April 26 coronavirus news

We still don’t know how long antibodies last in people who have recovered from the coronavirus infection, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said on Sunday. 

Birx was asked about the validity of a scientific brief released Friday by the World Health Organization addressing the idea of “immunity passports” that said “there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.” 

The following day, the WHO in a tweet clarified its earlier statement regarding “immunity passports” and antibody protection, stating: “We expect that most people who are infected with Covid-19 will develop an antibody response that will provide some level of protection.”

Other research about antibodies: Birx noted that in normal viral infections, our bodies develop “functional” antibodies that can neutralize the virus, as well as binding antibodies “that help pull out those viruses” and kill them. 

“The CDC is not only measuring antibody but they are also looking and see whether that antibody is neutralizing,” Birx said.

Simultaneously, the FDA is working alongside hospitals to determine the effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy in treating coronavirus patients to determine if the antibodies of a recovered patient would help those still infected.

“So, all of that data together, I think, is going to create a very clear picture about antibody,” she said. 

Hair salons, beauty parlors and other shops and services were allowed to open in Israel Sunday after the government agreed on loosening coronavirus restrictions.

Restaurants were allowed to sell food for take-away, though restrictions on seated guests remain in place.

All businesses permitted to re-open are required to follow lengthy regulations concerning the behavior of staff and customers, with a fine of 2,000 shekels, roughly $570, for any violations.

Shops in malls are to remain closed. 

The wearing of masks in public remains mandatory, with authorities free to issue fines to anyone flouting the requirement “from the first offense.”

One of the immediate goals for recovery is to get people "back to work," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The mayor wants to immediately get people back on their feet and his office is creating a Fair Recovery Task Force to help with that.

The task force will come up with a preliminary roadmap to recovery by June 1, de Blasio said. They will focus on the long road ahead, he added. 

The mayor is also creating a Charter Revision Commission. The commission will hold hearings across the city and will think about the big picture for the government and where it needs to go for the future.

White House Coronavirus task force response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said President Trump's suggestion on Thursday that injecting UV light or disinfectants into the human body as possible coronavirus treatments was a "dialogue" between the president and acting Department of Homeland Security official Bill Bryan about new information.

When the President turned to her at the briefing she made it clear, and the President understood, that injections were not a treatment for the virus, she told CNN on Sunday.

Bryan had presented a study about how light and disinfectants could help kill the virus on surfaces and exposing the outer part of the body — but not doing so inside.

Birx said it was "unfortunate" that critical information about the impact of direct sunlight on the aerosolization of the virus detailed in the study Bryan presented was lost during the stir over the President's comments.

Birx said it bothers her that the President's comments are still a topic of conversation because she thinks "we're missing the bigger pieces of what we need to be doing as an American people, to continue to protect one another."

Some background: During the briefing, President Trump specifically directed a question at Birx about the possibility of sunlight and disinfectant, according to the official White House transcript.

The transcript had to be officially amended to reflect that Birx responded to the President’s question by saying “Not as a treatment,” instead of “That is a treatment.”

During a bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said he was not speaking to either Birx or Bryan, but was instead addressing reporters and being sarcastic.

Watch:

New York City will come back stronger than ever, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Sunday morning. 

The recovery will take the next 20-months of his administration and far beyond that, de Blasio said.

The mayor reminded people of 9/11 and how the city fought back.

We are going to build something new and something better, de Blasio said it will be fair and for everyone. 

The mayor said the city has to fight back against the disparities made clear during Covid-19.

De Blasio will launch several councils to talk about reopening, these councils are set to start meeting on May 1.

There will be separate councils for education, small business, large businesses, public health, labor and the arts, among others.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was asked about the oversight committee set up in the Michigan legislature to oversee her actions, and if believes she has gone too far with her stay at home restrictions.

When discussing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s suggestion that states should consider filing for bankruptcy, Whitmer said not only is default not an option for Michigan, but also, “it’s outrageous for Mitch McConnell to even suggest that.”

“For Senator McConnell to suggest that is incredibly dangerous, and I don’t think the vast majority of governors in this country, Republican and Democrat, would agree with him. He’s wrong and we need Congress to help states” Whitmer said, potentially setting up the next battleground for the coronavirus relief effort, namely how much support states receive from Congress in the next relief package.  

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there will be another federal emergency relief bill that will include money for state and local governments that are facing budget deficits, despite Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he did not want to issue more federal aid.

Some context: A relief package was signed into law earlier this week, but didn't include money state leaders could use for basic operations –– something several governors have spoken out against.

"State and local governments have done their job magnificently. They should be impatient. Their impatience will help us get an even bigger number," Pelosi said.

Watch:

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a republican from Louisiana, is proposing a $500 billion bill that would give emergency relief funds to state and local governments as several of the nation's governors say they need federal money to continue daily operations.

One-third of the money would be awarded based on population size, one-third based on the number of coronavirus cases in the state and one-third based on the state's revenue loss, Cassidy said.

He said supporting local governments means supporting small businesses.

"Your city is going bankrupt because they rely upon sales tax, hotel bed tax, tourism to keep the police, to keep the fire, to keep the sanitation," he told CNN Sunday morning. "The city's bankrupt because a federally ordered lockdown has happened and now you don't have the police, the sanitation. What is your restaurant going to do? It's going to close its doors. Garbage piling up in front, and rats running in the garbage, is not what brings people through your doors."

He said supporting the system of city workers who help businesses thrive, is important to the reopening of the economy.

Some background: Some states say they are facing billion dollar budget deficits because of spending needed to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell floated the possibility of states declaring bankruptcy rather than receive more federal aid.

While Republicans are in general agreement with McConnell that they should hit pause on any new funding, some GOP senators like Cassidy are publicly and privately expressing an openness toward a new round of aid to cash-strapped state and local governments

President Trump signed a more than $480 billion coronavirus relief package into law earlier this week –– but it did not include money for state governments.

Children were allowed out of the house in Spain's capital Madrid on Sunday.

Parents and their kids started to appear on the streets shortly after 9 a.m. local time today –– the official start for easing the confinement for kids under 14 years old. 

Accompanied by their parents, it was the children’s’ first time out of the house in six weeks since the state of emergency began.

A 9 year-old-boy told CNN he has been “bored” staying at home so long, as he walked with his 6-year-old sister and their father, next to El Retiro Park. This park and others in the country, and playgrounds, too, remain closed.

The government now allows kids to go out once a day, for one hour, within about half a mile of their homes, with one adult who lives with them. Up to three kids can go with each adult.

There was 288 deaths due to coronavirus on Sunday, according to data released by Spain's Ministry of Health. This is the lowest number of deaths since March 20, but was a slight increase of 1.3% from the previous day.

Spain’s Director of Health Emergencies Fernando Simon told journalists that despite today's good news statistically, there's still a need for caution.