COVID19 Update - Day 7

US Tests: 55,589
US Cases: 5,923
US Deaths: 100
Worldwide Cases: 197,133
Worldwide Deaths: 7,905

Today was a watershed moment in the U.S. spread of the virus.  Total deaths jumped from 71 to 100, marking a nearly 40% increase from yesterday, and, obviously, breaking the century mark.

And before we chronicle today's buffoonery from our Republican-led government, a new and very important link to let you learn about hospital capacity and availability in your area.  This link is now at the top left of the page, along with links from Johns Hopkins University (where my data for worldwide cases and deaths comes from) and the COVID tracking project (where my U.S. data comes from).

In national news, Trump has decided that he's tired of being an embarrassment, and so has switched to the only other mode he understands, being a liar:

This is a pandemic.  I've felt that it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.

This is standard Trump revisionist history.  But since he now wants credit for having the prescience to see that this was 'a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic', let's review how poorly he's handled things, shall we?

• One week before Trump was inaugurated, the Obama administration provided training to the incoming Trump team on how to handle a global pandemic, emphasizing that 'it could face specific challenges, such as shortages of ventilators, anti-viral drugs and other medical essentials, and that having a coordinated, unified national response was “paramount”'.
• In May 2018, Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, disbands his pandemic response team:

The abrupt departure of Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer from the National Security Council means no senior administration official is now focused solely on global health security. Ziemer’s departure, along with the breakup of his team, comes at a time when many experts say the country is already underprepared for the increasing risks of a pandemic or bioterrorism attack.

• January 22, 2020, when asked if he was worried about a pandemic, Trump responded: "No. Not at all. And we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine."
• February 27: Trump predicts “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”
• March 10: “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”

The statements from this year, along with more of Trump's perfidy, are detailed here --- including the criminal lack of tests.  The U.S. has never had a sufficient number of tests available for COVID19, because the Trump administration turned down tests that were offered and ready to go from the World Health Organization.

The good news is that Trump is finally SAYING the right things about the pandemic.  The bad news is, he's still not DOING the things he needs to do to save lives.

One key area where the Trump administration is failing us: ventilators.  For those who catch the coronavirus and get critically sick, access to a hospital ventilator can mean the difference between life and death.  But if there is a surge in infections --- and it seems likely there will be --- the demand for ventilators could easily outstrip the supply, which would lead to needless deaths.  In spite of this reality --- something the Trump transition team was explicitly warned of before Trump every took office --- it appears that the administration has done nothing to demand or encourage that ventilator manufacturers step up production:

The German government just placed an order for 10,000 mechanical ventilators. What’s the U.S. government doing about a potential shortage here? Not much, it seems. President Trump alluded to the matter in a press conference but did not spell out any plans.

And meanwhile, Republicans in Congress continue to take their time working out a relief bill.

As for personal news, there is none, really.  I'm down to 16 rolls of toilet paper in my house.  There have been no other major developments of note.