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Coronavirus

“Dead on Arrival”: A N.Y. Fire Chief’s COVID Journal

As New York firefighters respond to coronavirus emergency calls, an FDNY battalion chief and 9/11 survivor confronts the city’s latest mass tragedy.

by ProPublica

Coronavirus

It’s Hardly Shocking the Navy Fired a Commander for Warning of Coronavirus Threat. It’s Part of a Pattern.

In dismissing the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy once again punished the messenger, a frontline leader brave enough to tell the unvarnished truth to superiors about a threat to his sailors.

by T. Christian Miller and Megan Rose

Coronavirus

Early Data Shows African Americans Have Contracted and Died of Coronavirus at an Alarming Rate

No, the coronavirus is not an “equalizer.” Black people are being infected and dying at higher rates. Here’s what Milwaukee is doing about it — and why governments need to start releasing data on the race of COVID-19 patients.

by Akilah Johnson and Talia Buford

The Quiet Rooms

Illinois Quietly Reversed Its Ban on a Dangerous Physical Restraint for Students

After a ProPublica Illinois and Chicago Tribune investigation sparked a statewide ban on some forms of seclusion and restraint of students, a small group of schools lobbied against the measure. And it worked.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune

Coronavirus

Who Has Emergency Authority Over Elections? Nobody’s Quite Sure.

The tug of war over whether and how to hold Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary exposes a national problem: State and local officials with the most experience running elections lack the power to revamp or postpone voting during a crisis.

by Jessica Huseman

Overwhelmed Hospitals Face a New Crisis: Staffing Firms Are Cutting Their Doctors’ Hours and Pay

Multiple private-equity-backed staffing companies have cut hours for thousands of emergency room doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. That means there are fewer medical workers at a time in hospitals and they are receiving less pay.

by Isaac Arnsdorf

Along the Border, the Population Is High Risk for Coronavirus, but Testing Is In Short Supply

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised that all those who need a coronavirus test “will get one,” but near the border tests are scarce, and the death toll is beginning to rise.

by Jeremy Schwartz and Lomi Kriel

ProPublica Hires Lisa Larson-Walker as Art Director

by ProPublica

How Tea Party Budget Battles Left the National Emergency Medical Stockpile Unprepared for Coronavirus

Fiscal restraints imposed by Republicans in Congress in the early years of the Obama administration left the U.S. less prepared to respond to the coronavirus pandemic today.

by Yeganeh Torbati and Isaac Arnsdorf

One Reason Caregivers Are Wearing Trash Bags: A U.S. Firm Had to Recall 9 Million Surgical Gowns

Cardinal Health withdrew the gowns just before the pandemic because a Chinese supplier failed to sterilize them properly. The recall has created what a hospital association official called a “ripple effect.”

by David Armstrong and Topher Sanders

Rural Counties Consider an Alternative Type of Social Distancing — Kicking Chicago Out of Illinois

In counties where COVID-19 has yet to hit, a timeless topic is flaring up again: Would Illinois be better off without Chicago?

by Logan Jaffe and Duaa Eldeib

In This Remote Town, Spring Means Salmon — and Thousands of Fishermen From Coronavirus Hot Spots

A remote fishing region will soon be flooded with seasonal workers. The hospital is equipped for only four COVID-19 patients and its chief operating officer is out of a job after emailing a coronavirus conspiracy meme. Welcome to Dillingham, Alaska.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News

Leaked Border Patrol Memo Tells Agents to Send Migrants Back Immediately — Ignoring Asylum Law

Citing little-known power given to the CDC to ban entry of people who might spread disease and ignoring the Refugee Act of 1980, an internal memo has ordered Border Patrol agents to push the overwhelming majority of migrants back into Mexico.

by Dara Lind

Meet the Pastors Holding In-Person Services During Coronavirus

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide stay-at-home order, though he declined to refer to it as such, that also designated religious services as essential. Some religious groups in Texas — it’s unclear just how many — are still welcoming parishioners.

by Kiah Collier, Vianna Davila and Perla Trevizo

Now That Coronavirus Is Inside This Adult Home for the Elderly or Mentally Ill, It May Be Impossible to Stop

The staff and residents of an adult home for old, sick or mentally ill New Yorkers fear the virus is spreading and nobody will tell them who is sick. At least one resident has already died. Several have tested positive.

by Joaquin Sapien

Trump Congratulates Businesses for Helping Fight Coronavirus. But His Own Company Has Been Absent.

We checked in on the Trump Organization’s properties and couldn’t find any sign they were joining the effort to fight the coronavirus, even as the president urges other companies to do so.

by Peter Elkind

In Desperation, New York State Pays Up to 15 Times the Normal Prices for Medical Equipment

State data shows that New York is paying enormous markups for vital supplies, including almost $250,000 for an X-ray machine. Laws against price gouging usually don’t apply.

by Lydia DePillis and Lisa Song

Coronavirus in New York City: How Many Confirmed Cases Are Near Me?

We’re tracking how many New York City residents have tested positive for the coronavirus in every ZIP code and how each neighborhood compares with others.

by Lylla Younes and Al Shaw

Los hospitales han dejado solos, confundidos y sin atención adecuada a muchos pacientes con COVID-19 que no hablan inglés

Este fue el comentario de un empleado de servicios médicos, “Esperamos diez minutos en el teléfono para obtener un intérprete, y ese es tiempo valioso cuando estamos inundados. Entonces, comenzamos a calcular en forma utilitaria y los pacientes más convencionales son los que reciben mejor atención.”

por Joshua Kaplan

For Americans With Bills to Pay, Help Is on the Way. Sort Of.

Politicians have touted debt relief, but the various proposals are patchwork. Many homeowners and renters won’t get much help; those struggling with credit card, car and other loan payments will get none.

by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen

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