GSA Failure to Certify Decisive Biden Victory Jeopardizes Pandemic Response
Cases, Hospitalizations Smashing Records; More Than 1,000 Dying Daily
Experts Warn the Worst Is Yet to Come as Economic Problems Persist, GOP Stalls on Relief
Donald Trump’s dangerous, unprecedented refusal to concede defeat in the wake of President-Elect Biden’s decisive electoral college victory is already sabotaging the incoming administration’s plans to combat the pandemic, which is accelerating towards catastrophic levels.
Donald Trump Blocking Incoming Administration From Making Essential COVID Preparations as Virus Rears
- Donald Trump’s GSA Is Preventing President-Elect Biden From Beginning Essential Coronavirus Work As Trump Refuses To Concede Defeat. “The Trump administration’s refusal to authorize a presidential transition is interfering with President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for a rapid scale-up of the federal coronavirus response… In addition to its traditional transition team for the Health and Human Services Department, the Biden administration has discussed forming a special transition squad to coordinate virus response work across the government. Both groups, Biden believes, are key to organizing a national strategy for testing and distributing crucial supplies during what the president-elect has predicted will be a ‘dark winter’ for the nation, according to two people familiar with the planning. But GSA Administrator Emily Murphy’s failure to approve a transition process — as President Donald Trump refuses to concede the election — has prevented the Biden forces from deploying dozens of health officials and blocked them from accessing information and resources critical to combating the crisis.” [Politico, 11/10/20]
- Biden’s HHS Team Has Not Been Allowed To Contact Key Coronavirus Leaders, Like Dr. Anthony Fauci Or Adm. Brett Giroir. “Biden’s HHS transition team is not yet allowed to have any contact with its agencies, including with officials at the center of the pandemic response like infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and HHS testing czar Brett Giroir. It’s also barred from accessing nonpublic information or setting up government offices, limiting the new administration’s ability to get a full picture of the public health crisis that it’ll take responsibility for in just over two months… ‘The problem is, until [the election] is certified there are no conversations at all. Once it’s certified, it then becomes a lot easier,’ one person familiar with the discussions said. ‘What you’d love to do is get people like [Giroir] and [White House task force coordinator Deborah Birx] and everybody in the same room at the same time from all over the place to talk.’” [Politico, 11/10/20]
New Infections Are Accelerating as the Virus Overtakes America
- 42 US States Are In The “Red Zone” For Coronavirus Acceleration. “All but eight states are now in the red zone for COVID-19 cases, the White House coronavirus task force said in new reports issued Tuesday… Twenty states are now in the White House’s red zone for percentage of positive tests, meaning more than 10 percent of tests are coming back positive, and 27 are in the red zone for deaths, meaning they had more than two deaths per 100,000 residents in the past week.” [Center for Public Integrity, 11/10/20]
- On November 11, The United States Reported 140,543 New Infections, A Record Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic And The Ninth Straight Day Of New Cases Topping Over 100,000. “New coronavirus daily cases in the United States hit another record high Wednesday, with 140,543 reported and more expected before the end of the day. Wednesday was also the ninth straight day of new cases topping 100,000. The second highest number, 136,325, was reported Tuesday.” [CNN, 11/11/20]
- The United States Recorded One Million New Infections During The First Ten Days Of November. “The U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1 million new confirmed cases in just the first 10 days of November amid a nationwide surge of infections that shows no signs of slowing.” [Associated Press, 11/12/20]
Hospitalizations Are at Record Levels Since the Pandemic Began
[The Atlantic, 11/10/20]
- More People In The US Are Currently Hospitalized With COVID-19 Than At Any Point During The Pandemic. “With the number of coronavirus cases in the United States skyrocketing, many health experts warned the total number of people hospitalized in a given day would rise too. On Tuesday, the number of people with Covid-19 at US hospitals for the first time topped 60,000. The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization that compiles data on coronavirus cases, said the number as of Tuesday was 61,694. That’s 2,024 more people than were hospitalized on April 15, the previous record. The United States currently averages about 1,661 new hospitalizations per day, the organization’s data shows.” [CNN, 11/10/20]
- The Seven-Day Average Of People Hospitalized With COVID-19 Is Up At Least Five Percent In 46 States. “It’s not just cases that are rising. The seven-day average of hospitalized Covid-19 patients is up by at least 5% in 46 states, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project, which is run by journalists at The Atlantic.” [CNBC, 11/12/20]
- According To The Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia Policy Lab, Hospitalizations, ICU Admissions, And Ventilator Use Are Rising In Every Single State. “A separate forecast from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Policy Lab projects conditions will worsen in the West Coast, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic states over the next several weeks. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions and ventilator use are rising in every single state, the lab said… That’s as the US reported the highest number of hospitalizations ever on Wednesday — with more than 65,000 Covid-19 patients nationwide, according to the COVID Tracking Project. ‘The nearly universal rise in statewide hospitalization rates, particularly in our colder regions, is a pattern that will grow as we move into the holiday season,’ the policy lab said.” [CNN, 11/12/20]
- Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb: “ICU Admissions Are Going Up Quickly.” “‘We’re piercing the previous records and ICU admissions are going up quickly, as well, with 12,000 people in the ICUs,’ former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Thursday on ‘Squawk Box.’ ‘Hospitalizations right now are rising by about 1,600 people a day, but that’s going to continue to increase, as well.’” [CNBC, 11/12/20]
Deaths Are Once Again Rising as Experts Warn the Worst Is Yet to Come
- The Seven Day Average Death Toll In The United States Is Now Greater Than 1,000 Lives Lost Daily. “States reported 1.4M new tests and 144k cases, another all-time high. 65.4k people are hospitalized, 15k more than on election day. The death toll was 1,421, pushing the 7-day average over 1,000.” [Twitter, @COVID19Tracking, 11/11/20]
- The University Of Washington’s Institute For Health Metrics And Evaluation Projects That As Many As 110,000 Americans May Die Of COVID-19 In The Next Two Months. “More than 110,000 additional people in the US are projected to die from Covid-19 in just the next two months, according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.” [CNN, 11/12/20]
Economy in Tatters as Virus Shows No Sign of Relenting and Trump, GOP Fail to Provide Relief
- More Than 67 Million Americans Have Filed For Unemployment Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic. “Another 709,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continued a slow recovery threatened by a dangerous new wave of coronavirus infections, the feds said Thursday. The latest initial jobless claims brought the number filed during the COVID-19 pandemic to a seasonally adjusted total of more than 67.4 million — a figure larger than the population of the United Kingdom, the US Department of Labor data show.” [New York Post, 11/12/20]
- Another 709,000 Americans Filed For Unemployment Last Week, More Than Any Week During The Great Recession. “First-time claims for unemployment insurance continued their decline last week, hitting another pandemic-era low in a sign that the labor market is gradually improving. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims hit 709,000 for the week ended Nov. 7, down from 757,000 the week before. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 740,000 new claims. This marked the fourth consecutive week that the total declined from the previous period, though claims remain above the pre-coronavirus pandemic record 695,000 in 1982.” [CNBC, 11/12/20]
- More Than 21 Million Americans Are Collecting Some Form Of Unemployment Assistance. “As of Oct. 24, 21.16 million Americans were collecting some form of assistance, a decrease of 374,179. A year ago, that total was 1.45 million.” [CNBC, 11/12/20]