POLITICO NIGHTLY: The nursing home data is scary for everyone

By Renuka Rayasam Presented by EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration abruptly cut off funding on Friday for a project studying how coronaviruses spread from bats to people after reports linked the work to a lab in Wuhan, China, that is at the center of conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic's origins, writes health care reporter Sarah Owermohle. THE KIDS MIGHT NOT BE ALRIGHT — As the country nears 1 million Covid cases, more and more states are saying that young, healthy people should go about their lives. President Donald Trump said today that states should consider reopening schools because children have done "very well." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced today he would lift a statewide stay-at-home order, and governors in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin also announced plans to relax coronavirus restrictions. Businesses in Colorado, Florida , Georgia and other states are navigating new rules that allow them to operate. Many of these plans are zeroing in on one grim datapoint as a paradoxical sign of hope: About a quarter to half of the country's more than 50,000 deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities. The idea is that most people can start going out to eat or getting their haircut as long as the virus is contained within nursing home walls. It's certainly true that officemates don't share as much physical contact as do nursing home residents and their caregivers. And it's also fair that children have a much lower risk of dying from Covid than their grandparents do. But there are several reasons why the prevalence of Covid-19 cases in nursing homes might be cause for alarm, not optimism. Your office is actually kind of like a nursing home — The quick spread in nursing homes shows that even with precautions, Covid is highly contagious in enclosed environments. "That's a pretty good signal as to what happens when we open other institutions," Harvard Medical School professor David Grabowski said. You, or a member of your family, probably has a lot in common with a nursing home patient — In at least six states reporting data, deaths in long-term care facilities accounted for more than 50 percent of all deaths. But vulnerable people don't live only in nursing facilities. People over 65 and people who have diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions are all members of high-risk groups. More than 100 million Americans — nearly a half of all adults in the country — have high blood pressure. About one in 10 Americans has diabetes. More than 40 percent are obese. Keeping nursing homes shut can't keep the virus inside — The virus can quickly spread into and out of even closed nursing homes, as workers move in and out of the facilities. And sickened nursing home patients can spread the virus when they are moved to hospitals or other health care facilities. In fact, counties with enclosed buildings like nursing homes and prisons are seeing dramatically higher rates of Covid than their neighboring counties. But so are counties with meatpacking plants and ski resorts, seemingly showing how easily the virus can spread beyond any one place of business. Patterson Clark/POLITICO Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. This Georgia girl isn't surprised that Waffle House is already open for business. Reach out with tips: rrayasam@politico.com or on Twitter at @renurayasam.   A message from PhRMA: In these unprecedented times, America's biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. We are rapidly screening our vast global libraries to identify potential treatments and have 284 clinical trials underway. Explore our efforts.   First In Nightly SOUTH OF THE ORDER — American companies making crucial goods like ventilators, face masks and military equipment are unable to get parts and materials they need because the Mexican government has shuttered hundreds of factories during the pandemic, writes trade reporter Sabrina Rodríguez . Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's refusal to bow to entreaties from the Trump administration to change his mind could cost U.S. firms billions, as they search for supplies elsewhere around the world and give new ammunition to trade hawks in the administration who want more domestic manufacturing. "These massive supply chain disruptions threaten to undermine the U.S.-Mexico relationship, which comes after Mexico became the U.S.' biggest trading partner" in 2019, said Neil Herrington, senior vice president of the Americas for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. From the Health Desk THE RACE FOR TREATMENTS — There are now 72 registered clinical trials for coronavirus treatments and vaccines in the U.S. and abroad, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Health care reporter Zachary Brennan has a rundown of how this process is taking shape, and the key results expected in the coming months.   WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE FINANCIAL MARKETS? JOIN US WITH NASDAQ CEO ADENA FRIEDMAN TOMORROW : Global financial markets have been on a roller coaster since the pandemic hit and there is no shortage of speculation on what is next. Join POLITICO's chief economic correspondent and author of the Morning Money newsletter, Ben White, tomorrow at 9 a.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with NASDAQ CEO Adena Friedman to gain some clarity. What is the Federal Reserve doing to keep markets functioning? How quickly can the private sector bounce back from the crisis? Will this roller-coaster ride continue? Have questions? They'll answer as many as they can. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE     PUNCHLINES CLEANSING JOKES — In the latest edition of Punchlines, Matt Wuerker looks into the political satire inspired by Trump's comments on the potential medicinal value of disinfectants. Palace Intrigue SILENT TREATMENT — The country's health crisis is so vast that the federal system designed to provide emergency medical aid has had issues mobilizing, three former U.S. government officials told Daniel Lippman . The National Disaster Medical System, an interagency effort, has had trouble standing up its disaster medical assistance teams because they draw from doctors and nurses at hospitals where health workers are swamped with the local response to the coronavirus pandemic and some cannot leave for a few weeks to work on a federal team, according to two of the former officials. The teams are intended to provide temporary support to states and U.S. territories affected by a disaster or public health emergency. HHS has deployed the system, which often include the teams of health workers, on coronavirus missions to Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington, New York City, Guam and Puerto Rico, according to an HHS spokesperson. HHS said the system has been able to meet all requests for aid. Some of the health care workers deployed have also raised concerns about whether they have adequate personal protective equipment, one of the former officials said. When they raised the issue, however, some were threatened or told they could be reassigned or resign, the official said. An HHS spokesperson said protective equipment has been provided to all staff who require it and that the agency does not "use threatening tactics in dealing with full-time or intermittent staff. [HHS' Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response]'s human resources office has provided mandatory training to prevent such behaviors and has used venues, such as all hands staff meetings, to enforce our zero tolerance policy on harassment in the workplace."     Talking to the Experts How will the Internet be different after the coronavirus pandemic? "The current crisis that we're in has just intensified the need for digital connectivity. There was a bit of a backlash going on against technology, and for good reasons — privacy is a very legitimate and important concern, and the industry must give consumers ownership of their privacy — but it is a critical utility. It is part of the infrastructure of our economy, part of the infrastructure of our society, and it needs to be viewed that way right now: it is something we fundamentally rely on." — Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal, as told to senior technology reporter Nancy Scola "The pandemic experience may help us better understand what's best done online and what's best done in real life. Maybe much of college training can be done online, but the related in-person social experience and team training maybe can't be replaced. We'll see that a lot more of work can be done online, but we'll see a greater necessity for a lot of things to be done in person. There's no substitute for the nuances of face-to-face communications." — Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist "Previously everyone was talking about 'misinformation' and 'disinformation' in a highly politicized way. Now what we seem to be talking about, and I like the new frame very much, is this 'infodemic,' which is related much more to public health concepts about the general health of the information ecosystem — like the decision to limit forwarding as a form of information social-distancing. I think potentially it's the most positive long-term change to come out of this." — Katherine Maher, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind Wikipedia Ask The Audience Our question for readers this week: Seeing any interesting, fun or meaningful signs related to the coronavirus? Snap a photo sometime this week and send it to Renu at rrayasam@politico.com, and we'll share our favorites on Friday. The Global Fight THE COVID BOUNCE — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was on the rocks two month ago — down to 32 percent approval thanks to perceived mismanagement of Australia's wildfires. Today, his approval has nearly doubled to 63 percent, according to Morning Consult's survey of leaders, in parallel with Australia getting down to just seven new coronavirus cases today. Canada's Justin Trudeau has seen his approval ratings jump from 37 percent to 60 percent, and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson went from 45 percent to 64 percent. Trump is relatively flat in the low to mid 40s, but he can be glad he's not Emmanuel Macron, Ryan Heath writes. The French president also got a bump: to a whopping 35 percent approval.   LIVE TOMORROW - WHY IS THE PANDEMIC HITTING MINORITY COMMUNITIES THE HARDEST ? African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately at risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19. What can be done to mitigate the impact and save lives? Join POLITICO's Laura Barrón-López tomorrow at 4 p.m. EDT for a virtual discussion focused on the pandemic's outsized impact on minorities with Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus and Uché Blackstock , MD, founder & CEO, Advancing Health Equity. Have questions? They'll answer as many as they can. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.     Nightly Number 60 million The number of Americans who live in the Western states that are coordinating a gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions. Colorado and Nevada said today they joined an existing regional pact with the governors of California, Washington and Oregon aimed at restarting their economies as the pandemic's spread has slowed. All five of the Western group's governors are Democrats. (h/t Jeremy B. White) Parting Words Matt Wuerker/POLITICO 'TWELDERLY' BACKLASH — For people 65 and older, plans for enjoying life, family and friends have been put on a hold for weeks with no signs of letting up "We face potentially months more confinement 'for your own good,'" POLITICO's "Europe at Large" columnist Paul Taylor writes. "I feel grounded like a wayward adolescent punished for underaged smoking or drinking." Taylor predicts a coming revolt of older people worldwide, with a new term blending the elderly with the rebelliousness of teens: "Be prepared for the 'twelderly' to put up a fight. We boomers, used to securing our political interests because of our high voter turnout, will have to make financial sacrifices. We know that. Just don't expect us to enjoy it."   A message from PhRMA: In these unprecedented times, America's biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. The investments we've made have prepared us to act swiftly: · Rapidly screening our vast global libraries to identify potential treatments and have 284 clinical trials underway · Dedicating our top scientists and using our investments in new technologies to speed the development of safe and effective vaccines · Sharing learnings from clinical trials in real time with governments and other companies to advance the development of additional therapies · Expanding our unique manufacturing capabilities and sharing available capacity to ramp up production once a successful medicine or vaccine is developed Explore our efforts.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam   Follow us

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