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New York governor moves to mitigate coronavirus treatment and testing costs New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday night that he was issuing a directive that would require state health insurers to waive costs associated with coronavirus treatment. New Yorkers receiving Medicaid coverage will not have to pay a co-pay for any testing related to #coronavirus.



Currently all COVID-19 tests being conducted at the State's Wadsworth Lab are fully covered. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 3, 2020 Share this -







Trump pushes for vaccine, treatment at White House meeting with pharma execs President Donald Trump and members of the coronavirus task force met with top pharmaceutical and biotech executives at the White House Monday, where the president urged speedy action on a vaccine and treatment for the virus. Trump, who's been criticized by Democrats and some doctors for offering too rosy an outlook on the impact of the virus in the United States, was more restrained Monday, speaking shortly after officials in Washington state reported that six people had died from the illness. "The White House coronavirus task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, has been meeting daily and coordinating closely with the state and local governments," Trump said. "Mike had a call today with 53 governors, and I heard it was a very good call and everybody's very well-coordinated. And the governors and the states — all of them, I can't think of an exception — they have been really working closely with us. It's been a very good relationship. We will confront this challenge together." "We're working very hard to expedite the longer process of developing a vaccine. We're also moving with maximum speed to develop a therapy so that we can help people recover as quickly as possible," he added. After one of the pharma executives suggested a vaccine could be ready within months, Trump suggested that the vaccine could then be deployed to the public. However, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease interjected to note that that's when a vaccine could be ready for testing. A flawed vaccine would do more harm than good, he added, and the timeline for a vaccine to get market would be "at the earliest a year to a year and a half, no matter how fast you go." The executives and Fauci suggested that some sort of treatment for people who are sick could be available in a matter of months, news Trump called "very exciting." Share this -







County in Washington to buy motel for isolated patients Officials in King county, Washington said they plan to buy a local motel and set up modular units that will be used to isolate people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus. These modular units will be set up in publicly-owned parking lots and other available land. Later Monday, during a news conference, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state is looking at multiple options to increase the "surge capacity" of its health care system. Share this -







California's Placer County confirms first case A resident of Placer County, which includes the greater Sacramento metropolitan area in Northern California, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the county's health department said on Monday. The individual is a health care worker from NorthBay VacaValley Hospital who had exposure to a woman who tested positive and is currently hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center. That woman was the first reported case of community spread in the U.S. The Placer patient, the first for the county, has mild symptoms and is currently isolated at home. Share this -







Vice President Pence: "It's a good time to wash your hands." Vice President Mike Pence speaks along with members of the coronavirus take force during a press briefing at the White House on March 2, 2020. Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images Vice President Mike Pence offered his condolences as the U.S. coronavirus death toll rose to six on Monday. Pence spoke to reporters Monday afternoon along with a number of experts on the White House coronavirus task force, where he emphasized that people should remain calm amid the outbreak. "Despite today’s sad news, let’s be clear: the risk to the American people from the coronavirus remains low, according to all of the experts that we’re working with across the government," Pence said. The vice president called the outbreak an "all hands on deck" situation as he recounted meetings with governors, pharmaceutical companies and medical experts in recent days. Pence said that while a vaccine might not be available until late this year or early next, pharmaceutical companies have been working on developing therapeutics that may be available as early as this summer. "The most encouraging news from that meeting are that our pharma companies ... all have already formed a consortium to work together, to share information in the development of therapeutics and vaccines," he said. The administration has worked with authorities in Italy and South Korea to implement additional screenings for all flights entering the U.S., including temperature tests for passengers. Pence didn't warn against domestic travel, but encouraged families to practice common sense as authorities encourage everyone to resume their normal lives. "This is a time to use common sense," Pence said. "It's a good time to wash your hands." Share this -







Worried you have the coronavirus? Here's exactly what you should do With a growing number of cases of the new coronavirus confirmed across the United States, having a sore throat or some sniffles might feel like a cause for concern. But in most cases, there is no reason to worry, experts say. If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, there are the steps that doctors and public health officials recommend you take. Click here to read more on what to do if you think you have coronavirus. Share this -







Sign of the times, cont'd Empty cold and flu medicine shelves are shown at a Target store in Encinitas, Calif., on March 2, 2020. Mike Blake / Reuters Share this -







A dozen schools in Washington are closed. Others are weighing options. A growing number of schools in western Washington state and Oregon are scrambling this week to temporarily close and sanitize classrooms. The decision to cancel classes Monday in at least a dozen schools in the greater Seattle area indicates how essential it is for school districts to have contingency plans and could be a preview for communities across the country weighing what preventative steps to take, health experts say. Read more from this story here. Share this -







New York's battle plan: Testing and bleach Now that the coronavirus has arrived in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is warning residents to brace themselves for a smell with an overpowering, yet familiar, bouquet: bleach. Read the full story here. Share this -





