US rolls out emergency measures amid frightening projections of Covid-infections

WASHINGTON: Terrifying estimates of people already infected by coronavirus (up to 500,000 in the US alone) along with projections of those likely to be affected (upwards of 200 million) are making the rounds even as the US government is pulling out all stops to arrest its progress.
US lawmakers passed an emergency economic relief bill in the wee hours of Saturday, lining up billions of dollars for paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, and free testing, while the American healthcare system, panned at the best of times, is bracing for hordes descending on clinics and hospitals amid a growing sense of dread and rapid social distancing.
Such an apocalyptic scenario might appear unlikely given that only about 2200 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the US so far, but health care experts are warning that number is just those who got tested and recorded positive, and the actual number who already infected and untested could be 100x that number.
Disease modelers are projecting that anywhere from 2.4 million to 21 million people might require hospitalization in a country with less than 1 million hospital beds, with expectation that more than 200 million could be affected if the measures government authorities are rolling out rapidly do not contain the pandemic. Already local health offices and clinics are reporting rising footfall.
Amid the growing crisis, US President Donald Trump himself is coming under increasing scrutiny even as he attempts to project control and authority to reassure a concerned population. A second individual Trump engaged with at a Florida event last week has turned out to be Covid+ve, and responding to growing pressure that he himself get tested and isolate himself, the President first concurred, but later had the White House physician Dr Sean Conley say it was not necessary.
“The President's exposure to the first individual was extremely limited (photograph, handshake) and though he spent more time in closer proximity to the second case, all interactions occurred before any symptom onset," Dr Conley said even though experts have said affected people may not show symptoms for up to two weeks.
“These interactions would be categorized as LOW risk for transmission,” Conley said, citing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “As such, there is no indication for home quarantine at this time.”
The two individuals Trump and his daughter Ivanka engaged with, including the Brazilian President’s press aide Fabio Wajngarten and Brazilian Charge d’Affairs in Washington Nestor Forster Jr., both found to be Covid-19 positive, are also reported to have interacted with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who has subsequently tested positive.
With typical insouciance, Trump continue to handshake and glad handle a raft of experts and pharma executives at a White House event on Friday while touching the mike (which others also touched), even though he had rhapsodized about the non-contact namaste the previous day. Only one person at the event declined the President’s reflexive handshake and greeted him with an elbow bump. "SOCIAL DISTANCING!" the US President later tweeted in all caps despite violating protocols everyone is calling for such as abstaining from handshakes.
Already 49 US states have reported outbreaks of Covid-19. The government is shutting down everything from the Pentagon to the country’s prison systems, and the private sector is following suit. Apple announced it will shut its stores, not just in the US but worldwide, and many multinational retailers are expected to follow suit.
The shuttering of commercial activity is leading to fear that the supply chain would be disrupted. This in turn has led to a run on essential supplies ranging from toilet paper and disinfectants to flour and sugar.
Spain meanwhile became the second country in Europe to impose a nationwide lock down even as Washington struggled to arrive at travel and immigration protocols to allow its citizens and residents to return home from across the world.
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There was unmistakable irony during the otherwise grim day when Mexico announced it was considering blocking Americans from entering the country fearing an uptick of coronavirus, even as African countries frowned on European entries to the continent.
More travel bans coming, end of handshake
The White House began temperature checks for anyone coming in close proximity to President Trump and vice-president Mike Pence, including journalists attending a news conference on Saturday afternoon.
White House staff wielding thermometers met reporters at the door of the Press Briefing room and at least one scribe was turned away because he recorded 100deg+ temperature.
Later, at the press conference, Trump urged an end to the handshake for all times to come, saying it was a reflexive act that he himself is guilty of, and it simply spreads pathogens that cause illnesses.
The US President also said he would soon be instituting inter-state travel restrictions within the US to contain the coronavirus to hotspots. The US would also extend travel bans now in effect against 30 countries to more countries including UK and Ireland. However, the restriction would not apply to US Citizens, permanent residents, and their family members. They can continue to return to the US, where they will be subjected to medical screening, questioning, and then asked to self-quarantine.