FDA Pulls Approval for Dozens of Mask Makers in China
[WSJ] Tests during the pandemic have shown many imported masks fall well short of N95 filtration standards.
Federal officials withdrew approval for more than 60 manufacturers in China to export N95-style masks to the U.S. after finding what they said were a large number of low-quality products from those companies.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it had cut the number of mask makers in China approved to make N95-style masks for use in the U.S. to 14, from around 80. That reversed an April 3 decision to allow imports from manufacturers whose masks hadn’t been tested by U.S. authorities if they met standards set by some other nations or were reviewed by an independent laboratory.
| Courtesy of Abu Uluque: |
[SFChronicle] Delivery of many of the medical masks that Gov. Gavin Newsom secured in a nearly $1 billion deal with a Chinese company has been delayed because a federal agency, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has yet to certify they meet safety standards, according to documents released Wednesday night.
The situation led California to seek repayment of half the $495 million that it paid upfront to manufacturer BYD for N95 particulate-filtering respirators intended to protect medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. It will have to pay the money if and when the company wins federal approval for the masks.
BYD is still sending the state millions of lower-grade surgical masks every week under the deal that Newsom announced last month, according to contract documents released by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Those masks offer protection against droplets, not particulates, and don’t require federal safety certification.
'It's their own fault': HHS Secretary Alex Azar says meat processing workers' 'home and social conditions' are to blame for rapid spread of coronavirus - not their working conditions
[DailyMail]
- Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar dismissed concerns about the spread of the coronavirus at meat packing plants
- He told lawmakers workers were more likely to it at home or in social situations
- His words come after President Donald Trump used the Defense Production Act to order meat plants to reopen amid fears of a food shortage
- Plants have had high outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers
- More than 10,000 have tested positive nationwide with at least 45 deaths
Travel From New York City Seeded Wave of U.S. Outbreaks: The coronavirus outbreak in New York City became the primary source of infections around the United States, researchers have found
UPDATE | Africa COVID-19 death toll could reach 190,000 from up to 44mln infections - WHO#SputnikUpdates https://t.co/G0iPj7cFiB
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) May 7, 2020
#URGENT | US death from COVID-19 tops 75,000 - Johns Hopkins Hospital https://t.co/wCpQv4zRgy#SputnikBreaking pic.twitter.com/BPKq1OdO33
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) May 7, 2020
UPDATE | Global number of coronavirus cases surpasses 3.8mln - Johns Hopkins University#SputnikUpdates https://t.co/G0iPj7ugHb
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) May 7, 2020
COVID19 tally nears 54,000; Tamil Nadu detects 580 new cases | Greater Kashmir https://t.co/6XG7Dv2Ter
— Greater Kashmir (@GreaterKashmir) May 7, 2020
Latin America coronavirus cases top 300,000 https://t.co/vRHl3h777G pic.twitter.com/ghuBccO4Yh
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2020
#BREAKING France's coronavirus death toll rises to 25,987 as 178 people die in last 24 hours
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2020
#BREAKING France's coronavirus death toll rises to 25,987 as 178 people die in last 24 hours
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2020
#BREAKING Italy reports 274 more coronavirus-related deaths, toll rises to 29,958
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2020
Coronavirus death toll exceeds 3,000 in Sweden https://t.co/Me7sr9IJQI pic.twitter.com/2HShuZD18X
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2020
Biden's public health advisory committee repeatedly downplayed coronavirus threat
[FoxNews] That’s what happens when you stack your committee with eminences like Dr. Zeke Emanuel.
'We're not the social distancing police!' Angry NYPD officers blame their orders to enforce separation for causing street brawls between cops and the public - and say it has 'ruined' communities' trust in law enforcement
Shocking moment a police officer bodyslams a woman in an Alabama Walmart
[DailyMail] ...'for refusing to wear a face mask' amid the coronavirus pandemic'
Mexico City's coronavirus cases spike, as concerns grow over jam-packed city
[FoxNews] A spike of coronavirus cases in Mexico City is raising concerns that the jam-packed capital of some 20 million people living in close quarters could be the world’s next hot spot.
In the city, there are more than 7,500 positive cases and more than 600 deaths — about a quarter of the national total — though health authorities suspect the real number of infections is much higher. People are falling sick, dying, and being cremated often before families receive test results, if they come at all.
Mexico has extremely limited testing compared to other countries, which makes experts believe the country's infections are much higher. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said recently the city was performing only about 700 tests per day. The government has defended its limited testing of only people meeting a list of criteria, but it has left a growing number of families unsure of what killed their loved ones.