Why does it seem like all of the protest are in Dem states? Uhhh...did anyone tell them that they are suppose to be social distancing?
WHO Adviser Says It’s ‘Likely’ Coronavirus Leaked from Lab, Slams Trump Admin Response to Pandemic https://www.nationalreview.com/news...m-lab-slams-trump-admin-response-to-pandemic/
How dare she make him look like a fool https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...tified-critical-medical-shortages/ar-BB13uLtH Trump Moves to Replace Watchdog Who Identified Critical Medical Shortages WASHINGTON — President Trump moved on Friday night to replace a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services who angered him with a report last month highlighting supply shortages and testing delays at hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. The White House waited until after business hours to announce the nomination of a new inspector general for the department who, if confirmed, would take over for Christi A. Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general who was publicly assailed by the president at a news briefing three weeks ago. The nomination was the latest effort by Mr. Trump against watchdog offices around his administration that have defied him. In recent weeks, he fired an inspector general involved in the inquiry that led to the president’s impeachment, nominated a White House aide to another key inspector general post overseeing virus relief spending and moved to block still another inspector general from taking over as chairman of a pandemic spending oversight panel. Mr. Trump has sought to assert more authority over his administration and clear out officials deemed insufficiently loyal in the three months since his Senate impeachment trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress ended in acquittal largely along party lines. While inspectors general are appointed by the president, they are meant to be semiautonomous watchdogs ferreting out waste, fraud and corruption in executive agencies. The purge has continued unabated even during the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed about 65,000 lives in the United States. Ms. Grimm’s case in effect merged the conflict over Mr. Trump’s response to the outbreak with his determination to sweep out those he perceives to be speaking out against him. Her report, released last month and based on extensive interviews with hospitals around the country, identified critical shortages of supplies, revealing that hundreds of medical centers were struggling to obtain test kits, protective gear for staff members and ventilators. Mr. Trump was embarrassed by the report at a time he was already under fire for playing down the threat of the virus and not acting quickly enough to ramp up testing and provide equipment to doctors and nurses. “It’s just wrong,” the president said when asked about the report on April 6. “Did I hear the word ‘inspector general’? Really? It’s wrong. And they’ll talk to you about it. It’s wrong.” He then sought to find out who wrote the report. “Where did he come from, the inspector general? What’s his name? No, what’s his name? What’s his name?” When the reporter did not know, Mr. Trump insisted. “Well, find me his name,” the president said. “Let me know.” He expressed no interest in the report’s findings except to categorically reject them sight unseen. After learning that Ms. Grimm had worked during President Barack Obama’s administration, Mr. Trump asserted that the report was politically biased. In fact, Ms. Grimm is not a political appointee but a career official who began working in the inspector general office late in President Bill Clinton’s administration and served under President George W. Bush as well as Mr. Obama. She took over the office in an acting capacity when the previous inspector general stepped down. Mr. Trump was undaunted and attacked her on Twitter. “Why didn’t the I.G., who spent 8 years with the Obama Administration (Did she Report on the failed H1N1 Swine Flu debacle where 17,000 people died?), want to talk to the Admirals, Generals, V.P. & others in charge, before doing her report,” he wrote, mischaracterizing the government’s generally praised response the 2009 epidemic that actually killed about 12,000 in the United States. “Another Fake Dossier!” To take over as inspector general, Mr. Trump on Friday night named Jason C. Weida, an assistant United States attorney in Boston. The White House said in its announcement that he had “overseen numerous complex investigations in health care and other sectors.” He must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming the position. Ms. Grimm declined to comment but her office issued a statement recommitting itself to its mission of accountability. “Our professionals have risen to a variety of challenges, including our groundbreaking work fighting the opioid epidemic and health care fraud, as well as oversight of the planning, response, and funding for Covid-19,” the statement said. “We will continue to serve the American people by ensuring that their health and welfare are protected.” Among several other nominations announced on Friday was the president’s choice for a new ambassador to Ukraine, filling a position last occupied by Marie L. Yovanovitch. Ms. Yovanovitch was ousted a year ago because she was seen as an obstacle by the president’s advisers as they tried to pressure the government in Kyiv to incriminate Mr. Trump’s Democratic rivals. That effort to solicit political benefit from Ukraine, while withholding security aid, led to Mr. Trump’s impeachment largely along party lines in December. Mr. Trump selected Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton, a retired 40-year Army officer now serving as the director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany. Mr. Dayton speaks Russian and served as defense attaché in Moscow. More recently, he served as a senior United States defense adviser in Ukraine appointed by Jim Mattis, Mr. Trump’s first defense secretary.
A lot of fast anti-body testing has been negatively impacted by inaccurate tests leading to faulty assertions. It looks like a more accurate anti-body test from Roche will now be available in the U.S. A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate is now cleared for emergency use in the US, easing concerns of false positives that hindered earlier tests https://www.businessinsider.com/ant...curate-gets-emergency-clearance-by-fda-2020-5 A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate has been authorized for emergency use in the US, the Swiss drugmaker Roche said Sunday. The test boasts a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which is much higher than many of the initial antibody tests to reach market, and could significantly reduce the potential for false positives. Antibody testing is considered a key step toward reopening the country, as it would offer a better understanding of how widespread the virus is and who may be immune to it. However, there has still been no definitive study showing having antibodies means people are immune from getting infected. Researchers also do not yet know how long-lasting any antibody protection is for this new virus. US regulators authorized Sunday emergency use of a coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate, addressing concerns about high false positive rates that have plagued some of the first tests. The test is made by Roche, a Swiss giant in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. Roche said Sunday it will boost its manufacturing to produce "high double-digit millions per month" of the test. Antibodies are proteins created by the body's immune system to fight invading threats, like viruses or bacteria. Antibody testing is seen by many as a critical step into reopening the economy. Some have floated ideas of using the tests to issue some form of "immunity passports," which could allow people with the antibodies to return to work. Roche stated the test has a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which are significantly higher than some of the first antibody tests that were cleared for use in the US. The results came from using more than 5,000 samples on its test. It will take about 18 minutes to process a single test, with Roche's devices able to run up to 300 tests per hour in an automated fashion, the company said. One recent study found several of these tests are less than 90% accurate. Combined with Roche's ability to mass-manufacture millions of tests, this new test should help address the issue of false positive results, where a test may tell someone they have the antibodies when they actually do not. Another medical diagnostics giant, Abbott, has been using its antibody test for the past few weeks in the US. Abbot says its test is 99% accurate, based on testing about 1,000 samples.
I was skeptical of the accuracy claims in this article, but i read elsewhere that this test actually requires a blood draw from a vein rather than just a finger prick so that is probably one of the aspects that gives it greater accuracy- it is more like a real lab test but with results being reported more rapidly.
I am concerned that they get their accuracy results under perfect "lab" conditions. When put into practice in the field with barely-trained people, rough conditions, etc. --- I expect the test may be less accurate then the claimed 99%. We will see - only time will tell.