July 14 coronavirus news

Four former directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have written that they have never seen science be so influenced by politics, in an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post.

One of the roles of the CDC is to provide sound public health guidance, which is essential during a pandemic. 

Speaking about the school reopening guidelines from the CDC, the former directors said that while it is not unusual for guidelines to be altered or changed after going through a clearance process, it is “extraordinary for guidelines to be undermined after their release.”

Guidelines should only be changed for new information and science, not because of politics, they said.

Writing about reopening schools and businesses amid a worsening pandemic, they said that public health experts face two opponents, “Covid-19, but also political leaders and others attempting to undermine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Remember: The President, against the advice of some of the nation's top health officials, has repeatedly called for schools to reopen as coronavirus cases surge across the country.

On Wednesday, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, warned that the country has to maintain control over the pandemic to get children back to school in the fall, Trump slammed the CDC's existing guidelines.

He tweeted they were "very tough" and "expensive," while in another tweet threatened to cut off school funding if they resisted opening, though the federal government's ability to do so is limited.

Doctor Anthony Fauci is staying on with the White House coronavirus task force despite the recent White House attempts to discredit him, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

Some background: The White House has made a concerted effort to discredit Fauci as he becomes increasingly vocal about his concerns over reopening the country.

The tension between Fauci and Trump — who are no longer speaking, CNN reported last week — has grown publicly as they have responded to one another through interviews and statements.

But remember: Trump does not plan to dismiss Fauci, and probably couldn't directly fire him if he wanted to, White House officials have determined. He insisted on Monday that his relationship with the doctor remains strong.

Point of care tests should help reduce the burden on testing labs later in the year, said Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, on Tuesday.

Speaking on NPR’s “Morning Edition” about the burden of testing on labs as schools work on reopening and workplaces request more testing as they reopen, Giroir said these point of care tests are “going to dramatically reduce the burden.”

He also said that at present, almost half of the tests that are done are point of care tests.

It's Tuesday morning in the US, where more than 3.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the pandemic began.

If you're just reading in, here's what you need to know about the pandemic to start your morning:

Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services and member of the White House coronavirus task force, on Tuesday conceded there are delays in Covid-19 tests results coming from big commercial laboratories, saying the demand is still very high.

Giroir explained the government is working with these laboratories to "actively start" pooling samples, and it will also lean into places that need a lot of testing, such as nursing homes, to do more point-of-care testing.

"That will alleviate millions of tests from those commercial labs," Giroir said.

Iraq on Tuesday recorded at least 2,022 new coronavirus cases, according to the country's health ministry.

This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in Iraq to more than 81,700 according to the health ministry.

The health ministry also reported at least 95 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the total to at least 3,345 deaths across the country.

The ministry also said in a statement that 3,784 cases have recovered Tuesday from Covid-19, and total of 50,782 cases have recovered across the country since the pandemic began.

A new plan under development by the White House and Senate Republicans to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is expected to include financial incentives to push schools to reopen while also shielding health care workers and companies against lawsuits, Republicans said Monday, a move that will spur a fight with Democrats.

This liability protection is essential, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it would remove responsibility from employers and institutions. 

Senate GOP leaders and senior administration officials have been privately trading proposals and exchanging plans before formally introducing a Republican proposal as soon as next week, with just three weeks before Congress adjourns for its summer recess.

The measure, expected to cost around $1.3 trillion, would amount to the GOP's latest response to the crisis  — after roundly dismissing House Democrats' $3 trillion-plus plan that passed their chamber two months ago.

But to get to Trump's desk, it would require the two parties in both chambers to resolve major differences — over the size and scope of the plan as well as the details in it — in the heat of an election year, meaning many are skeptical a deal can be reached with the number of days dwindling before the August recess.

The GOP measure expected to provide aid to businesses, hospitals and schools in an effort to jumpstart the economy with millions still out of work.

But even before it's introduced, it is already prompted an outcry from Democrats, who contend the measure is far smaller in scope than what's needed and is expected to include measures their party won't accept.

Remember: Some of America's largest school districts say they won't resume in-person classes at the start of autumn, despite Trump's calls to reopen.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he is “in favor” of making wearing face masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces to limit the spread of coronavirus, adding during a televised interview that the measure could be enforced as early as August 1.

"There are risks that [the outbreak] could be starting again and we need to be prepared,” he added, recommending that “all citizens wear masks as much as possible, outside as well as inside.”

The president’s remarks come just a day after the UK government announced that wearing face masks in shops and supermarkets in England would become compulsory starting July 24.

Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday that US health officials are "very concerned" about the Covid-19 outbreak, but some early indicators point to "some early light at the end of this tunnel." 

During an interview on "Today" on NBC, Giroir, who is a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that the government's response to the current outbreak is better than when the pandemic first started. "We are in a much different place now than we were several months ago – [a] much better place," he said.

Giroir reiterated some early indicators – including positivity rates leveling off and visits to the ER going down in some of the hotspots – show that the country may be turning a corner on the current outbreak, with the help of social distancing measures and wearing masks.

"None of us feel comfortable, nobody is doing a victory lap. We are all very concerned, all hands on deck in the field," Giroir said. "This doesn't mean we've turned the corner, and I want everybody to really understand. You've got to physically distance, wear your mask, avoid bars, close bars in those hot areas, reduce restaurant capacity. If we keep doing those things, these early indicators will turn into successes for us. We are not there yet but we are seeing some early light at the end of this tunnel."