Washington state uses National Guard in new contact tracing program
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Liz Vereshko, left, is assisted into PPE equipment by fellow nurse Evana Croda before stepping into a patient's room in the Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit at Harborview Medical Center on May 8, in Seattle. Elaine Thompson/AP
Washington state is starting a contact tracing program to keep track of the spread of coronavirus as more businesses open up.
“This initiative is a transition from one strategy to another," Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday afternoon.
Inslee said people who test positive for Covid-19 will be contacted by a “professional interviewer” to identify other people who could have been exposed. Those contacts may be asked to test and self-quarantine until they get a negative result.
He said hundreds of members of the National Guard will be used as part of the contact tracing group, but they will not have law enforcement power to compel people to comply.
“They simply will be talking to people and helping prevent others from getting sick,” Inslee said.
He added keeping infected people from spreading the virus is the key to getting life back to normal.
“This virus doesn't have any legs,” Inslee said. “It can't travel without us.”
5:53 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
Elon Musk reopens Tesla plant in defiance of county orders
From CNN's Alexandra Meeks
Elon Musk Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Tesla CEO Elon Musk defied Alameda County's shelter-in-place orders and reopened a Tesla factory this week amid coronavirus concerns — igniting an ongoing riff between the billionaire and California officials who argue his business operations continue to disregard workers' safety.
"He has minimized what coronavirus is and what it can do," California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said in an interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar Tuesday. "It would benefit us all if we don't have hundreds of workers going into a workplace that can be unsafe and continue to spread the virus.
Musk threatened to move his company out of the state and refused to halt operations at the Freemont, California, plant despite countywide orders that only allow essential businesses to operate at this time. Musk also tweeted, "If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me."
"We should be outraged by a billionaire that has gotten so much from its partnership in California, but continues to put workers in unsafe conditions, continues to union bust, continues to wave his finger at California [as if] we're supposed to allow that and let him throw his temper tantrum," Gonzalez said on CNN Tuesday.
Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, has remained vocal on social media against Musk's defiance of public health orders.
Over the weekend, she shared a colorful and direct message on Twitter: "F*ck Elon Musk"
On Tuesday, Gonzalez tweeted to her followers: "Who is tired of billionaire companies that get to break labor laws, worker safety standards and stay-at-home orders without accountability while small mom & pop businesses are required to play by the rules?"
She followed the message with a raising hand emoji in agreement.
CNN previously reported county health officials ordered Musk to cease operations at the plant Tuesday. Tesla is also expected to submit a site-specific plan to Alameda County today for review, according to an email sent to the vice president of health and safety at Tesla.
President Trump also joined the conversation on social media Tuesday tweeting, "California should let Tesla & Elon Musk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!"
Musk replied to the President, "Thank you!"
Watch here:
5:41 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
"We are not going back to a pre-Covid-19 life any time soon," Los Angeles mayor says
From CNN's Cheri Mossburg
A medical worker wearing protective gear collects testing kits used by motorists at a coronavirus drive-up testing site at East Los Angeles College on April 30. Damian Dovarganes/AP
Mayor Eric Garcetti said there will be "no radical changes "coming to Los Angeles in the next week or so."
“We are not going back to a pre-Covid-19 life any time soon,” he told CNN's Jake Tapper.
Garcetti emphasized the plans in Southern California will proceed slowly with reopening so restrictions don’t need to be tightened.
On schools: Garcetti said the county needs to be doing about 15,000 tests a day in order to possibly reopen schools in September or August.
He said it is going to be important to test students multiple times.
"There's no question we're going to have to have our young people not just testing once and you're good to go to school, but at least weekly if not more frequently to make sure nobody infectious is going to school even if they don't have symptoms," he said.
In higher education, the California State University system announced plans to cancel nearly all in-person classes through the fall semester to reduce spread of coronavirus earlier today.
Watch here:
5:19 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
NBA is not having "substantive discussions" on possible Vegas-hosted games, league says
From CNN's David Close
Rajon Rondo #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers fights for the ball from Brad Wanamaker #9 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Staples Center on February 23, in Los Angeles, California. Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
The NBA has denied speculation that the league is engaging in discussions to host games at centralized locations.
On the day MGM Resorts released a reopening plan, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass remained steadfast in denying serious talks have taken place with MGM or other properties to host games.
"We have been approached by multiple properties regarding potential options for hosting NBA games, including MGM. We have not engaged in any substantive discussions," Bass said.
A spokesperson for MGM tells CNN that “as far as the NBA is concerned, we don’t comment on rumors or speculation.”
5:34 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
Los Angeles mayor says officials will "continuously edit" the stay-at-home order
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper following a report that the county is likely to remain under some sort of stay-at-home order for months.
The mayor said he wants to "reassure" residents that this doesn't mean "we'll stay exactly as we are for three more months."
"I want to reassure people, there was panic from the headlines that we'll stay exactly as we are for three more months, and that's not the case. I think she was saying we're not going to fully reopen Los Angeles or anywhere in America without any protections or health orders in the next three months. I think it's going to be longer than three months. We're not moving past Covid-19. We're learning to live with it," the mayor said.
Garcetti's comments to CNN came after Los Angeles Health Director Barbara Ferrer said “with all certainty,” the stay at home order will be extended another three months. Restrictions will continue to be lifted, while the order remains, Ferrer explained.
Los Angeles County’s current order holds until May 15, but the stay-at-home order in California is open-ended.
Addressing the order, Garcetti explained, "There's no radical changes in the next week coming."
He continued: "That doesn't mean three weeks from now, six weeks from now, two months from now, we won't continuously edit that order and make sure we open up safely as much as we can, and if it gets dangerous, we may need to step back at times as well. I've always told people the hard truths."
Watch here:
5:05 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
California state universities to cancel most in-person classes through fall semester
From CNN's Jon Passantino
San Diego State University Shutterstock
The California State University system plans to cancel nearly all in-person classes through the fall semester to reduce spread of coronavirus.
The CSU system, which comprises 23 universities across the state, will be moving most instruction online, Chancellor Timothy White announced Tuesday at a Board of Trustees meeting.
The California State University system is the nation’s largest four-year public university system with a total enrollment of more than 480,000 students, according to the CSU.
A CSU spokesperson confirmed the plans to CNN and said additional details will be released later today.
“We will be going fully virtual with the exception of certain classes,” the spokesperson said.
In-person classes at CSU campuses have been canceled since March and have since moved to online only. The CSU has previously announced students applying for admission will not be required to take the SAT or ACT.
5:23 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
Arkansas sees a spike in cases, officials say
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch
Arkansas has seen a spike of at least 27 cases in St. Francis County, officials said at a press conference today.
Arkansas Department of Health Director Dr. Nate Smith said that many of the cases may be connected to the federal prison at Forrest City.
Officials say they are concerned because not all inmates and staff at the prison have been tested and now they are seeing a larger community spread in the county.
The state has received enough remdesivir to treat 50 patients, which will be distributed by the Arkansas Department of Health, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said.
By the numbers: Currently there are 59 people hospitalized in the state. The state is reporting 4,164 cases of coronavirus and 95 deaths.
5:16 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
Pelosi says she's not satisfied with administration's pledge for more testing
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, arrives to speak at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 12. Graeme Jennings/AFP/Getty Images
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi today criticized the Trump administration's pledge to provide the nation with at least 40 to 50 million coronavirus tests per month by September, if necessary, saying it was inadequate.
"No," she replied when asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if she was satisfied by the pledge made by Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Dr. Brett Giroir this morning during a Senate hearing. "You have to do much more than that, and I think they know that.”
“It has to be at least double that, maybe two and a half times that," she added. "The sooner we do it the better."
Pelosi went on to tout House Democrats' latest relief effort, a $3 trillion stimulus bill, which faces stiff opposition from many congressional Republicans who say it includes a wish list of Democratic priorities.
"It may be partisan on their part but it's not partisan on our part to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi said.
The bill, which Democrats are calling the Heroes Act, would provide nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, a $200 billion fund for essential worker hazard pay, an additional $75 billion for Covid-19 testing, tracing and isolation efforts, and a new round of direct payments to Americans of up to $6,000 per household, according to a fact sheet released by the House Appropriations Committee.
Pediatricians describe treatments for inflammatory syndrome possibly linked to Covid-19
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first US case of Covid-19. C.S. Goldsmith and A. Tamin/CDC
Immune treatments and blood thinners can help children affected by an inflammatory syndrome might be linked with coronavirus infection, pediatricians say.
A panel called the International PICU-COVID-19 Collaboration has compared notes and released a consensus statement defining the condition, named “Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19.”
“To date, most children affected have done well. Treatments have included anticoagulation, IV immunoglobulin, IL-1 or IL-6 blockade, and corticosteroids. Some children have only needed supportive care,” Boston Children’s Hospital said on its website. Dr. Jeffrey Burns, chief of critical care medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, coordinates the panel.
The syndrome is marked by persistent fever, inflammation, poor function in one or more organs, and other symptoms similar to shock.
“In some cases, children present with shock and some have features of Kawasaki disease, whereas others may present with signs of cytokine storm. In some geographic areas, there has been an uptick in Kawasaki disease cases in children who don’t have shock,” Boston Children’s Hospital rheumatologist Dr. Mary Beth Son said. Kawasaki disease involves inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries and can damage the heart.
The panel offered guidance for clinicians dealing with possible cases of the inflammatory syndrome:
Children with unexplained fever and evidence of inflammation such as elevated C-reactive protein or white blood cell count should be carefully followed to detect potential progression of disease.
Lab tests should check for signs of inflammatory response, and should include a complete blood count/differential, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; coagulation parameters including D dimer and ferritin; liver function markers; and a cytokine panel.
Children should be tested for antibodies to Covid-19 along with standard PCR diagnostic tests, because many with the syndrome have tested negative for current coronavirus infection.
Children with the syndrome should be given heart tests known as serial echocardiograms, including detailed assessment of the coronary arteries, because many patients have developed low heart function and enlargement of the coronary arteries.
