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COVID-19 roundup

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* This national story has an Illinois angle…

An idea that might seem outlandish at first is gaining some ground as a way to speed development of a coronavirus vaccine: intentionally infecting people with the virus as part of a trial.

The idea, known as a “challenge trial,” would deliberately infect a few hundred young, healthy volunteers, who were first given either the potential vaccine or a placebo. Those picked would be well informed about the risks.

That would allow the effectiveness of a vaccine to be determined faster than a traditional clinical trial, which would require that researchers wait for some of the participants to become infected in the course of their daily lives.

Supporters say the challenge trial could save several months in the search for a vaccine, which is widely seen as critical for people to feel confident again with social gatherings.

A group of 35 House lawmakers, led by Reps. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) and Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), a former secretary of Health and Human Services, wrote to the Food and Drug Administration this week lending their support to the idea.

* On to the Tribune’s live blog…

Nursing home group criticizes state response to COVID-19: Aaron’s conference call came in the wake of complaints from nursing home workers that managers are not providing adequate gear and training while failing to share information on outbreaks. Aaron said his peers in the industry were being blamed unfairly.

New executive order by Pritzker waives some graduation requirements for high school seniors, 8th graders

Aurora Public Library to consider employee furloughs due to pandemic

After reported BBQs and picnic gatherings, parking lots at ‘too popular’ Cook County Forest Preserves to be closed during weekend, Preckwinkle says

For Chicago-area Muslims without traditional mosque access, a remote Ramadan isn’t a new concept

Mayor Lori Lightfoot to preside over City Council meeting after opponents blocked COVID-19 emergency spending powers

Unexpected ripple effect of COVID-19: Important work to restore parts of Cook County forest preserves put on hold

* From the Sun-Times live blog…

Lightfoot outlines plan for post-pandemic recovery

Rogers Park man battling coronavirus wakes up in hospital to learn that wife, son have died of the disease

Trump signs $484B coronavirus relief bill designed to aid businesses, hospitals

FDA warns of risks of treating coronavirus with Trump-promoted malaria drug

Struggling entrepreneurs count losses as Pritzker extends stay-at-home order: ‘It is doing a tremendous amount of damage to my business’

Lysol issues warning against injecting disinfectants after Trump raises the idea

Latest sign of the coronavirus times: drive-thru wakes

The Chicago Police Department now has 380 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 361 are officers and 19 are civilian employees.

Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 20.

* Roundup…

* Six new coronavirus symptoms just officially added to CDC list. What are they?

* U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses 50,000: Just 10 days ago, the number of recorded deaths stood at 25,000

* Meatpacking union warns of meat shortages if worker safety is ignored

* The Tax-Break Bonanza Inside the Economic Rescue Package - As small businesses and individuals struggle to obtain federal aid, the wealthiest are poised to reap tens of billions of dollars in tax savings.

* Trump says he will block aid for U.S. Postal Service if it doesn’t hike prices immediately - The president said the cash-strapped postal agency should quadruple its prices, threatening, “I’m not signing anything.”

* How to Protect Civil Liberties in a Pandemic

* The anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown movements are converging, refusing to be ‘enslaved’

* Suburban Chicago closing in on Florida for number of COVID-19 deaths

* Cook County Government Braces For Big Budget Gap Due To COVID-19 - Preliminary projections show the county expects to have a shortfall of least $200 million this budget year.

* Attorney General Reveals Names of Mayors/Village Presidents Who Don’t Want to Abide by the Freedom of Information Act

* Downstate hospitals with few COVID-19 cases still feel crush of pandemic

* Possible coronavirus cases have increased daily at Belleville long-term care center

* Framework released to reopen Adams County: Red flags that could cause the plan to pause would be an increase of community transmission, multiple cases in a workplace or congregate living facility, a decrease in PPE or gatherings outside of the governor’s executive order. Simon said the hope is that moving ahead to the second phase of the plan — possibly in June — is that residents can move responsibly with the return of restaurants and bars in a limited capacity.

* As they’re urged to reopen, movie theaters say it is too soon.

* A Chicago nurse returned to work after recovering from coronavirus. His cough came back. He tested 2 more times and got different results.

* Some state parks will reopen gradually – not Starved Rock

* Illinois Courts Are Functioning During COVID-19 By Doing The One Thing They Try Never To Do

* During COVID, is your food safe? Experts weigh in: On the one hand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have concluded that the novel coronavirus can’t be spread from food and its packaging, Anderson said. On the other hand, if respiratory droplets from the mouth or nose of someone with COVID-19 are on the package and someone else handles that package shortly thereafter, that person could be at risk.

* Peoria County Sheriff: Just looking for mask compliance

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:16 pm

Comments

Please don’t @me, and I know this is like something in a movie, but could you offer non-violent convicts a reduction in their sentence if they volunteer? Does that violate human rights norms? I sense how problematic that could be, but at the same time I could see how both “sides” would want to make such a deal and it could mean saving a lot of lives (let alone the benefits to jobs/economy)

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:27 pm
I mean, offer me 2 million dollars, State and local tax holiday for 10 years, or 5 million dollars to my family in the event of my death and I’m in. Small price to pay right?

Comment by MG85 Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:30 pm
MG85 - I think the more difficult question is what you would say to someone offering to do it for, say, 1/10 as much - “sorry, we won’t let you because it’s too exploitative?” The convict question seems even more difficult given racial disparities, poverty, etc.

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:39 pm
I volunteer for tribute!

Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:39 pm
A better take than mine: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shold-prisoners-be-used-in-medical-experiments/

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:40 pm
From his earlier comments the Lieutenant Governor of Texas seems like he would gladly volunteer to take part in the challenge trial. Unless he was just being sarcastic, you know, like Trump’s comments yesterday.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:48 pm
=From his earlier comments the Lieutenant Governor of Texas seems like he would gladly volunteer to take part in the challenge trial.=

Seems like there are a few commenters here that were talking a big game yesterday that should volunteer as well.

Unless they are going to be too busy golfing.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:54 pm
I was surprised by the article in the Daily Herald about how badly the area is doing compared to other states in the union.
Could be either the suburbs are getting bad reporting numbers or other states are getting inaccurate numbers.

Comment by Back to the Future Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 1:57 pm
This might be an opportunity for our brave protestin’ patriots to step up and volunteer.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:00 pm
===Could be either===

Or it could be accurate.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:10 pm
Seems to me to be a Hollywood movie idea rather than a safe, ethical and effective way to arrive at a vaccine. Is this done for any other type of vaccine development?
From my limited understanding of vaccine development, a proposed vaccine is first tested on mice and if successful, then on larger animals before moving on to human testing. I’m not sure its defensible to skip a few steps here, if that’s what’s being done, and move right on to the human guinea pig stage.

Comment by Tommydanger Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:27 pm
Accelerating the vaccine development timeline by using challenge trials seems to be exactly the type of thing we should doing right now. I read last week that a website prospectively trying to sign up volunteers already had a few hundred people on the list.

If the feds are so interested in cutting red tape, here’s a spot that could have massive positive consequences.

Comment by Dutifully at Home Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:31 pm
I am disappointed, to say the least, that the media has not be more forceful at the Governor’s press conferences. Is this a political thing by the media not to push hard on a liberal governor? Example, Dr. Ezike, by her own admission, states she does not follow details of Illinois percentages but follows the nation. Doesn’t she work for Illinois? Not too much to ask for her to provide transparency to details in Illinois. Have her ask the federal government, they probably have it. Another example, Governor Pritzker asked for several thousand ventilators with no good reason for the ask except that he could use it to say how the federal government only gave him a small portion. DO YOUR JOB MEDIA AND HOLD OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS “FEET TO THE FIRE”.

Comment by Jeff Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:33 pm
“Those picked would be well informed about the risks.”

“Well informed” by who?…any possible long term effects will take time to observe.

Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:39 pm
===DO YOUR JOB MEDIA===

#FakeNews

It’s ironic that the same type of individuals who claim things the current administration does is #FakeNews… then they claim the #FakeNews isn’t reporting this or that or asking…

I’m not saying that’s what your plea is… honestly I’m not…

But it’s seemingly in that vain… and that is definitely on those who wanted to erode the press’ influence.

With respect.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:45 pm
That “anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown movements converge” story in the above feed is interesting. They can add anti-5G activists to that convergence, as well.

What’s is that old cliche about truth being the first casualty of war?

Comment by Telly Friday, Apr 24, 20 @ 2:45 pm