The Serious Side - part 7

https://twitter.com/PaulLidicul/status/1232521315254292480

No he didn't.............

PAN - Wanna bet?

Loving the way he's giving permission for his own residents to come back - when they're already there!

And the reason that he claims to be putting more money into the department (apart from the fact that he's a germaphobe!) is because he had previously gutted it and they had no funds!

Ok that was a joke but you know he would wear that if he could.

[size=34]BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump says he will hold White House press conference on coronavirus - but claims Democrats and his media enemies are trying to cause 'panic' and his administration is doing 'great' but can't spell virus name properly[/size]

• Trump claimed administration doing a 'great' job combatting Coronavirus 
  
  
• He blamed news media and Democrats for trying to cause a panic 
  
  
• He also misspelled the name of the virus in his tweet 
  
  
• President said he'd hold a news conference at 6 pm EST at White House
  
  
•  CDC warned it was a question of when there will be a major outbreak in U.S. 
  
  
• There are 57 cases of Coronavirus in United States
  
  
• More than 80,000 people globally have been infected
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:37 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 09:45 EST, 26 February 2020

     



President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will hold a news conference at the White House at 6 p.m. ET with officials from the Centers for Disease Control to discuss the Coronavirus outbreak and he also complained his enemies are trying to cause a panic.
The president slammed media coverage of the disease and Democratic charges his administration has not done enough to combat it as an attempt to make his administration 'look as bad as possible. 
'Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape!,' he wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning. 
'I will be having a News Conference at the White House, on this subject, today at 6:00 P.M. CDC representatives, and others, will be there. Thank you!,' he added.
He also misspelled the name of the virus in his tweet, writing C-A-R-O-N-A-V-I-R-U-S instead of C-O-R-O-N-A-V-I-R-U-S. 


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President Trump claimed his administration doing a 'great' job combatting Coronavirus


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Trump claimed his administration is doing a 'great' job combatting the Coronavirus after the CDC warned it was a question of when and not if there will be a major outbreak in the United States.
The president touted his administration's success via Twitter as he touched down at Joint Base Andrews where he and First Lady Melania Trump were retuning from a state visit to India.
'Just landed. India was great, trip very successful. Heading to the White House. Meetings and calls scheduled today. @CDCgov, @SecAzar and all doing a great job with respect to Coronavirus! Briefing this afternoon,' he wrote. 
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases who will brief the president, said the virus is contained in the United States but people should be ready for a possible outbreak. 
'Things are stable here ... and at the same time we need to be ready to do things to contain an outbreak if it were to occur, Fauci told CNN.
Trump and his team are trying to balance containing public alarm with not dismissing a potential health calamity.
The president has focused on showcasing his administration has the situation under control while government health officials have warned people to be prepared for the worst.
Trump spent part of his flight back from India sending retweets about how there is no community outbreak of the Coronavirus in the United States and on his administration's response to it.


'There is currently no reported community spread of #COVID19 in the US. People should follow everyday measures to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, such as staying home when sick' was one retweet from the CDC the president sent.
Meanwhile Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will be testifying on Capital Hill Wednesday about his department's budget request but is bound to get questions about the disease particularly after Democrats criticized Trump's request for $2.5 billions in federal funds to combat it as too little, too late.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer will release a $8.5 billion request for emergency funds to fight the coronavirus later Wednesday, which is $6 billion more than the president requested. 
President Trump argued during a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday that the situation 'is very well under control in our country.'
'We have very few people with it,' he said. 'But the people are getting better. They're all getting better.'
He also complained about Schumer.
'I see that Chuck Schumer criticized that he thought it should be more. And if I gave more, he would say it should be less,' Trump said. 'These characters, they are just not good for our country. I gave more he would say it should be less. That's what they do. In the meantime, that's all they can do. They are not getting anything done.' 
Schumer, on Tuesday, took to the Senate floor to slam the administration's response to the virus.
'Here in the United States, the Trump administration has been caught flat-footed. The administration has no plan to deal with the coronavirus, no plan and seemingly no urgency to develop one,' the Democratic senator from New York said.  
The president's defense comes as the markets plunged two days in a row over fears of a possible outbreak and Democratic presidential candidates slammed Trump's response to the Coronavirus in their debate Tuesday night.
'This president has not invested like he should have in his budget. He tried to cut back on the CDC. He tried to cut back on the international organizations that would coordinate with the rest of the world. He hasn't yet really addressed the nation on this topic,' said Amy Klobuchar.
And former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg said: 'The president fired the pandemic specialist in this country two years ago. There's nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing.'
The CDC on Tuesday told parents to prepare their children for the possibility of school closures should the disease spread.
So far, 57 cases have been confirmed - 14 in the nation, 40 from citizens repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and three evacuated from China.


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Dr Nancy Messonier (pictured) of the CDC says the public needs to prepare if the coronavirus spreads in the US and suggested parents asks schools if they plans for doing classes over the Internet 


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Doctors look at a scan of a patient with coronavirus at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital, February 16


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Doctors in China look at test results as more than 80,000 people have been infected world wide with coronavirus
Dr. Nancy Messonier, CDC's director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said the public needs to be ready if the virus becomes a pandemic.
'It's not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country any more but a question of when this will happen,' she told reporters in a media call on Tuesday.
'We are asking the American public to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad.'
Worldwide, more than 80,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and more than 2,700 people have died - mostly older patients with pre-existing conditions.
[size=18]WHO tells countries to prepare like coronavirus to strike tomorrow




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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8047413/Democrats-slam-Donald-Trump-coronavirus-response-demand-8-5-billion-CDC.html

[size=34]Democrats slam Donald Trump on coronavirus response and demand $8.5 billion for CDC as even Republicans accuse administration of trying to 'shortchange the American people'[/size]

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding $8.5 billion be allocated to CDC to combat the spread of Coronavirus
  
  
• The new request is $6 billion more than the Trump administration has requested 
  
  
• Donald Trump has reassured that Coronavirus is under control in the U.S.
  
  
• The assurances come even as the stock market tumbles and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have bashed the administration's handling of the outbreak 
  
  
•  epublican Senator Richard Shelby, who chairs the Appropriations Committee said Trump's request for $2.5 billion was 'low ball' 
  
  
• He claimed 'money should not be an object' when it comes to containing and controlling the spread of Coronavirus
  
  

By KATELYN CARALLE, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 11:14 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 11:14 EST, 26 February 2020

     



Lawmakers aren't happy with Donald Trump's response to the Coronavirus outbreak, and are demanding billions more be allocated for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight its spread.
While the Trump administration requested $2.5 billion be directed to address concerns over the Coronavirus, Republicans have joined Democrats in criticizing the amount, especially as San Francisco became the first U.S. city to declare a state of emergency over fears of an outbreak.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is proposing that $6 billion more be directed to the CDC for a grand total of $8.5 billion ne appropriated to address preventing an epidemic.
'Congress must act swiftly to confront the threat of this global health crisis,' Schumer, who represents New York in the Senate, said in the request.
'This proposal brings desperately-needed resources to the global fight against coronavirus. Americans need to know that their government is prepared to handle the situation before coronavirus spreads to our communities. I urge the Congress to move quickly on this proposal. Time is of the essence,' he continued. 


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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding $8.5 billion be allocated to CDC to combat the spread of Coronavirus, which is $6 billion more than the Trump administration has requested


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Donald Trump has reassured that Coronavirus is under control in the U.S., even as the stock market tumbles and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have bashed the administration's handling of the outbreak
Republicans also slammed the administration's request as 'low ball.'
The bipartisan call for action comes after the CDC warned this week that spread of the respiratory illness in the U.S. is inevitable.
The urgent warning from the federal agency aimed at national public health comes after new cases emerged in South Korea and Italy.
While lawmakers scramble to give more money to the CDC, National Health Institute, the Public Health And Social Services Emergency Fund and United States Agency for International Development, the Trump administration has continued to downplay the situation – even as the stock market continues to tumble and it was floated that the summer Olympics in Tokyo may be canceled if the outbreak isn't under control by then.
'The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,' Trump tweeted on Monday.
'Stock Market starting to look very good to me!' he continued in the tweet, just ahead of the market seeing its worst day in over two years.
Fears about the economic impact mounted as the Dow Jones Industrial average saw its second straight drop of around 1,000 points this week.
Republicans exhibited their growing concerns while questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf during Senate budget hearings.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said the request for $2.5 billion to fight Coronavirus spreading was not enough.
'It could be an existential threat to a lot of people in this country,' warned the Alabama senator. 'So money should not be an object. We should try to contain and eradicate this as much as we can, both in the U.S. and helping our friends all over the world.'


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Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who chairs the Appropriations Committee said Trump's request for $2.5 billion was 'low ball' and claimed 'money should not be an object' when it comes to containing and controlling the spread of Coronavirus
Republican Senator John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana also criticized Wolf for not providing enough information about the outbreak.
'You're supposed to keep us safe, and the American people deserve some straight answers on the coronavirus, and I'm not getting them from you,' Kennedy said during a Homeland Security budget hearing.
On Wednesday morning, Trump continued to defend his administration's handling of Coronavirus, claiming that their efforts were hidnered by Democrats.
'CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus, including the very early closing of our borders to certain areas of the world,' the president tweeted. 'It was opposed by the Dems, 'too soon', but turned out to be the correct decision.'
'No matter how well we do, however, the Democrats talking point is that we are doing badly. If the virus disappeared tomorrow, they would say we did a really poor, and even incompetent, job,' Trump continued in a duo of tweets Wednesday. 'Not fair, but it is what it is. So far, by the way, we have not had one death. Let's keep it that way!'

Share or co

I wonder if he'd be so blase if someone in is family caught it.

Let's hope, Lizzy!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8047613/Court-sides-Trump-sanctuary-cities-grant-fight.html

[size=34]Donald Trump's administration CAN withhold millions of dollars from 'sanctuary cities' including New York which refuse to co-operate with immigration authorities, court rules[/size]

• Federal appeals court in Manhattan rules that Department of Justice can withhold cash for law enforcement from 'sanctuary cities'
  
  
• Move affects New York City and seven states - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia and Rhode Island
  
  
• They do not give federal immigration authorities access to jails and provide advance notice when someone in the country illegally is about to be released
  
  
• States and city sued after they were denied access to federal grants from $250 million fund administered by DOJ
  
  
• Ruling says Bill Barr as attorney general is allowed to withhold funds  
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 11:04 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 14:38 EST, 26 February 2020

     



The Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to force states to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement, a federal appeals court in New York ruled Wednesday in a decision that conflicted with three other federal appeals courts.
The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan overturned a lower court's decision ordering the administration to release funding to New York City and seven states - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia and Rhode Island.
The states and city sued the U.S. government after the Justice Department announced in 2017 that it would withhold grant money from cities and states until they gave federal immigration authorities access to jails and provide advance notice when someone in the country illegally is about to be released.
Before the change, cities and states seeking grant money were required only to show they were not preventing local law enforcement from communicating with federal authorities about the immigration status of people who were detained.


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Court boost: Cities including New York can be stripped of law enforcement cash for refusing to co-operate with federal immigration authorities, federal appeals judges ruled


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Blow: Andrew Cuomo, New York's governor, had tried to stop the DOJ from blocking law enforcement funding, along with six other states and New York City, all of which are in Democratic control
At the time, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said: 'So-called "sanctuary" policies make all of us less safe because they intentionally undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes.'
In 2018, the Justice Department imposed additional conditions on the grant money, though challenges to those have not yet reached the appeals court in New York.
The 2nd Circuit said the plain language of relevant laws make clear that the U.S. attorney general can impose conditions on states and municipalities receiving money.
And it noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly observed that the federal government maintains broad power over states when it comes to immigration policies.
In the past two years, federal appeals courts in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco have ruled against the federal government by upholding lower-court injunctions placed on the enforcement of some or all of the challenged conditions.
'While mindful of the respect owed to our sister circuits, we cannot agree that the federal government must be enjoined from imposing the challenged conditions on the federal grants here at issue,' the 2nd Circuit three-judge panel said in a decision written by Judge Reena Raggi.
'These conditions help the federal government enforce national immigration laws and policies supported by successive Democratic and Republican administrations. But more to the authorization point, they ensure that applicants satisfy particular statutory grant requirements imposed by Congress and subject to Attorney General oversight,' the appeals court said.




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Deployment: The DOJ claims that punishing 'sanctuary cities' for refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities makes the U.S. safer
The Justice Department praised the decision, issuing a statement calling it a 'major victory for Americans' and saying it recognizes that the attorney general has authority to ensure that grant recipients are not thwarting federal law enforcement priorities.
The department added that the ruling's effect will be limited because other courts have ruled the other way, giving the plaintiffs in the New York case the opportunity to point to those as reasons to ignore the new conditions.
Cody Wofsy, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, called the decision a 'real outlier,' saying he believed the 2nd Circuit was the nation's first court to side with the Trump administration on the issue.
'Over and over, courts have said the Department of Justice doesn't have authority under governing statutes to impose these conditions,' he said. 'These conditions are part of the administration´s attempts to bully, cajole and coerce state and local governments into participating in federal immigration enforcement activities.'
Under the Constitution's federalism principles and the 10th Amendment, Wofsy said, states and municipalities 'are entitled to decline to become part of the administration´s deportation force.'
The appeals rulings pertain to the issuance of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Created in 2006, it is the vehicle through which Congress annually dispenses over $250 million in federal funding for state and local criminal justice efforts.
The Byrne Program was named for New York City Police Officer Edward Byrne, who at age 22 was shot to death while guarding the home of a Guyanese immigrant cooperating with authorities investigating drug trafficking.
[size=18]Trump chides Democrats on 'sanctuary cities' in SOTU speech




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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8048461/Pupils-Prince-George-Princess-Charlottes-school-placed-isolation-coronavirus-fears.html

[size=34]Four pupils at Prince George and Princess Charlotte's school in London are placed in isolation over coronavirus fears[/size]

• Pupils at Thomas's Battersea school in southwest London had been to Italy
  
  
• It is the school that Prince George and Princess Charlotte both attend
  
  
• Four pupils have been sent home and two are said to have flu like symptoms 
  
  
• 13 schools up and down the country closed their doors over fears of the virus 
  
  

By TERRI-ANN WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:12 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 16:36 EST, 26 February 2020

     




Four pupils at Prince George and Princess Charlotte's school are in self-isolation over fears they may have contracted the coronavirus.
The children, who attend the Thomas's Battersea school in southwest London have been sent home and are awaiting test results, it was reported this evening.  
It comes as at least 13 schools across the UK closed their doors over fears of the virus spreading.
A number of schools have told staff and pupils to stay at home after returning from ski trips to northern Italy, where several towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions remain on lockdown. 
Sports fixtures have also come under threat with Ireland's rugby match against Italy on Saturday being postponed today amid fears Italian fans could bring the virus to Dublin – but England's Six Nations fixture in Rome on March 14 is still going ahead. 
England's FA is holding urgent talks today about whether it is safe to host Italy's football team for a Wembley friendly on March 27.
This is while several businesses today also sent staff home over fears that employees could be carrying the virus. 


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Princess Charlotte and Prince George are pictured being collected from school by their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge


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A general view showing Thomas's Battersea school in London where Prince George and Princess Charlotte attend


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Since cases of the COVID-19 illness soared in Italy over the weekend they have spread around Europe, with mainland Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Croatia today all declaring their first infected patients



Children at the school in southwest London had recently been on a trip to northern Italy.
Two children returned from the trip after displaying flu-like symptoms and there is no suggestion that the royal children have been exposed to the virus.
The school's website says that it runs a trip to Italy every two years. 
This evening, Spanish newspaper El Confidencial published a statement from the school.
'Like all schools, we are taking very seriously the potential risks related to the spread of Covid-19 and to this end we are following the Government's instructions to the letter on infection prevention and case management in which it is suspected that some staff member or students exposed to the virus or showing any symptoms. 
'We currently have a very small number of students who have been evaluated and these individuals currently remain in their homes waiting to receive the results of their exams'.




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Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough is one of more than a dozen schools which have been completely closed after students and staff returned from Italian ski trips. The Health Secretary has urged them to stay open


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Cransley School, a private school in Northwich, Cheshire (pictured) announced it will be closed for the rest of the week because of coronavirus fears. It will also undergo a deep clean, in a precautionary move to prevent any cases

WHERE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN GRIPPED BY CORONAVIRUS FEARS AFTER SKI TRIPS TO NORTHERN ITALY? 

Closed

[list=mol-bullets-with-font]
[*]Lutton St Nicholas primary school in Lincolnshire
[*]Gedney Church End primary school
[*]St Christopher's C of E High School in Accrington 
[*]Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough 
[*]Cransley School in Northwich, Cheshire
[*]The Brine Leas Academy sixth form in Cheshire 
[*]William Martin Junior and Infant School in Essex
[*]Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst, Birmingham 
[*]The ContinU Plus Academy in Kidderminster 
[*]Lime Academy Watergall in Bretton, Peterborough
[*]Shepeau Stow Primary School, in Spalding 
[*]St Peter's Church of England Middle School, Old Windsor 
[*]Archbishop Temple School, Preston 
[/list]

Pupils sent home 

[list=mol-bullets-with-font]
[*]Salendine Nook High School, Huddersfield
[*]Newquay Tretherras
[*]The Holt School, Wokingham
[*]Cambridge House Grammar School, County Antrim
[*]Penair School, Truro
[*]Torquay Boys' Grammar School
[*]Haverfordwest High School, Pembrokeshire
[*]Hall Cross Academy, Doncaster
[*]Sandbach High School, Cheshire
[*]The Crispin School, Somerset
[*]Cleeve Park School, London (Sidcup)
[*]Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in West Derby
[*]Woodrush High School in Wythall, Birmingham
[*]Guernsey Grammar School
[*]Sydney Russel School in Dagenham
[*]Ysgol Friars School in Bangor, Wales
[*]Banbridge Academy in Northern Ireland
[*]Limavady Grammar School in Northern Ireland 
[*]Ely College in Cambridgeshire
[/list]




It added that all parents had been informed and that information was being circulated regularly.
The school also said that it would 'preserve the confidentiality of staff and students and would not comment on specific cases'. 
More than 30 schools around the country have been caught up in panic and confusion after children returned home from ski trips to Italy. 
But a school in Swansea is ignoring pleas from parents to shut down after a class returned from a ski trip to Italy with pupils told that they still have to come in unless they have the flu.
Secondary school Cleeve Park, in Sidcup, south-east London also remained open today despite some of its pupils and staff reporting 'feeling unwell' after returning from a school ski trip to Bormio, in northern Italy on Saturday.
The school has announced today that it has advised an unspecified number of pupils and staff to isolate themselves at home, but allowed others from the trip attend.
It said it decided not to close after following advice from Public Health England that the school should remain open and all students should attend if they are well. 
However, some parents are against the headmaster's decision.
One father has chosen to keep his son at home until results come back negative. 
Headteachers have the final say on when schools close for health and safety reasons such as illnesses or bad weather. 
The latest to shut their doors are Lime Academy Watergall in Bretton, Peterborough and Shepeau Stow Primary in Spalding. 
Lutton St Nicholas and Gedney Church End primary schools in Lincolnshire also closed 'because of a potential connection to the Coronavirus by an individual within the school'. 
St Christopher's C of E High School in Accrington told parents it had to shut. 
A member of staff at William Martin Junior and Infant School came back from a half-term holiday in Italy so is shut as a precaution today. 
Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough and Cransley School in Northwich, Cheshire, shut completely on Tuesday so they can be deep cleaned. The Brine Leas Academy, also in Cheshire, shut its sixth form yesterday. 



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Three pupils at Torquay Boys' Grammar School in Devon (left) tested negative for the virus after being sent home feeling ill after a school trip to Italy, and Cambridge House Grammar School (right) in County Atrim, Northern Ireland, sent home around 50 staff and pupils
St Peter's Church of England Middle School in Windsor closed today for a 'precautionary clean' after a pupil returned home from a trip to Italy during half-term. 
Archbishop Temple School in Preston closed and said in a notice on its website that it had an 'unavoidable closure' because a ski trip had recently returned from Pila, Italy. 
And pupils and staff at 18 schools in Cornwall, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Berkshire, Pembrokeshire, Liverpool, London, Birmingham and Northern Ireland were sent home to quarantine themselves. 
Professor Paul Cosford, medical director for Public Health England, today admitted the Government does not know how many Brits have come back from skiing trips to the north of Italy but said it was a 'significant number'.
Hundreds of cases of the virus have been diagnosed in northern Italy since Friday as dozens of school trips made their way home after half-term trips.    
Some headteachers have taken evasive action and shut down schools after staff and students came down with 'mild flu-like symptoms' after returning from the Alps.
Others have sent home the pupils and staff who went on the trips to Italy, where 11 towns are now in government lockdown. 
While many have decided to stay open, telling pupils they must come in unless they have clear symptoms of the killer virus – a move which has angered some parents.  
Public Health England is not advising schools to close and Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs today: 'If anyone has been in contact with a suspected case in a childcare or an educational setting, no special measures are required while test results are awaited.
'There is no need to close the school or send other students or staff home. Once the results arrive, those who test negative will be advised individually about returning to education.
'In most cases, closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary, but this will be a local decision based on various factors including professional advice.
'Our goal here is to try to keep schools open wherever we can so long as that protects the public. In fact, our wider goal is to have the minimum disruption, social and economic and indeed to the NHS subject to keeping the public safe.' 
Some schools also reported that they closed immediately for a deep clean following Department of Health and PHE advice.  
Contradictory messages from the government have led to widespread confusion and caused individual headteachers to take matters into their own hands.
In terms of sporting events Ireland's Six Nations clash with Italy in Dublin has been called off amid fears over the coronavirus.
The deadly epidemic has swept through northern parts of Italy, and in a bid to prevent the disease reaching their shores, the Irish government have taken the step to postpone the game on March 7.
Both the women's Six Nations and Under 20s clashes have also been cancelled.
IRFU chief Philip Browne revealed they are working with the Six Nations in an attempt to find a date to reschedule the fixtures, but there are no details on when that may be.
In his statement, Browne said: 'We had a very positive meeting with [Irish health minister] Mr [Simon] Harris and his advisors where we requested an instruction as to the staging of the Ireland.
England's Six Nations match in Rome in a fortnight is still scheduled to go ahead. 
The FA will today hold urgent talks over the impact of the coronavirus on England's Wembley friendly with Italy next month.
Senior staff will sit down at the national stadium to talk through the problems associated with the fixture after the outbreak increased in northern Italy.
The European Commission, which enforces the rule book for the open-border Schengen Area, encouraged countries to adopt measures based on scientific evidence and 'in coordination and not in a fragmented way', a spokeswoman said.
Symptoms include a cough, fever and shortness of breath. 
MailOnline has contacted the school and Kensington Palace was unavailable for comment this evening.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8048385/Congress-makes-lynching-federal-crime-65-years-Till.html

[size=34]Congress finally outlaws lynching - 65 years after torture and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till - and 120 years since the first attempt to declare it illegal[/size]

• Congress passes 410-4 bill named for Emmett Till which declares lynching a federal crime punishable by life in prison
  
  
• Till was just 14 when he was tortured and murdered in 1955 after a white woman accused him of grabbing her and whistling at her in a Mississippi grocery store
  
  
• The killing shocked the country and stoked the civil rights movement
  
  
• The Senate has already passed a similar bill, not named for Till, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law   
  
  
• Bill was introduced by Bobby Rush, whose Chicago district includes Till's former home; Rush said bill was a measure of justice for more than 4,000 victims
  
  
• The bill was unanimously supported by Democrats; three Republicans - Louie Gohmert, Texas, Thomas Massie, Kentucky and Ted Yoho, Florida - opposed it
  
  
• So did independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan
  
  
• First federal anti-lynching legislation was proposed 120 years ago  
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 14:39 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 17:09 EST, 26 February 2020

  


Sixty-five years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi, the House has approved legislation designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law.
The bill, introduced by Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush and named after Till, comes 120 years after Congress first considered anti-lynching legislation and after dozens of similar efforts were defeated.
The measure was approved 410 to 4 on Wednesday. The Senate unanimously passed virtually identical legislation last year, although that bill wasn't named for Till. 
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill, which designates lynching as a federal hate crime punishable by up to life in prison, a fine, or both.
Rush, a Democrat whose Chicago district includes Till's former home, said the bill will belatedly achieve justice for Till and more than 4,000 other lynching victims, most of them African Americans.
Till, who was black, was brutally tortured and killed in 1955 after a white woman accused him of grabbing her and whistling at her in a Mississippi grocery store. The killing shocked the country and stoked the civil rights movement.
'The importance of this bill cannot be overstated,' said Rush, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. 


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Horror: Emmett Till, who was just 14, was brutally tortured and killed in 1955 after a white woman accused him of grabbing her and whistling at her in a Mississippi grocery store. The killing shocked the country and stoked the civil rights movement.


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Moment of history: Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, speaks after the bill named for Emmet Till was passed, with (from left) House Judiciary chairman, Jerry Nadler, the bill's main sponsor, Bobby Rush, whose Chicago district includes Till's home, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer


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Remembered: Emmett Till is buried in Alsip, Illinois, where his family returned his body after his torture and murder by a mob
'From Charlottesville to El Paso, we are still being confronted with the same violent racism and hatred that took the life of Emmett and so many others. The passage of this bill will send a strong and clear message to the nation that we will not tolerate this bigotry. '
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who represents the area where Till was abducted and murdered, called the anti-lynching bill long overdue, but said: 'No matter the length of time, it is never too late to ensure justice is served.'
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., used similar language to urge the bill's passage. 'It is never too late to do the right thing and address these gruesome, racially motivated acts of terror that have plagued our nation´s history,' he said, urging lawmakers to 'renew our commitment to confronting racism and hate.'
The bill was unanimously supported by Democrats. Three Republicans - Louie Gohmert of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ted Yoho of Florida - opposed the bill, along with independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan.
Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, called lynching a lasting legacy of slavery.
'Make no mistake, lynching is terrorism,' she said. 'While this reign of terror has faded, the most recent lynching (in the United States) happened less than 25 years ago.'
Although Congress cannot truly rectify the terror and horror of these acts, Bass said, a legislative body that once included slave owners and Ku Klux Klan members will belatedly 'stand up and do our part so that justice is delivered in the future.'

RELATED ARTICLES

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Memory: Bobby Rush, the Democratic congressman whose Chicago district includes Emmett Till's former home said the importance of the 'Emmett Till Antilynching Act' - which would designate lynching as a hate crime under federal law - 'cannot be overstated'


+6


Long fight for justice: The first anti-lynching legislation was introduced in 1900 by Congress' only black member,  North Carolina Rep. George Henry White. It failed; these protesters were drawing attention to the cause in 1948. Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law
Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey applauded House passage of the bill, which mirrors legislation they co-sponsored in the Senate along with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. The three are the Senate's only black members.
'Lynchings were horrendous, racist acts of violence,' Harris said in a statement. 'For far too long Congress has failed to take a moral stand and pass a bill to finally make lynching a federal crime. This justice is long overdue.'
Booker called lynching 'a pernicious tool of racialized violence, terror and oppression' and 'a stain on the soul of our nation.' While Congress cannot undo lynching's irrevocable damage, 'we can ensure that we as a country make clear that lynching will not be tolerated,' Booker said.
Congress has failed to pass anti-lynching legislation nearly 200 times, starting with a bill introduced in 1900 by North Carolina Rep. George Henry White, the only black member of Congress at the time.
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers´ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said passage of the anti-lynching legislation 'marks a milestone in the long and protracted battle against white supremacy and racial violence in our country.'
The bill 'makes clear that lynchings occupy a dark place in our country´s story and provides recognition of thousands of victims of lynching crimes,' including Emmett Till and many others, Clarke said.

[size=34]BARBARITY WHICH SHOCKED THE NATION - AND WHICH REMAINS AN OPEN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION[/size]

The federal government reopened its investigation into the brutal slaying of black teenager Emmett Till in 2018, 63 years after the black teenager's death in Mississippi.  
The Justice Department told Congress in a report that March it is reinvestigating Till's slaying in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 after receiving 'new information'. 



Till's accuser Carolyn Bryant, pictured in 1955, admitted that she lied about the encounter in a book published in 2017 
The case was closed in 2007 with authorities saying the suspects were dead; a state grand jury didn't file any new charges.
The federal report, sent annually to lawmakers under a law that bears Till's name, did not indicate what the new information might be.
But it was issued in late March following the publication in 2017 of 'The Blood of Emmett Till,' a book that says a key figure in the case acknowledged lying about events preceding the slaying of the 14-year-old youth from Chicago.
The book, by Timothy B Tyson, quotes a white woman, Carolyn Donham, as acknowledging during a 2008 interview that she wasn't truthful when she testified that Till grabbed her, whistled and made sexual advances at a store in 1955.
Two white men - Donham's then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother JW Milam - were charged with murder but acquitted in the slaying of Till, who had been staying with relatives in northern Mississippi at the time. 
The men later confessed to the crime in a magazine interview, but weren't retried. Both are now dead.


+6




JW Milam, left, and Roy Bryant, right, were charged with Till's murder but acquitted. Months later they admitted to the murder in a magazine interview
Donham, who turned 84 in July 2018, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Abducted from the home where he was staying, Till was beaten and shot, and his mutilated body was found weighted down with a cotton gin fan in the Tallahatchie River. 
Images of his mutilated body in the casket gave witness to the depth of racial hatred in the Deep South and helped build momentum for subsequent civil rights campaigns.
Relatives of Till pushed then attorney general Jeff Sessions to reopen the case in 2017 following publication of the book.
Donham, then known as Carolyn Bryant and 21 years old at the time, testified in 1955 as a prospective defense witness in the trial of Bryant and Milam. With jurors out of the courtroom, she said a 'n****r man' she didn't know took her by the arm.
'Just what did he say when he grabbed your hand?' defense attorney Sidney Carlton asked, according to a trial transcript released by the FBI a decade ago.
'He said: "How about a date, baby?"' she testified. Bryant said she pulled away, and moments later the young man 'caught me at the cash register,' grasping her around the waist with both hands and pulling her toward him.
'He said: "What's the matter baby, can't you take it?"' she testified. Bryant also said he told her 'you don't need to be afraid of me', claiming that he used an obscenity and mentioned something he had done 'with white women before'.
A judge ruled the testimony inadmissible. An all-white jury freed her husband and the other man even without it. 
Testimony indicated a woman might have been in a car with Bryant and Milam when they abducted Till, but no one else was ever charged.
In the book, author Tyson wrote that Donham told him her testimony about Till accosting her wasn't true.
'Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him,' the book quotes her as saying.
Alabama Senator Doug Jones introduced legislation in 2018 that would make the government release information about unsolved civil rights killings. 
Jones said the Till killing or any other case likely wouldn't be covered by this legislation if authorities were actively investigating.
'You'd have to leave it to the judgment of some of law enforcement agencies that are involved or the commission that would be created' to consider materials for release, Jones said. The legislation has not been taken u

That's great news

What possible reason could there be to not support this bill? I'd love to hear their rationale.

Maybe they think lynching is a good thing.  They use to hunt humans in Texas.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8048167/Meet-Donald-Trumps-23-year-old-enforcer-college-SENIOR-recruited-help-purge-never-Trumpers.html

[size=34]Meet Donald Trump's 23-year-old enforcer - a college SENIOR recruited to help purge never-Trumpers from key positions (and his boss, 29, was fired for his gambling habit)[/size]

• President Trump rehired his former 'body man' John McEntee and put him in charge of the Presidential Personnel Office 
  
  
• Politico reported Tuesday that McEntee's right-hand man is a 23-year-old college senior who started out as a Trump 2016 campaign intern 
  
  
• James Bacon is a senior at The George Washington University and most recently worked at the Department of Transportation 
  
  
• McEntee has been asked to lead a purge of 'never-Trumpers' from the government
  
  
• Trump has become emboldened after surviving impeachment and wants those disloyal to him removed  
  
  

By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:11 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 18:51 EST, 26 February 2020

     




Donald Trump's administration has recruited a college senior to help the president's re-hired ex-'body man' lead a purge of anti-Trump government officials. 
Politico reported Tuesday that 23-year-old James Bacon has become the right-hand man to John McEntee, who the president put in charge of the Presidential Personnel Office.  
McEntee, who's 29, was fired from the White House in March 2018 after he couldn't get a security clearance due to an alleged gambling problem. He was rehired and is leading a purge of never-Trump government officials, according to reporting from Axios. 


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James Bacon (right) has become the right-hand man of John McEntee, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, who President Trump (left) has tasked to lead a purge of 'anti-Trumpers' from the government 


+4


John McEntee (center), walking to Marine One with Kellyanne Conway (left) and Stephen Miller (right) was originally fired in March 2018 due to an alleged gambling problem 


+4


After surviving impeachment, President Trump has reportedly asked John McEntee to purge the government of anti-Trump officials 


+4


James Bacon, photographed at his high school graduation, worked his way up from Trump campaign intern 



James Bacon's father Jim wrote an enthusiastic post on Facebook about his son's work, as the now-23-year-old worked his way up the chain from Trump 2016 campaign intern 
[size=10][size=18]Trump's personal assistant John McEntee in 2018




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Bacon joins McEntee after having a long list of Trump-related jobs, starting with being an intern on the Trump campaign, according to his LinkedIn page. 
The GW senior also was a motorcade driver, during the year and five months Trump was running for president. 
He moved up the chain to being a congressional relations intern, doing advance work for the campaign and then had an operations job during the two-month transition. 
Since then, according to Politico, Bacon worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development where he acted as Secretary Ben Carson's 'confidential assistant.' 
He was most recently at the Department of Transportation, Politico said, briefly working in the policy shop. 
Bacon's role will be that of PPO's director of operations, Politico said, where he'll work on the vetting of job candidates.  
Axios reported that on Thursday McEntee led a meeting of White House liaisons from cabinet agencies and asked them to identify potential 'never-Trumpers' who could be purged from the U.S. government. 
Three sources familiar with the Thursday meeting described to Axios what happened, including that McEntee suggested that some of the firings of 'bad people' and 'deep state' would have to take place after the November election. 
McEntee also explained how those individuals could be sabotaged in the meantime, saying at the meeting that employees deemed as anti-Trump would be shifted around, denying them promotions.
An earlier report cited administration officials who said 'Trump feels he’s surrounded by snakes and wants to clear out all the disloyal people.'    
Trump has already started purging individuals who testified before House committees, which led to his impeachment.   
He removed Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman - and Vindman's twin brother Yevgeny. 
Both brothers did work for the National Security Council. 
Trump also ousted E.U. Amb. Gordon Sondland, who also testified. 
Sondland was a Trump political donor before being appointed to the European Union diplomatic post. 
Trump asked for the resignation - and got it - of John Rood, a top policy official at the Pentagon who had certified last year that Ukraine was making enough progress in anti-corruption measures to receive the around $400 million in American aid dollars authorized by Congress. 


Trump's impeachment saga revolved around a scheme to hold up the military aid in order to pressure Ukraine's president to announce investigations into Hunter and Joe Biden, a political rival of the president.   
Trump has been emboldened by the U.S. Senate's decision to acquit him on the two articles of impeachment approved by the House in December. 
McEntee was fired and removed from the White House in March 2018 with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the dismissal was due to the aide having financial problems related to online gamling and his tax filings. McEntee was being investigated by the Secret Service for these issues when he was let go, the Journal said. 
DailyMail.com reported that McEntee was gambling in real life too. 
As he would spend time at the MGM National Harbor casino, located just down the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., in Oxon Hill, Maryland. 
There, McEntee blew $250,000 on roulette.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8049385/First-U-S-coronavirus-diagnosis-reported-no-connection-cases.html

[size=34]CDC confirms first coronavirus case in California resident who's not been abroad or exposed to another patient - during briefing where Donald Trump insisted the risk to Americans is 'very low'[/size]

• The first case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown has been confirmed in the United States, officials revealed Wednesday 
  
  
• The CDC said that the person, in Northern California, had not recently traveled from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case
  
  
• The origin of the patient's infection is not known 
  
  
• News suggests the disease may be spreading locally in the U.S. 
  
  
• President Trump continued to insist that the risk to Americans is 'low'
  
  
• Trump announced Vice-President Mike Pence will be in charge of the nation's response to the disease in a press conference Wednesday
  
  
• He said the US would 'spend whatever's appropriate' to deal with the outbreak 
  
  
• Confirmed cases of coronavirus reached 60 - with 15 on US soil 
  
  

By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 19:32 EST, 26 February 2020 | UPDATED: 20:41 EST, 26 February 2020

     



The first case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown has been confirmed in the United States, officials revealed Wednesday. 
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the person, a resident in Northern California, had not recently returned from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case. 
The news suggests that fears of the disease spreading locally in the U.S. could now be a reality - while President Trump continued to tell the public that the risk to Americans is 'low'.
The U.S. has taken extreme precautions to ensure that anyone traveling back from China has been quarantined in order to limit the spread of the disease.
Questions are now being asked over how the disease could have infected the individual. 


+3


Workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against COVID-19 at Saemaeul traditional market in Seoul, South Korea, on 26 February 2020 - the same day that the first case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown was confirmed in the US


+3


The Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the person, a resident in Northern California, had not recently returned from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case
A statement from CDC confirmed the first possible instance of 'community spread' in the US Wednesday evening.   
'At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown. It’s possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown,' the statement said. 
The CDC did not rule out that the patient may have been in contact with a case that is yet to be confirmed.
'It’s also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected,' the statement said.
'This case was detected through the U.S. public health system — picked up by astute clinicians. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States to 15.'
Officials are now tracing the infected individual's contacts to see how they may have been infected and if any other individuals may be at risk. 
'It is a confirmed case. There is one in Northern California,' CDC spokesman Scott Pauley told The Sacramento Bee just before 4 p.m. Wednesday. 


+3


President Donald Trump announced Vice-President Mike Pence will be in charge of the nation's response to the disease, and that the U.S. was willing to spend 'spend whatever's appropriate' to deal with the outbreak. It comes as a new case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Untied States, with officials unsure of how it has been contracted.
[size=10][size=18]President Trump says US is totally prepared for coronavirus




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Pauley declined to elaborate on the details.
The CDC did not confirm the identity of the sufferer or where in Northern California the case was discovered. 
However, according to KPIX 5, CA Dept. of Public Health has said the patient is from Solano County and is receiving care in Sacramento County.
Coronavirus cases in the US have now risen to 60 with the addition of this case together with two more Diamond Princess cruise evacuees on Wednesday. 
The 60 includes 42 passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 15 on US soil.
Before news of the unknown origin case broke, only two cases of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus had been confirmed in the US.
However, CDC officials had previously warned that it was no longer a matter of 'if' but 'when' the virus would be active in US communities. 
The shock news that the disease is spreading came as President Donald Trump continued to insist that the risk to Americans is 'low' and that the nation is 'very ready' to tackle cases. 
Trump announced Vice-President Mike Pence will be in charge of the nation's response to the disease at a White House press conference Wednesday night.
He also declared the U.S. would spend 'whatever' it takes to beat coronavirus.
'We're very, very ready for this, for anything,' even if it's 'a breakout of larger proportions.'
'Every aspect of our society should be prepared. I think schools should get ready - just in case,' he added later. 
[size=18]Trump puts VP Pence in charge of coronavirus response




[/size]






The president also revealed one of the 15 Americans diagnosed with coronavirus in the US is 'pretty sick' and being treated in a hospital.
As he spoke the CDC confirmed a mystery new case in California, this time of a person had not recently traveled, and had no connection with other cases. It was unclear if he knew about the diagnosis when he spoke.
But Trump said the risk to Americans' health remained 'low,' and that the number of people diagnosed with the virus was small.
Trump said Pence would report to him. Pence has no medical training; Trump praised his running of healthcare in Indiana when he was governor.
The vice president said extra personnel would be brought in to the White House for 'this whole of government response,' to the mounting worldwide health crisis.
The president boasted that he had made 'early decisions' which had kept the level of coronavirus down in the U.S. - but said that he would make sure government health workers have the resources they need.
'They can do whatever they want,' Trump said at a White House press briefing surrounded by top officials including Alex Azar, his Health and Human Services Secretary - who had denied he was being replaced by a czar just hours earlier.
'If Congress want to give us the money, we'll take the money.'
At the podium, Trump defended his administration's response to the Coronavirus thus far, including shutting out non-citizens from China, where the first outbreak was reported. 'Decisions that were ridiculed from the very beginning,' the president said.
'A lot of people thought we shouldn't have done it that early, but we did and it turned out to be a very good thing.'
Asked directly about closing the borders to people from areas with worse infections he said: 'At the right time we may do that, right now it's not the right time.
'But at the right time, and we are checking people as they come through, specifically for the problem, the problem that we're dealing with.
'So we're checking a lot of people coming from South Korea, that's been hit pretty hard, Italy's been hit pretty hard. China, it's obvious what's happening in China, but again the numbers seem to be leveling off and going down in China which is very good news.'
He was also asked if he was prepared to quarantine entire cities - as has happened in Italy and China already - and replied: 'We do have plans on a much larger scale, should we need that.
'We don't think we're going to need it, but you always have to be prepared.'
Trump marveled at the number of people killed annually by the flu, explaining that in the U.S. it numbered between 25,000 and 69,000 a year.
'That was shocking to me,' Trump said.
The president said just 15 people in the U.S. have thus far had coronavirus, with eight returning home, one in the hospital and five fully recovered.
Trump also pulled out a visual, a piece of paper he said that listed the best prepared countries to deal with an epidemic, a product of research from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
'John Hopkins, I guess, is greatly respected,' Trump said. 'We're rated No. 1 for being prepared.'
Trump also noted how the U.S. brought in 40 people - American citizens - from a Japanese cruise ship where they had been diagnosed with the virus.
'We thought we had an obligation to do that,' he said. 'We found that it was an obligation that we have, we could have left them and it would have been really bad.'
The White House had asked for $2.5 billion in extra funding for the Centers for Disease Control, but had come under pressure to increase that spending by both Republicans and Democrats.
The press conference was an apparent attempt to claim fears over the virus, which has seen stock markets plunge and Democrats and Republicans both criticizing the official response.
Trump instead suggested that the Democratic 2020 field was largely responsible for the 2,000 point drop in the Dow Jones since Monday morning.
The CDC confirmed the positive test results of an additional six cruise evacuees Wednesday, including four that had already been announced by local health departments.
At least five of the new patients were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship last week. They were then transported to three different quarantine sites: military bases in California and Texas and the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska.
Global cases have now surged past 81,000, with well over 2,700 deaths - though the vast majority of fatalities have still occurred in China, where the outbreak began.
The announcement comes after CDC officials warned Americans to prepare for the infection to spread, despite President Trump's reassurances that the virus is 'under control' in the US.  
The CDC's point person on the coronavirus outbreak, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases Dr Nancy Messonnier advised parents to talk to their kids' schools about 'teleschooling' in the event the event of quarantines or class cancellations amid an outbreak.
She's already called her own children's schools.
'I told my children that they are not at risk now, but we as a family need to prepare for significant disruption in our lives,' Dr Messonnier told reporters in a Tuesday press briefing.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8051341/Democrats-slam-Mike-Pences-record-public-health-takes-charge-coronavirus.html

[size=34]Democrats including Bernie Sanders slam Mike Pence's record on public health as he takes charge of coronavirus response saying he ignored medical advice on Indiana HIV crisis and turned to PRAYER instead - and once wrote that smoking 'does not kill'[/size]

• Donald Trump puts Mike Pence in charge of the response to coronavirus after mounting concern about U.S. government response
  
  
• But Democrats - including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have attacked Pence's qualifications for the job
  
  
• 'Mike Pence literally does not believe in science. It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response,' Ocasio-Cortez said 
  
  
• They cite his slow response to HIV crisis in Indiana when he was governor and an op-ed he wrote claiming 'smoking doesn't kill' 
  
  
• Trump cited Pence's qualifications in his announcement Wednesday
  
  
• 'He's got a certain talent for this,' the president noted 
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:57 EST, 27 February 2020 | UPDATED: 09:46 EST, 27 February 2020

     



Democrats slammed Vice President Mike Pence's qualifications to lead the response to the coronavirus, saying he ignored medical advice on the HIV crisis as governor and once wrote an op-ed on how 'smoking doesn't kill.'
'Mike Pence literally does not believe in science. It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response,' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.  
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Pence would be the point man in the administration on the growing crisis, reporting directly to him, and chairing a task force that included officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers of Disease Control.


+10


Democrats blasted President Donald Trump for putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the administration's response to the coronavirus, citing his lack of qualifications


+10


Bernie Sanders said Pence, as governor of Indiana, tried to 'pray away' the HIV crisis in that state


+10


Pence, who is a lawyer by trade, has no medical training, but Trump touted his experience with medical issues, specifically his handling of health crises during his tenure as governor of India. 
'Look at the Indiana model, they have been very successful there,' Trump said. 
'He's got a certain talent for this,' the president noted of Pence. 
But Democrats have pounced on Pence's past statements on health issues and his handling of those crises that Trump said qualified him for the job. 
Bernie Sanders, the front runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, called the administration's response to the coronavirus 'disgusting' and, as one of his reasons, cited: 'Have VP Pence, who wanted to 'pray away' HIV epidemic, oversee the response.'
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut noted that 'Mike Pence is not an upgrade.'
The Democratic senator wrote on Twitter that 'putting a guy in charge of a deadly major pandemic who doesn't believe in science and thinks smoking doesn't cause cancer is...well...NOT A GREAT IDEA. Radical idea: put someone qualified in charge. Take this seriously.'
And Ocasio-Cortez claimed Trump's decision to put Pence in charge 'could cost people their lives. Pence's past decisions already have.'
'As governor, Pence's science denial contributed to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in Indiana's history. He is not a medical doctor. He is not a health expert. He is not qualified nor positioned in any way to protect our public health,' she wrote on Twitter. 


Pence, who is deeply religious and a favorite of conservatives, has faced past criticism for his handling of the HIV crisis when he was governor of Indiana.  
But, at Trump's announcement of his position on Wednesday, Pence cited his experience as governor as valuable training for leading the coronavirus. 
'I know full well the importance of presidential leadership, the importance of administration leadership, and the vital role of partnerships of state and local governments, and health authorities in responding to potential threats and dangerous infectious diseases,' the vice president said.  
In 2015, when Pence was governor, Indiana was in the mist of its worst HIV outbreak in the state's history.
Pence was reluctant to authorize a needle-exchange program, citing his moral opposition on the grounds they supported drug abuse. And he reportedly told state officials he would pray on the issue before authorizing the exchange program. 
'The governor wanted to make sure if we went this route it was absolutely necessary,' Dr. Jerome Adams, Pence's health commissioner at the time, told The New York Times in its reporting on the crisis. 'I believe he was praying on it up until the final decision.' 
Dr. Adams is now surgeon general of the United States.  
Health officials had traced Indiana's high HIV infection rate to drug users sharing needles and, once the exchange program was authorized, there was a notable drop in the infection rate. 



Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Chris Murphy also attacked Pence's qualifications to lead the coronavirus response


+10




+10




+10


Democrats also pointed to a op-ed Pence wrote in 2000, when he was a member of Congress, that stated 'smoking doesn't kill.'
The charge is a slight exaggeration. Pence was making the argument many smokers do not die from a smoking related illness and, in his op-ed, he did urge smokers to quit. 
'Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill. In fact, 2 out of every three smokers does not die from a smoking related illness and 9 out of ten smokers do not contract lung cancer,' he wrote.
Pence went on to add: 'This is not to say that smoking is good for you.... news flash: smoking is not good for you. If you are reading this article through the blue haze of cigarette smoke you should quit. The relevant question is, what is more harmful to the nation, second hand smoke or back handed big government disguised in do-gooder healthcare rhetoric.'
The coronavirus has now been detected in 47 countries with the U.S. and Germany recording their first cases with no obvious source of infection. 
Trump declared on Wednesday that the U.S. would spend 'whatever' it takes to beat coronavirus.
The president made a rare appearance in the White House briefing room to address the growing epidemic.  
'We're very, very ready for this, for anything,' he said, even if it's 'a breakout of larger proportions.'
'Every aspect of our society should be prepared. I think schools should get ready - just in case,' he added later.
And he revealed one of the 15 Americans diagnosed with coronavirus in the US is 'pretty sick' and being treated in a hospital.  
The president boasted that he had made 'early decisions' which had kept the level of coronavirus down in the U.S. - but said that he would make sure government health workers have the resources they need. 
'They can do whatever they want,' Trump said at a White House press briefing surrounded by top officials including Alex Azar, his Health and Human Services Secretary - who had denied he was being replaced by a czar just hours earlier.
[size=18]President Trump says US is totally prepared for coronavirus




Load[/size]











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Briefing: Donald Trump held an unprecedented White House press conference as the threat from coronavirus escalates


+10




Speakers: Donald Trump was surrounded by (from left): Robert Redfield, director of the CDC; Alex Azar, the HHS secretary; Mike Pence, now the virus czar; Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC; and Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,


+10




Get ready: This was the scene in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic originated, on Wednesday. 9,000 people are in critical condition in the country 


+10




Spread: A suspected coronavirus patient in Daegu, South Korea, offers a suggestion of the scenes the U.S. could see
'If Congress want to give us the money, we'll take the money.' 
At the podium, Trump defended his administration's response to the Coronavirus thus far, including shutting out non-citizens from China, where the first outbreak was reported. 'Decisions that were ridiculed from the very beginning,' the president said.
'A lot of people thought we shouldn't have done it that early, but we did and it turned out to be a very good thing.' 
Asked directly about closing the borders to people from areas with worse infections he said: 'At the right time we may do that, right now it's not the right time. 
'But at the right time, and we are checking people as they come through, specifically for the problem, the problem that we're dealing with. 
'So we're checking a lot of people coming from South Korea, that's been hit pretty hard, Italy's been hit pretty hard. China, it's obvious what's happening in China, but again the numbers seem to be leveling off and going down in China which is very good news.'
He was also asked if he was prepared to quarantine entire cities - as has happened in Italy and China already - and replied: 'We do have plans on a much larger scale, should we need that.
'We don't think we're going to need it, but you always have to be prepared.' 
Trump marveled at the number of people killed annually by the flu, explaining that in the U.S. it numbered between 25,000 and 69,000 a year.
'That was shocking to me,' Trump said.
The president said just 15 people in the U.S. have thus far had coronavirus, with eight returning home, one in the hospital and five fully recovered. 
Trump also pulled out a visual, a piece of paper he said that listed the best prepared countries to deal with an epidemic, a product of research from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
'John Hopkins, I guess, is greatly respected,' Trump said. 'We're rated No. 1 for being prepared.'
Trump also noted how the U.S. brought in 40 people - American citizens - from a Japanese cruise ship where they had been diagnosed with the virus.
'We thought we had an obligation to do that,' he said. 'We found that it was an obligation that we have, we could have left them and it would have been really bad.'
The White House had asked for $2.5 billion in extra funding for the Centers for Disease Control, but had come under pressure to increase that spending by both Republicans and Democrats.
The press conference was an apparent attempt to claim fears over the virus, which has seen stock markets plunge and Democrats and Republicans both criticizing the official response.  
[size=18]Trump puts VP Pence in charge of coronavirus response




Lo[/size]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8051701/CDC-took-four-days-test-person-unknown-origin-coronavirus-case.html

[size=34]CDC 'took FOUR DAYS to test patient in unknown origin coronavirus case because they hadn't traveled abroad or been exposed to an infected patient as image reveals how the virus has taken over their body and hospital employees are told to isolate[/size]

• Health officials confirmed the first case of coronavirus where origin of disease is unknown on Wednesday
  
  
• CDC said patient hadn't traveled from foreign country and wasn't in contact with another confirmed case
  
  
• Patient is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento; origin of patient's infection is not known
  
  
• Email from hospital officials said CDC took four days to test patient, despite requests from hospital staff
  
  
• Some hospital staffers were also asked to go home, isolate themselves and monitor their temperatures 
  
  
• President Donald Trump insisted in a press conference on Wednesday that the risk to Americans is 'low' 
  
  
• Trump also said that the United States would 'spend whatever's appropriate' to deal with the outbreak
  
  
• The president announced Vice-President Mike Pence will be in charge of the nation's response to the disease 
  
  
• There are 60 coronavirus cases in the US, including 42 passengers who were on Diamond Princess cruise ship
  
  

By VALERIE EDWARDS and RACHEL SHARP FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:25 EST, 27 February 2020 | UPDATED: 10:10 EST, 27 February 2020

     




The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reportedly took four days to test a person with the first confirmed case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown because they 'didn't fit the criteria'.
Officials said the patient is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
The patient, who is a resident of Solano County, was admitted into the hospital on February 19.
But questions are now being asked over the CDC's handling of the case after an email from medical center officials to employees revealed that the CDC took four days to test the patient for the deadly disease despite requests from staff at the center.
The leaked memo also suggested medical center staff may have been unnecessarily put at risk after some have now been told to go into isolation and watch for symptoms. 
According to the email, the CDC didn't test the patient, who has not been identified, for coronavirus until February 23.  
Scroll down for video  


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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reportedly took four days to test a person with the first confirmed case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown because they 'didn't fit the criteria'. This image shows residents of San Francisco, California, on Wednesday  


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Questions are being asked over the CDC's handling of the case after an email from medical center officials to employees revealed that the CDC took four days to test the patient for the deadly disease despite requests from staff at the center. People wear masks in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday 
[size=10][size=18]President Trump says US is totally prepared for coronavirus




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• In Washington state, school administrators closed Bothell High School on Thursday over coronavirus fears 
  
• People are selling respirator masks on Ebay from $40 to $1,000 for brands that are usually only a few dollars  
  
• Airlines that have evacuated people from Wuhan, China, have stepped up their aircraft-cleaning efforts 
  
• The airlines are using Viraclean, a hospital-grade disinfectant that can kill herpes simplex and Hepatitis B 
  

According to the internal memo from UC Davis Medical Center obtained by CBS13, the patient was transferred from another Northern California hospital on February 19 and was already intubated and on a ventilator. 
However, despite requests from medical center officials for the CDC to test the unknown individual, the patient was only tested for coronavirus on Sunday - four days after they were admitted to the hospital - because 'the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19', the email said.
The email from the David Lubarsky, vice-chancellor of human health services, and Brad Simmons, interim CEO of UC Davis Medical Center, to the center employees confirmed that the test had come back positive Wednesday.
'Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be COVID-19. We requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, since neither Sacramento County nor (the California Department of Public Health) is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. Since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19, a test was not immediately administered,' said the email, which added that, 'UC Davis Health does not control the testing process'.
The hospital has been treating one other confirmed case of coronavirus, though the other patient contracted the disease through travel after returning to the US from China on February 2.
'This is not the first COVID-19 patient we have treated, and because of the precautions we have had in place since this patient's arrival, we believe there has been minimal potential for exposure here at UC Davis Medical Center,' the email said.
However, the email said some staff members had been warned to go into isolation and to stay vigilant to any developing symptoms.
'A small number of medical center employees have been asked to stay home and monitor their temperatures,' the email said.        
The CDC confirmed that the person had not recently returned from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case. 
The news suggests that fears of the disease spreading locally in the US could now be a reality - while President Donald Trump continued to tell the public that the risk to Americans is 'low'. 


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The CDC tested the patient, who has not been identified, for coronavirus on February 23. The test results came back on Wednesday. This illustration shows a transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first US case of COVID-19


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Coronavirus cases in the US have now risen to 60, including 42 passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 15 on US soil


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Trump announced in a press conference Wednesday night that the US was 'very ready' to tackle the disease as he also handed Vice-President Mike Pence the task of leading the nation's response to the disease.  
The US has taken extreme precautions to ensure that anyone traveling back from China has been quarantined in order to limit the spread of the disease.
News of the first case where a patient has no known connection to travel abroad or to another known case has raised concerns over how the disease could spread across America. 
A statement from CDC confirmed the first possible instance of 'community spread' in the US Wednesday evening.   
'At this time, the patient's exposure is unknown. It's possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown,' the statement said. 
The CDC did not rule out that the patient may have been in contact with an infected individual who is yet to be diagnosed or linked to the individual.
'It's also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected,' the statement said.
'This case was detected through the US public health system — picked up by astute clinicians. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States to 15.'
Officials said they will be tracing the infected individual's contacts to see how they may have been infected and if any other individuals may be at risk.  
A chief doctor at the medical center refuted Trump's claims that the US is 'ready' for an outbreak and sent a stark warning that the local Californian community is not prepared. 
'We don't have that much data, so we don't really know how many symptomatic, or asymptomatic patients there are in the community right now. The testing is very limited. We would like to have more widespread testing so we know where this virus is — who's sick and who is at risk,' Dr Dean Blumberg, the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the UC Davis Children's Hospital, told CBS Sacramento.


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More than 82,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed globally and more than 2,800 deaths have been reported 


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Workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against COVID-19 at Saemaeul traditional market in Seoul, South Korea, on 26 February 2020 - the same day that the first case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown was confirmed in the US
Blumberg said that if community transmission is confirmed, there could be many more cases out there. 
'We only have this one confirmed case of community transmission, but it suggests that we don't know where they got it from, so the person who exposed them, so there's probably other cases in the community that we don't know about,' Blumberg said.  
The UC Davis Medical Center has not responded to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Meanwhile, school administrations in Washington state have been taking precautions of their own. 
In a letter to families, officials announced that Bothell High School would be closed on Thursday. 
According to Michelle Reid, the superintended of the Northshore School District, officials have gained more insight into 'the number of families in our community that traveled internationally during our time off'. 
Reid said a Bothell High School staff member returned to work on Monday after a week of international travel.  
'They reported that a family member who was traveling with them became sick on Tuesday, and was taken to the hospital, and is currently being treated, monitored and quarantined. The staff member is also quarantined at home for 14 days. 
'At this time, there is no confirmation that the family member's illness is connected to the coronavirus outbreak, but out of an abundance of caution, the family member is being testedm,' Reid wrote. 
The Department of Health issued a letter that indicated that the risk to students at the high school was minimal and that they didn't believe the situation warranted closing the school. 


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President Trump revealed one of the 15 Americans diagnosed with coronavirus in the US is 'pretty sick' and being treated in a hospital. It was unclear if Trump knew about the 'unknown origin' case before the conference. But he said the risk to Americans' health remained 'low,' and that the number of people diagnosed with the virus was small


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Vice President Mike Pence (right) has no medical training but Trump praised his running of healthcare in Indiana when he was governor
[size=18]Trump puts VP Pence in charge of coronavirus response




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Germany's health minister, Jens Spahn, said new cases confirmed in Germany were 'partially no longer trackable' to the virus's original source in China or to hotspots.
The US has taken measures to quarantine anyone thought to be carrying the disease, including 83 individuals currently in quarantine in Nassau County, New York.  
New York City has been ramping up preparations for a potential outbreak.
Mayor Bill De Blasio announced at a news conference Wednesday that the city had prepared at least 1,200 hospital beds ready for if or when the disease strikes.
The plans come as around 700 people have been voluntarily quarantined in New York since February 3 after they returned to the city from parts of China where the disease is widespread.
Several counties in the San Francisco Bay Area declared local emergencies Wednesday in response to the outbreak. 
San Francisco and Orange County declared states of emergency, while Orange County also backed a bid filed by the city of Costa Mesa to block coronavirus patients from being housed in their cities. 
Before news of the unknown origin case broke, only two cases of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus had been confirmed in the US. 


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Iraqi health officials are pictured spraying disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus in Iraq on Wednesday. According to an internal memo from UC Davis Medical Center, the patient who is believed to be the US' first instance of community spread was transferred from another Northern California hospital on Wednesday February 19 and was already intubated and on a ventilator


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The CDC confirmed the positive test results of an additional six cruise evacuees Wednesday, including four that had already been announced by local health departments
However, CDC officials had previously warned that it was no longer a matter of 'if' but 'when' the virus would be active in US communities. 
Fears are ramping up around the globe, as the number of new confirmed cases outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time.
The shock news that the disease may be spreading through community transmission came as President Donald Trump continued to insist that the risk to Americans is 'low' and that the nation is 'very ready' to tackle cases. 
Trump announced Vice-President Mike Pence will be in charge of the nation's response to the disease at a White House press conference Wednesday night.
He also declared the US would spend 'whatever' it takes to beat coronavirus.
'We're very, very ready for this, for anything,' even if it's 'a breakout of larger proportions.'
'Every aspect of our society should be prepared. I think schools should get ready - just in case,' he added later. 
The president also revealed one of the 15 Americans diagnosed with coronavirus in the US is 'pretty sick' and being treated in a hospital. 
It was unclear if Trump knew about the 'unknown origin' case before the conference.
But Trump said the risk to Americans' health remained 'low,' and that the number of people diagnosed with the virus was small.
Trump said Pence would report to him. 
Pence has no medical training; Trump praised his running of healthcare in Indiana when he was governor.
The vice president said extra personnel would be brought in to the White House for 'this whole of government response' to the mounting worldwide health crisis. 
The president boasted that he had made 'early decisions' which had kept the level of coronavirus down in the US - but said that he would make sure government health workers have the resources they need.
'They can do whatever they want,' Trump said at the press briefing surrounded by top officials including Alex Azar, his Health and Human Services Secretary - who had denied he was being replaced by a czar just hours earlier.
'If Congress want to give us the money, we'll take the money.'
At the podium, Trump defended his administration's response to the coronavirus thus far, including shutting out non-citizens from China, where the first outbreak was reported. 
'Decisions that were ridiculed from the very beginning,' the president said.
'A lot of people thought we shouldn't have done it that early, but we did and it turned out to be a very good thing.'
Asked directly about closing the borders to people from areas with worse infections he said: 'At the right time we may do that, right now it's not the right time.
'But at the right time, and we are checking people as they come through, specifically for the problem, the problem that we're dealing with.
'So we're checking a lot of people coming from South Korea, that's been hit pretty hard, Italy's been hit pretty hard. China, it's obvious what's happening in China, but again the numbers seem to be leveling off and going down in China which is very good news.'
He was also asked if he was prepared to quarantine entire cities - as has happened in Italy and China already - and replied: 'We do have plans on a much larger scale, should we need that.
'We don't think we're going to need it, but you always have to be prepared.'
Trump marveled at the number of people killed annually by the flu, explaining that in the US it numbered between 25,000 and 69,000 a year.
'That was shocking to me,' Trump said.
The president said just 15 people in the US have thus far had coronavirus, with eight returning home, one in the hospital and five fully recovered.
Trump also pulled out a piece of paper that he said listed the best prepared countries to deal with an epidemic, a product of research from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. 


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The global death toll from coronavirus has reached 2,771, with the vast majority in mainland China. There have been 81,714 confirmed cases of the disease
'John Hopkins, I guess, is greatly respected,' Trump said. 'We're rated No. 1 for being prepared.'
Trump also noted how the US brought in 40 people - American citizens - from a Japanese cruise ship where they had been diagnosed with the virus.
'We thought we had an obligation to do that,' he said. 'We found that it was an obligation that we have, we could have left them and it would have been really bad.'
The White House had asked for $2.5 billion in extra funding for the CDC, but had come under pressure to increase that spending by both Republicans and Democrats.
The press conference was an apparent attempt to calm fears over the virus, which has seen stock markets plunge and Democrats and Republicans both criticizing the official response.
Trump instead suggested that the Democratic 2020 field was largely responsible for the 2,000 point drop in the Dow Jones since Monday morning.
He went on to make reference to his well-known reputation for germaphobia, and provided safety tips for Americans to follow.
'I do it a lot anyway as you probably heard,' he said.  
He gave guidance consistent with what public health officials have recommended: taking prudent steps to avoid viral transmissions, as with flu and seasonal colds. 
'Wash your hands. Stay clean. You don't necessarily have to grab every hand rail unless you have to. You know, certain things that you do when you have the flu,' he advised. 
Then the president told an anecdote.
'I mean, view this the same as the flu. When somebody sneezes, I try to bail out as much as possible when there's sneezing.
'I had a man come up to me a week ago. I hadn't seen him in a long time and I said how are you doing? He said, 'Fine.' He hugs me.
'I said, 'Are you well?' He says no. He said, I have the worst fever and the worst flu. And he's hugging and kissing me. … I went back and started washing my hands. So you have to do that,' Trump said.


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CDC officials told Americans to expect US coronavirus cases to rise after the repatriation of the passengers of the cruise ship (pictured), which had the greatest number outside China 
The White House briefing came as the CDC confirmed the positive test results of an additional six cruise evacuees on Wednesday, including four that had already been announced by local health departments.
At least five of the new patients were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship last week. 
They were then transported to three different quarantine sites: military bases in California and Texas and the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska. 
Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, dismissed Trump Wednesday, saying: 'I don't think the president knows what he's talking about - once again.'
When asked about the criticism made by Pelosi, he slapped back by calling the California Democrat 'incompetent.'
Trump also suggested under Pelosi, Democrats would lose the House again - and he said impeachment 'lifted my poll numbers up by 10 points.'

HOW NYC IS PREPARING FOR A PANDEMIC  

New York City has been ramping up preparations for a potential coronavirus outbreak.
Mayor Bill De Blasio announced at a news conference Wednesday that the city had prepared at least 1,200 hospital beds ready for if or when the disease strikes.
The city has also distributed 1.5 million face masks to residents and has requested 300,000 more.
De Blasio said he is also requesting the CDC expand its testing of travelers entering the US beyond China, to include Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.
'Right now, it is too narrowly focused on travelers coming out of China,' he said. 
'We think that needs to be expanded to any traveler coming from a country that's seen a major surge in cases.'
The city is ready to handle a possible spread of the disease, he added.
The plans come as around 700 people have been voluntarily quarantined in New York since February 3 after they returned to the city from parts of China where the disease is widespread.
New York State Health Department officials told the USA TODAY Network that none of the people quarantined were showing symptoms of the disease but they had voluntarily checked into a 14-day self-isolation.
De Blasio said the self-quarantine protocol was working in the city.
No active cases of the virus have yet been confirmed in New York City.



'She's trying to create a panic,' Trump said. 'And there's no reason to create a panic because we have done so good.'
Azar was on stage to see Pence made czar - hours after he denied claims that he was about to be replaced by an epidemic czar in the project to oversee the US's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
He claimed after Trump spoke that he was still in charge.
'I'm still chairman of the task force,' he said.
'Having the vice president gives me the biggest stick one can have in the government, on this whole-of government approach. Not in the least.
'When this was mentioned to me I was delighted I get to have the vice president helping ... delighted, absolutely.'
Also on stage was the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAD) Dr Anthony Fauci, who reiterated the news that trials are set to begin for a vaccine for coronavirus, a record-setting three months after the virus was sequenced.
He added that the vaccine won't be ready for a year to a year-and-a-half.
At that point, it will make little impact on the current outbreak but, in the likely event that the virus is here to stay in coming years, Dr Fauci expects a vaccine will be ready.
The CDC gave a stark warning on Tuesday that US cities, communities and hospitals would need to ramp up preparations for the virus' spread as more cases were likely on their way.
'Now is the time for US businesses, hospitals and communities to begin preparing for the possible spread of COVID-19,' CDC officials posted on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
Officials said more coronavirus cases are 'likely to be identified in the coming days, including more cases in the United States' and that 'person-to-person spread will likely continue to occur, including in the United States.'
The CDC's point person on the coronavirus outbreak, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases Dr Nancy Messonnier had advised parents to talk to their kids' schools about 'teleschooling' in the event of quarantines or class cancellations amid an outbreak. 
'I told my children that they are not at risk now, but we as a family need to prepare for significant disruption in our lives,' Dr Messonnier told reporters in a Tuesday press briefing.
In a bizarre twist, she is the sister of Rod Rosenstein, the former attorney general who oversaw the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation and who was a repeated target for Trump's ire.
She was missing from the briefing.
During the presser, Bernie Sanders, currently the Democratic frontrunner, sent out a statement blasting Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who was present at the White House briefing, for not guaranteeing during Congressional testimony earlier Wednesday that a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable to all.
'Under the Trump doctrine, if you are wealthy you can buy a vaccine and not succumb to the sickness. If you are poor or working class, you may have to get sick or even die,' Sanders said.
'That is an outrage. That is unacceptable. We need a vaccine that is available to all, not just those who can afford it.'  
The CDC confirmed the positive test results of an additional six cruise evacuees Wednesday, including four that had already been announced by local health departments.
At least five of the new patients were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship last week. They were then transported to three different quarantine sites: military bases in California and Texas and the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska.  
[size=18]World Health Organisation warns coronavirus has 'pandemic potential'




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Another two people who were among among the 800-some Americans repatriated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China, have also tested positive for coronavirus.
This week's additional cases among evacuees may have come as little surprise to the CDC, which advised against letting 14 American Diamond Princess passengers whose coronavirus tests came back positive as they were about to board the evacuation flights to the US continue on the cargo planes.
State Department officials ultimately overrode the health officials on the ground in Japan, where the ship had been quarantined.
Of the 328 evacuated people, 13 'high risk' passengers were taken on to Nebraska's high-grade quarantine.
CDC officials previously said they expected to see additional cases among the cruise ship evacuees, and diagnoses have indeed rolled in.
Meanwhile, LAX airport and travelers are on high alert after a flight attendant on a Korean Air flight there from South Korea, where cases have surged to over 1,200 in a matter of days and one US soldier on Camp Carroll military base has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

The global death toll from coronavirus has reached 2,771, with the vast majority in mainland China. 
There have been 81,714 confirmed cases of the disease.  
Earlier this week, the chief of the World Health Organization stopped short of saying the coronavirus crisis was at pandemic levels despite a sudden spike in cases. 
Dr Tedros Adhanom admitted in a press conference Monday that the surge of COVID-19 infections was 'deeply concerning' but said he would not declare it a pandemic - which is defined as the uncontrolled worldwide spread of a new disease. 
He said: 'The sudden increase in new cases is certainly very concerning. There is lots of speculation about whether this outbreak has now become a pandemic.   
'For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we're not witnessing large scale disease or deaths.' 
His comments at a press conference in Geneva  came after the WHO admitted the killer outbreak will never be officially declared a pandemic. 
Instead, the UN-body said the crisis has already been a public health emergency of international concern – the highest warning level – for a month. 
But fears of a pandemic have been mounting, with a surge in cases outside of China and deaths declared in Iran and Italy while Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all confirmed their first cases.
The body, headquartered in Geneva in Switzerland, argues a pathogen must spread easily between humans across the world before it is called a pandemic.
The WHO said the current crisis is a cluster of cases in 36 countries and territories, which can be traced back to Asia.

Good to know he fired the Pandemic Response Team two years ago................

PAN - This, like everything else, will mean nothing to him until it affects him personally.

I like this:

https://twitter.com/LouiseMensch/status/1232623197322915843

and somebody at the New Yorker has said he plans to tackle coronavirus with an Incredibly Mean Tweet........

It seems that Trump has told his health officials and the government scientists today they cannot speak on anything to do with the coronavirus unless they get clearance through Pence. Trump wants total control of the messaging which is incredibly dangerous for our country. He wants to pretend there is nothing to see here. All Trump cares about is that this doesn’t impact his election campaign. This guy just gets more dangerous day by day.

Yep. More and more like Russia, China, Iran, Saudi, Brazil, Philippines.........

To what extent do you think he can control the stock market........?

I think that other than being a control freak, he is trying to keep news from causing the market to drop .

I don't think it will work if there are leaks in the White House why would there not be leaks about a pandemic that involves the whole country.

[size=34]White House GAGS government health experts from speaking about coronavirus saying they must have Mike Pence's approval for EVERYTHING they say about mounting crisis - despite VP having zero medical qualifications[/size]

• Clampdown comes a day after Donald Trump put Pence in charge of response 
  
  
• Even NIH virus expert Anthony Fauci is muzzled without prior approval
  
  
• News comes after White House unveiled ANOTHER coronavirus coordinator amid market selloff
  
  
• Pence said she would oversee the effort
  
  
• HHS Secretary Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical exec, leads a coronavirus task force 
  
  
• Concerns California patient contracted disease without coming into contact with a known traveler or infected person 
  
  
• Pence himself is appearing on 'Hannity' to discuss the coronovirus 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 14:22 EST, 27 February 2020 | UPDATED: 16:56 EST, 27 February 2020

     



The White House sought Thursday to gain control over an undisciplined communication response to the coronavirus – requiring even top government health experts to run all media appearances through Vice President Mike Pence's office. 
The move comes hours after President Donald Trump put Pence in charge of the nation's coronavirus response, drawing immediate attacks from Democrats who scrutinized his record dealing with the spread of AIDS in his home state of Indiana.
Government scientists and health experts must now clear all media appearances in advance with Pence's office, the New York Times reported. 


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First meeting: The coronavirus taskforce, chaired by Mike Pence, held its first meeting late Thursday


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Government health experts need to run media appearances by the Vice President's office in a new effort to gain control of the narrative. His first public appearance however was at the CPAC conference of Trump ultra-loyalists
Even NIH virus expert Anthony Fauci, a staple on TV who has spoken about the challenges of the outbreak and precautions people can take, must get permission to appear. He told associates about the White House directive, according to the report. 
Amid the bid to gain control over coronavirus messaging, Pence himself sat for an interview with Fox News Host Sean Hannity for his show on the outbreak Thursday, the White House told a pool reporter. 
The move comes amid continued uncertainty about the government flow chart for mitigating an outbreak that led to the hospitalization of a newly identified patient in California who had no known contact with people who had the disease.  
Dr. Deborah L. Birx will serve as the 'White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator,' the White House announced Thursday. She oversees the administration's response to global HIV / AIDS issues.





[size=3]Loa[/size]








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 The National Institutes of Health's Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci is among those who must run media appearances by the White House


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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar testifies before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021 for HHS, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, 27 February 2020


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announced he appointed Ambassador Debbie Birx to serve as the 'White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator,' she is a medical doctor who serves as U.S. Global AIDS coordinator


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President Donald Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the effort coronavirus response


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Democrats attacked Pence for contributing to an HIV outbreak due to his resistance to needle exchange program


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National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Nancy Messonnier speaks during a press conference today at the Department of Health and Human Services on the coordinated public health response to the 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC


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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield is among the officials who must pre-clear media appearances. He met with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham Thursday


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President Trump addressed the media Thursday after providing repeated assurances about the coronavirus
[size=18]President Trump says US is totally prepared for coronavirus




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The move comes as Trump insisted he was not designating a special 'czar' to oversee the effort. Many Republicans blasted President Obama for a proliferation of specially-appointed 'czars' during his tenure.
Although he has taken on a number of challenges as Indiana governor and a former House GOP leader, Pence drew fire after his appointment from Democrats over his own decisions when confronting high AIDS transmission in his home state. He has no medical background of any kind. He studied history at Hanover College and went on to learn a law degree. 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday cited Pence's response as governor when Indiana was experienced a record-high rate of HIV infections due to sharing needles among drug addicts.  She pointed out he slashed the public health budget and closed a clinic that did HIV testing at the time.  
'We look forward to working together in a bipartisan and in a very candid way about our concerns about past performance or statements that were made,' she said.
'Let's put that in perspective as we move to have adequate funding, the respect for science and evidence-based decision making and, again, reimbursement for state and local government and understanding the impact this has on our communities,' she said. 
'Mike Pence literally does not believe in science. It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response,' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter after his appointment.

In response to the Louise Mensch tweet PAN posted, Politics Video Channel's BREAKING NEWS post said Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill to defund  drumpf's wall and use the money for coronavirus response in the US. I REALLY hope this is true - and I hope it passes!

(I checked their site but didn't see anything about this - maybe not posted there yet.)

PS - What's drumpf going to do to the health officials if they DO speak out without permission? Is he going to fire them all?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8053577/Mike-Pence-unveils-White-Houses-coronavirus-taskforce-just-THREE-doctors.html

[size=34]Is there a doctor in the house? Mike Pence unveils the White House's coronavirus taskforce amid growing crisis and Wall Street plunge - with just FOUR medical experts out of 15 chiefs (and one of them isn't even there)[/size]

• Pence convenes first meeting of official White House coronavirus taskforce Wednesday afternoon- after appearing at the  conservative CPAC conference for a lengthy speech
  
  
• Just four out of the 15 people on it are doctors, one of whom was named this morning and was not apparently at the meeting
  
  
• Those on the taskforce include Larry Kudlow, the Trump economic adviser who earlier in the week said the U.S. was 'airtight' from the virus
  
  
• Also on it is Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy Homeland Security secretary who had tweeted a complaint that he could not find a map of coronavirus' spread
  
  
• As they met Wall Street saw the worst stock market sell-off since 2008 with the Dow losing almost 1,200 points and officially entering a 'correction'
  
  
• Goldman Sachs warned U.S. companies could show no earnings growth this year because of the virus 
  
  
• In California, the state said it is monitoring 8,400 people for potential coronavirus infection and worldwide the death toll continued to mount
  
  
• Pence has gagged all health officials from speaking in public about the threat of the virus without his prior approval, and instead he gave a pre-recorded interview to Fox News' Sean Hannity
  
  
• And there was confusion over who is actually in charge of the taskforce with Pence saying 'I'm leading the task force,' but Azar would still hold the title of chairman - when Trump said Wednesday Azar was in charge
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and NATALIE RAHHAL ACTING US HEALTH EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:52 EST, 27 February 2020 | UPDATED: 18:54 EST, 27 February 2020

     




Mike Pence moved Thursday to project calm in the role of chief coordinator of the government's response to the coronavirus, chairing the first meeting of the White House's taskforce on the virus - which has just four doctors, one of whom was absent.
The taskforce held its first meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services, hours after it emerged that the Trump administration had ordered its own health experts not to speak in public without permission from Pence's staff.
Pence only held the meeting after he addressed the CPAC conservative conference and just before Wall Street closed with the worst stock mark sell-off since 2008.
In Californiia, 8,400 people are now being monitored for signs of the virus, while in Florida the governor refused to say if anyone was being tested.  
Those on the taskforce include Larry Kudlow, the Trump economic adviser who earlier in the week said the U.S. was 'airtight' from the virus, and Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy Homeland Security secretary, who had tweeted a complaint that he could not find a map of the coronavirus' spread.
The vice president named a seasoned medical professional, Debbie Birx, as his chief adviser on the response and said Trump had 'tasked us to take every step necessary to protect the health of the American people.'But there was no sign of her at the taskforce meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services. 
The other doctors on the taskforce are Anthony Fauci, Head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General; and Robert Redfield, director of the CDC. 
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Not a lot of medical expertise: Those at the table for the first meeting of the coronavirus taskforce are (clockwise from bottom left): Matthew Pottinger, deputy national security advisor; Keith Kellogg, Mike Pence's national security advisor; Dr. Robert Kadlec, assistant HHS Secretary, who is not on the taskforce; Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff; Ken Cuccinnelli, acting director of the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services; Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General; Alex Azar, HHS secretary; Mike Pence, the vice president; Dr. Tony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary; and Brian Bulatao, the Department of State's undersecretary for management


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One doctor in the picture: Surgeon General Jerome Adams  (left) is on the coronavirus taskforce. Other members include (right) Joel Szabat, the acting undersecretary of state for policy at the Department of Transportation 


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White House presence: Vice President Mike Pence, accompanied by left, President Donald Trump's acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaks at a coronavirus task force meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services


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Heat map: Mike Pence gave a fist pump in front of a map showing the death toll from coronavirus so far. 


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Show and tell: Alex Azar - the HHS secretary- shows Mike Pence the department's map of coronavirus worldwide. It relies on Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, for this map


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Effort: Mike Pence was shown the worldwide version of the map of cases. Tabs open at the top of the browser show that he could also have been shown HHS' own map of it in the U.S. but was not


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Coronavirus cases in the US have now risen to 60, including 42 passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 15 on US soil


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But first this: Mike Pence's first public appearance was at the CPAC conference of Trump ultra-loyalists in Oxon Hill, Maryland - then he went back to Washington D.C. to chair the taskforce


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First to get the message: This was the audience for Mike Pence's CPAC speech which went on as scheduled, with the coronavirus task force convened when he returned to Washington D.C.
And as the taskforce met, there was new confusion over who exactly is in charge.  
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stood side-by-side with Trump on Wednesday when the president announced that he was putting Pence 'in charge' of the government's response to the virus. 
At the end of the press briefing in the White House, Azar said he was 'delighted' to have the vice president's help, but also said he wanted to 'clarify' that 'I'm still chairman of the task force.' 
Pence explained things differently Thursday. 'I'm leading the task force,' he said, said Azar would still hold the title of chairman. 
On Capitol Hill, Azar told lawmakers Thursday that he was involved in discussions about Trump's decision to designate Pence. He said he welcomed the heft that the vice president's office brings.

[size=34]15 CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE MEMBERS - ONLY FOUR ARE DOCTORS[/size]

Debbie Birx - Global AIDS Coordinator, DOCTOR. Previously CDC official
Larry Kudlow - Director of National Economic Council, NOT A DOCTOR. Said the U.S. was 'almost airtight' from the virus
Jerome Adams - Surgeon General, DOCTOR. Previously worked for Mike Pence in Indiana
Alex Azar - Secretary of Health and Human Services, NOT A DOCTOR. Previously U.S. president, Eli Lilly
Robert O’Brien -  National Security Advisor, NOT A DOCTOR 
Robert Redfield - Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DOCTOR 
Anthony Fauci - Head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, DOCTOR 
Stephen Biegun - Deputy Secretary of State - NOT A DOCTOR. Not present at meeting.
Ken Cuccinelli - Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary, NOT A DOCTOR. Asked on Twitter why he could not find Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus map
Joel Szabat - Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, NOT A DOCTOR 
Matthew Pottinger - Deputy National Security Advisor, NOT A DOCTOR
Rob Blair - Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff, NOT A DOCTOR
Joseph Grogan - Director of the Domestic Policy Council, NOT A DOCTOR
Christopher Liddell - Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination, NOT A DOCTOR 
Derek Kan - Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, NOT A DOCTOR 
 




'I´ll be honest with you. When I heard the idea that the vice president would be willing to help add the force of his office to this effort, I said, quote, "That´s genius,"' Azar told Democratr Bill Pascrell. 
Until now, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had the role of coordinating the response across the government outside of the health care agencies. 
But before he convened the first task force meeting, Pence made his first public comments to CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he promised 'we will continue to bring the full resources of the federal government to bear to protect the American people.'
'The American people expect us to work together and I promise you, this president and this administration is going to work with leaders in both parties, will work with leaders across this nation at the state and local level and this president will always put the health and safety of America first,' he said, to cheers from a Trump-supporting crowd.
Pence's first interview on the coronavirus was being recorded to be broadcast Thursday night to Fox News' Sean Hannity - with every other TV appearance by health experts subject to his staff's approval.
Government scientists and health experts must now clear all media appearances in advance with Pence's office, the New York Times reported. 
Even NIH virus expert Dr. Fauci, a staple on TV who has spoken about the challenges of the outbreak and precautions people can take, must get permission to appear. He told associates about the White House directive, according to the report.  
Although he has taken on a number of challenges as Indiana governor and a former House GOP leader, Pence drew fire after his appointment from Democrats over his own decisions when confronting high AIDS transmission in his home state. 
He has no medical background of any kind. He studied history at Hanover College and went on to learn a law degree. His resume includes a stint as a conservative radio host.
Missing entirely from the task force was National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases director Nancy Messonnier, the doctor who warned Tuesday that coronavirus in the U.S. was inevitable.
She is the sister of Rod Rosenstein, the former deputy attorney general who oversaw the Robert Mueller special counsel probe, and was the target of conspiracy theory claims among Trump supporters that she ramped up her warning to hurt the president.
Pence's own appointment was the subject of Democratic attack. 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday cited Pence's response as governor when Indiana was experienced a record-high rate of HIV infections due to sharing needles among drug addicts.  She pointed out that he slashed the public health budget and closed a clinic that did HIV testing at the time.  
'We look forward to working together in a bipartisan and in a very candid way about our concerns about past performance or statements that were made,' she said.
'Let's put that in perspective as we move to have adequate funding, the respect for science and evidence-based decision making and, again, reimbursement for state and local government and understanding the impact this has on our communities,' she said. 
Bernie Sanders, the forerunner to take on Trump in the election, demanded Pence be replaced and the taks force packed with scientists and doctors, not 'political cronies.'
'First, they must replace Mike Pence with an expert on pandemics and disaster response,' he said.
'Second, the Trump administration must stop releasing misleading, unscientific, and false information about whether the coronavirus is controlled or when it will be controlled.
'Third, they must immediately staff their response team with experts and scientists to help us address a pandemic based on facts – Steve Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow are political cronies, not scientists.'










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National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Nancy Messonnier speaks during a press conference today at the Department of Health and Human Services on the coordinated public health response to the 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC


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Where is she? Debbie Birx was announced to serve as the 'White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator.' She is a medical doctor who serves as U.S. Global AIDS coordinator - but could not be seen at the taskforce's first meeting


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President Donald Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus response. Pence went to CPAC first before chairing the task force's first meeting


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Democrats attacked Pence for contributing to an HIV outbreak due to his resistance to needle exchange program
[size=18]President Trump says US is totally prepared for coronavirus




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'Mike Pence literally does not believe in science. It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response,' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter after his appointment.  
The White House response had done nothing to stop a dramatic market sell-off which saw Wall Street plunge.
Trump had blamed 2020 Democrats 'making fools of themselves' for the drop on Wednesday night but analysts said it was entirely driven by fears over coronavirus.
The Dow Jones plummeted 1,190.95 points, or 4.42 percent, to 25,766.64, the largest one-day point drop in history. It comes during the quickest market plunge on a percentage basis since the financial crisis of October 2008.
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all closed more than 10 percent below their recent highs. That means the market is officially in a correction, which is a phenomenon that analysts have said was long overdue.  

At their heart, stock prices rise and fall with the profits that companies expect to make — and Wall Street's expectations for profit growth are sinking as more companies warn that the virus outbreak will hit their bottom lines. 




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Rising fears of a pandemic, which U.S. health authorities have warned is likely, have erased about $1.84 trillion off the benchmark S&P 500 this week alone.
Industry analysts and economists continued to sound the alarm as they assessed the impact of the coronavirus, with Goldman Sachs saying U.S. companies will generate no earnings growth in 2020.
Apple and Microsoft, two of the world´s biggest companies, have already said their sales this quarter will feel the economic effects of the virus. 
Microsoft's stock lost 2.8 percent after it told investors that the virus will hurt revenue from its Windows licenses and its Surface devices.  



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A five-day view of the Dow Jones Industrial Average shows the cumulative declines this week


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Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. About five minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.8 percent


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Meanwhile, at the WHite House: The president spent 45 minutes in an Oval Office meeting with the actors and director of a play about the FBI lovers Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, then welcomed African-American supporters including Diamond and Silk to the Cabinet Room, where he complained he got no credit for containing coronavirus
American Airlines plunged 8.5 percent as airlines continue to feel pain from disrupted travel plans and suspended routes. 
Delta Airlines, which is reducing flights to South Korea because of the outbreak in that nation, fell 4.5 percent. 
Bank of America slashed its world growth forecast to the lowest level since the peak of the global financial crisis.
Financial warnings also came from Budweiser maker InBev and cloud-computing company Nutanix.
The virus has now infected more than 82,000 people globally and is worrying governments with its rapid spread beyond the epicenter of China. 
The price of crude oil fell 4.7 percent. The price has been falling sharply as investors anticipate that demand for energy will wane as the economy slows. 
Bond yields continued sliding as investors shifted money into lower-risk assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell further into record low territory, to 1.28% from 1.31% late Wednesday. Gold prices edged higher.        
Ron Klain, who coordinated the U.S. response to the ebola threat during the Obama administration, had a sharp retort to Trump's comment Wednesday that 'because of all we've done, the risk to the American people remains very low.'
Klain tweeted on Thursday: 'Oh look: it's the 'Mission Accomplished' tweet for #coronavirus.' That was a reference to President George W. Bush's premature claim in 2003 that major combat operations in Iraq had ended when the war was to drag on for years. 
At the White House, the president hosted two actors who will play the FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page in a 'deep state' play, The Daily Beast reported. He spent 45 minutes with Dean Cain, the former Superman, and Kristy Swanson, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 30 minutes more than was scheduled.
Then after 5pm, he held a meeting on 'empowering African-Americans' in the Cabinet Room, attended by his supporters including Diamond and Silk - from Fox Nation - and Candace Owens, the former head of Turning Point USA.
He vented to reporters in the room that he was not getting credit for preventing the spread of coronavirus from 'fake news' and Democrats, saying: 'I think it's an incredible achievement what our country's done.'
And he said that his Wednesday evening White House press conference had been good and 'calming' but that Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority leader, had said he was terrible. 
 

[size=33]California is monitoring at least 8,400 for signs of coronavirus as 33 test positive for COVID-19 in the state including a patient with 'unknown origin' who 'took FOUR DAYS' to be screened for the disease as 'they didn't fit the criteria' for infection[/size] 
California health officials are monitoring 8,400 people for coronavirus symptoms after their arrival on domestic commercial flights, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday.
The state currently has only about 200 test kits, an 'inadequate' number, but has been in 'constant contact with federal agencies' that have promised to send a fresh supply of kits in coming days, he said at a news briefing in Sacramento.
California officials said 33 people had tested positive for the virus there, but five had since left the state.
On Wednesday, California reported the first known case of the virus in the United States of unknown origin. 
The patient had not recently traveled to an area with a reported outbreak, and was not exposed to another known infected person.
Dr Sonia Angell, California's state public health officer, said local, state and federal health investigators were contacting and isolating individuals who may have been exposed to the patient in what could be the first US case of local 'community spread'.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its criteria for who should be tested for the coronavirus and is shipping more test kits out to states including California, the agency's director told lawmakers.
'When a clinician or a public health individual suspects coronavirus, then we should be able to get a test for coronavirus so that's the current guidance that went out today,' CDC Director Robert Redfield said at a House of Representatives hearing on the government response to the fast-spreading virus.
The news comes shortly after it was revealed that the CDC took several days to test the woman, who is a resident of Solano County, which is about 35 miles outside of Sacramento. She was admitted into UC Davis Medical Center on February 19. 
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California health officials are monitoring 8,400 people for coronavirus symptoms after their arrival on domestic commercial flights, Governor Gavin Newsom (right) said on Thursday


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The state currently has only about 200 test kits, an 'inadequate' number, but has been in 'constant contact with federal agencies' that have promised to send a fresh supply of kits in coming days, Newsom said at a news briefing in Sacramento. This image shows medical staff treating patients infected by the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, on Monday 
An email from medical center officials to employees revealed that the CDC took four days to test the patient for the deadly disease despite requests from staff at the center.
The leaked memo also suggested medical center staff may have been unnecessarily put at risk after dozens were told to go into isolation and watch for symptoms. 


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The news comes after it was reported that the CDC took four days to test a woman for coronavirus. The test results came back positive on Wednesday. This illustration shows a transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first US case of COVID-19
According to the email, the CDC didn't test the patient, who has not been identified, for coronavirus until February 23. 
It has also been revealed that experts like Dr Adrian Hyzler, the chief medical officer for Healix International, believe the virus could spread in the US overnight like it did in Italy. 
'It spreads very rapidly because of the ease with which you can pass on this virus through respiratory droplets and surface spread,' Hyzler told The Daily Beast. 
'There is every possibility that this could happen in the US,' Hyzler said, referring to the outbreaks in Iran and Italy.
Hyzler then pointed to a place like New York City where the coronavirus 'would spread very rapidly on a crowded subway or metro system'. 
Hyzler told the Daily Beast that quarantines could help, but 'if community transmission had already occurred in a city like NYC, then a citywide shutdown would be almost impossible to organize, and it would be much less effective'.
According to the internal memo from UC Davis Medical Center obtained by CBS13, the patient was transferred from the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital on February 19 and was already intubated and on a ventilator. 


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The patient, who is a resident of Solano County, is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center (pictured) in Sacramento


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The leaked memo also suggested medical center staff may have been unnecessarily put at risk after dozens were told to go into isolation and watch for symptoms. This image shows a man wearing a mask and gloves in San Francisco on Thursday 
[size=18]CDC confirms first coronavirus infection of unknown origin in US




Lo[/size]

• In Washington state, school administrators closed Bothell High School on Thursday over coronavirus fears
  
• San Francisco's mayor declared emergency to make it easier for city to combat possible cases of coronavirus
  
• New York monitoring 83 people in self-quarantine for coronavirus symptoms after possible exposure to virus 
  
• People are selling respirator masks on Ebay from $40 to $1,000 for brands that are usually only a few dollars 
  
• Airlines that have evacuated people from Wuhan, China, have stepped up their aircraft-cleaning efforts 
  
• The airlines are using Viraclean, a hospital-grade disinfectant that can kill herpes simplex and Hepatitis B 
  
• Around 14 per cent of coronavirus patients tested positive a second time in one Chinese region, officials said 
  

However, despite requests from medical center officials for the CDC to test the unknown individual, the patient was only tested for coronavirus on Sunday - four days after they were admitted to the hospital - because 'the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19', the email said.
The email from the David Lubarsky, vice-chancellor of human health services, and Brad Simmons, interim CEO of UC Davis Medical Center, to the center employees confirmed that the test had come back positive Wednesday.
'Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be COVID-19. We requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, since neither Sacramento County nor (the California Department of Public Health) is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. Since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19, a test was not immediately administered,' said the email, which added that, 'UC Davis Health does not control the testing process'.
The hospital has been treating one other confirmed case of coronavirus, though the other patient contracted the disease through travel after returning to the US from China on February 2.

[size=34]Florida governor and surgeon general REFUSE to confirm whether any suspected coronavirus cases have been tested in the state [/size]

Officials in Florida have raised concerns about transparency after refusing to confirm whether any suspected cases of coronavirus have been tested for the disease in the state.
'There is still no known cases of coronavirus in the state of Florida,' Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Thursday morning. 
'Obviously, if there is — and hopefully we don't have — any identified cases, it is something we would notify the public about,'' DeSantis added.
However, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees declined to say whether anyone in the state had been suspected of infection with coronavirus but tested negative for the disease.
Rikvees and DeSantis cited state laws and privacy concerns for withholding any statistical information. 
State Democrats, who hold a minority in both houses of Florida's legislature, blasted the Republican governor for failing to provide more information.


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Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees (center) declined to say whether anyone in the state had been suspected of infection with coronavirus but tested negative for the disease
'To be clear, we are all confident in Florida's public health infrastructure and professionals in preparing and protecting us from coronavirus,' said Democratic state Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez in a statement.
'What we need is better management of public information,' he added.
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who represents the Orlando area, also called for more transparency.
'I was disappointed that at today's briefing, state officials failed to be forthcoming with the public about suspected cases in Florida,'' she said in a statement to WJXT-TV.
'As a top tourist destination and home to many vulnerable seniors, Florida is uniquely at risk from the threat of this illness,' she said.



'This is not the first COVID-19 patient we have treated, and because of the precautions we have had in place since this patient's arrival, we believe there has been minimal potential for exposure here at UC Davis Medical Center,' the email said.
However, the email said some staff members had been warned to go into isolation and to stay vigilant to any developing symptoms.
'A small number of medical center employees have been asked to stay home and monitor their temperatures,' the email said.        
The CDC confirmed that the person had not recently returned from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case. 
The news suggests that fears of the disease spreading locally in the US could now be a reality - while President Donald Trump continued to tell the public that the risk to Americans is 'low'. 
Trump announced in a press conference Wednesday night that the US was 'very ready' to tackle the disease as he also handed Vice-President Mike Pence the task of leading the nation's response to the disease.  
The US has taken extreme precautions to ensure that anyone traveling back from China has been quarantined in order to limit the spread of the disease.
News of the first case where a patient has no known connection to travel abroad or to another known case has raised concerns over how the disease could spread across America. 
A statement from CDC confirmed the first possible instance of 'community spread' in the US Wednesday evening.   
'At this time, the patient's exposure is unknown. It's possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown,' the statement said. 
The CDC did not rule out that the patient may have been in contact with an infected individual who is yet to be diagnosed or linked to the individual.
'It's also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected,' the statement said.
'This case was detected through the US public health system — picked up by astute clinicians. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States to 15.'
Officials said they will be tracing the infected individual's contacts to see how they may have been infected and if any other individuals may be at risk.   
A chief doctor at the medical center refuted Trump's claims that the US is 'ready' for an outbreak and sent a stark warning that the local Californian community is not prepared. 
'We don't have that much data, so we don't really know how many symptomatic, or asymptomatic patients there are in the community right now. The testing is very limited. We would like to have more widespread testing so we know where this virus is — who's sick and who is at risk,' Dr Dean Blumberg, the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the UC Davis Children's Hospital, told CBS Sacramento.
Blumberg said that if community transmission is confirmed, there could be many more cases out there. 
'We only have this one confirmed case of community transmission, but it suggests that we don't know where they got it from, so the person who exposed them, so there's probably other cases in the community that we don't know about,' Blumberg said.  
The UC Davis Medical Center has not responded to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. 
 

[size=34][size=61]Health workers dealing with Americans in coronavirus quarantine 'did not have proper training or protective gear and moved on and off military bases, interacting with public'[/size][/size]

Health workers dealing with evacuated Americans held in coronavirus quarantine in California did not have proper training or protective gear and moved on and off military bases, a whistleblower has claimed. 
One Federal employee is even said to have stayed in a nearby hotel before leaving on a commercial flight, according to a report seen by The New York Times. 
A complaint was said to have been filed Wednesday with the Office of the Special Counsel.  It concerns more than a dozen Department of Health and Human Services workers who worked at two two military bases in California dealing with Americans evacuated from China in late January and early February. 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an infection in California in a person who reportedly did not have relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient on Wednesday. The case emerged near the Travis Air Force Base, where part of the whistleblower report is focused.
The whistleblower, a senior leader at the health agency, wrote they 'soon began to field panicked calls from my leadership team and deployed staff members'.
They say health workers 'expressed concern' about 'staff being sent into quarantined areas without personal protective equipment, training or experience in managing public health emergencies, safety protocols'.  
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Two government chartered Boeing 747-400F cargo plane are seen parked at Travis Air Force Base after unloading some Americans evacuated from Wuhan on February 5


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In this image from a video taken on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, U.S. passengers who evacuated off the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess and officials wait for the takeoff of a Kalitta Air airplane bound for the U.S., at Haneda airport in Tokyo


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A Solano County, California resident who is the first confirmed case of the Coronavirus COVID-19 that was 'community acquired' has been held in isolation while undergoing treatment at the UC Davis Medical Center, pictured, for the past week
The report says the lack of training and protective gear means the workers pose a 'potential danger to both themselves and members of the public they come into contact with'. 
'They were potentially exposed to coronavirus; appropriate measures were not taken to protect the staff from potential infection; and appropriate steps were not taken to quarantine, monitor or test them during their deployment and upon their return home', it adds.  
The Americans evacuated from coronavirus hotspots were sent to Travis Air Force Base and March Air Reserve Base. 
It was not until five days after coming into contact with those being held there in quarantine that training in safety protocols was given, according to the whistleblower.    
The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the existence of the report. 
A spokeswoman for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs told The New York Times: 'We take all whistle-blower complaints very seriously and are providing the complainant all appropriate protections under the Whistleblower Protection Act.'
They added: 'We are evaluating the complaint and have nothing further to add at this time.'

You know who I wish would get the coronavirus? Would serve him right!

I think it's time he took another trip to China. All the trade problems the virus is causing need to be worked out. Our stable genius needs to fix things as only he can.

Lol, sadly that will never happen. He is too much of a coward .

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8056269/Mick-Mulvaney-dismisses-coronavirus-hyped-bring-Donald-Trump.html

[size=34]'It's not a death sentence!' White House chief of staff dismisses coronavirus as being hyped to 'bring down' Donald Trump - as he admits schools are 'probably' going to shut and says president did NOT sleep before chaotic press conference on crisis[/size]

• Mick Mulvaney said the disease is 'not the same as the Ebola crisis.' 
  
  
• He said Trump 'did not sleep' the night before his news conference on the coronavirus 
  
  
• Said the media want to 'bring down the president'
  
  
• Predicted Trump will be impeached again if Democrats keep the House 
  
  
• Said Trump asks him if he will be impeached again 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:19 EST, 28 February 2020 | UPDATED: 10:04 EST, 28 February 2020

     



Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney accused the media of working against President Trump on the coronavirus outbreak – even as he predicted some American schools would 'probably' be shut down in a future response. 
'They think this will bring down the president. That's what it's all about,' Mulvaney griped at the annual CPAC conservative gabfest. 
He said of the disease that has now impacted 50 countries: 'It's not a death sentence. It's not the same as the Ebola crisis.'


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Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney predicted some U.S. schools would 'probably' close amid the coronavirus outbreak
He continued: 'What I might do to calm the markets is turn the television off for 24 hours. This is not Ebola... It's not SARS. It's not MERS,' Mulvaney said, pointing to epidemics.'
'When you look at the severity of diseases, one of the ways you can look at it is you can look at the percentage of people who get it who die,' he explained. He noted that many people die from ordinary flu.
It looks like this disease is some place between 1 and 2 percent fatal. Is that serious, it absolutely is, there's no question about it.' He also noted it's 'much easier to get' than Ebola. 'This is something we know how to deal with.'
'We sit there and watch the markets and there's this huge panic. Why isn't there this panic every single year over flu?' he asked. 
He accused the press of sensationalizing coverage, and pointed to efforts the administration took to close borders and try to stem the outbreak here. 'While real news was happening, the press was covering their hoax of the day,' he said. 
His up-beat remarks about the virus came even as South Korea closed all of its schools and Italy contended with the spread of the disease, which emerged from China late last year.
'Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably,' he predicted. 'May you see impacts on public transportation? Sure,' he said. 'But we do this. We know how to handle this,' he said. 
Mulvaney was interviewed on stage by Michael Moore, who had been Trump's choice to join the Federal Reserve before his nomination fell apart. 


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Mulvaney spoke to Stephen Moore of the Heritage Foundation. Moore had been Trump's pick to join the Federal Reserve


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Mulvaney said Trump did not sleep the night before his chaotic hour-long press conference. Trump returned this week from India
He also said the bureaucracy was working against Trump. 
'There are men and women who work in this government every single day. You want bureaucrats who work just as hard for Donald Trump as they did for Barack Obama. That's only fair. They're taking your tax dollars.'
'They should work just as hard for Donald Trump, and that has not happened,' he said. 
Moore called Trump a 'freak of nature' for his energy. 'Does the guy ever sleep? He's the most Energizer bunny guy I've ever met. I can't imagine being his chief of staff,' he said. 
'The phone calls start about 6 am' and don't come after midnight, he said.
Mulvaney said he missed Trump's trip to India because he has a cold and the 'doctor did not clear for the trip because everybody gets sick on the airplane.'
He said Trump 'did not sleep on the flight home and I know that because he's emailing and texting and taking phone calls.'
'He did that press conference Wednesday night. That thing you saw for an hour – he had not slept for a day and a half, two and a half,' he told the crowd. 
'When we do those kinds of trips, if I had been on the trip, we sleep in shifts so that somebody is always up. The man just never sleeps,' Moore said.
Mulvaney also predicted Trump will be impeached again if Democrats keep the House.
The president asks me: "Do you think I’ll be impeached again?" You tell me who’s in charge of the House. If it’s Nancy Pelosi, the answer [is] sure, why not,' he said. 
 

Is there anyone in this administration with a working brain? ...Maybe lack of sleep is a factor in drumpf's inability to put two coherent sentences together.

Sorry, everybody. Couldn't resist:

https://twitter.com/NewYorker/status/1233173786326859781

then click on the image...........

PAN - You're forgiven. I saw this earlier and thought, "Yep, that looks about right.". I'm just wondering if he feels safe enough in the White House to hide out there or if he's got a bunker somewhere to wait out the pandemic - maybe under Mar A Lago?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8057033/WHO-raises-global-coronavirus-threat-level-high.html

[size=34]'The world is not ready': Odds of a pandemic have doubled to 40 percent as WHO raises global coronavirus threat level to 'very high' and warns at-risk people who are over 65 or sick to avoid crowds[/size]

• The World Health Organization said Friday that the threat of the coronavirus's impact and spread is now 'very high' worldwide
  
  
• It's the group's highest risk level and comes as the virus spreads to more than 50 countries worldwide, sickening more than 83,000 people 
  
  
• So far, nearly 2,900 people have died and several countries reported their first cases this week 
  
  
• WHO officials said that there is a worldwide strain on protective gear and masks supplies 
  
  
• Strategy has shifted form containment to mitigation in some countries 
  
  
• Officials said that health systems around the world are 'not ready' to handle the outbreak 
  
  
• They stopped short of labeling coronavirus a pandemic but said if it was flu, it would be considered at pandemic levels
  
  
• People anywhere with underlying conditions or who are over 65 are at risk of the virus, and might consider avoiding crowds, officials said 
  
  
• A Moody's Analytics report estimated that the odds of a coronavirus pandemic have now doubled to 40%  
  
  

By NATALIE RAHHAL ACTING US HEALTH EDITOR
PUBLISHED: 12:30 EST, 28 February 2020 | UPDATED: 15:06 EST, 28 February 2020

     



The risk of coronavirus is now 'very high' worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday. 
Even 'quite sophisticated countries...are having quite a bit of trouble' containing its spread, said Dr Mike Ryan, who heads up the WHO's emergency response efforts said during the press briefing. 
Of the world's 195 countries, at least 53 have reported cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, which has now sickened more than 83,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 2,900 globally. 
The international agency hasn't quite given up on containing the virus, but is deeply concerned by the rapid spread of infections in places like Italy, in spite of its well-developed health system. 
Officials warned global citizens who are over 65 or have underlying health conditions that they are at risk for COVID-19, and even suggested they might avoid crowded places. 
Moody's Analytics Friday estimated that the risk of a global coronavirus pandemic has now doubled, to 40 percent, yet the WHO has continued to decline to label the outbreak that, instead calling it a series of 'linked epidemics.' 
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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has elevated the risk level for coronavirus to 'very high' around the world 



The WHO has by and large tried to quell panic and advise against personal measures that would disrupt daily life. 
But the world's top doctors are starting to shift their tone. 
The WHO is still refusing to call the outbreak a pandemic, but just barely. 
'If this was influenza, we would probably have called it a pandemic by now,' said Dr Ryan. 
'But with this virus...its course can be altered.'
Or, at least it can be in some countries. WHO officials said that it's 'unhelpful' to call the outbreak a pandemic - instead referring to it as a series of 'linked epidemics' - but said that in some places they're beginning to shift strategies from containment to mitigation. 
In other words, there's no use trying to stop its spread in places like China, and it's now time to try to better manage the onslaught of infections by bolstering hospitals and advancing research efforts for vaccines and treatments. 


Rather than rely on public health systems to keep them safe, the officials advised older people - those over 65 - and people with underlying conditions to manage their own risks, including by avoiding crowded public gatherings where virulent pathogens like coronavirus could spread like wildfire. 
Still, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in countries where spread is limited, such as the US where there has only been one case that suggests community spread - where only one  health officials still owe it to the rest of the world to continue to try to contain the disease. 
'We do not see evidence yet that [coronavirus] is spreading freely in communities,' said Dr Tedros.  
'The key to containing it is to break the chain of transmission.' 
But Dr Ryan reiterated his stark warning: 'Countries are not simply not ready...health systems around the world are clearly not ready.'  
'We need to slow [coronavirus] down so that countries can cope.' 


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At least 53 countries around the world have cases of coronavirus, in what the WHO is calling 'linked epidemics' but not a pandemic 
[size=18]WHO increases assessment risk of the deadly coronavirus spreading




[/size]






Among the ways in which nations are ill-prepared is the meager supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 face masks. 
Retailers are selling out, and even the World Health Organization's supply is low. 
'There are severe strains on masks and protective equipment around the world,' said Dr Ryan. 
'We are disappointed we are not able to provide proper equipment for all health care workers.' 
His dismal admission comes after US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary told Congress that the US does not yet have the manufacturing capacity to make the 300 million masks he believes are needed to protect its health care workers. 
And Thursday, a whistleblower filed a complaint that health workers assisting the first American evacuees from the outbreak's epicenter in Wuhan had not been properly trained or given protective equipment while helping them on California Air Force bases. 
The WHO officials also reiterated that N95 masks are 'inappropriate' for the general public. 
'A normal surgical mask...will prevent you from giving [the virus] to someone else,' but wont necessarily keep you from getting sick, noted Dr Ryan.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8057513/Man-kept-coronavirus-quarantine-stop-coughing-taking-water-3-year-old-daughter.html

[size=34]Man coughs through Fox News interview, taking water from his 3-year-old daughter, despite saying he's 'fine' after being cleared from coronavirus quarantine in California[/size]

• Frank Wucinski and his three-year-old daughter Annabel were evacuated from Wuhan to San Diego on February 4
  
  
• His wife was forced to remain in China as she tended to her sick father who was hospitalized with the coronavirus
  
  
• Her father has since died and she has pneumonia that may be virus-related
  
  
• Wucinski and Annabel were separated and isolated when they landed because of their proximity to a confirmed coronavirus case
  
  
• They spent 14 days in quarantine but tested negative for the deadly virus 
  
  
• Wucinski could not stop coughing during a Fox News appearance
  
  
• He was forced to grab a water bottle from his daughter and hand it back
  
  

By FRANCES MULRANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:53 EST, 28 February 2020 | UPDATED: 17:42 EST, 28 February 2020

     


A U.S. citizen who was evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, could not stop coughing as he gave a TV interview of his experience of going through the quarantine process.  
Frank Wucinski and his three-year-old daughter Annabel were evacuated from Wuhan on February 4 and immediately placed in a 14-day quarantine in the MCAS Miramar military base in San Diego.
They were finally released on February 20. He gave a TV interview to Fox News on Friday but Wucinski appeared to be struggling with a cough that at times prevented him from speaking clearly. 
He was forced to take a bottle of water from his daughter sitting on his lap but handed it straight back to her, despite mentioning how the deadly virus seemed to be contagious. 
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 


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A father and daughter who have been released from quarantine after being evacuated from China appeared on Fox News but he could not stop coughing through the interview


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Frank Wucinski with his daughter and wife before the coronavirus outbreak separated them


+14


Frank Wucinski's wife remained in China to tend to her father who has since died


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Frank Wucinski and his daughter Annabel pictured as they left their 14-day quarantine
Wucinski racked his cough up to 'nerves' during his appearance on the weekday show 'America's Newsroom'. 
His wife, who is not a U.S. citizen, is still stuck in Wuhan and now suffering with pneumonia which may be coronavirus related. 
She had stayed in China to aid her father, who was hospitalized with the virus and passed away while Wucinski and Annabelle were in the California quarantine center. 
The family has lived in China for the past 15 years. They have spent two-thirds of that time in Wuhan, where his wife's family lives. 


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The father and daughter were evacuated from Wuhan to San Diego on February 4


+14


Frank Wucinski documented his time in quarantine with his daughter Annabel on Twitter
 'I mean, I know just from my experience being in Wuhan when it all first started it was scary. You just didn't know what was happening and what was going on,' Wucinski told Fox News as he battled through stunted coughs. 
'I think as time goes forward, hopefully, doctors and scientists will get a better handle on the whole situation.  
'Fortunately, from what I understand, it is contagious, but the death rate is pretty low,' he added. 
As he clearly struggled to continue, Wucinski was forced to take the water bottle Annabel was eagerly drinking from in an attempt to regain his composure. 
He continues to explain the cough away, reiterating that he was tested and cleared of the coronavirus and that his mystery cough had nothing to do with it.
'They said I'm fine. I got tested twice, negative both times. The cough, probably just nerves,' he added.   


+14


Frank Wucinski, freed from 14-day quarantine, coughed as he spoke about the coronavirus


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 Frank Wucinski was forced to take his daughter's water bottle as he coughed continuously
[size=10][size=18]Man who finished quarantine coughs next to daughter during TV interview




L[/size][/size]




Wucinski and his daughter were immediately separated and isolated as soon as they reached MCAS Miramar military base as a result of their contact with Wucinski's father-in-law who had the virus. 
'A few days later, Annabel just coughed in front of some staff,' he told Fox News. 
'They suggested we go to the medical tent. The medical tent contacted the CDC and they said that we should go back to isolation at the children's hospital. So, we stayed there for about three days.' 
When her test came out negative they were moved to the base on February 14 to complete the remainder of their 14-day quarantine.   
They were both released on February 20 after testing negative for the disease but now face large medical bills for their stay. 
 'Well, we're meant to go for follow-up checkups at the hospital or with a doctor, So, we're looking into trying to get some insurance because my insurance for work doesn't work in America. So, we're applying,' he told Fox. 
'Although I assumed all medical bills from our time in quarantine would be paid by the government, it turns out that I am financially responsible for the six days Annabel and I spent in isolation at the hospital,' Wucinski explained on a GoFundMe page he has established for the family. 
'Secondly, since I do not know how long we will be in the United States, I am looking into getting health insurance for the two of us, since my insurance in China does not cover American doctors. While it looks like my daughter might be eligible for free healthcare, I am not.'  


+14


Frank Wucinski's daughter Annabel coughed in front of medical staff and was brought to the local children's hospital for isolation and further tests. She tested negative for the virus 


+14


Frank Wucinski celebrates his release from quarantine with his daughter Annabel, aged 3


+14


The family now faces medical fees to cover their six-day hospital stay in quarantine
The coronavirus has reached more than 57 countries with more than 84,000 deaths and more than 2,800 deaths. 
There are now 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. 
Experts admit they have no way of knowing the true figure because access to testing at present is severely limited.
The first U.S. case of coronavirus where the origin of the disease is unknown was confirmed on Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the person, a resident in Northern California, had not recently returned from a foreign country, and had not been in contact with another confirmed case.
It later emerged that evening that the CDC had taken four days to test the woman, despite requests from medical staff, because 'the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19'.
As many as 100 healthcare workers may have been exposed to the woman in the four days that she went untested. The doctors and nurses are from the University of California Davis Medical Center, where the woman is being treated, and from NorthBay VacaValley Hospital.


+14


Shoppers wearing protective face masks buying toilet paper at a wholesale store in Mountain View, California, as people stock up on supplies due to increasing panic about the virus


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Shoppers wearing protective face masks walking in a wholesale store in Mountain View, California, with 60 cases now confirmed in the United States
All of the 59 other cases in the U.S. have been for people who had traveled abroad or had close contact with others who traveled.
Earlier U.S. cases included 14 in people who returned from outbreak areas in China, or their spouses; three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
So far, the U.S. strategy has focused almost exclusively on testing infected travelers, using a test that looks for genetic material from the virus in saliva or mucus. As of February 23, fewer than 500 people from 43 states had been or are being tested for the virus.
Currently, just seven state and local health departments have the ability to screen for the virus.


People have been panic buying items from stores ever since health authorities warned that Americans should start preparing for domestic acceleration of the virus, which has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000.  
U.S. stock indexes fell sharply again at the open on Friday as the coronavirus outbreak raised the alarm for a possible global recession.
Investors have been left reeling after virus fears wiped nearly $3 trillion off the combined market value of S&P 500 companies this week, with the index confirming its fastest correction in history in volatile trading on Thursday.
The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 463 points, or 1.8 percent, at the opening bell on Friday, and losses quickly widened to as much as 1,000 points one day after the index's biggest one-day point drop in history.
If the Dow closes down by more than 1,000 points on Friday, it would be the third time this week and the second day in a row the index lost points in the four digits, something that had previously only happened twice in history. 


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Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed the virus was likely to cause school closures
[size=18]President Trump defends coronavirus response during WH meeting




[/size]




 It comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week for the first time advised American businesses, schools, hospitals and families to prepare for domestic acceleration of the virus, which has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000.
Schools across the United States are canceling trips abroad, preparing online lessons and even rethinking 'perfect attendance' awards as they brace for the possibility that the coronavirus could begin spreading in their communities. 
On Friday, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed that the coronavirus was likely to cause school closures across the U.S.
Mulvaney sought to reassure concerned Americans advising people 'to turn their televisions off for 24 hours'. 
'Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably. Maybe see impacts on public transportation? Sure, but we do this. We know how to handle this,' he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington D.C.  
President Donald Trump on Wednesday assured Americans that the risk of coronavirus transmission in the U.S. was 'very low' but he has been increasingly alarmed by the reaction of the U.S. stock market, which he considers a barometer of the economy's health and sees as important to his re-election in November.
In tweets overnight, Trump said the coronavirus virus had spread 'very slowly' to the United States and defended his administration's response so far.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51685908

Coronavirus: Unexplained West Coast cases raise fears in US

• 37 minutes ago
  

Image copyrightEPAImage captionProtective masks are selling fast in parts of California
Officials on the US West Coast have reported three unexplained coronavirus cases, raising concerns the virus could be spreading within the community.
The patients - in California, Oregon and Washington State - have no known connection to a badly hit country.
A total of 59 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Meanwhile South Korea, which has the highest number of cases outside China, mobilised the army on Saturday.
Soldiers are disinfecting large parts of Daegu, the south-eastern city that has been at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday South Korea reported a sharp rise in the number of cases of the Covid-19 disease. It now stands at 3,150. The respiratory illness has killed 17 people in the country so far.

• How deadly is the coronavirus?
  
• A visual guide to the outbreak
  
• How worried should we be?
  

What is happening in the US?

On Friday health officials in California's Santa Clara County said an older woman with chronic health conditions had been diagnosed with Covid-19.
Officials say she is not known to have travelled to a country badly affected by the virus or been in contact with a person who had.
"This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," said Dr Sara Cody, director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.






Media captionWatch how germs spread and how you can prevent it
Oregon health officials said a school employee in Clackamas County had tested positive for the virus. In Washington State, authorities said another case concerned a high school student in Snohomish County.
Neither had any contact with a known case nor any history of travel to an affected region.
These bring the total of unexplained cases in the country to four, after another such case was reported in California in Tuesday.






Media caption'This is their new hoax' - Trump
On Friday, President Donald Trump accused the Democrats of politicising the outbreak. "This is their new hoax," he told a rally in South Carolina.
He accused the Democrats of advocating a policy of open borders and said this was "a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans".

Are those the first untraced cases?

No. Earlier this week a patient who had no known connection with an affected region died in France.
On Friday, a patient diagnosed with the virus in England was said to be the first to catch it in the UK.
The latest developments came as the WHO on Friday upgraded the global risk of the outbreak to its highest level.
Image copyrightPRESS EYEImage captionWHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fear was still the biggest challenge
But the UN body said there was still a chance of containing the virus if its chain of transmission were broken.
WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also stressed that fear and misinformation were the biggest challenges to overcome.

What's happening in South Korea?

The spread of the virus there has been linked to the fringe Christian group Shincheonji Church.
Authorities believe members infected one another during services in Daegu and then fanned out around the country, apparently undetected.
Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe South Korean army has been spraying disinfectant in public areas
South Korean health officials believe that a 61-year-old member of the sect who last week tested positive for the virus was among the first to be infected.
The female patient initially refused to be transferred to a hospital to be tested and is known to have attended several church gatherings before testing positive.
In neighbouring North Korea, meanwhile, leader Kim Jong-un has warned of "serious consequences" if his officials fail to prevent an outbreak in the country.

What other developments have there been?

• More than 50 countries have now reported cases of coronavirus
  
• More than 83,650 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed globally, the vast majority of them in China, where 78,961 people have been infected and 2,791 have died
  
• Iran on Saturday said the total number of infections there had reached 593 and 43 patients had died
  
• The first British death from Covid-19 was announced on Friday - a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan
  
• Fear about the virus has continued to hit global markets. Shares have shed almost 13% of their value this week on London's FTSE.
  

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51665497

Coronavirus: Where are we with a vaccine?
By James GallagherHealth and science correspondent

• 27 February 2020
  

Related Topics

• Coronavirus outbreak
  

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionResearchers are developing vaccines and starting to test them on animals
As cases of coronavirus increase around the globe, the focus is turning to finding a vaccine.
We've answered some of the big questions about vaccines and how soon one for coronavirus could be ready.

How does a vaccine work?

Vaccines are like teachers - their pupil is the immune system and their lesson is how to fight infection.
Vaccines harmlessly show viruses or bacteria (or even small parts of them) to the immune system. The body's defences recognise it as an invader and then learn how to fight it.
Then if the body is ever exposed for real then it already knows how to fight the infection.

What different types are there?

The main method of vaccination for decades has been to use the original virus.
So the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is made by using weakened versions of those viruses that cannot cause a full-blown infection. The seasonal flu jab is made by taking the main strains of flu doing the rounds and completely disabling them.
The work on a new coronavirus vaccine is using newer, and less tested, approaches called "plug and play" vaccines. Because we know the genetic code of the new coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, we now have the complete blueprint for building that virus.
Some vaccine scientists are lifting small sections of the coronavirus's genetic code and putting it into other, completely harmless, viruses.
Now you can "infect" someone with the harmless bug and in theory give some immunity to the coronavirus.
Other groups are using pieces of raw genetic code (either DNA or RNA depending on the approach) which once injected into the body should start producing bits of viral proteins which the immune system again can learn to fight.

What's the progress so far on finding one for coronavirus?

Researchers have developed vaccines and are starting to test them on animals.






Media captionInside the US laboratory developing a coronavirus vaccine

If one is found, how quickly could it be made available?

Realistically it is going to be mid-way through next year at best.
So there are vaccines being tested in animals, if that goes well there could be human trials later in the year. But even if scientists can celebrate having developed a vaccine before Christmas there is still the massive job of being able to mass-produce it.
All of this is happening on a unprecedented timescale and using new approaches to vaccines so there are no guarantees everything will go smoothly.
Remember there are four coronaviruses that already circulate in human beings. They cause the common cold and we don't have vaccines for any of them.

Would it protect people of all ages?

It will, almost inevitably, be less successful in older people. This is not due to the vaccine itself, but aged immune systems do not respond as well to immunisation. We see this every year with the flu jab.

Could there be any side effects?

All medicines, even paracetamol, have side-effects. But without clinical trials it is impossible to know what the side-effects of an experimental vaccine may be.

Until a vaccine is developed, what treatments are available?

Vaccines prevent infections and the best way of doing that at the moment is good hygiene.
If you are infected, then for most people it would be mild. There are some anti-viral drugs being used in clinical trials, but we cannot say for sure any of these work.

Related Topics

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/28/coronavirus-donald-trump-truth-president#img-1

Donald Trump’s war on coronavirus is just his latest war on truth

Jonathan Freedland

The president is reacting to this disaster the way authoritarians always do – by covering up the facts and dodging the blame

 @Freedland
Fri 28 Feb 2020 13.16 ESTLast modified on Fri 28 Feb 2020 16.54 EST

• 
  
• [url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Donald Trump%E2%80%99s war on coronavirus is just his latest war on truth | Jonathan][/url]
  
  

 Illustration: R Fresson
The coronavirus crisis is a war against a disease, but it’s also the most serious battle yet in the war on truth. That much was clear from the start, as China moved to hush up the first outbreak and gag the doctor who had spotted it. It was a classic case of what we might call Chernobyl syndrome: the tendency of authoritarian systems to react to disaster by rushing to downplay or cover up the problem, focusing more on shifting blame than tackling the threat head on. Viewers of last year’s TV dramatisation of the Chernobyl nuclear accident could recognise the pattern immediately, as the priority of those in charge becomes avoiding embarrassment rather than saving lives.

Italy Covid-19 death toll rises to 21 as UK confirms 20th case – as it happened

 
Read more


There was some of that in the Iranian reaction to the virus, as the country’s deputy health minister coughed and sweated his way through a press conference called to reassure citizens, only later for it to be confirmed that he had himself been infected. (There were already suspicions, since Tehran’s official numbers didn’t add up.) And there was a grim logic to the fact that at the heart of the outbreak in South Korea is a religious sect similarly devoid of transparency.
Usually, the democratic world can contrast itself flatteringly with such closed, controlled societies, proud that its approach to calamity is openness and the free flow of information. Indeed, crises like this one can serve as test cases for the competing merits of free systems v authoritarian ones. True, democracies cannot match Beijing’s ability to lock down whole cities and build an entire hospital in a week. But when it comes to a global pandemic, it’s free speech, full disclosure and cross-border scientific cooperation that ultimately save lives.
Q&A

How can I protect myself from the coronavirus outbreak?

Show
Except this time, the familiar authoritarian v democratic contrast has become muddled. That’s because the current leader of the world’s most powerful democracy, the US, has the same instincts as the authoritarian rulers he so admires, and those instincts have coloured his response to coronavirus. The result is that what for many must have seemed an abstract concern – Donald Trump’s assault on facts, experts and science – is now a matter of life and death.
So while US medical officials have been at pains to brace Americans for the inevitability of coronavirus – a matter of when, not if – Trump and his outriders have worked hard to minimise the threat. On Thursday, Trump repeatedly referred to the figure of “15” cases in the US, when the actual figure was 60, and promised that that number would go down rather than up: “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
Trump’s chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, breezily assured the US public that the bug had been contained and that the country was sealed “pretty close to airtight” against the disease, when of course it is not. One of the administration’s most influential propagandists – for whom Trump paused his state of the union address this month so that his wife, Melania, might garland him with America’s highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has been telling his vast audience that “the coronavirus is the common cold, folks”, and that it had been “overhyped” and “weaponised … to bring down Donald Trump”.




 Trump says coronavirus spread not ‘inevitable' – video
Trump has nodded in a similarly conspiracist direction, tweeting that the media are doing all they can “to make the Caronavirus [sic] look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible”. That reference to the markets is key. Trump believes his chances of re-election in November hinge on his stewardship of the economy, betting that voters will back him if their pensions – linked to the stock market – are up. That the Dow Jones suffered the biggest one-day drop in its history on Thursday has him rattled.
And so his first instinct is that of the Manhattan hustler-hotelier loudly assuring guests that the strong smell of burning coming from the ground floor is merely the chef trying out a new barbecue rather than a sign that the building is on fire. Crucial to that effort is talking loudly over the fire marshals, or even gagging them altogether.
You could see that when Trump spoke in the White House briefing room, [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/28/fact-checking-president-trumps-coronavirus-news-conference/?mc_cid=25c6234b56&mc_eid=7912be35fd&utm_campaign=25c6234b56-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_31_05_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_source=CJR Daily News][/url]brazenly contradicting the experts by his side. But it’s now become formal policy, with Trump’s insistence that all federal officials – including those with deep scientific expertise – are to say nothing that has not first been authorised by the White House.
Note the fate of Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. On Thursday he dared say that “we are dealing with a serious virus” with a higher mortality rate than regular flu. That was deemed insufficiently upbeat for the great leader. According to the New York Times, “Dr Fauci has told associates that the White House had instructed him not to say anything else without clearance.”
The new mantra, it seems, is to be one of Trump’s favourite phrases: repeated again on Thursday: “Nobody really knows.” That could be the motto of post-truthists such as Trump, conveying the hope that voters will become confused, concluding that no truth is ever even possible, and that in the fog of information and rumour it’s best simply to trust the man in charge. That’s what Trump wants every American to believe, about coronavirus and everything else for that matter: nobody really knows.



Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Donald Trump%E2%80%99s war on coronavirus is just his latest war on truth | Jonathan][/url]Twitter[url=http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=Donald Trump%E2%80%99s war on coronavirus is just his latest war on truth | Jonathan][/url]Pinterest
 Donald Trump and Mike Pence at a White House press conference on the coronavirus outbreak. Photograph: Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Now Trump has put his slavishly deferential vice-president, Mike Pence, in charge of the coronavirus effort. Put aside Pence’s appalling record as governor of Indiana, when his response to an HIV outbreak was to veto a medically recommended needle exchange programme and to offer his prayers instead.
Focus instead on the fact that Pence has been appointed over the head of the health secretary, Alex Azar, whom Trump deemed too “alarmist”. In that same spirit, Trump has gutted the very agencies that the US will now desperately rely on. In 2018, he slashed health spending by $15bn, binning the Obama-era programmes and teams established for the express purpose of leading the US response to a pandemic. Among those cut: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – now in the frontline against coronavirus – which was forced to reduce by 80% its efforts to prevent global disease outbreak. The consequences are clear enough: only eight of the US’s 100 public-health labs are now even able to test for Covid-19.

 Has Britain become too selfish to cope with coronavirus?

Gaby Hinsliff


 
Read more


This onslaught against the health agencies is of a piece with Trump’s entire approach to data, science and truth. You might remember “Sharpiegate”, when the president all but got out a black marker pen and amended a map issued by the key US meteorological agency so that it appeared to support his tweeted, and false, claim that Alabama was about to get hit by a hurricane. Trump has installed cronies and business pals at the helm of a raft of agencies previously respected as providers of neutral, factual data, the better to ensure those bodies say only what he wants them to say. He has moved to shrink their budgets – whether at the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or the Census Bureau – and allowed experts with deep knowledge to retire and not be replaced.
We can’t say we weren’t warned. On Trump’s first full day in office, he telephoned the head of the National Park Service, angered by photographs showing that crowds that had gathered for his inauguration the previous day were smaller than those for Barack Obama. The head of the NPS duly passed on the instruction from the president, and new, more flattering images appeared.
We laughed about it at the time because it was so petty, so vain and so trivial. But the mindset was clear. The US president is a man who does not want the facts or the truth. He wants only what makes him look good. That impulse might not have mattered much in January 2017. But it matters gravely now.
• Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8059987/First-coronavirus-patient-dies-Seattle.html

[size=34]Washington State woman in her 50s is confirmed as the first US coronavirus death - as President Trump tells the public not 'to panic' and that 'healthy people' have nothing to worry about[/size]

• 'Medically high-risk' woman in her 50s died of coronavirus overnight Friday near Seattle, Washington 
  
  
• Officials in King County say that the death was one of multiple new cases identified in the area
  
  
• Trump urged calm, saying 'healthy individuals should be able to fully recover' if infected
  
  
• Community spread with no traceable origin has now been identified in California, Washington, Oregon 
  
  
• Trump administration issues new travel restrictions on Iran, Italy and South Korea 
  
  

By KEITH GRIFFITH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 13:09 EST, 29 February 2020 | UPDATED: 14:53 EST, 29 February 2020

     


A woman in Washington state has been confirmed as the first person to die from coronavirus in the United States. 
At a White House press conference, President Donald Trump said that the deceased patient was a woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. No further information about the patient's travel and medical history was immediately available. 
Washington Governor Jay Inslee initially issued a statement referring to the deceased patient as a male, saying 'Our hearts go out to his family and friends.' But the statement was later changed to read 'their' instead of 'his' 
The woman who died overnight on Friday had been a patient at the Evergreen Health's hospital in Kirkland, Washington, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Speaking to the nation at a rare Saturday press conference, Trump expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and addressed the outbreak, urging calm even as he said the virus spread seems inevitable.
'Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover,' he said. 'Healthy people — if you're healthy, you'll probably go through a process and you'll be fine.'
Trump urged politicians and the media not to sensationalize the outbreak and provoke panic. 'There's no reason to panic at all,' he said.
Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 83,652 people and killed 2,862 in 54 countries.


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US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference on the COVID-19, coronavirus, outbreak as US Vice President Mike Pence looks on at the White House


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A researcher works in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation on Friday in New Jersey


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At Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a home assessment team hold protective and testing supplies, while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to coronavirus
[size=10][size=18]President Trump announces first US death from the coronavirus




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Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a 'hoax' cooked up by his political enemies.
'Hoax was referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody,' Trump explained on Saturday when asked if he regretted his words. 'I'm not talking about what's happening here, I'm talking about what they're doing.'
At the press conference, Vice President Pence, who has been tapped to lead to virus task force, announced new emergency travel restrictions on Iran, Italy, and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks.
Any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the U.S., Pence said.
He also said that Trump has authorized the State Department to raise the travel advisory level to outbreak areas in Italy and South Korea to Level Four, the highest level.
Level Four advisories urge Americans not to travel to an area for any reason, though they do not legally forbid travel. 
Officials in King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle, said in a statement on Saturday that new cases had been identified, including one patient who died. 
A local press conference in Washington state with more details about the fatality there is scheduled for 1pm PST. 
It follows the revelation on Friday that three new cases of community spread with no identifiable origin had been detected in California, Oregon, and Washington State. 
Those patients - an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington and an employee at a Portland, Oregon-area school - hadn't recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person, authorities said.
Earlier U.S. cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining.
Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients.
The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus - a day after Governor Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits.


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Officials in King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle (above), said on Saturday that two new cases had been identified, including one who died


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A map shows the four previously announced 'unknown origin' coronavirus cases
Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area reported two cases where the source of infection wasn´t known. The older woman was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said.
'This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation,' said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department.
'But we don't know to what extent,' Cody said. 'It could be a little, it could be a lot.'
'We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible,' she said.
Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state.
The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have traveled to Solano County, where another woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source.
Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said.
At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for 'self-quarantine' after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday.
The case 'highlights the vulnerability of the nation's hospitals to this virus,' the union said.


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Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team carry protective and testing supplies while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to novel coronavirus at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington on Saturday
Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed.
The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers.
Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District.
The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said.
Both patients weren´t seriously ill.
The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China.
But health officials aren't taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding.
In Southern California's Orange County, the city of Costa Mesa went to court to prevent state and federal health officials from transferring dozens of people exposed to the virus aboard a cruise ship in Japan to a state-owned facility in the city. The passengers, including some who tested positive for the virus and underwent hospital care, had been staying at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
On Friday, state officials said the federal decided it no longer had a crucial need to move those people to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. That's because of the imminent end of the isolation period for those passengers and the relatively small number of persons who ended up testing positive, officials said.
The new coronavirus cases of unknown origin marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could spread beyond the reach of preventative measures like quarantines, though state health officials said that was inevitable and that the risk of widespread transmission remains low.
California public health officials on Friday said more than 9,380 people are self-monitoring after arriving on commercial flights from China through Los Angeles and San Francisco. That's up from the 8,400 that Newsom cited on Thursday, though officials said the number increases daily as more flights arrive.
[size=18]Two new cases of coronavirus found in Washington




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Officials are not too worried, for now, about casual contact, because federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through 'close contact, being within six feet of somebody for what they´re calling a prolonged period of time,' said Dr. James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health.
The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.
As infectious disease experts fanned out in the Solano County city of Vacaville, some residents in the city between San Francisco and Sacramento stocked up on supplies amid fears things could get worse despite official reassurances, while others took the news in stride.
The woman in the community who has coronavirus first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, before her condition worsened and she was transferred to the medical center in Sacramento.
Sacramento County´s top health official told The Sacramento Bee on Friday that he expects several medical workers to test positive themselves in the next few days. Numerous workers at both hospitals have been tested, but the tests were sent to labs approved by the CDC and generally take three to four days to complete.
Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's health services director, said he expects even those who test positive to become only mildly ill.
Confusion over how quickly the woman was tested for coronavirus concerned McKinsey Paz, who works at a private security firm in Vacaville. The company has already stockpiled 450 face masks and is scrambling for more 'since they´re hard to come by.' The company's owner bought enough cleaning and disinfectant supplies to both scrub down the office and send home with employees.
But they appeared to be at the extreme for preparations.
Eugenia Kendall was wearing a face mask, but in fear of anything including the common cold. Her immune system is impaired because she is undergoing chemotherapy, and she has long been taking such precautions.
'We´re not paranoid. We´re just trying to be practical,' said her husband of 31 years, Ivan Kendall. 'We wipe the shopping carts if they have them, and when I get back in the car I wipe my hands - and just hope for the best.' 
Developing story, more to follow. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8061337/Mike-Pence-warns-American-deaths-coronavirus-man-50-die.html

[size=34]Mike Pence warns of MORE American deaths from coronavirus after Washington man, 50, becomes first to die in US from the virus and fears grow for 50 showing symptoms at nearby nursing facility[/size]

• Vice President Mike Pence admitted that more US coronavirus deaths could be imminent
  
  
• The US' first death from coronavirus was confirmed Saturday in Washington state 
  
  
• Pence said 'we could have more sad news', in a clip from Sunday's 'State of the Union' show
  
  
• This came as fears are mounting for 50 staff and residents at a nursing facility in Washington state as they show symptoms of the disease, after a resident and staff member tested positive
  
  
• Trump continued to urge the public not to panic in a press conference Saturday
  
  
• Two new US cases – one in Illinois and another in Santa Clara, California – were confirmed Saturday night, taking the number of US cases to 71 and counting
  
  
• Australia confirmed its first death Saturday in a passenger from the doomed Diamond Princess cruise ship, where 44 American passengers contracted the disease and were repatriated to the US
  
  
• The first US death was of a 'medically high-risk' male in their 50s who died in a Kirkland hospital, Washington state, just two miles from Life Care nursing facility
  
  
• Two new confirmed cases in Washington are connected to the long-term care home - with one female staff member in her 40s and one female resident in her 70s both testing positive 
  
  
• 25 staff and 27 residents of the the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington state, are now also showing symptoms of coronavirus, health officials said Friday  
  
  
• The CDC and local health officials are sending an emergency response team to the facility to try to control the escalating situation  
  
  
• A growing number of US cases are of 'unknown origin', where the patient had not recently traveled overseas or been in contact with another known case
  
  

By RACHEL SHARP FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 23:37 EST, 29 February 2020 | UPDATED: 04:31 EST, 1 March 2020



Vice President Mike Pence has warned that more US coronavirus deaths could be imminent, after a 'medically high-risk' man in his 50s in Washington state became the first person in the US to die from the rapidly-spreading disease.
In a departure from President Trump's continued line that all is well, Pence admitted 'we could have more' fatalities among the American population, in a clip from Sunday's 'State of the Union' show released Saturday night.
His comments came as fears are mounting for 50 staff and residents at a nursing facility located just two miles from the deceased male after they have shown coronavirus symptoms, while Trump urged the public not to panic and two new cases – one in Illinois and another in Santa Clara, California – were confirmed Saturday night.
Australia also confirmed its first death from coronavirus on Saturday.
The 78-year-old male victim contracted the virus on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where 44 American passengers also contracted the disease and were repatriated to the US.


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Vice President Mike Pence admitted that more US coronavirus deaths could be imminent, as fears sweep America following news on Saturday that a 'medically high-risk' man in his 50s had become the first person in the US to die from the rapidly-spreading disease


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In a departure from President Trump's continued line that all is well, Pence said 'we could have more' fatalities among the American population, in a clip from Sunday's 'State of the Union' show released Saturday night
[size=10][size=18]Pence tours Covid-19 operation center but claims virus poses low risk




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'We know there will be more cases,' Pence told CNN's Jake Tapper in the interview clip.
When pressed by Tapper if this means there will be more deaths, Pence – who was this week handed the job of leading the US taskforce to tackle the disease – admitted: 'It is possible.'
He restated the president's point that healthy individuals will likely recover from the disease.
'The reality that Doctor Fauci (the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and others explained to me since I took on these duties a few days ago is that for most people that contract the coronavirus they will recover,' he said. 
'They will deal with a a respiratory illness, we'll get them treatment.'
However, he conceded that for Americans that have pre-existing health conditions, there could be 'sad news'.
'For people who have other conditions that would militate towards a worse outcome,' the Vice President said.
'We could have more sad news. But the American people should know the risk for the average American remains low.'


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Pence's comments come as two further cases were confirmed late Saturday night, making the total number of Americans diagnosed with the virus 71 and counting



Pence's comments come as two further cases were confirmed late Saturday night, making the total number of Americans diagnosed with the virus 71 and counting.  
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department confirmed its fourth case is an adult woman who lives with the woman who was confirmed to be a case on Friday and who sent shockwaves for becoming the US's second 'unknown origin' case.
The fourth case does not have symptoms and has not been hospitalized, officials said. 
Officials in Illinois then confirmed the state's third case, which is being treated as another 'unknown origin' case. 
Fears are now mounting for 50 staff and residents at a nursing facility in Washington state as they are now showing symptoms of the virus, after two individuals - a resident and an employee at the care home - have already been diagnosed with the infection.
Fifty-two staff and residents of the nursing facility where two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed are now showing symptoms of the disease, health officials said during a teleconference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington state, around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have some symptoms, including some cases where individuals have contracted pneumonia.
The CDC and local health officials are reportedly sending an emergency response team to the Life Care facility on Sunday to try to control the escalating situation. 
This comes as a 'medically high-risk' man in his 50s became the first person in the US to die from coronavirus overnight Friday near Seattle, Washington state. 


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Healthcare workers are pictured transporting a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington on Saturday


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Healthcare workers transport a patient into an ambulance at Life Care Center on Saturday. The CDC and local health officials are reportedly sending an emergency response team to the Life Care facility on Sunday to try to control the escalating situation


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More than 50 staff and residents of the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, where two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed, are now also showing symptoms of the disease


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The first US coronavirus death happened overnight on Friday. The man in his 50s died in EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kirkland (pictured Saturday)
The unnamed man died in a hospital just two miles from the nursing facility where concerns of a mass outbreak are mounting, but officials are maintaining the cases are unconnected.  

President Trump sought to quell widespread panic in a press conference on Saturday where he expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and told people to remain calm - before he made a gaffe by wrongly saying the deceased person was a woman.  
The possible outbreak in the nursing facility comes as it emerged that two new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state are linked to the home. 
At a Saturday press conference, Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, confirmed that one of the confirmed cases was a woman in her 40s who works at the facility, who is in satisfactory condition. 
Another was a female resident of Life Care in her 70s, who is in serious condition. 


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The first person to die of coronavirus in the US died in EvergreenHealth hospital just two miles from the Life Care nursing facility where concerns of a mass outbreak are mounting, but officials are maintaining the cases are unconnected
Neither had a recent history of travel, suggesting these are additional cases of community spread.  
'We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, as we would be wherever people who are susceptible might be gathering,' said Duchin. 
'We're going to send a team into the facility tomorrow to do an assessment.' 
A team of CDC workers from Atlanta are on route to the facility in efforts to control the outbreak. 
Duchin added that older adults and people with underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart or lung disease should be especially careful to protect themselves by washing their hands, not touching their faces, and avoiding contact with people who are sick.  
The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions.
News of the potential outbreak in the facility is concerning given the higher danger of coronavirus being fatal to individuals who are less healthy or already have pre-existing conditions. 
A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus.
They said the restricted access had only been put in place earlier that morning, the same day the two cases were confirmed and outbreak fears emerged.  


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Officials confirmed the death at a press conference Saturday and said a lack of availability of tests and strict criteria for testing from the CDC had delayed identification of people with the virus


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At a White House press conference, President Donald Trump mistakenly said that the first patient to die from coronavirus in the US was a Washington state woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. The patient was a man


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'We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, as we would be wherever people who are susceptible might be gathering,' health officials said
[size=18]Second 'unknown origin' case of coronavirus is confirmed in CA




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An ambulance driver prepares to leave after transporting a patient into an ambulance. A team of CDC workers from Atlanta are on route to the facility in efforts to control the outbreak


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The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions. News of the potential outbreak in the facility is concerning given the higher danger of coronavirus being fatal to individuals who are less healthy or already have pre-existing conditions


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A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus
Medical staff wearing protective clothing and masks were pictured transporting a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at the Life Care facility on Saturday. 
The CDC is working with the facility to try to get a handle on the situation, they said, but the individual said they could not confirm reports that the CDC was sending in an emergency response team to the home.
Executive director Ellie Basham said in a statement that the facility is monitoring the situation closely.
'Current residents and associates are being monitored closely. As is normal this time of year, there are various cold and flu-like symptoms being exhibited from residents and associates,' the statement emailed to DailyMail.com read.
'The health department has advised us to monitor for an elevated temperature, cough and shortness of breath. We're consulting with the health department and possibly sending patients to a local hospital for formal COVID-19 testing.'
Several Kirkland firefighters have also been quarantined after they responded to Life Care facility over the last week, according to Seattle Times. 
'It impacted multiple crews,' Kellie Stickney, a city of Kirkland spokesperson, said.
The city has not stated where the firefighters are being quarantined.  


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Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, said the deceased man had no recent history of travel or known links to global coronavirus hotspots


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Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team, including (L to R) Michelle Steik, Lucy Greenfield, and Krista Reitberg prepare to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle
[size=18]President Trump announces first US death from the coronavirus




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Washington state recorded the first death from coronavirus in the US on Saturday. 
Duchin said the deceased patient was a man in his 50s with 'underlying health conditions.'  
He died overnight at the Evergreen Health's hospital in Kirkland, Washington - just two miles from the Life Care facility in Kirkland where the mass outbreak is now feared.  
The deceased patient, also in King County, did not have a connection to the facility, Duchin said. 
However, Frank Riedo, the medical director of infection control at EvergreenHealth Hospital, did not seem to rule out the possibility the cases are related. 


'At the present time, we do not see a connection between the two. But there are some evolving threads that are being investigated,' said Riedo.
'I think … what we're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. We're seeing the most critically ill individuals. Usually that means there's a significant percentage of individuals with less severe illness floating around out there. So in all likelihood there is ongoing low level transmission.'
Duchin also took aim at the CDC, saying that the lack of available tests had led to delays in the cases being confirmed and action being taken. 
'If we had the ability to test earlier, I'm sure we would have identified patients earlier,' he said.
Health officials said all three new cases in Washington state had no known travel history or links to global hot zones — indicating that the deadly outbreak is now likely spreading in communities. 
This now takes the number of Washington cases to a total of six, according to presumptive tests administered locally. 
Speaking to the nation at a rare Saturday press conference, Trump expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and addressed the outbreak, urging calm even as he said the virus spread seems inevitable. 
'Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover,' he said. 'Healthy people — if you're healthy, you'll probably go through a process and you'll be fine.'
Trump urged politicians and the media not to sensationalize the outbreak and provoke panic. 'There's no reason to panic at all,' he said.
Initially, there was confusion over the deceased patient's sex, after Trump said that the person was a woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. The White House said that Trump was relying on information from a briefing from the CDC.
'It was a man,' said Dr. Duchin of the deceased patient, adding that the patient was a 'chronically ill person' with 'severe risk factors.'
Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 83,652 people and killed 2,862 in 54 countries.
Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a 'hoax' cooked up by his political enemies.
'Hoax was referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody,' Trump explained on Saturday when asked if he regretted his words. 'I'm not talking about what's happening here, I'm talking about what they're doing.'


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The EvergreenHealth hospital (above) in Kirkland. The three new cases takes the number of Washington cases to a total of six, according to presumptive tests administered locally


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At Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a home assessment team hold protective and testing supplies, while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to coronavirus on Saturday
[size=18]Washington Gov. declares state of emergency over coronavirus death




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At the press conference, Vice President Pence, who has been tapped to lead to virus task force, announced new emergency travel restrictions on Iran, Italy, and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks.
Any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the U.S., Pence said.
He also said that Trump has authorized the State Department to raise the travel advisory level to outbreak areas in Italy and South Korea to Level Four, the highest level.
Level Four advisories urge Americans not to travel to an area for any reason, though they do not legally forbid travel. 
Health experts say that the coronavirus has a low mortality rate, resulting in death in about 2 to 3 percent of cases, the majority of which are elderly patients or those with compromised immune systems. However, it appears to be highly contagious, spreading quickly through communities. Experts say frequent hand washing is one of the most effective preventative steps that individuals can take to prevent viral spread. 


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On Saturday afternoon, Washington's Governor Inslee, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in response to coronavirus, authorizing the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary, following the confirmation of the new cses near Seattle (above) 
On Saturday afternoon, Washington's Governor Inslee, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in response to coronavirus, authorizing the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary.
He issued a proclamation that directs state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases.
'This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state,' Inslee said in a statement. 'Washingtonians can be assured we've taken this threat seriously and have been working in collaboration with our health care partners to develop plans and procedures to prepare for what could likely be a world-wide pandemic.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8062775/Coronavirus-likely-spreading-undetected-Washington-state-SIX-WEEKS-confirmed-cases-hit-8.html

[size=34]Coronavirus has been spreading in Washington State for more than six weeks and HUNDREDS could be undiagnosed, say experts as panic buying spreads and new cases are reported in Rhode Island and Illinois following first US death[/size]

• Trevor Bedford, of the University of Washington, shared a diagram that shows how coronavirus case WA2 stems from the same tree as WA1 
  
  
• Both infections were in Snohomish County residents and the Seattle Flu Study found striking similarities
  
  
• It's nearby King County where six people have been confirmed to be infected 
  
  
• None of the Washington cases had a history of recent travel and are being treated as 'community spread' 
  
  
• 'This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks,' Bedford tweeted Saturday
  
  
• Anxious shoppers descended on supermarkets on the west coast, stocking up on supplies like bottled water
  
  
• Delta Air Lines Inc on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported and American Airlines Group Inc announced similar
  
  

By LEAH SIMPSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:53 EST, 1 March 2020 | UPDATED: 18:11 EST, 1 March 2020

     



A scientist in Washington State believes coronavirus may have been spreading for six weeks before it was detected, and there could be a 'few hundred' people currently infected amid an 'already substantial outbreak'.
At least 74 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported as of Sunday afternoon with the majority being on the west coast of the United States but new cases were confirmed in Rhode Island - where a patient in their 40s had traveled to Italy in mid-February - and Illinois where the third ‘presumptive case of novel coronavirus,’ was announced. Two people have made full recoveries in Illinois.
But anxious shoppers descended on supermarkets, stocking up on supplies like bottled water, canned food and Clorox wipes after more than half a dozen California residents were diagnosed with the disease in recent days.
The number of confirmed infections in Washington reached eight Sunday as two men in their 60s - both with underlying health conditions - were in critical condition. One was stable at Valley Medical Center in Renton, the other was at Virginia Mason.   
 Trevor Bedford of the University of Washington said the illness has likely spread within the community as none of the people confirmed to be infected had recently traveled. 
Scroll down for video 


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A new coronavirus study 'strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State (pictured) for the past 6 weeks,' a scientist has said. In three new cases confirmed near Seattle the victims don't have a history of recent travel


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Arrows on a diagram show how coronavirus case WA2 stems from the same tree as WA1, the first two cases reported in the US 


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Travelers wear protective mask as they walk through in terminal 5 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Sunday. In Illinois, the third ‘presumptive case of novel coronavirus,’ was announced


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Rhode Island Director of Health Nicole Alexander-Scott, left, and R.I. Gov. Gina Raimondo, right, face reporters during a news conference, Sunday. Alexander-Scott took questions on what she described as the state's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus. Officials said the person is in their 40s and had traveled to Italy in February of 2020


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But anxious shoppers descended on supermarkets, stocking up on supplies like bottled water, canned food and Clorox wipes after more than half a dozen residents were diagnosed with the disease in recent days. A shopper is pictured in Oregon
[size=10][size=18]World Health Organisation advice on how to avoid Coronavirus




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Bedford said a team at the Seattle Flu Study had compared the first reported case of COVID-19 in the United States to the second case, and found that it was on the same evolutionary tree.
Sharing a diagram, Bedford tweeted Saturday: 'This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks.' 
Bedford posted on social media that case WA2 is likely to have come from case WA2 as they appear almost identical in make-up. 
The academic also noted that they were discovered in the same area of Washington State, Snohomish County, as he put the probability value at 0.3. Anything less than 0.5 is statistically significant and effectively rules out the chance the findings are random.


'It's possible that this genetic similarity is a coincidence and these are separate introductions. However, I believe this is highly unlikely. The WA1 case had a variant at site 18060. This variant is only present in 2/59 viruses from China,' Bedford continued. 
'I'd assess the p-value for this coincidence at 2/59=0.03 and so is statistically significant. Additionally, these two cases are geographically proximal, both residing in Snohomish County.
'I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China.'
Bedford said they will be working closely with Public Health Seattle and King County as well as the Washington Department of Health to fully investigate the outbreak.
The virus, immunity and evolution expert added that they hope to provide an update on the number of infections in Washington State soon.
'An update, because I see people overly speculating on total outbreak size. Our best current expectation is a few hundred current infections,' Bedford tweeted Saturday. 'Expect more analyses tomorrow.'






Coronavirus wasn't detected in the country before January 19 and the initial cases were in Washington


+14


Sonya Tran, of Randolph, Massachusetts, front, and Bobby Ratanasim, of Providence, Rhode Island, behind center, wear protective masks while playing a Nintendo game, Thursday, in Boston. Tran and Ratanasim said concerns about the coronavirus played a role in wearing masks to the conference


+14


Zhang Bin, right, walks with a friend along a street, both wearing protective masks in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles on Friday


+14


A 'medically high-risk' male in his 50s died of coronavirus overnight Friday in Kirkland hospital EvergreenHealth
[size=18]1st March: Confirmed Coronavirus cases around the world




Lo[/size]



Scientists not affiliated with the research said the results did not necessarily surprise them and pointed out that for many people - especially younger, healthier ones - the symptoms are not much worse than a flu or bad cold.
'We think that this has a pretty high rate of mild symptoms and can be asymptomatic. The symptoms are pretty non-specific and testing criteria has been pretty strict, so those combinations of factors means that it easily could have been circulating for a bit without us knowing,' said Justin Lessler, an associated professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
'And that was what a lot of us was thinking was likely.'
The man who died Friday was a 'medically high-risk' patient in Kirkland hospital EvergreenHealth, just two miles from Life Care in Kirkland.
Two confirmed cases in Washington are connected to the long-term care home, Life Care where a total of 25 staff and 27 residents of the nursing facility were showing symptoms of coronavirus, health officials said Friday.
But the new cases reported Sunday were not from the Life Care Center, Katie Ross, a spokeswoman for the Washington Health Department, said. 
The Washington Public Health Laboratories confirmed the test results for both cases were positive but 'haven't identified a connection', King County Public Health said in a press release.  
The CDC and local health officials sent an emergency response team to Life Care to try to control the escalating situation.
Frank Riedo, the medical director of infection control at EvergreenHealth Hospital, previously did not seem to rule out the possibility the cases are related.
'At the present time, we do not see a connection between the two. But there are some evolving threads that are being investigated,' said Riedo.
'I think … what we're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. We're seeing the most critically ill individuals. Usually that means there's a significant percentage of individuals with less severe illness floating around out there. So in all likelihood there is ongoing low level transmission.' 


+14


The death was just two miles from Life Care in Kirkland (pictured). A staff member blocks the view as a person is taken by a stretcher to a waiting ambulance from a nursing facility


+14


At the Life Care nursing facility where concerns of a mass outbreak are mounting, but officials are maintaining the cases are unconnected
[size=18]Two new cases of coronavirus found in Washington




L[/size]


'We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, as we would be wherever people who are susceptible might be gathering,' Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, said.
Duchin added that older adults and people with underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart or lung disease should be especially careful to protect themselves by washing their hands, not touching their faces, and avoiding contact with people who are sick.
The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions.
News of the potential outbreak in the facility is concerning given the higher danger of coronavirus being fatal to individuals who are less healthy or already have pre-existing conditions.
A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus.


+14


A map shows the four previously announced 'unknown origin' coronavirus cases
They said the restricted access had only been put in place earlier that morning, the same day the two cases were confirmed and outbreak fears emerged.
Medical staff wearing protective clothing and masks were pictured transporting a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at the Life Care facility on Saturday.
The CDC is working with the facility to try to get a handle on the situation, they said, but the individual said they could not confirm reports that the CDC was sending in an emergency response team to the home.
Executive director Ellie Basham said in a statement that the facility is monitoring the situation closely.
'Current residents and associates are being monitored closely. As is normal this time of year, there are various cold and flu-like symptoms being exhibited from residents and associates,' the statement emailed to DailyMail.com read.
'The health department has advised us to monitor for an elevated temperature, cough and shortness of breath. We're consulting with the health department and possibly sending patients to a local hospital for formal COVID-19 testing.'
Several Kirkland firefighters have also been quarantined after they responded to Life Care facility over the last week, according to Seattle Times.
'It impacted multiple crews,' Kellie Stickney, a city of Kirkland spokesperson, said.
The city has not stated where the firefighters are being quarantined.
Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 83,652 people and killed 2,862 in 54 countries.
Community spread with no traceable origin has been identified in California, Washington, Oregon.
The US will start screening travelers for coronavirus and ramp up production of masks and test kits as the government scrambles to reassure Americans while the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights.
Donald Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and upon arrival, without specifying which countries.
Delta Air Lines Inc on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday.
The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea.
Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding, 'We hope we won't have to do that.'
Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its foreign ministry said on Saturday that both governments are in 'close and effective communication, especially the health authorities.' 


+14


Delta Air Lines Inc on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday
[size=18]Coronavirus test results delayed at least 2 days in Miami




Loa[/size]











Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer. 
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams asked the public to stop buying masks, saying they're ineffective against coronavirus. 
Pence, named by the president to be the point-person overseeing the government's response, said more than 15,000 virus testing kits had been released over the weekend. And, the administration is working with a commercial provider to distribute 50,000 more, he said.
The vice president said testing was among the first issues raised by governors he's spoken with so far. Several states have begun their own testing, including Washington state, Oregon and Illinois.
'We're leaning into it,' Pence said.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more than 3,600 people already have been tested for coronavirus and the capability exists to test 75,000 people. He forecast a "radical expansion of that" in the coming weeks.


+14


Mike Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover
[size=18]Pence tours Covid-19 operation center but claims virus poses low risk




Lo[/size]






The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number 'radically' in coming weeks, Azar told ABC's This Week on Sunday. 
He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine will likely not be available this season.
Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the November 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing for the disease to spread in the United States.
Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover.
'Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready,' Pence told NBC's 'Meet the Press'. 


+14


U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has asked the  public to stop buying masks, saying they're ineffective against coronavirus. He's pictured during a reception in the East Room of the White House February 13, 2018 in Washington, DC

Other than Iran are there any cases in the Middle East?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8063353/Pete-Buttigieg-dropping-race-president-according-Politico.html

[size=34]Pete Buttigieg drops out of the presidential race after coming fourth in South Carolina as speculation mounts he will back Joe Biden who called him when the news broke[/size]

• Pete Buttigieg announced the suspension of his presidential campaign Sunday night in South Bend, Indiana 
  
  
• He offered an uplifting message to his supporters, urging them to stay involved in the Democratic race 
  
  
• Buttigieg finished fourth in Saturday's South Carolina primary, which fellow moderate Joe Biden handily won
  
  
• Insiders say Biden and Buttigieg have been trying to reach each other by phone since news of the latter candidate's departure broke 
  
  
• Earlier on Sunday Buttigieg met with former President Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia  
  
  

By MEGAN SHEETS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM  and WIRES
PUBLISHED: 18:15 EST, 1 March 2020 | UPDATED: 21:04 EST, 1 March 2020

     





+9


Pete Buttigieg offered an uplifting message to his supporters as he announced the suspension of his presidential campaign on Sunday night in his hometown of South Bend, Indiana
Pete Buttigieg offered an uplifting message to his supporters as he announced the suspension of his presidential campaign on Sunday night in his hometown of South Bend, Indiana.  
The impromptu event came hours after reports emerged that Buttigieg would be dropping out of the race following a disappointing fourth-place finish in the South Carolina primary. 
'It's so good to be in South Bend. Sometimes the longest way around really is the shortest way home. Here we are,' Buttigieg told the cheering crowd.  
'We got into this race for a reason. We got into this race in order to defeat the current president and in order to usher in a new kind of politics.
'And that meant guiding our campaign by the values we like to call the rules of the road. Respect, belonging, truth, teamwork, boldness, responsibility, substance, discipline, excellence, and joy. And every decision we made was guided by these values. One of those values is truth. And today is a moment of truth.
'After a year of going everywhere, meeting everyone, defying every expectation, seeking every vote, the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close. For our candidacy if not for our cause. 
'We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further. Our goal has always been to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for our values. 
'And so we must recognize that at this point in the race the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together. 
'So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency. I will no longer seek to be the 2020 democratic nominee for president.
'But I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January.' 


+9


'Tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency,' Buttigieg told the cheering crowd. 'I will no longer seek to be the 2020 democratic nominee for president. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January'
An Afghanistan war veteran and the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency, Buttigieg rose to the field's top tier as an eloquent, disciplined speaker with a promise to unite Democrats, independents, and moderate Republican voters. 
His campaign picked up momentum early last month after a narrow win in the Iowa caucuses and a strong second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary. 
But he struggled as the race moved to more diverse states, less dependent on college-educated voters - culminating in a harsh loss to fellow moderate Joe Biden in Saturday's South Carolina primary.  
Buttigieg had been critical of Biden, charging that the 77-year-old lifelong politician was out of step with today's politics. 
But his criticism had shifted in recent days more toward front-runner Bernie Sanders, a polarizing progressive who was benefiting from the sheer number of candidates dividing up the moderate vote. 





President Donald Trump reacted to the news of Buttigieg's departure from the race on Twitter 
Buttigieg had tried to make the case that his party thrived when it embraced candidates who offered generational change - but ended up being more successful at winning older voters while 78-year-old Sanders captured the energy of younger ones.  
His departure from the race reflects the growing pressuring among more moderate Democrats to consolidate in an effort to blunt the rise of Sanders, who Buttigieg said was too liberal to be elected. 
It came just two days before the 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests that will offer the biggest electoral prize so far in the Democratic race to pick a candidate to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November's election. 
Trump reacted to the news by tweeting: 'Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!' 
Axios quoted a Biden campaign official as saying that the former vice president and Buttigieg 'have exchanged voicemails' since news of the former mayor's departure broke, but have failed to reach each other by phone. 


+9


An Afghanistan war veteran and the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency, Buttigieg rose to the field's top tier as an eloquent, disciplined speaker with a promise to unite Democrats, independents, and moderate Republican voters 


+9


Insiders say Biden (pictured on Sunday) and Buttigieg have been trying to reach each other by phone since news of the latter candidate's departure broke


+9


CNN obtained video of Buttigieg explaining his unexpected trip back to South Bend on Sunday


+9


Buttigieg (left) met with former President Jimmy Carter (center) in Plains, Georgia, earlier on Sunday. The pair are pictured with the candidate's husband Chasten Buttigieg (second right) and former first lady Rosalynn Carter (right) at Buffalo Cafe
Despite robust organizations in Iowa and New Hampshire and supporters who included an influx of former independents and Republicans, Buttigieg failed to overcome daunting questions about his ability to draw African American support key to the Democratic base.
He earned just three percent of the nonwhite vote in South Carolina's Saturday primary, according to AP VoteCast, a a wide-ranging survey of the electorate. 
As mayor of a city that is 25 percent black, Buttigieg faced criticism for firing the first African American police chief in the history of South Bend and for his handling of the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an armed black man in June.
After his unexpected rise to contention in Iowa and New Hampshire last fall, Buttigieg became the target of Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren for the high-dollar fundraisers he was hosting, notably one in a wine cave in California.
Minnesota Sen Amy Klobuchar also went at Buttigieg in the months before the caucuses for lacking national experience. 
She noted that he had lost his only statewide race as a candidate for Indiana treasurer in 2010, while she had won three statewide terms in Minnesota in part by carrying Republican-heavy regions.
Buttigieg presented a starkly different figure on the debate stage than the other leading candidates — all septuagenarians — and drew admirers for his calm, reasoned demeanor and rhetorical skills that reflected his Harvard-trained, Rhodes scholar background but that some voters and operatives described as 'robotic'.
He had modeled his campaign somewhat on that of former President Barack Obama, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses largely based on a message of unity and by drawing in a healthy bloc of first-time caucus participants, often the key in a crowded, high-turnout contest.


+9


Buttigieg planned to withdraw hours after Democratic candidates commemorated the 55th anniversary of the 'Bloody Sunday' civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. He is seen crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge


+9


Buttigieg also met former President Jimmy Carter for coffee on Sunday in Georgia
Buttigieg planned to withdraw hours after Democratic candidates commemorated a landmark civil rights march in Alabama on Sunday.
Some worshippers at the African-American church where the event was held turned their backs on his presidential rival Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who will first appear on ballots on Tuesday after skipping the first four contests.
Bloomberg, a former New York mayor, received a chilly reception at the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma after the pastor, the Rev Leodis Strong, told the gathering the billionaire businessman initially had turned down the invitation to speak.
'I was hurt, I was disappointed,' Strong said as Bloomberg looked on stonily. 'I think it's important that he came, and it shows a willingness on his part to change.'
About 10 people in the small church with a couple hundred in attendance stood up and turned their backs on Bloomberg as he spoke about racial inequality.
Biden and Bloomberg are trying to present themselves as the party's best choice to take on Trump, saying Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, is too far to the left to win the general election.
Black voters are a key Democratic constituency, and Bloomberg has been criticized for supporting the use of a policing practice called stop and frisk in New York City that encouraged police to stop and search pedestrians and disproportionately affected blacks and Latinos. 
'It's just an insult for him to come here. It's the disrespect for the legacy of this place,' Lisa Brown, who traveled to Selma from Los Angeles, told Reuters after turning her back to Bloomberg. 
She said the idea to protest Bloomberg's remarks had circulated but that she stood as an individual, not an organized group.
The quiet protest suggests Bloomberg faces an uphill climb with some African-American voters, who carried Biden to a resounding victory in South Carolina.
Biden, who was vice president to the first black US president, Barack Obama, was clearly the favorite at the Selma church. He was seated by the pastor, facing the pews where Bloomberg sat, and got a glowing introduction from US Representative Terri Sewell, a black Alabama lawmaker.
'He has earned the right to be in this pulpit and to address you now,' Sewell told the crowd.
The candidates were in Selma to mark the 55th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday', when civil rights marchers were beaten by state troopers and local police while crossing a bridge.






Biden praised his South Carolina success in an interview with Fox News on Sunday (pictured)
Some Democratic Party officials expressed concerns last week about Sanders' early surge, worrying that his aggressive policy priorities including establishing a mandatory government-run healthcare system could turn off moderate voters badly needed to defend competitive seats in Congress.
'I think the Democratic Party is looking for a Democrat - not a socialist, not a former Republican, a Democrat - to be their nominee,' Biden told Fox News Sunday.
Biden's reference to a former Republican appears to have been aimed at Bloomberg, who switched parties multiple times in his career.
Sanders attacked Biden for taking contributions from political organizations called Super PACs and billionaires, at what he said was the expense of working-class, middle-class and low-income people.
'I don't go to rich people's homes like Joe Biden,' Sanders said on CBS' Face the Nation.
Biden lags Sanders in fundraising and organization in Super Tuesday states and beyond.
Sanders planned to campaign on Sunday in heavily Democratic California, where he leads opinion polls.
The Sanders campaign said overnight it raised $46.5million from more than 2.2 million donations in February, a huge sum dwarfing what any other Democratic candidate raised last year in any three-month period.
Bloomberg continues to spend. He purchased three minutes of commercial air time during on broadcast networks CBS and NBC on Sunday evening to address the coronavirus outbreak.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8063669/New-York-confirmed-coronavirus-case-woman-contracted-disease-Iran.html

[size=34]BREAKING: Man, 70, becomes second U.S. death from coronavirus at the same hospital near Seattle, as New York City confirms its first infected patient and nationwide cases hits 74[/size]

By LAUREN EDMONDS and ARIEL ZILBER and ANDREW COURT and LEAH SIMPSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 20:28 EST, 1 March 2020 | UPDATED: 21:12 EST, 1 March 2020

     




A second person in the U.S. has died from coronavirus in Seattle as New York confirms its first positive coronavirus case on Sunday. 
Health officials per the New York Times have said a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions died at the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland on Sunday. 
This is the same hospital where the country's first coronavirus-related death was reported on Saturday. 
Three additional confirmed coronavirus cases have been announced in the county and were all located at EvergreenHealth. 
This includes a woman in 90s, a woman in her 80s and a man his 70s all in critical condition with underlying health issues.  
The first positive case of coronavirus in New York City's Manhattan has been confirmed on Sunday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 
A statement from the Cuomo's office reveals that the patient, an unidentified woman in her late thirties, contracted  COVID-19 while traveling abroad in Iran. 


+6



New York officials have confirmed that the state's first positive case of coronavrius was found in a woman in her late thirties Sunday  
'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround,' Cuomo wrote. 
It's unclear when the woman was in Iran and when she returned to the U.S.   
This is the 74th American to test positive for coronavirus after one was reported in Rhode Island and a fifth 'uknown' origin case was found in Chicago.   
'[This] is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday.'
Cuomo admitted that the deadly diseases' entrance into New York's population of 19 million was a 'matter of when, not if.'


He goes on to say that there is a $40million emergency management authorization legislature that has been proposed to government officials and is anticipating it's quick approval.
'There is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available,' he wrote. 
New York's first positive coronavirus case comes after officials confirmed new coronavirus cases on Sunday.


+6


Gov. Andrew Cuomo (pictured): 'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround' 
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed the latest infection in Chicago during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, saying that authorities are now working to trace the source of the latest instance. 
So far, there are at least five reported cases nationwide - one in Chicago, one in Washington State, one in Oregon, and two in California - where authorities do not know how the virus was contracted, according to the federal government. 
The Chicago Tribune on Sunday reported that the third case of coronavirus was confirmed in Illinois.
A suburban Cook County resident was found to be a ‘presumptive case of novel coronavirus,’ the Illinois Department of Public Health announced.
The patient is hospitalized in isolation, and protocols by the Centers for Disease Control have been implemented.


+6


Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has asked hospitals across the state to do more testing to improve surveillance for the virus.
The state was the first in the nation to provide for testing, according to the Tribune.
The governor announced on Friday that there were now three labs in the state that could test for coronavirus - one in Cook County, one in Springfield, and a third in Carbondale.
Officials said that the two other Illinois patients found to have the coronavirus have since made a full recovery.
Also on Sunday, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus. 
The patient is in their 40s and had traveled to Italy in mid-February, the state agency said.
'RIDOH is coordinating closely with the hospital where this person is currently being treated and all infection control protocols are being followed,' the department said in a statement.


+6


Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, said on Sunday that a new case of coronavirus was confirmed overnight in Chicago



+6


Five other cases were confirmed late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, making the total number of Americans diagnosed with the virus 74 and counting
'The Rhode Island Department of Health has been preparing for weeks to ensure that we have a structure in place to, to the best of our ability, limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island,' said Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the department.
'We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19.
'We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low.
'However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu.
'It is very important that people wash their hands regularly, cover their coughs and sneezes, and stay home if they are sick.'
The Trump administration on Saturday announced measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, including new restrictions on Americans and other who have traveled to Iran.
The government is also advising citizens against travel to certain parts of Italy and South Korea, where significant outbreaks of the pathogen have been reported.
The Trump administration recently confirmed that a woman in her 50s was the first person to die of coronavirus in King County, Washington. 


+6


So far more than 60 cases have been identified in the U.S. with 84,128 cases of the virus around the world.  
The woman returned to King County on February 23 and went to work in Seattle the following day.
She began showing symptoms of the disease Tuesday and reported them to health officials before being tested for the virus Thursday.
Her results came back positive Friday.
Officials said she was improving without any complications and her and her husband are under quarantine at home.
The announcement came soon after Oregon health officials on Friday confirmed they had a patient who tested positive for the disease in a case of 'community spread'.
This is the first coronavirus case altogether in Oregon and the first instance of 'community transmission' outside California.
The individual is from Washington County and is employed at Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego.
Officials said at a press conference Friday that it is feared that the individual may have exposed students and staff to the virus.

[size=37]Middle East health authorities on alert amid coronavirus outbreak[/size]

• King Abdullah II ordered an aircraft to be sent to evacuate Jordanian nationals from Wuhan
  
• WHO representative in Egypt commends efforts taken by officials to screen incoming travelers for infection
  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8066599/Amy-Klobuchar-QUITS-presidential-race-endorses-Joe-Biden.html

[size=34]Amy Klobuchar AND Pete Buttigieg will endorse Joe Biden at a Dallas rally tonight as Minnesota senator quits 2020 race and moderates go all-out to stop Bernie Sanders[/size]

• Klobuchar becomes the third Democrat to quit since the South Carolina primary ended on Saturday evening 
  
  
• Minnesota senator will publicly endorse Joe Biden in Dallas tonight in boost to the former vice president
  
  
• Pete Buttigieg, who quit Sunday, now says he will endorse Joe Biden too 
  
  
• Announcement comes one day before voters in her home state of Minnesota were to go to the polls as part of the 14 states that vote on 'Super Tuesday'
  
  
• Klobuchar looked poised to do well in Minnesota and Minnesota only
  
  
• Tom Steyer, the billionaire who quit Saturday has yet to endorse anyone
  
  
• 14 states will vote Tuesday with 1,357 delegates, a third of the total up for grabs
  
  

By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN LOS ANGELES
PUBLISHED: 13:41 EST, 2 March 2020 | UPDATED: 15:17 EST, 2 March 2020



Amy Klobuchar will suspend her campaign and endorse Joe Biden Monday night in Dallas, Texas, her campaign confirmed to DailyMail.com.
Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of the race Sunday night, will also endorse Biden, Reuters reported minutes after Klobuchar pulled the plug on her campaign. 
Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, had momentum coming out of the New Hampshire primary, but couldn't repeat the result in the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina who held contests the last two Saturdays.
Her announcement comes one day before voters in her home state of Minnesota were to go to the polls as part of the 14 states that vote on 'Super Tuesday.'
Klobuchar looked poised to do well in Minnesota and Minnesota only. 
And Bernie Sanders, having the high-profile endorsement of Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the four members of the so-called squad, could have eaten into Klobuchar's totals in that state. 
With her endorsement of Biden, the former vice president looks to be consolidating moderate Democrats to go up against Sanders, a liberal who refers to himself as a democratic-socialist and is technically one of the Senate's two independent lawmakers. 


+6


Out: Amy Klobuchar becomes the latest to quit the race, meaning there have been three departures in less than 36 hours
[size=10][size=18]Amy Klobuchar drops out of 2020 US presidential race




Load[/size][/size]












+6


Boost: Joe Biden, whose thumping victory in South Carolina revived his campaign, will now receive an endorsement from Amy Klobuchar which consolidates him as the moderate favorite


+6


Also endorsing: Pete Buttigieg's announcement that he too would back Biden was overshadowed by Klobuchar dropping out of the race


+6


Two women still standing: Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard are the youngest two of the five Democratic candidates
Klobuchar follows Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old openly gay ex-mayor of South Bend, Indiana, out the door.
Buttigieg made his announcement Sunday night in South Bend. 
CNN reported that Buttigieg would also be joining Biden at the Dallas rally with Klobuchar.
The optics of both Klobuchar and Buttigieg onstage with Biden will be a real show of unity for the moderate wing of the party after the Minnesota senator and the Indiana mayor had several heated moments on the debate stage. 
Klobuchar referred to Buttigieg as a 'local official' and a 'cool newcomer,' and suggested that sexism was at play to allow a 38-year-old man with a thin resume to be seriously considered for the White House.
Buttigieg, in turn, took advantage of some of Klobuchar's missteps, including when she couldn't recall the name of the president of Mexico.
Since winning the South Carolina primary over Sanders on Saturday night, Biden has seen a number of mainstream Democratic politicians endorse his campaign.
The first out of the gate was former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who campaigned for Biden in Virginia over the weekend.
Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's vice presidential pick in 2016, had previously announced his support for Biden and campaigned for the ex-veep through the weekend.
Biden picked up former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Monday as well. Reid declined to endorse a candidate in the run-up to the Nevada caucuses last month. Sanders crushed Biden there by 26.6. points.




+6




+6



Still in it: Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders both hit the campaign trail ahead of Super Tuesday. The billionaire former New York mayor was in Manassas, Virginia and the Vermont senator was in Salt Lake City, Utah
Ahead of California's vote, Biden snagged former Sen. Barbara Boxer's endorsements too.       
Klobuchar's exit means that just five Democratic candidates remain: Biden, Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg and Tulsi Gabbard.
While Biden and Sanders look to be in the strongest position to win the nomination, Bloomberg and Warren have become wild cards.
Bloomberg, worth $55.4 billion, hasn't participated in the first four primaries and so the strength of his campaign, and the hundreds of millions he's poured into it, won't be measurable until the results of 'Super Tuesday' come in.
Warren has had two impressive debate showings and outraised Biden in February, receiving $29 million to Biden's $18 million.
She'll be campaigning in East Los Angeles Monday night.
Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii, hasn't been actively campaigning. 
Klobuchar announced that she was running for president in February 2019. She gave her speech outside, during a snowstorm - a visual she often referred back to when speaking on the campaign trail.
'There were certain pundits who predicted when I started, with that speech in the middle of the Mississippi in a blizzard, that I would never make it to the end of the speech,' she often told her crowd.
Several weeks into her bid, the New York Times reported what was long-rumored in D.C. - that she was abusive to staff.
The Times report included several bizarre anecdotes, the most memorable being that Klobuchar ate a salad with a hair comb after a staffer forgot to give her utensils as she was boarding a flight.
'What happened next was typical: Ms. Klobuchar berated her aide instantly for the slip-up. What happened after that was not: She pulled a comb from her bag and began eating the salad with it, according to four people familiar with the episode,' the Times report said.
The reports of staff abuse ran contrary to the kind of politics Klobuchar was trying to export: one of 'Minnesota Nice,' and talk of finding common ground over a 'hotdish,' the Minnesota version of a casserole.

Interesting...