Biden’s Team is Being Prevented from Accessing Crucial Information That Will Help Them Prepare to Take Over the Pandemic Response
Buzzfeed News: Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Team Can’t Get The Data It Needs From The White House
“Vivek Murthy, another cochair of Biden’s coronavirus task force, confirmed on the call that the transition team is not getting even basic information from the White House. Asked by BuzzFeed News if it’s receiving real-time data on the nation’s supply of therapeutics to treat COVID-19, tests to discover the virus, the number of people hospitalized with the virus, or amounts of personal protective equipment, Murthy said, ‘The simple answer to that, unfortunately, is no on all of those items.’” [Buzzfeed News, 11/17/20]
CNN: HHS Secretary Says Department Won’t Work With Biden’s Team Until Federal Agency Determines He Won
“The Health and Human Services Department will not work with President-elect Joe Biden’s team until the General Services Administration makes a determination that he won the election, Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday, even as public health experts stress that a smooth transition is a critical part of the government’s response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic … Meanwhile, an administration official tells CNN that HHS staffers have been informed that if anyone from Biden’s team contacts them, they are not to communicate with them and should instead alert the deputy surgeon general of the communication.” [CNN, 11/18/20]
[Twitter, @ChrisMurphyCT, 11/19/20]
Here’s Why Trump’s Sabotage Of The Incoming Administration Is Such A Problem
Associated Press: ‘Tired To The Bone’: Hospitals Overwhelmed With Virus Cases
“Overwhelmed hospitals are converting chapels, cafeterias, waiting rooms, hallways, even a parking garage into patient treatment areas. Staff members are desperately calling around to other medical centers in search of open beds. Fatigue and frustration are setting in among front-line workers. Conditions inside the nation’s hospitals are deteriorating by the day as the coronavirus rages across the U.S. at an unrelenting pace and the confirmed death toll surpasses 250,000. ‘We are depressed, disheartened and tired to the bone,’ said Alison Johnson, director of critical care at Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee, adding that she drives to and from work some days in tears. The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 in the U.S. has doubled in the past month and set new records every day this week. As of Tuesday, nearly 77,000 were hospitalized with the virus.” [Associated Press, 11/18/20]
Stat: ‘People Are Going To Die’: Hospitals In Half The States Are Facing A Massive Staffing Shortage As Covid-19 Surges
“Hospitals in at least 25 states are critically short of nurses, doctors, and other staff as coronavirus cases surge across the United States, according to the industry’s trade association and a tally conducted by STAT. The situation has gotten so bad that in some places, severely ill patients have been transferred hundreds of miles for an available bed — from Texas to Arizona, and from central Missouri to Iowa. Many of these hospitals spent months building up stockpiles of medical equipment and protective gear in response to Covid-19, but the supplies are of little use without adequate staffing. ‘Care is about more than a room with a hospital bed. It’s about medical professionals taking care of patients,’ said John Henderson, chief executive of the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH). ‘If you don’t have the staff to do that, people are going to die.’” [Stat News, 11/19/20]
Washington Post: More Than 3 Million People In U.S. Estimated To Be Contagious With The Coronavirus
“More than 3 million people in the United States have active coronavirus infections and are potentially contagious, according to a new estimate from infectious-disease experts tracking the pandemic. That number is significantly larger than the official case count, which is based solely on those who have tested positive for the virus. The vast — and rapidly growing — pool of coronavirus-infected people poses a daunting challenge to the governors and mayors in hard-hit communities who are trying to arrest the surge in cases. Traditional efforts such as testing, isolation of the sick and contact tracing can be overwhelmed when a virus spreads at an exponential rate, especially when large numbers of asymptomatic people may be walking around without even knowing they are infectious. To put the 3 million-plus figure in perspective: It is close to 1 percent of the population. It is about equal to the number of public school teachers in the entire country, or the number of truck drivers. If the University of Michigan’s football stadium were packed with a random selection of Americans, about a thousand of them would be contagious right now.” [Washington Post, 11/19/20]
NPR: A Nurse’s Plea: ‘I Wish That I Could Get People To See COVID Through My Eyes’
“The number of hospitalizations from the coronavirus reached nearly 77,000 on Tuesday — a new record. For the country’s nurses, the surge is taking a heavy toll, as they grow exhausted, worried and frustrated by disinformation and disregard for safety.” [NPR, 11/18/20]
ABC News: At Full Capacity, Hospitals Across US Lack Beds Or Equipment To Treat COVID-19 Patients
“More Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before. As more than 73,000 people across the country are hospitalized for the virus, health care professionals are saying they’ve reached the brink, with no beds or equipment left to treat the overwhelming influx of patients.” [ABC News, 11/18/20]