Reopening America

Amid the extreme social distancing that is being practiced, some are privately mourning special moments in life that have been cancelled or postponed. People giving birth at this time are video conferencing to show their new child to the family, proms and graduations are cancelled, and funerals are also being canceled, forcing some to mourn alone. Ellen Byron, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Back to biology class for why it is so hard to kill coronavirus. The virus itself isn’t technically alive and uses proteins in our own bodies to create millions of copies of itself, in the process making us sick. It’s also worth looking back at history, as some viruses have been responsible for some of the most destructive outbreaks in the past 100 years. Sarah Kaplan- reporter at the Washington post, joins us for a biological look at what we are up against.

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As the race to find treatments for COVID-19 intensifies, scientists have identified 69 drugs that may be effective in treating coronavirus. Still, many of the drugs must be studied and tested. There is no antiviral drug proven to be effective yet and doctors can just offer supportive care such as managing fever and using a ventilator in severe cases. Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses, joins us for how scientists are scrambling to find a treatment.

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Rand Paul has become the first Senator to test positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and now in quarantine. This is happening as Congress is working on another financial aid package that could be worth nearly $2 trillion dollars. This would provide help for small businesses, checks for Americans, about $3,000 for a family of four, and enhanced unemployment insurance. And while states try to grapple with the influx of patients, they are still desperately short on masks and protective equipment for medical workers. Some governors are calling for a coordinated national response to the shortage. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for more.

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Cases of coronavirus only continue to rise especially here in the U.S. where we now have over 30,000 cases. But while we still face many problems ahead, we wanted to take a moment to talk to someone who has recovered from COVID-19. Carl Goldman, owner of KHTS Radio at hometownstation.com, was one of the passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Japan. He spent time in quarantine on the ship, came down with the virus, was transported to Nebraska for treatment and finally tested negative.  Carl joins us to tell us about how bad his illness was, the clinical study he signed up for, and what it is like to get back home.

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Numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the U.S. and more local governments are imposing stricter social distancing rules. The strongest clampdown is in the Bay Area which has advised people to shelter in place. Similar orders were also just put in place in LA. Despite these rules, we continue to see many put and about. Erin Allday, health writer at the SF Chronicle, joins us for how it’s going a few days in and also how hospitals are prepping for a wave of coronavirus cases.

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Many experts have signaled that the U.S. could be in for a shortage of life-saving ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic. While we are not currently short, hospitals are trying to brace themselves for a spike in severe cases where patients need help breathing. The government is ordering more and encouraging states to also do the same. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News medical contributor, joins us for what to know about a possible ventilator shortage. 

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Coronavirus explained: Host, Ryan Gorman will talk about a variety of topics concerning COVID-19. Ryan will talk to a medical expert about social distancing and what to do if a family member comes down with this particular stain of coronavirus. Also, if you work with the public, such as a first responder, Ryan has tips on how to better protect yourself and why it is so crucial to "flatten the curve."

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The big 3 automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler are closing down all factories to protect workers from the spread of coronavirus. This would affect about 150,000 workers. But what about other manufacturers? Other factories are still working and they are staggering shifts and installing barriers to protect workers from infection. Austen Hufford, manufacturing reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins us for more.

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A little bit of perspective as we face this coronavirus pandemic. It is a disaster that has no modern parallel. Even some of the worst events that have happened, like natural disasters or terrorist attacks, happen in one place at one time. But this is a health threat hitting the globe all at once and will affect us in many profound ways for some time. Bryan Walsh, future correspondent at Axios, joins us for why this is an endurance race with no clear end yet.

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