Trump invokes defense production act to fight against coronavirus and lack of medical supplies

US President Donald Trump has said that he will activate an old wartime act to force American industry to produce essential medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus. Trump promised “total victory” over the deadly virus.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Trump announced that he would be activating the Defense Production Act of 1950. The act, written at the outbreak of the Korean War, gives the federal government power to instruct manufacturers to make much-needed equipment, in this case protective masks and ventilators.

“Every generation of Americans has been called to make shared sacrifices for the good of the nation,” Trump said, comparing the efforts to beat the COVID-19 coronavirus to the mass mobilization seen during World War II.

The Trump administration was reportedly weighing invoking the act as far back as February, when the US announced its first non-traceable case of the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, the government’s failure to roll out mass testing for the virus has led to calls from Democrats to activate the wartime legislation, to ensure the US is prepared for the demand placed on the healthcare system.

Trump also announced that two hospital ships would be deployed to house coronavirus patients, one moored in New York and another on the west coast. The Empire state has the biggest number of cases so far.

Though Trump did not state what kind of equipment the Defense Production Act will be used to produce, masks and ventilators are the most likely candidates. Health And Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in February that the US needs a stockpile of around 300 million n95 face masks, and was at the time around 288 million short. In a speech to the Senate before Trump’s conference, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer singled out ventilator shortages as a “massive problem.”

The epidemic has reached all 50 states and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday reported an increase of 2,812 cases from its previous count to 7,087 cases, with death toll rising by 22 to 97. Worldwide, more than 208,000 cases have been recorded since the virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan before Christmas.

https://www.rt.com/usa/483433-coronavirus-defense-production-act/

WHO Needs to Be Held Responsible! US Coronavirus Numbers Including Asymtomatic Patients Shows Mortality Rate 0.2% to 0.8% and Not 3.4% as Reported by WHO

The controversial Ethiopian politician and Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, claimed in a press conference in early March that the fatality rate for the coronavirus was many multiples that of the fatality rate of the common flu.

This egregiously false premise has led to the greatest economic panic in world history.

The Director General of the WHO spoke on March 3, 2020 and shared this related to the coronavirus:

While many people globally have built up immunity to seasonal flu strains, COVID-19 is a new virus to which no one has immunity. That means more people are susceptible to infection, and some will suffer severe disease.

Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected.

This statement led to the greatest panic in world history as the global elite media shared and repeated that the coronavirus was many, many times more deadly than the common flu.

The problem is his statement is false. It was not accurate!

The Gateway Pundit reported Monday, that the coronavirus fatality rate reported by the media was completely inaccurate and the actual rate is comparable to seasonal flu – the media was lying again. The false reporting of the coronavirus fatality rate of 3.4% in the elite media began with the statements made by the WHO in early March.

Here’s a summary of the analysis updated with today’s latest numbers proving the Director General’s statement was very misleading and materially false:

A look at the numbers:

** Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used the actual number of deaths due to coronavirus divided by confirmed cases to get his 3.4% mortality rate number (from last week – today’s number is near 4%)

** Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus then compared the actual coronavirus mortality rate to an estimated flu mortality rate of 0.1% — The US flu mortality rate is based on an estimated 22,000 deaths divided by an estimated 36 million flu cases giving a 0.1% mortality rate.

Ghebreyesus compared apples to oranges and his numbers were completely inaccurate!

• • • • • • • • • • *

As of Wednesday morning.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/who-needs-to-be-held-responsible-us-coronavirus-numbers-including-asymtomatic-patients-shows-mortality-rate-0-2-to-0-8-and-not-3-4-as-reported-by-who/

Italian Health Ministry Confirms ONLY TWELVE or 3% of Coronavirus Fatalities in Study Did Not Have Other Serious Health Complications

Since early March Italy became the epicenter of of the coronavirus epidemic.

As of Wednesday morning there have been 31,506 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy and 2,503 deaths.

But new data from the Italian government shows that the people dying from the coronavirus are either the elderly or have other complications.

Today’s news out of Italy confirms this is the case.

50% of those who died from coronavirus had THREE DIFFERENT SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS and the average per person had 2.7 serious health conditions.

Only 12 coronavirus fatalities had NO previous health concerns before coming down with the coronavirus.

Via Agenzia Nova from March 18:

(rough translation)

Rome, 18 Mar 09:29 – (Agenzia Nova) – Only 12 deaths caused by coronavirus have been ascertained so far. The data, however, emerges from the analysis of just 355 medical records, out of 2,003 received by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS). All the other 343 patients who fell victim to the epidemic, according to the ISS, had other serious diseases, which caused their death. Almost 50 percent of the deceased had 3 previous pathologies, and the average of the 343 deaths from secondary causes is 2.7 pathologies per person. The 12 deceased patients, equal to 3.38 per cent of the sample examined, did not present any previous pathology , which means that their death was caused, precisely, by Covid-19.

Among the other victims, 84, equal to 23.7 percent of the sample, had 1 pathology; 90 patients, equal to 25.4 percent of the sample, had 2; and 169, equal to 47.6 percent, had 3 or more pathologies. Respiratory failure is the most common complication observed. The ISS, in fact, found the disease in 97.2 percent of cases; the second cause is acute kidney damage, in 27.8 percent of cases; followed by acute myocardial injury, with 10.8 percent; and from superinfection, with 10.2 percent.

The Institute also reports on the age groups of patients. As of March 17, seventeen those who died and were positive at Covid-19 under the age of 50. Specifically, 5 of these were less than 40 years old: these are male subjects between the ages of 31 and 39 with serious pre-existing diseases. Among these, cardiovascular, renal, psychiatric diseases but also diabetes and obesity.

Free Republic reported this news last Friday when only three of the victims had no previous health conditions:

Rome, 13 Mar 19:12 – (Agenzia Nova) – There may be only two people who died from coronavirus in Italy, who did not present other pathologies. This is what emerges from the medical records examined so far by the Higher Institute of Health, according to what was reported by the President of the Institute, Silvio Brusaferro, during the press conference held today at the Civil Protection in Rome. “Positive deceased patients have an average of over 80 years – 80.3 to be exact – and are essentially predominantly male,” said Brusaferro. “Women are 25.8 percent. The average age of the deceased is significantly higher than the other positive ones. The age groups over 70, with a peak between 80 and 89 years. The majority of these people are carriers of chronic diseases. Only two people were not presently carriers of diseases “, but even in these two cases, the examination of the files is not concluded and therefore, causes of death different from Covid-19 could emerge. The president of the ISS has specified that “little more than a hundred medical records” have so far come from hospitals throughout Italy.

Similar to the flu, those most at risk of dying from the coronavirus are the elderly and the sick. This is consistent around the world. There have been no known fatalities for any children 10 and under.

The sick are at a higher risk similar to the flu. Current global data shows that if you have no pre-existing conditions, your fatality rate if you contract the coronavirus is .9% (and what proportion of these cases are the elderly).

The elderly and the sick should be protected. They are the ones at risk.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/breaking-italian-health-ministry-confirms-only-twelve-coronavirus-fatalities-did-not-have-other-serious-health-complications/

Trump Invokes Defense Production Act In Coronavirus Response, Deploys FEMA In All Regions

President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act in the US response to the Coronavirus pandemic, noting that HUD will suspend foreclosures through end of April, as work is underway to evaluate possibility of self-tests for virus.

The Defense Production Act (DPA) is the primary source of Presidential authorities to expedite and expand the supply of resources from the U.S. industrial base to support military, energy, space, and homeland security programs. Homeland security programs eligible for DPA support include:

Efforts to counter terrorism within the United States;

Emergency preparedness activities conducted pursuant to title VI of the Stafford Act;

Protection and restoration of critical infrastructure; and

Continuity of Government.

Addressing the "Chinese virus", Trump said that FEMA has been activated in "every region, at the highest level."

The President also said that work is underway to evaluate whether a self-test is feasible. If possible, he says it would free up health professionals who are administering the test.

Perhaps most notably, Trump said HUD is "suspending all foreclosures and evictions until the end of April" as Mike Pence said what we already knew, namely that there are now cases in all 50 states.

Separately, pence reiterated that people who aren’t showing symptoms for Covid-19 shouldn’t be getting tested, and said that the administration is issuing a regulation today that will allow doctors and medical professionals to practice across state lines. This could allow health workers to move to hotspots and places that need more help.

Speaking at the same presser, Dr. Birx said that there are “concerning reports” coming out of France and Italy of young people being seriously ill.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-invokes-defense-production-act-coronavirus-response-deploys-fema-all-regions

White House warns: If coronavirus stimulus package not passed, unemployment could hit 20%

The price tag is hefty, though.

In the latest sign that the Trump administration views the coronavirus pandemic as an existential threat to the American economy, Republican senators were warned during a closed-door meeting this week that failure to pass the White House's proposed stimulus package could lead to a catastrophic 20% unemployment rate.

According to multiple reports, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow met with Republican senators Tuesday in a private, closed-door lunch on Capitol Hill. Multiple sources reported that Mnuchin made the dire prediction as a means to encourage senators to vote for the stimulus package favored by the White House.

At the height of the 2009 recession, unemployment barely topped 10%. Unemployment was estimated to reach 25% during the Great Depression in 1933.

Multiple businesses have already been effectively shuttered as states and cities implement measures to attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Numerous states have effectively ordered locations that are capable of accommodating more than 50 people to close their doors to large gatherings of people. Restaurants, travel, and the leisure industry have been hit particularly hard.

The details of the stimulus package are still very much in the air and are currently being hammered out between the White House and top congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle. However, the White House has hinted that some portion of the stimulus will involve direct cash payments to Americans who have been impacted by the crisis, as well as money to help businesses meet their short-term obligations and stay functional.

Although multiple sources who were present at the meeting indicated that Mnuchin used the 20% unemployment figure as a way to coax reluctant senators into voting for the bill, Treasury Department spokesman Monica Crowley said, "Mnuchin used several mathematical examples for illustrative purposes, but he never implied this would be the case."

The price tag of the stimulus package is rumored to be between $850 billion and $1 trillion. Mnuchin has publicly stated that it is the White House's desire to get stimulus checks sent out to Americans "Immediately. And I mean now, in the next two weeks."

However, the stimulus package first has to pass through a contentious gauntlet on Capitol Hill, where some Republicans are concerned about both the price tag of the bill, and where Democrats are upset that some of their pet special interests do not receive enough funding in the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised to streamline the bill through the Senate at "warp speed." The House, meanwhile, is not in session after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allowed the House to recess last week after passing a $100 billion sick relief package.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/white-house-unemployment-20-percent

We’re saved! Marvel baffles fans as it unveils ‘Snowflake’ & ‘Safespace’… non-binary bully-fighting superheroes

With coronavirus panic sparking worldwide toilet paper shortages, Marvel has rolled out new superheroes to restore faith in humanity: ‘Snowflake’ and ‘Safespace’. Not really the heroes we need, but probably the ones we deserve.

Known for iconic characters such as Spider Man, the Hulk, and Captain America, Marvel has apparently decided that comic book fans need new, “post-ironic” (their words, not ours) heroes. The entertainment company unveiled in a new trailer that their ‘New Warriors’ line-up includes psychic twins named Snowflake and Safespace.

Snowflake is obviously non-binary and “goes by they/them,” Marvel noted. The gender-fluid twin vanquishes enemies with “snowflake-shaped projectiles.”

“The connotations of the word ‘snowflake’ in our culture right now are something fragile, and this is a character who is turning it into something sharp,” the comic book company helpfully explained.

https://www.rt.com/usa/483376-marvel-snowflake-safespace-comic-heroes/

Detect, Deter and Annihilate: How the Police State Will Deal with a Coronavirus Outbreak

“Fear is a primitive impulse, brainless as hunger, and because the aim of horror fiction is the production of the deepest kinds of fears, the genre tends to reinforce some remarkably uncivilized ideas about self-protection. In the current crop of zombie stories, the prevailing value for the beleaguered survivors is a sort of siege mentality, a vigilance so constant and unremitting that it’s indistinguishable from the purest paranoia.”— Terrence Rafferty, New York Times

What do zombies have to do with the U.S. government’s plans for dealing with a coronavirus outbreak?

Read on, and I’ll tell you.

The zombie narrative was popularized by the hit television series The Walking Dead, in which a small group of Americans attempt to survive in a zombie-ridden, post-apocalyptic world where they’re not only fighting off flesh-eating ghouls but cannibalistic humans.

For a while there, zombies could be found lurking around every corner: wreaking havoc at gun shows, battling corsets in movies such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and running for their lives in 5K charity races.

Understandably, zombie fiction plays to our fears and paranoia, while allowing us to “envision how we and our own would thrive if everything went to hell and we lost all our societal supports.” Yet as journalist Syreeta McFadden points out, while dystopian stories used to reflect our anxieties, now they reflect our reality, mirroring how we as a nation view the world around us, how we as citizens view each other, and most of all how our government views us.

Indeed, the U.S. government has spent a lot of time and energy in recent years using zombies as the models for a variety of crisis scenarios not too dissimilar from what we are currently experiencing.

For instance, back in 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put together a zombie apocalypse preparation kit “that details everything you would need to have on hand in the event the living dead showed up at your front door.” The CDC, in conjunction with the Dept. of Defense, even used zombies to put government agents through their paces in mock military drills.

Fear the Walking Dead—AMC’s spinoff of its popular Walking Dead series—drove this point home by dialing back the clock to when the zombie outbreak first appears and setting viewers down in the midst of societal unrest not unlike our own experiences of recent years (“a bunch of weird incidents, police protests, riots, and … rapid social entropy”). Then, as Forbes reports, “the military showed up and we fast-forwarded into an ad hoc police state with no glimpse at what was happening in the world around our main cast of hapless survivors.”

Forbes found Fear’s quick shift into a police state to be far-fetched, but anyone who has been paying attention in recent years knows that the groundwork was laid long ago for the government—i.e., the military—to intervene and lock down the nation in the event of a national disaster.

We’re seeing this play out now as the coronavirus contagion spreads.

What we have yet to experience (although it may only be a matter of time) is that the government through the imposition of martial law could pose a greater threat to our safety (and our freedoms) than any virus.

As the Atlantic noted about Fear the Walking Dead: “The villains aren’t the zombies, who rarely appear, but the U.S. military, who sweep into an L.A. suburb to quarantine the survivors. Zombies are, after all, a recognizable threat—but Fear plumbs drama and horror from the betrayal by institutions designed to keep people safe.”

https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/detect_deter_and_annihilate_how_the_police_state_will_deal_with_a_coronavirus_outbreak