May 2, 2020 - Health

New Jersey man charged with stealing N95 masks from health care workers

Prosecutors in New Jersey have now charged a second man with helping steal roughly 1,600 N95 masks that were bound for hospital workers.

Why it matters: Hospitals have struggled to provide enough surgical masks for their workers during the coronavirus outbreak, let alone upgraded personal protective equipment (PPE) like N95s.

"Stephen Milligan, 54, faces counts of theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit theft," WashPost reports.

"Prosecutors allege he used his access as an on-site electrical contract or at a Prudential Financial building in Iselin, N.J., to sneak into a storage area and steal cases of N95 respirator masks intended for health-care workers dealing with an influx of coronavirus patients."
"Another electrical contractor, 49-year-old Kevin R. Brady, was charged in late April in the alleged theft. It was not immediately clear if either had retained an attorney."

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Rebecca Falconer

Aug 6, 2020 - Health

Nurses rally nationwide to demand protection amid pandemic

Healthcare workers on their way to work walk past demonstrators taking part in a national day of action in Miami on Wednesday. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Nurses took more than 200 active demonstrations inside and outside U.S. hospital facilities in at least 16 states and the District of Columbia on Wednesday to demand full personal protective equipment and federal government action.

Driving the news: National Nurses United (NNU) members are demanding that the Senate pass the HEROES Act, House Democrats' $3 trillion pandemic recovery package, which they said would protect health care workers by ensuring domestic production of PPE through the Defense Production Act.

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Rashaan Ayesh

Aug 6, 2020 - Politics & Policy

GOP Rep. Rodney Davis tests positive for coronavirus

Rep. Rodney Davis. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) announced on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Davis, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, said he has taken precautions against the virus, such as twice-daily temperature checks. He spoke to Republicans about staying safe after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) recently tested positive for the virus and spoke out against wearing face masks, Politico notes.

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Axios

Updated 12 hours ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

An uptick in coronavirus cases in Europe is stoking fears that some countries, including France and Germany, could see a second wave, The New York Times reports.

The big picture: Both Germany and France have reported their highest number of new daily COVID-19 cases in months this past week. Some coronavirus mitigation efforts, like social distancing, aren't being enforced as strongly as they previously were.