Fauci: "I was very pleased to see the President wearing a mask"
From CNN's Health Gisela Crespo
President Donald Trump wears a mask during a July 11 visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that he is pleased President Trump has been seen wearing a mask, adding that it is a signal "from the top" that it is important to slow the spread of Covid-19.
"I was very pleased to see the President wearing a mask and tweeting about masks. The Vice President does that consistently. So I think we've turned the corner – we're on the road of a consistent message, he said while speaking during an interview on NPR's Morning Edition.
But Fauci also added he doesn't think a federal mask mandate will be effective. He's said this in the past, too.
"I have trust in the American people that if we put a strong emphasis on the importance of wearing masks, that we will come around and do that and get that percentage up above the relatively low percentage of people that are using masks," Fauci said.
8:58 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
Schumer slams Trump over economic recovery package: It’s a “dereliction of leadership”
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
As some GOP lawmakers clash with the White House over the next economic recovery package, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Republicans have been “dithering.”
“They’ve wasted 60 days as the crisis gets worse and worse and worse,” Schumer said to CNN’s Alisyn Camerota.
“It’s hard to negotiate when the President says one thing, Senate Republicans say another, and many of them are divided. We hope they’re going to be unified and present something to us,” he said.
Schumer slammed President Trump’s efforts to deny additional money for testing and tracing. Some GOP senators have stressed that more money for testing is essential in the next stimulus.
“He's fighting even with his own Republicans on this. It's totally, totally a dereliction of leadership. It's like there's no one there leading the country at a time of great crisis,” Schumer said.
“I’m really worried that we won’t have adequate testing in this new bill,” he added.
This week is the last for which $600 federal unemployment benefits will be paid, which has served as a lifeline for many out of work in the country during the pandemic.
“If we don’t renew it, and renew it in a robust way, millions more will sink back into poverty, lose their homes, get kicked out of their apartments and not be able to feed their families,” Schumer said.
“It makes no sense to cut back,” he said.
Watch:
9:15 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
Iraq nears 4,000 Covid-19 deaths and 100,000 cases
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Aqeel Najim
Coronavirus tests are administered at a facility in the central Iraqi city of Najaf on July 15. AFP/Getty Images
Iraq on Tuesday recorded at least 2,466 new coronavirus cases, according to the country's health ministry.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in Iraq to at least 97,195 according to the ministry.
The health ministry also reported 81 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the total to 3,950 reported deaths across the country.
9:15 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
At least 53 hospital ICUs have reached capacity in Florida. Here's the latest from the virus hotspot.
From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Denise Royal
Medical workers conduct Covid-19 tests in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 17. Jayme Gershen/Bloomberg/Getty Images
There are currently 53 hospitals in Florida that have reached intensive care unity capacity and show zero ICU beds available, according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) early this morning. Eight of those hospitals are in Miami-Dade County, the epicenter of the virus in the state.
In the past two weeks, Miami-Dade County has seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients being hospitalized (38%), in the number of ICU beds being used (50%) and in the use of ventilators (67%), according to the latest data released by Miami-Dade County Government.
Currently, 39 hospitals have asked the state of Florida for help with nurses, according to an email to CNN from the Florida State Emergency Operations Center.
Jackson Health System in Miami has asked the state for an additional 275 medical staff, according to Jennifer Piedra, communications and outreach director at the health system. These medical professionals include 50 respiratory therapists, 100 nursing assistants and 125 nurses.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 positivity rate at the Jackson Health System was a staggering 38% Sunday, the latest metric available, Piedra said. This rate includes all tests processed at the emergency department and tests conducted on inpatients and employees.
In the past 10 days, 146 employees, including 49 nurses, have tested positive for Covid-19, per Piedra. This equates to 1.1% of the total workforce.
So far, the state of Florida has provided Jackson Health with 125 nurses. If the new request to the state is met, that would bring the total medical staff provided to Jackson Health by the state of Florida to 400.
8:54 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
US needs to lower Covid-19 transmission rate to reopen schools, surgeon general says
From CNN's Gisela Crespo
US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 26. Win McNamee/Getty Images/File
US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Tuesday that the country needs to lower the transmission rate of Covid-19 in order to reopen schools.
"What I want people to know is the biggest determinant of whether or not we can go back to school actually has little to nothing to do with the actual schools – it's your background transmission rate," Adams said, speaking on CBS This Morning. "And it's why we've told people constantly that if we want to get back to school, to worship, to regular life – folks need to wear face coverings, folks need to practice social distancing. Those public health measures are actually what's going to lower the transmission rate."
Adams added that lowering the transmission rate will also help keep teachers and the adults that live with school-age children safe.
"We know the risk is low to the actual students. But we know they can transmit to others. … We need to take measures to make sure we protect those who are vulnerable either because they are older or they have chronic medical conditions," Adams told CBS' Gayle King.
8:51 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
Fauci on today's White House briefing: "I'll be more than happy to be there" if they want me there
From CNN's Health Gisela Crespo
Dr. Anthony Fauci attends a coronavirus briefing at the White House in April. Alex Wong/Getty Images/File
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that he still hasn't heard from the White House on whether or not he will be part of today's coronavirus briefing.
Speaking during an interview on NPR's Morning Edition, Fauci said his attendance at upcoming briefings is "up to the White House."
"I would imagine that I would be at least in on some of them, but we have not heard anything definitive yet. I mean, if they want me there, I'll be more than happy to be there. And if they have not, that's okay, too. As long as we get the message across," Fauci added.
When asked if the briefings will help the American people gain trust in the federal government's handling of the pandemic, Fauci said that press conferences have "the potential to do that."
"If we during those conferences come out and have consistent, clear, non-contradictory messages, I believe it would be very helpful in getting people on the track of knowing the direction that we need to go to get this pandemic under control," Fauci told NPR's Rachel Martin.
"I'm hopeful that it will be value added to our effort," Fauci added.
About the briefings: President Trump announced he would soon resume regular public briefings after discontinuing them in April.
But no task force members are currently expected to join Trump at today's 5 p.m. ET news conference, a person familiar with the plan tells CNN, who cautioned that could change. Trump is expected to hold these briefings a few times a week but not on a daily basis like he was earlier in the pandemic.
8:27 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from Washington, DC
It's a busy day in Washington, DC, as lawmakers debate coronavirus economic stimulus and the White House revives its public briefings.
If you're just reading in, here's what to watch in the nation's capitol today:
Trump's reversal on masks: After months of refusing to wear a mask in public, President Trump tweeted a photo of himself in a face mask and said wearing one is patriotic.
Briefings are back: President Trump announced he would soon resume regular public briefings after discontinuing them in April. But no White House coronavirus task force members are currently expected to join him at today's press briefing, a person familiar with the plan tells CNN, who cautioned that could change.
Republicans split on the next stimulus: GOP leaders and the Trump administration are split on what to focus on in the next economic recovery package. The President wants to pursue a payroll tax cut and tie money for schools to reopening — two things Senate Republicans are trying to discourage. GOP legislators have also said funding for testing is essential, while the White House doesn't want to give any more money to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A hearing on vaccines: The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing about vaccines at 10 a.m. ET. Witnesses include officials from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer.
8:30 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
No coronavirus task force members currently expected at today's Trump briefing
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak
No task force members are currently expected to join President Trump at today's 5 p.m. ET news conference, a person familiar with the plan tells CNN, who cautioned that could change. Trump is expected to hold these briefings a few times a week but not on a daily basis like he was earlier in the pandemic.
There's still an internal split over whether Trump should take the stage, with some aides reminding others how hard they fought to convince Trump to end the briefings after the disastrous one in April about disinfectants.
It caused some confusion inside the West Wing over whether the press secretary should hold a separate briefing as well given the President's will obviously overshadow hers.
CNN's Sanjay Gupta reported earlier that as of early Tuesday morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that he and Dr. Deborah Birx have still not been told whether they will be in attendance at today’s briefing at the White House.
Some background: Trump took a pair of steps Monday that seemed to offer quiet acknowledgment that the coronavirus strategy he has adopted for the past several weeks — to largely ignore the pandemic — has wounded him politically and failed to contain the raging crisis.
In the Oval Office for a meeting with lawmakers, Trump announced he would soon resume regular public briefings after discontinuing them in April and declaring them a waste of time.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports:
8:17 a.m. ET, July 21, 2020
900,000 British public workers get a pay hike. But nurses are excluded from the deal
A group of nurses protest outside Downing Street demanding a pay rise, effective protection against Covid-19 and highlighting a disproportionately higher mortality rate among ethnic minority groups on June 3 in London. Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images
British public sector workers are getting a pay rise in recognition for their work during the pandemic -- but nurses are not included.
The UK government announced Tuesday that it will give above-inflation pay rises to 900,000 public workers including teachers, police officers, doctors and dentists, and senior civil servants.
Teachers will get the highest rise at 3.1%, while doctors can expect a 2.8% hike, the government said. It added that the two groups will get the biggest pay hikes in recognition of “their efforts on the frontline during the battle against COVID-19.”
In the announcement, the government said nurses and other health care workers are excluded from the pay rises, because their salaries have already been boosted under a three-year deal agreed in 2018. That argument did not go down well with nurses and their supporters.
Laura Duffell, a matron nurse at the King's College Hospital in London said she and her colleagues were left in shock at Tuesday's announcement that nurses won't be included in the pay rises. "If anything, we thought we'd be on top of the list," she said. "You can feel the severe disappointment ... it's almost proving to us that we're not as appreciated as we had hoped."
Earlier this month, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), a nurses’ trade union, sent an open letter to the the UK treasury chief Rishi Sunak, demanding more money for nurses. It said that the deal agreed in 2018 was “a start after years of pay capping and freezes but did not restore the value lost over a longer period. More must now be done.”
Many nurses and their supporters complained on Twitter about the government encouraging the public to applaud for health care workers every Thursday during the peak of the pandemic, but stopping short of delivering an actual pay rise.
"The clapping that keeps being referred to as a show of the appreciation for nurses in the NHS. I think it has almost left really bitter taste in people's mouths now," Duffell said. She added:
"It's almost like, well, that's what you deserve, you know, here you go, have a nice clap. That's obviously gonna put food on your table. It's gonna make up for the fact that you're going to food banks and it's gonna make up to the fact that you're working 90-hour weeks when actually you're not paid to do so. That's gonna make up for, you know, all the trauma that you've endured over the last three months, of seeing multiple people pass away over space of one shift."
Nurses' salaries start just below £25,000 ($30,000) a year in the UK. That's about £5,000 ($6,000) below the country’s median salary. With more experience, pay for most can rise to around £37,000 a year.
"The applause and kind words were a short-term morale boost for many health workers, but now it is time to begin these pay discussions without delay," the union said in the letter.
The union added that the low pay is a major reason for many to leave the profession. Last week, the RCN released a survey that said that 36% of nurses are considering quitting -- a big jump from the 27% last year.
The union said that of those thinking of leaving, 61% said pay is a factor, while 44% said they consider quitting because of the way they were treated during the pandemic.
The UK cannot afford to lose nurses -- there are currently around 40,000 nursing vacancies in England alone.
