Category Archives: Progress

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott detailed the progress that Texas has made in slowing the spread of COVID-19 during a news conference Friday afternoon, confirming that while more than 230 Texans have died after becoming infected with the virus, more than 1,300 have also recovered from the disease.

Abbott said he was remaining cautiously optimistic, but that it appeared the various stay at home orders in place around the state along with the executive orders issued by his office have begun to "flatten the curve" showing the rise of infection.

Though progress is being made at slowing the spread of the virus, that's no time to relax or ease restrictions currently in place through the end of the month and Texas are urged to continue practicing physical distancing and adhering to gathering restrictions of the Easter holiday weekend.

Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts you

According to recent data obtained from county health departments and the Texas Department of State Health Services, COVID-19 cases in Texas increased 46.6% to 11,689 cases between Monday, April 6 and Thursday, April 9.

Those cases show, with Texas population roughly at 30.5 million, that there are 3.8 cases of COVID-19 for every 10,000 people. Per county, those numbers look like this for April 6 through April 9.

Elsewhere in Texas, where there are higher levels of infection such as Harris and Fort Bend counties, the numbers are 6.2% and 5.5%, respectively.

While going over a presentation Friday (see below), Abbott said the blue line showing the number of total cases will always go up, but that the red line showing new cases appears to be leveling off in many counties, showing the apparent flattening of the curve of infection.

The governor also noted the statistic showing the amount of time it takes cases to double dropping from three days to 6.3 days.

Abbott said next week he planned to issue an executive order outlining how the state will begin a reopen for business once it's official the risk of spreading the deadly virus has passed.

The governor also announced a new website for essential workers to help them find child care during the outbreak. The website maps locations where child care is available and shows inspection and compliance records for each business.

"We have a duty to support Texas health care workers and other essential employees as they work on the front lines of the COVID-19 response," said Abbott. "For essential workers with young children who dont have other options, that means providing safe, regulated, and accessible child care. The Frontline Child Care Website will strengthen our child care capacity across the state, allowing our essential workers to continue their work to keep us safe and provide the critical services that Texans depend on. There is nothing more powerful than Texans helping Texans, and I want to thank child care workers across the state for stepping up to support our essential workers during these challenging times."

The site was built by the Texas Frontline Child Care Task Force, a coalition made up of the Supply Chain Task Force, Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

"The website also helps parents find other basic information about child care including health and safety information and step-by-step instructions for applying for child care financial assistance," the governor's office said in a statement. "Additionally, the website gives frontline employers guidance to assist their employees in need and provides child care centers and school districts resources to support their child care programs."

Abbott also provided an update on personal protective equipment (PPE) in Texas, including how private businesses across the state have stepped up to help produce PPE for medical personnel.

Lastly, Abbott said the Texas Governor's Mansion will be lit blue Saturday night in honor of frontline health care workers.

Locations on the map are approximate county locations and are not intended to identify where any infected people live.

Case data pulled from a variety of sources including county health departments, Texas Department of State Health Services, KXAN-TV in Austin and KPRC-TV in Houston.

Continue reading here:

Gov. Abbott Says Texas Has Made Progress in Slowing the Spread of COVID-19 - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Award-winning local Latin jazz piano master Nachito Herrera, afflicted with the deadly COVID-19 virus weeks ago, is reportedly showing signs of progress.

Herrera, who two weeks ago was rushed into the intensive care unit of the University of Minnesota Medical Center, was reportedly taken off a lung oxygenation machine Friday.

Yet he remains on a ventilator and in critical condition, according to family members who were able to see but not directly communicate with him Friday.

Herrera, a classical music prodigy and longtime White Bear Lake resident, is a much sought after performer at the Dakota jazz club in Minneapolis. He is also internationally renowned as the founder of Cubanismo, a critically acclaimed Afro Cuban and jazz band that essentially disbanded after Herrera relocated to Minnesota in the early 2000s.

We have been able to see him via Zoom, gracias a Dios (thanks to God), his daughter, Mirdalyls Herrera Tweedon, told the Pioneer Press.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 afflicted Nachito Herrera showing signs of progress - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

RUSH: The president just came out and were not gonna get much of him here because we got a break coming up. But were gonna get started here on the coronavirus briefing.

THE PRESIDENT: This Sunday millions of Christians celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At this holy time we pray that God will heal the sick and comfort the heartbroken and bless our heroes. As American families look forward to Easter, were reminded that our story ends not in despair, but in triumph and renewal. Very appropriate, isnt it? Id like to provide Americans an update on our ongoing efforts in the war against the invisible enemy. Before I do that Ill have a couple of notes.

The United States, in discussions last night with Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and in dealing with OPEC nations, we are trying to get Mexico, as the expression goes, over the barrel, and Mexico is committing to do a hundred thousand fewer barrels.

RUSH: Sorry for that cough, folks. I thought I hit the cough button, I dont know where these buttons are. We gotta bump outta here, sadly, this started at the worst time for us to cover this, but weve gotta go to our breaks.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing is underway. The president still is reciting some stats and updates on the movement of things like ventilators, the food supply chain. So lets join the update in progress here and see how it goes. Well stick with it and see what happens.

THE PRESIDENT: It could be sniffles. It could be

RUSH: It could be one of the best updates that weve ever had.

THE PRESIDENT: but theyve had it. And theyre the lucky ones. The NIH, CDC, and FDA are currently validating these antibody tests to ensure that theyre accurate and theyre doing that at breakneck speed. I think we can say that, Doctor. Were gonna get em approved very quickly, Dr. Han. When validated, were confident that the production will scale up to tens of millions of tests very quickly.

Were leading the world now in testing by far, and were gonna keep it that way. Other countries are coming to us, and theyre wanting to know about our tests and can they buy tests and can they do whatever they have to do to get tests, and were gonna make that very soon well be in a position to make that possible.

RUSH: See? Our tests are better than anybodys tests.

THE PRESIDENT: And were gonna have an announcement on the World Health Organization sometime next week cause, you know, we give them approximately $500 million a year.

RUSH: What a waste!

THE PRESIDENT: And were gonna be talking about that subject next week. Well have a lot to say about it. Well hold it. Every American should be proud of what our country has achieved in just a short period of time. The U.S. military has deployed thousands of personnel to build 23 temporary hospitals with more than 16,000 beds, and we have the potential to build many more if we needed them. Were all ready to go, but I dont think were gonna need them, which is good.

RUSH: There we go.

THE PRESIDENT: Fake news.

RUSH: Were not gonna.

THE PRESIDENT: And we built those hospitals in 12 states, and the District of Columbia using the Defense Production Act, and we used it like a hammer. A lot of the media said, Oh, we werent using it. We used it like a hammer to a point where all we had to do was say the words and everybody gave us max. And theyve done a good job.

They really have done a good job, with few exceptions. And weve harnessed the full power of American industry to produce ventilators and other essential supplies. Right now, were making thousands of ventilators, many of which we wont need. But well use them in our stockpile and well build that up. Well also help build up the stockpiles which they should have had in the states.

And so were working with governors on that and well also help other countries. There are countries that are calling us for help. They need ventilators, and theyre in no position to build ventilators. We are. We have Ford and General Motors and many, many companies are building ventilators. So were gonna be helping at a not too distant point. Were gonna be helping quite a few of the countries.

Now, weve launched Project Air Bridge and delivered nearly 300 million pieces of personal protective equipment from and around the globe. Were also shipping out 60 sterilization systems to 10 different cities that can each sterilize up to 80,000 masks each day and Im even hearing it can go up to 120,000 masks a day, certain equipment with certain additions.

Its a company in Ohio that makes it. Its a great company, great I hear its a great product, works very well. I asked that question. I said, How come we have to buy so many masks? Why cant we sterilize the masks that are being used? And the answer was, You can. In this case, they say up to 20 times so we can take a mask, certain types of masks, the N95s in particular, and we can sterilize them

RUSH: You are listening to EIB Network. Were carrying the coronavirus task force briefing here to see what shakes out.

THE PRESIDENT: passed the largest emergency economic relief package in American history to save the U.S. economy and protect the American worker. As you know, this past week which was four active days on the stock market. Good Friday today is not included. The markets are closed. In four days, we had the biggest market increase, stock market increase that weve had in 50 years. That tells you that theres a pent-up demand. That tells you, they want to get back. Theres something good going to happen. I really believe that. Theres something very good going to happen. We have to get back. So think of it. In this horrible period

RUSH: Hes laying the groundwork for this. He keeps doing that. Thats good.

THE PRESIDENT: this horrible, dark period where this monster came and worked its horrible, horrible spell over the world 184 countries as of this morning, 184 countries! Weve done well and I guess the market thinks weve done well, because the biggest stock market increase without one day, were talking four days instead of five that weve had in 50 years 50 years, think of that. More than 50 years, actually.

In short, the American people have launched the greatest mobilization of our society since World War II, deploying every scientific, governmental, medical, and military resource to defeat the virus. So I want to just start then with were gonna answer questions later. Well have time. We have a lot of time today. A lot of people are off an as they should be, Good Friday. So Ill stick around. I want to answer question later.

I want to start with Deborah Birx, please, Dr. Birx. And you can go over some of the numbers we just looked at and

RUSH: All right. The Scarf Queen is up next at the coronavirus task force briefing.

BIRX: Thank you for how outlining how well we are doing in a series of metro areas. What also has been encouraging for those of you who are watching epidemic curves every day and Im sure you are and watching them in log phase, because thats how epidemiologists like to look at their curves you can see for the first time that in the United States were starting to level on the logarithmic phase like Italy did about a week ago.

And so this gives us great heart that not only in specific places, but were starting to see that change. Obviously, a lot of that is driven by the improvement in New York City. Remember for a long time they were over 50% of our cases and 50% of our new cases. That has dramatically changed because of the impact of what the citizens of New York and New Jersey

RUSH: Mitigation!

BIRX: and across Connecticut

RUSH: Mitigation.

BIRX: and now Rhode Island are doing to really change the course of this pandemic

RUSH: Mitigation.

BIRX: and really change the trajectory of new cases. Were seeing that what many states in metro areas were experiencing as twofold and fourfold, fourfold increases that went to twofold, that now those are going to eight days between the doubling rate. Watching this every day gives us hope across these metro areas, from New York and New Jersey and all through Denver and of course through New Orleans.

We still see cases occurring in the Boston area and in Chicago, but their rate of increase seems to be stabilizing, and we really want to call out the work of the mayors of Baltimore and the District and Philadelphia who have really brought all of their health experts together and working with their communities are starting to really change the curves in those areas. What were seeing is were united in social distancing

RUSH: There we go.

BIRX: and thats been very encouraging to all.

RUSH: Mitigation.

BIRX: and it should be encouraging to the health care providers that are on the front line, many of which are serving our Americans are such dignity and respect and ensuring that everybody gets optimal care. And as the president noted, our mortality in the United States is significantly less than any of the other countries when you correct them for our population, and that is really solely the work of our health our frontline health care providers.

And so working with You can really Hopefully you get the theme today, that we are incredibly proud of our public health leaders at the city level, at the state level, at the federal level who are working together to really change the course of this pandemic, working with their citizens and their communities to make these changes, and the American public who has really taken all of this to heart and stayed home.

RUSH: There you go.

BIRX: I know last week we really asked a lot of people in the Washington and Baltimore area to consolidate, not go out frequently to grocery stores or pharmacies. You can really see that thats having a huge impact. So its really about the encouraging signs that we see. But as encouraging as they are, we have not reached the peak.

And so every day we need to continue what we did yesterday and the week before and the week before that, because thats what in the end is going to take us up across the peak and down the other side. We continue to really applaud the work of California and Washington state and Oregon. Were learning from all three of those states, from their public health officials

RUSH: Im sorry

BIRX: about how they were able to keep the virus from ever become log arithmetic, and I think thats an important lesson for all of us on you how they did that, what the timing was, in case we ever have to face this issue in the future. Thank you, Mr. President.

RUSH: All right. Whos next? Whos gonna come up there? Ah, Dr. Fauci!

FAUCI: Thank you very much, Mr. President. So again, just keeping on the theme that Dr. Birx had mentioned, this is the end of the week, the famous week that we spoke about last weekend in which what was actually predicted to happen, happened. We started to see the leveling off and the coming down that Dr. Birx had mentioned. But its important to remember that this is not the time to feel that since we have made such important advance in the sense of success of the mitigation, that we need to be pulling back at all.

I was actually hearkened by the fact that weve been talking about the New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, and other areas where they have really big spikes, but theres other parts of the country in the middle parts of the country where theyre concerned to make sure they dont get those spikes. And I really to want to salute the governors of states throughout the entire the United States, but particularly in the central part of the country, because the governors out there, you see us in these press conferences, and Ive had calls over the last several days from several of the governors you know, from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Utah. Just about an hour and a half ago I spoke with the governors of Arkansas and Wyoming who are really committed to make sure that they dont get into the situation where theyre gonna have spikes in their state. And theyre doing the kind of things that they dont get recognized because people dont talk about them much. But we have a big country. We have 50 states, and its not only the big cities

RUSH: I thought it was 57.

FAUCI: were gonna pull out of it in the big cities, and were gonna pull out of it in those areas that arent as densely populated. And I just want to give a shout-out to them. Theyre doing an extraordinary job. I was really I wouldnt say surprised, because I expect it of this country, but to hear what theyre doing and the commitment that theyre putting in to making sure that we dont have the kinds of situations that weve experienced, unfortunately, in other areas. This is very important.

I just want to close by one other thing, something I mentioned yesterday and the day before, that there are a lot of candidate interventions that are going into clinical trials, for those of you who are interested in it, I recommend you go to clinicaltrials.gov and youll see the design of the clinical trial and youll see that many of them are the randomized control trials that are the really gold standard of how you find out whether something really is safe and effective, and as the weeks and months and it will probably be months sometime is in the summer well start to see which are working, which are not, and to focus on those that are redeveloping and really working. Ill be happy to answer questions later. Thank you.

RUSH: All right. That was Dr. Fauci. Coming next. Dr. Han.

HAN: Thank you, Mr. President. The White House task force has been very focused on increasing the supply of personal protective equipment for our great providers. I was one of those providers a few months ago, and I can tell you nothing is more important than making sure that they have what they need. So in order to increase the supply of N95 masks, FDA has worked with industry and has now authorized two companies who will sterilize machines to sterilize N95 masks.

Admirable Polowczyk and FEMA are purchasing, on behalf of U.S. government, 60 sterilization machines as mentioned by the president. And they will be positioned around the country to increase the amount of supply of N95 masks. Each machine will be able to sterilize 80,000 N95 masks per day and we hope to increase that further. The vice president and the White House task force challenged us yesterday and we responded as a team, FDA issued revised guidance regarding the laundering of gowns because gowns are another issue in terms of supply that were looking forward on. This is not something that normally happens around this country, but issued this guidance. Its on our website now at FDA. So theres information about how hospitals can do that to increase the supply. Weve heard concerns that maybe hospitals might not want to do that because of regulations and

RUSH: Okay, folks, we are going to make the editorial decision to bump out of the White House briefing. I had a secret hope that there might be an announcement of an attempt to open in parts of the country because the president had originally said that Easter was an aspirational or target date. But the briefing is an update on progress to medical supplies distribution, the flattening of the curve. Dr. Fauci suggesting that Im not sure what he was talking about, randomized control trial.

See the article here:

The White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing, Joined in Progress - RushLimbaugh.com

The economics news is dismal with reports every day of shutdowns, layoffs, and furloughs. More than 16 million Americans have been thrown out of work so far, and we have entered the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Yet amid the gloom there are frequent reports of businesses and entrepreneurs making advances in the battle against Covid19. The private sector is racing to produce vaccines, treatments, tests, and medical supplies to defeat the pandemic.

Here are some recent developments:

I discuss other business advances against Covid19here. Business Roundtable lists ways that its members are contributinghere. BIO discusses medicines that its members are developinghere. The Chamber of Commerce describes small business efforts to combat the virushere. PhRMA tallies the dozens of Covid19 therapies and vaccines in development in the chart below and sourcedhere.

David Kemp helped research this blog.

This article first appeared at the Cato Institute.

Image: Reuters.

See more here:

16 Million Out Of Work: Yet The Private Sector Is Making Progress Against Coronavirus - The National Interest

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) move meals, ready to eat (MREs) for sailors who have tested negative for COVID-19 on April 7, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Navys probe into the circumstances around a leaked letter from the former commander of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) warning leaders his sailors were at risk from a COVID-19 outbreak is set to be completed soon, Navy officials told USNI News on Wednesday.

The investigation was announced in parallel to the removal of Capt. Brett Crozier from command of the carrier by former acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly.

The inquiry remains in progress and is expected to be completed soon, Cmdr. Nate Christensen told USNI News.It will take time for the report to be reviewed and endorsed by the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gilday.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke was ordered to conduct a preliminary inquiry into that would, consider command climate and circumstances surrounding the response, including communication throughout the administrative and operational chains of command, Navy officials told USNI News last week. The probe was set to complete on April 6.

Questions remain as to why Crozier felt compelled to write the letter, which prompted the investigation.

For example, Croziers immediate superior Rear Adm. Stewart Baker did not know about the letter before it was sent to him via email, Modly told reporters last week when he announced Croziers removal from command. Its important to understand that the strike group commander, the COs immediate boss, is embarked on the Theodore Roosevelt with him, right down the passageway.

Navy officials arent alone in wanting to understand the circumstances around Croziers letter and last months port visit of the carrier to Vietnam.

Its disturbing to me that theres been so much turmoil at the top of the Department of the Navy over the last year. In this difficult time, the Navy needs leaders now more than ever who can provide continuity and steady, insightful leadership, wrote Senate Armed Services Committee chair Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) in a Tuesday statement.I alsolook forward to learning more about the events that led us to where we are today from who made the decision to dock theUSS Theodore Rooseveltin Vietnam at the height of COVID-19 crisis there,to the support being given to unit commanding officers by Navy leadership, to what led the acting Secretary of the Navy to offer his resignation.

Meanwhile, the carrier is in the midst of dealing with the outbreak since its been pier-side in Guam.

As of today, 93 percent of the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew have been tested for COVID-19, with 286 positive cases so far and 2,588 negative results, the Navy said in a Wednesday statement.2,329 sailors have moved ashore. As testing continues, the ship will keep enough sailors on board to sustain essential services and sanitize the ship in port. There have been zero hospitalizations.

Related

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Investigation of Former Carrier Roosevelt CO's Message Still In Progress - USNI News

Dr. Matt Beecroft

Can we ease restrictions in the COVID-19 battle? A local emergency room doctor on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight put it this way:We have hit the brakes and our car has stopped right before the edge of the cliff one wheel was over the edge.

Speaking at a Snohomish County briefing with reporters via Zoom Friday, Providence Medical Centers Dr. Matt Beecroft added, It felt like it was going to turn into a major disaster; that we would run out of hospital beds and ventilators. That did not happen, added Beecroft, because of the way local communities responded.

Progress in this battle often comes in small steps. One small step with a potential big impact: Homemade cloth protective face masks will soon be available, free, to anyone through local food banks.

Snohomish County announced it will coordinate with food banks to be drive-by pickup sites for the masks, as well as make the food banks drop-off sites for people to donate homemade masks. Dr. Beecroft said that takes the pressure off the supply of medical and surgical masks that hospitals and clinics need.

There are more small signs of cautious progress. Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said: In two more weeks, we may be able to start dialing back restrictions.He was not specific on details.

Somers says the county will work with national and state experts to incorporate ideas that are working in other places, and added that lifting restrictions will come off in layers, not all at once.

We cannot stop now, we have to hold the line, Somers warned, adding that residents need to maintain strict social distancing, wear protective gear such as cloth masks, and limit travel for only essential purposes.

County Chief Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters added that this is an all-society approach to respond to this pandemic. He said that if citizens do not follow social distancing guidelines, the county will end up right back where it started.

This is not a time to celebrate, Spitters said, but to humbly reflect on what we have achieved so far.

The county now has 1,900-plus total cases. But those numbers are slowing day by day, and Spitters says the case numbers now reflect people who were exposed more than a week ago.More than 100 patients are now hospitalized in the county.

According to county data, 40-50 patients are hospitalized at Swedish Edmonds, another 40-50 at Providence Everett and five to 10 patients each at hospitals in Arlington and Monroe.

The federal government is pulling its support of the countys only drive-through test site, in Everett. Staff had tested 2,000 people there.When asked why the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was withdrawing, Spitters said the FEMA was in Everett to handle the short-term surge as the virus erupted in the county. The agency helped test for three weeks, and their commitment is done, he added.

Spitters said that it will be up to state and local agencies if they want to keep some form of drive-through testing; but did not elaborate. There are indications, he added, that the number of people wanting tests is declining. Those who exhibit symptoms should call their doctor or local clinic, he added.

The bottom line from the briefing came from Somers:We got ahead of the curve and it appears we are flattening the curve; but we cannot stop now, we must hold the line.

By Bob Throndsen

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Progress being made in county, but now's not the time to stop social distancing, officials say - My Edmonds News

Posted: Apr 9, 2020 / 12:24 PM CDT / Updated: Apr 9, 2020 / 12:36 PM CDT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Officials said the statistics are promising in terms of fighting the COVID-19 disease in Madison County, but its too soon to begin celebrating.

In Huntsvilles daily news conference, Crestwood Hospital CEO Dr. Pam Hudson said their inpatient load has been flat, and thats consistent with the community taking the spread of the virus seriously. But

COVID is still out there, but our community is making it hard for it to do its dirty work, Hudson said.

Huntsville-Madison County EMA Director Jeff Birdwell said the county had seen 169 confirmed cases, with two deaths and one possible death under investigation.

Hudson said there are currently 11 positive cases in hospitals, and 11 suspected hospital cases were under investigation.

The promising trend was the result two weeks prior of social distancing and scaled back interactions, Hudson said. She stressed that the next two weeks hinge on the two weeks prior, and used a sports analogy, saying the community is at halftime in efforts to slow the virus spread.

Every day counts at this point, she said. Do not let up.

Huntsville City Administrator also applauded the publics efforts, but said he sees room for improvement. He asked for people to observe their own behavior and question their actions for example, one family member going to the grocery store instead of the whole family.

Dont go out because youre bored, Hamilton said. Dont go out just because you want to.

Read the rest here:

Progress being made, but Huntsville officials say the fight against the virus is not over yet - WHNT News 19

The Central Coast is proving along with much of California that social distancing and restricted activity can bend the curve of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the battle is far from over and there are troubling signs that the disease will double back with a vengeance once the rules are relaxed.

At press time, San Luis Obispo County was seeing flat to slow growth in new cases and while still growing, Ventura County was beginning to flatten the curve. Santa Barbara County cases were still rising dramatically, particularly in Lompoc and northern Santa Barbara County just as they had done earlier in Simi Valley and SLO County.

But for the tri-county region, our cases per 100,000 a key metric that allows for comparisons across metro areas are relatively low. And with just six deaths, thats an enviable record given that our population is 1.4 million.

However, as Gov. Gavin Newsom has pointed out, the fact that California seems to be bending the curve does not mean that the end is in sight. There are two reasons for this. First, the much-anticipated apex in new cases is really only the mid-point in the pandemic and its impact on humans.

Second, by flattening the peak, we are extending the time during which populations will be at risk, and so the number of cases will continue to climb after the peak is reached. The slope downward will be longer and more gradual but the toll will continue to rise.

An advantage to Californias response is that it reduces the pressure on the health care system, providing a lot more time to increase the supply of protective gear and spreading out demand for ventilators, allowing the Golden State to ship out some capacity.

That amount of time could prove crucial, if as is being discussed, we are able to use temperature sensing, anti-viral drugs and advanced treatments to reopen schools and get businesses back up and running before a vaccine appears. It would not surprise us to see the state order 100 million tests so that every Californian could get a risk assessment as part of the reopening process.

One downside of extending social distancing rules and stay-at-home orders is that it places families in social isolation, raising the risk of abuse and violence against women and children. A news conference by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley, Sheriff Bill Brown and others put a spotlight on this issue it is a serious one and it will be up to family members and others to say something if they are concerned about a family members welfare.

STORMS KEEP DROUGHT AT BAY

Far back in the rear view mirror is the memory of the severe drought that afflicted the region just a few years ago.

Before ending in the 2017-2018 season, the drought brought California and the Central Coast to the brink of disaster, with wells running dry in Paso Robles and parts of Ventura County. The drought prompted draconian state action in the form of mandatory restrictions.

Drought threatened a bit of a comeback this year but rains in March and April have taken SLO County out of its drought status. Rainfall has been less in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, but reservoirs are refilling and, for once, the worst case scenario has been delayed for at least another year.

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Our view: Progress with numbers but hard road ahead - Pacific Coast Business Times

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says her administration is suing after a legislative council revoked her executive order that limited the size of religious gatherings.

Kelly said during a news conference Thursday afternoon, that she has instructed her chief counsel to file suit against the legislative council and to request that the Kansas Supreme Court expedite the matter.

The actions of the Republican legislative leaders jeopardized both the health and safety of Kansans, she said. We do not have time to play political games during a pandemic.

The Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2 Wednesday to topple the order that limited in-person religious services and funerals to 10 people.

The now-overturned order had rescinded an earlier order barring any gathering with more than 10 people, raising questions about whether large gatherings are now legally permitted. Kelly said the councils vote had created confusion.

Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, R-Ottawa, issued a statement after the Democratic governors news conference.

They said they are disappointed. They say they tried to work out a compromise that is both legal and protects the health and safety of all Kansans.

That solution does exist, the statement reads. Unfortunately, the Governors office was insistent that Executive Order #20-18 continue to contain a provision that would make church attendance in Kansas a crime. Under the advice of the Attorney General, that provision is unconstitutional and unenforceable.

Kelly said she spoke to Vice President Mike Pence Thursday. He assured her he knew what Kansas has been doing to stop the spread of the coronavirus. She says he also told her that the Trump administration supports her attempt to limit the size of gatherings, including religious gatherings.

Pence also told Kelly the administration would do everything it could to fulfill Kansas most urgent needs for personal protective equipment (PPE).

Kelly also announced Thursday that the Kansas Department of Labor has made some improvements in order to process unemployment claims more quickly.

The KDOL unemployment line shattered a record Monday with 1.6 million calls. Kelly says 78 workers from other state agencies have been brought in to help with the phones. The second wave of staffers was trained Wednesday and is now on the job.

She also aid the KDOL launched a new phone system. As of noon Thursday, workers were able to handle more than 1,300 calls. On Monday, it took all day to handle that many calls.

The governor said the fastest way to file unemployment is through the website GetKansasBenefits.gov.

Kelly said she is issuing two new executive orders Thursday. One extends professional and occupational licenses for the remainder of the pandemic and 90 days after the declaration expires. The other temporarily allows notaries and witnesses to do their job remotely.

LATEST STORIES:

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Governor sues over revoked limits to reglious gatherings, announces progress on unemployment help - KSN-TV

Washington officials are cautiously optimistic about the flattening of the curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, but are also asking residents to continue to keep their guard up as the state continues to battle the coronavirus.

The good news is the number of newly reported cases has generally declined since March 30, when 422 positive tests had been confirmed. Washingtons current totals are 9,097 cases with 421 deaths.

We do continue to flatten the epidemic curve in Washington, which is great news, said Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer for the Department of Health. But we cant let this news make us complacent.

That does not mean the state is out of the woods. There is typically a four- to seven-day delay between the time an illness starts and a laboratory-confirmed positive case is reported.

Lofy said it would take a two- to three-week decline in data indicators to determine whether or not the pandemic is truly starting to subside in the Evergreen State.

Its really difficult to know if we are at peak activity, Lofy said.

The positive developments, combined with the warmer weather in the Puget Sound region, could cause people to get a little complacent about staying home and as well as social distancing, said DOH Health Secretary Jonathan Wiesman.

That is the absolute worse thing people could do right now, Wiesman said.

Wiesman urged residents to stick with good hygiene practices and to continue observing Governor Jay Inslees Stay Home, Stay Healthy mandate.

Test result reporting delays continue

The Kitsap Public Health District has not reported negative results or the total amount of tests this week as the state transitions to a new reporting system, which had been previously overwhelmed by the high-volume of results. Negative tests had to be diverted to another system.

Lofy said the state is testing between 4,000 and 5,000 people per day, Monday through Friday, and about 2,000 people per day on the weekend.

The goal is to report all test results each day and take on other initiatives such as gathering hospitalization data from around the state, Wiesman said, which will give residents a more complete picture of the reality of the situation.

States bed capacity in good shape, officials say

In many states around the country, one of the biggest concerns in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is the ability to handle virus-related hospitalizations.

Navy Vice Admiral (retired) Raquel C. Bono, the director of the COVID-19 system health response in Washington, said the state is in good shape in that regard. Bono said one of her tasks has been to assess bed capacity throughout the state, and she reported that Washingtons capacity is sufficient, even if there is an unexpected surge in cases that require hospitalization.

Bono is also working with the states various health providers to have each hospital pledge to take on extra patients if another nearby hospital is overrun.

We are able to flex to the surge, even at the higher number, Bono said.

As far as personal protection equipment, Wiesman said the state has in its warehouse right now 554,000 N95 respiratory masks and 782,000 surgical masks. The N95 masks are being prioritized for hospitals and surgical masks are for long-term care facilities.

The state has received 6 million total items to date, including 1,526,438 from the national stockpile and another 500,000 from donations.

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Washington is making progress, but state officials urge residents to not let their guard down - Bainbridge Island Review