A lack of information is causing a delay in the release of data on race and COVID-19 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS announced the “comprehensive analysis” won’t be released until early May.
Seema Verma, CMS administrator, explained that because health care providers are overwhelmed, there is a lag between administering care to patients and submitting the information needed to gather data.
A more inclusive national picture of how the pandemic is affecting people of color, especially African Americans, was promised by the Trump administration at the press briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on April 7.
STATES
Despite plans to reopen businesses in Texas, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says reopening too soon could “undo sacrifices” that people have made over the past several weeks. Turner also stressed the need for aggressive testing before easing restrictions due to the pressure to reopen economies.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed 273 new cases of coronavirus after protests to lift the lockdown erupted earlier this month. Protests have also taken place in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Colorado. Governors in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee have begun easing restrictions due to the pressure to reopen economies.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
The Senate has passed a nearly $500 billion coronavirus bill by voice vote that includes additional money for the small-business loan program, as well as for hospitals and testing. The bill could become law as soon as the end of the week.
Ten Democratic senators are requesting the inspectors general for the Department of Health and Human Services and FEMA “to investigate the partisan and political nature of the White House’s actions.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing China, three government ministries, two local governments, two laboratories and the Chinese Communist Party in U.S. District Court for its handling of the pandemic. China, however, is protected by sovereign immunity, meaning it is immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution.
THE PANDEMIC
Health officials in California’s Santa Clara County indicated Tuesday that the first U.S. death from the coronavirus happened weeks earlier than previously reported. Two deaths on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 were not initially thought to have been COVID-19-related, but further testing has revealed that they were.
After calls from the mayor in Waterloo, Iowa, Tyson Foods has closed its largest pork plant indefinitely as workers fall ill from coronavirus infections. The plant is linked to 182 of the county’s 374 Covid-19 cases. Another Tyson beef plant in Washington state is also struggling as workers are contracting the virus.
Officials at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center announced 25 young people held there have tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, just over 100 incarcerated children have tested positive for the virus.
73% of the inmates at the Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio have tested positive for coronavirus. 109 staff members were also positive. No COVID-19 deaths have been reported at the prison. Michigan and New York are also reporting high numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases in their prisons.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is advocating for a substantial reduction in jail populations across the country following reports of increasing rates of COVID-19 among inmates. A recent report by the group found that the coronavirus could kill 100,000 more Americans than current projections show if more inmates are not released.
Fire departments around the country are warning people not to microwave their face masks to sterilize them, as it will likely cause a fire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning cloth masks in a washing machine.
