New coronavirus tests in the works
With millions of Americans under shelter-in-place orders, the United States is racing to roll out more testing for the new coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency authorization for a faster test that should go into production by the end of March, Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday. There are more than 35,000 COVID-19 cases in the United States, and the death toll approached 500 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Do healthcare providers have what they need? New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said hospitals are 10 days away from shortages in “really basic supplies.” State officials are looking into convention centers and other sites they could convert into field hospitals, while General Motors and some apparel companies are retrofitting their assembly lines to make medical gear. New York went under near-lockdown over the weekend, along with California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, and various cities and counties across the country. More states are likely to issue shelter-in-place orders in the coming days.
Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s take on the potential for anti-malarial drugs to help treat COVID-19.
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