2019 Study Touted by Trump Showed Global Lack of Pandemic Readiness

https://www.newsweek.com/2019-study-touted-trump-showed-global-lack-pandemic-readiness-1494325

President Donald Trump referred to the GHS Index during a February news briefing, showing its 300-plus pages to reporters.

"The Johns Hopkins, I guess—is a highly respected, great place—they did a study, comprehensive: 'The Countries Best and Worst Prepared for an Epidemic.' And the United States is now—we're rated No. 1," Trump said. "We're rated number one for being prepared."

Roughly a month after that briefing, the U.S. was ranked No. 3 in the world for having the most confirmed cases of coronavirus with over 55,000 individuals confirmed to be infected by the virus.

Some countries that ranked poorly on the GHS index, such as Mauritania which came in on the list at No. 157, have a low occurrence of coronavirus. Currently, the country only has two reported cases of COVID-19.

"Just epidemiologically speaking," Nuzzo said, "I would expect all countries to be hit hard. Some countries may do better, the ones that are able to respond really quickly."

Trump Wants to Reopen America 'By Easter.' But That's (Mostly) Up to the States, Not the President

https://time.com/5809962/trump-coronavirus-easter/

 But even if Trump begins encouraging Americans to get back to work, it will be largely up to state and local leaders — especially governors — to chart their own courses. Governor Gavin Newsom of California has said his state’s social distancing measures could last two to three months, while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said they could last as long as nine months in his state, home to the country’s worst outbreak yet.

 

Nearly 5% of UK virus dead are Jewish; community is just 0.3% of population

https://www.timesofisrael.com/nearly-5-of-uk-coronavirus-dead-are-jewish/

JTA — Nearly 5% of all coronavirus-related deaths in the United Kingdom are of Jewish people, who make up just 0.3% of the country’s population, The Jewish News of London reported.

According to the paper’s report Thursday, at least 22 Jewish families have lost loved ones to the disease, which has killed 465 people in the United Kingdom. The UK has about 66 million residents and 250,000 Jews.

 

White House abruptly transfers DHS official amid loyalty purge

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/white-house-dhs-heather-swift-loyalty-148856

The White House removed a top public affairs official at the Department of Homeland Security in a move that shocked many in the department as it takes a lead role in handling the coronavirus pandemic, according to two former senior DHS officials familiar with the matter.

Since taking over PPO, 29-year-old John McEntee has asked Cabinet agencies to probe the records of political appointees and ferret out any who might show signs of disloyalty to the president. McEntee, a former college quarterback known for his trick plays and a longtime Trump favorite, has also come under fire within the administration for recently hiring three college seniors for sensitive jobs.

Trump wants America reopened by Easter. That could send the US economy into depression

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/business/economy-recession-coronavirus-trump-easter/index.html

But there are massive risks involved with quickly reversing the social distancing policies. Not only would a premature re-opening of the economy defy the advice of health experts, but economists warn it would backfire.

Instead of a one-time blow, the economy could face repeated shutdowns over a prolonged period. 

"If the president decides to go 180 on us and open by Easter, that will create chaos and confusion. That is the prescription for a depression," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNN Business. 

"If people are panicked because hospitals are overflowing and loved ones are dying, the hit to the economy will be even worse than if we remain in lockdown," said Zandi, who advised Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008. "It's a massive gamble -- and one without science on his side."

Netanyahu: Complete lockdown if numbers do not improve

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277822

Addressing the citizens, Netanyahu said: "I say this most clearly: You must stay at home. Stay at home - stay alive. Everyone has to obey, no exceptions. And you must be very cautious with your safety. What it takes for anyone to obey is strict self-discipline. If you do not mobilize to look after yourselves and your families, there will be a disaster here. Do not leave home, stay inside the homes and follow the guidelines. These are not trifles, but matters of life and death."

 

Coronavirus may have infected half of UK population — Oxford study

https://www.ft.com/content/5ff6469a-6dd8-11ea-89df-41bea055720b

 New epidemiological model suggests the vast majority of people suffer little or no illness

If the results are confirmed, they imply that fewer than one in a thousand of those infected with Covid-19 become ill enough to need hospital treatment, said Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology, who led the study. The vast majority develop very mild symptoms or none at all. 

The research presents a very different view of the epidemic to the modelling at Imperial College London, which has strongly influenced government policy. “I am surprised that there has been such unqualified acceptance of the Imperial model,” said Prof Gupta. 

The modelling brings back into focus “herd immunity”, the idea that the virus will stop spreading when enough people have become resistant to it because they have already been infected. The government abandoned its unofficial herd immunity strategy — allowing controlled spread of infection — after its scientific advisers said this would swamp the National Health Service with critically ill patients.

Trump Mocks Mitt Romney On Twitter | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein resigns

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277790

Turning to the Knesset, Edelstein, who immigrated from the then USSR after being imprisoned as a refusenik (the term for Russian Jews who applied to immigrate to Israel during the days of the Iron Curtain and were refused), said: "Knesset members, as someone who has paid a heavy personal price, of years in prison and slave-like work, for the right to live as a citizen in the State of Israel, there is no need for explanations regarding how much I love the State of Israel and the nation of Israel. And so, as a democratic individual, as a Jewish Zionist, as someone who has fought against evil powers, and as the Speaker of this place, I will not allow Israel to deteriorate to anarchy. I will not play a part in a civil war."

Calling for a unity government, he added: "Knesset members, citizens of Israel, right now our nation needs unity, needs a unity government. In these days, when there is a plague that is endangering us from the outside, and divisions which tear us apart from the inside, we must all act with integrity, we must all strive to be better. We must all unite."

"Therefore, for the sake of the State of Israel, and in order to renew the national spirit in Israel, I hereby resign from my position as Knesset Speaker. We will pray, and we will work, for better days."

On Monday, Supreme Court judges unanimously ruled that Edelstein must convene the Knesset plenum as soon as possible to elect a permanent Knesset Speaker no later than Wednesday this week. The rightist bloc countered that this is not in the purview of the courts but is a matter for the legislature.

The court hinted that if he refused to do so, it would accept the appeal against him.

President Trump's Dangerous and Foolish Impatience on Coronavirus

https://time.com/5809260/president-trumps-dangerous-impatience-coronavirus/

Writing in response to rising impatience, former Trump FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, had perhaps the best and most succinct response. “There is no such thing as a functioning economy,” he said, “so long as Covid-19 continues to spread uncontrolled in our biggest cities.” Lift the lid on the economy too soon, and all you do is increase the spread of the disease without restoring economic health.

Why? Again, Gottlieb’s words ring true: “[O]lder people will die in historic numbers, middle aged folks doomed to prolonged ICU stays to fight for their lives, hospitals will be overwhelmed, and most Americans terrified to leave homes, eat out, take the subway, or go to the park.”

Let’s make this practical and personal. So long as the virus continues to spread, will you go back to airports? Will you eat at restaurants? Will you ask your employer to keep working from home if work from home is at all possible? Some of you may answer with an enthusiastic yes. But many millions of Americans would answer no, and the number that would say no would increase as they watched more and more people become seriously ill. And as friends and loved ones get sick with a disease that often strikes much harder than the flu.

 Let’s not forget that the American economy is inextricably linked to the world economy, and most of the richest economies in the world are now facing their own deep challenges from Covid-19. Even if America decided all on its own to lift most of its restrictions and endure a vastly increased viral spread and death rate, it would still not enjoy the benefits of “normal” economic times.

Compounding the problem, Trump’s statements betray a fundamental ignorance about our nation’s federalist system. Simply put, the power to issue stay-in-place orders, ban large gatherings, and order business closings rests with state and local authorities, not with the president.

Synagogues and hotels are Israel's coronavirus hot spots

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SkPACtwII

 In one instance, no less than 17 members of the same synagogue contracted the virus after praying alongside a person who was infected.

 The next most common location for contracting the virus were hotels, which account for 15 percent of the confirmed cases.

World Health Organization: Coronavirus infections in Italy finally slowing

https://www.timesofisrael.com/world-health-organization-coronavirus-infections-in-italy-finally-slowing/

The World Health Organization has said that Italy’s coronavirus epidemic may peak this week, according to a report by the Italian wire service ANSA.

“The slowing in the pace of growth is an extremely positive factor, and in some regions I believe we are close to the drop-off point of the curve, therefore the peak may be reached this week and then fall away,” WHO deputy director Ranieri Guerra told Radio Capital.

New restrictions to take effect on Wednesday evening

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277800

The Israeli government approved on Tuesday night emergency regulations to further restrict movement and curb the spread of coronavirus in Israel.

Regulations include further reducing forays into public space, imposing liability on employers, closing non-essential stores, and imposing restrictions on public transport.

The regulations will take effect on Wednesday at 5:00p.m. and will be in effect for a period of seven days.

 

AP FACT CHECK: Trump claims rising suicides if US stays shut

https://apnews.com/34f0d353e3cf9b507bed8815ff25b21b

 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is making a baseless claim of surging suicides if the U.S. economy remains mostly shut due to the spread of the coronavirus. There’s no evidence that suicides will rise dramatically, let alone surpass potential coronavirus deaths. Historically in a crisis, suicides tend to diminish as society pulls together in a common purpose.