VENTILATORS, PPE, FACE SHIELDS, FEMA? KELLY LOEFFLER PROFITED FROM INSIDERS TRADING, CARNIVAL CRUISE BAILOUT.....

APRIL 1, 2020 MASSACHUSETTS Mass. reports 33 new coronavirus-related deaths, 1,118 new cases

State health officials announced Wednesday that the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Massachusetts had risen to 122, up from 89 the day before. The death toll included the youngest victim so far of the pandemic, a man in his 30s from Suffolk County.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 7,738, up from 6,620. The Department of Public Health reported a total of 51,738 people had been tested, up from 46,935.

The department also said that a total 5,176 people in the state were self-quarantining themselves, monitored for symptoms, up from 2,147 a week ago. The quarantines are part of the effort to contain the spread of the virus.

Forecasts are saying that by summer the virus will have killed nearly 1,800 people in the state.

Governor Charlie Baker at a news conference in Worcester underlined the importance of social distancing as a way of slowing the spread of the deadly virus.

“The whole point behind social distancing,” he said, “behind all this work we’re doing, all the disruption we’re creating for people, the major changes in the way we live, is about keeping people far enough away from each other for a long enough period of time, that people don’t pass this from one person to the next, and I can’t express how important that is.”

Noting research that suggest people can spread the virus even without symptoms, Baker said, “It’s really important that we all respect that and do everything we can to stay away from each other."

Baker also addressed the unfolding situation at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where 13 people have died recently, including at least six from the coronavirus.

Mark W. Pearlstein, a former federal prosecutor now working in private practice at McDermott, Will & Emery, has been hired, to investigate the deaths and determine what exactly happened, and “what didn’t," Baker said.

Baker said the state will ensure "Mark and his team have access to all the people they need" in an effort to "get to the bottom of what took place."

Baker said Val Liptak, the CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital who’s taken over as the head of the Holyoke home on an interim basis, “understands all the protocols associated with how to deal with this, and she’s implementing them.”

He said the tragedy in Holyoke underscores why state officials have put such rigid safety protocols in place amid the pandemic.

“There’s no population that’s more at risk when it comes to this particular contagion than seniors, and especially those who live in quarters that are designed to serve them,” he said.

Asked about the situation at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, where two people have died from the virus, Baker said it was a “terrific institution” that “followed all the rules and protocols” regarding critical incidents and timely reporting of them.

Baker said he didn’t anticipate the situation in Chelsea becoming as dire as in Holyoke.

Turning to the topic of schools, Baker praised teachers around the state for the various remote learning programs they're offering to students confined to their homes amid the pandemic.

"There are a lot of teachers who are doing some really interesting things to keep in touch with and provide educational opportunities for our kids," Baker said.

He said he hopes students don’t emerge from the pandemic with it having been "a completely lost opportunity to continue to grow, to continue to learn.”

Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito delivered their update on the state’s coronavirus response at a news conference at the DCU Center in Worcester, which is being set up as the site of a 250-bed facility to aid in coronavirus response.

On Tuesday the White House offered projections that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans will likely die of the coronavirus even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained.

Daily life around the world has been transformed as businesses and schools have been closed and people have been advised or ordered to stay at home, in desperate attempts to slow the spread of the virus. The world economy has also ground to a halt.

Worldwide, the virus has killed more than 45,000 people so far, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The virus caused mild to severe illness. Older people and people with severe chronic conditions are at higher risk of developing severe  illness, according to the CDC, which can prove fatal.

Does the sun kill the new coronavirus? Expert explains January 28, 2020

THIS WAS PUBLISHED IN JANUARY 2020 AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE AVAILABLE

1. Is the new coronavirus more afraid of heat or cold?

Coronavirus is more sensitive to heat.

The virus is moderately stable in a suitable maintenance solution at 4 °C (39.2 °F) and can be stored for several years at -60 °C (-76 °F).

However, as the temperature increases, the virus's resistance decreases, but it must reach a certain temperature for a certain time to inactivate the virus.

2. Does the ambient temperature affect the infectivity of the virus? Is there a difference in transmission in different regions (such as Northeast and Hainan)? Will the infectivity of the virus decrease as the temperature rises?

It can survive in different body fluids and even the surface of the object at room temperature for 2-10 days. Temperature mainly affects the survival time of the virus and does not affect its infectious capacity.

3. How much and how long does the high temperature have a killing effect on the virus? High-temperature environment disinfection? Does turning on air conditioning and heating work?

The virus is sensitive to heat and can effectively inactivate the virus when it reaches a temperature of 56 °C (132.8 °F) for 30 minutes. However, it is impossible to achieve the effect of inactivating the virus by raising the ambient temperature by heating with an air conditioner, and the effect of the virus cannot be achieved by heating the temperature.

4. In addition to fear of heat, what is the virus afraid of? (Disinfectant, ethanol, chlorine-containing disinfectant, etc., correct use)

n addition to killing the virus at high temperatures, lipid solvents such as ether, 75% ethanol, chlorine-containing disinfectants, peracetic acid, and chloroform can effectively inactivate the virus.

Air disinfection method:

1. Some people open the window twice a day for 30 minutes each time.

2. When there is an ultraviolet lamp, irradiate the ultraviolet lamp once a day in an unmanned room for more than 1 hour each time.

3. Disinfection method for the surface and ground of environmental objects: use 1000mg/L chlorine-containing disinfectant or peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide paper towels to wipe and disinfect thoroughly, twice a day.

Experts remind: 

First, the sun's irradiation temperature cannot reach 56 degrees, and the intensity of ultraviolet rays in sunlight can not reach the intensity of ultraviolet lamps.

Second, it needs a duration of 56 degrees and 30 minutes, and the ultraviolet lamp is irradiated for 60 minutes. The conditions must be met at the same time, which is difficult to achieve in the ordinary outside environment.

Because coronaviruses can be transmitted through respiratory aerosols, inactivating the virus in various ways and adopting multifaceted protective measures can minimize the possibility of infection.

https://cntechpost.com/2020/01/28/does-the-sun-kill-the-new-coronavirus-expert-explains/

View article on FAIR's website 'Millions of People Lose Water Service Because They Can't Afford Their Water Bills' Janine Jackson Janine Jackson interviewed Food & Water Watch’s Mary Grant about Covid-19 and water for the March 27, 2020, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. MP3 Link Janine Jackson: Without doing a count, I'm confident saying that vanishingly few articles noting the critical importance of frequent handwashing during the Covid-19 pandemic evince any acknowledgement at all that not everyone can do that. As some fight for attention for laid-off workers, for overstretched nurses, for underprotected delivery workers, others are also fighting to keep the distressingly large number of Americans who've had their water shut off for inability to pay in our vision—not just now, but in whatever is coming after. Mary Grant is the Public Water for All campaign director at Food & Water Watch. She joins us now by phone from Baltimore. Welcome to CounterSpin, Mary Grant. Mary Grant: Thank you so much for having me. From "America's Secret Water Crisis," Food & Water Watch (10/22/18) JJ: I say a “distressingly large" number of people. The thing is, we didn't really know the full scope of the shutoff problem until Food and Water Watch did some mapping of it a few years back. So when we think of folks who are without water in this country—not necessarily this second, but generally—how many people are we talking about? MG: We estimate that as many as 15 million Americans experienced a water shutoff in 2016. So millions of people every year lose water service because they can't afford their water bills. JJ: Fifteen million—that, I think, is a much higher number...and some of it's temporary, but that's at any given moment during 2016, you were talking about, yeah? MG: The entire year. We don't have numbers on how many people are restored each year for water service. But data from Detroit, Michigan—a hotspot of the water affordability crisis—found that about half the people who were shut off last year are still without water this year. So over a year, only about half of the people actually have their service restored. So we're talking about as much as 2.5% of Americans could be without water because they can't afford their bills. JJ: There is action right now, in response to Covid-19, to stop some planned shutoffs. What's going on on that front? Mary Grant: "The first thing that the CDC tells you to do to help prevent the spread of disease is to wash your hands. But if you don't have water at home, you can't take that simple action to protect yourself or your family or your community." MG: Cities are finally taking action and realizing the scope of the affordability crisis, and how much it impacts public health. We're seeing more than 400 communities and states across the country that have suspended water shutoffs, protecting more than 148 million people across our country. Making sure that people have water to wash their hands, it's so basic: The first thing that the CDC tells you to do to help prevent the spread of disease is to wash your hands. But if you don't have water at home, you can't take that simple action to protect yourself or your family or your community. JJ: We're talking about realizing how much harm shutoffs would do at this time. But that would seem to imply action beyond that, and you've just referenced it: restoring service. What about restoring service to people who have already been disconnected? MG: Only a couple of dozen communities are actually taking that next step of restoring service. And communities that have promised to restore service, like Detroit, Michigan, and Buffalo, New York, they're really struggling to actually turn the taps back on. It was so easy for them to shut off water. But now that the onus is on them to actually restore the service, it's taking a very long time. And people are in crisis mode, and Detroit is a hot spot of the coronavirus disease outbreak. There are a lot of people there are really suffering right now. And the grassroots organizations, from We the People of Detroit, the People's Water Board in Michigan, are really trying to get people's water turned back on, and giving people emergency water supplies while they are without water right now. JJ: It sounds like a lot of the action is at the state level, and even at the municipal level. So it's good, of course, where it happens, but it's kind of patchwork. Where are the Feds on this? MG: There was actually a really good provision in the House package for phase three of the coronavirus response package. So the House version released on Monday actually would tie aid to having a moratorium on shutoffs, and would also provide funding to help localities restore service, and give aid to low-income households to pay their water bills during this crisis. But it didn't make it into the final compromise bill that the Senate passed yesterday. It's such a huge disappointment that there's nothing helping households pay their water bills, helping cities restore water service in this corona aid package. But we are hopeful, there's going to be a phase four package, we're hearing, that maybe we can get some water funding in that. JJ: We wouldn't need to be doing this right now if we had some overarching legislation. So I wonder if you could just tell listeners about the WATER Act, which is designed to fight not just the shutoffs but kind of the nexus of problems that we're facing around water. MG: Yeah, the WATER Act is in Congress right now. It's the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability Act, introduced by Rep. Brenda Lawrence from Detroit in the House, 85 cosponsors, and it's in the Senate with Senator Sanders and three cosponsors. So this is a comprehensive piece of legislation to really restore the federal government's commitment to safe water for all, to take the onus off of localities, off of ratepayers; to have that federal investment in our water systems to make sure that every person has safe water, and water that's affordable, at home. It would fully fund our water and sewer systems, provide funding to remove lead from school pipes; it would help rural households with septic systems and household wells. So this is a really comprehensive piece of legislation that would prevent shutoffs from happening, by making sure people have affordable water in the first place. JJ: If we could step back just for a second, I understand that when you were trying to get the data on the extent of shutoffs, it wasn't easy to get the information from, in particular, private utilities. MG: Private companies overwhelmingly refused to give us any data on water shutoffs. They're not subject to state information act requests, and they declined to reply. A lot of them pointed out that they're not subject to the state Freedom of Information laws, and so they don't have to tell us, and they are declining to tell us. And some just ignored us outright; we had a couple private operators hang up on interns who were trying to follow up to get data. So it was just a big struggle to get data, because there's a black box. We conducted state surveys. So we looked at the two largest cities in each state, and requested information under state public information act laws. So we got 73 cities to respond, but only one private utility responded. JJ: Wow. MG: Ten companies just outright refused to provide us data. So really, we really need to have more transparency on this so we can really map the affordability crisis in our country, where even states are struggling to collect that data, and utilities are struggling. So we need to have comprehensive laws to require transparency about shutoffs, and to also protect vulnerable populations from shutoffs beyond this crisis. JJ: I'm sure some people are saying, “Why is it a private sector thing at all?” and listeners will have heard stories about, for example, Nestlé's siphoning off water to bottle and sell, at the same time as people are being shut off because they can't pay. Privatization—where does privatization fit into this? MG: So we don't know if private companies are shutting off households more, because we don't have data on that. Nationwide, about 90% of people receive their water service from a publicly owned utility. Privatization is pretty rare in the United States. But there are certain states, like New Jersey, where there's a lot of privatization, and a lot of private activity. Often this is systems that have always been privately owned: From their beginning, the systems were privately owned. And there's also efforts by these large companies, like American Water, Aqua America, Veolia, Suez, to purchase and take over water systems across the country. But there's a lot of public opposition to privatization, so there hasn't been a wave of privatization in the United States. Our research has found that private companies charge on average about 59% more than local governments do. So we would expect private companies to have higher rates of water shutoffs, because they charge higher rates. JJ: Yeah, yeah. MG: We just don't have that data. And we've really struggled to get data. JJ: As we keep saying, the water crisis is an affordability crisis, meaning it overwhelmingly affects poor people, meaning corporate media don't really care that much, or that often; let's just be real. But when they do pay attention, when reporters do focus on it, they certainly can play a role in maybe pushing public officials to do more? What's the place for reporters here? Bridge (3/9/20) MG: Oh, there's a really good place for reporters. Bridge Magazine in Michigan has done an amazing job covering the Detroit water crisis. They've actually collected data, and gotten good data from the city, and compiled it in a way that's accessible for the public. It's been so helpful to see actual information about, not only shutoffs, but restorations, and who's being effective, where the shutoffs are occurring, and overlapping that with public health information. So there are some local outlets that are doing great work. And nationally, the Guardian has really stepped up looking at water shutoffs across the country, as well as looking at restorations of service, and using that information to push public officials, other localities and states to take action. Because it's reporters and the media covering it, it’s informing the public, and allowing them, giving them opportunity, to call on their elected officials to take similar actions and to protect it. We need to know about the crisis in order to have good public policy. JJ: Absolutely. Finally, just like you don't like to make arguments against mass incarceration by saying, well, it's very expensive, you know, it's distressing to feel forced to argue that we should care about people without access to water because their getting ill might make other, presumably more important, people get ill. That's not a frame that's going to carry us forward, or really ground us in this properly. But on the other hand, if we don't talk about water rights now, when is it going to be more central, you know? So, just final thoughts on what folks can do, and the state of affairs at the moment. MG: Water is always a human right. It's always necessary for basic human dignity and living a life with dignity. People should have water that’s safe and affordable at their home at all times, not just during a pandemic. And it's not just about community well-being. It is about community well-being, but it's also about human health, protecting yourself, protecting your families; everyone deserves to be able to live a life with dignity and having access to safe water. Right now, we're urging people to take action in their communities, call on their government to issue an executive order to stop all water shutoffs in their state, as well as to restore service to all households previously disconnected. But long term, we really need to address this root cause, the affordability crisis, by passing the WATER Act. So we're asking people to contact their representative, their senator, ask them to cosponsor the WATER Act. Maybe we can push it to be included in one of these coronavirus packages passing through Congress right now, so that we can have an economic stimulus. Because the WATER Act isn't just about fully funding water systems, providing safe and affordable water. It's also a jobs bill; it would create up to a million jobs across the country, at a time when we have record-breaking unemployment rates. And we really need to pass robust infrastructure legislation, to make sure people have safe water, at home and in their communities. And now is the moment that we can do that. So we definitely urge everyone to reach out to their elected officials to take action on this issue. JJ: We've been speaking with Mary Grant, Public Water for All campaign director at Food & Water Watch. You can follow their work online at FoodAndWaterWatch.org. Mary Grant, thank you so much for joining us this week on CounterSpin. MG: Thank you so much for having me.   © 2020 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. All rights reserved. Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Our mailing address is: FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING 124 W. 30th Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 10001 FAIR's Website FAIR counts on your support to do this work — please donate today.