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Coronavirus Updates: After Gaps in U.S. Testing Draw Criticism, Officials Move to Ramp Up Screening Coronavirus Updates: Doubts Cast on U.S. Testing Capacity
(about 1 hour later)
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With the virus continuing to spread to more countries on Tuesday and epidemics in Iran, Italy and South Korea showing no signs of slowing, governments worked to devise plans to combat the pathogen without causing widespread social disruption and economic upheaval. Health care supply companies and public health officials have cast doubt on the federal government’s assurances of greatly ramped-up testing for the virus, as complaints continue that the need for testing remains far greater than the capacity.
In the United States, where there are now more than 100 confirmed cases in 15 states and six deaths linked to the virus, the Trump administration sought to project an image of control even as concerns emerged about early missteps, including defective diagnostic kits and highly restrictive rules for administering the tests, both of which may have contributed to the early spread of the virus. “The estimates we’re getting from industry right now, by the end of this week, close to a million tests will be able to be performed,” the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Stephen Hahn, said at a White House briefing on Monday.
Officials promised to speed up delivery of testing kits, saying that they hoped to distribute more than a million by the end of the week. But some companies developing tests say their products are still weeks away from approval.
In New York, where a 39-year-old health care worker tested positive for the virus after going to the hospital with mild respiratory symptoms, health officials said they would no longer need to send tests to the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta but could perform tests in labs locally, speeding up the process. And even if a million test kits were available, public health laboratories say they would not be able to process nearly that many within a week. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that public health labs currently can test 15,000 people daily, though that figure is expected to grow.
As the number of global infections surged past 90,000, financial policymakers from the world’s seven largest economies, known as the Group of 7, met on Tuesday and said they were “ready to act” to limit the economic fallout, but did not announce any specific policy measures, disappointing Wall Street. Across the United States, the number of cases has climbed to more than 100, with six deaths linked to the virus and infected patients in more than a dozen states, as local health authorities from coast to coast raced to assess the risk to schools, medical centers and businesses.
President Trump, in an early morning post on Twitter, called for a “big” interest rate cut “to make up for China’s coronavirus situation and slowdown.” The F.D.A. said that Dr. Hahn was taking into account the anticipated, increased production of test kits by an outside manufacturer, Integrated DNA Technologies, which is now selling kits to the federal government and other buyers.
Iran remained a source of concern in the Middle East, with nearby Bahrain and Kuwait reporting dozens of new cases tied to the Iranian outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention botched the first attempt to mass produce a diagnostic kit, a discovery made only after hundreds of kits had been shipped to state laboratories. A promised replacement took several weeks, and still did not permit state and local laboratories to make final diagnoses.
Tehran has confirmed more than 2,300 cases, but public health experts have expressed concern that the authorities are understating the true breadth of the epidemic there. Dr. Hahn said actions taken by his agency to allow private labs and companies to begin making their own tests would greatly expand the capacity to test.
Just three weeks ago, South Korea had only a handful of cases. Now there are nearly 5,000, demonstrating how quickly the virus can spread. The number of people in Iran infected by the coronavirus surged past 2,300, the death toll rose to 77, and the country’s head of Parliament said that nearly two dozen lawmakers had tested positive and should avoid meeting with members of the public, the authorities announced on Tuesday.
And officials in Italy saw the number of new cases push past 2,000 on Tuesday, even as the government sought to restore some sense of normality in Milan, the city closest to the hardest hit areas in the country’s north. Iran now has 2,336 reported cases, more than any country other than China and South Korea, and 11 more people have died, according to figures cited by the deputy health minister, Alireza Raisi, on state TV.
Museums in Milan were permitted to reopen, but visitors were asked to stand about three feet apart. State news media reported on Tuesday that Ahmad Toysarkani, an adviser to the judiciary, was among those who had died. The virus has been felt at the highest levels of Iranian society, with Masoumeh Ebtekar, the president’s deputy for women’s affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, among those who have become infected.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, was pictured in state news media wearing plastic gloves, and he told the Iranian people to follow medical advice to help combat the outbreak, saying anything that “facilitates its spread is a sin.”
The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by half a point on Tuesday as fears about the economic fallout of the coronavirus mounted.The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by half a point on Tuesday as fears about the economic fallout of the coronavirus mounted.
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The move underlines the fraught moment economic policymakers in the United States and around the world currently face.The move underlines the fraught moment economic policymakers in the United States and around the world currently face.
Stocks in the United States rallied immediately after the Fed’s move, but those gains then faded.Stocks in the United States rallied immediately after the Fed’s move, but those gains then faded.
The S&P 500 was erratic after having spiked more than 1 percent immediately after the announcement. Britain’s FTSE 100 and Germany’s DAX were about 2 percent higher.The S&P 500 was erratic after having spiked more than 1 percent immediately after the announcement. Britain’s FTSE 100 and Germany’s DAX were about 2 percent higher.
Investors have been watching for any sign of action from the world’s central banks in battling the economic impact of the coronavirus.Investors have been watching for any sign of action from the world’s central banks in battling the economic impact of the coronavirus.
Get an informed guide to the global outbreak with our daily coronavirus
newsletter.
Before the Fed’s announcement, central bankers and political leaders of the world’s economic powers on Tuesday expressed their resolve to combat economic damage from the coronavirus, but stopped short of promising interest rate cuts or other immediate rescue measures.Before the Fed’s announcement, central bankers and political leaders of the world’s economic powers on Tuesday expressed their resolve to combat economic damage from the coronavirus, but stopped short of promising interest rate cuts or other immediate rescue measures.
The joint statement of solidarity showed that the leaders of the so-called G7 nations, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, are capable of cooperation. But the statement fell short of the more aggressive action that investors have been hoping for and that many economists say is needed to prevent the virus outbreak from undermining global growth.The joint statement of solidarity showed that the leaders of the so-called G7 nations, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, are capable of cooperation. But the statement fell short of the more aggressive action that investors have been hoping for and that many economists say is needed to prevent the virus outbreak from undermining global growth.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday morning a second confirmed case of the coronavirus in New York, saying that a man in his 50s in Westchester County, just outside of New York City, had tested positive.Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday morning a second confirmed case of the coronavirus in New York, saying that a man in his 50s in Westchester County, just outside of New York City, had tested positive.
The patient had no history of recent travel to any known places where the virus is spreading and had not come into contact with other infected people, suggesting that the pathogen is spreading locally.The patient had no history of recent travel to any known places where the virus is spreading and had not come into contact with other infected people, suggesting that the pathogen is spreading locally.
The patient, whose test was confirmed overnight in New York City, is a lawyer who works in Manhattan and lives in New Rochelle.
Health authorities in New York are now scrambling to try to trace the chain of transmission in both directions. They are trying to learn who he was infected from and to whom might he have passed it on.
“City and State disease detectives are working closely to identify close contacts and the appropriate next steps,” Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said in a statement.
A school attended by one of the Westchester man’s children was closed on Tuesday.
On Sunday, officials announced the state’s first case, a 39-year-old woman in Manhattan who had been visiting Iran, one of the epicenters of the virus’s rapid worldwide spread.On Sunday, officials announced the state’s first case, a 39-year-old woman in Manhattan who had been visiting Iran, one of the epicenters of the virus’s rapid worldwide spread.
Governor Cuomo said that the news of a second New York patient should not be a cause for alarm, reiterating that health officials had expected that the disease would be found in multiple locations around the state and that it would be likely to spread.Governor Cuomo said that the news of a second New York patient should not be a cause for alarm, reiterating that health officials had expected that the disease would be found in multiple locations around the state and that it would be likely to spread.
The Trump administration sought to tamp down expectations that testing for the coronavirus would increase rapidly in the coming days, stressing on Tuesday that close to a million coronavirus testing kits should be available by the end of the week but that the number to be administered was still unknown.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Politico that Americans should expect the outbreak to worsen.
“I don’t think that we are going to get out of this completely unscathed,” he said. “I think that this is going to be one of those things we look back on and say, ‘Boy, that was bad.’”
On Monday, administration officials said that they would work with private companies and academic laboratories to develop and validate coronavirus kits to ramp up testing across the country.
“We expect to have a substantial increase in the number of tests this week, next week, and throughout the month,” Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said at a news conference. “The estimates that we’re getting from industry right now, by the end of the week close to one million tests will be able to be performed.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that public health labs currently can test 15,000 people, and could test up to 75,000 by the end of the week — limiting how many people could be screened even if the diagnostic kits were in place.
Testing has proved to be one of the more challenging aspects of dealing with the outbreak, in part because people who show no symptoms can still transmit the virus.
Efforts to get a fuller picture of the virus’s spread in the United States were also hindered after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention botched the first attempt to mass produce a diagnostic kit, a discovery made only after hundreds of kits had been shipped to state laboratories.
A promised replacement took several weeks, and still did not permit state and local laboratories to make final diagnoses. And the C.D.C. essentially ensured that Americans would be tested in very few numbers by imposing stringent and narrow criteria, critics say.
The Homeland Security Department has ordered its office in King County, Wash., to close for 14 days after learning that an employee had visited a relative at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, the nursing home linked to four coronavirus deaths in the state.The Homeland Security Department has ordered its office in King County, Wash., to close for 14 days after learning that an employee had visited a relative at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, the nursing home linked to four coronavirus deaths in the state.
Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told a House committee that he had also directed employees at the office to self-quarantine for 14 days.Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told a House committee that he had also directed employees at the office to self-quarantine for 14 days.
After the deaths at the nursing home, which is near Seattle, the state authorities said that they intended to open isolation centers to limit the further spread of the virus.After the deaths at the nursing home, which is near Seattle, the state authorities said that they intended to open isolation centers to limit the further spread of the virus.
The number of cases across the United States has climbed to more than 100, with infected patients in more than a dozen states, as local health authorities from coast to coast raced to assess the risk to schools, medical centers and businesses.
So far, 14 people have tested positive for the virus in Washington State. But in a sign that the virus was spreading locally, officials said that in at least a dozen cases, they were unaware of any connection to overseas travel that might explain the origin of the infection.So far, 14 people have tested positive for the virus in Washington State. But in a sign that the virus was spreading locally, officials said that in at least a dozen cases, they were unaware of any connection to overseas travel that might explain the origin of the infection.
All of the six U.S. fatalities so far have been in Washington State.All of the six U.S. fatalities so far have been in Washington State.
In Oregon, dozens of staff members at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro have been placed on paid furlough after coming in contact with coronavirus patients there. They have been asked to remain in self-isolation at home for 14 days, officials with Kaiser Permanente said.In Oregon, dozens of staff members at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro have been placed on paid furlough after coming in contact with coronavirus patients there. They have been asked to remain in self-isolation at home for 14 days, officials with Kaiser Permanente said.
In response to the epidemic, the government of India on Tuesday curbed exports of 26 drugs and drug ingredients, including a wide range of antibiotics and certain vitamins, meaning that the new coronavirus could soon have ripple effects on people worldwide with other ailments.
The world relies heavily on India’s huge pharmaceutical industry for generic drugs, but Indian officials are concerned about safeguarding the supply for their own country.
Indian drug makers depend on Chinese factories for key drug ingredients, particularly for antibiotics and vitamins. The Covid-19 outbreak in China and quarantine of Hubei province, where much of the production is centered, has severely hampered China’s ability to produce those ingredients.
Although Indian companies had stockpiled extra ingredients ahead of the annual Lunar New Year holiday, those reserves are now running low.
It’s unclear whether India’s exports of the specified drugs will be completely stopped. The government’s order said that exports of the drugs are restricted, which means a government permit is required before they can be shipped out of the country.
The antibiotics facing export limits are tinidazole, metronidazole, chloramphenicol, erythromycin salts, neomycin, clindamycin salts and ornidazole.
Other drugs on the restricted list include the painkiller acetaminophen, the hormone progesterone, the antiviral drug aciclovir, and the vitamins B1, B6 and B12.
A fifth of the British work force could be out sick at the peak of a coronavirus outbreak. The police, hamstrung by virus-related staffing shortages, could be forced to concentrate on only the most serious crimes. Even the army could be called on to help.A fifth of the British work force could be out sick at the peak of a coronavirus outbreak. The police, hamstrung by virus-related staffing shortages, could be forced to concentrate on only the most serious crimes. Even the army could be called on to help.
Those were among the scenarios outlined in a 28-page planning document released by the British government on Tuesday.Those were among the scenarios outlined in a 28-page planning document released by the British government on Tuesday.
Health officials said that they were preparing for a reasonable worst-case scenario of 80 percent of people contracting the coronavirus, but that they expected a number “a lot lower than that.”Health officials said that they were preparing for a reasonable worst-case scenario of 80 percent of people contracting the coronavirus, but that they expected a number “a lot lower than that.”
Many low-level workers in Britain’s public health care system are technically private contractors, and fear not only the risk of infection, but the prospect of being quarantined and missing out on earnings they can ill afford to lose.
Britain now has 51 confirmed coronavirus cases, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a news conference on Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that the number would increase.Britain now has 51 confirmed coronavirus cases, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a news conference on Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that the number would increase.
But he said that the overwhelming majority of people would experience only mild symptoms, and that the scenarios set out in the action plan were what the government could do if it got worse — not what it was doing now.But he said that the overwhelming majority of people would experience only mild symptoms, and that the scenarios set out in the action plan were what the government could do if it got worse — not what it was doing now.
The government also said that it was considering plans to delay medical care that is not considered urgent and to bring back retired doctors, measures that may be needed to help a health care system that was already dealing with a shortage of beds and workers.The government also said that it was considering plans to delay medical care that is not considered urgent and to bring back retired doctors, measures that may be needed to help a health care system that was already dealing with a shortage of beds and workers.
The number of people in Iran infected by the coronavirus surged past 2,300, the death toll rose to 77, and the country’s head of Parliament said that nearly two dozen lawmakers had tested positive and should avoid meeting with members of the public, the authorities announced on Tuesday.
Iran now has 2,336 reported cases, more than any country other than China and South Korea, and 11 more people have died, according to figures cited by the deputy health minister, Alireza Raisi, on state TV. Only China has suffered more deaths from the virus than Iran.
State news media reported on Tuesday that Ahmad Toysarkani, an adviser to the judiciary, was among those who had died. The virus has been felt at the highest levels of Iranian society, with Masoumeh Ebtekar, the president’s deputy for women’s affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, among those who have become infected.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, was pictured in state news media wearing plastic gloves, and he told the Iranian people to follow medical advice to help combat the outbreak, saying anything that “facilitates its spread is a sin.”
North Korea has quarantined between 7,000 and 8,000 people as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told a lawmaker on Tuesday.North Korea has quarantined between 7,000 and 8,000 people as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told a lawmaker on Tuesday.
Lee Eun-jae, a lawmaker affiliated with the opposition Future United Party, told South Korean news outlets that the quarantines took place in the northwestern provinces of North Pyongan and South Pyongan and in Kangwon Province in the southeast. Ms. Lee said she got the information in a written briefing from the National Intelligence Service.Lee Eun-jae, a lawmaker affiliated with the opposition Future United Party, told South Korean news outlets that the quarantines took place in the northwestern provinces of North Pyongan and South Pyongan and in Kangwon Province in the southeast. Ms. Lee said she got the information in a written briefing from the National Intelligence Service.
The intelligence agency could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday evening.The intelligence agency could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday evening.
North Korea has not reported any cases of the new coronavirus. But there has been concern that the country may be hiding an outbreak. North Korea shares a 930-mile border with China, where the coronavirus emerged. The border has long been porous for smugglers.North Korea has not reported any cases of the new coronavirus. But there has been concern that the country may be hiding an outbreak. North Korea shares a 930-mile border with China, where the coronavirus emerged. The border has long been porous for smugglers.
In late January, North Korea closed its borders with China and Russia, suspending all international flights and train services. It also asked hundreds of foreign diplomats not to leave their compounds.In late January, North Korea closed its borders with China and Russia, suspending all international flights and train services. It also asked hundreds of foreign diplomats not to leave their compounds.
Ms. Lee said that the North Korean government lifted the quarantine imposed on foreign diplomats in Pyongyang, estimated to number 380, on Monday. It planned to reopen flight services between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, Russia, on Friday in case the envoys wanted to leave North Korea, she said.Ms. Lee said that the North Korean government lifted the quarantine imposed on foreign diplomats in Pyongyang, estimated to number 380, on Monday. It planned to reopen flight services between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, Russia, on Friday in case the envoys wanted to leave North Korea, she said.
The North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, called the Political Bureau of his Workers’ Party last week to discuss “measures to deter the influx and spread of the infectious disease in a scientific, pre-emptive and lockdown way,” the country’s official Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday.The North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, called the Political Bureau of his Workers’ Party last week to discuss “measures to deter the influx and spread of the infectious disease in a scientific, pre-emptive and lockdown way,” the country’s official Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday.
“In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences,” the news agency quoted Mr. Kim as saying.“In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences,” the news agency quoted Mr. Kim as saying.
Major cities across China have announced new travel restrictions on people who have recently visited countries where coronavirus infections are on the rise.Major cities across China have announced new travel restrictions on people who have recently visited countries where coronavirus infections are on the rise.
On Tuesday, the authorities in Shanghai said that all travelers entering the city who had visited countries with significant outbreaks within the past two weeks must undergo a 14-day quarantine at home or at an approved isolation center. Officials in Guangdong Province announced similar measures, state news outlets reported on Tuesday.On Tuesday, the authorities in Shanghai said that all travelers entering the city who had visited countries with significant outbreaks within the past two weeks must undergo a 14-day quarantine at home or at an approved isolation center. Officials in Guangdong Province announced similar measures, state news outlets reported on Tuesday.
And a city official in Beijing announced on Tuesday that all arrivals into the capital from countries struggling with outbreaks — including Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea — would be subject to a 14-day quarantine.And a city official in Beijing announced on Tuesday that all arrivals into the capital from countries struggling with outbreaks — including Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea — would be subject to a 14-day quarantine.
At least 13 people in China were found to be infected with the coronavirus after returning from countries such as Iran and Italy, two places that have seen some of the most severe outbreaks outside Asia in recent days, according to the authorities. At least 13 people in China were found to be infected with the coronavirus after returning from countries such as Iran and Italy, two places that have seen some of the most severe outbreaks outside East Asia in recent days, according to the authorities.
A 31-year-old Chinese woman had worked in a restaurant in the Italian city of Bergamo before returning home to Qingtian County, in the southeastern province of Zhejiang, where she tested positive for the virus. Seven more people who worked at the same restaurant in Bergamo were later found to be infected after they returned to Zhejiang, the local authorities said.A 31-year-old Chinese woman had worked in a restaurant in the Italian city of Bergamo before returning home to Qingtian County, in the southeastern province of Zhejiang, where she tested positive for the virus. Seven more people who worked at the same restaurant in Bergamo were later found to be infected after they returned to Zhejiang, the local authorities said.
In recent days, county officials in Qingtian have urged overseas residents to reconsider any plans to return home, citing the challenges they could pose to China’s efforts to control the epidemic.In recent days, county officials in Qingtian have urged overseas residents to reconsider any plans to return home, citing the challenges they could pose to China’s efforts to control the epidemic.
Reporting and research were contributed by Jesse McKinley, Choe Sang-Hun, Benjamin Mueller, Marc Santora, Noah Weiland, Emily Cochrane, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Roni Caryn Rabin, Russell Goldman, Paul Mozur, Raymond Zhong, Aaron Krolik, Claire Fu and Elaine Yu. Reporting and research were contributed by Jesse McKinley, Katie Thomas, Knvul Sheikh, Choe Sang-Hun, Benjamin Mueller, Marc Santora, Joseph Goldstein, Michael Gold, Luis Ferre-Sadurni, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Roni Caryn Rabin, Russell Goldman, Paul Mozur, Raymond Zhong, Noah Weiland, Emily Cochrane, Aaron Krolik, Claire Fu and Elaine Yu.