National Guard Deployed in 3 States as U.S. COVID-19 Cases Pass 33,000

In a related development, Utah Senator Mitt Romney’s office announced a statement that since he sat next to Rand for extended periods during recent days, Romney will self-quarantine and not vote on the Senate floor. He has no symptoms and is undergoing testing.

Last week, two U.S. House members tested positive for the virus.

In addition, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in home quarantine after she was recently vaccinated by a doctor who tested positive for the virus, CNN reported.

Slow Progress on Federal Relief Package
U.S. members of Congress are working on a COVID-19 relief and stimulus package worth $1.8 trillion, but Democrats have aired concerns about oversight of $500 billion in loans to companies selected by the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Washington Post reported yesterday.

House Democrats have signaled that they might release their own version of the bill, which could further delay a final agreement, the Post reported.

Gilead Changes Access to Remdesivir
On the medical treatment front yesterday, Gilead, the maker of the experimental antiviral drug that is in clinical trials and has been used on a compassionate use basis, announced yesterday that it is transitioning emergency access from individual compassionate use requests to expanded access programs through clinical trials.

The company said it can’t accept any new compassionate use requests owing to overwhelming demand over the past several days and is focusing on processing earlier approved requests.

Gilead emphasized that it will make exceptions for pregnant women and for children who have confirmed severe disease. And it urged doctors to enroll patients in clinical trials, if possible, rather than pursue emergency treatment requests.

Italy Cases Approach 60,000
Italy’s health ministry yesterday reported 5,560 new cases, down from 6,557 new cases reported yesterday, raising its total to 59,138. It also reported 651 more deaths, putting the fatality count at 5,476.

In Spain, Europe’s second most affected nation, the country’s prime minister extended the state of emergency for another 15 days, CNN reported. Spanish officials yesterday reported 394 more deaths, lifting its fatality count to 1,720, and 3,107 new cases, raising Spain’s overall total to 28,603.

And in Germany, the total is at 18,610, reflecting the addition of 1,948 cases, according to the most recent information from the Robert Koch Institute.

MSF sets up treatment unit in Iran

In Iran yesterday, health officials reported 1,028 more cases, up from 966 new cases reported yesterday, for a total of 21,638 cases. They also reported 129 more deaths, putting the fatality count at 1,685.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) yesterday announced that it is setting up an inflatable treatment unit in the Iranian city of Isfahan to treat critically ill patients.

The 50-bed unit will be installed on the grounds of the city’s Amin Hospital and will be staffed by an MSF emergency team that includes nine doctors and logisticians who will work with local medical staff and coordinate with Iranian health officials.

Julie Reverse, MSF’s Iran representative, said Iran is the hardest-hit country in the region, and Isfahan is the country’s second most affected province. “We hope our assistance will relieve at least some of the pressure on the local health system,” she said.

MSF teams are also helping with pandemic response in other countries, including Italy, France, Belgium, and Spain.

In other Middle East developments, Syria detected its first case, which involved a 20-year-old woman who had traveled abroad, Reuters reported.

Africa Totals Rise; More Nations Affected
Uganda’s health minister yesterday announced the country’s first case, a citizen who arrived on a flight and was found to have a fever during airport screening. A media report said he had been in Dubai. A day earlier, the country’s president had banned all flights into the country, effective yesterday.

Mozambique’s health ministry yesterday announced its first case, the World Health Organization African regional office said on Twitter. It also said Kenya has confirmed 8 more cases, raising its total to 15. And Rwanda’s government yesterday announced a 2-week lockdown to slow the spread of the virus, which followed the detection of 6 more cases that raised the country’s total to 17, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

In Burkina Faso, 4 government ministers have tested positive for the virus, and the number of cases has risen to 40, the highest in West Africa, Reuters reported yesterday.

As of yesterday, Africa has reported 1,187 cases, up from 327 on Mar 16.

In addition, a flight carrying medical supplies donated by a foundation headed by Jack Ma, the founder of Chinese company Alibaba, arrived in Ethiopia yesterday. It contained 100,000 masks, 20,000 test kits, and 1,000 protective suits targeted to 54 countries. The firm has also announced shipments for Latin America, South Asia, and Europe.