This could be the ‘hardest and saddest week’ yet | Morning Newsletter
Hospitals seek more medical equipment as a pandemic surge gets closer.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Pennsylvania’s confirmed coronavirus cases top 11,500, with 150 deaths, while New Jersey’s coronavirus death toll moved closer to 1,000 as its positive cases reached 37,500 yesterday. President Trump has declared a “major disaster area” in Delaware due to the virus. Nationally, Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued a dire warning on Fox News on Sunday, comparing the pandemic’s impact to historic tragedies including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Hospitals throughout the region are bracing. Pennsylvania needs more ventilators. But a new challenge is on the horizon related to them. There’s a looming shortage of more than a dozen medications needed to keep patients on a ventilator.
We’re now about four weeks into the region’s crisis, and government data and interviews indicate that Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and some cities and towns within them have increased their stockpiles of equipment, but remain short of the medical equipment they need.
Hospitals’ attempts to catch up also aren’t being helped by out-of-state patients seeking medical attention at Philadelphia hospitals. And, experts say the coronavirus is putting even more strain on an already desperate situation for emergency medical services in rural areas of Pennsylvania. The state has thrown out a lifeline for hospitals, but it seems as if it has left out some of the neediest ones.
Philadelphians living in higher-income neighborhoods have gotten tested for coronavirus six times more frequently than those living in lower-income areas. A Drexel epidemiologist made the discovery using the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s data.
“What it shows is social inequality,” the epidemiologist said. “This needs to change.”
There also appears to be racial inequality in how the coronavirus is spreading in Philly. At first, it was primarily detected among white people, according to limited city data. But over time, the demographics shifted. New cases are predominantly among African Americans, raising fears that existing inequalities in the city will be exacerbated by the public health crisis.
One is the darling. One is the technocrat. And one is the Ph.D. Can you guess who’s who? New York’s Andrew Cuomo (the darling), New Jersey’s Phil Murphy (the technocrat), and Pennsylvania’s Tom Wolf (the Ph.D.) have those in our region tuning in to hear three very different Democratic governors update them on the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo has taken the national spotlight with media appearances, colorful briefings, and his willingness to go toe-to-toe with President Trump. In Jersey, however, Murphy has leaned on a mix of data and diplomacy. And, across the Delaware River, Wolf has allowed state health secretary Rachel Levine to take the lead in Pennsylvania.
What you need to know today
Health officials are urging the public to wear masks if you have to leave your home. We have a simple template and step-by-step guide to make a face mask at home.
Philadelphia celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday with no-contact pickups and live-streamed services (with technical glitches).
The Jersey Shore is getting weird under the coronavirus shutdown.
This is how the owner of Philly’s shuttered Hahnemann hospital became the internet’s coronavirus villain.
A viral Pennsylvania Facebook post on the coronavirus says the government is “up to something.” My colleague fact-checked it, adding that “there’s a lot to unpack in this misleading Facebook post.”
Pregnant women need doctors but want to avoid the coronavirus. Penn’s solution: robots.
South Philly’s homeless population is growing but remains largely hidden. And there are almost no services to help them.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Love seeing these out in the wild. Jace Florescio’s rainbow balloon garlands are just one way Philly is showing signs of solidarity through street art. Thanks for sharing, @faygirl_9a!
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
👩 ~ DISTANCE ~ 👨Can you still hang out with your friends even if you stand six feet apart? What if you’re scared social distancing will destroy your relationships?
🥃While liquor sales are reaching record highs, local distilleries are making hand sanitizer. But they’re not giving it away for free.
👖Do you need to wash your clothes after you go outside to prevent a coronavirus infection? Have another question? Our reporters are tracking down answers.
🏀Kobe Bryant, the late NBA star who attended Lower Merion High School, will be inducted into the basketball hall of fame this summer.
⚾The sidelined 2020 Phillies might remind you of baseball’s replacement players 25 years ago. Even so, the team’s GM is still prepping for the season.
🛩️ A little-known airline company based in Wayne has rescued thousands of stranded Americans in Central and South America in the last few weeks.
🦅Former Eagles kicker Tom Dempsey has died of coronavirus at 73. He set franchise and NFL field goal records.
Opinions
📹“It really is the lonely disease. Being there by yourself, it’s a strange feeling when you’re at your most vulnerable, you’re feeling your sickest, you’re confused, you’re scared.” — says Maureen Boland, an English teacher at Abington High School, in a video about her fight for survival against coronavirus. She also wrote a piece for The Inquirer that details what it was like to fight “the lonely disease.”
The Inquirer Editorial Board is calling on all fronts to deliver drastic coronavirus measures.
Columnist Will Bunch writes about what else is going on in the federal government while the coronavirus has the nation’s attention. And, starting this month, the Will Bunch Newsletter will bring you weekly musings from The Inquirer’s national opinion columnist. You can sign up here.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia Weekly reports on what’s being done for foster children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus has made every relationship a long-distance relationship, reports NBC News.
Washingtonian did an oral history of the Nationals’ first season in 2005. And the Phillies’ division rival’s inaugural year was full of bloopers and mishaps.
Your Daily Dose of | No wedding party, no problem
Who says you need to have a big wedding in order to get married? The coronavirus meant that some couples couldn’t celebrate their vows with others. But they still tied the knot.