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Health officials are increasingly concerned there will not be enough personal protective equipment available for health workers should the coronavirus infections become widespread in the U.S.

Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the national response to the coronavirus outbreak, on Thursday visited the Maplewood headquarters of 3M, which makes respiratory masks for health care workers. He thanked company leaders for going into full production of the masks that in some places are in short supply.

You are playing a vital role in the health of our nation, Pence said. He also reminded the public that: Unless you are ill, you have no need to buy a mask.

Cheryl Peterson-Kroeber, Minnesota Department of Health incident manager for COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus, acknowledged that getting enough protective gear including masks, gowns and gloves could be a huge challenge if the virus becomes widespread.

Part of that is because consumers are wiping out the commercial supply of masks as well as soap and cleaning supplies. Many stores in the Twin Cities have empty shelves.

Theres a huge push trying to get people to be sensible with their purchasing and stockpiling, Peterson-Kroeber said.

She added that currently, the Department of Health was not aware of any serious shortage yet at hospitals and clinics. We have not heard of people having to change their standard of care at this time, she said.

The masks health care providers need are called N-95 respirators because they block 95 percent of small particles. They are designed to fit tightly around the nose and mouth but are not 100 percent effective.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend these masks for the general public. They can be tricky to wear properly, be difficult for people with breathing problems and are not designed for children or people with facial hair.

Masks can help stop the spread of the coronavirus if they are properly worn by a person who is infected or someone who is caring for them.

Minnesota does not have a stockpile of protective medical equipment. Leftovers from the swine flu outbreak expired and were discarded years ago, Peterson-Kroeber said.

But some local public health groups may have leftover protective equipment and the Food and Drug Administration is considering extending shelflife rules so older supplies can be used as long as they are safe, Peterson-Kroeber said.

The U.S. does have a National Strategic Stockpile of protective gear and medicines in a secret location outside Washington, D.C. It is unclear whether that equipment will be used to fight the coronavirus.

As of Thursday afternoon, there had been more than 200 reported cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths in the U.S. Worldwide, more than 98,000 have been sickened and 3,356 have died.

This story includes information from the Associated Press and a pool report from Pences visit.

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Why was VP Pence in Maplewood? 3M makes the masks health workers need to be safe from the coronavirus - St. Paul Pioneer Press

As Donald Trumps vast incompetence when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus became apparent over the last several weeks, both the president and his allies began pushing a ridiculous, if completely predictable, line of defense: The disease, which has spread rapidly outside of China and killed nearly 3,000 so far, is being hyped by both the media and Democrats in an effort to hurt the president. The coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump, recent Medal of Freedom recipient Rush Limbaugh told his listeners last week. They think this is going to be the thing that brings down the president. Thats what this is all about, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said of the press on Friday. News networks are doing everything they can to instill fear in people, while Democrats are trying to gain political favor by saying a lot of untruths, Trump himself claimed heading into the weekend. Anything that they can use to try to hurt Trump, they will, Don Jr. basically screamed into the camera on Friday from CPAC, referring to Democrats. For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people, so that they could end Donald Trumps streak of winning, is a new level of sickness.

Because claiming that one political party wants millions of people to die is kind of a bold statement, Jake Tapper brought it up to Mike Pence on Sunday as the vice president did the TV rounds in an effort to assure people that, as the new point person on the virus, he totally has everything under control. Theres been a lot of unfortunate rhetoric on the left and on the right about the coronavirus, Tapper said. Can we agree that neither Democrats nor Republicans want Americans to get the coronavirus and die from it?

For most reasonable humans, theres an easy answer to this question, which is: Yes, Jake, we can agree that neither Democrats nor Republicans want Americans to get the coronavirus and die from it. But Pence works for the Trump administration, where saying something that could be interpreted as kind or charitable to the other side is tantamount to treason, even if that something is that they probably arent hoping for millions of people to die. So instead, the person who is probably least qualified to handle an outbreak told Tapper: I think what the president said earlier this week and his charge to me is to remind the American people that the risk is low, to assure the American people that were ready, but also to say, as the president said, this is no time for politics. Then he tried to claim that Don Jr., the presidents oldest and dumbest son, had a valid point. Frankly, Pence said, I think that was Don Jr.s point, that there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress and political commentators...Responding to the kind of things that have been hurled isis understandable.

Then somewhat worryingly, the V.P. added that with the proper expertise, the proper resources, and the prayers of millions of Americans, were going to get through this, emphasis ours because thats not actually how you stop an epidemic.

And in related news:

Of course, how Pence handled it was that he helped cause the outbreak, having voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which led a clinic that had been the only HIV-testing center in Scott County, Indiana, to close; refused to distribute clean needles despite the fact that the disease was spreading by people sharing them; and then prayed the situation would resolve itself.

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Mike Pence: Don Jr. Totally Justified in Claiming Dems Want Millions to Die From Coronavirus - Vanity Fair

San Francisco Mayor London Breed publicly slammed the Trump administration Tuesday for its failure of leadership with regard to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter obtained by the Chronicle and addressed to Vice President Mike Pence whom President Trump hastily assigned to take charge of the crisis last week Breed said that coordination between the CDC, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services was sorely lacking, and that the administration's overall response was "anemic" and "deficient" as the outbreak of the disease continues to worsen nationwide, but most urgently on the West Coast.

"The lack of test kits is a national disgrace," Breed wrote, referring to the fact that San Francisco currently only has 250 kits on hand from the CDC. "We will not be able to contain, treat, or mitigate the effects of the virus if we cannot diagnose infection." On Monday, the city announced it was opening its own public testing facility for the coronavirus in order to decrease the turnaround time for tests from seven days to one or two.

"Leadership at the federal level is imperative," Breed wrote to Pence. "We cannot wait as the window to take action to reduce community infections is closing."

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We just concluded another public update about the steps that we're taking in San Francisco to prepare for the potential spread of novel coronavirus. @SFDPH began local testing today and will be operating tests 7 days a week, shortening the turnaround time for results. The SFDPH lab will conduct the tests locally based on expanded criteria from the CDC. It is important for the public to understand that there is no on-demand testing and test kits are limited. Testing will be done only after consultation between local health officials and the CDC. We're focused on protecting our vulnerable populations, including older adults and people with multiple chronic medical conditions. We're working with providers to ensure staff and residents are educated on prevention measures and able to rapidly identify and isolate affected patients. Additionally, we continue to reach out to patients in the Citys Health Network with chronic disease or complex health needs to ensure they have their medical needs met for the next 90 days, in order to help them avoid the medical system except in cases of urgent need. We continue to expand emergency staffing support. Beginning this week, SF will activate more than 50 additional Disaster Service Workers, in addition to the more than two dozen who were activated last week. The Emergency Operations Center has developed and disseminated health & preparedness information in English, Chinese, Spanish and Filipino. In addition to these efforts, outreach staff have participated in more than 30 outreach events throughout San Francisco since late January. The best ways to reduce the risk of getting sick and prevent spread: -Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; -Cover your cough or sneeze; -Stay home if you are sick; -Get your flu shot to protect against flu or symptoms similar to novel coronavirus. You can prepare for possible disruption from an outbreak: -Have a supply of essential medications for your family; -Make a child care plan if you or a caregiver are sick; -Plan for how to manage a school closure; -Plan for how to care for a sick family member w/out getting sick yourself. For more information visit SF72.org.

A post shared by London Breed (@londonbreed) on Mar 2, 2020 at 2:29pm PST

Breed's letter went out just as the number of U.S. deaths from covid-19 rose to 9 in Washington State. Also, the California Department of Public Health announced that the number of people in CA who are self-quarantining at home after returning from China in the month of February has risen to 9,215.

Photo: LondonBreed/Instagram

More:
London Breed Issues Letter to Mike Pence Calling Administration Response to Virus 'Anemic' - SFist

(WASHINGTON) Two people who attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington earlier this week have tested positive for the coronavirus, the group tweeted Friday. Thousands of people attended the policy conference, including some members of Congress and administration officials. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among the speakers.

We have confirmed that at least two Policy Conference attendees from New York have tested positive for the coronavirus, AIPAC tweeted. They would be the first infections linked to the nations capital.

Read more: Doomed from the Start. Experts Say the Trump Administrations Coronavirus Response Was Never Going to Work

AIPAC is a major pro-Israel lobbying group.

Asked about the disclosure at a White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said health officials will be interviewing the individuals to see whom they may have had contact with, and try to determine who may have been exposed.

AIPAC said in its tweet that it is in contact with health officials in Westchester County, New York, and Washington. It urged attendees to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and to consult with their doctors if they feel ill or have medical questions.

If you test positive for coronavirus, we urge you to inform your local health authorities so they can properly coordinate their response to this situation with the appropriate health authorities, AIPAC said.

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2 Attendees at AIPAC Conference in Washington D.C. Test Positive for Coronavirus - TIME

Vice President Mike Pence promised on Wednesday that roughly 1.5 million tests for the 2019 novel coronavirus would be available this week. However, an investigation by The Atlantic could only find evidence of fewer than 2,000 people being tested. By interviewing public health officials and surveying all local data available, the magazine could only verify that 1,895 people had been tested for the flu-like virus that has spread rapidly from Wuhan, China, and killed at least 14 Americans. About 10 percent of those tests reportedly came back positive. Many states had incomplete or no information on testing so The Atlantic said its number reflected the best available portrait of the countrys testing capacity. The net effect... is that the countrys true capacity for testing has not been made clear to its residents, it added. For days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refused to publish updated numbers of tests and positive cases, despite public anxiety and criticism from Congress.

In contrast, Italy, where 197 people have died, released updated figures on Friday that it had done 36,359 tests since the crisis began two weeks ago. The U.K. Department of Health said 20,000 people had been tested there, with 63 positive results. Australian authorities said on Wednesday theyd done 10,000 tests. The number of cases worldwide verged on 100,000 on Friday, the World Health Organization said.

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US Is Woefully Behind in Testing for Coronavirus: Report - The Daily Beast