
WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and an advocacy group gave tepid support Thursday to President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response, but also said it was “too little, too late.”
The Senate passed the bill 96-1 Thursday, after it sped through the House 415-2 Wednesday afternoon. All the members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the funding
The bill totals $8.3 billion and includes a number of provisions:
— $826 million for developing coronavirus vaccines, treatments and tests. FDA is set to receive $61 million to speed review of those new therapies and handle potential drug and device shortages;
— $300 million to purchase vaccines and treatments once they’re approved. The language is a win for Republicans and the drug industry, which had balked at Democrats’ initial demand for penalizing drug makers if their medication prices are deemed too high;
— $950 million in grants to states and localities. The legislation mandates that half that sum be paid out within 30 days — a bid to alleviate the stress on front-line health dep. artments;
— $3.1 billion in part to buy medical supplies. Congress wants to beef up the Strategic National Stockpile, which represents the nation’s largest repository of emergency treatments, and other resources for vaccine development and hospital preparedness.
The World Health Organization urged governments around the world to pull out “all the stops” in the fight against the increasingly pervasive and deadly outbreak of the new coronavirus.
“This is not a drill. This is not the time for giving up. This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.
“Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades,” he said. “Now is the time to act on those plans.”
The U.N. health agency called on all nations to “push this virus back.”
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Murphy, said, “in many ways this is the moment that a lot of us have worried about.”
He said the administration has never taken the virus serious enough from the beginning, not asking for anything to fight the outbreak; then $1.25 billion; and finally the $8.25 billion agreed upon Thursday.
But Murphy said Trump has to stop the rhetoric.
Trump told Sean Hannity on Wednesday night that he didn’t believe the 3.4% mortality rate from the World Health Organization.
“Well, I think the 3.4 percent is really a false number. Now, and this is just my hunch, and — but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this. Because a lot people will have this and it’s very mild. They’ll get better very rapidly. They don’t even see a doctor. They don’t even call a doctor,” Trump said.
As of mid-day Thursday, nearly 97,000 people in 81 countries have been infected with the virus and more than 3,300 people have died. There have been 11 deaths in the United States—10 in Washington state and one in California.
California declared a state of emergency after the first death was confirmed there Wednesday. A cruise ship that the victim had traveled on was being held offshore in San Francisco, while all passengers were tested for the virus.
China, the country where the outbreak started, appeared to be over the worst of the epidemic, with daily death and infection rates declining.
The disease’s impact on everyday life is mounting. Some of America’s biggest corporations have told employees in West Coast offices to work from home. The United Nations education agency UNESCO said more than 290 million children were out of school around the world due to closures in more than 20 countries.
During the press call, Public Policy Polling unveiled a new poll that showed that voters disapprove of Trump’s administration response to the virus so far, and that it could make them less likely to vote for him this fall.
“Even though our American president is pretty flippant about the coronova virus, families are very concerned,” said Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling (PPP). “Only 37% said they agreed with the president that he is doing a great job fighting the virus. Only 8% agreed with his claim that it was a Democratic hoax.”
“It is hard to find anything where voters don’t go along with him,” Jensen said. “Americans are taking (the virus) very seriously and don’t think Trump is taking this seriously.”
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
With the caseload in Europe passing 4,000 and rising fast, major conferences, trade shows, cultural events and sporting competitions have been canceled. Officials warned that the outbreaks — the largest is in Italy, but France, Germany and Spain are also being hit hard — will continue to grow.
Italy and Iran ordered all schools and universities to close. School closures have impacted 300 million students globally.
Financial markets, battered by the epidemic, fluctuated wildly and travel industries are booking staggering losses. Major businesses like Amazon and Facebook reported the first coronavirus cases in their U.S. work forces.
More COVID-19 Coverage

Connecticut To Get FEMA Funds for COVID Testing Sites
Connecticut will receive more than $2 million in federal emergency funding to pay for the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during a six-month period last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday. The roughly $2.15 million will come from FEMA’s public assistance grant program and will be used to reimburse state funds used to…
Keep reading
COVID Transmission Increases in CT
As of Friday afternoon, Connecticut’s test positivity rate was 13.71% and there were 323 residents hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 158 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities qualified for the state’s “red alert” distinction for COVID-19, which is triggered when a community records at least 15 daily cases per…
Keep reading
Connecticut At High, Medium Risk of COVID Transmission
Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rating was 10.35% on Thursday and all eight Connecticut counties were in the medium yellow or high orange categories on the CDC’s community spread map. Those community maps, created by the CDC in February, are supposed to tell people to take preventative steps such as masking and testing. Hartford, Middlesex and…
Keep reading
Advocates Make 11th Hour Pitch For Compassionate Release
Hartford, CT — Advocates seeking compassionate release from prison during public health emergencies like COVID rallied at the state Capitol hours before they saw their legislation die without action in either chamber. At the rally on Wednesday, protestors and advocates were demanding action from legislators to pass a bill that addresses COVID in prisons. The…
Keep reading
Legislating During COVID-19
The legislative session ends in three days now, that’s shorter than the amount of time someone should quarantine under CDC standards if they have COVID-19, so how are lawmakers coping? Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, started experiencing symptoms two weeks ago and tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily the session wasn’t scheduled until last Tuesday, but…
Keep reading
Study Shows Union Nursing Homes Had Lower Rates of COVID-19
A recent study published by Health Affairs found that unionized nursing homes had lower resident COVID-19 mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one of every six COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Nursing homes have also been very dangerous places for workers, with more than…
Keep reading
Senator Murphy Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. “FYI after feeling mild symptoms overnight, I tested positive for COVID this morning. We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know. It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember…
Keep reading
COVID Cases Tick Back Up
Most of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which were extended to April 15 by the legislature, have now expired just as Connecticut’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 is creeping back up and students at UConn are being asked to mask up again, starting today. According to the Department of Public Health, Connecticut recorded 3,939 positive…
Keep reading
House Green Lights Extension of COVID-19 Laws
The House gave final passage Wednesday to a package of four concepts that had been executive orders and are now law. Previously, the concepts were executive orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep reading
Tong Tests Positive For COVID-19
Attorney General William Tong has tested positive for COVID-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home.
Keep reading
Lieutenant Gov. Tests Positive For COVID-19, Days After Gov
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a routine rapid test over the weekend, her chief staff said in a Monday morning statement. Bysiewicz’s results follow Gov. Ned Lamont, who tested positive late last week. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bysiewicz wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the vaccine and booster…
Keep reading
Lamont Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. The results from two rapid tests were positive and he’s awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to this staff. The 68-year-old governor received his second booster exactly a week ago, but has made it through the first two years of the pandemic without contracting the…
Keep reading
New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment
Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients…
Keep reading
YNHH Top Doc Boosts 2nd Boosters
If you’re eligible to get a second Covid-19 booster shot, go get it. Especially if you’re over 50 and have an underlying medical condition like diabetes that puts you at “high risk” of contracting a severe case of COVID. Read more from the New Haven Independent.
Keep reading
Federal COVID Funds To Limit Tax Relief In An Election Year
Like all states, Connecticut accepted billions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but that money limits how much the state can now consider cutting taxes. It’s bubbling up as a point of contention as lawmakers race to adjust the two-year state budget, which is currently experiencing a record surplus. Connecticut is expected…
Keep reading