been available for 70 years?

*Clarification: 8 April, 9:30 a.m.: This story has been updated to clarify that the Spanish trialprotocol was changed to 7 days to reach a higher dose.

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Trials of drugs to prevent coronavirus infection begin in health care workers - Science Magazine

CNN) Being in the hospital for coronavirus is scary enough. Then seeing your doctor or some other health care worker come in with a mask, glasses, hood and all the other protective gear? It can make a tough situation even harder.

Thats why Robertino Rodriguez, a respiratory therapist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, put a laminated photo of his face along with his name on his PPE gear an effort to put his patients at ease. He shared his ideaon Instagramand has more than 30,000 likes.

Yesterday I felt bad for my patients in ER when I would come in the room with my face covered in PPE, Rodriguez wrote in the post. A reassuring smile makes a big difference to a scared patient. So today I made a giant laminated badge for my PPE. So my patients can see a reassuring and comforting smile.

Rodriguezs idea has inspired other healthcare workers, too.

Derek DeVault, a nurse in Los Angeles, and some of his coworkers took a cue from Rodriguez. He called the idea amazing.

These patients are alone in the hospital, not allowed visitors and surrounded by a care team thats covered head to toe in PPE, he told CNN. Seeing a picture of whos underneath could bring ease and comfort at such a stressful time.

Since January, there have been more than 491,000 Covid-19 cases in the US, and more than 18,000 have dieddue to the virus.The peak is expected to occur on Sunday,according to experts.

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Health care workers are wearing smiling photos of themselves on their PPE - WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. Erie County announced Friday that changes would be made to their testing protocol for COVID-19.

The epidemiology office will now prioritize COVID-19 testing for:

People who fall into these categories do not have to have a testing request sent by their heath care provider. They can call (716) 858-2929, and choose option 2 to initiate the testing process.

Erie County will be scheduling sample collection for individuals suspected to have COVID-19 at sites within Erie County for next week.

If you fall into these categories and are scheduled for testing, you will be given isolation information when your sample is taken, and you will receive your results by phone.

The county continues to urge anyone with a fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19 to contact their healthcare provider or physician for medical advice and instructions on how to manage their symptoms.

Kaleida Health is also expanding its testing capability to include other healthcare workers and first responders.

They say this testing includes testing Catholic Health and Veterans Hospital employees plus Buffalo Fire Department and Buffalo Police Department personnel as well paramedics/EMTs from AMR Ambulance, Twin City and volunteer fire/EMS companies. Those who are symptomatic or who believe they need to be tested should also call the Erie County Coronavirus Hotline, (716) 858-2929.

RELATED: One new COVID-19 death on Friday brings Erie County COVID-19 deaths to 53

RELATED: More than 125 WNY area healthcare workers have COVID-19 virus

RELATED: Out of quarantine: Buffalo woman talks about recovering from COVID-19

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Erie County updates testing protocol to prioritize those connected to health care settings - WGRZ.com

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Families of health care workers are getting help staying safe, as hundreds of RV owners are lending their trailers to hospital staff so they can isolate but still be near loved ones.

An RV is now Joseph Stimacs home for the foreseeable future. His partner Cameron will be right outside, in the house.

Trying to figure out how to lock this, Stimac said.

He says hell live in the RV all summer while he works as a registered nurse in a hospital.

Its a matter of me really wanting to protect him from anything I might carry, he said.

The RV hell be living in belongs to Cory Lockhart and her fiance Jerry. They were strangers to Stimac rightup until they dropped off their Fish House trailer, driving it from Crystal to St Paul.

First time the Fish House ever went through downtown, Lockhart said.

They connected through a Facebook group called RVs for MDs.

At 23,000 members strong, its all about providing health care workers a way to isolate from family, without having to leave their property. The idea blossomed from one good deed in Texas Holly Haggard lending her trailer to Emily Phillips, whose husband is an ER doctor.

I think were just the messenger. This is a God thing. We just started that fire and other people are keeping it burn, Phillips said.

People like Cory.

Just knowing we put Josephs mind at ease, its really a feeling you cant describe, Lockhart said.

Stimac says the gesture shows how powerful simple kindness can be.

There is good that happens in the world and thats the part that moved me the most, Stimac said.

So far, 345 matches of RVs and health care families have been made.

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Coronavirus In Minnesota: RV Owners Lending Their Domiciles To Keep Health Care Workers Families Safe - CBS Minnesota

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- Healthcare workers across the metro are getting a sign of appreciation. An owner of a local company is doing her part to say thank you.

It's just three words. Heroes work here. But to the people working inside of Bergan Mercy Hospital, it means so much more.

"Well, it's very heartwarming to know that people are thinking about us. I know all of the doctors and the healthcare workers, in general, are all under stress and working very hard. So we really appreciate that people have us in their minds and in their hearts, said Dr. John Aucar, Interim Trauma Medical Director.

The signs were donated by Sign Gypsies Omaha, a Texas-based company, Kris Howery runs this affiliation.

The idea behind placing these outside of hospitals was started in Texas and it spread from there.

The signs can be seen as hospital staff walk from the employee parking lot into work - it's Howery's way of saying thank you.

"I want them to understand that they are cared for outside of their profession. And if I can offer -- if I can offer some kind of support for them then I'm gonna do it, said Howery.

Howery can't help but get emotional, her nephew is a nurse inside. She tells us she chose the words and colors in this sign carefully.

"They're on the front lines, just like our military. They're on the front lines, they're facing this every day. They're putting their lives on the line for us, said Howery.

These signs won't be here for long, after Wednesday they'll be moving to a new hospital somewhere in the metro.

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Sign of thanks for health care workers brightens hospital lawn - WOWT

DERBY, Kan. (KSNW) A local family is not letting social distancing get in their way of giving back. In fact they are using it as a time to come together and support the people on the front lines.

We never dreamed it would be this many, said Candace Wright.

A table covered in colorful cotton masks is just a sample of what the Wyatt the Warrior Foundation has sewn in the last week. Wright originally made a couple masks for her son Wyatt, who has a rare autoimmune disease , so he could travel to see his doctor in Ohio.

Well it started out just making one or two for a couple of friends that had asked about it, said Wright.

Then, her daughter made a post online offering free masks for health care workers.

It went crazy, said Tihler Church, Candaces daughter. My phone instantly started blowing up with messages and I think I had over 120 messages in five minutes.

Now, theyve made more than 400 masks. The whole family pitching in to help.

Theres several of us been on machines sowing and ironing and pinning, said Wright.

Grandmas been teaching us all how to sew because not many of us knew how to use the sewing machine.

Rose Hill Family Medcenter is one of the recipients.

It just brightens our day to see something bright on those masks, said Dr. Marty Turner. We really appreciate all the support were getting out there. Whether were able to use it or not its still good just to know that people are out there helping and have our backs for us.

They are the ones who take care of all of us during this time and so we need to protect them for that, said Wright.

The family has also donated masks to area hospitals and nursing homes. They say they are going to take a break after they finish the current orders which they expect to total close to 445 masks.

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Derby family creates masks for health care workers and first responders - KSN-TV

HOLMDEL, NJ - MARCH 24: A general view of the Ford Motor Company logo on March 24, 2020 in Union, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ford has announced it is partnering with GE Healthcare to build at least 50,000 ventilators for patients who are sick with coronavirus/COVID-19.

The company announced the initiative on Monday, saying it expects to build 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days and make 30,000 more each month after, as needed.

The ventilators are licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. and responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients. The simplified design operates on air pressure and does not require electricity.

RELATED:America's next producers of ventilators could be Ford and General Motors

Ford is providing the manufacturing capabilities to quickly scale production while GE Healthcare provides clinical expertise to license the design.

The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers, said Jim Hackett, Fords president and CEO. By producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW, we can help health care workers save lives, and thats our No. 1 priority.

From how it spreads to where it originated, here's a look at everything you need to know about the deadly contagion.

Ford will send a team to Florida to work with Airon and by April 20, it plans to start production at the Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti, Mich.

By the end of April, the company expects to produce 1,500 ventilators, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4. The company said this is helping the federal government meet the goal of producing 100,000 ventilators in 100 days.

Ford's plant in Ypsilanti will be staffed by 500 paid volunteer UAW-represented employees working on three shifts and will produce ventilators nearly around the clock.

Currently, Aion produces three of the ventilators each day at its plant in Melbourne, Florida. Ford expects to be making 7,200 of these ventilators per week, at full production.

From the days of Rosie the Riveter, UAW members have stepped up during difficult times in this nations history for the good of us all, said UAW International President Rory Gamble. Todays announcement by Ford that UAW employees will make ventilators at Rawsonville is in that tradition. We are working very closely with Ford to make sure that all CDC guidelines are followed and that we are exercising an abundance of caution inside the plant. Ford and our UAW Ford members should be commended for stepping up in these very uncertain times.

This new ventilator is the second Ford-GE Healthcare ventilator collaboration. Last week, the two companies produced another design from GE Healthcare to increase the output of the R19 Ventilator.

In addition to whether the virus can spread from mail or packages, the WHO notes if certain remedies or treatments are effective in preventing infection.

We applaud Ford for its efforts to lend its manufacturing capabilities to help quickly scale the Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator and arm clinicians in the fight against COVID-19, said GE Healthcare President and CEO Kieran Murphy. Our deep understanding of the health care industry with Fords supply chain and production expertise will help meet the unprecedented demand for medical equipment. We continue to be encouraged by how quickly companies are coming together in innovative ways to address this collective challenge.

RELATED: Is it the flu, a cold or COVID-19? Different viruses present similar symptoms

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.

To protect yourself, wash your hands well and often, keep them away from your face, and avoid crowds and standing close to people.

Are you showing symptoms? Try Beaumont's virtual screening tool

And if you do find yourself showing any of these flu or coronavirus symptoms - don't go straight to your doctor's office. That just risks making more people sick, officials urge. Call ahead, and ask if you need to be seen and where.

Excerpt from:

Ford, GE Healthcare to produce 50000 ventilators by July 4 - FOX 2 Detroit

As of Sunday night, New York state had confirmed nearly 60,000 cases of Covid-19, with about 34,000 people sick in New York City. In the city there were 6,600 people hospitalized, about 1,500 of whom were in intensive care. Queens and Brooklyn had the highest number of cases, and 776 city residents had died from complications with the respiratory illness.

Cuomo has instructed hospitals that they must increase the number of beds in their facilities by at least 50%, with some hospitals tasked with doubling their capacity. The state anticipates needing 140,000 beds at the outbreak's peak.

Some of the city's largest gathering spaces are candidates to house patients. A 1,000-bed medical facility was built at the Javits Convention Center, and Cuomo said last week he is considering creating more facilities at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, CUNY's Staten Island campus and the NY Expo Center in the Bronx.

Hospitals have been setting up tents outside their doors to triage patients. Refrigerated trucks have been stationed outside the city medical examiner's office in Manhattan as a potential temporary morgue.

Efforts to close schools and businesses have all been aimed at delaying the apex of the outbreak, so the hospital system might have more time to ramp up its capabilities and acquire ventilators.

It is the ventilators that have truly vexed the Cuomo administration, which anticipates needing 40,000 when the largest number of patients are hospitalized. The state estimated it had 3,200 a few weeks ago. It now says it has about 12,000 and is exploring converting anesthesia machines and splitting the breathing machines using tubes to treat several patients at a time.

The problem was particularly pronounced at the city-run Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, where 13 patients died from Covid-19 during one 24-hour period, The New York Times reported.

"So many people are saying it's going to be OK, everything's fine, we have what we need," Dr. Colleen Smith, who works in Elmhurst's emergency department, said in a video shared with the Times. "And if this goes on for a month or two, or three or five like it did in China, and we're already this strained, we don't have what we need."

Dr. Eric Wei, an emergency medicine physician and chief quality officer at NYC Health and Hospitals, said the public hospital system has diverted more resources to Elmhurst Hospital as well as Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, which have been treating the largest numbers of patients, he said.

Wei said the system hasn't determined the origin of the cluster of cases in Elmhurst. Certain factors, such as the density of the population there, might have been responsible, he said.

"I'm very proud of how we handled this as a system," Wei said. "We've never come close to running out of PPE or ventilators."

He said workers' concerns about inadequate supplies are understandable but said the system has procured 100 more ventilators. A city spokeswoman said Friday it was sending thousands of pieces of safety gear and dispatching 105 nurses to Elmhurst Hospital.

Dr. Amy Plasencia, chief medical resident in internal medicine at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn, said she is concerned not everyone has had consistent access to protective gear. Resident physicians in the emergency department get one N95 mask per shift, she said, but those in lower-risk specialties have been asked to reuse the masks.

Plasencia spent the first three weeks of March working in the medical ICU, where her shift ran 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

"We do what we can with what we have. If that means that we have to reuse masks, we'll reuse masks," Plasencia said. "We protect ourselves in the ways that we can, but we're not going to stop treating our patients because of suboptimal conditions."

Plasencia has been alarmed by patients who are in their 30s and 40s who become critically ill with Covid-19. Those patients typically were obese but didn't have other underlying medical conditions, she said.

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Health care workers say they've never faced a medical emergency of this scale - Crain's New York Business

Macy's will furlough a majority of their employees as sales have evaporated. FOX Business Susan Li with more.

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Up to 500 Brooks Brothers employees will go back to work this week as the menswear retailer pivots production to make medical masks and gowns for health care workers on the front lines battling the coronavirus.

The menswear retailer announced Monday it will convert its factories in New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina from manufacturing ties, shirts and suits to medical masks and gowns to combat the ongoing shortage of personal protective equipment.

The New York City-based clothing company will use its facilities to make up to 150,000 masks per day to help healthcare workers at hospitals and other facilities in needbattling the spread of the coronavirus.

Factory workers will return to work this week following a two-week precautionary self-quarantine, the company said. Brooks Brothers said it will also practice social distancing on-site at all facilities to protect staff.

CORONAVIRUS PROMPTS RETAILERS TO MAKE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

"These are challenging times that are impacting us all. We are deeply grateful to the medical personnel at the frontlines who are fighting the pandemic, and we are honored to do our part and join our peers in retail to provide protective masks that our health care system critically needs,"Brooks Brothers CEO Claudio Del Vecchio said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance, saying hospitals that run low on surgical masks may consider ways to reuse them or to use them over the course of anentire shift. And if hospitals run out, the CDC said, scarfs or bandanas could be used "as a last resort,"however, some health officials warned cloth masks might not work.

Brooks Brothers is the latest retailer to pivot manufacturing efforts to supplies for healthcare workers.Neiman Marcus Group,JOANN Stores, Canada Goose, Nike and Hanes have also started producing non-surgical materials such as masks, gowns and scrubs.

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Brooks Brothers fights coronavirus by making protective equipment for health care workers - Fox Business

A New York health system executive has been fired after a Facebook post suggesting supporters of President TrumpDonald John TrumpCuomo grilled by brother about running for president: 'No. no' Maxine Waters unleashes over Trump COVID-19 response: 'Stop congratulating yourself! You're a failure' Meadows resigns from Congress, heads to White House MORE should pledge to give up their ventilators for someone else amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In an exchange first flagged by Republican strategist Michael Caputo, Laura Krolczyk, vice president for external affairs at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, posted an article about the Trump administrations reluctance to pay Ventec and General Motors $1 billion to produce ventilators, according to The Buffalo News.

In a conversation with Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute Director of Development Lisa LaTrovato, Krolczyk wrote, "Trump supporters need to pledge to give up their ventilators for someone else ... and not go to the hospital."

In response, LaTrovato wrote, "I think they should be the only ones in packed churches on Sunday," to which Krolczyk replied, "They should barricade themselves in there and ride this out."

When another Facebook user accused the two of "saying we[decide] who lives and [who dies] based on political views," Krolczyk wrote, "That's literally what he's saying. Take your 'wow' and comprehend what your hero is saying. Your hero is saying YOU don't need a ventilator. So don't take one."

After Caputo highlighted the exchange, Roswell Park said in a statement that the remarks were inappropriate, adding, "This behavior is not tolerated at Roswell Park. If any team members act in a way that does not accord with that commitment, we will take swift and appropriate action, just as we did in this instance."

Krolczyk was initially placed on administrative leave but has since been fired, Annie Deck-Miller, a spokeswoman for the hospital, told The Buffalo News on Saturday. Hauptman Woodward said it has placed LaTrovato on leave.

"Leadership is addressing this regrettable personnel matter directly with the individual involved, who has been placed on administrative leave pending further internal review," the research institute said.

Continue reading here:

NY health care executive fired over posts on coronavirus and Trump supporters | TheHill - The Hill

The prognosis is grim. We're all anticipating that the situation is going to get worse, says Elissa Schechter-Perkins, an emergency room physician at Boston Medical Center. As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, health care workers are reckoning with how to protect themselves while helping Covid-19 patients in increasingly harrowing circumstances. Access to personal protective equipment (PPE) is severely limited in many parts of the country, testing remains inadequate, and the likelihood of shortages of everything from masks to ventilators to hospital beds has left many workers stressed out, angry, and, in some cases, resigned to endure bedlam.

Ideally, we would be wearing full PPE for all patients that we're seeing in the emergency department, Schechter-Perkins says. Yet, in many cases, they are not. She has witnessed patients come in for unrelated reasons only to later show signs of infection, after theyd already been looked after by hospital staff. Some of them have gone on to become confirmed cases of Covid-19. Because the nurses and doctors attending to these patients didnt immediately categorize them as coronavirus cases, she says colleagues wound up completely unprotected.

We have known, kind of from the beginning, that there is not a sufficient supply of PPE and there's not a confirmed supply chain for getting more anytime soon, Schechter-Perkins says. So right from the beginning, we have been placed in really difficult circumstances in which we need to ration our PPE in ways that are potentially quite unsafe.

Across the country in Los Angeles, an emergency room physician is aghast at the equipment limitations he and his fellow health care workers face. (The doctor asked that his name not be used.) When asked whats on short supply, he rattles off a list: masks, goggles, face shields, copper equipment, glovesand disinfectant wipes. Were using diluted bleach and a spray can instead, he says. Not as effective. All of this adds up to a hospital staff that is especially vulnerable amid a pandemic. Increasingly, this is the norm at hospitals in cities with surging Covid-19 outbreaks. In California, most ER physicians are classified as independent contractors. This can impact what kind of equipment they have ready access to. The ER doctor says one of the companies contracting him offered a stipend of $250 for personal protective equipment rather than obtaining it for the medical staff. I went out and bought my own goggles on eBay.

Even when the correct protective gear is provided, it is often in short supply. Schechter-Perkins is one of several doctors and nurses who told WIRED theyre reusing N95 masks, which are thick, particle-filtering face coverings designed for single use. We are storing them in paper bags in between patients, she says. Then, at the end of the shift, we are storing them in paper bags so that we can use them the next day.

In parts of the country where the coronavirus has yet to turn into a full-fledged outbreak, doctors are faring significantly better. Everybody is working on their own timeline through this, James Beckerman, a cardiologist in Portland, Oregon, says. When I was on call last weekend, we had what we needed, but its a moving target right now. Infection prevention epidemiologist Saskia Popescu, who is currently working in Arizona, hopes hospitals currently outside of hotspots can see what is going wrong in other regions to avoid their own catastrophes. So many of us are looking at New York and seeing what they are going through, which is devastating, and trying to use that as a teaching moment, she says. New York is a warning for a lot of us.

Read all of our coronavirus coverage here.

New York City is now the frantic heart of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, with more than 790 confirmed deaths, and so its the part of the nation where health care workers are in the most jeopardy. After Kious Kelly, a 48-year-old assistant nurse manager at Mount Sinai West, died this week in what appears to be the first coronavirus death among New York nurses, his coworkers emphasized their lack of protection on social media. One nurse captioned a photograph of Kelly on Facebook with a hashtag: #GetUsPPEs. Another nurse decried the official response in her own Facebook post: We do not have enough PPE, we do not have the correct PPE, and we do not have the appropriate staffing to handle this pandemic. And I do not appreciate representatives of this health system saying otherwise on the news. The public needs to know that we are not prepared, that this is serious, that they need to stay home to flatten the curve. How many more of my friends have to get sick, have to die, for the world to take this seriously?!

The hospitals are trying to catch up. Nurse practitioner Peggy Desiderio, who works at Mount Sinais Morningside location, says the protective gear situation there isnt sufficient, but that access has improved as frontline medical workers have asked for additional supplies. Im not saying that its great, or that its going to last forever, or that we wont get shortages, she says. But theyre listening. (Mount Sinai did not respond to a request for comment.)

However, many New York hospital workers continue to eye their limited equipment with worry. Recently, doctors and nurses at Queens Elmhurst Hospital Center began speaking out about the conditions they are facing as a surge of critically ill patients arrive. Benjamin Laitman, an ENT resident at Elmhurst, has seen the strict budgeting of protective gear firsthand. Its a crisis mode, he says. The hospital isnt out of anything yet, but the scarcity is an enormous preoccupation. We have it because weve been rationing it.

More:

The Race to Keep Health Care Workers Protected From Covid-19 - WIRED

The tragic effects of our battle with the novel coronavirus are seemingly endless. But arguably the most mind-blowing is this: the very pandemic that threatens to infect and kill millions is simultaneously causing many to also lose their health coverage at their gravest time of need.

Heres how: the virus has caused a public health crisis so severe that people have been forced to stay home, causing businesses to shutter and lay off workers. And with roughly half of Americans getting their health insurance from their employer, these layoffs mean not only losing their income but also their medical coverage. In other words, just as our need for medical care skyrockets in the face of a global pandemic, fewer will have health insurance or be able to afford it. According to one recent report, the cost of treatment for Covid-19 can run around $35,000. As the patient in the report exclaimed: I was pretty sticker-shocked. I personally dont know anybody who has that kind of money.

So, how did we get to such a dire place? Many will sadly lose their jobs over the coming weeks with one estimate projecting as many as 30%. And as they do, Americans are about to learn something horrifying: how irrational and irresponsible it is for so many to be dependent on employers for health insurance. Take it from me. Im a former health insurance executive who once profited from this system. Its time for it to stop.

America needs to finally get out of the business of linking health coverage to job status. Even in better times, this arrangement was a bad idea from a health perspective. Most Americans whose families depend on their employers for coverage are just a layoff away from being uninsured. And now, when many businesses are shutting down and considering layoffs, its a public health disaster. Across the country were seeing reports of layoffs in almost all industries. As we approach a global recession, some analysts suggest that a million or more US workers will lose their jobs in April alone. Consider what this means for health care in this country.

Weve seen this before. During the last big recession, researchers at Cornell University found that 9.3 million Americans lost their health insurance between 2007 and 2009. Why? As people lost work, their employer-provided insurance went away. During this time, roughly six in 10 Americans who lost their jobs became uninsured. And this problem compounds itself. If the reason you lost your health insurance is that you no longer have steady employment, how are you now going to be able to afford monthly premiums for some other private health care plan? This problem becomes particularly acute when you consider that premiums for health plans sold on exchanges are projected to soar, as well, due to unexpected Covid-19 costs.

Its worth noting that even in good times, the employer-based model fails to cover enough of us, with the number of Americans covered through an employer steadily dropping in general. Since 1999, the percentage of those with job-based coverage has declined by nine points. And it most certainly will drop like a rock in the coming weeks and months.

Its now clear that this system cannot handle our current reality. With so many Americans sadly on the verge of unemployment, the number that will lose health coverage will be crushing. As we rebuild our countrys economic base and reimagine the roles various industries play in our new future, we must also begin a difficult conversation about health care. If were dependent on jobs in order to have it, a lot of us will be left out in the cold. And at a time in our nations history where more will need quality care than ever before, the human cost will simply be too much to bear.

Wendell Potter, a former vice-president for corporate communications at Cigna, is president of Business for Medicare for All

Read more here:

Millions of Americans are about to lose their health insurance in a pandemic - The Guardian

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The stimulus bill meant to help mitigate the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic includes billions of dollars for the health-care industry, which will need to treat an expected deluge of critically ill patients.

Senators released the text of the bill late Wednesday night, after a day in which some details of the plan emerged while others remained sketchy.

The full bill, which will allocate roughly $2 trillion in total, is more than 800 pages long, and will be poured over extensively in the coming days. The House is expected to vote on the bill on Friday.

Here are some highlights from the Senate text of how the bill will affect the health-care industry.

Despite the bill nearing the finish line, S&P 500 futures were down 0.9% Thursday morning.

Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com

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Heres What the Stimulus Bill Would Mean to the Health-Care Industry - Barron's

The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has more than $100 billion in aid for healthcare organizations, but in some cases, leaders had better act fast to get it.

While previous versions of the legislation contained less assistance for providers large or small, recent versions recognized the existential financial threat many healthcare organizations are under as they fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

"The intent of the CARES Act is to deliver relief to providers who face the double whammy of the loss of elective procedure revenue and the costs of preparation for the pandemic," says Martie Ross, managing principal, Kansas City Office of Knoxville, Tennesseebased PYA, P.C.

The bill contains provisions that range from payroll-based loans under a Small Business Administration (SBA) Act provision, as well as Medicare payment acceleration for providers already losing elective volume revenue. In certain cases, the funding remains unallocated, so finance teams may need to act fast to get first in line.

According to Ross and David McMillan, CFO and managing principal of PYAs consulting practice, there are three provisions of the CARES Act that healthcare providers should analyze immediately for their direct financial impact:

The SBA has underwritten loans for years to provide relief for companies to meet working capital obligations after a natural disaster. The "Paycheck Protection Program" is an expansion of the SBA Act that may provide up to $10 million in loans at 4% interest for business (including 501(c)(3)s) with fewer than 500 employees. The largest benefit, however, may be the provision that allows borrowers to apply to have all or a portion of the loan forgiven.

"Its a way to protect and help businesses continue to employ their workforce," McMillan says.

The loan amount is based on a formula that takes the average monthly payroll expenditure for the previous 12 months and multiplies that by a factor of 2.5. Businesses receive loan amounts equal to the lesser of that amount or the $10 million limit, McMillan says.

The unforgiven portions of the loan are repayable over 10 years. While repayment deferrals ranging from six to 12 months are also available, the unique aspect of the program is its forgiveness provision. For businesses that maintain their workforce for an eight-week period after the funds are received, a portion or all the loan may be forgiven. And whatever portion is forgiven is tax free, McMillan says.

The CARES Act adds $100 billion to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to reimburse providers for expenses and lost revenue attributable to COVID-19. Presently, this fund is administered by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In a single act, this agency goes from administering an annual budget of $2.6 billion to a $100 billion program.

Guidance is still pending, much of it may be on whether parts of the fund are allocated for rural hospitals, or cancer hospitals, or other specific providers, or whether the program is "first-come, first-served," Ross says.

"At this point, my advice would be first to file, until they say something differently," Ross says. "The language in the statute is that there's just no categorization. It's just a hundred billion dollars." The provisions cover not only lost revenue, but also certain capital expenditures that may result from COVID preparedness, Ross says.

As it stands, the program is not rolled out under the usual regulatory review and time frame, but guidance is soon expected from HHS on how the program is to be administered, Ross says. But dont wait. Get your numbers ready, Ross says.

"The sooner your team can come up with a reliable calculation of the loss you are experiencing because of declining electives or lower ER volume, the better. Also be prepared to quantify any additional expenses incurred due to the pandemic. You will want to have these numbers ready to plug into whatever formula they provide," Ross says.

There are three key provisions of the act that relate to Medicare, Ross and McMillan say:

"The first two are really game changers," Ross says. "Advance payments will allow providers that are losing revenue to apply to CMS to accelerate Medicare payments, essentially as an advance payment on future Medicare billing," Ross says. A more direct boost will be a temporary elimination of the 2% sequestration cut that will go into effect in May and continue for the rest of the year.

Both Ross and McMillan will be featured in a webinar, "The CARES Act: Your Piece of the $2 Trillion Pie" Monday, March 30 at 1 p.m. (ET). For more information, go to https://www.pyapc.com/insights/cares-act-webinar/

Jim Molpus is an editor for HealthLeaders.

Originally posted here:

$100 Billion-Plus in CARES Act for Healthcare: 3 Ways to Get It - HealthLeaders Media

If someone is going to risk their life, then they deserve the best possible care to save them. We understood this during Ebolathe first treatment center built by the U.S. government in Liberia was the Monrovia Medical Unit, specifically for Ebola-infected health-care staff. Providers need the reassurance that they will get preferential access to care and medications in exchange for their sacrifice. This is not just fair, but practicalkeeping clinicians alive means that they will be able to continue to provide care. Just knowing that the MMU was opening made recruiting providers easier.

Providers who become infected also deserve fair compensationfull pay while they are sick or if they are forced to quarantine to protect their patients. They should all have disability and life insurance. The families of those who sacrifice their life deserve great compensation.

Read: Grocery stores are the coronavirus tipping point

I have seen little evidence of this. Emergency-physician message boards are full of concern about the lack of preparation by their hospitals. Few of these financial arrangements exist. I havent received any special training, mostly just a few emails about the situation. That doesnt protect me. PPE is already being rationed, and there are dire predictions that it will run out long before this pandemic is over. Should I still have to go to work knowing I will get infected and have a 5 percent chance of dying? Why do my colleagues have to pay for a separate apartment when forced to self-quarantine away from their families?

Thus far, the attitude has been: Whats the big deal? Its just COVID-19, with a mortality of less than 1 percent. But tell that to the two emergency physicians in critical care right now, or the infected health-care providers in Arkansas, Washington, New York, and other states. Tell that to their families.

Six months into the 15-month Ebola epidemic, health-care providers stopped coming to work. They had little PPE. They saw their friends die without any special care. Their colleagues began abandoning their jobs, one by one, until there was no one left. There was nowhere for people to obtain treatment for stomach pain, childbirth, heart attacks, car crashes, or any other routine or unpredictable health event. As a result, experts estimate that more people died from illnesses like malaria and diarrhea than Ebola.

When health-care providers get sick, become disabled, or die, they can no longer provide care for anyone, not just infected patients.

In Italy, at least 2,000 health-care workers have been infected and are not providing care. Some have died. Some hospitals cohort, or group, providers so that they care for only infected patients, leaving others to care for the uninfected. Others providers cant work, because they are quarantined after possible exposures or because of known infections. But that is the way it has to be. The core ethics principle for physicians and nurses is primum non nocereFirst, do no harmand the last thing we want to do is spread the infection to our patients or other health-care staff.

Read more:

What Happens If Health-Care Workers Stop Showing Up? - The Atlantic

FOX Business' Lauren Simonetti breaks down how businesses are stepping up to build ventilators and making supplies more available to the public in order to combat the coronavirus.

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From distilleries to makeup manufacturers, companies across the nation have shifted operations to support health care workers in the fight against thecoronavirus pandemic.

As the world faces a shortage in critical medical supplies created by the rapidly spreading virus, businesses have launched efforts to donate supplies from ventilators, respirators, masks to hand sanitizer. Other companies have taken the initiative to manufacture their own products.

Here are some of thecompanies that have pledged support to those on the front lines of this fight.

A health care worker with the UNLV School of Medicine tests a patient for the coronavirus at a drive-thru testing site Tuesday in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Airbnb

Airbnb launched a global initiative to provide health care professionals, relief workers and first responders free or subsidized housing. The company hopes to help house about 100,000 workers on the front lines of the fight against the virus.Airbnb will waive all fees for stays arranged through this initiative, the company announced Thursday.

Medical workers and first responders are providing lifesaving support during the coronavirus outbreak and we want to help, Airbnbs co-founder Joe Gebbia said. Weve heard from countless hosts around the world who want to provide a comforting home to heroic first responders. We are connecting our nonprofit partners, government agencies and others with our incredible host community to work together in these extraordinary times.

Hosts who provide homes will be asked to follow strict cleanliness protocols based on recommendations from medical experts.

The company is also partnering with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps and other nonprofit organizations to help support their workers.

Apple

Apple has sourced and is donating 10 million masks to the medical community across the United States and the hardest-hit areas in Europe, AppleCEO Tim Cook announced on Twitter.

"These people deserve our debt of gratitude for all of the work they are doing on the front lines," he said. Its in these toughest times that we show our greatest strength and I know that we will rise to the occasion."

The company also raised $15 million worldwide "to help treat those who are sick and to help lessen the economic and community impacts of the pandemic," Apple said.

The company is also matching employee donations two-to-one to support the company's COVID-19 response efforts.

Armani

The Armani Group halted operations at its production plants tomanufacturing single-use overalls for health care workers on the front lines. This comes after Giorgio Armani allocated $2.2 million to hospitals in Italy as well as the Italian civil protection agency, Forbes reported.

Barco

The health care apparel company is donating10,000 scrubs each month for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic to professionals on the front lines.

"We are launching our scrub donation program to show our sincere thanks and demonstrate our immense gratitude to Healthcare professionals all over the country, all of whom have been so heroic in the fight against this pandemic, Barco's CEO David Murphy said.We are here to support the Healthcare workers as they take care of all of us.

Canada Goose

The winter clothing manufacturer is producing gear for frontline workers and patients in Canada. The company will be making suddenly hard-to-find medical supplies such as gowns and scrubs at manufacturing facilities across the country. Production and distribution will begin in Toronto and Winnipeg facilities next week, the company said.

"On behalf of our 5,000+ employees around the world, I want to express our deep gratitude to everyone who is working tirelessly on the frontlines, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected," Canada Goose said in a statement.

Crocs

The company is working to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes a day tothose on the front lines of the battle against the pandemic.The company already hasmore than 40,000 people in line for a pair.

In addition,Crocs is also donating up to 100,000 pairs of shoes to be distributed across select health care facilities and organizations.

Like everyone, weve been closely monitoring the news and working hard to map out a way to most effectively help where we can," CrocsCEO Andrew Rees said. "Over the past week, we have spoken to healthcare workers, their facilities and even their family and friends, and they have specifically asked for our shoes in an effort to provide ease on their feet, as well as ease of mind as they need the ability to easily clean up before they go home to their families."

Delta Air Lines

Delta said it would fly eligible medical volunteers round-trip for free to Georgia, Louisiana and Michigan, and look at expanding free flights to California, New York and Washington.

"We are witnessingthe heroic efforts of ourmedical professionals around the worldas theycombat COVID-19, and we have deep gratitude for their selfless sacrifice," saidBillLentsch,Delta's ChiefCustomer ExperienceOfficer. "Air travel plays a significant role in making connections in both good and challenging times, and our hope is that offering free travel gives more of these professionals the ability to help in critical areas of the U.S."

Eight Oaks Farm Distillery

The family-owned distillery plans converted their operation into a production line for the hand sanitizer. At this time, the Pennsylvania-based distillery is focused on making as much hand sanitizer to support organizations and nonprofits locally.

"The need for sanitizer is critical and even worse than we thought, and while we want to help everyone, supplies are limited and right now our commitment is to our local community and those mission-critical organizations," the company wrote.

ESTE LAUDER TO PRODUCE CORONAVIRUS-FIGHTING HAND SANITIZER

Este Lauder

Este Lauder committed to donating 10,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to every week to New York state for the coming weeks, New York Gov.Andrew Cuomo tweeted.

Additionally, the company has also recently pledged to donate $2 million to Doctors Without Borders/Mdecins Sans Frontires as a way to support coronavirus treatment in countries that have been severely affected or lack health care resources, according to a companypress release.

"The Este Lauder Companies is proud to contribute to the broader COVID-19 relief efforts by reopening our Melville manufacturing facility this week to produce hand-sanitizer for high-need groups and populations, including front-line medical staff,"a spokesperson for The Este Lauder Companies told FOX Business. "We are grateful to our employees who have worked tirelessly to make this possible. Compensated, employee volunteers will support this vital, meaningful effort."

Fanatics

The company has shifted from manufacturing uniforms for Major League Baseball to supporting health care workers fighting the pandemic. The company is utilizing its plant in Pennsylvania to produce masks and gowns out of the same jersey fabric that is used to make the uniforms worn by professional baseball players.

The company plans to make 1 million masks and gowns for hospitals and emergency management personnel across Pennsylvania with the goal of extending to New Jersey and New York, Fanaticsfounder and Executive Chairman Micheal Rubin said on Twitter.

"We have approx 100 associates working (extra distanced and in a very clean and safe environment of course)," he wrote in a tweet.

Ford Motor Company

The company is working with 3M andGE Healthcareand the United Auto Workers union to expand the production of critical medical equipment and supplies for health care workers, first respondersand patients fighting the virus.

Using a combination of parts with 3M, Ford is helping to scale production of powered-air purifying respirators. The company is also working with GE to expand the production of ventilators for patients.

Additionally, the company, with the help of the UAW, aims to produce roughly 75,000 face shields this week with plans to ramp up production to 100,000 face shields per week by April.

GE Appliances

The company is donating essential appliances to first responders and health care workers on the front lines in partnership with United Way as part of itsGEA4Heroes program.

GE announced Monday asignificant portion of the companys products made over the next two weeks will be donated to health care workers on the front lines who are fighting the rapidly spreading virus.

These appliances will be donated to individual health care workers, firefighters, paramedics and police officers. Firehouses, police stations and hospitals may also receive donations.

These men and women are working around the clock to keep us safe. Were relying on them, and they are relying on us and the products we make to keep their families safe and fed, GE AppliancesCEO Kevin Nolan said. Appliances are essential right now to help keep food and medicine safe, laundry and dishes sanitized, and food prepared forfamilies.Our country needs us now more than ever before and its essential that we take care of our fellow Americans, especially those who are taking care of us.

Google

Google announced a more than $800 million commitment to support businesses, health organizations, governmentsand health workers on the front lines.

Among its extensive list of relief efforts, the company is offering financial support to increase theproduction capacity for personal protective equipment and medical devices,Google CEOSundar Pichai announced Friday.

In working with Magid Glove & Safety, Google's longtime supplier and partner, the company is ramping up production of 2 million to 3 million face masks in the coming weeks. The masks will be distributed to the CDC Foundation, Pichai said.

Alphabetemployees, including those with Google, Verily and X, are also helping to facilitate increased production of ventilators, he added. Alphabet is the parent company of all three firms.

Hertz

The car rental company is offering free vehicle rentals through April 30 for health care workers. Workers can book as little as a week or up to a month with the company at no cost to them. To take advantage of the offer, employees must have a valid medical ID, emailwith a healthcare domain, and driver's license.

JetBlue

The airlineis working with nonprofit partners and government agencies to help get medical professionals and much-needed supplies where they are needed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is also assisting students who need help traveling to family and friends or a permanent housing situation, the company said.

"Air travel is an essential global service and we are committed to meeting travel needs, some of which are critical," JetBlue said in a statement. "During this time of uncertainty, we remain committed to our mission of Inspiring Humanity and our social impact pillars community and youth/education. This includes our main resources flights and assets from our network of partners."

CORONAVIRUS LEADS SERTA TO DONATE 10,000 MATTRESSES TO NYC HOSPITALS

Krispy Kreme

The company is donating sweet treats to health care workers every Monday through National Nurses Week, which concludes on May 12.

Anyone who works at a hospital, as well as physicians, nurses, surgeons, psychologists, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and their staff will be given free dozens of the original glazed doughnuts.

"Taking care of ourselves and each other never has been more important. Getting through this together by staying apart seems unnatural. But even now there can be joy. It can bring and keep us 'together'in this challenging, disruptive time," the company said. "AtKrispy Kreme, we love bringing smiles to others, especially those who need them the most."

Workers will need to show their ID at the drive-through in order to redeem the offer. There is a limit of up to five dozen per worker "due to varying production capabilities by location."

L'Oral

The company launched a multi-faceted initiative to support Americans during the pandemic.

The company's manufacturing facilitates in North America are producing alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The hard-to-find substance will be sent to company employees, partnersand health care professionals working on the frontlines. The company is also donating surgical and N95 respirator masks made in facilities in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Franklin, New Jersey, to local hospitals.

We stand in solidarity with the brave people who are tirelessly and selflessly working to end this pandemic, and it is our hope that, through these actions, we are able to provide some relief during this challenging time," StphaneRinderknech, president and CEO of L'Oral USA, said.

The company is also donating money and resources to non-profits such as Feeding America and providing relief for small businesses.

Lowe's

Lowe's is donating$10 million in essential products for medical professionals. The donation is part of a$25 million commitment to help communities hit hardest by COVID-19 within the U.S. and Canada.

The home improvement company is working with national health care supply distributors to deliver essential items, such as respirators and other protective gear, to hospitals most in need across the country.

"Were proud of our teams who deployed N95 masks from Lowes distribution centers yesterday to support medical professionals across the country," the company wrote on Facebook."Were committed to serving our communities; and as an essential retailer, were open and ready to help."

The company is allocating $500,000 of the overall donation for the American Red Cross to help the organizationmaintain a sufficient supply of blood to help patients in need.

"The organization faces a blood shortage as blood drives are canceled, and it needs additional donors now more than ever," the company wrote.

Merck

Merck is donating masks forhealth care workers and other front-line responders battling thepandemic in New Jersey. The company announced this week it was donating 300,000 masks to New Jerseys Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

We extend our deepest appreciation to the many healthcare providers and volunteers here and around the world who are doing so much to help affected patients and communities, and to our own employees who are focused on delivering our critically important medicines and vaccines to the patients who need them," said Merck CEOKenneth Frazier.

Merck also said it's assuring that its "supply of medicines and vaccines reach our patients, contributing our scientific expertise to the development of antiviral approaches, and supporting our healthcare providers and the communities in which they serve."

Prudential Financial

The New Jersey-based insurance company donated 153,000 face masks and approximately 75,000 respirators to health care workers across the state.

"While the pandemic has become a global crisis, the fight against it is taking place locally and will be won at the community level,"Prudential's CEO Charles F. Lowrey said. "Our cities, towns and neighborhoods have always been there for us, in good times and bad. Their health, well-being and prosperity are vital to our future. We will not let them down in this hour of need."

The company also donated 300 bottles of hand sanitizer andcommitted $1.5 million in funding for local businesses, families in need and the nonprofit sector both in the U.S. and internationally.

Ralph Lauren

TheRalph Lauren Corporate Foundationis earmarking$10 million toward COVID-19 relief.

In part, the funds will go towardtheWorld Health Organizations COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which was created to help countries prevent, detectand respond to theglobal crisis, the company said. The funds will also go towardthe fashion community, employees and international cancer institutions, which are caring for people who are especially vulnerable during this time.

With help from its U.S. manufacturingpartners, the company is also working to produce 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation gowns to help those in need.

"Our hearts and thoughts are with the global community," the company said.Our hope is to be a beacon of optimism and unity as we navigate this unprecedented time.It is in the spirit of togetherness that we willrise."

Serta Simmons Bedding

The company is donating10,000 mattresses to New York City hospitals and medical facilities fighting the coronavirus.

The donation, which will bein partnership withRelief Bed International, is meant to address the significant shortage of hospital beds cited byCuomo Tuesday.

"As the largest American producer of mattresses, Serta Simmons Bedding is committed to ensuring those who are hospitalized have a bed available where they can receive care and heal,"SSB Chairman and CEO David Swift said Wednesday. "We're calling on our peers in the bedding industry to join us in addressing this need."

The company also said it is capable ofproducing up to 20,000 additional beds per day "at the lowest possible cost if needed"to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

SmileDirectClub

Earlier this month SmileDirectClub began to utilize its 3D printing manufacturing facility in Tenessee to increase the production of medical supplies needed to combat the pandemic. The company announced it has the capacity to print up to 7,500 medical-grade face shields for health care workers. St. Luke's Boise Medical CenterinIdaho is slated to receive the first shipment of 1,000 shields.

The company is actively accepting orders from U.S. and Canadian health care organizations and governmental bodies.

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Companies join coronavirus fight by helping health care workers - Fox Business

NEWNAN, Ga. - Hundreds of of Georgians displayed an incredible show of support for local health care workers on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus.

Georgians gathered around the state to pray for the people on the front lines of battling the coronavirus.

Nearly every spot in Piedmont Newnan Hospital's parking lot was filled. In each car there were people to pray for the employees and patients inside.

In video shared by FOX 5 viewers, residents drove by honking their horns, flashing lights and singing "Amazing Grace."

Learn more about the coronavirus outbreak in Georgia

One nurse inside Piedmont Newnan told FOX 5 that working on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 is hard and draining, but he said seeing the support left him feeling blessed.

We all felt touched by this. Everyone's eyes were wet," Nurse Naman Patel said."We all left our family home to take care of patients. It's hard and draining. And to see this gives goosebumps. I feel blessed."

MORE:Hundreds gather to circle the Cartersville Medical Center in prayer

Piedmont Newnan wasn't the only hospital in Georgia where this show of support has happened recently. Another prayer gathering also happened Saturday at WellStar West Georgia Medical Center.

Georgians also gathered atNortheast Georgia Medical Center Braselton, playing music and holding their hands up in prayer.

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Georgians gather to pray for health care workers battling coronavirus - FOX 5 Atlanta