The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Tulsa County reports highest number of new cases days before Trump rally; Botanisol Analytics CEO David Talenfeld says new highly mobile virus testing modules can help protect national security infrastructure

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

> 1.5 million file unemployment claims in second week of June 

> Reversing course, Arizona and Texas will allow some local governments to require masks

> Nearly 90 percent of Americans think pharmaceutical industry will use pandemic to raise drug prices 

> Botanisol Analytics CEO David Talenfeld claims Air Force contracts have helped combat COVID-19, says new highly mobile virus testing modules can help protect national security infrastructure

> Tulsa County, Okla., reports highest number of new cases, just days before Trump’s rally

> Big Apple exodus: New York City housing market ground to standstill during coronavirus lockdown 

> Fauci says there may not be an NFL season this year 

> Science by press release? Doctors view promising steroid results with both excitement and skepticism 

> New study finds coronavirus antibodies may only last two months in people who don’t show symptoms 

> After Sweden’s failed ‘herd immunity’ experiment, only 6 percent have antibodies 

> Botanisol Analytics CEO David Talenfeld claims Air Force contracts have helped combat COVID-19, says new highly mobile virus testing modules can help protect national security infrastructure

THE INTERVIEW

Dave Talenfeld, CEO, Botanisol Analytics

Botanisol Analytics CEO David Talenfeld claims Air Force contracts have helped combat COVID-19, says new highly mobile virus testing modules can help protect national security infrastructure. 

 

 

 

 

Watch the full interview here.

THE HILL’S CORONAVIRUS REPORT

Welcome to The Hill’s Coronavirus Report. It’s Thursday, June 18.

Editor’s Note.

 

Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has become one of my top go-to voices on all things coronavirus. I usually hear him at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. on CNBC Squawk Box as he talks about the latest developments on vaccines, how various vaccine development methodologies work, how he feels about the strategies states and localities are deploying to manage their COVID-19 incidence rates, and what the administration has gotten wrong and right as it struggles through these times. Gottlieb is a straight-shooter. And while on Pfizer’s board of directors, he lauds other firms — even commenting on one occasion that the administration’s leak to The New York Times on the five firms — one of which was Pfizer — that were going to get preferred status and government support for their vaccine production efforts also needed to include two others, Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Novovax. 

 

Gottlieb’s informed banter and insights are something to note as he doesn’t demonize states that have opened too early and are seeing spikes in infections, but he does talk very bluntly that perhaps in Texas, for instance, they are going to have to consider reducing the number of people allowed in bars or rethink mask requirements. The rising new-infection rates in a large swath of the Sun Belt states are on the edge of going beyond breakouts to out of control. What Gottlieb brings to a tough set of decisions is a trial and error pragmatism on how American society finds a way to live with the virus until both vaccines and hopefully “herd immunity” begin to take hold and protect people in America.

 

There are folks without the science background who stridently weigh in on the side of opening the economy with few restrictions — and then some on the science side who aren’t connecting as well as Gottlieb has on how to bring in health guardrails to a reopening discussion. So a salute to Gottlieb’s pragmatic, no nonsense, no posturing, sober commentary that tries to see all sides of what is going on, economically and politically, and I should add scientifically.  

 

– Steve Clemons

Your Coronavirus Report team includes Steve Clemons, editor-at-large of The Hill, and researcher Andrew Wargofchik. Follow us on Twitter at @SCClemons and @a_wargofchik. 

 

Click here to subscribe to The Hill’s Coronavirus Report

Click here to subscribe to our Overnight Healthcare Newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things coronavirus

THE HILL ‘VIRTUALLY’ LIVE

America’s Unfinished Business: An LGBTQ+ Summit | June 30, 2020

 

There has been monumental progress on LGBTQ+ rights in recent decades as mainstream cultural shifts drove wider acceptance and committed allies won long-fought battles at the local, state and federal levels.

 

Yet, as we write this, many in America continue to suffer daily discrimination, marginalization and violence in their homes, schools, neighborhoods and workplaces, in acts seen and unseen, big and small.

 

Join The Hill for a Pride month summit to discuss the fragility of civil rights in America today with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community. The forum will focus on constructive paths forward, lessons learned from civil rights advances, and will recognize that there are an array of perspectives of how to prioritize effort and focus when it comes to securing and making civil rights a reality in our daily lives.

  CLICK HERE to register and see our full lineup of speakers.

CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

There are 8,397,036 reported cases of COVID-19 across the globe and 450,137 have died from the virus as of the time of this newsletter. 

 

The U.S. is reporting 2,173,256 cases of the coronavirus and 117,972 deaths. Brazil 955,377. Russia 560,321. India 366,946. U.K. 301,935. Spain 245,268. Peru 240,908. Italy 238,135. Chile 220,628. Iran 197,647. France 194,805. Germany 189,512. Turkey 182,727. Pakistan 160,118. 

 

Elsewhere around the world: 

> Honduras’s president has been hospitalized with COVID-19 as Latin America becomes the new virus “epicenter.”

> Russia is denying the U.K.’s claim that the Kremlin is exploiting the pandemic. 

> England’s test and trace system has identified 45,000 contacts with infected people in just its second week of operation. 

> Beijing is ramping up coronavirus restrictions as cases spread to nearby provinces 

> New Zealand recorded its third new case of the week, days after declaring itself among the first countries to be free of the virus.

 

New York is reporting 385,142 cases. New Jersey 167,703. California 163,542. Illinois 134,185. Massachusetts 106,151. Texas 97,706. Florida 85,926. Pennsylvania 84,615. Michigan 66,497. Maryland 63,229. Georgia 60,030. Virginia 56,238. Louisiana 48,634. North Carolina 46,934. Connecticut 45,429. Arizona 43,455. Ohio 42,422. Indiana 41,438. Oklahoma 8,904.

 

Here at home: 

> Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Oregon and Texas all reported their largest one-day increases in new cases this week.

> In Oklahoma, Tulsa County reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, just days before Trump’s scheduled rally. 

> Texas is continuing to see a rise in cases and about a quarter of all new hospitalizations are people in their 20s. 

> Florida is on track to becoming the “next large epicenter” for the coronavirus in the United States, according to new modeling from PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

The U.S. is reporting the results of 24,937,877 COVID-19 tests and 592,191 full recoveries from the virus.

WASHINGTON WATCH

 

 

 

White House says rally attendees assume “personal risk.” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday dismissed health concerns surrounding President Trump’s upcoming rally, saying the campaign had taken measures to ensure safety during the coronavirus pandemic and that attendees in Tulsa, Okla., would assume a “personal risk.” (The Hill)

 

“Football may not happen this year,” Fauci says. The nation’s top infectious disease expert said the NFL may not be able to put on games this year, as the health risks posed by the coronavirus are amplified by flu season and the possibility of a second wave of infections fueled by the turn in cold weather. (Washington Post) 

 

“Mr. President, wake up”: Biden trashes Trump’s pandemic response. Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday unloaded on President Trump, bashing his response to the coronavirus pandemic as an example of his failed leadership that amounts to “flat-out surrendering” the fight against the disease. “Mr. President, wake up. Get to work,” Biden said at an in-person campaign even  

LAWMAKERS TWEET

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) 

@SenBlumenthal My heart soars—for our beautiful, great nation, & for millions of young wonderful immigrants who will make it even greater. The rule of law has won against mean-spirited lawless leaders, renewing trust in our courts.

 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) 

@SenJoniErnst I heard from Iowa #smallbiz & lenders that the #PPP loan forgiveness app was too complicated, & that’s why I pressed the Administration to streamline this app. Good news: @SBAgov & @USTreasury listened, & posted a new, user-friendly app. Visit: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1036

 

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) 

@FrankPallone Congress passed legislation to ensure #COVID19 tests are free of charge for everyone, but some bad actors appear to be taking advantage by price gouging and surprise medical billing. The @EnergyCommerce Committee will be investigating these reports.

ACROSS THE NATION

Governors get reelection boost from COVID-19 responses. The vast majority of the nation’s governors are winning praise and high approval numbers from their constituents as they handle the health and economic fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic. The twin crises have given governors a bully pulpit unlike any most of them have experienced before. And for those seeking reelection this year, demonstrating swift and assertive action in the name of public health has put them in strong position to win another term. (The Hill) 

 

Nearly 90 percent thinks pharmaceutical industry will use coronavirus to raise drug prices: poll. Nearly nine in 10 respondents are concerned that the pharmaceutical industry will leverage the coronavirus pandemic to raise drug prices, according to a new West Health/Gallup poll released Thursday. The survey found that 88 percent are worried about a rise in drug prices, with 55 percent saying they are “very” concerned and 33 percent saying they are “somewhat” concerned. (The Hill) 

 

Reversing course, Arizona and Texas allow some local governments to require masks. Arizona did not record its first 20,000 cases until June 1, but it took less than three weeks for the state to record 20,000 more. So on Wednesday, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said he would switch gears and allow mayors to require mask wearing if they see the need. In Texas, which also saw record case increases this week, similar tensions have arisen between local officials and the governor, whose statewide reopening orders take precedence. (New York Times)

WORLD VIEW

After Sweden’s “herd immunity” experiment, just 6 percent have antibodies. Sweden, which has taken a less restrictive approach than other countries in an effort to develop “herd immunity” to the coronavirus in its population, said about 6 percent of its people have developed COVID-19 antibodies, Reuters reported. Herd immunity, which is usually achieved via vaccination, is attained when about 60 percent of residents are deemed immune. (CNBC) 

Oversold and underperforming: How Britain’s new contact-tracing system went wrong. When Britain unveiled an ambitious new contact-tracing system to help pinpoint clusters of infections as they emerge, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as a “world beating” operation. As with much of the government’s response to the pandemic, however, the results have fallen short of the promises, jeopardizing the reopening of Britain’s hobbled economy and risking a new wave of death in one of the countries most debilitated by the virus. (New York Times)

SCIENCE

Race for virus vaccine could leave some countries behind. As the race intensifies for a vaccine against the new coronavirus, rich countries are rushing to place advance orders for the inevitably limited supply to guarantee their citizens get immunized first — leaving significant questions about whether developing countries will get any vaccines in time to save lives before the pandemic ends. (Associated Press) 

 

Antibodies may last only two months, especially in people who didn’t show symptoms, new study finds. Antibodies to the new coronavirus may last only two to three months in the body, especially in people who never showed symptoms while they were infected, according to a study published Thursday. The new study, published in Nature Medicine, looked at only 37 people who did not show symptoms when infected, but it is the first to offer a characterization of the immune response in such people. (New York Times) 

 

Doctors view dexamethasone results on COVID-19 with excitement and skepticism. Doctors in the United States are cautiously optimistic about clinical trial results from the University of Oxford in England suggesting that a commonly used drug may have a real, measurable impact on COVID-19. But they need to see the data first. The findings — the results of a clinical trial called the Recovery trial — were issued in a press release, as opposed to an article in a peer-reviewed medical journal. (NBC News)

BUSINESS

Jobless claims total 1.5 million, worse than expected as economic pain persists. Weekly jobless claims stayed above 1 million for the 13th consecutive week as the coronavirus pandemic continued to hammer the U.S. economy. First-time claims totaled 1.5 million last week, higher than the 1.3 million that economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting. The government report’s total was 58,000 lower than the previous week’s 1.566 million, which was revised up by 24,000. (CNBC) 

Big Apple exodus: New York City housing market ground to standstill during coronavirus lockdown. New York City real estate purchase agreements were locked in a near standstill in May as the COVID-19 pandemic blocked realtors from in-person showings. The number of contracts signed for co-ops in Manhattan fell 80 percent from a year ago to 125 while condo deals dropped 83 percent to 99, according to a report from brokerage Douglas Elliman prepared by appraiser Miller Samuel. (Fox Business)

ISSUES, CAUSES, PASSIONS

How to better assist communities left behind in this economic crisis. In his 1982 book “The Underclass,” the longtime New Yorker writer Ken Auletta described poverty as a systemic problem replicated from generation to generation because our nation had not dealt with its history. Thirty-eight years since Auletta wrote that gripping book, intergenerational poverty stubbornly persists — and disproportionately affects people of color. With the severe economic disruption brought on by the coronavirus, these communities are now facing dire challenges. (Robert Rubin and Maurice Jones for The Hill)

China’s post-coronavirus policy includes challenges America also faces. As the U.S. confronts a challenging series of racial, economic, health and political issues at home that have caused or exacerbated a wide range of social and political divisions, China last week moved forward with measures of its own that seek to showcase national unity and demonstrate that China’s leaders have managed to largely overcome one of the most serious crises they’ve faced in recent decades: the novel coronavirus. (Robert Hormats for The Hill)

GENEROUS SPIRITS

How Lady Gaga gave the jacket off her back to a fan who complimented her. “Hey, you’re Lady Gaga, right?” (Yahoo! News)

ICYMI: STEVE’S INTERVIEWS, 15 MINUTES EACH

> Steve interviews New American CEO ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER 

> Steve interviews Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN 

> Steve interviews MInnesota Attorney General KEITH ELLISON  

> Steve interviews Kansas City, Mo., Mayor QUINTON LUCAS 

> Steve interviews Eurasia Group President IAN BREMMER 

> Steve interviews former Obama Ebola czar RON KLAIN 

> Steve interviews Rep. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-N.Y.) 

> Steve interviews Ready co-founder and CEO JUSTIN DANGEL 

Watch all Coronavirus Report interviews here.

YOUR WORLD, YOUR STORIES

SEND US YOUR OWN PICS – from your own walks or adventures – during this time of physical distancing but social connection. And SEND US YOUR STORIES of how teleworking is going, what you have learned from homeschooling, new ways to exercise, and special moments or standout heroism you want to share. What’s working for you? What’s comic in these dark days? 

 

Send to YourStories@TheHill.com. Our thoughts are with you, our readers, and we hope and trust that no matter the weight of burdens on you now — and it’s not a good story for everyone we know — that we all stand together, resilient and confident, on the other side of this. There will be another side.

Click here to subscribe to The Hill’s Coronavirus Report

Click here to subscribe to our Overnight Healthcare Newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things coronavirus

 

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