Covid-19 treatments to start testing this week

President Trump says the deployment of rapid Covid-19 testing will help to contain the virus.

Testing of convalescent plasma treatment for seriously ill patients will soon start, he said at the White House coronavirus task force media briefing; the treatment uses blood plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19.

Also, hydroxychloroquine along with azithromycin will be tested in 1,100 patients in New York this week, he said.

Trying to get fast approval for the sterilization of masks, Trump said, referring to N95 respirators used by health care workers.

The U.S. has 136,880 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 2,409 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University; worldwide, there are 713,171 cases and 33,597 deaths.

Update at 6:00 PM ET: Through Project Airbridge, the first shipment of 80,000 tons of personal protective equipment from overseas has arrived; includes 130,000 N95 respirators.

“Many of the states are fully stocked — some don’t admit it,” Trump said.

6:07 PM: Humana (NYSE:HUM) and Cigna (NYSE:CI) are waiving co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles for Covid-19 testing and treatment.

To help the restaurant industry, Trump orders Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Department of Labor Secretary to look at restoring deductibility of meals  and entertainment expenses for businesses to help the restaurant industry.

6:10 PM: “The peak death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” Trump said. As a result, he’s extending to April 30 his guidelines for slowing the spread of the virus.

The White House will make an announcement on Tuesday with more details about extending the period for keeping the guidelines in place. He’ll give more information on findings, data, and the reasons for the government’s actions.

6:15 PM: “We think we’ll be well on our way to recovering by June 1,” Trump said.

6:18 PM: “We think the mitigation we’re doing now is having an effect,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

6:20 PM: Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force response coordinator, said models predict 1.6M-2.2M deaths if no mitigation efforts were taken.

6:22 PM: Trump says his statement about opening the country back up by Easter was “aspirational.”

6:26 PM: Will other health insurance companies be waiving co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles for Covid-19 treatment? “I wouldn’t be surprised” if they do, Trump said.

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