Trump to Declare National Emergency to Speed Virus Response

President Donald Trump plans to declare a national emergency on Friday over the coronavirus outbreak, invoking the Stafford Act to open the door to more federal aid for states and municipalities, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The president said he will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. in Washington. Trump spoke Friday with Emmanuel Macron, the French president tweeted, about the pandemic, and agreed to organize a video conference with world leaders on Monday to coordinate research efforts on a vaccine and treatments and work on how to respond to the economic fallout.

Trump is under increasing pressure to act as governors and mayors nationwide step up actions to mitigate the spread, closing schools and canceling public events. Declaring a national emergency would allow the government to marshal additional resources to combat the virus, and also marks a symbolic turning point for the president, who has repeatedly compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu and insisted that his administration had the outbreak under control.

An emergency declaration would allow a state to request a 75% federal cost-share for expenses that include emergency workers, medical tests, medical supplies, vaccinations, security for medical facilities, and more, according to a letter Democrats sent the president earlier this week.

Only a few emergency declarations for public health threats have been made since the 1960s, and only two have targeted disease outbreaks, when President Bill Clinton in 2000 declared emergencies in New York and New Jersey in response to the West Nile Virus.

It’s Not Just Food And Hand Sanitizer — Panicked Coronavirus Shoppers Are Stocking Up On Guns And Body Armor

I remember someone opining that since concealable body armor (not the ‘tactical’ plate carriers and IBA gear but the level II stuff that will stop the vast majority of handgun rounds, although the former does have a place in the inventory), was so available these days, that many people ought to take into account that people bent on mayhem will probably be wearing it (think ‘Smite Them Hip and Thigh‘ people) and should also consider getting it themselves depending on where they lived.

Stores across the country selling ballistic body armor, tactical gear, and firearms are seeing a huge increase in sales due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak in the US………

“I think with the way things have escalated quite quickly around the world and in the US in just the last couple of weeks, it’s very hard to tell what’s going to happen next, and I believe it is better to be safe than sorry,” Kevin Lim, the owner of Bulletproof Zone, a tactical gear retailer, told BuzzFeed News. “That’s what our business is about, after all, keeping people safe.”

According to Matt Materazo, the founder of Gladiator Solutions, a ballistic body armor and tactical outfitting store, the coronavirus outbreak has changed the kind of orders his store has received. He said typically the majority of his business has been big bulk orders from the law enforcement and the first responder communities. Now, it’s a lot of small orders.

“We don’t usually get these one, two sales,” he told BuzzFeed News. “They’re not particularly preppers, they’re people who are seeing what’s going on and saying to themselves, ‘where is this going?’”

Materazo wouldn’t share specific sales numbers, but said the increase has been considerable. “I do of course get a certain amount of my business from the prepper community, but the majority of the uptick isn’t coming from the prepper community, it’s the general civilian population,” he said.

The surge in interest around tactical gear due to the outbreak is happening across the country. Many of the stores BuzzFeed News reached out to had posted messages on their websites apologizing for longer-than-normal wait times due to higher-than-usual demand.

Rhode Island Gun Control Bills Stall over Coronavirus Concerns

And another one for ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. Not that it’s going to totally stop them.

Wednesday gun control bill hearings for the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee were cancelled over concerns that a “large crowd” of hearing attendees could contribute to the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.

WPRI reports that Rhode Island’s state’s health director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, made a “strong suggestion” the hearings be postponed. In light of the anticipated crowd of citizens, she noted that “the virus can be spread among people [in] close contact — less than six feet apart.”

Alexander-Scott observed, “Cancelling or postponing large events is an important tool to limit the spread in Rhode Island,”

Among the reasons a large crowd was expected at the hearing was the fact that approximately 17 bills dealing with guns were scheduled for consideration.

One of the bills “defines ‘assault weapons’ and bans selling them if they are not registered.” Another bills “defines large-capacity weapons feeding devices and bans them,” too.

Another bill that would have been discussed was designed to prohibit “teachers from being offered an incentive to get firearms licenses,” while yet another would have put new storage requirements and penalties in place for law-abiding gun owners.

The Associated Press reported that the “hearing on gun control measures” will be rescheduled, but provided no time-frame in which the rescheduled hearing might occur.

Coronavirus drives gun sales in San Gabriel Valley area among Asian Americans who fear being attacked

Gun sales in the San Gabriel Valley, a region east of Los Angeles, have soared in recent weeks among Asian Americans who fear being attacked over the outbreak of the coronavirus, according to reports.

Attacks on Asian Americans have been on the rise amid the outbreak of COVID-19. Earlier this month, a video emerged on Facebook of a man on a New York City subway spraying Febreze at an Asian subway straphanger, the New York Post reported. Police are investigated the incident as a hate crime.

And last month, an Asian woman was attacked at a New York City subway station. A man noticed that she was wearing a face mask and called her a “diseased b—-.”

At Arcadia Firearm & Safety, a gun store in San Gabriel Valley, owner David Liu told CBSLA he’s had a surge of sales in recent weeks from Asian American customers who are concerned over the possibility of similar attacks.

In the City of Industry, the store Gun Effects and Cloud Nine Fishing, has also experienced more Asian American customers buying firearms.

“Our staff is not accustomed to this kind of rush,” owner Dennis Lin told KABC. “But this made it really, really crazy.”

Lin said he believes the fear over the coronavirus is exaggerated.

“Just people discriminating,” he said. “We forget, we’re all people. We’re in America, we’re not in China.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians make up slightly less than 30 percent of the San Gabriel Valley’s 1.85 million residents.

(Washington) Statewide death toll from coronavirus rises to 30

I transferred out of Washington state a bit less than 30 years ago and have never been back. Nothing personal to our friends there, but I think I’ll keep trying to increase that record.

The statewide death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 30 on Wednesday, after a third Snohomish County man died along with three others in King County, health officials said.

The Snohomish County man, who is in his 80s, was one of three residents of the Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood who previously were confirmed to have the virus and were taken to a local hospital. No further details were available about the three additional King County deaths.

So far, 26 people have died from COVID-19 in King County, three in Snohomish County and one in Grant County. The number of confirmed cases in Washington state is now 366, according to new numbers posted Wednesday by the state Department of Health……………

Gov. Jay Inslee said at a Wednesday morning news conference that the true number of cases is believed to be much larger – on the order of 1,000 or more.

Large Gatherings Banned in Puget Sound Metro Area

Inslee also announced a ban Wednesday on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in virtually the entire Seattle metro area to try to stop the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak .

The ban covers King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties and affects gatherings for “social, spiritual and recreational activities. These include but are not limited to: community, civic, public, leisure, faith-based, or sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; conventions; fundraisers and similar activities.”

Coronavirus USA Update: US Death Toll At 32; 150 Million Americans May Get Infected

Two top U.S. medical experts told members of Congress Wednesday the COVID-19 outbreak now raging across 36 states and inflicting 32 deaths as of Wednesday will dramatically worsen and might lead to the infection of up to 150 million Americans, or about half the total U.S. population.

Rear Admiral Dr. Brian Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress and the United States Supreme Court, told senators during a closed-door meeting he expects 70 million to 150 million people in the U.S. will become infected with COVID-19, as reported by NBC News.

Speaking mostly about how members of Congress can better protect themselves against the coronavirus, Adm. Monahan said senators and congressmen shouldn’t travel abroad if they don’t have to. He said there are as yet no restrictions on domestic travel.

Adm. Monahan also told those present that coronavirus testing will only be administered to members of Congress. On the other hand, Congressional staffers should see their doctors if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms. Adm. Monahan also reaffirmed a consistent message that ultimately, 80% of those that contract the coronavirus will be fine.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common novel coronavirus symptoms that might appear 2 to 14 days after exposure are fever, cough and shortness of breath. It urges people to call their doctors if they develop symptoms, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19.

Also on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about the country’s preparedness for the fast-spreading COVID-19 outbreak. He pointed out the coronavirus will continue to spread because containment measures and contact tracing have failed to prevent community spread of the highly-infectious coronavirus.

“Is the worst yet to come, Dr. Fauci?” aked Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

“Yes, it is,” Dr. Fauci replied.

Dr. Fauci said while the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is being contained in some respects, the U.S. is seeing more cases emerge through community spread, as well as international travel.

“I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,” said Dr. Fauci. “How much worse we’ll get will depend on our ability to do two things: to contain the influx of people who are infected coming from the outside, and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country.”……………

Why ‘flattening the curve’ may be the world’s best bet to slow the coronavirus

For many countries staring down fast-rising coronavirus case counts, the race is on to “flatten the curve.”

The United States and other countries, experts say, are likely to be hit by tsunamis of Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks without aggressive public health responses. But by taking certain steps — canceling large public gatherings, for instance, and encouraging some people to restrict their contact with others — governments have a shot at stamping out new chains of transmission, while also trying to mitigate the damage of the spread that isn’t under control.

The epidemic curve, a statistical chart used to visualize when and at what speed new cases are reported, could be flattened, rather than being allowed to rise exponentially.

“If you look at the curves of outbreaks, they go big peaks, and then come down. What we need to do is flatten that down,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters Tuesday. “That would have less people infected. That would ultimately have less deaths. You do that by trying to interfere with the natural flow of the outbreak.”

The notion that the curve of this outbreak could be flattened began to gain credence after China took the extraordinary step of locking down tens of millions of people days in advance of the Lunar New Year, to prevent the virus from spreading around the country from Wuhan, the city where the outbreak appears to have started. Many experts at the time said it would have been impossible to slow a rapidly transmitting respiratory infection by effectively shutting down enormous cities — and possibly counterproductive.

But the quarantines, unprecedented in modern times, appear to have prevented explosive outbreaks from occurring in cities outside of Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.

Since then, spread of the virus in China has slowed to a trickle; the country reported only 19 cases on Monday. And South Korea, which has had the third largest outbreak outside of China, also appears to be beating back transmission through aggressive actions. But other places, notably Italy and Iran, are struggling.

For weeks, a debate has raged about whether the virus could be “contained” — an approach the WHO has been exhorting countries to focus on — or whether it made more sense to simply try to lessen the virus’ blow, an approach known as “mitigation.”

That argument has been counterproductive, Mike Ryan, the head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said Monday.

“I think we’ve had this unfortunate emergence of camps around the containment camp, the mitigation camp — different groups presenting and championing their view of the world. And frankly speaking, it’s not helpful,” Ryan told reporters.

Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said any lessening of spread will help health systems remain functional.

“Even if we are not headed to zero transmission, any cases that we can prevent and any transmission that we can avoid are going to have enormous impact,” she said. “Not only on the individuals who end up not getting sick but all of the people that they would have ended up infecting. … And so the more that we can minimize it, the better.”……..

11 Examples of Bloomberg’s Folly on Defensive Gun Use

Earlier this month, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked how he justified his push for more stringent gun control when he is guarded by an armed security detail.

Bloomberg’s response? He is a wealthy businessman and politician who faces threats that normal Americans do not, so it’s just fine for him to pay others to protect him with guns that he’d put the rest of us in prison for possessing.

The reality is that Bloomberg, as a wealthy white man living in upper-class neighborhoods, is statistically far less likely to be a victim of violent crime than most other Americans.

But you’d never know it from the way he spends hundreds of millions of dollars advocating gun laws that reserve armed protection for the special few.

Every day, many Americans without Bloomberg’s wealth and power rely on the Second Amendment—not private security—to defend themselves against threats to their lives and livelihoods. In fact, almost every major study on defensive gun use has found that Americans use their firearms defensively between 500,000 and 3 million times each year.

Last year, The Daily Signal began a monthly series highlighting just some of the countless times that the right to keep and bear arms made all the difference for ordinary Americans whom Michael Bloomberg wants to disarm. (You can read the stories from January 2020 here.)

February similarly provided ample evidence in favor of an armed citizenry and against Bloomberg’s claim that only the select few can be trusted with guns.

  • Feb. 2, Arlington, Texas:  An armed neighbor came to the rescue of an elderly woman who was being attacked by pit bulls, pulling the dogs off her and shooting one of them when it continued its attack, police said. The woman survived, but suffered serious bite injuries to her head and neck. Other neighbors, alerted by the gunshot, soon arrived to help tend to the woman’s injuries and stop the bleeding.
  • Feb. 4, Spotsylvania County, Virginia:  When a neighbor called for help after discovering a man in the process of burglarizing her car, a good Samaritan and his wife jumped into action, pulling their vehicle in front of the fleeing thief and yelling at him to stop. Police said the thief drew a firearm, but the good Samaritan also was armed and shot him once in the leg. Police charged the man with several offenses, including brandishing a firearm and petit larceny.
  • Feb. 8, St. Mary’s, Ohio:  A woman shot and killed her husband during a domestic dispute in which he physically assaulted her and threatened to stab her with a knife, police said. The woman immediately called 911 and told a dispatcher: “He was beating me. He was going to kill me. He had a knife.” Although police initially took the woman into custody, her arrest photo shows clear injuries to her face and neck consistent with self-defense. A grand jury declined to indict the woman.
  • Feb. 8, West Salem, Ohio:  When a pitchfork-wielding man tried to kick in his door, a homeowner grabbed his handgun and held the man at gunpoint until police arrived. Police discovered that, in addition to the pitchfork, the man had a loaded firearm, drugs, and a wallet belonging to another homeowner in the neighborhood. Police charged the intruder with burglary and said he is a suspect in several other armed offenses in the area.
  • Feb. 12, Yellow Springs, California:  A well-known Hollywood stuntwoman and her husband attempted to ambush the stuntwoman’s ex-husband and his new wife outside the ex-husband’s home, police said. The ex-husband got out of his car to get his mail when the stuntwoman and her husband opened fire on the couple with multiple guns. The ex-husband, however, was a concealed carry permit holder and armed. He returned fire, ultimately killing both attackers.
  • Feb. 14, Palm Bay, Florida:  A man used his firearm to defend himself and his girlfriend from the woman’s armed ex-boyfriend, who attacked them in their home on Valentine’s Day. Police said the ex-boyfriend stole a handgun from a friend’s mother, shattered the couple’s glass door, and threatened them with the handgun. The woman hid with her young son in a bedroom as her boyfriend retrieved his own gun and got into a shootout with the ex-boyfriend. Both men were wounded, and the ex-boyfriend fled, police said. They arrested him when he checked himself into a hospital; he faces several felony charges, including attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
  • Feb. 18, Spencer County, Kentucky:  A man returned home in the early afternoon to discover an intruder inside. He confronted the intruder, ultimately shooting and killing him in self-defense.
  • Feb. 22, Allouez, Wisconsin:  A concealed carry permit holder used his firearm to defend himself from a robber without firing a single round, police said. The permit holder was plowing snow when a man approached, held a large knife to his chest, and demanded money. The permit holder said he would get his wallet from his truck. He retrieved his firearm from the door frame, and the would-be robber fled when he saw it.
  • Feb. 24, Elmore County, Alabama: A homeowner used his handgun to defend his wife and young child during a confrontation with an irate neighbor. The neighbor – who had previous confrontations with others in the neighborhood – began banging on the homeowner’s door at 4:55 a.m. When the homeowner answered, police said, the neighbor shouted expletives and tried to rob him. The homeowner, fearing his neighbor was reaching for a gun, shot him several times in self-defense, wounding him.
  • Feb. 27, Chicago:  A concealed carry permit  holder defended herself from a robber who pulled a gun on her and demanded her property. The woman retrieved her own handgun and exchanged fire with the robber as he fled.

Michael Bloomberg is more than wealthy enough to afford to pay armed men to protect him. Most Americans are not so fortunate.

We don’t have former law enforcement officers on hand when the convenience store we’re in gets robbed. We can’t rely on an armed detail to jump to our defense when we’re assaulted. We don’t live in gated communities with 24/7 security.

We have only our Second Amendment rights. And they are worth insisting upon.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar Destroys NBC Hack and Liberal Media on Availability of COVID-19 Test Kits (Video)

The Trump Coronavirus Task Force held another press briefing in the White House on Tuesday evening.

The press conference was led by Vice President Mike Pence who was joined by top US health leaders including HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Larry Kudlow, the Director of the National Economic Council.

During questioning the NBC reporter Geoff Bennett accused the administration of not supplying COVID-19 test kits to medical facilities.

Reporter Geoff Bennett: So when can the American people expect to see these test kits available at doctor’s offices and urgent care clinics?

HHS Secretary Alex Azar: By the end of this weekend we had 1.1 million test kits that originally shipped. We have another one million that are either in transit or waiting for orders. So we actually have a surplus capacity already that have been produced… The tests are out there.

The tests are in every public health lab in the country. They’re in hospitals. They’re in labs.

But I think there is a false premise in your question. Which is a notion that just because I as a person can say, “Oh, I’d like to be tested for the novel coronavirus.” I should be walking into any minute clinic or any other facility and just walking in and saying, “Give me my test.”

That’s not how diagnostic testing works in the United States or frankly almost any place in the world… We’ve always been clear if their doctor or public health physician believes they should be tested it needs to always be clinically indicated to receive a test.

And with that Secretary Azar destroyed ANOTHER liberal media lie.

Wheat Ridge man who shot and killed home intruder won’t be charged

It took prosecutors this long to figure this out? PC idjits they are

A Wheat Ridge man who shot and killed a 24-year-old man during a November home invasion will not be charged after prosecutors determined it was a justifiable homicide based on Colorado’s Make My Day law.

The 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office will not file charges against the homeowner, whose name was not revealed in a Wheat Ridge news release on Tuesday.

“This was a difficult case for our detectives as well as both families who were devastated by the death of the intruder,” Wheat Ridge police Chief Chris Murtha said in the news release. “Regardless of the crime that was committed, one family lost a loved one and another is faced with the long-term impact of taking a life in the course of protecting his family.”

Takwon Wilson was shot to death late on Nov. 6 inside a home on the 4600 block of Parfet Street, the news release said.

The male homeowner told police that the intruder, who he did not know, was aggressive, the news release said. The homeowner said he feared for his family’s lives and his life.

The resident fired one shot, killing Wilson, according to the news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Man fatally shoots another man who threatened him

Well of course no suspects were ‘at large’. The one and only suspect was taking up space at the morgue. Geez, these copy writers.

A man told Chandler Arizona police early Wednesday that he shot and killed another man who had threatened him, according to police officials.

Chandler police arrived at a home near Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard at about 3 a.m. to find a man who was dead, said department spokesperson Detective Seth Tyler.

Before officers arrived, the shooter called police to say he shot a man who threatened him, said Tyler.

Investigators spoke with the man, Tyler said.

As of Wednesday morning, no suspects were at-large and no arrests were made, according to Tyler.

Man claims self-defense in Eleven North apartment shooting death

Nashville is going to save some money for White’s attempted murder trial. It appears he decided to meet the Judge/Jury/Executioner a bit early.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Metro Police are investigating a claim of self-defense in a deadly shooting that occurred in the parking lot of Eleven North Apartments on 300 11th Avenue North in North Gulch on Monday night.

According to investigators, 26-year-old Wontez Graham exchanged shots with the now-deceased victim, 23-year-old Timothy K. White. Investigators have recovered both of their pistols.

The shooting call came in around 8:50 p.m. White was found on the ground suffering from critical injuries after being shot. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died during surgery.

Graham was not on scene when investigators arrived but came back and spoke to investigators saying he had just parked his car at the apartment complex when a hooded man walked up and pulled out a gun.

Graham said he pulled his own gun from the door of his car and exchanged shots at the man whom he thought was going to steal his car. Graham and his girlfriend fled the scene to a nearby grocery store before they returned to the scene with Graham’s father. Both Graham and his girlfriend provided statements to police.

White, at the time of his death, was facing charges of two counts of attempted murder and was out on bond. He was charged with shooting into a car with two women inside in East Nashville back in 2017. One of the women suffered a gunshot wound to the upper back. White was to appear in court in September.

Italy confirms nearly 200 people died from coronavirus in 24 hours: report.

Nearly 200 people have died in Italy from the novel coronavirus in one day, NBC News reports.

The Italian Civil Protection Agency confirmed to the news agency that the country, which has the worst outbreak of COVID-19 outside of China, recorded 196 deaths between Tuesday to Wednesday. NBC News reports a total of 897 deaths from the virus have been recorded in the country thus far.

The confirmation comes after earlier reports placed the total number of COVID-19 cases in Italy at 10,000 on Wednesday.

Why Deaths from Coronavirus Are So High in Italy.

…..One factor affecting the country’s death rate may be the age of its population—Italy has the oldest population in Europe, with about 23% of residents 65 or older, according to The New York Times. The median age in the country is 47.3, compared with 38.3 in the United States, the Times reported. Many of Italy’s deaths have been among people in their 80s, and 90s, a population known to be more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19.

Both new from Jim.

The Joy Of Helplessness

Difficult situations come to everyone. We each handle them in different ways. In THE JOY OF HELPLESSNESS the author points out that many times these difficulties are a door to something better. Not everything that we experience has to end with us frustrated, angry or puzzled. Perhaps there is some joy hidden in what you are going through? It would not be a bad thing to discover it.

HOW DO I HANDLE THIS?

We all have difficulties that we deal with in life, some harder than others. Often we do not know what to do in the midst of these dark times. While this little book is not The Answer, hopefully it will point the way to help us come through those difficult places.

Spain: Madrid to Shut Down All Schools for 2 Weeks Amid Coronavirus Spike

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s health minister reported a sharp spike in coronavirus cases in and around Madrid and said all schools in the capital region, from kindergartens and universities, would close for two weeks starting Wednesday.

Quarantine: Italians Told to Stay Indoors Via Loudspeakers

Italians are being told to stay inside unless they need to buy medicines by health authorities patrolling neighborhoods with loudspeakers as the coronavirus quarantine begins to take hold.

Germany-Austria Spat Over Anti-Virus Facemasks

A German export ban on masks that protects against the coronavirus has angered Austria and Switzerland. “It can’t be that Germany is holding back products for Austria just because they happen to be stored in a German location,” said Austrian economy minister Margarete Schramboeck. “These products are for the Austrian market, and unilateral moves by Germany are just causing problems in other countries,” she added.

 

Coronavirus: South Korea’s infection rate falls without citywide lockdowns like China, Italy

South Korea has seen a steady decrease in new coronavirus cases for four consecutive days, despite being one of the worst-affected countries outside China, although global attention has shifted towards outbreaks in Italy and Iran.

As of end-Monday, it had 7,513 cases and 54 deaths. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there was an increase of 131 cases from Sunday to Monday.
The country averaged more than 500 new infections a day for the past two weeks, but last Friday, this number dipped to 438, then 367 on Saturday and 248 on Sunday. The daily number of confirmed cases is reported the following day.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in  on Monday noted his country’s “slowing trend” of new infections but warned: “We should not be complacent at all.”

His point was underscored by the KCDC, which said that among the new patients were more than 60 people who were infected while working in close proximity to each other at an insurance company call centre.

“The total number of new confirmed cases is on a downturn but there are concerns over such mass infection cases”, said KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook.

Pentagon Identifies the Two Marine Raiders Who Were Killed Fighting ISIS In Iraq

Pentagon Identifies the Two Marine Raiders Who Were Killed Fighting ISIS In Iraq

The Department of Defense identified the two U.S. Marine Raiders who were killed on Sunday fighting against ISIS fighters in Iraq as Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, and Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34.

Marine Forces Special Operations Command said Pongo and Navas, both assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, suffered fatal wounds while accompanying Iraqi Security Forces during a mission to eliminate an ISIS stronghold in a mountainous area of north central Iraq.

Pongo, of Simi Valley, California, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and had previously deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He went on to become a Marine Raider in 2011. In 2013, he earned a Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device for heroic actions against the enemy in 2013 while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is survived by his daughter and mother.

Navas, of Germantown, Maryland, also enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and became a Marine Raider in 2016. He had previously deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve. Navas, who was recently selected for promotion to the rank of Major, is survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.

“The loss of these two incredible individuals is being felt across our organization, but it cannot compare to the loss that their families and teammates are experiencing. Both men epitomize what it means to be a Marine Raider. They were intelligent, courageous, and loyal. They were dedicated leaders, true professionals in their craft, and willing to go above and beyond for the mission and their team. They were not just leaders today, they were both on the path to be our organizations leaders in the future,” Marine Raider Regiment Commanding Officer, Col. John Lynch said in a statement.

The New York Times reported American commanders are reviewing how their forces conduct missions in Iraq and Syria after Pongo and Navas were killed while clearing a well-defended cave complex. The Quick Reaction Force that was activated to retrieve their bodies were members of the elite Delta Force.

 

New Study Details How Long It Takes Coronavirus Symptoms To Show, How Long To Self-Isolate

A new study published this week conducted by researchers for the American College of Physicians details how long it generally takes for symptoms of coronavirus to show up and provides recommendations on how long to self-isolate if exposed to the virus.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday, found that it takes by average about 5 days for symptoms of coronavirus to show up after infection — about 95% of the cases researchers studied showed up within 4 to 6 days — and that almost all (97.5%) who have been infected have displayed symptoms within 12 days.

Based on those findings, researchers concluded, the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendation of a 14-day self-isolation period for those who have been potentially exposed to the virus is appropriate, though a longer period might be justified in some “extreme cases” — which the researchers describe as “high-risk scenarios,” like health care workers who care for COVID-19 patients without proper protective equipment. Excerpts from the report below:

There were 181 confirmed cases with identifiable exposure and symptom onset windows to estimate the incubation period of COVID-19. The median incubation period was estimated to be 5.1 days (95% CI, 4.5 to 5.8 days), and 97.5% of those who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days (CI, 8.2 to 15.6 days) of infection. These estimates imply that, under conservative assumptions, 101 out of every 10 000 cases (99th percentile, 482) will develop symptoms after 14 days of active monitoring or quarantine. … This work provides additional evidence for a median incubation period for COVID-19 of approximately 5 days, similar to SARS. Our results support current proposals for the length of quarantine or active monitoring of persons potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2, although longer monitoring periods might be justified in extreme cases.

Although our results support current proposals for the length of quarantine or active monitoring of persons potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2, longer monitoring periods might be justified in extreme cases. Among those who are infected and will develop symptoms, we expect 101 in 10 000 (99th percentile, 482) will do so after the end of a 14-day monitoring period (Table 2 and Figure 3), and our analyses do not preclude this estimate from being higher. Although it is essential to weigh the costs of extending active monitoring or quarantine against the potential or perceived costs of failing to identify a symptomatic case, there may be high-risk scenarios (for example, a health care worker who cared for a COVID-19 patient while not wearing personal protective equipment) where it could be prudent to extend the period of active monitoring.

In its current risk assessment for the virus, the Centers for Disease Control maintains that the risk of being exposed remains low for the majority of people in most parts of the country and in most professions. Below are the summaries of the CDC’s current risk assessment:

  • For the majority of people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. There is not widespread circulation in most communities in the United States.
  • People in places where ongoing community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
  • Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
  • Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure.
  • Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on location.

While the risk of contracting the virus for most Americans remains low, the CDC explains that the number of cases will likely continue to expand in the coming days and presents the following potential scenarios for how that might impact the communities:

More cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the United States in the coming days, including more instances of community spread. It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur. Widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time. Schools, childcare centers, and workplaces, may experience more absenteeism. Mass gatherings may be sparsely attended or postponed. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and sectors of the transportation industry may also be affected. Healthcare providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions would be the most important response strategy.

Italian doctor describes dealing with coronavirus: ‘This isn’t flu, I’m shaking’
Italy’s Dr. Daniele Macchini, describes his experience with coronavirus. Here it is, translated from the original Italian.

Dr. Daniele Macchini, a doctor at Humanitas Gavazzeni hospital in Bergamo, northern Italy, described on Facebook how his hospital has been affected by coronavirus.

“After much thought about if and what to write about what is happening to us, I felt that silence is not responsible,” he wrote. “Therefore I will try to tell people who are far from our reality about what we are living in Bergamo in these days. I understand the need not to create panic, but when the message of how dangerous events are is not reaching people, I shake with fear.”

“I myself watched with a certain amount of amazement as the hospital was reorganized entirely over the past week. When our current enemy was still in the shadows: The departments ‘slowly emptied,’ elective activities were stopped, ICU patients were transferred there in order to empty as many beds as possible.

“All of these rapid changes brought an atmosphere of surreal silence and emptiness to the hospitals’ hallways, when we still did not understand, when we were waiting for a war that had not yet begun and that many (including myself) were not sure that would ever come with such cruelty.

“I still remember the nighttime conversation I had a week ago, when I waited for the results of the test. When I think about it, my fear of the possible situation looks almost stupid and unjustified now, when I’m seeing what’s happening. And so, things are pretty dramatic here, to say the least.

“The war broke out, very simply, and the battles were endless, day and night. But now the need for beds has come to be big drama. One after the other, the departments which were emptied are filling up at an impressive pace.

“The boards with the patients’ names, in different colors in accordance with the operation units, now they’re all red and instead of the operation, we see always see the same horrible diagnosis: Bilateral interstitial lung disease.

“Now explain to me how the flu virus causes such drama, so quickly. And there are still people who are proud of the fact that they’re not scared, and ignore the guidelines, and protest that their lifestyle has ‘temporarily’ been put in crisis.

“The epidemiological disaster is happening. And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists. We’re just doctors who have suddenly become part of one staff that’s facing this tsunami that’s overwhelmed us.

“The cases are becoming more numerous, we’re seeing 15-20 hospitalizations per day, and it’s all for the same reason. The test results come in now one after the other: Positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing.

“The reason for coming in is always identical: Fever and difficulty breathing, fever and cough, respiratory failure. Radiology always reports the same thing: Bilateral lung infection, bilateral lung infection, bilateral lung infection. They’re all going to be hospitalized.

“One patient needs intubation and the intensive care unit. For others it’s too late….all the ventilation machines have become gold. Those in the operating rooms which have ceased their non-urgent work have become intensive care rooms which did not previously exist.

“The staff is exhausted. I saw their exhaustion on the faces which have not seen such work, despite the overload of work that already exhausted them. I saw the solidarity among everyone, who never ceased turning to our internal medicine doctors and colleagues, asking, ‘And what can I do for you now?’

“Doctors are moving beds and transferring patients. Nurses have tears in their eyes because we can’t save them all and thee vital signs of several of them simultaneously reveal their known fate.

“There’s no more shifts, there are no more hours. Our social lives have been put on hold. We don’t see our families already, out of fear we might infect them. Some of us have already become infected, despite the protective protocols.”

 

US begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan

We’ve been in Afghanistan since late 2001.

The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week.

The U.S.-Taliban deal signed on Feb. 29 was touted as Washington’s effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country’s future.

But Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday. Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last year’s vote. The dueling inaugurations have thrown plans for talks with the Taliban into chaos, although Ghani said Tuesday that he’d start putting together a negotiating team.

The disarray on the Afghan government side is indicative of the uphill task facing Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to get Afghanistan’s bickering leadership to come together. In an early Tuesday tweet, Khalilzad said he hoped the two leaders can “come to an agreement on an inclusive and broadly accepted government. We will continue to assist.”