N.J. investigating if Trump fundraiser violated COVID-19 regulations | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, how coronavirus treatment has changed at Philly hospitals
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TL;DR: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy heavily criticized President Donald Trump and his campaign Monday for acting “recklessly” and putting “lives at risk” by hosting a fundraising event in Bedminster last week. The state’s Department of Health is investigating the two campaign events at Trump National Golf Course, which Murphy said “may not have complied” with the state’s coronavirus regulations about wearing masks indoors. Now that doctors have more than six months' experience with the new virus, hospitals throughout the region have settled on a core set of treatments known to help fight the disease.
— Kelly O’Shea (@kelloshea, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
🏥 President Donald Trump’s improvements over the last 24 hours have “met or exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria,” said Sean Conley, the White House physician. Trump tweeted that he would be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center tonight.
📈 Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said he is “disturbed and concerned” that the United States is still averaging more than 40,000 new COVID-19 cases a day.
🧪 Burlington County residents, students, and non-residents with essential jobs in the county are eligible for a new COVID-19 test that involves collecting a saliva sample at home and sending it to a Rutgers University lab.
🎃 Gov. Phil Murphy said Halloween is on in New Jersey. The state’s Department of Health released guidance for the holiday, including encouraging all people to wear masks and avoid communal candy bowls.
🌬️The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Monday that people can be infected with the coronavirus through airborne transmission, especially in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation.
🚗 Traffic volumes in the Philadelphia region are still below pre-pandemic levels, but experts say residents should anticipate an uptick in congestion as more people return to workplaces and once-shuttered activities.
📰 What’s going on in your county? We organized recent coverage of the coronavirus pandemic by local counties mentioned in the stories to make it easier for you to find the info you care about.
Local coronavirus cases
📈The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.
Gov. Phil Murphy heavily criticized President Donald Trump and his campaign Monday for acting “recklessly” and putting “lives at risk” by hosting a fundraising event in Bedminster last week. Trump announced that he’d tested positive for COVID-19 hours after the fund-raiser. The state’s Department of Health is investigating the two campaign events at Trump National Golf Course, which Murphy said “may not have complied” with the state’s coronavirus regulations about wearing masks indoors. Officials said anyone who attended the events should quarantine and get tested for COVID-19.
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors in Philadelphia-area hospitals were learning on the fly, desperately searching for anything that might help critically ill patients. Now that they have more than six months' experience with the new virus, doctors at hospitals throughout the region have settled on a core set of treatments known to help fight the disease. For example, doctors now try giving extra oxygen in a variety of less invasive ways before switching to a ventilator. Patients also now routinely get remdesivir and the steroid drug dexamethasone, which tamps down immune response. Read more here.
Helpful resources
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies can overlap. How to tell the difference.
If you’ve hit a COVID-19 wall, here are ways to cope.
The coronavirus is mainly transmitted through the air. Here’s how to tell if your ventilation is OK.
How does the virus affect your entire body?
Here’s what to know about traveling safely during the pandemic.
You got this: Safely celebrate Halloween
From attaching cardboard candy chutes to handrails to turning the front yard into an all-out haunted house, families are finding creative ways to bring Halloween to life this year. For more inspiration, my colleague Grace Dickinson asked nine local health experts what they’re planning with their kids this Halloween.
👐 To memorialize U.S. coronavirus deaths, this Philly artist is folding 100,000 pieces of origami paper, with each shape meant to represent a person lost to the pandemic.
🎭 Five Philly theater insiders share which upcoming shows excite them the most among this season’s many virtual productions.
🌳 Check out these fun family outings in Philly this week, including pop-up art in parks and Chestnut Hill’s “Night of Lights.”
Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.
What we’re paying attention to
Kaiser Health News shares an inside look at the flawed White House testing scheme that did not protect President Donald Trump from COVID-19.
Nearly one-third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a study showed signs of an altered mental state, New York Times reports.
After a pause for the pandemic, debt buyers are back in the courts, suing debtors by the thousands, ProPublica reports.
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