New Coronavirus News from 24 Feb 2020

Q&A: Chinese diplomat grilled over Uighurs and coronavirus response [The Guardian, 24 Feb 2020]

by Michael McGowan

Wang Xining stuck to party lines even as ABC panel audience laughed at his claims that Uighurs are voluntarily in ‘training centres’

China’s number two diplomat in Australia, Wang Xining, has defended shocking footage showing people suspected of having coronavirus being forcibly pushed into vans as justified, and described the detention camps used to hold an estimated one million people, mostly Uighurs, as “training centres” whose residents are “mostly” there voluntarily.

In a rare public appearance on the ABC’s Q&A on Monday night, Wang grimly held to party lines even as he was laughed at by audience members for his defence of the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighurs and challenged by other panellists over the country’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The deputy ambassador also walked back his previous criticism of the Australian government’s decision to impose travel bans on people coming from China as “panic and overreaction”, saying he commended the response of Australian medical authorities to the coronavirus outbreak.

Wang’s appearance on the revamped Q&A program was a coup for the ABC, but the diplomat did not get an easy run. He was repeatedly challenged by panellist Stan Grant, host Hamish MacDonald and another panellist, the journalist Vicky Xu, on his attempts to label China a democracy and on his defence of the country’s response to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“I don’t think there is a cover-up,” Wang said.

“It is a very sophisticated issue. It involved a lot of agencies and expertise. It takes time to make precise judgment on how to deal with.”

Xu challenged Wang’s denials the country had attempted to cover up the outbreak of the coronavirus by pointing to the treatment of doctor Li Wenliang, who was punished for trying to raise the alarm about the spread of the virus before his death earlier this month.

Wang called Li “very respectable”, saying “people will remember him for what he [has] done”.

“He’s one of thousands of doctors and nurses who dedicated their life sometimes for the sake of this epidemic,” he said.

Wang also defended footage shown on the program of people believed to have the virus being manhandled on the street by authorities, saying it was justified if they were confirmed cases.

“If they’re confirmed, they are the host,” he said.

“Think of their neighbours. And think of now millions of people are staying home.

“If we let these people out – and there are several cases recently of not communal outbreak, but people-to-people transmission – those people who were infected, what do you say to that?”

China’s response to the outbreak of the virus in the city of Wuhan early this year was also defended by global biosecurity expert Raina MacIntyre, who said the lockdown of the city was an “accepted public health measure” which had “prevented cases from occurring in other countries and the rest of China”.

MacIntyre, from the University of New South Wales, also pointed out Australia had laws allowing for the forcible isolation of people seen to be at risk of spreading an infectious disease.

“It has been used very infrequently but it has been used in Australia to essentially isolate people who are infectious with diseases such as TB or other [diseases],” she said.

Wang also sought to stick to the Chinese government’s line over its treatment of the ethnic minority Muslim Uighur population, but was laughed at by audience members when he sought to correct MacDonald’s description of the detention camps used to imprison the population by calling them “training centres”.

Wang also claimed, incorrectly, that “many” people are held in the camps voluntarily, and said Australian defence minister Marise Payne had been “misinformed” when she described China’s treatment of the Uighur as being “disturbing”.

“Madam Payne was misinformed,” he said. “Her views are sometimes [based] on the western media’s portrayal about the issue. It’s a training centre. People get to be prepared for future jobs.”

Coronavirus live updates: South Korea races to contain outbreak as virus fears slam stock markets [CBS News, 24 Feb 2020]

South Korea was racing Tuesday to contain the largest outbreak of the new coronavirus outside China, as the new COVID-19 disease claimed more lives there and spread farther in Italy — Europe's first significant cluster of cases. The nearly 1,000 cases and 10 confirmed deaths from the illness in South Korea pushed the global tally of cases over 80,000 and the death toll closer to 3,000. Iran also reported more deaths from the disease on Tuesday, amid fears the Islamic clerics who run the country could be under-reporting cases there.

With 53 cases confirmed in the U.S. as of Monday, the Trump administration has sought billions of dollars in additional funding from Congress to buy protective gear and work on treatments and a vaccine for the new virus. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lambasted the White House funding plan as "long overdue and completely inadequate to the scale of this emergency."

The World Health Organization has called it a global health emergency, but has thus far declined to use the label "pandemic," a term used when a disease takes hold in multiple regions and spreads rampantly within communities. But the dramatic spread in South Korea, in particular, has stoked fears that COVID-19 could reach pandemic status.

Those fears have jarred stock markets around the world, prompted increased travel restrictions and sparked a race to test hundreds of thousands more people in South Korea for the disease.

Coronavirus live updates: Korean Air cabin crew member tests positive, Singapore Airlines freezes hiring [CNBC, 24 Feb 2020]

by Sam Meredith & Weizhen Tan

KEY POINTS
• China’s National Health Commission reported 508 new confirmed cases and 71 new deaths, as of Feb. 24.
• South Korea has confirmed an additional 84 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 977.
• Twelve people died and 61 have been infected with the coronavirus in Iran, Tehran’s health ministry said.

All times below are in Beijing time.
5:40 pm: Canary Islands hotel reportedly under lockdown after tourist tests positive for coronavirus

Hundreds of staff and tourists staying at a hotel in Spain’s Canary Islands were reportedly put under lockdown on Tuesday, El Pais newspaper reported.

It comes after one person that had stayed at the establishment was later found to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the Canary Island’s health department told Reuters on Tuesday that health checks were underway for those who had contact with the patient — thought to be Spain’s third case of COVID-19.

As of Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had identified two cases of the coronavirus in Spain. — Meredith

5:15 pm: National Chinese authorities emphasize travel restrictions on Hubei

China’s National Health Commission has taken a firm stand on maintaining travel restrictions for Hubei province, the center of the coronavirus outbreak.

It comes shortly after confusion about a loosening in regulations for the capital city of Wuhan.
On Monday, Wuhan city initially announced it would start loosening a city-wide lockdown that started on Jan. 23 in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading.

A few hours later, city authorities canceled the policy, saying it didn’t receive approval from unnamed “primary leaders.”

The city accounts for the majority of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The number of new confirmed virus cases outside Hubei province fell into the single digits on Monday, according to official data. — Wu

4:50 pm: South Korea confirms 84 further cases of coronavirus, total exceeds 970

South Korea has confirmed an additional 84 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 977.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that more than half of the new cases came from the southeastern city of Daegu.

It also reported two more additional deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10.

Earlier on Tuesday, the South Korean government reportedly said it plans to test potentially more than 200,000 members of a church at the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak. — Meredith

4:35 pm: Iraq bans travelers from 7 countries in bid to prevent coronavirus outbreak

Iraq’s health ministry has reportedly extended an entry ban on all travelers from China and Iran in order to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Similar travel bans have been extended for those coming directly or indirectly from Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Singapore, Reuters reported, citing a statement from Iraq’s health ministry on Tuesday.

Iraqi citizens have been advised not to travel the virus-hit nations, although it is thought that Iraqi nationals, diplomats and official delegations are exempt from the travel restrictions.

As of Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had identified cases of the coronavirus in five countries across the Eastern Mediterranean region: Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. — Meredith

4:20 pm: Kuwait confirms three more coronavirus cases, brings total number to 8

Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday that three more people had been infected with the coronavirus, raising the total number in the country to eight.

The three new cases were all people who had returned from Iran.

All of them are in a stable condition and under quarantine, KUNA reported. — Meredith

4:15 pm: Saudi energy minister says OPEC hasn’t run out of ideas, as oil prices slump amid virus fears

OPEC and its allied oil-producing nations are still working well together and still have options to try to rebalance global crude markets, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Tuesday.

“We did not run out of ideas, we haven’t lost our phones and there are always good ways of communicating through conference calls and technology is very helpful,” he said, speaking to reporters at the ICCUS conference in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

His comments came amid speculation that there is tension in the alliance, known as OPEC+, over whether to cut oil production further next week.

Prices continue to be weighed on by ample supply and falling demand and, lately, fears surrounding the coronavirus and its impact on the global economy. — Ellyatt

3:50 pm: Resumption of work only 30% for China’s smaller businesses, official says

The smaller the company, the lower the level of resumption of work, Shu Zhaohui, second inspector of the Department of Industrial Policy and Regulations at the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Medium and small-sized enterprises have only resumed work at a rate of about 30%, he said, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

Shu noted these smaller companies are the focal point of authorities’ efforts. — Cheng

3:40 pm: Guangdong says students will resume studies online from March 2

Guangdong province’s education department said Tuesday that primary and secondary school students are to resume their studies online on March 2, and that students are not to return to schools.

The statement added that colleges and vocational schools will follow the same policy in March.

Kindergartens and special education schools will not hold online courses, and students are not to return to schools, the announcement said. — Cheng

2:45 pm: Japan urges companies to put in place telecommuting, staggered shifts

The Japanese government on Tuesday urged companies to recommend that employees work from home, or go on staggered shifts, as they seek to stop the spread of the virus, said
Reuters, citing a plan approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The country currently has 159 cases, and another 691 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked south of Tokyo.

1:55 pm: Hong Kong extends school closures till mid April

Hong Kong will again extend school closures — till April 20 at the earliest, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said at a press conference.

That would apply for classes at kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools. However, the high school public examinations will still go ahead as scheduled starting March 27. — Vivian Kam

12:55 pm: Korean Air cabin crew member tests positive

A cabin crew member of Korean Air has tested positive for the coronavirus, the South Korean airline said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. That has caused the airline to shut its office near the Incheon International Airport at the city’s capital Seoul.

Details of the routes and flights where the crew member were on were not immediately available, the report said.

12:35 pm: Singapore Airlines freezes hiring

Singapore Airlines has frozen hiring for all ground positions, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it said in a statement.

The flag carrier added it will implement any additional measures needed, but “will not do anything that compromises the SIA Group’s long-term competitiveness.”

12:30 pm: South Korea to test all members of church at center of virus outbreak

The South Korean government says it plans to test potentially more than 200,000 members of a church at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters, citing the prime minister’s office.

The leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus agreed to provide authorities with the names of all its members in South Korea, which has been estimated to be around 215,000 people, according to the report. More than half of Covid-19 cases in the country have been traced back to the church. — Audrey Cher

12:00 pm: Japan health minister says too early to talk about cancelling Olympics

Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said it was still too early to talk about the cancellation of the Tokyo Summer Olympics set to begin on July 24, according to Reuters.

A London mayoral candidate said that London was ready to host the games if needed, amid increasing uncertainty over whether the Olympics in Japan should be rescheduled or cancelled entirely, due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. — Audrey Cher

11:50 am: China says air transport won’t resume in Hubei other than emergency travel

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said Tuesday on its website that other than emergency travel, air transportation will not resume in Hubei and other areas severely affected by the virus.

Work will resume bit by bit in other areas, and air passenger transport will gradually return to normal, the statement said. — Evelyn Cheng

11:00 am: Trump administration asks for $2.5 billion to tackle coronavirus

The Trump administration submitted a budget request for $2.5 billion to Congress towards the coronavirus effort, the White House said Monday, according to a Reuters report.

More than $1 billion of that budget would be allocated for the development of a vaccine, the White House said, according to the report.

10:20 am: China fully bans trade and consumption of illegal wildlife

China will immediately and fully ban illegal wildlife trade, as the fight against the new coronavirus outbreak continues, according to Chinese state-owned news agency Xinhua.

The decision to ban wildlife trade and “eliminate the bad habits of eating wild animals” was made by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which said the full ban was done to carry out instructions by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the report.

COVID-19, the name of the new coronavirus, was thought to have passed from animals to humans. However, the South China Morning Post reported that Chinese scientists are now saying the virus did not originate in a Wuhan seafood market. At that market, live animals were sold, and the first case in China was reported to have links to that market.

9:40 am: US CDC raises travel advisory alert for South Korea

The U.S. CDC raised its alert level for travel to South Korea, citing the outbreak there. (see 9:13 a.m. update)

It raised its travel advisory for South Korea to Level 3, which means that Americans should avoid non-essential travel to South Korea, saying there is “widespread community transmission.”

9:13 am: South Korea reports 60 new cases, one additional death

South Korea reported a jump of 60 new cases, bringing the country’s total to 893 infected, according to the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday morning.

It reported one additional death, bringing the total number of fatalities to 8.

The country raised its alert level to the maximum on Sunday. Its Level 4 alert allows the government to lock down cities and take other powerful measures to contain the disease’s outbreak.

8:45 am: China reports 508 new cases, 71 additional deaths

China’s National Health Commission reported 508 new confirmed cases and 71 new deaths, as of Feb. 24.

In Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, there were 499 new cases, and 68 additional deaths as of Feb. 24.

That brings the country’s total to 77,658 confirmed cases, and 2,663 deaths.

8:30 am: Japan stocks plunge around 4%

Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged 3.97% in early trade as it returned from a holiday, following a selloff in U.S. stocks overnight. The Topix index also declined 3.92%.

Shares in Australia also fell sharply, with the S&P/ASX 200 dropping 1.75%, after declining 2% earlier.

7:55 am: US and South Korea consider reducing training

The U.S. and South Korea are considering a move to reduce military training due to risks from the virus outbreak, the defense ministers from both countries said Monday, according to Reuters.

“I’m sure that we will remain fully ready to deal with any threats that we will face together,” U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a news briefing, as he stood with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon.

7:45 am: Asia stocks set to drop after Wall Street sells off

Shares in Australia dropped more than 2% in early trade. Japan’s markets which open at 8 a.m. are also set to decline sharply as it returns from a holiday on Monday. That follows an overnight plunge on Wall Street amid fears of the economic hit that could result from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that is spreading beyond China. — Huang

All times below are in Eastern time.
4:35 pm: Dow plunges 1,000 points on outbreak fears, worst day in two years

Stocks fell sharply as the number of cases outside China surged, stoking fears of a prolonged global economic slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1,031.61 points lower, or 3.56%, at 27,960.80. The S&P 500 slid 3.35% to 3,225.89 while the Nasdaq Composite closed 3.71% lower at 9,221.28. It was the Dow’s biggest point and percentage-point drop since February 2018. The Dow also gave up its gains for 2020 and is now down 2% for the year. The S&P 500 also had its worst day in two years and wiped out its year-to-date gain as well. —Imbert, Huang

12:50 pm: Iran confirms 12 deaths

Twelve people have died and 61 have been infected with the coronavirus in Iran, Tehran’s health ministry said. However, a member of parliament said 50 people had died in the city of Qom, 75 miles south of the capital Tehran, alone in the past two weeks from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile more than 10,000 drug addicts have been quarantined in treatment centers in Tehran province to guard against the coronavirus, state-run IRNA news agency reported, citing a local official.

9:51 am: Seventh death reported in Italy

A seventh person has died in the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, news agency ANSA said, while the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 220 in the country. ANSA said the latest person to die was an 80-year-old man who had been taken to hospital last week in Lodi after suffering a heart attack. Doctors believe he caught the virus there from another patient. —Reuters

Coronavirus: Italy reports 7 dead, 229 infected as Europe braces for COVID-19 [NBC News, 24 Feb 2020]

As new hotspots arise in South Korea, Italy and Iran, here is the latest for Monday, Feb. 24.

• Italy reports sixth coronavirus death as it becomes worst-hit country in Europe
• WHO: Not yet a pandemic, but countries need to prepare
• Number of coronavirus deaths in China passes 2,600
• Dow closes down 1,000 points on fears of coronavirus
• Two more doctors die of coronavirus in China
• More than 800 confirmed cases, 8 dead in South Korea
• China postpones key political meeting because of virus
• China bans illegal wild animal trading amid coronavirus outbreak: state media
• Coronavirus deaths spike to 12 in Iran; 47 cases confirmed
________________________________________

Deaths in mainland China pass 2,600, with more than 77,600 confirmed cases

The number of deaths in mainland China linked to the coronavirus illness COVID-19 passed 2,600 as of Tuesday local time, with more than 77,600 confirmed cases, China’s national health commission said.

The number of deaths on mainland China is now at 2,663, according to the health commission. It had previously reported 2,592 deaths.

There was an increase of 71 deaths, almost all of them in Hubei province, which is at the center of the outbreak and where the city of Wuhan is located. There have been deaths in other countries, including 12 in Iran, 8 in South Korea and seven in Italy, according to health officials.

There are also cases in the United States, but no deaths have occurred there. The World Health Organization said Monday that the epidemic in mainland China reached its peak between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2 and that the number of cases has since been steadily declining.

However, "the sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing. — Phil Helsel and Salina Lee

Italy reports sixth coronavirus death as it becomes worst-hit country in Europe

Police manned checkpoints around quarantined towns in northern Italy on Monday as authorities sought to contain the novel coronavirus that has made the country the focal point of the outbreak in Europe.

Italian health officials reported Monday that there are 229 people infected nationwide, with six deaths.

There are 101 people in the hospital, and 27 are in intensive care.

The hard-hit northern region of Lombardy reported 172 cases. Five of the deaths are in the Lombardy region.

As the number of cases in Italy have spiked, the country’s stock exchange recorded sizable losses, dropping more than four percent at one point.

At least 10 towns in northern Italy, with a population of around 50,000, were locked down Sunday to help stop the spread of the virus.

The government introduced a number of containment measures Saturday and suspended all public events and gatherings and shut down schools, nurseries, museums and other public offices.

Revelers at the famed Venice Carnival were wearing two types of masks Sunday — a protective one over their usual colorful, elaborate ones, as the last two days of the carnival were canceled. Claudio Lavanga, Andy Eckardt and Jane Weaver

WHO: Outbreak peaked in China, but global spread 'deeply concerning'

The coronavirus epidemic in China is not yet a pandemic but has the potential to become one if countries don't work together to slow its spread, the World Health Organization said Monday.

"Does this virus have unlimited potential? Absolutely," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing. "Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet."

A team of experts with the WHO has concluded its mission in China, reporting that the epidemic there reached its peak between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2 and that the number of cases have since been steadily declining.

However, "the sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning," Tedros said.

The European commission has contributed 232 million euros (an estimated $252 million) to help contain the global spread, Tedros said. France, Germany and Sweden have also announced additional contributions.

"This is a shared threat. We can only face it together, and we can only overcome it together," he said. Erika Edwards and Jane Weaver

Dow plunges on fears coronavirus will tank global economic growth

Wall Street was rocked in a volatile trading session on Monday that ended with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing down 1,031 points — the worst day in two years for the blue-chip index, as fears increased over the global economic shock of coronavirus.

While the virus has already stalled the travel industry, shuttered factories in several countries, and slammed luxury goods retailers, casino operators, and tech companies, Monday's market response represented concern that stricter methods to control the spread of the virus would further throttle supply chains — and that the virus is getting closer to home. Martha C. White and Lucy Bayly

Number of deaths in China nears 2,600

Chinese authorities announced 409 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 77,150, according to the country's National Health Commission (NHC).

That's down from the 648 new cases reported on Sunday and marks the fifth day in a row with less than 1,000 new cases.

The NHC reported 150 new deaths, an increase that brought the toll since the outbreak began to 2,592 deaths in mainland China.

Meanwhile, the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, said Monday it would allow people in good health to leave the city if their reason was urgent.

But the city's epidemic control command center later declared that notice null and void. Wuhan has been on lockdown since Jan. 23. — Ed Flanagan, Eric Baculinao and Yuliya Talmazan

Meanwhile, Austria suspended train services to Italy for about four hours Sunday before restarting them after two travelers tested negative for coronavirus. — Claudio Lavanga, Andy Eckardt and Reuters

Two more doctors die of coronavirus in China

Two more doctors have died after being infected with coronavirus in China, health officials confirmed Monday.

Xia Sisi, 29, was a digestive physician working at Xiehe Jiangbei Hospital in Wuhan. She was admitted to hospital on Jan. 19, and condition deteriorated on Feb. 7. She was sent to another hospital and died Sunday morning.

Another doctor, Huang Wenjun, 42, deputy chief physician at the department of respiratory medicine at Xiaogan Central Hospital in Hubei province, also died Sunday.

A statement issued by that hospital called him “an outstanding soldier in white.”

“In view of the current situation of epidemic prevention and control, it was decided not to hold a memorial service,” the hospital said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the country mourned Dr. Li Wenliang who died from the virus after being warned by police for blowing the whistle on the coronavirus outbreak. — Dawn Liu

More than 800 confirmed cases, 8 dead in South Korea

Health officials in South Korea reported 231 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, raising the total number there to 833. The spread prompted the government to raise its infectious disease alert to its highest level over the weekend.

Many of the new cases were linked to a church in the southeastern city of Daegu after a 61-year-old woman known as "Patient 31" who had attended services there tested positive, according to officials, who also reported the eighth death from the virus.

Meanwhile, a South Korea military spokesperson said Monday there were 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases among the troops. A total of 350 soldiers are in isolation, the spokesperson added. — Stella Kim and Nayeong Kim, Reuters

China postpones key political meeting because of virus

China announced Monday it has postponed its most important political meeting of the year because of the outbreak of the new virus.

The move indicates the importance that President Xi Jinping places on the battle against the virus.

The annual meeting of the National People's Congress and its chief advisory body usually begins about March 5 and runs for more than two weeks, bringing thousands of delegates to Beijing. — The Associated Press

China bans illegal wild animal trading amid coronavirus outbreak: state media

China has banned illegal wild animal trading and consumption of wildlife Monday amid a growing coronavirus outbreak that’s believed to have started at a food market in Wuhan where live animals were sold, according to state media.

China's Xinhua news agency reported that China's top legislative body adopted a decision on banning the illegal trading of wildlife and eliminating the consumption of wild animals. — Alex Shi

Coronavirus deaths spike to 12 in Iran as cases confirmed across Middle East

Iran’s health officials said 12 people have died from the novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 47 Monday.

Only China has confirmed more deaths from the respiratory illness. Most of the cases have been in Qom, a Shiite Muslim holy city 75 miles south of the capital, Tehran.

Schools, universities and seminaries in Qom were closed on Sunday and Monday to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain have also recorded their first new coronavirus cases Monday, all involving people who had visited Iran.

Iraqi health officials also said Monday that an Iranian student has been confirmed to have the virus. He entered Iraq before the decision of the government to close the border with Iran.
Afghanistan's minister of public health said Monday one of three suspected cases had been confirmed in the Western province of Herat. He announced a state of emergency in the province, which borders Iran. — Amin Khodadadi and Reuters

Trump set to ask for more coronavirus cash [Politico, 24 Feb 2020]

By DAN DIAMOND

— President Donald Trump is set to ask Congress for more money to fight the widening coronavirus outbreak, an about-face after weeks of hesitation.

— HHS Secretary Alex Azar will defend the coronavirus response and his department’s fiscal 2021 budget request in a series of congressional hearings this week.

— A controversial Trump administration immigration rule takes effect today, with public health advocates warning that it will limit Medicaid enrollment.

A message from PhRMA:

PhRMA members are committed to developing solutions to help those affected by the novel coronavirus. In addition to applying scientific expertise to find ways to diagnose, treat and prevent infections, the industry is providing financial support and in-kind donations and collaborating with global health authorities to combat this crisis.

WELCOME BACK TO MONDAY PULSE — Where PULSE this weekend read the memoir of 91-year-old Martin Tolchin, the founder of The Hill and a member of POLITICO's founding editorial team — and a New York Times health reporter, decades ago. Tolchin argues that the world has changed, but PULSE isn't so sure; here's Tolchin's 1968 New York Times story about anxieties that Medicaid was too liberal — and too expensive.

Help make PULSE worth reading, 50 years from now. Tips to [e-mail] and [e-mail].

DRIVING THE DAY

TRUMP PREPARES TO ASK FOR MORE MONEY TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS — The administration is set to ask Congress for an emergency-funding infusion, and the request could come as soon as Monday, POLITICO scooped on Saturday night.

Congressional Democrats have been pressing the administration to request emergency coronavirus funds since the beginning of February. The outbreak, which began about three months ago and has spread to 28 countries, has sickened more than 77,000 people in China and killed more than 2,400 there.

While there are about three dozen confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., almost two-thirds are citizens who were flown home after contracting the virus abroad.

— Azar versus the budget wonks: The HHS secretary has been pushing for a more robust emergency-funding package, arguing that it's necessary as the likelihood rises of a U.S. outbreak. But White House officials have been resistant, pointing to existing funds that they say the Trump administration can tap, and also arguing that the outbreak could burn itself out by the summer. Azar notified Congress on Feb. 2 that he was prepared to shift up to $136 million in already approved funds to fight the virus.

Two individuals also told POLITICO that the amount could be significantly lower than some public health officials have argued is necessary — potentially as little as $1 billion, which could be rapidly exhausted by development of potential vaccines, widespread lab tests and numerous other investments.

— One expert's recommendation for emergency funding: $15 billion. That's what Raymond James analyst Chris Meekins, a former Trump administration HHS emergency-preparedness official, concludes in a new report. For instance, Meekins argues that $3 billion alone would be needed for vaccine development, and that $4 billion is necessary for stockpiling diagnostics, therapeutics and other products.

MEANWHILE: WHITE HOUSE GRAPPLES WITH CORONAVIRUS EFFECT ON 2020 — The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak in the United States that could sicken thousands — straining the government's public health response and threatening an economic slowdown in the heat of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

That stark realization has taken hold in high-level White House meetings, during which some administration officials have voiced concerns the coronavirus is already spreading undetected within U.S. borders, two officials told POLITICO.

— Trump's privately voiced his own anxieties, rebuking public health leaders over the decision to fly home 14 Americans who tested positive for the virus while aboard a cruise ship off Japan, POLITICO was first to report. Trump was worried that transporting the Americans to the United States without adequate precautions could create new risks. The president wasn't told about the flights, fueling his anger, WaPo's Yasmeen Abutaleb and Josh Dawsey report.

AZAR’s BUSY WEEK — The HHS secretary will face Congress at four separate hearings to defend the administration’s budget request, with additional questions set to come about the Azar-led coronavirus response effort and other priorities.

On tap:

— Tuesday morning: A Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, which could be the least contentious of the four panels next week, given the GOP’s leadership. But it also gives subcommittee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) a chance to whack at Azar over HHS’ new liver transplant allocation policy, which Blunt has repeatedly called flawed and harmful.

— Wednesday morning: A House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, in front of subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who has spent weeks pressing Azar to ask for more funding to fight coronavirus and also plans to raise questions on the health department's care for unaccompanied children, an aide said.

— Wednesday afternoon: A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on the budget, followed by a second panel on the coronavirus response, where Azar will be joined by public health experts.

— Thursday morning: A House Ways and Means hearing, in front of members like Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who recently warned Azar that administration efforts to overhaul Medicaid spending represent a “direct attack” on the program.

THE ‘PUBLIC CHARGE’ RULE ROLLS OUT TODAY — The Supreme Court on Friday lifted the final statewide freeze on Trump's new crackdown on legal immigrants' use of programs like Medicaid, weeks after the high court halted the last nationwide injunction, POLITICO's Susannah Luthi reports.

Friday's controversial 5-4 ruling included a blistering dissent from Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who criticized her conservative colleagues’ willingness to interrupt lower court proceedings — where district and appellate judges are still debating the legality of the rule — to benefit the Trump administration.

— Health and legal advocates have warned the rule could severely curb access to health services. Under the public charge rule, immigration officials can deny green cards to legal immigrants if they use Medicaid and other safety-net programs. See Kaiser Family Foundation's brief.

They're also worried it will cause unnecessary fear among the broader immigrant population, and Jonathan Petts, co-founder of the Immigrants Like Us nonprofit at Harvard’s Immigration Lab, told Susannah that local groups should run public outreach and education campaigns so immigrants can understand their rights.

“Even for adults, accessing Medicaid should have no effect on immigration status in the vast majority of cases,” Petts added.

AROUND THE NATION

CALIFORNIA HITS BACK AT HHS OVER DEFUNDING THREAT — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday accused the administration of improperly threatening state health funding over a years-old California abortion law, making the charge in a letter to Roger Severino, the HHS civil rights chief.

"This is extreme presidential overreach and would, if carried out, jeopardize lives of Californians," Newsom said in an accompanying statement. "We will not allow it."

— The HHS civil-rights office in January threatened to cut some of the state's funds unless California drops a state requirement that private health insurers cover abortion, arguing that it violates federal law.

But Newsom and Becerra noted the civil rights office previously upheld that requirement in 2016. Meanwhile, five other states have similar laws, but only California has faced the funding cut.

Severino said HHS is assessing Newsom and Becerra's letter "and all appropriate remedies in light of California’s continued refusal to comply with federal law.”

IS GERRYMANDERING HINDERING MEDICAID EXPANSION? — That's the argument of a new analysis from the left-leaning Center for American Progress, which was shared first with PULSE. "Ten years after the passage of the ACA, hundreds of thousands of people remain uninsured because of gerrymandering," contend authors Alex Tausanovitch and Emily Gee, linking expansion delays in states like Wisconsin and Georgia to GOP-led redistricting.

A message from PhRMA:

PhRMA members are committed to developing solutions to help those affected by the novel coronavirus. In addition to applying scientific expertise to find ways to diagnose, treat and prevent infections, the industry is providing financial support and in-kind donations and collaborating with global health authorities to combat this crisis.

WHAT WE'RE READING

The recent drop in cancer deaths is actually a societal failure, oncologist Peter Bach argues in the Boston Globe, because it's driven by the rise of deaths linked to poverty, obesity, addiction, and depression.

As more Americans sign up for Medicare Advantage, detractors worry that it’s helping private insurers more than patients, Mark Miller writes in the New York Times.
In the Sunday NYT, Motoko Rich detailed the chaos and confusion aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it was stuck in its coronavirus-linked quarantine for days.

Insurers are increasingly steering patients toward their own clinics and away from other hospitals and doctors, WSJ's Anna Wilde Mathews writes.

Firefighters play a key role in emergency care, and Ben Oreskes of the Los Angeles Times spent 24 hours embedded at one of the nation's busiest fire stations — the team at the heart of LA's Skid Row — as they responded to overdoses, accidents and other health traumas.

Coronavirus outbreak has ‘pandemic potential’ but it’s not there yet, WHO says [CNN, 24 Feb 2020]

The deadly outbreak of a novel coronavirus has the world on edge, but it has not yet developed into a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.

Although WHO has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” the outbreak has not met the criteria needed to be described as a pandemic when it comes to its geographical spread and impact, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing with reporters on Monday.

“Our decision about whether to use the word ‘pandemic’ to describe an epidemic is based on an ongoing assessment of the geographical spread of the virus, the severity of disease it causes and the impact it has on the whole society,” Ghebreyesus said during the briefing.

“For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or deaths,” he said. “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely it has. Are we there yet from our assessment? Not yet.

“So how should we describe the current situation? What we see are epidemics in different parts of the world, affecting countries in different ways and requiring a tailored response.”

As of Monday, more than 79,000 people have been infected and more than 2,600 people have died around the world from the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to WHO.

In January, WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, which WHO defines as “an extraordinary event” that constitutes a “public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” and “to potentially require a coordinated international response.” Previous emergencies have included Ebola, Zika and H1N1.

Yet for a pandemic to be declared, a “worldwide spread” of the disease, officially called Covid-19, would need to be determined among some other factors.

What is a pandemic?

A disease outbreak is the occurrence of disease cases in excess of what’s normally expected, according to WHO. An epidemic is more than a normal number cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior or other health-related events in a community or region.

A pandemic is defined as the “worldwide spread” of a new disease. The last pandemic reported was the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009, which killed hundreds of thousand worldwide.

The word “pandemic comes from the Greek ‘pandemos,’ which means everybody. Demos means the population. Pan meaning everyone. So ‘pandemos’ is a concept where there’s a belief that the whole world’s population will likely be exposed to this infection and potentially a proportion of them fall sick,” Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies programme, said during Monday’s briefing with reporters.

“What we don’t understand yet in Covid-19 are the absolute transmission dynamics,” Ryan said.

“So we’re in a phase of preparedness for a potential pandemic,” he said. “Let’s focus on what we can do and what we need to do, which is prepare. When we mean prepare, we mean prepare to detect cases, prepare to treat cases, prepare to follow contacts, prepare to put in place adequate containment measures.”

The United States has taken measures to prepare for a possible pandemic, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a press briefing with reporters on Friday.

“We don’t yet have a vaccine for this novel virus, nor do we have a medicine to treat it specifically. We are now taking and will continue to take unprecedented aggressive action to reduce the impact of this virus, that it will have on the communities in the US. We are working with state, local and territorial health departments to ready our public health work force to respond to local cases and the possibility this outbreak could become a pandemic,” Messonnier said.

That means working on availability of medical supplies, reinforcing infection control principles within health care systems and planning for “surges of people seeking and requiring care,” she said.

“We’re working with businesses, hospitals, pharmacies, clinicians, manufacturers and distributors to communicate about these measures and what they can do to get ready,” she said.

She added that the CDC has been reviewing its guidelines and other materials on preventing “pandemic influenza” and it plans to adapt those for a possible coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said earlier this month that there is no actual scientific, definitive definition of what constitutes a pandemic.

“It really is borderline semantics, to be honest with you,” Fauci said, adding that there could be arguments on either side as to whether the coronavirus outbreak could be described as a pandemic.

“I think you could have people arguing each end of it,” he said. “Pandemics mean different things to different people.”

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