The Coronavirus Global Pandemic... What's Next? - By Britt Gillette - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/03/22/the-coronavirus-global-pandemic-whats-next-by-britt-gillette/
In less than three months, COVID-19 (a.k.a. the coronavirus) has spread from Wuhan, China, to over a hundred countries and six continents. To stop the virus, Wuhan went into full lockdown mode on January 23. The drastic measure led to a drop in cases, but the city still remains under quarantine to this day. On March 9, the entire nation of Italy followed Wuhan's example. The government closed all businesses except grocery stores and pharmacies. Since then, France and Spain have announced similar measures. As mobs of panicked shoppers strip store shelves bare, and police and military personnel impose forced quarantines and border checkpoints, other nations around the world are expected to follow the same course of action. So, what's next? How will all this end? Is this how the world ends?
The World Will Survive This
These are difficult times, but the coronavirus pandemic doesn't herald the end of the world. In fact, the first chapter of my most recent book The End Times, presented a scenario just like the one we're facing now. Here's what I wrote about the multiplying threats to humanity:
"Consider just one of those modern-day threats - a global pandemic. Could a contagious disease kill a billion people? Yes. History is filled with stories of plagues that kill on a mass scale. The 14th Century Black Plague is probably the best-known example. But we've had others. For instance, one hundred years ago, the world struggled against a relentless enemy - H1N1, also known as "the Spanish Flu." Rising from the trenches of World War I, it spread to every corner of the globe in 1918 and 1919 - even remote Pacific islands... When the global pandemic finally came to an end, it had taken more lives than the Great War itself. H1N1 killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people - approximately 3% to 6% of the world's population. Today, if a disease killed 3% of the world population, it would leave 230 million people dead. That's almost the entire population of Indonesia - the fourth most populous nation in the world."
A global pandemic like the one we're experiencing now isn't unprecedented. It's terrible, but it's happened before. The world will survive, and the human race will survive. How can I be so sure? Because God says so. Through the Bible, God describes our future. He's told us what's coming. And the Bible says the world will NOT come to an end - ever. The earth is eternal (Psalm 78:69), and the human race will exist for all eternity (Psalm 23:6).
What will come to an end is this present age. The world as we know it will not go on forever. All the things we hate about this world - war, greed, lust, murder, jealousy, injustice, and evil - will all come to an abrupt end. A new age will begin. One of love, peace, justice, mercy, and kindness. An age where Jesus Christ physically reigns as King of the earth (Revelation 20:6).
Expect Trying Times
Until that day comes, the earth will experience great hardship. When this global pandemic ends, odds are you'll know someone who died from the coronavirus. Compounding the problem, the economic impact will be massive. Airlines have already canceled thousands of flights. The cruise ship industry is fighting for its life. Thousands of restaurants are closed. If things don't change soon, countless businesses will go bankrupt, and millions of people will lose their jobs. The economic pain will be severe. How long will it be until everything returns to normal? It could be months. It could be years. No one knows.
But you can be certain of one thing. If you know Jesus, you're equipped to handle it. Jesus said, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Through Jesus, not only can you gain the strength to endure this pandemic (Philippians 4:13), but you can do the work of God (1 Corinthians 15:58) and transform the lives of those around you.
Take Action
While authorities recommend social distancing to stop the pandemic, that doesn't mean you should sit around and do nothing. God hasn't given you a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). You can take three bold steps now:
1) Pray - Pray to God. Never underestimate the power of prayer. When the Lord's people cry out to Him in their trouble, He delivers them from distress (Psalm 107:28). The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power (James 5:16). So be persistent in your prayers (Ephesians 6:18). Have faith, and you will receive what you ask for (Matthew 21:22). Pray for those nations hardest hit. Pray for all nations. Pray for good health and recovery for the sick. And most important, pray God uses this event to bring people to faith in Him.
2) Help Others - Find ways to help those around you. You obey the law of Christ when you share other's burdens (Galatians 6:2). When you give generously to others (Matthew 25:35) or take care of those in need (Luke 10:25-37), it's as if you've done those things to Jesus Himself. If you have an abundance of food or other supplies, look for opportunities to share with those in need (Hebrews 13:16). If you know someone who falls into a high-risk category (those who are elderly and/or with an underlying health condition), find a way to bring supplies to them so they don't have to go out in public and risk infection. Do the same for anyone else who lacks transportation or can't get around easily because of a disability.
While you're doing these things, take every precaution you can to avoid infection. Use the proper personal protective equipment (N-95 mask, goggles, gloves, etc.). Otherwise, you risk spreading the virus to those you're most trying to help. And that leads us to another important step you can take.
3) Self-Isolate - Self-isolate as much as possible. Even if you're young and healthy, and you think the coronavirus won't harm you, stay away from crowds. The best thing you can do for your community and those around you is avoid infection. If you're not infected, you can't infect someone else. We all have a role to play in slowing the spread of this virus. If it spreads too fast, our hospitals will be overwhelmed. We won't have the resources to take care of the sick, and people will die unnecessarily. So if you can, stay home. If you have no reason to go out in public, don't. If you can work from home, do it. Slowing the spread of the coronavirus will save countless lives.
Take Refuge
While governments around the world issue orders "to shelter in place," you should take shelter as well. Turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Take refuge in Him alone. Psalm 91 says trust in the Lord your God, and He will "rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease" (Psalm 91:1-3). Make the Lord your refuge, and "no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home" (Psalm 91:9-10).
These are difficult times. Many are fearful. But you don't have to be. Trust in God. Make Him your refuge. He will see you through this time. Fix your eyes on Him alone, and don't lose sight of our blessed hope (Titus 2:13).
When asked to describe the signs of His coming, Jesus cited pandemics just like the one we're experiencing now as a major sign (Luke 21:11). The other signs He said to look for are all around us. The Jewish people are back in the land of Israel (Jeremiah 23:7-8)... The Jewish people are once again in possession of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28)... And the Gospel is being preached to the ends of the earth (Matthew 24:14)... This means Jesus is coming soon! So take comfort in this time of distress, knowing the rapture of the church is near.
Infringement Of Our Rights Or Love Your Neighbor As Yourself? - By Michael Brown/AskDrBrown.org - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3922
As Americans, we are fiercely independent. We are not like a collectivist society like China, which can mandate the behavior of an entire nation. We are individualists, and we prize our freedoms.
How, then, should we respond when our government restricts these freedoms in the name of public safety? Is this an infringement of our constitutional rights? Or is it an opportunity to love our neighbor?
What is at Stake
Before answering these questions, we would do well to consider what is at stake. The New York Times paints this grim picture from Italy:
Hospital morgues there are inundated. Bergamo's mayor, Giorgio Gori, issued an ordinance that closed the local cemetery this week for the first time since World War II, though he guaranteed that its mortuary would still accept coffins. Many of them had been sent to the Church of All Saints in Bergamo, located in the closed cemetery, where scores of waxed wooden coffins form a macabre line for cremations.
And what, exactly, does this look like?
"'Unfortunately, we don't know where to put them,' said Brother Marco Bergamelli, one of the priests at the church. He said that with hundreds dying each day, and with each body taking more than an hour to cremate, there was an awful backlog. 'It takes time and the dead are many.'"
This is what happens when the coronavirus is not checked in time. This is what we could be facing in America.
One more glimpse from the Times:
At around midnight on Wednesday, Renzo Carlo Testa, 85, died from the coronavirus in a hospital in the northern Italian town of Bergamo. Five days later, his body was still sitting in a coffin, one of scores lined head-to-toe in the church of the local cemetery, which is itself closed to the public.
His wife of 50 years, Franca Stefanelli, would like to give him a proper funeral. But traditional funeral services are illegal throughout Italy now, part of the national restrictions against gatherings and going out that have been put in place to try to stem the spread of Europe's worst outbreak of the coronavirus. In any case, she and her sons could not attend anyway, because they are themselves sick and in quarantine.
Would you like this to happen to your family? Your city?
In short, this is not about me or my freedoms. It is about caring for my neighbor.
Consequently, if the government feels the need to put reasonable, mandatory restrictions on the populace in order to save lives, then as much as possible, I will comply. I am willing to be restricted so as not to be a potential carrier of the disease to others.
Concerns that the Restrictions are Part of a Nefarious Plot
"But," someone will surely say, "this opens the door for the government to do anything. This is just a trial run to see how we will respond. There is nothing random or unplanned about it. The restrictions are part of a larger, national (or, even international) plot." (For related thoughts from an evangelical leader, see here.)
To be sure, I do not put absolute trust in our government. Not a chance. I do not believe in Washington the way I believe in God. (Not within a million miles.)
But do we honestly think that President Trump is part of this conspiracy? That his entire administration is part of a plot to steal our liberties and subject us to a one-world government? That Trump will be coming for our guns next?
I could understand some conservatives being up in arms if George H. W. Bush were our current president, with his frequent references to a "New World Order." And I could understand more skepticism from the right if this was happening under President Barack Obama (or, more scarily, under a President Bernie Sanders).
But let's be realistic.
This is happening under Donald Trump. He is nobody's puppet. And he is no friend of the "New World Order."
It was German's Angela Merkel who complained about the damage Trump was doing to this very order. And the Foreign Policy website noted on December 27, 2018 that, "From his earliest days on the campaign trail, U.S. President Donald Trump made clear his disdain for the international organizations that have regulated trade, promoted human rights, and advanced international peace since the end of World War II."
That's why I reject the idea that the restrictions being placed on us are part of a larger, nefarious plot.
Our Leaders Are Doing Their Best to Prevent Deaths
It's possible that some leaders want to exploit this crisis to advance their own, controlling agendas. (That is certainly the case in China.) But I truly believe that our health experts are doing their best to prevent millions of deaths and our national leaders are doing their best to respond with wisdom.
If and when the government illegitimately seeks to steal our rights, we will stand up say, "We must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29).
This, however, is not that time.
Taking note of the lies � Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com
Try as they might, the news media and the Democratic Party cannot help themselves from politicizing the COVID-19 crisis. On March 21, for example, Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post tweeted, �The media must stop live-broadcasting Trump�s dangerous, destructive coronavirus briefings. He�s just using them as a substitute for his rallies. Put him on tape-delay so journalists can counter his rush of information.� MSNBC�s Rachel Maddow tweeted that continued live broadcasts of Trump�s briefings is �going to cost lives.� The Boston Globe wrote that the president couldn�t be trusted to tell the truth. NBC, The Atlantic, CNN, and a host of other media joined the same chorus of talking points.
All this call for censuring the President and establishing the media�s own brand of truth comes against the backdrop that more than half of Americans approve of the way the President is handling the pandemic. The media�s hated villain of contemporary times is actually communicating with Americans, showing compassion, empathy and effective action to solve a worldwide crisis. They can�t let that happen. Those who rely on First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of the press are the ones calling to shut up the president by taking away his freedom of speech because his words disagree with their beliefs and narrative. If you have watched their questions, you would see this as true.
Then there is the Democratic Party. Seeing that Trump�s approval rating is improving, the Democrats are no longer being bipartisan in efforts to defeat COVID-19. They, too, have taken off the gloves and are swinging. The crucial legislation to provide assistance to Americans is being blocked by the Democrats, who all the while have said that Trump is not doing enough to stop COVID-19. They are blocking the relief bill because they are loading up on socialistic programs, using the crisis for political advantage. For example, The Hill reports that House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) told some 200 members of the House Democratic Caucus last Thursday, �This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.� They are stuffing the bill with pet projects of the Democratic socialist agenda.
Changing the voting system to mail in, expanding Social Security benefits, abortion funding, increased emission standards, more union bargaining power, and a host of other pork for local congressmen is not meeting the public needs for this crisis. Yet, they claim the Republicans are the problem. This, in addition to blaming the President for the virus spreading in the US after they called him racist for banning travel from China and Europe. Clyburn, himself, said in an interview with Axios that Trump was a racist and compared him and Republicans to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. There is so much more of which to take note. Exodus 20:16 says, �Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.� These people make it an art form.
FEATURED FACT-CHECK
Facebook, post, March 13, 2020
PolitiFact, "Donald Trump wrong saying Barack Obama did nothing about swine flu," March 6, 2020
PolitiFact, "Why it�s hard to estimate the coronavirus death rate this early," March 6, 2020
Email, Dr. Myron Cohen, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and director of its Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases, March 16, 2020
Email, Richard Watanabe, professor of preventive medicine and physiology and biophysics, University of Southern California, March 16, 2020
International Business Times, "NBA player Rudy Gobert who mocked Coronavirus fears tests positive," March 12, 2020
World Health Organization, "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report � 46," March 6, 2020
FactCheck.org, "Trump�s H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Spin," March 13, 2020
World Health Organization, "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report � 57," March 17, 2020
The numbers in the post actually show a death rate for COVID-19 at more than 100 times that of H1N1.
In any case, it is misleading to compare the two outbreaks at this point in the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 has been in the United States for only about two months; the swine flu figures are for one year, from April 2009 to 2010.
As we�ve reported, it�s difficult this early in an outbreak for public health experts to estimate death rates for the coronavirus; early estimates often undercount mild cases and fail to take into account the fact that some recently infected patients are going to die in the future.
When we published this fact-check, the latest figures from the World Health Organization, for March 17, 2020, showed a surge in COVID-19 cases in the days since the post � 3,503 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, including 58 deaths.
Indeed, it�s too soon to know precisely how deadly COVID-19 is, several experts said.
"The COVID numbers in no way define the problem. We will know the problem after we do many, many tests," said Dr. Myron Cohen, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and director of its Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases.
"Comparing flu" generally and COVID-19 "is simply not a good idea," he said. "For flu, the world has vast experience and vaccines. And treatments. And a well-defined mortality rate far lower than COVID. So, as the world faces a new, very contagious fatal infection, it is not surprising that we all feel anxious."
Said Richard Watanabe, professor of preventive medicine and physiology and biophysics at the University of Southern California: "The raw numbers make H1N1 look worse, but in reality the risk of death is much higher for COVID-19."
As for the post�s claim of mass hysteria over coronavirus versus a totally chill response to H1N1, it�s worth noting President Barack Obama�s acting director of health and human services declared H1N1 a public health emergency when the United States had only 20 confirmed cases of H1N1 and no deaths.
Moreover, as FactCheck.org reported, while the H1N1 death toll may sound high, it was far lower than initially expected. It also turned out to have a case fatality rate of just 0.02% � well below even many typical seasonal influenzas.
So, given that indications are the coronavirus death rate is much higher � and given that experts warn the nation�s hospitals are under-prepared to treat the numbers of patients predicted to need care � it makes sense that state and local governments are taking significant action to limit its spread.
Our ruling
The impact in the United States of swine flu might appear much worse than COVID-19, but it lasted for a year, whereas the coronavirus has been here only about two months. And while it�s too soon to calculate how deadly COVID-19 will be, two experts told us it is clearly more deadly than H1N1. This statement contains an element of truth in that the figures quoted were accurate at the time they were posted, but the post ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate this Mostly False.
Correction, March 19, 2020: An earlier version of this story contained a typo in the first paragraph that mischaracterized the claim being made in the viral image. The story has been updated.
Our Sources
PolitiFact, "Donald Trump wrong saying Barack Obama did nothing about swine flu," March 6, 2020
PolitiFact, "Why it�s hard to estimate the coronavirus death rate this early," March 6, 2020
Email, Dr. Myron Cohen, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and director of its Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases, March 16, 2020
Email, Richard Watanabe, professor of preventive medicine and physiology and biophysics, University of Southern California, March 16, 2020
International Business Times, "NBA player Rudy Gobert who mocked Coronavirus fears tests positive," March 12, 2020
World Health Organization, "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report � 46," March 6, 2020
FactCheck.org, "Trump�s H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Spin," March 13, 2020
World Health Organization, "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report � 57," March 17, 2020
The Coronavirus did not escape from a lab....
As the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 spreads across the globe, with cases surpassing 284,000 worldwide today (March 20), misinformation is spreading almost as fast. One persistent myth is that �
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What the Bible Says About Stopping the Coronavirus - Bill Perkins -
...you shall serve the LORD your God,
...and I will remove sickness from your midst. Ex. 23:25
We can trust the Bible
The Black Plague/Black Death began in Europe in 1347 AD, killing an astonishing 200 million people in four years (1). The only way the Black Plague was finally contained was when people brazenly applied the Biblical principle of quarantine.
Venetians were the first to apply the Bible's instructions regarding dealing with infectious disease. After studying Leviticus 13, they made all new arrivals stay in isolation long enough to determine if they were ill. It worked. Ultimately, taking God's Word literally is what saved Europe from even a worse fate.
We can apply Biblical principles today
Regardless of how the coronavirus began-by accident or on purpose-it's important to know what the Bible says about dealing with disease. After all, God is still in control and we're to look to Him for guidance in all things. And in the Bible He addresses how to deal with contagious diseases.
The most dreaded sickness in the Old Testament was leprosy, a very contagious, disfiguring, and debilitating disease. To protect Israel from this disease, God's Word gave very specific commandments regarding how to deal with it to keep it from spreading.
The Jewish priests were rarely physicians, but they did basically function as public health officers. Being under the Levitical Law, the priests would judiciously institute all 613 Biblical Laws and Commandments found in the Old Testament, which included dealing with leprosy, a highly infectious disease.
Testing
The Old Testament has specific tests to determine if he or she had contracted the dreaded disease. If the priest determined that he or she might have contracted leprosy, the Lord outlined very specific steps in Leviticus 13 to take to help contain it.
When the first warning signs appear on a person's skin or clothes, the person was commanded by the Levitical Law to go to the priest. The priest examined the person to determine if he was clean or unclean.
...he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. Lev.13:2b
Categorization
Newly diagnosed leprous people were unabashedly deemed to be in a different class of citizens-they were relegated to the "unclean" category. The priest didn't worry about hurting their feelings, they were just calling it what it was and following God's Law.
The priest shall look, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy. Lev. 13:8
In fact, if a leprous person was walking down the street where other people were walking or standing, the leprous person was commanded to publicly speak out so others could keep their distance. They were to verbally cry out:
"...cry, Unclean! Unclean!" Lev. 13:45
Quarantine
The first thing the priests did was to separate those who were possibly infected from the rest of the population.
the priest shall isolate him who has the infection for seven days. Lev. 13:4b
Leprosy wasn't always able to be determined in the first 10 days so additional 7-day periods could continue to be required until the priest could make the final determination if the person had leprosy.
The priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days. Lev. 13:5
Banishment
Those who were deemed to definitely have leprosy were sent outside of town to live. No one who didn't have leprosy would go anywhere near a leper.
He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. Lev.13:46b
Garment washing
Interestingly, clothes worn by a potential leper were treated in much the same manner as people. The clothes were quarantined by the priest for seven days.
Then the priest shall look at the mark and shall quarantine the article with the mark for seven days. Lev. 13:50
As with people, if the priest wasn't sure, he could add seven more days of quarantine.
then the priest shall order them to wash the thing in which the mark occurs and he shall quarantine it for seven more days. Lev. 13:54
If the priest found you didn't have leprosy, you simply had to wash your clothes. In some cases you were commanded to burn some or all of the clothes the person was wearing when the infection was discovered, whether the person had leprosy or not.
So he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or any article of leather in which the mark occurs, for it is a leprous malignancy; it shall be burned in the fire. Lev. 13:52
So how does all this apply to us today?
Basically washing and separation is commanded in the Bible to ward off disease. Staying clean and not coming in contact with an infected person is exactly what is Biblically ordered. So here's what we know:
Wash your hands AND your clothes
Washing, not just your hands but also your clothes, is critical. If you have a compromised immune system, when you come back home from shopping, you should probably take off your clothes and wash them. Hot tubs are looking like a good thing to use after being out of the house.
Avoid handling paper money
It's not just our clothes that can transmit viruses. Using our paper money is also a problem. The coronavirus can last up to 72 hours on paper money.(2) Use CC or phone/digital wallet.
Ultimately we know paper money will not be used as the entire world will be electronically connected.
And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Rev. 13:16-17
Silver kills bacteria
Back in the Old Testament and even up until recent history, silver and gold were the Biblically ordained units of exchange. Silver has a built-in antibacterial agent that kills diseases. Despite repeated use, you didn't pass along disease from the common use of silver coins.
Silver is a very interesting metal. Until penicillin was discovered in 1928, farmers used to put a silver dollar in the bottom of a milk jug to disinfect it. Ranchers put them in water barrels to keep the water pure.
Today, there are many who tout the use of colloidal silver to combat bacterial and viral infections and for other purposes. (3) I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANYTHING, JUST SHARING SOME INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL!!!
Drink wine
In a general exhortation, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for health reasons. Apparently a little wine acts as a disinfectant.
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. 1Tim. 5:23
On our overseas trips we always suggest sipping on some wine at night when traveling in and between foreign countries to fight off the things we might be exposed to that our bodies are not used to. Regarding the coronavirus, can't hurt!
Pray without ceasing
Not to be overlooked, we have the privilege of prayer. Living in the Church Age, we have the Lord of the universe living in us. He knows our thoughts, hears and answers our prayers.
Our number one concern should always be to reach people for eternal salvation, not just praying to get people well in this life. God may use the illness to wake people out of their sinful slumber!
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1John 5:14, 15 pray without ceasing; 1Th. 5:17
Keeping the right perspective
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Col. 3:2
As my good friend Mike Gendron recently said, "Most of the world is rightly concerned about the deadly Coronavirus, but few are as concerned about sin, a far more deadly disease that affects everyone at conception."
Mike nailed it. Don't get your panties in a wad over this coronavirus. It too shall pass. Instead, direct your prayers and concerns toward a far more fatal eternal disease-sin-a disease for which the cure is readily available.
If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Rom. 10:9
Use us, Lord!
This is an opportune time to be used by the Lord because we have eternal answers. We've all been studying and armoring for this very moment. It's a time for us to be bold and share what we know to our nervous neighbors, family members, and coworkers.
So pray for an opportunity to be used by Him in the lives of those who are in your sphere of influence.
praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ,... Col. 4:3
May you walk boldly through every door the Lord opens!
Shalom!
BP
The COVID-19 propaganda machine � Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com
It won't be long, maybe a few days, that you will not be getting the raw, candid, unedited live version of President Trump's COVID-19 news briefings. These are too much for the very biased news media to handle, especially when they cannot put their own spin on the President's words. The free press is making decisions to bind up the raw material and do their own "fact checking" on everything the President says about COVID-19 recovery. When this decision is made, you will be hearing a lot more from Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden showing his brand of leadership by cowering in his home in a makeshift studio taking pot shots at everything the President says. Now that's real news coverage, right?
At a time in our nation when good news is difficult to find, the news media wants to do its part in bringing the darkest, gloomiest account of how America is no more. The great American ideal of being able to meet any and all challenges with a spirit of hope, creative ingenuity, and undeniable courage is cast aside by a news media that wants to show all the bad things that happen because their darling socialist is not in leadership. Instead of finding the stories of victory over this virus, they brood over how any glimmer of hope is just a fleeting misfire. Instead of telling the many stories of how people of all races, ethnicities, and social strata are working together and caring for one another, they show the dark side of humanity. Oh, I guess that's news.
Somehow the news media has determined that Trump is using the COVID-19 news briefings as campaign rallies. So they are wanting to quit covering them live and edit down the content so they can fix the Trump narrative of how America can defeat this virus. They are so bent on the idea that Trump's actions are resulting in more deaths than necessary, that they can't even begin to fathom that there might just be some truth in hope. I've watched many of these briefings, and the questions asked by these young socialists are disrespectful, sarcastic and misleading. Yet, Trump and his team have exercised great patience in answering all of them, no matter how ridiculous they are.
The news media has the chance to grill the President every day, essentially have an interview with him on a daily basis. Good journalists would thirst for such a chance. These politically intolerant, ideological bigots are so eager to hear their own opinions that they want to shut down a very rare chance to provide insight on the President's thinking during a time of historic crisis. The media's ignorant group think, its collective bias, laziness, and arrogance is a disservice to the First Amendment. They are a propaganda machine for ignorance, while selling themselves as enlightenment. You will not find much truth in the media. As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Discernment is key to your mental health and survival. Be careful what and how much news you watch. Even more careful what you believe.
Race to build temporary hospitals nationwide as coronavirus spreads
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking at 114 facilities in all 50 states to convert into potential temporary hospitals in an effort to increase the nation�s hospital capacity in preparation for an expected influx of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus patients.
"I would think that the 114 is going to keep going up by 20 or 30 every single day," said Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Semonite said Friday afternoon he is particularly �concerned� about the virus rapidly spreading to other areas of the country as the number of infections in the United States topped 100,000 Friday. He also announced he is planning to convert Chicago�s McCormick Place convention center into a makeshift hospital to treat 3,000 Covid-19 patients by April 24, at a cost of $75 million.
The coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - which is working against the clock to convert existing convention centers, dorms, and hotels into functioning hospitals for both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients before the outbreak reaches its peak and overwhelms hospitals nationwide.
�We�ve never done a pandemic capability. We don�t have on the shelf designs on how to modify hotels into COVID centers,� Semonite told reporters at a Pentagon news conference Friday. �We are cutting contracts every night to be able to get contractors to be able to come to facilities.�
On Monday, the largest temporary hospital yet built will open in New York City to non-COVID-19 patients. The Javits Convention Center is now a 2,900-bed hospital, each bed separated by curtains and divided into 10 x 10 foot cubicles. The space is equipped with nurses' stations and engineers are adding showers.
New York state is currently ground zero for coronavirus in the U.S. The state has 53,000 hospital beds but officials project they will need 140,000 at the height of the crisis in three weeks' time.
�We have a very narrow window of opportunity and if we don�t meet it we will miss out,� Semonite told Fox News. �It�s not a question of, 'How long do I need?' It�s 'How long do I have?'�
The Javits conversion is one of four temporary hospitals that will open in the New York area within the next two weeks. Three other locations include dormitories at two State University of New York campuses on Long Island.
The rooms are singularly ventilated, allowing COVID-19 patients to be in controlled and pressurized environments.
�We would go in and bring down the pressure 2 or 3 [pounds per square inch],� Lt. General Semonite explained. �Then on the door we would put on a great big plastic - with a zipper - and you�d walk into a controlled room.�
Wireless equipment will allow for each hotel or dorm room to be monitored remotely by nurses, cutting back on the number of personnel needed and limiting the risk of contamination.
New York is the test model for the Corps of Engineers, who are communicating with at least 21 engineer planning teams in other states that have not yet been as heavily impacted by COVID-19.
�We�re learning things every single day,� Semonite told Fox News outside the Javits Center Friday. �When the New York engineers learn how to do a different configuration, we�re then exporting that right away to my team in Washington D.C. and they�re pushing that out to California, Washington and Florida.�
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday he has asked President Trump to approve the construction of four more temporary hospitals. The governor said he wants to have a 1,000+ bed facility in every New York City borough and in the hardest-hit surrounding counties of Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester.
In other words, Cuomo is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to equip the state with 8,000 temporary hospital beds in eight locations by the end of April.
On Friday, Governor Cuomo scouted the newly proposed temporary hospital sites at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, CUNY Staten Island, and the New York Expo Center in the Bronx.
�We�re also looking at hotels and nursing homes,� Cuomo said. �We�re looking far and wide, [being] very creative, aggressive and finding all the space that we can possibly find.�
An additional 1,000 hospital beds for non-COVID-19 patients is arriving in New York Harbor on Monday. The Navy hospital ship, USNS Comfort, has 12 operating rooms and 1,200 medical personnel.
The U.S. Army has sent roughly 650 medical personnel from two field hospitals to New York City to replenish the first responder ranks - battling the invisible contagion.
�This is a rescue mission you�re on,� Cuomo told a contingency of National Guard troops inside the Javits Center. �The mission is to save lives, that�s what you�re doing.�
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