U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) offered some updates and information about the coronavirus or COVID-19 today.
Walden said that as of Monday, more than 1 million COVID-19 tests have been run in America with a total of 12,883 people having been tested in Oregon.
“Throughout the U.S., we are now testing nearly 100,000 people per day – and that number continues to rise,” said Walden. “When it comes to testing, we’re making significant progress but we have a long way to go.”
Walden referenced a story in Axios about the Food and Drug Administration authorizing a two-minute testing kit to detect coronavirus. The FDA issued an emergency approval Tuesday for a testing kit produced by Bodysphere Inc. that can detect a positive or negative result for COVID-19 in two minutes. Read more here. More than 110 laboratories have notified the FDA that they have validated and begun using their own diagnostic tests.
Small Business Relief
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced that come Friday, businesses will be able to apply through their local lender for the Paycheck Protection loan program that will provide businesses with up to eight weeks of funding to keep employees on the payroll. The Treasury Department released information for lenders and borrowers, and a copy of the application is here.
Helping Hospitals Expand Capacity:
CMS announced that it is issuing numerous temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to allow hospitals and health systems to increase hospital capacity, rapidly expand the healthcare workforce, put patients over paperwork, promote telehealth in Medicare, and more. Read more here.
Watch out for COVID-19 Scams
Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission are reporting a spike in coronavirus-related scams including home testing kits, fake cures, and other malicious attempts to prey on COVID-19 fears. Read more here.
Cases of COVID-19 as of March 31
- U.S. current case count: There are currently at least 189,035 cases and 3,900 deaths in the United States, as reported by Johns Hopkins and other media sources
- Oregon current case count: 690
- Benton: 12
- Clackamas: 50
- Clatsop: 3
- Columbia: 1
- Deschutes: 24
- Douglas: 9
- Grant: 1
- Hood River: 3
- Jackson: 21
- Josephine: 10
- Klamath: 5
- Lane: 16
- Lincoln: 2
- Linn: 37
- Marion: 141
- Morrow: 1
- Multnomah: 116
- Polk: 18
- Tillamook: 3
- Umatilla: 5
- Union: 1
- Wallowa: 1
- Wasco: 7
- Washington: 186
- Yamhill: 16
