Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The Food and Drug Administration has posted a list of antibody tests that are being removed from the “notification list” of tests being offered under an emergency policy due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a press release.

Some of the tests have been removed voluntarily by the manufacturer, and others have been removed because they did not submit an Emergency Use Authorization request “within a reasonable period of time, or if significant problems are identified with such a test that cannot be or have not been addressed in a timely manner,” the FDA said in a statement. 

The FDA says it expects that the tests on the removal list will not be marketed or distributed. 

Remember: An antibody test can only be administered by gathering blood, either through a finger prick or from a vein. It's designed to detect antibodies, the Y-shaped proteins called immunoglobulins that circulate in our blood to help fight off infections in our bodies.

Even if you've never had any symptoms of Covid-19, the presence of antibodies in your blood would show your body has encountered the virus.

To be clear, antibody tests are not the "swab" tests that are meant to find out if you are currently carrying the virus. Called rt-PCR tests, or molecular diagnostic tests, those typically gather mucus from way up the nose or back of the throat. They take a few days to report results.

A source familiar with the President's visit to a Ford plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, said the President wore a mask out of sight of cameras during his visit. 

He is scheduled to deliver remarks to workers shortly, and is also scheduled to tour the facility. 

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also wore a mask — a requirement for all visitors to the plant. 

Trump did not wear a mask during remarks to a group of African American leaders before the tour. 

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said that Boston has reported 93 additional Covid-19 cases, for a total of 12,143 in the city.

There were three more people who died due to Covid-19 in Boston, bringing the total number to 591, the mayor said at a news conference today.

Around the state: In Massachusetts, as a whole, there are 1,045 new Covid-19 cases for a total of 88,970, Walsh said.

There was also 128 additional deaths in the state, bringing the total number to 6,066. 

The state is launching a new online resource to help businesses and others access personal protective equipment (PPE) as Boston begins its phased reopening, Walsh said. There is guidance online at the government website that shows a list of vendors who sell PPE and cleaning supplies, Walsh said. He reminded businesses that it’s the responsibility of the employer to find supplies for workers. 

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that she has amended the state's safer-at-home order to allow several new businesses to reopen June 1.

The new order will go into affect tomorrow at 5 p.m. and expire July 3 at 5 p.m.

Entertainment venues, athletic activities, child care and summer camps can reopen as long as social-distancing and sanitation rules are followed.

All schools, public and private — including elementary, secondary, postsecondary, technical, and specialty schools, and colleges and universities— will also be allowed to reopen.

Here are the guidelines they must follow:

In addition, educational institutions are strongly encouraged to adopt and implement additional measures to supplement these minimum rules, according to the new order.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged on a private call with House Republicans yesterday that Congress may have to pass further legislation to boost the economy devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, but insisted it would be far different than the $3 trillion bill recently passed by the House, a source familiar tells CNN.

He said that the $600 weekly boost in unemployment benefits “will not be in the next bill,” according to the source.

McConnell said otherwise the federal government would be paying people more to remain unemployed than to work. The House Democratic bill would’ve extended the expanded unemployment benefits through January.

The Senate Republican leader insisted that liability reform be included to minimize lawsuits, calling trial lawyers “vultures.”

McConnell also argued that the federal government could not indefinitely borrow and spend to save the economy. He referenced Henry Morgenthau Jr., President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Treasury Secretary, who said before World War II that the New Deal programs didn’t decrease unemployment but gave the United States “an enormous debt to boot!" 

He said that Congress needs to track the effects of the multi-trillion dollar legislation it has already passed before moving forward.

“We need to see growth and that will dictate what we do and when we do it,” said McConnell, according to the source.

The city of New York now says it is investigating at least 89 cases of Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) after citing a much higher number earlier this week. An additional number of cases are still under investigation.

On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city had 147 confirmed cases, but acknowledged the city was reconciling its cases following Centers for Disease Control guidance. Previously, the city was using its own set of criteria.

The city says there have been 158 cases referred to the Health Department as of Wednesday, May 20, according to a press release.

Here's a breakdown of those cases...

Some more context: Earlier today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is investigating a total of 157 possible cases of MIS-C.

The Georgia Department of Health announced in a statement on Thursday that it is distributing the second allotment of the drug remdesivir received from the federal government. 

"Georgia hospitals receiving remdesivir reported 10 or more Covid-19 positive patients on ventilators, in addition to patients currently being treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)," it continued.

More of the drug is expected to arrive in Georgia by Friday. This third allotment of remdesivir would be in powder form. 

Unlike the liquid form, "the powder form can be mixed for dosing based on a child's weight, which will provide treatment for the youngest patients with Covid-19 infection," according to the statement. 

Hospitals will not be ready for a renewed onslaught of coronavirus infections if a second wave comes in the fall, a Rhode Island emergency physician told Congress on Thursday.

“I do not think that we are currently prepared for a second wave,” Dr. Megan Ranney, emergency physician and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Several medical experts, including US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Robert Redfield, have predicted coronavirus could start spreading fast again in the autumn, and said it would be complicated by the beginning of a fresh influenza season, too. 

There has not been enough preparation for that, Ranney told the hearing.

Staff are having to reuse equipment meant to be thrown out after every patient encounter – a dangerous practice. “We would never have reused an N95s for an entire shift. We never would have reused surgical masks in between patients and that's what we're doing now,” Ranney said.

Plus, more research is needed, she said.  “We also still lack adequate science,” Ranney said. “I'm so thankful for the funding that you all have given to NIH and CDC but it's not enough, and we need more.”  

But most of all, Ranney said, the US needs “adequate testing for frontline workers, not just in healthcare, not just in nursing homes and sniffs and hospitals, but also all of you who have testified today.”

She added:  “Everyone who's out there facing the public needs to be safe.” 

Universal Orlando has presented a plan to begin a phased reopening of its theme parks on June 1, initially only for its own team members.

The presentation was made today at a virtual meeting of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force.

Here's how the reopening would work:

This plan will now be evaluated by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who said Wednesday that he plans to make a recommendation to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis within 12 to 24 hours.

Part of that evaluation period involves county staff making site visits.

Universal has theme parks in Orlando, Los Angeles, Japan and Singapore, all of which are temporarily closed.