The president is selling the American public a bill of goods.

I find Deborah Birx irresponsible. We are not in Europe. She didn't discuss the numbers of dead in Europe and the horror transpiring in Italy. She is grooming the audience for a release of any economic impacts in seven days. That is not what the 15-day review is about, necessarily.

If there is exceedingly good news in the USA then the issues regarding the economic effect on individuals can begin to be rolled back, BUT, if the number of sick, positive tests, those on ventilators and those dead is increased without SIGNIFICANT reductions Americans still need to be protected.

Americans need to listen to their governors and the governors need to prepare for a court fight.

The governors more than anyone want to have people back on their jobs. I believe New York is going to try the medications found to be effective. That is real hope. If that quickly has an effect then there is reason to move forward with economic priorities. BUT, if that fails to improve the health of people in a way that ends the viral spread, there needs to be caution.

Ask Dr. Anthony Fauci, he will say the same thing and more.

March 22, 2020
By John Cohen

...Q: You stood nearby (click here) while President Trump was in the Rose Garden shaking hands with people. You’re a doctor. You must have had a reaction like, “Sir, please don’t do that.”

A: Yes, I say that to the task force. I say that to the staff. We should not be doing that. Not only that—we should be physically separating a bit more on those press conferences. To his credit, the vice president [Mike Pence] is really pushing for physical separation of the task force [during meetings]. He keeps people out of the room—as soon as the room gets like more than 10 people or so, it’s, “Out, everybody else out, go to a different room.” So with regard to the task force, the vice president is really a bear in making sure that we don’t crowd 30 people into the Situation Room, which is always crowded. So, he’s definitely adhering to that. The situation on stage [for the press briefings] is a bit more problematic. I keep saying, “Is there any way we can get a virtual press conference?” Thus far, no. But when you’re dealing with the White House, sometimes you have to say things one, two, three, four times, and then it happens. So, I’m going to keep pushing....

March 23, 2020
By Brian Dulle

Kansas City, Mo. - The Kansas City, (click here) Missouri Health Department has released an update Monday evening reporting 25 people have now tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19.

The health department said 16 of the individuals are women between the ages of 26 and 68-years-old and nine men between the ages of 28 and 90-years-old....

March 23, 2020
By Harriet Ryan

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, left, has called on the public to stay at home

Millbrae - San Francisco officials (click here) warned that a surge in coronavirus is expected to come within a week or two, and voiced dismay over images of the public crowding beaches and parks across California.

“The worst is yet to come,” San Francisco Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said at a news conference Monday. “Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized. We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon, in a week or two, or perhaps even less.”

San Francisco has already taken steps to decompress the healthcare system — banning almost all visitors to hospitals and long-term care facilities, canceling elective surgeries and routine medical visits, and ordering appointments be done by phone or video if possible, and opening up tents to care for mild coronavirus patients to keep hospital beds free.

But officials say based on what’s happened elsewhere, the surge will come....

March 23, 2020
By Kie Relyea

An outbreak (click here) in a Bellingham nursing home that sharply increased the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Whatcom County has bumped the county’s case count to the fourth-highest in Washington state.

As of Monday afternoon, March 23, a total of 48 Whatcom County residents were diagnosed with the respiratory illness. No new cases have been reported in the county since Sunday night....

"The Great Empty" by the New York Times (click here)

DURING THE 1950S, New York’s Museum of Modern Art organized a famous photo exhibition called “The Family of Man.” In the wake of a world war, the show, chockablock with pictures of people, celebrated humanity’s cacophony, resilience and common bond.

Today a different global calamity has made scarcity the necessary condition of humanity’s survival. Cafes along the Navigli in Milan hunker behind shutters along with the Milanese who used to sip aperos beside the canal. Times Square is a ghost town, as are the City of London and the Place de la Concorde in Paris during what used to be the morning rush.

The photographs here all tell a similar story: a temple in Indonesia; Haneda Airport in Tokyo; the Americana Diner in New Jersey. Emptiness proliferates like the virus....

It is a magnificent record of a world resolved. It is amazing, isn't it? We are all magnificent people.

USA's death toll today increased to 100.

The total number of deaths in the USA now exceeds 500.

No irreverence intended, but, the total is a reflection of the daily. The daily tolls including the number of new infections are the place to focus on the turning point of control over the virus.

The total will never come down in number, but, the daily numbers will come down as the USA's strategy takes hold.

The UK is taking up the strategy of the USA and is locking down social distance.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson is "feeling better." (click here)

March 23, 2020
By Jeff Mappes

Oregon elections officials (click here) say they’re confident about proceeding with the state’s scheduled May 19 primary – but they say it would be very different if they were talking about bringing hordes of would-be voters to thousands of polling stations amid the coronavirus epidemic.

“It would be really difficult,” said Multnomah County elections director Tim Scott.  “I feel for the states that still do most of their voting on election day.”

Seven states and Puerto Rico have already postponed their primary elections, and more delays may be in the works. And if the epidemic continues next fall, it could also jeopardize the ability of voters in many states to participate in the November presidential election....

The Tokyo Olympics are postponed. That is a hard one to accept. It will eventually go forward. The venues are still standing and athletes will no doubt keep up their training.

28 percent of Louisiana's coronavirus patients are hospitalized.

March 23, 2020
By David Rasbach

The novel coronavirus pandemic (click here) has cost Whatcom County its signature event in 2020.

Ski to Sea announced Monday, March 23, that it has canceled the 2020 race on Memorial Day Weekend due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

“Ski to Sea has been an uninterrupted annual celebration of our community’s diverse outdoor recreational opportunities since 1973,” a Ski to Sea release stated. “Suffice it to say that making the decision to interrupt this tradition of 46 years was difficult and painful....

EXTREME CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 23, 2020
By Kara K. Burris

...“Medical toxicologists (click here) and emergency physicians are warning the public against the use of inappropriate medications and household products to prevent or treat COVID-19. In particular, Banner Health experts emphasize that chloroquine, a malaria medication, should not be ingested to treat or prevent this virus,” reported the Banner Health system.

“Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks, who works at Banner’s Poison and Drug Information Center as medical director. “The last thing that we want right now is to inundate our emergency departments with patients who believe they found a vague and risky solution that could potentially jeopardize their health.”

The man who died was in his 60s and his wife is in critical condition after both of them ingested chloroquine phosphate. The chemical is an additive frequently used to clean fish tanks, though it is unclear if that’s how they obtained it. It is different from hydroxychloroquine as the latter is a less toxic derivative of chloroquine....

Medications are chemicals, natural or not. That means when mixed in a mouthful of hope they will dissolve and mix in the digestive tract. ONLY TAKE MEDICATIONS AS PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICANS.

There are concerns that Trump will override Dr. Anthony Fauci's recommendation to continue the social distancing.

THE GOVERNORS ARE IN CHARGE OF THEIR STATES.

This only galvanizes the need for these capable elected officials to continue their vigilance. The Governors know they are on their own and are working as a group.

In a week the positives and those on ventilation will be significant and can speak for themselves.

One thing Americans have to keep in mind is, "What can cancel a USA election?" At the current rate of testing and treatment and recovery, we are on track for the usual election in November. I think that is a legitimate goal that should not be jeopardized by a SECOND ROUND of COVID-19 because the first effort was truncated from being successful in ending it,

March 23, 2020
By Megan Bartels

As the U.S. scrambles (click here) to respond to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, NASA supercomputers are joining the effort to look for potential treatment and vaccine candidates.

A new initiative brings together NASA and the National Science Foundation as well as a host of Department of Energy laboratories, companies and academic institutions. The White House announced the effort, meant to divert spare computing resources to research aimed at slowing the pandemic, today (March 23).

"I'm proud that @NASA is lending our supercomputing expertise to assist in the global fight against COVID-19," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement on Twitter. "For more than six decades the agency has used its expertise to take on challenges that have benefited people worldwide in unexpected ways."...

Jared Kushner's advice to Trump is self-serving.

March 18, 2020

The Kushner family (click here) is trying to cash in on the pandemic that could kill millions of us.

Oscar Health, the health insurance company co-founded by Jared Kushner's younger brother, announced Friday it has launched a testing center locator for COVID-19. It shows where more than 100 centers are in the United States. The company is also offering a risk assessment survey and means to talk to a doctor online....

That is interesting. Trump has been stating every person in the USA will not be tested.

I probably wouldn't have looked at this until closer to the elections. But, the USA has not been doing as well under Trump as previous years. 

Real GDP growth 1990 to 2019 (click here)

2017 - 2.4 percent
2018 - 2.9 percent
2019 - 2.3 percent

U.S. Nominal (current day value) GDP: (click here) $21.44 trillion - U.S. GDP (PPP): $21.44 trillion. The U.S. has retained its position of being the world's largest economy since 1871. The size of the U.S. economy was at $20.58 trillion in 2018 in nominal terms and is expected to reach $22.32 trillion in 2020.

U.S. Nominal GDP: $21.44 trillion

March 20, 2020

By Erik Sherman

The optimistic view (click here) from economic forecasters is that the annual GDP growth rate in the second quarter of 2020 will, at best, be -8%. Others predict as bad as -15%. Combined with educated guesses that the first quarter will also see negative growth in retrospect, there's a good chance the country is already in a recession.

"With the big caveat that we really don't know, I think it's reasonable to look for something like 10% to 15% down," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James.

I am not worried. The GDP record has also not counted on the increase in a "New COVID-19" economic dynamic. This is at the very least a level headed approach by Fortune. Goldman Sachs CEO is earning his new paycheck saying the loss to the USA GDP will be 24 to 25 percent. That is a lie.

IBD Stock Of The Day: Why Coronavirus Isn't Slamming This Biotech Leader (click here)

McConnell must be suffering from a short memory these days. The US Congress just passed a large bill to assist the country. The second bill needs to be precise.

Louisiana coronavirus cases (click here) see largest single-day spike to 1,172 with surge of test results

The more tested, the more positives are found.

Chancellor Merkel tested negative.

The United States is ten percent of the infected and three percent of the dead.

McConnell is inflammatory and needs to go.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan's brother has died.

March 23, 2020

Louisville - Papa John’s (click here) announced Monday the company is hiring up to 20,000 new restaurant team members.

“For anyone looking for immediate ways to earn an income, we’re making it quick and simple to apply, interview and be hired at Papa John’s,” said Marvin Boakye, Papa John’s chief people and diversity officer.

The pizza company is committed to the communities it serves by delivering meals and offering carryout, meeting a valuable need during these challenging times.

“We want to add talented team members to our Papa John’s family across the country to deliver food safely to our customers’ doorsteps. We are in the unique position – as a restaurant that specializes in delivery and carryout – to help our communities through this crisis," he said.

The company is focused on protecting its team members and customers, implementing additional health and safety precautions, like enhanced restaurant sanitation measures and No Contact Delivery. No Contact Delivery provides a limited interaction food drop-off experience and online payment.

There is no such thing as an "economic patient." It is disgusting and offensive. Next thing people will be asking which patient the real ones or the economy.

Italy's statistics are very scary. Their health care personnel are dying. The country will have people taking care of people and trying to intubate those that need it. The country of Italy needs to take this time to talk to the people not just about staying home and away from infection but to the falling numbers of nurses and doctors.

Intubating a person is not easy and is achieved with an unconscious patient, either through anesthesia or patient condition. It is going to be difficult for average people to intubate, BUT, there are different intubation methods that is far less invasive than an endotracheal tube.

Average people can do this if they are visually trained. It takes skill and nerve to practice and master, but, this is the best option for people needing intubation without enough professional staff.

Laryngeal Mask Airway (click here)

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a supraglottic airway device developed by British Anesthesiologist Dr. Archi Brain. It has been in use since 1988. Initially designed for use in the operating room as a method of elective ventilation, it is a good alternative to bag-valve-mask ventilation, freeing the hands of the provider with the benefit of less gastric distention. ^[1] Initially used primarily in the operating room setting, the LMA has more recently come into use in the emergency setting as an important accessory device for management of the difficult airway. ^[2, 3]...

I will place a picture here to know the difference.

This is the laryngeal mask airway (LMA). It goes into the mouth and down the throat to where the lungs receive air to the lungs, the larynx. The field for insertion should be sterile when at all possible, but, the patient only has to be intubated long enough to recover from the virus. If the field is not sterile the patient will probably need antibiotics following recovery to prevent any other kind of pneumonia from taking hold and making the patient sick again and quite possibly needing the ventilator again. The supplies and instructions should come from Italy's government that knows how to talk to the people to quickly instruct them.

This is an endotracheal tube and all the materials needed to insert it safely. It is highly invasive and the method above is not. This method needs a good deal of training and experience, the method above does not.

The TRICK to endotracheal tubes is KEEPING THEM IN PLACE once inserted. The above method tends to be more unstable in the hands of the naive. But it can be secured to stay in place with regular checking and reinforced taping. The method above is usually surgical and not applied to the long term. The endotracheal tubes are used for extended periods of time.

This is a method that can work for those that can save lives and monitor the patient and maintain tube placement.

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