Pennsylvania Commonwealth microbiologist Kerry Pollard performs a manual extraction of the coronavirus inside the extraction lab at the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories on Friday, March 6, 2020. (via Flickr)
Views expressed in opinion columns are the authors own.
Preemptively reopening states has caused an unprecedented rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. As of July 13, 2020, the U.S. has managed to break the single-day record for new cases seven times in 11 days. Despite these grim prospects, there may be a sliver of hope: The U.S. government is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars for the development of a vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nations most prominent infectious disease experts, is cautiously optimistic that it will be ready by early 2021.
Realistically, once the vaccine is developed, it could take months before it becomes widely available. This delay in distribution raises an obvious question: Who should be the first people to get vaccinated?
National officials, essential workers and those considered at higher risk for severe symptoms, such as the elderly, are obvious choices. Officials and experts are also considering what seems to be a controversial option: prioritizing certain ethnic and racial groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In light of the evidence, which points toward structural issues afflicting these populations, this would not only be a valid but necessary approach to finally contain COVID-19.
Its no secret that Black and Latino communities are being hit especially hard by this pandemic. These groups are much more likely both to become infected and to die from the coronavirus. The underlying causes can be attributed to compounding risk factors and a lack of protective measures. These populations are more likely to suffer from occupational risks, more likely to have underlying conditions and less likely to have health insurance.
Whats striking here is that some of these factors are the direct consequences of larger structural issues. Health disparities can be attributed to various inequalities concerning wealth, education and housing, among others which in turn are perpetuated by racism.
Some critics have argued prioritizing certain minority groups could exacerbate public distrust of our government and prolong the pandemic by impeding vaccination efforts. While the efficacy of the vaccine is a valid concern, the idea that prioritizing certain racial and ethnic groups might somehow erode public trust and lead to reduced compliance is bogus and ignores the deep-rooted distrust of the health care system by Black individuals.
According to a recent survey, only 54 percent of Black adults said they would definitely or probably get a vaccine if it were available today, while 74 percent of white adults responded the same. Similar disparities can be seen when asked about general attitudes toward medical research or the benefits of vaccines. This distrust can be partly traced back to the Tuskegee syphilis study, a grossly unethical experiment that recruited Black men with syphilis under false pretenses and gave them fake treatment so researchers could observe the natural course of the disease. According to one researcher, the study revealed more about the pathology of racism than it did about the pathology of syphilis.
This distrust of health care is a major issue, not only because it may lead to reduced vaccination but also because it discourages Black adults from participating in clinical trials. Developing an effective vaccine for COVID-19 requires a diverse group of subjects for clinical trials, to account for the latent effects of race and socioeconomic factors on reactions to drugs. If anything, prioritizing groups that have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic could help restore the faith of Black Americans in our flawed health care system.
Directing vaccination efforts toward certain racial and ethnic groups would help address health disparities unique to Black and Latino populations, while simultaneously instilling greater trust in our health care system. While COVID-19 may indiscriminately affect everyone, as a nation we discriminate when it comes to health care. Its time to rectify those biases.
Kevin Hu is a rising junior physiology and neurobiology major. He can be reached atkevxhu@gmail.com.
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: July 14, 2020 5:07:25 pm A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask passes the Fortnum & Mason Plc store in London, U.K
Coronavirus Global Updates: Confirmed coronavirus cases crossed 13 million worldwide and resulted in 5.72 lakh deaths so far. While Hong Kong tightened restrictions to contain a resurgence in virus cases, Queensland imposed compulsory quarantine for anyone entering the Australian state from hotspots in neighboring New South Wales. Hong Kong also introduced a fine of $645 for anyone refusing to wear a mask on public transport in a fresh bid to prevent the resurgent coronavirus from spiraling out of control. New York City will redouble efforts to educate young people about the importance of wearing masks and keeping socially distant after an increase in cases among those ages 20 to 29. And Japans government said a new state of emergency is possible if infections increase further.
Heres all the important COVID-19 news from across the globe
100-pound fines for failure to wear face masks in England shops
The UK government ended days of speculation and declared on Tuesday that wearing a face mask or face covering will become mandatory in shops across England from July 24, as part of efforts to control the spread of coronavirus as the country eases out of lockdown.
The enforcement powers for the new policy will be handed to the police and anyone failing to wear a face covering while shopping will be subject to a fine of up to 100 pounds, or 50 pounds if paid speedily within 14 days. There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus, a 10 Downing Street spokesperson said.
The Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24, the spokesperson said.
While shop workers will be encouraged to prompt customers to comply, they will not be expected to enforce the rules, allaying retail union concerns about their involvement in the enforcement process. The British Retail Consortium said it hoped the announcement will make shoppers feel even more confident about returning to the High Street.
Singapore reports 347 new coronavirus cases, tally reaches 46,630
Singapore on Tuesday reported 347 new coronavirus infections, including seven community and two imported cases, taking the total tally to 46,630, the health ministry said. Most of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, it said.Of the seven community cases, one is a Singaporean citizen and six are foreigners holding work passes.
The two imported patients have been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, the ministry said. With the detection of the 347 new cases, Singapores COVID-19 tally now stands at 46,630. The virus has so far claimed 26 lives in the country. The ministry has ordered a company to shut its premises for 14 days after three coronavirus cases were detected in the firm, which was also found to have breached safe management and social distancing measures.
Demand for robot cooks in US rises as kitchens combat COVID-19
Robots that can cook from flipping burgers to baking bread are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers.
Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics.
White Castle and Miso have been discussing a partnership for about a year. Those talks accelerated when COVID-19 struck, said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson.
Richardson said the robot can free up employees for other tasks like disinfecting tables or handling the rising number of delivery orders. A touch-free environment that minimizes contact is also increasingly important to customers, he said.
The worlds just reshaped in terms of thoughts around food safety, Richardson said. Flippy currently costs USD 30,000, with a USD 1,500 monthly service fee. By the middle of next year, Miso hopes to offer the robot for free but charge a higher monthly fee.
Pandemic worsening, things wont return to old normal for some time: WHO
The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally and things wont return to the old normal for some time. At a press briefing Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future. Tedros said that while numerous countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have brought outbreaks under control, too many others are seeing virus trends move in the wrong direction. Tedros also chastised political leaders for mixed messages about outbreaks that damage trust, without referring to any politicians by name. Tedros called for countries to adopt a comprehensive strategy to curb the soaring caseloads in many countries, noting that about half of all the new cases are now coming from the Americas. Without applying basic outbreak-control methods, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go, WHO chief Tedros cautioned. Its going to get worse and worse and worse, he said.
READ |Experts Explain: The case for using HCQ
Japan medical workers, elderly to get vaccine first: Report
Japan will start to draft guidelines determining who will receive priority in being vaccinated for coronavirus when a treatment becomes available, Jiji reported, without attribution. Prioritizing elderly people, those with pre-existing conditions and medical workers are among suggestions being considered with local government to pay for vaccine costs, Jiji said.
LA defies Trump to start academic year with online classes
Los Angeles, home to Americas second-largest school district, and San Diego said they will start the academic year with online classes amid the resurgent coronavirus. The health and safety of all in the school community is not something we can compromise, Austin Beutner, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said in a statement. Last week was the worst yet in the Los Angeles area. The districts decisions come after just one day after Americas top education official downplayed the risk of reopening schools in the fall a top priority for President Donald Trump.
US has biggest COVID-19 testing programme in the world: Trump
The United States has the biggest COVID-19 testing programme in the world, better than big countries like Russia, China, India and Brazil, President Donald Trump said on Monday, asserting that America has just about the lowest mortality rate due to the disease in the world. We have one of the lowest mortality rates anywhere, Trump said at a White House roundtable. More than 34 lakh Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 so far and over 1,37,000 have died due to the disease, both of which are the largest numbers among all the countries. The huge number of positive cases, the president said, is due to the massive testing efforts undertaken by his administration, more extensive than any other country.
California shuts indoor dining
California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all inside dining, wineries, movie theaters and other indoor entertainment closed to control the spread of Covid-19. Bars and breweries statewide must close all indoor and outdoor operations, while fitness centers, worship services, protests and salons must shut in counties that have been on a monitoring list for three straight days. Those counties include Sacramento, Santa Barbara, San Benito and San Diego.
Masks to be mandatory in London shops
Face coverings will be compulsory in all shops in England from July 24 as part of attempts to stop the spread of coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce Tuesday. There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus, Johnsons office said in a statement. The Prime Minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24.
Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine still has miles to go
Meanwhile, Britain faces a potentially more deadly second wave of COVID-19 in the coming winter that could kill up to 120,000 people over nine months in a worst-case scenario, health experts said on Tuesday. With COVID-19 more likely to spread in winter as people spend more time together in enclosed spaces, a second wave of the pandemic could be more serious than the one weve just been through, said Stephen Holgate, a professor and co-lead author of a report by Britains Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS).
The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Coronavirus Outbreak News, download Indian Express App.
IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Most of the new cases are young people between the ages of 15 and 25, the Washtenaw County Health Department said in a press release Monday.
It is believed that the party took place between July 2 and 3, and health officials are now asking anyone who attended the party to self quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus for 14 days.
There were an additional 66 people who are believed to have had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case. That number does not include family members who are immediate household contacts of the newly identified cases, the release said.
Over the weekend, Louisiana Gov. Bel Edwards said may new cases had been linked to casual gatherings in people's backyards. The governor issued a restriction mandating gatherings be under 50 people as a result.
Local health officials said this cluster in Michigan highlights how easily and rapidly the virus can infect people.
Spread from the party has impacted people outside the county and even the state, according to the release.
The party and subsequent events have led to additional exposures at retail stores, restaurants, businesses, canoe rentals, clubs, camps, athletic teams and a retirement community, the release said.
"None of us wants to be the reason someone in our community or county becomes seriously ill or dies," says Brian D. Marl, Mayor of the City of Saline. "We have the opportunity to work together and with our local health department to contain this as quickly as possible. We know what we need to do, and we can certainly do it."
The evidence that this type of transmission is happening with SARS-CoV-2arguably already exists.Several big studiespoint to airborne transmission of the virus as a major routefor the spread of covid-19. Other studies have suggested the virus can remain in aerosolized droplets for hours. One new study led by Roy and his team at Tulane shows that infectious aerosolized particles of SARS-CoV-2 could actually linger in the air for up to 16 hours, and maintain infectivity much longer than MERS and SARS-CoV-1 (the other big coronaviruses to emerge this century).
We still dont know what gives SARS-CoV-2 this airborne edge. But it may be one reason this is a pandemic, and not simply a small outbreak like any other coronavirus, says Roy.
Whether the virus is airborne isnt simply a scientific question. If it is, it could mean that in places where the virus has not been properly contained (e.g., the US), the economy needs to be reopened more slowly, under tighter regulations that reinforce current health practices as well as introducing improved ones. Our current tactics for stopping the spread wont be enough.
Roy would like to see aggressive mandates on strict mask use for anyone leaving home. This virus sheds like crazy, he says. Masking can do an incredible amount in breaking transmission. I think anything that can promote the use of masking, to stop the production of aerosols in the environment, would be helpful.
Brosseau, however, says that though masks can limit the spread of larger particles, they are less helpful for smaller ones, especially if they fit only loosely. I wish we would stop relying on the idea that face coverings are going to solve everything and help flatten the curve, she says. Its magical thinkingits not going to happen. For masks to really make a difference, they would need to be worn all the time, even around family.
Brosseau does believe the evidence is trending toward the conclusion that airborne transmission is the primary and possibly most important mode of transmission for SARS-CoV-2. She says, I think the amount of time and effort devoted to sanitizing every single surface over and over and over again has been a huge waste of time. We dont need to worry so much about cleaning every single surface we touch. Instead, the focus should be on other factors, like where we spend our time.
One of the biggest questions we still have about covid-19 is how much of a viral load is needed to cause infection. The answer changes if we think it is aerosols that we need to worry about. Smaller particles wont carry as large a viral load as bigger ones, but because they can linger in the air for much longer, it may not mattertheyll build up in larger concentrations and get distributed more widely the longer an infected person is around to expel aerosolized virus.
The more people you have coming in and out of an indoor space, the more likely it is that someone who is infected will show up. The longer those infected individuals spend in that space, the higher the concentration of virus in the air over time. This is particularly bad news for spaces where people congregate for hours on end, like restaurants, bars, offices, classrooms, and churches.
Airborne transmission doesnt necessarily mean these places must stay closed (although that would be ideal). But wiping down surfaces with disinfectant, and having everyone wear masks, wont be enough. To safely reopen, these spots will not just need to reduce the number of people allowed inside at any given moment; they will also need to reduce the amount of time those people spend there. Increasing social distancing beyond six feet would also help keep people safer.
Ventilation needs to be a higher priority too. This is going to be a big problem for older buildings that usually have worse ventilation systems, and areas with a lot of those might need to remain closed for much longer. The impact ofasymptomatic spread(transmission by people who dont feel ill) andsuperspreadersonly compounds the problem even further. Butresearchconducted by the US Department of Homeland Security has shown that in the presence of UV light, aerosolized particles of the size the Tulane researchers studied would disappear in less than a minute.A number of businesseshave begun deploying UV-armed robots to disinfect hospital rooms, shopping malls, stores, public transit stations, and more.
For many places, considerable delays in economic reopening might ultimately be the price of getting the virus under control. Otherwise the kind of thing that happened when a single open bar in Michiganled to an outbreak of more than 170 new casescould become commonplace.
Heading into the fall, "the implications are profoundbut not that hard to grasp," says Donald Milton, an aerobiology expert at the University of Maryland and one of the authors who spearheaded the letter to WHO. "We need to subsidize bars and restaurants to stay closed. We need to increase ventilation where we can and start making as widespread as possible use of air sanitation with upper-room germicidal UV and maybe far UV in those places that must be open, like elementary schools. We need to stagger hours of starting work and keep density on public transport low, or open windows. And we need to wear masks."
This post has been updated with additional comments from Donald Milton.
MILAN In February, he said the directors of the nursing home where he worked kept him from wearing a mask, fearing it would scare patients and their families. In March, he became infected and spoke out about the coronavirus spreading through the home. In May, he was fired amid claims that he had damaged the companys image.
Hamala Diop, a 25-year-old medical assistant, challenged the decision in a lawsuit that was first heard in court on Monday. The proceedings will raise the issue of whether whistle-blowers have paid a price in raising alarms about dangerous conditions at medical facilities.
After successfully lowering the curve of new cases after a devastating initial outbreak, Italy is now bracing for a potential second wave.
The country, with the oldest population in Europe, was affected especially deeply by the coronavirus, and nearly half the infections reported in April happened in nursing homes, according to the Italian National Institute of Health. The breadth of the outbreak put the management of nursing homes under judicial and media scrutiny.
As the country fears the emergence of new clusters, some worry that Mr. Diops experience could have a chilling effect on those seeking to raise early warnings about potentially dangerous behaviors.
Nobody protected us from catching the virus, Mr. Diop said, and nobody protected us from getting fired.
On Feb. 26, as officials had already sealed off towns in the northern region of Lombardy, a director at the Palazzolo Institute of the Don Gnocchi Foundation, a nursing home in Milan where Mr. Diop worked, walked to the ward where Mr. Diop and his colleagues were tidying up the dining room. Mr. Diop said in an interview the director told them not to wear masks, that the building was safe and that they should not scare the residents. When presented with this account, the foundation said that they had always rejected any accusation that the employees were kept from using masks as serious and baseless.
For more than two weeks, while the coronavirus epidemic was exploding in the region, Mr. Diop said that he and his colleagues washed, changed and fed the residents without wearing masks or other protection. More than 150 residents would die in March and April, according to Milans prosecutors investigating the case. Asked if that figure was accurate, nursing home officials declined to comment.
They watched TV and saw what was going on outside, he said of the residents, but I had to reassure them and tell them that the virus will never come into our safe place.
The human resources director encouraged managers to place on leave employees who polemicized or insisted on wearing protective gear even when they are not required to, according to an email submitted as evidence. Mr. Diop said that he received his first mask on March 12, when more than 15,000 people in the country had already been infected and days after the government had imposed nationwide restrictions on movement and work.
That same day, Mr. Diop fell ill. A week later, his swab test came back positive for the virus. His mother, who also works at the home, was infected, too.
Eleven days after becoming sick, he filed his complaint along with 17 colleagues, most of whom also had the virus. In it, they argued that management had covered up the first coronavirus cases among the staff and prevented them from using the necessary protective gear, contributing to the spread in the nursing home.
We are their arms and their legs and they all become like our grandpas and grandmas, Mr. Diop said of the residents. And they kept us from protecting them, he said in reference to the management.
In a statement, the foundations lawyers said the home had followed the instructions of the Italian National Institute of Health on the use of masks, and that communications about the infections among workers took place according to privacy laws.
After news of the lawsuit was published by Italian newspapers, dozens of victims families filed similar complaints. Milanese prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into the homes management. On May 7, Mr. Diop was fired by the cooperative that employed him, a subcontractor for the foundation, for talking to reporters about the lawsuit, and many of his colleagues have also been transferred or dismissed.
Mr. Diop challenged the decision, and his lawyer, Romolo Reboa, argues in court filings that Italian and European laws on whistle-blowers should protect workers who raise alarms about situations that put lives at risk. Mr. Reboa cited a similar case of a nurse in Rome who was fired after anonymously speaking on the radio about the lack of masks in his hospital.
In nursing homes, the politics of Covid was if you speak, you get sanctioned, Mr. Reboa said. And this created a climate of intimidation that had a direct impact on the number of deaths.
Mr. Diop, originally from Mali, lives with his parents and two siblings in Cormano, a small town north of Milan. He said that losing his job was a serious financial setback and that he was worried he would not find new work given his record.
While he had expected to face some consequences for his actions, he said he did not think he would lose his job, since the government had imposed a freeze on layoffs during the emergency and health care workers were particularly in demand.
We only are heroes when they like it, he said.
As the virus works its strange, invisible magic inside me, I watch its outward manifestations: constellations of blood-red spots called petechiae strewn across my stomach, breasts and arms; purple circles under my eyes; eight pounds gone; my first white hairs. Before our travels, Id considered myself a healthy 37-year-old and regularly went on runs around my neighborhood. Now a flight of stairs leaves me breathless. On the oximeter, my pulse races at the slightest stressors.
Over the phone my doctors voice is tired, almost defensive. Shes worried about blood clots, and tries to get me into several labs for tests, but I cant pass their symptom checks. At this stage, she tells me, the only place that will take someone with Covid symptoms is a hospital. If the pain gets worse, I should go to the nearest emergency room in Providence.
A friend whose Covid-19 battle lasted a more typical 14 days drops off groceries; the last rolls of toilet paper in the aisle. For months weve relied on delivery services for supplies.
You can take your mask off, she calls from the sidewalk. Im not scared anymore.
From her undyed part, gray hairs reveal themselves in all their lived wisdom and glory. When she offers to go to the hospital with me, tears drop into the mask dangling from my chin.
At the E.R., seven hours of tests: EKG, CT scan, chest X-ray, ultrasound. I lie on the hospital bed, one arm pinioned by an IV, wires threading from my chest to the heart monitor bleating above my head. A patient moans, and the halls echo with the commands of X-ray technicians shouting Dont breathe! Breathe, a remedial paparazzi.
The doctor comes in with no news. Even from the inside, my pain cannot be seen. What is it? I plead.
I know youre scared, he replies, staring at me over his mask. Im scared too.
The doctors think its post-viral syndrome, I explain to family, friends, co-workers, though the pain is anything but post. Its animate, moving, alive inside me. Instead of the orange cat, I now imagine a pale green dragon stealing out the door, a thick, scaly tail snaking behind, thumping ominously.
Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets, the N.B.A.s most valuable player in the 2016-17 season, said on Monday in a social media post that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He said he received his test result before the team left for Walt Disney World in Florida, where the N.B.A. is attempting to restart its season.
Im currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared, Westbrook said in his statement. He added: Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!
Westbrook and Houstons other star guard, James Harden, did not travel with the team on Thursday to the Walt Disney World campus. Luc Mbah a Moute, a veteran forward whom the Rockets signed this month, also did not make the trip. Coach Mike DAntoni did not specify why, in comments to reporters over the weekend, but said he expected the players to arrive soon.
These are things that people are dealing with, DAntoni said. Were not going to get into why not. Theyre on their way.
It was unclear when Westbrook would be able to join the Rockets or when his quarantine period began. According to the N.B.A.s guidebook on health protocols, Westbrook will be allowed to join others on the campus when he tests negatively for the coronavirus in two separate tests at least 24 hours apart. He must also be cleared by a league-approved infectious disease physician and undergo a cardiac screening.
The Rockets were 40-24 and tied for fourth place in the Western Conference before the pandemic suspended the season in March. Westbrook, the teams second-leading scorer, struggled with his shooting throughout the season, but still averaged 27.5 points a game, with eight rebounds and seven assists a game.
The N.B.A. also announced on Monday that two other players had tested positive for the coronavirus upon arriving in Florida. In total, 322 were tested, the league said in a statement. The two players, who were not identified, never cleared quarantine and have since left the campus to isolate at home or in isolation housing.
Shortly before the N.B.A. announced its findings, one player, Richaun Holmes of the Sacramento Kings, said that he had left the campus to pick up a food delivery order and now has eight days left in another quarantine.
Since July 1, according to the N.B.A., 19 players had tested positive for the coronavirus before arriving in Florida. That number includes players like Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan of the Nets, who are skipping the N.B.A. restart entirely as a result. Commissioner Adam Silver had said that the league expected more positive cases as players arrived on campus. But even so, Silver has expressed confidence that the N.B.A. season will be able to conclude and that players will be safer on campus than off.
What would be most concerning is once players enter this campus and then go through our quarantine period, then if they were to test positive or if we had any positive tests, we would know we would have an issue, Silver told Fortune this month.
She looked to her husband for help. He immediately called an ambulance -- and Briones was admitted at a hospital in South Texas, where she stayed for almost a month to recover from what she came to learn was Covid-19. She described contracting the virus as the worst experience she's ever had.
"It's just a horrible experience to go through," she told CNN, through tears. "I wish upon no one to go through it."
Briones is one of thousands of people who identify as Latinx who have suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic.
And as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the US, many Latinos say they are growing more concerned for their lives and their community.
Texas border communities hit hard
In Texas' Hidalgo County -- where 92.5% of the county's 860,000 residents identify as Latinx -- data shows just how hard Covid-19 has hit the Latinx community.
"Several months ago, I warned of a potential tsunami if we did not take this more seriously," Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Corez said in a news release. "The tsunami is here."
County officials have said in notifications to residents in the past few weeks that hospitals have reached capacity. Residents are strongly encouraged to stay home, as health care facilities race to add more ICU beds in anticipation for more people with complications from the virus.
The South Texas Medical System in Weslaco -- which is also near the border -- converted conference rooms and shelf spaces to ICU areas as it continues to see an influx of coronavirus patients. They also set up a tent to handle any overflow patients, where they can treat up to 20 additional patients on top of the other areas inside the emergency department.
Wesley Robinson, the assistant chief nursing officer of the South Texas Health System, told CNN the medical system "began seeing patients arrive on July 1, by July 3 they were incredibly sick -- now we're at the point where we've reached well over 100% capacity."
Some experts point to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to prematurely reopen the state's economy as a reason why the virus spread so quickly.
"And that is because at the time that the (Trump) administration insisted on opening the economy where they weren't prepared," Dr. Joseph B. McCormick, an epidemiologist at the Brownsville campus of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, told CNN. "We didn't fit any of the criteria that were recommended when the economy was open."
McCormick said Texas was doing a "pretty good job until everybody decided it was time to reopen the economy."
"And we were not prepared to do that because we didn't have the wherewithal to do the contact tracing," he added. "We didn't have testing to be able to do this."
McCormick emphasized how Covid-19 doesn't just affect someone when they've tested positive -- the virus can have longlasting effects on a person.
'Frontline troops' more at risk
Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told CNN he's seen his own employees and their families suffer from Covid-19. Even some of his own family members have tested positive for the virus, he said.
The organization, one of the largest and oldest Hispanic organizations, has been working to help its members combat the effects of the virus. The latest effort included asking Abbott to mandate masks in public spaces across the state, a move he made this month.
"The Latino workforce is the essential frontline troops," Garcia said. "They're the ones that are picking the vegetables that we have. They're the ones that are working at the meat packing plants to make sure that you have a steak at your table. They're the ones that are working in the construction areas to make sure our freeways stay open and clear. They're the ones that are the truck drivers. They're the ones that the grocery stores."
Because Latino workers "can't work from home and they're getting sick," he said. "They're out."
He said he's worried about the longterm effects this will have on the community.
"From a health perspective, we're seeing many grandparents and parents pass away, hospitals bursting at the seams in Houston. They've already reached capacity," he said. "This requires immediate federal and state intervention. It can not be done by a nonprofit organization like LULAC. It's going to require a community wide effort."
Frankie Miranda, president of the Hispanic Federation, a national Latino organization that supports Hispanic families and communities, said Latinos are "dying at a higher rate because we have no other choice."
A lack of access to adequate health care
"And that means they don't get the health care primary checkups they need to detect illnesses, and then those illnesses, ultimately with this pandemic, can be more than a serious health challenge, they can become deadly," he said.
According to McCormick, many Latino workers in these essential jobs are also less likely to visit a doctor for a multitude of reasons, including a lack of health insurance or lack of time. But the community also has a high percentage of people with underlying conditions, McCormick said, noting diabetes in Hispanics is especially "quite high."
Dr. Rojelio Mejia, an infectious disease scientist at Baylor College of Medicine, said morbidities -- like diabetes, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure -- which are prevalent in Latinx communities, contribute to the challenges with Covid-19.
"Just looking at the population itself, there's a higher percentage of people who have more comorbidities," Mejia told CNN. "And then when they get, if they get exposed, they get infected, they can have a worse outcome than someone who doesn't have these morbidities or is not a Latino person and they have relatively good health."
For San Antonio native Beverly Barboza-Guerrero, visiting the doctor after being diagnosed with coronavirus in early June didn't really help.
She had followed all proper protocols, but after a social-distanced trip to South Padre Island, she began feeling the symptoms. She visited the emergency room twice, but had no luck getting advice from doctors to help her feel better.
"I mean, we try to think back, like, what did we do wrong?" the 30-year-old told CNN, recalling her symptoms. She said she felt 10 times worse than when she had the flu in November.
"It just felt like I couldn't breathe in," she said. "It felt like if I go to sleep, like I'm not going to wake up. Like, it just felt, it felt ugly," she said. "(One day) I woke up and I told my wife, I need to go to the hospital. There's something not right. I need to go to the hospital. I really cannot breathe."
The ER doctor, she said, told her to "to just take Tylenol and just make sure you're resting, you know, make sure you're quarantining."
Another issue people are encountering, especially in Latinx communities, is false negatives for Covid-19.
In response to the surge in coronavirus cases in these hotspots, including south Texas, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday the launch of new testing sites in three hotspots -- Jacksonville, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Edinburg, Texas.
Briones said she hopes people make the effort to stay home and educate themselves about the virus.
"You need to do it, you know," she said, "because I have a feeling it's going to be for a long while, we're going to be like this."
Singapore's economy sinks into a recession, falls more than 40% on-quarter
Singapore entered a technical recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of decline. Its economy shrunk 41.2% in the three months that ended in June, compared with the three months prior, according to advance estimates from the government.
The second quarter's economic performance worsened as the city-state implemented partial lockdown measures, described by the government as a "circuit breaker," to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Nonessential workplaces and businesses were closed from early April through May, before the restrictions were eased in phases starting in June. Those restrictions were said to have hurt businesses dependent on domestic consumption, particularly at a time when demand for Singapore's goods externally is weak due to the economic downturn.Yen Nee Lee
Health officials in Tokyo have appealed for more than 800 theatergoers to get tested for the coronavirus infection, Reuters reported.
A production, which starred Japanese boyband members, and staged at Theatre Moliere for six days, near Tokyo's red-light district, was discovered to be the source of at least 20 infection cases, the newswire said.
Tokyo's government said it learned of the first infection among the cast on July 6 and by Monday, testing found 20 related cases, according to Reuters. As such, the government has asked all audience members who attended the performances to get tested. Saheli Roy Choudhury
Massachusetts casinos reopened Monday after being closed for four months because of the coronavirus crisis, CNBC's Contessa Brewer and Jessica Golden report. With reopening comes strict guidelines, including a maximum occupancy of 25% for the casinos.
Seth Stratton, MGM Springfield's vice president, said some machines were moved to allow for more social distancing. Some games, including poker and roulette, will not be opened during the first phase.
Outdoor seating options have increased by 200% on MGM property, and guests will no longer be allowed to walk around the casino with a drink. Only 700 employees will go back to work initially, and over time, more will come in phases.
MGM's first-quarter revenue decreased 29% while the coronavirus shut down casinos. Suzanne Blake
Across the U.S., 19 states saw new cases reach daily records on Sundaybased on an average over the previous seven days,according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That includes Texas, Georgia and Florida, the last of which reported 15,300 new cases on Sunday.
Coronavirus-related deaths in Texas surged 140% from last week to an average of about 82 deaths per day over the past seven days as of Sunday, according to CNBC's analysis of data compiled by Hopkins.Arizona has reported an average of about 59 new coronavirus-related deaths per day over the past seven days as of Sunday, up more than 78% compared with a week ago.As of Sunday, the U.S. averaged just over 700 new deaths a day, according to Hopkins data.Noah Higgins-Dunn
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering some indoor businesses including restaurants, bars, movie theaters and museums to reclose statewide as new cases continue to rise.
The governor previously issued a "watch list" of hot-spot counties and is ordering additional businesses including gyms and places of worship to shutter in those areas for three days. Read more on the latest closures from CNBC's Noah Higgins-Dunn.Sara Salinas
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.
Kevin Dietsch | Reuters
New cases are surging across the United States because the nation failed to shut down entirely early in the outbreak, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said. The comment by Fauci came during a Q&A withStanford Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor.
Fauci also said that the U.S. hasn't "even begun to see the end" of the coronavirus pandemic yet, contradicting President Donald Trump, who has previously said the pandemic is nearing its end.
In recent weeks, Trump and some state leaders have downplayed the threat of the virus, tying the surge in new cases to an increase in testing. However, public health officials and infectious disease experts refute those claims, saying the rate of cases that test positive in the U.S., hospitalizations and deaths remain high in some states.
Fauci said he expects the public to compare the Covid-19 pandemic to the1918 pandemic flu, which killed around 50 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
While class will be in session this upcoming August for two of California's largest school districts, instruction will be strictly online, according to a joint statement from the Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified School Districts. In the statement, the school districts said much of the research surrounding the coronavirus and children is still unknown and many of the guidelines for reopening are "vague and contradictory."
Both school districts said they would reevaluate in the fall whether to invite students back for in-class instruction at some point during the academic year. The decision will be based on whether the virus is sufficiently under control, whether testing is sufficient and whether the federal government provides adequate funding, according to the statement.
California is one of many states seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases, with Los Angeles County, San Diego County and other surrounding counties reporting the most cases.
"One fact is clear: those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available. California has neither," according to the statement. Noah Higgins-Dunn
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined the state's plan to allow schools in some regions to reopen this fall, adding that "we're not going to use our children as guinea pigs."
The governor's guidance comes after President Donald Trump vowed to pressure state and local officials into reopening schools for in-person learning even as the outbreak appears to worsen across the country.
Schools in regions that are in phase four of New York's reopening plan are eligible to hold in-person classes this fall, but the area has to maintain a daily infection rate below 5%, based on a 14-day average over a sustained period, he said. He added thatif the regional infection rate rises above 9%, based on a 7-day average, after the first week of August, schools will not be allowed to reopen.Will Feuer
TrivagoCEOAxel Hefertold CNBC the company has observed a decline in travel demand in response to the rising Covid-19 cases in parts of the U.S.
"With a significant deterioration of the health situation, you see a significant drop in travel activity,"Hefer said on"Squawk on the Street," while adding the correlation "goes both ways."
"You can clearly see that when there is a significant improvement in the health situation, and also clear communication from the government that it is safe to travel, that there is an increase in demand," he explained.
Trivago, a platform to search for and book hotels, expects to see a "bumpy ride" for travel in the months ahead as a result of the public health crisis, Hefer said.Kevin Stankiewicz
How Canada is fighting Covid-19: Ramping up PPE production, U.S. travel ban
Canada has excelled in hospital preparedness and increasing PPE production, CNBC's Christina Farr reports as part of a CNBC series on how the world is fighting Covid-19.
The country reported more than 105,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,000 deaths. Experts gave the country a score of 6.5/10 in how it has handled the pandemic.
Canada's economic relief package has surpassed what the U.S. has offered, providing Canadian residentswho have lost their jobs or couldn't work because of the virus up to $2,000 in direct monthly payments for a four-month period. Now, the relief package has been expanded to those who earn up to $1,000 a month.
Canada issued a travel ban on March 20 for visitors from the U.S.Since then,thousands have been turned away at the border, particularly those traveling for nonessential reasons. Suzanne Blake
World Health Organization officials warned global leaders against turning the decision to reopen schools "into yet another political football in this game," adding that children will be exposed to the virus and some will be infected and spread it to others.
"My fear in this is that we create these political footballs that get kicked around the place," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, said at a news conference. "If we suppress the virus in our society, in our communities, then our schools can open safely."
Current studies show that the coronavirus doesn't generally make children as sick as adults, but the organization's research on Covid-19's impact on children is "still limited," WHO said. Ryan noted that scientists still don't know the long-term effect of the coronavirus on children's health, although they tend to have milder symptoms. Noah Higgins-Dunn
World Health Organization officials said that patients who recover from Covid-19 may be able to get the virus again, adding that studies suggest their immunity may wane after a few months.
While scientists don't yet have a complete answer,Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said patients"do mount some level of an immune response."
But it is unclear "how strong that protection is and for how long that protection will last,"she said at a news conferenceat the organization's Geneva headquarters.
Antibodies are generally produced in response to foreign particles or antigens that invade the body and help the body's immune system fight off infections. When a person gets sick with a virus, they produce antibodies to that particular virus in the recovery process, which generally protects them from getting reinfected.
In the case of the Covid-19 virus, health officials have said there is insufficient data to indicatethat antibodies ensure immunity against the virus.Jasmine Kim
The month of June saw a 55% jump annually in sales of newly built homes, according to a survey by John Burns Real Estate Consulting. This marks the largest annual gain since the housing boom more than a decade ago, CNBC's Diana Olick reports.
The coronavirus' impact on new housing demand is thought to play a role in the jump, as the supply of existing homes declines and residents prefer new, high-tech homes for easy work from home potential. Many buyers are also fleeing to the suburbs and away from large cities.
"The anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. Sales in the distant commuter areas are the most robust," said John Burns, founder and CEO of JBRC. "I believe a lot of computer-oriented people have proven to their co-workers that they can be productive from home, and have sensed, or officially been given the green light, to work from home at least a significant portion of the time after a vaccine has been found."
New home sales were greatest in the Northeast, with an 86% annual jump, and in Florida, which saw an 84% increase, while California lagged behind, the survey found. Suzanne Blake
Executive Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies program Mike Ryan speaks at a news conference on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Denis Balibouse | Reuters
The World Health Organization warned that too many countries are headed in the "wrong direction" as the coronavirus continues to rapidly spread across the globe.
The comment by the WHO came after the U.S. and Brazil reported111,319 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, accounting for roughly half of all the new cases reported worldwide.As of Sunday, U.S. cases are growing by 5% or more in 37 states and also Washington D.C.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agency's top official, criticized some countries' responses to the virus, saying their actions haven't matched the seriousness of the pandemic.
"The only aim of the virus is to find people to infect. Mixed messages from leaders are undermining the most critical ingredient of any response: Trust," he said during a press conference. The virus "is going to get worse and worse and worse but it doesn't have to be this way."Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
Disneyland Hong Kong.
Getty Images
Disney's theme park in Hong Kong will close temporarily on Wednesday after the island reported a spike in coronavirus cases.
Hong Kong Disneyland reopened less than a month ago after closing down in January during the first surge of Covid-19 cases in the region.
The local government has limited group gatherings to four people, from 50, and forced 12 different kinds of businesses, including gyms and gaming centers, to shutdown for a week.
The news of the park's closure comes as Disney's Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened in Orlando, Florida on Saturday.Sarah Whitten
Children in the U.S. are more likely to become severely sick and die from Covid-19 than kids in other countries because the U.S. has a comparatively unhealthy population, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr.Scott Gottliebsaid.
"We have more co-morbid illness among young people in this country, more asthma, more obesity, more diabetes, so there is going to be higher risk with our school-age population," Gottlieb said on "Squawk Box."
President Donald Trump vowed last week to pressure governors into reopening schools even as the U.S. outbreak continues to balloon, especially in a number of hot-spot states across the South and West.Will Feuer
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic-testing start-upTempus and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' and Royal Caribbean's "Healthy Sail Panel."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Michael Brochstein | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
People volunteer for Covid-19 surveillance testing using the Quest Diagnostics self administered PCR test in Livingston, Montana.
William Campbell | Getty Images
Quest Diagnostics reported preliminary revenue for the second quarter above analysts' estimates, pushing shares up 2.7% before the bell on growing demand for Covid-19 testing. The company's revenue fell 6% to $1.83 billion, but was still above estimates of $1.52 billion, according to the company.
After more than a 40% decline in testing during the last two weeks of March, the company began seeing a rise in testing volume at a faster-than-expected rate. Quest is expected to report second-quarter results on July 23, according to Reuters.Alex Harring
Yelp will bring back "nearly all" of its 1,100 furloughed employees next month, and will restore employee pay and work hours.
The company in April laid of 1,000 employees and furloughed roughly 1,100 more, as the Covid-19 pandemic kept people across the nation home.
"As local economies begin their recovery, we remain cautious but optimistic in the face of continued uncertainty," Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman wrote in an email to employees that was shared with CNBC.
Coronavirus cases continue to spike in some areas across the nation, and Yelp will extend its office closures into 2021. The company said that will result in a layoff of 63 more employees.JessicaBursztynsky
PepsiCo's net sales fell more than 3% in the most recent quarter as the coronavirus kept consumers away from restaurants, convenience stores and sporting events, the company announced in its quarterly report.
The company's North American beverage division reported a 7% drop in organic revenue, which strips out the impact of foreign currency, acquisitions and divestitures. Pepsi's packaged food units, by contrast, saw increased sales as Americans stayed home. Quaker Foods North America reported organic revenue growth of 23%, and Frito-Lay North America reported organic sales growth of 6%.
Read more on the quarterly update from CNBC's Amelia Lucas.Sara Salinas
Mon, Jul 13 20207:38 AM EDT
German biotech firm BioNTech and U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizerannounced that two of their vaccine candidates were granted "fast track" status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The companies said in a statement that the designation was based on preliminary data from the candidates' phases one and two trials, which are still ongoing. On July 1, the companies released early data on the trials.
"We look forward to continue working closely with the FDA throughout the clinical development of this program, Project Lightspeed, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these vaccine candidates,"Peter Honig, Pfizer's senior vice president of global regulatory affair, said in a statement.
The companies said they expect to start late-stage clinical trials that will involve up to 30,000 participants as soon as later this month.Will Feuer
Mon, Jul 13 20207:35 AM EDT
Citizens walk at the pedestrian zone in Guetersloh, western Germany.
Ina Fassbender | AFP | Getty Images
Germany can prevent a second wave of the coronavirus later this year if people remain vigilant, the country's health minister said, warning German holidaymakers not to be complacent over the risks.
"We have to try particularly now in the holiday season to prevent infections,"Jens Spahn told a news conference Monday, Reuters reported. "We don't automatically have to expect a second wave in the autumn and winter. Together, as a society, we can prevent that, as we did once before: breaking the wave and keeping the pandemic in check."
Spahn said it was important to remain alert when traveling abroad and that he was worried by pictures showing holidaymakers ignoring social distancing rules. Holly Ellyatt
Read CNBC's previous coronavirus live coverage here:Record single-day spike in cases; Gottlieb says 1 in 150 Americans are infected
Attendance in Tulsa fell well short of what officials had publicly touted, and the event was widely seen as a disastrous attempt to reset the campaign in the midst of the President's falling poll numbers. A handful of aides tested positive for coronavirus the day of the rally, and dozens more had to quarantine afterward. Sources close to the campaign say that the fallout shook some operatives' faith in the one area the campaign has always been able to flawlessly execute.
Before the coronavirus hit, campaign officials expected to be holding one to two rallies a week by now. But with cases surging across the country, it's unclear if the campaign will ever be able to work its way up to that pace. And while there are serious questions about whether rallies are the right strategy in the midst of a pandemic, Trump's bullheaded determination to press forward with in-person events is forcing the campaign to find a way.
By contrast, President Barack Obama had an extremely active summer when he was running for reelection in 2012. Obama spoke at 18 campaign events in June 2012 and 27 in July, a mix of private fundraisers and public rallies in swing states across the country.
"I think there is a growing sense of concern that the campaign isn't functioning as we want it to," one donor close to the campaign told CNN in the immediate aftermath of Tulsa.
The value of the rally
The Trump rally is in many ways the central aspect of the President's political brand, and a hallmark of his success as a first-time populist politician. The events offer an essential psychological boost to a President who has always fed on the energy of crowds -- and, now more than ever, is in need of that boost as he stews over his sinking polls and how the pandemic has upturned his political prospects.
"He can't win without rallies," one Trump adviser said, pointing more to the psychological effect of the rallies than anything else. "When he does them, it is a little bit of a release and takes some pressure off of his psyche and him believing that he's not getting his narrative out and everyone's against him."
In the words of a GOP strategist from a crucial swing state: "He needs rallies like a kite needs wind."
That information doesn't just provide a snapshot of the President's biggest fans, it also helps identify potential new voters, including those who rarely vote and are especially valuable turnout targets.
Rallies also provide the campaign with free TV coverage from local affiliates that can amplify the President's message in parts of the country that are harder to reach. It's no accident that Trump has conducted several interviews in recent weeks with reporters from local TV broadcast networks.
Even the campaign seems to recognize that something has been lost with the lack of rallies.
"There is nothing like a Donald Trump rally," said Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign communications director. "It is a unique phenomenon in American political history; it is difficult to replicate that experience."
"We're pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy, and our goal is to put President Trump in front of as many patriotic Americans as possible," said Jason Miller, the campaign's top strategist. "Rallies are going to happen. They're going to be bigger than anything Joe Biden is able to pull off this year."
The fallout from Tulsa
Hope Hicks, one of the President's longest-serving aides, warned Parscale against touting ticket request numbers, reminding him that the number one rule in politics is not to overpromise and underdeliver, a source familiar with the matter said. But Parscale forged ahead, tweeting about the 1 million ticket requests the campaign had received.
And other officials estimated before the rally that a maximum of 15,000 people would likely attend, by looking at the ZIP codes of those who had signed up, using data modeling and factoring in the human element: the ongoing pandemic. But Parscale was confident the 19,000-person arena would be packed and the campaign even planned for Trump to address an overflow venue.
Officials say Trump's relationship with Parscale hasn't been the same since.
"He does not like Brad," the adviser said, noting that Trump has taken to frequently cutting Parscale off during meetings and disagreeing with nearly every position he takes -- at times ultimately agreeing with the same position when it is later reiterated by another aide in the room.
"It's very clear that when Brad offers a position, Trump decides to be against it," the adviser said.
In response to questions about Parscale's standing, the Trump campaign sent the following statement attributed to Lara Trump, the President's daughter-in-law and a senior adviser: "He has the confidence of the President and the entire family."
"I think Parscale probably needs to go," said the donor close to the campaign. "I think a lot of folks would feel more comfortable with someone who's actually run a campaign before."
So far, that hasn't happened. The biggest staff change in the wake of the Tulsa debacle: Michael Glassner -- the campaign's chief operating officer, who previously handled rallies -- has been reassigned to deal with legal affairs.
But for other Republicans, the problems are less about the management and marketing and more inherent to the product itself. The candidate and the campaign don't have a good story to tell.
"The rallies are a barometer of voter sentiment," Dan Eberhart, an oil executive and Trump donor, told CNN. "The living embodiment of Trump's slumping popularity."
One Republican strategist working on congressional races said Trump and the GOP need a "choice" election between Trump and Biden that the environment isn't giving them.
"It's all a referendum," said the strategist. "Trump is swinging at ghosts."
Still, some campaign officials remain confident that Tulsa was an outlier -- the result of overhyped expectations and news of campaign staffers testing positive ahead of the rally.
Time is running short
Though there are still four months until the election, some Republican operatives say the campaign is running out of time to turn things around. Given the amount of mail-in and early voting that will happen this cycle, the die could be cast by September, when early voting begins in some states.
Without rallies, the task of bringing swing voters into the Trump fold will fall chiefly to the RNC's traditional ground game operation. Unlike the core Trump campaign team -- Parscale; Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner; and the President himself -- the get-out-the-vote side is run by old political hands with years of experience in GOP politics.
That includes veteran operatives such as Katie Walsh Shields, currently the senior adviser for data at the RNC, who spent years working for the party, and Chris Carr, the political director for the campaign and the RNC. Carr worked for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the tea party wave in 2010 and is a RNC veteran.
"This process is much more scientific than it has ever been and it is a lot more accurate," said Rick Gorka, the spokesman for the Trump Victory Fund, the joint operation between the campaign and the RNC. "Voters tend not to just show up organically; you need to find a way to motivate them and convince them to participate. We've never stopped doing that because of this digital operation."
While there has been consternation from donors about several aspects of Trump's reelection campaign, there's more confidence about how well the Trump data operation and the RNC ground game can work together.
On Monday, the RNC and the campaign announced they have now hired 1,500 field staffers, and Trump campaign aides describe the ground operation as the largest ever assembled by a Republican nominee.
"I think it's a lot bigger, a lot more effective, and it's gone local," Doug Deason, a Dallas businessman, Republican donor and Trump fundraiser, said of the Trump and party ground game. "It's a lot more local than it was. It's much more organized. There are a lot more people on the ground, a lot more people on the phones."
Deason, who skipped the Tulsa rally over concerns about Covid transmission and anti-Trump protests, insists that even without the rallies, Trump's base remains solidly behind the President so he can finish the job of disrupting the status quo in Washington.
"He'll be able to really break up and bust up DC in a second term," Deason said of Trump. "All of his base knows that. That's the goal. That's why we hired him. We didn't hire him to be a wonderful role model for our children. We've had that for decades and it hasn't worked."
