FEMA Administrator Says Agency Will Use The Defense Production Act ‘For The First Time Today’ to Obtain 60,000 Coronavirus Testing Kits

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor said the agency will use the Defense Production Act (DPA) “for the first time today” to obtain 60,000 coronavirus test kits. “We’re actually going to use the DPA for the first time today. There’s some test kits we need to … Read more

President Trump Called Hydroxychloroquine a ‘Game Changer,’ But Experts Warn Against Self-Medicating With the Drug. Here’s What You Need to Know

After President Trump, late last week, expressed great confidence in the promise of a new COVID-19 therapy that combines two existing prescription medications, supplies of these two drugs rapidly began disappearing from pharmacy shelves. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed an Indian company previously restricted from importing drug products into the US to now … Read more

‘A Bullet Train.’ NY Governor Warns Hospitals Could Be Overrun as Coronavirus Diagnoses Accelerate

(NEW YORK) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo sounded his most dire warning yet about the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, saying the infection rate in New York is accelerating and the state could be as close as two weeks away from a crisis that sees 40,000 people in intensive care. Such a surge would overwhelm hospitals, which now … Read more

These Families Traveled Twice Across the World to Stay Ahead of Coronavirus. They’re Learning Nowhere Is Safe

Mary Wong fled her native Hong Kong on Feb. 20 with her one-year-old daughter and her husband. The situation there looked grim—the city had 70 cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, and officials were refusing calls to fully close the border with mainland China. To stay safe, Wong and her family decided to fly halfway … Read more

White House Coronavirus Official Says Effects Of Social Distancing Won’t be Seen For 7 to 14 Days

In an interview with the TODAY Show on Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Americans likely won’t see the effects of social distancing for seven to 14 days. Social distancing, or deliberately avoiding contact with other people, has been a crucial part of the government’s effort to stem the spread … Read more

Arizona Man Dies After Taking Chemical in Coronavirus Treatment Touted by President Trump

(PHOENIX) — A Phoenix-area man has died and his wife was in critical condition after the couple took chloroquine phosphate, an additive used to clean fish tanks that is also found in an anti-malaria medication that’s been touted by President Donald Trump as a treatment for COVID-19. Banner Health said Monday that the couple in … Read more

Africa’s Mountain Gorillas Could Also Be at Risk From Coronavirus

(KAMPALA, Uganda) — As the coronavirus infects more people around the world, conservationists are warning of the risk to another vulnerable species: Africa’s endangered mountain gorilla. Congo’s Virunga National Park, home to about a third of the world’s mountain gorillas, is barring visitors until June 1, citing “advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including … Read more