BET Reports On COVID-19 Updates, Facts And The News You Need

As the fight against coronavirus pandemic continues, BET.com will be bringing updated information about the progress of health officials, the federal government and updates in other parts of the world on happenings.

Keep checking back for more daily posts to keep you abreast of what is taking place from all corners.
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Louisiana Pastor Refuses To Obey Coronavirus Order Preaching To Over 1,000 People At Church Service

March 25, 2020: The coronavirus is quickly spreading in Louisiana but a lone wolf pastor claims it is all about the politics.

Tony Spell, the pastor of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana had over 1,100 people at his church services on Sunday, March 22. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has already ordered everyone to avoid crowds of 50 or more in an act of social distancing to avoid the further spreading of the COVID-19 disease.  

According to WAFB, Spell said, “It’s not a concern. The virus, we believe, is politically motivated. We hold our religious rights dear and we are going to assemble no matter what someone says.”

He also added, “We have 27 buses on Sundays picking up people in a five-parish area.”

Spell claimed police showed up and told him that the National Guard would be sure to break up any future gatherings that exceed 50 people. However, NBC News reports a National Guard spokesman said “it is not involved in the matter and has no role in enforcing social distancing requirements as set by Gov. John Bel Edwards.”

In response to his actions, a Change.Org petition has called for Spell to be prosecuted.

“We ask our Governor to have Spell arrested immediately and charged with 1800 counts of reckless endangerment for a start, for the countless lives he will be brutalizing and even ending with his selfishness and ignorance. We further ask that he be made personally to answer legally for each and every infection and death in the 5 parishes surrounding his church in East Baton Rouge Parish occuring anytime after 17 March 2020,” the petition reads.

There are currently over 5,000 signatures in support of the petition’s efforts.

Spell also said if anyone in his congregation is infected with the coronavirus, he will heal them through God. See the news clip below:

Johns Hopkins University researchers report as of today, March 25, more than 55,000 people in the United States are infected with the coronavirus and more than 800 have died. Over 1,700 cases have been reported in Louisiana and at least 65 deaths. Globally 441,000 people have been infected, with a death total of at least 19,784.

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. — BET Staff

Texas And Ohio Ban Abortions During The Coronavirus Outbreak

Tuesday, March 24, 2020: Texas has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. Now, the state has a impleneted a ban on abortions during the coronavrius, pandemic unless the life of the mother is threatened.

According to NBC, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said abortion did not qualify as an “essential” medical procedure. All scheduled abortions are immiadately postponed as of Monday, March 23.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton followed up with a statement that read in part, “No one is exempt from the governor’s executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures, including abortion providers. Those who violate the governor’s order will be met with the full force of the law.”

Not complying with the order, which remains in effect until April 21, could result in fines up to $1,000 or 180 days in jail.

Related: Alabama’s Near-Total Abortion Ban Temporarily Blocked By Federal Judge

The war on women in Texas has been happening for years. In 2013, former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis stood in front of her colleagues for 13 hours — with no bathroom breaks — blocking the passing of a controversial anti-abortion bill in her state. However, the Texas House of Representatives passed the controversial anti-abortion bill despite Davis’ efforts in a 98-49 vote.

The bill then passed in the Republican-led state Senate in 2013. By 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling. However, with teh current Administration, abortion rights have been threatend all over country. 

Abortions bans due to the coronavirus is not limited to just the state of Texas. Officials in Ohio have also ordered an indefinite stop on abortion procedures while the pandemic ensues. –BET Staff

Surgeon General: ‘This Week, It’s Going To Get Bad’

Monday, March 23, 2020: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued a dire warning concerning the rapid spread of coronavirus across the country and believes that not enough people are taking the deadly disease seriously enough.

“I want America to understand this week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams said on NBC’s “TODAY” show.

He explained that the spread is coming from many– especially the young –who are not heeding guidelines to stay at home to mitigate widespread infection. As many municipal and state governments have repeatedly emphasized social distancing and urged people to remain in their homes, multiple reports have come in showing people congregating in parks, at beaches and on streets as they normally would. Adams says that is the opposite of what people should be doing.

“I think there are a lot of people who are doing the right things,” he explained. “But I think that unfortunately, we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.

“Everyone needs to act as if they have the virus right now,” he continued. “So, test or no test, we need you to understand you could be spreading it to someone else. Or you could be getting it from someone else. Stay at home.” – Madison Gray

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

New York State Becomes Epicenter of Coronavirus Outbreak

Sunday, March 22, 2020: In New York State, the nation’s hardest hit by coronavirus, more than half of the cases there — 53 percent — are people aged 18-49, despite the fact that older people are more susceptible to the disease.  An annoyed Gov. Mario Cuomo said at a press conference Saturday to those who aren’t taking it seriously: “You’re not Superman and you’re not Superwoman—you can get this virus.”

Cuomo issued a “stay at home” order for the state’s residents that began Sunday evening and mandated that only essential workplaces remain open.

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

FDA Approves First Rapid ‘Point-Of-Care’ COVID-19 Test That Can Provide Results In 45 Minutes

Saturday, March 21, 2020: Cepheid, a molecular diagnostics company, received emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday (March 21) to use its first rapid point-of-care test to detect the novel coronavirus.

The test, named SAR-CoV-2 Xpert Xpress, is designed to be given to patients at the point-of-care and can detect the virus that causes COVID-19 in 45 minutes, which is the fastest test to do so.

According to the Cepheid website, most tests have been known to take days. Cepheid, on the other hand, only takes a minute to prepare the cartridge with a patient sample and approximately 45 minutes to produce results.

“During this time of increased demand for hospital services, Clinicians urgently need an on-demand diagnostic test for real-time management of patients being evaluated for admission to health-care facilities,” Dr. David Persing, Chief Medical and Technology Officer at Cepheid, said.

He continued: “An accurate test delivered close to the patient can be transformative — and help alleviate the pressure that the emergence of the 2019-nCoV outbreak has put on healthcare facilities that need to properly allocate their respiratory isolation resources.”

According to CNBC, the tests will ship next week to central reference labs with plans of using the product by the end of the month.

As of Saturday (March 21), there have been at least 21,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 267 deaths.

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. –Paul Meara

New Coronavirus Cases In Prisons Raises Concerns Over An Unprepared System

Friday, March 20, 2020: The first known cases of COVID-19 in the federal correctional system officially emerged on Wednesday (March 18) as the number of infected inmates and staff at local facilities across the country continues to climb.

The new cases have officials concerned about the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the tight quarters that American inmates face.

Sue Allison, an agency spokeswoman, says between Tuesday and Wednesday, a staffer at a medium security federal prison in Berlin, New Hampshire, and an employee at a Bureau of Prisons administrative facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, tested positive for the virus.

On Wednesday, local authorities said corrections officers in New York and Georgia had caught COVID-19, as well as an inmate at New York City’s Rikers Island, marking the first case at the notorious jail. 

RELATED: Ohio Jails May Release Some Inmates Due To Coronavirus Fears

In Arizona, the state’s Department of Corrections said Wednesday it would give inmates free hand soap after an advocacy group exposed a lack of cleaning supplies at local prisons.

Prison staffers have previously voiced their concern about an unprepared system, citing short staffing and a lack of proper protective equipment. Criminal justice advocates have been calling for the release of nonviolent offenders and states like Ohio are even considering releasing prisoners to combat the spread.

Courts are assessing all inmates and looking to settle guilty pleas by sending some (presumably violent offenders) to prison, some to house arrest and releasing others entirely. Cuyahoga County judges are holding a special Saturday morning session to deal with the cases, according to local news network WJHW in Cleveland.

The Bureau of Prisons, on Wednesday, notified local health officials about the two cases in New Hampshire and Texas, and has begun an internal risk assessment to determine who might have been exposed to the infected workers.

Civil Rights Advocacy group, Color of Change has launched a new platform dedicated to devestaing consequences that the COVID-19 outbreak will have on prisons and jails and those who work there only to return to their communities. 

“With 2.3 million people in the United States in prison or jail on any given day, an outbreak in these facilities poses a threat to the entire country. If federal, state, and local officials take swift action, they can not only prevent the spread of COVID-19 inside prisons, jails, and detention centers and ensure the safety and wellness of our loved ones behind cages, but they can also have an enormous impact on wellness of the rest of the country,” the site reads. 

For more information on how you can help visit humaneoutbreakresponse.org-– Paul Meara

Rep. Maxine Waters presents fiscal stimulus and public policy plan to fight effects of COVD-19 pandemic

March 19, 2020: Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), has announced plans for a legislative package to spur fiscal stimulus as well as address public policy as the nation continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The 28-item package would focus on several areas where the population could be affected by the fallout from the disease spread including but not limited to: 

• Providing for at least $2,000 per month for each adult and $1,000 per month for each child.

• Suspending all consumer and small business credit card payments.

• Prohibiting debt collection, repossession, and garnishment of wages during the pandemic

• Providing $5 billion in emergency homeless assistance.

• A ban on all evictions, foreclosures, and repossessions–including manufactured homes, RVs, and cars– nationwide.

• Suspension of work and community service requirements in Federal housing programs.

• Providing $300 million for servicer coordinators to assist elderly households.

• Provide $290 million for fair housing enforcement.

Waters, who is chair of the House Financial Services Committee, also presented about 20 other provisions that focus on helping small businesses, aiding renters, homeowners and the homeless, protecting consumers and assisting state and local governments and territories, along with nine others that focus on rebuilding the economy after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, we have seen the devastating effects on workers, consumers, investors, markets, and the economy,” said Waters.

“Low income communities were already struggling before this crisis began and will likely be hit particularly hard by the coming recession. This is an urgent public health crisis that has quickly harmed our entire economy, and it demands swift and bold action. The Financial Services Committee will play a central role in that response. ”

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Millennials Key To Stopping U.S. Coronavirus Cases, Official Says

Thursday, March 19, 2020: With news footage of people in Florida sunbathing on the beach and partying in Miami as if there isn’t a pandemic that threatens the global population, the public health care community is doubling down on calls for social distancing and other measures to stop the rise of coronavirus spreading.

The age group they are saying is key to this are millennials, those who are currently aged 23-38. While people who are older than 65 are seen asmost vulnerable because of weaker immune systems and other health issues that come with age, younger people tend to be less susceptible to symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who is the response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said the way millennials have become so good at sharing information in such a fastidious manner and acting on it is critical to stopping the pandemic.

“The millennials are incredibly good about getting information out in a clear way, but more importantly, they are incredibly good about understanding how to protect one another, how to protect their parents, and how to protect their grandparents,” Birx said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” 

“Right now we need the army of millennials out there doing everything that they can to protect themselves from getting infected because we know a lot of their cases will be mild or asymptomatic, and making sure that they’re doing every single precaution to protect their parents and grandparents,” she said.

Mitchell Donovan, 23, the Utah Jazz guard who tested positive for coronavirus last week said what scared him most was that he was asymptomatic.

“I could walk down the street if it wasn’t public knowledge that I was sick. You wouldn’t know it,” he told ABC News. “I think that’s the scariest part about this virus. You may seem fine, be fine and you never know who you may be talking to, who they’re going home to.”

Millenials are currently the largest demographic age group in America at about 71 million. Birx said those numbers make it clear why that age group is so important.

“When you look at data, it’s very important to integrate both health data and public health data and cases with census,” Brix said. “If you look at every large city across America at the census bar graph, you’ll see that in every single case the largest numbers, about 22% in many cities, are millennials.”

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

61-Year-Old Retired Nurse From Chicago’s South Side Becomes Illinois’ First Coronavirus Related Death

March 18, 2020: Patricia Frieson, a 61-year-old former nurse, becomes the first coronavirus-related death in Illinois.

The Chicago native passed away late Monday night (March 16) at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to the medical examiner.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced the news at a press conference Tuesday.

“I’m deeply saddened to share the news that I have dreaded since the earliest days of this outbreak,” Pritzker said.

The medical examiner has yet to make an officialy determination on whether or not the virus caused her death, however she had tested positive for it before she died.

Frieson’s family said she suffered from severe asthma and when she went to the hospital last Thursday, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and then COVID-19.

“(She) had struggled with pain for her entire life,” said her brother, Anthony Frieson, according to WGN9. “She became a nurse to care for people. She had a deep love of God, Holy Spirit, and she lived a life trying to follow God’s will in everything she did and said.”

Frieson was a retired floor and traveling nurse who attended school in Arkansas. One of her sisters is currently under surveillance at a hospital and is reportedly experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus disease.

“It is real. It is real. There is no fooling around with this,” Anthony Frieson said. “I know my sister had pre-existing conditions but it’s a very serious condition when you get these symptoms. … It’s terrible. We lost a wonderful person. … Everyone needs to take this as serious as possible.”

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

News For Parents On Coronovirus And Kids 

March 17, 2020: As more schools close and parents are forced to have long and complicated conversations with younger kids and teens about social distancing, it can be hard for younger minds to accept the current state of our world. 

Dr. Stephanie Miles-Richardson, associate dean, Graduate Education in Public Health at Morehouse School of Medicine says that while the coronavirus could take a heavier toll on the Black community, children are actually stronger than we think.

“The good news is that the young people appear to be spared from ill effects because again, likely their immune systems are stronger,” said Miles-Richardson.

“Of course if they have some other compromises, that’s different. So the message for them is to Wash! Their! Hands! When they’re out playing, if they’re not social distancing, if they’re being regular kids, they’ve just got to wash their hands often. We also have to stress hygiene and be very careful about children who live around elders because kids who are more likely to be asymptomatic are less likely to be impacted and elders are more likely to be overly impacted.”

Small Businesses To Receive $2 Million In Coronavirus Support

Tuesday, March 17, 2020: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that they will provide up to $2 million in loans for businesses impacted by the coronavirus. 

According to a news release on March 12, the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans will help businesses facing temporary loss of revenue as well as working capital. SBA Administrator Jovitta Carranza made the announcement.

“The President took bold, decisive action to make our 30 million small businesses more resilient to coronavirus-related economic disruptions,” said Carranza in the release. “Small businesses are vital economic engines in every community and state, and they have helped make our economy the strongest in the world.”

The loans can be used to pay debts, including payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years,” the statement continued. “Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay…The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses that can’t secure credit elsewhere. Businesses with credit availability are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75 percent.”

The loan program was used in the past to help companies recover from disasters like Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

To be eligible, the business must have 500 or fewer employees and be in a designated disaster area. The business also must not be able to obtain credit from elsewhere. For more information, visit sba.gov —Vanessa Etienne

First U.S. Human Trial For Coronavirus Vaccine Begins Monday

Monday, March 16, 2020: U.S. health officials have confirmed that the first human trial testing of a potential vaccine to prevent the coronavirus began Monday (March 16).

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a statement Monday that finding “a safe and effective vaccine” to prevent infection from the new COVID-19 “is an urgent public health priority.”

He continued: “This Phase 1 study, launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal.”

The National Institutes of Health has reportedly been fast-tracking a collaboration with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna to develop a vaccine.

RELATED: Georgia Mother And Children Remain Trapped In Their China Apartment Over Coronavirus Fears

The trial is taking place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington, where COVID-19 cases have surged. 

According to trial details on NIH’s website, Phase 1 of the trial will test the vaccine on 45 males and non-pregnant females between the ages of 18 and 55. Dr. Lisa Jackson, a senior investigator at Kaiser, said. “This work is critical to national efforts to respond to the threat of this emerging virus. We are prepared to conduct this important trial because of our experience as an NIH clinical trials center since 2007.”

The New York Times reports at least 3,600 people in the United States are infected with the coronavirus. The number is more than likely higher all over the country but the Trump administration’s testing failures have limited medical professionals on the frontlines of the virus. 

For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.