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Biden calls for Trump to appoint a 'supply commander' to coordinate critical material distribution Former Vice President Joe Biden, the likely Democratic nominee, is calling for President Donald Trump to appoint a "supply commander" to "coordinate critical materials for all 50 states and U.S. territories" in need as they contend with the coronavirus. “This public health crisis is foremost a human crisis, but it is also a crisis of supply, logistics and distribution. States, hospitals, and health care providers should not have to bid against one another, or against the federal government to get the supplies that they desperately need," Biden said in a statement on Saturday. “It is clear that the current structure President Trump has put in place is not working — either because he hasn't fully empowered those in charge or because he hasn't made it clear that the mandate must be to take over the entire supply chain and determine the demand across all of our states, tribes and territories for these critical materials," he continued. Biden also released his own plan about coordinating and distributing personal protective equipment to all 50 states and territories. He has often publicly called for Trump and his administration to adopt his policy plans. Share this -







Non-COVID medical emergencies take a back seat, putting patients at risk "I would rather die than risk getting coronavirus right now.” That’s what a patient told Dr. Comilla Sasson, an emergency medicine physician in Denver, after she advised the patient during a telemedicine visit that she was showing signs of a heart attack and should go to a hospital. “I asked if I could talk to one of her family members and she said ‘no’ — that she had already made up her mind,” Sasson told NBC News. It’s unclear what the woman’s diagnosis turned out to be, because she did not reach out to Sasson again. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, medical emergencies unrelated to COVID-19 still occur. Sasson, who works at three hospitals in the Denver area, is among a number of doctors who worry that people experiencing warning signs of life-threatening conditions are delaying seeking emergency help out of fear of going to coronavirus-strained emergency rooms. Read the rest here. Share this -







Pope Francis donates thousands to Italian city Pope Francis donated 60,000 euros (about $65,000) on Friday to Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in the Italian city Bergamo. Some of the donation will be used to build a new hospital in the city in the northern Lombardy region, the epicentre of Italy’s virus outbreak. Medical professionals have been hit particularly hard in the country and the death toll for doctors rose to 77 when another four died overnight from the virus, according to the Italy's National Federation of Medical Professionals. Italy has reported almost 120,000 cases as of Saturday. However, it has started to see infections leveling off after weeks of nationwide shutdown. Share this -







Athletes Village for Olympics could house virus patients The under-construction Athletes Village for the Tokyo Olympics could be used as a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has been talking about the possibility of occupying the massive development on Tokyo Bay, which is to house up to 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes and staff during the games. The complex, which will eventually include 24 buildings, was expected to remain unoccupied with the Olympics delayed for 16 months. Despite a rising number of cases in Japan — particularly in its capital city — the government has not declared a state of emergency, causing some unease at the “slow” reaction to the pandemic. Share this -







U.K.'s Johnson urges people to stay home despite 'fine weather' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to "stay at home... and save lives" this weekend, despite the impending “fine weather” on Saturday. Don’t be tempted to meet friends at the park this weekend.



Do your bit to protect the NHS and save lives by staying at home.#StayHomeSaveLives #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/kJ5Xd8p0to — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 4, 2020 “This country has made a huge effort, a huge sacrifice, and done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus,” he tweeted Saturday. Johnson also tweeted a letter addressed to the leaders of opposition parties in the government to “invite them to work together at this moment of national emergency.” The prime minister himself was recently diagnosed with the virus, and is continuing self-isolation until further notice. In the midst of a three-week lockdown, the U.K. has reported more than 41,000 cases as of Saturday. Share this -







Egyptians urged to stay at home until April 10 Municipal workers sanitize the areas surrounding the Giza pyramids complex in hopes of curbing the outbreak in Egypt last week. Nariman El-Mofty / AP For the next week until April 10, Egyptians should not "leave the house for any reason...not even to buy bread," health officials in the country said Friday. This is because "the worst stage will begin soon... and many positive cases will arise and can infect many people, so it is very important to stay home," said Dr. Mahmoud Al-Jaraihi, director of an Egyptian fever hospital. The Middle East's most populous country has reported almost 1,000 confirmed cases and 66 fatalities. The warning came after the World Heath Organization said on Thursday that governments in the Middle East need to act fast to limit the spread, after cases rose to nearly 60,000 in the region, almost double from a week earlier. Share this -







Indian officials warn of lockdown extensions The number of confirmed new virus cases across South Asia neared 6,000 on Saturday, even as authorities in some cities tightened restrictions on movement and warned lockdowns could be extended in a bid to rein in the pandemic. A policeman wearing a coronavirus-themed outfit walks through a market to raise awareness about social distancing, in Chennai, India on Thursday. Arun Sankar / AFP - Getty Images “If people don’t obey the rules seriously and cases continue to rise, then there may be no option but to extend the lockdown,” said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of India's Maharashtra state which includes the financial hub Mumbai, on Saturday. “It could be extended in Mumbai and urban areas of Maharashtra by two weeks.” The country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this week the country will pull out of the national three-week lockdown of some 1.3 billion people — set to end April 14 — in a phased manner, other senior officials said this will depend on an assessment of the situation and that lockdowns would be extended in districts where the outbreak is spreading. Modi's lockdown has been criticized as being ill-conceived and disproportionately affecting India's poor. The country has been hardest hit by the disease in South Asia with some 2,902 cases and 68 deaths. Share this -







South Korea extends 'strengthened social distance' for two weeks South Korea will extend “strengthened social distance” for two more weeks ending on April 19, government officials said on Saturday. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has expressed concern over rising infections linked to recent arrivals amid broadening outbreaks in Europe and the United States. “We very well know that continuing social distancing comes with massive costs and sacrifice,” Chung said after a meeting on anti-virus measures on Saturday, referring to the economic implications. “But if we loosen things right now, the effort we so far invested could pop and disappear like a bubble.” South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 94 new cases on Saturday, bringing the national total to 10,156 cases. While the country's caseload has slowed from early March — when it reported around 500 new cases a day — there’s alarm over a recent steady rise in infections in the Seoul metropolitan area where around half of the country's 51 million people live. A medical staff member in a booth takes samples from a visitor for the coronavirus test at a walk through testing station in Seoul, South Korea on Friday. Jung Yeon-Je / AFP - Getty Images Share this -







China pays tribute to those who died in epidemic with day of mourning China mourned the thousands of “martyrs” who have died in the coronavirus outbreak on Saturday, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment. At 10 a.m. local time, the country observed three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed. Chinese President Xi Jinping, with other leaders, including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, attend National Mourning for #COVID19 victims in Beijing at 10 am Sat during the National Mourning Day. pic.twitter.com/gjYnq899vN — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 4, 2020 Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders paid silent tribute in front of the national flag, with white flowers pinned to their chest as a mark of mourning, state media reported. The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors. More than 3,300 people in mainland China have died in the epidemic as of Saturday. Share this -





