On Thursday, the death toll of the pandemic exceeded 100,000, making the U.S. the country with the highest number of deaths and infections in the world. African Americans continue to make up a disproportionate share of coronavirus deaths in this country, according to an analysis of CDC data. As of May 20, African Americans made up 23% of reported Covid-19 deaths in the U.S.
OUR COMMUNITY
Meharry Medical College is partnering with the National Institutes of Health to test the HBCU’s antiviral drug, which it hopes will eradicate COVID-19.
The Nashville school recently announced its work on creating a vaccine to fight the pandemic that is infecting African Americans disproportionately and causing higher death rates than any other racial group.
Doctors at the college have developed a drug called MRCV-19 that is designed to help prevent damage in those infected with the virus. Testing of the drug in humans is expected to begin this year.
Autopsies on 10 African American patients who died from COVID-19 show their lungs were filled with blood clots. Doctors at University Medical Center in New Orleans examined 10 patients, black men and women between the ages of 40 and 70 with a history of hypertension, obesity, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
STATES
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Thursday that Charlotte is ready to hold the Republican National Convention in August with safety measures implemented. The governor added that his office has requested safety plans from the RNC but has yet to receive such plans.
A Tyson pork processing plant in Storm Lake, Iowa is reporting more than 550 new coronavirus cases among its workers.
Tyson, in a statement, said that they have conducted large-scale testing and are working closely with local health officials to help communities where they operate to better understand the virus and how to prevent its spread.
BUSINESS & POLITICS
Since millions of Americans have been out of work over the past few weeks, several companies experiencing a surge in business have hired tens of thousands of people. Amazon is now offering full-time positions to 125,000 of its new hires. Its main competitor, Walmart, also added 235,000 new associates in warehouses and stores as sales jumped.
Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau are looking to Congress to extend deadlines for the 2020 count. The Bureau has faced challenges gathering vital data of citizens, used to redistribute congressional seats and Electoral College votes, since the pandemic began. House Democrats introduced a bill on Wednesday that would push those deadlines.
Donald Trump and Conservative groups have sped up their attempts to push state officials to purge voter rolls. This purge could affect who receives mail-in ballots in this time of a pandemic and ultimately impact November’s presidential election.
