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Coronavirus Response: Live Story- April

News

Covid-19

Supplies arrive in the community of Red Devil, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of The Kuskokwim Corporation)
By Noah Smith
This live story is no longer being updated. For the latest news, see this month’s live story at Direct Relief News. For the latest case totals and donation data at a glance, be sure to check Direct Relief’s live updating map:
April 30 – Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe went on Cheddar TV and Greta Van Susteren’s show to talk about the latest Covid-19 response news: Check out the segments here: *** NYC streetwear label Noah has designed a new t-shirt, the Thank You Core Logo Tee, with proceeds to help Direct Relief deliver PPE to frontline health care workers. Available for purchase  ($48) at Noah’s website: https://noahny.com/collections/shop UPDATE: Sold out *** Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis team has created a series of new apps that visualize Covid-19 related data including risk factors, health care infrastructure, and case totals. Check it out via Qlik’s website here: Direct Relief Qlik Covid-19 Apps *** Coming this Saturday: *** April 29 – Responding to shortages of medicines used to treat Covid-19 patients in hospital intensive care units, Direct Relief has announced the shipment of enough medication for 50,000 patients. 500 “push packs,” each containing enough ICU critical medications and supplies for at least 100 hospitalized patients, will be delivered first. For more info, click here and check out Direct Relief’s original video, produced by Bimarian Films. *** ICYMI, here is Sean Penn talking about how his CORE nonprofit partnered with the LA Fire Department and Direct Relief to conduct Covid-19 testing. *** Yesterday, Direct Relief delivered 1,500 masks to workers at nine local stores in Goleta and Santa Barbara.
Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe delivers N95 masks in Santa Barbara, Calif. on April 28. (Lara Cooper/ Direct Relief)
Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe delivers N95 masks to a grocery store in Santa Barbara, Calif. on April 28.
(Lara Cooper/ Direct Relief)
Direct Relief will be donating 100,000 masks in Santa Barbara. Full coverage at KEYT: Direct Relief to donate 100,000 masks to Santa Barbara County *** Happening today: The second installment of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour is this evening at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) on TheBluegrassSituation.com and YouTube. The series continues each Wednesday at the same time through May 13th, and each episode is saved on both platforms so you can tune in whenever convenient.

Whiskey Sour Happy Hour is hosted by Ed Helms and today’s guests include Ben Harper, Rodney Crowell, Sierra Hull, Matt the Electrician, and many more.

*** April 28 – Stamen Design wrote about how they chose to display the mobility data being collected and analyzed by Facebook, Harvard University, Direct Relief. Get the full story here: How we approached building Movement Trends with Facebook Data for Good and the Covid-19 Mobility Data Network *** Recent shipments of PPE in Direct Relief ‘s Santa Barbara, Calif. warehouse, including protective masks and face shields:
PPE deliveries in Direct Relief's Santa Barbara, Calif. warehouse (Direct Relief)
PPE deliveries in Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara, Calif. warehouse (Direct Relief)
*** April 27 – Coverage of Direct Relief’s Covid-19 research with Harvard and tech companies in the New Yorker: Can We Track COVID-19 and Protect Privacy at the Same Time? *** Coverage from Direct Relief’s Talya Meyers on the full toll of Covid-19: Not Just How, but Who: Tracing the Indirect Deaths Caused by Covid-19 *** The Society of Critical Care Medicine on Direct Relief’s ICU Kits: SCCM Deploys Supplies and Volunteers to Support ICUs in Need *** Bethesda, publisher of Fallout and Elder Scrolls video games, donated $1 million to Covid-19 relief. Direct Relief was a recipient along with UNICEF and others: Fallout, Elder Scrolls Developer Bethesda Donates $1 Million To COVID-19 Relief *** Happening today: #GAMERSvsCOVID Fortnite tournament and charity stream-a-thon, featuring YouTube influencer Michelle Phan, former NBA star Nate Robinson, and top Twitch streamers. Watch the live stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/scrim2win More info and full schedule here: https://covid.scrimtowin.com/ Burst Oral Care is sponsoring a live concert event with The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra. *** Happening later this week Wednesday: Episode 2 of Whiskey Sour Happy Happy Hour, hosted by Ed Helms Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/theBGSitch Thursday: NYC streetwear label Noah will be releasing a t-shirt with proceeds to help Direct Relief deliver PPE to frontline health care workers. Available for purchase on April 30 at Noah’s website: https://noahny.com More info from Pause Magazine here; Noah’s latest T-shirt aides Direct Relief Charity *** April 26 – Happening today and tomorrow: #GAMERSvsCOVID Fortnite tournament and charity stream-a-thon, featuring YouTube influencer Michelle Phan, former NBA star Nate Robinson, and top Twitch streamers. Watch the live stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/scrim2win More info and full schedule here: https://covid.scrimtowin.com/ *** Happening tomorrow: Burst Oral Care is sponsoring a live concert event with The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra. *** KTLA 5 News Anchor Mark Mester got a haircut this morning to benefit Direct Relief’s Covid-19 response:  *** April 25 – Latest shipment news: 499 shipments were generated by Direct Relief last week, bound for health care centers, hospitals, correctional facilities, and a Native American nation. These shipments have gone/ will be going to locations in Connecticut, California, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Louisiana, and the Navajo Nation. *** April 24 – Be sure to check out the following events, which will support Direct Relief’s Coivd-19 response: Today: EDMTunes presents JADETOPIA music festival with all Asian DJ roster. 1 pm -1 am PST on Spotify, Facebook Live, and Twitch. More info here. Valorant Charity Invitational esports tournament featuring the Pittsburgh Knights, presented by Sheetz and G FUEL. Streaming live on Twitch. Monday: #GAMERSvsCOVID Fortnite tournament and charity stream-a-thon, featuring YouTube influencer Michelle Phan and more top Twitch streamers. Starts at 8 am PST. April 23 –  Latest shipment totals: *** Churchill Downs will host a “Virtual Kentucky Derby” with 13 digitally-created champion horses from yesteryear. The event aims to raise $2 million for Covid-19 relief. The real Derby has been rescheduled for September 5. Beneficiaries include Direct Relief and the Team Kentucky Fund. Read the full story at ESPN: Virtual Kentucky Derby to feature Triple Crown champions *** April 22 – As Covid-19 testing continues to roll out across the United States, community health centers and free clinics, which together serve 31 million people in the U.S. annually, are helping with the effort. New York City’s Community Healthcare Network is coordinating with state and city agencies to operate a testing site in Jamaica, Queens. “The zip code where our Queens Health Center is located is 12 percent higher for positive COVID-19 cases than the city average,” said Robert M. Hayes, President and CEO of Community Healthcare Network in a press release. “We are providing quality care to communities that are often forgotten and always most impacted.” In Memphis, Tennessee, Church Health, a faith-based, privately funded health care organization which had 62,500 patient encounters last year, is now offering drive-thru testing by appointment. *** Direct Relief’s Andrew Schroeder spoke with NBC News in the Bay Area to discuss how Direct Relief and Facebook have been collaborating to track the spread of Covid-19. See the clip here: Washington Post coverage featuring nurses from partner health care facilities: A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have launched their own wine to help benefit Direct Relief and other nonprofits working to get PPE into the hands of health care providers. Full story in the Hollywood Reporter: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Launch Wine to Raise Money for Coronavirus Relief *** Today: Ed Helms’s Whiskey Sour Happy Hour concert stream for Direct Relief debuts tonight at 5 pm PST. Upcoming Events: 4/24 – EDMTunes presents JADETOPIA music festival with all Asian DJ roster. 1 pm -1 am PST on Spotify, FB Live, and Twitch. 4/24 – Sheetz esports Charity Invitational tournament featuring Pittsburgh Knights and G-Fuel. 4/26 – #GAMERSvsCOVID – Fortnite tournament/charity stream-a-thon, featuring YouTube influencer Michelle Phan and top Twitch streamers. It starts at 8 am PST. *** Latest shipment news: Today, a total of 70 ICU kits were sent to Elmhurst Hospital Center and Bellevue Hospital in New York. Additional medicines and supplies were sent to three other facilities in California. 153 tent shipments, which are used for screening patients for Covid-19 outside of health centers and hospitals, are bound for 69 partners in California, one partner in Indiana, eight partners in Massachusetts, seven partners in New Jersey, 16 partners in New York, and 52 partners in Texas. *** April 21 – Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe spoke to the New  York Times about mask procurement: Everyone seems to know a dude whose roommate in college has set up a factory in China, but you just don’t know who to trust. It’s just too easy to fake these things. Read the full NY Times story here: Doctors and Governors Vie for Masks in Cloak-and-Dagger Deals *** Coverage of Direct Relief partner clinics, which are providing care to people who are insured, in South Carolina’s The State newspaper: Where can Columbia’s uninsured find health care? Free clinic open amid COVID-19 crisis *** Proud to support the Ridgefield, Conn. Fire Department: *** Latest shipment totals: Shipments went out yesterday to community health centers and hospitals in San Diego, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Monroe (La.), Hyannis (Mass.), San Luis Obispo (Calif.), and Mattapan (Mass.). *** Almost $650,000 was raised last weekend for Covid-19 response during two multi-day marathons organized by Games Done Quick (GDQ) and The Runaway Guys Colosseum, in coordination with Direct Relief Gaming. Full coverage of the GDQ event can be read in PC Gamer: Games Done Quick speedrunners raised $400,000 for coronavirus relief *** Frontpage coverage of Australian midwives who have partnered with Direct Relief in Tasmania’s The Examiner newspaper: *** April 20 – Read about some of the work Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis Team is doing with Facebook and Harvard University to find new technological solutions for combating Covid-19. Washington Post: Governments around the world are trying a new weapon against coronavirus: Your smartphone *** Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is selling 2,000 autographed photos through the Tony Hawk Foundation, to help support Direct Relief’s Covid-19 response. More info here: Tony Hawk Autograph to Support the Tony Hawk Foundation and Direct Relief *** Games Done Quick raised over $400,000 for Direct Relief through their video game marathon over the weekend. *** April 19 – Shipment updates from last Friday: Deliveries from the warehouse went to a range of government agencies, hospitals, jails, health clinics, and a research project. Shipments went to New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Charlotte, Oakland, Austin, West Palm Beach, Roanoke (Va.), San Luis Obispo (Calif.), Santa Barbara, Bayamón (PR), Ponce (PR), Burlington (Mass.), Santa Clara (Calif.), Oxnard (Calif.), and Fort Myers (Fl.) For the Southern Easter Tornado Response, Direct Relief shipped personal care products to Outreach Health Services FQHC in Shubuta, MS., and Primary Health Services Center in Monroe, LA. *** Stay updated on the latest Direct Relief shipment info here:
Link *** April 18 – Taking place today: *** April 17 – Taking place today: The WNBA Draft A video game marathon on Twitch by Games Done Quick, which is in the Top 20 most watched streams on the site as 5:30 pm PT! Check out the action here: https://www.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick Taking place tomorrow, a livestream with JLD about her HBO show, Veep. And slated for April 22nd at 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm Eastern as a weekly series is “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” with Ed Helms. *** Bon Iver has released a new song, with proceeds going to Direct Relief’s Covid-19 response. Read more about PDLIF (Please Don’t Live in Fear) and Bon Iver at NPR: Bon Iver Releases ‘PDLIF,’ A New Song To Benefit COVID-19 Relief Efforts *** April 16 – Direct Relief announced a $25 million fund to help community health centers at this critical time. Read more about the fund here: Direct Relief Creates $25 Million Covid-19 Response Fund for Community Health *** Frontline health care staff at the University Medical Center in New Orleans who work in the COVID-19 ICU:
Covid-19 ICU healthcare staff at University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA (Photo courtesy of University Medical Center)
Covid-19 ICU healthcare staff at University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA (Photo courtesy of University Medical Center)
Direct Relief was able to support their lifesaving work with a shipment of PPE and Dove soap. *** NBA Hall of Famer, PhD holder, Sheriff’s Deputy, DJ, and now Reality TV Star Shaquille O’Neal discussed Direct Relief’s work on today’s episode of Shaq Life on TNT. Check out Shaq’s Direct Relief interview last summer: Retired NBA Star Shaquille O’Neal Defends Against a New Opponent: Heart Disease *** Direct Relief was proud to support Sean Penn’s CORE Response team in conducting Covid-19 tests. April 15 – Direct Relief’s Research and Analysis team has released a United States social vulnerability map that provides data down to the county level. The mapping application, which was produced with Esri’s ArcGIS system, allows user to see data such as the number of people with a disability, who don’t have a vehicle, median age, and the number of hospital beds. Explore more here:
Link *** Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Dance-a-Thon on Instagram last Sunday raised millions to help support Direct Relief’s mission of providing PPE, medicines, and other supplies to frontline healthcare workers. *** Former NBA star Jeremy Lin established a $500,000 matching fund though the Jeremy Lin Foundation to help support charitable responses to Covid-19. He outlined his philosophy regarding why he decided to help contribute to the Players’ Tribune. Coverage of Direct Relief in Fortune’s Leadership section: How Fortune 500 companies are utilizing their resources and expertise during the coronavirus pandemic *** Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker won the NBA’s recent 2K Players Tournament, beating out 15 of his colleagues. The win netted him $100,000 for charity, which he donated to Direct Relief and the Arizona Food Bank Network. *** April 5 –  *** April 4 – As of Friday, Direct Relief has sent 926 kits out of the 1000 total committed personal protection equipment kits to health care clinics and hospitals in the U.S. *** April 3 –  April 2 – Andrew Schroeder, Direct Relief’s Vice President of Research and Analytics, on recently-released data from the New York Times. If we look at this map from the Times on the areas that have been slowest to comply with social distancing orders and measure it against the growth rate (daily and rolling), plus cases per million, from the Qlik dashboard, it’s pretty clear to see that whereas the last 10 days has been dominated by the events in New York, Washington, Massachusetts and California, the NEXT 10 days may be likely to be dominated by the emerging pace of events in the South. States and counties in the South have been extremely slow (based on the Times analysis) to comply with social distancing orders – FAR more so than most of the rest of the country – while also being easily the most at risk in terms of age, co-morbidities and other aspects of social vulnerability, which can include lack of cars by income group, lack of easy walking distance to food, high rates of diabetes, hypertension and asthma, high rates of obesity, and disproportionate numbers of elderly people. Those are some of the things that makes this such a significant issue. We should also look then at counties likely to be most at risk but also lacking ICU beds – there are many of them. Louisiana is the leading edge of this development, with a worrisome uptick in activity happening as of the past 24-72 hours in Oklahoma and Nebraska. Florida, Georgia, Kentucky … these may all be significant hotspots very soon. And when you dig into the issue of ICU access in these areas you tend to find, with a few notable exceptions, that the situation is dire.
(Qlik)
(Qlik)
(Qlik)
(Qlik)
Here’s this interesting cluster in southwest Georgia – quite rural area – on the other side of the state from Atlanta – 711 total cases so far here – 480 of those are in the dark blue area. The outbreak epicenter for this area is Doherty County – the deep blue area above. Doherty has about 91,000 people. They have 50 ICU beds. In addition their diabetes rate is 14% — and 14.5% of the county is over the age of 65. Georgia has also been very slow in social distancing compliance. *** April 1 – A new report from Direct Relief, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Institute for Disease Modeling found that residents in Seattle have largely engaged in social distancing over the past few weeks, though there have been lapses on weekends. The authors emphasized that they were not measuring social contact directly, and that their focuses were on changes in how people were moving around (or not) as well as the locations where people spent their time. Some selections from the report, which was co-authored by Andrew Schroeder, Direct Relief’s Vice President of Research and Analytics: … though while the data are encouraging, we also see some evidence of fluctuating adherence to social distancing policies, emphasizing that we remain in a precarious position. For social distancing to be effective in restricting COVID-19 transmission, widespread adherence over the coming weeks is critical. Movement during daytime (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) from other regions to Seattle and to the Eastside had declined from about 40% below baseline on March 5 after Public Health Seattle and King County recommended a work from home policy, to over 60% on March 12 when Gov. Inslee banned gatherings of over 250 people and closed K-12 schools through April 27th, to about 90% on March 28, the last day for which we have data. …mobility increases over the past three weekends highlight a potential difficulty in maintaining widespread adherence to social-distancing policies. The report can be read in full here. As noted by the authors, data for the study were, “collected from mobile users with location services enabled and aggregated to coarse geographic levels as anonymous counts of users; individual users cannot be identified.” On a typical day, data are captured from around 230,000 people across the Puget Sound region For more on the Direct Relief x Facebook collaboration, check Facebook’s Data for Good/ Disaster Maps page: https://dataforgood.fb.com/tools/disaster-maps/ *** Coronavirus Response: Live Stories by Month: June May March

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