Rep. Ben McAdams tweets after House passes bill on COVID-19 funding; U.S. cases rise to 129

March 4 (Gephardt Daily/UPI) — Utah Rep. Ben McAdams tweeted a video with his thoughts after he and others voted and passed bipartisan emergency spending that supports state and local governments’ efforts against #COVID19.

“Our local public health officials and our medical providers are on the frontlines right now. Governor Herbert has convened. I think we’re in good hands with the state leadership pulling together to rise to the occasion and make sure we are all working together to address any health impact that might come from the threat of coronavirus.

“And with this bipartisan funding coming through the Congress, what I’m saying is we’ve got your back.”

The House passing of the bill comes after the announcement of another coronavirus death in Washington state, and the first California death from COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday there are 129 cases of the coronavirus in the United States. That includes 12 new cases in Washington state, where there are 39 confirmed patients. The two new deaths bring the total to 11 in the United States.

The U.S. House voted 415-2 to pass a bill providing nearly $8 billion in emergency funding to fight the outbreak after days of intense negotiations. Approval was expected in the Senate by the end of the week followed by prompt approval by President Donald Trump.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who negotiated the funding with House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said the measure will provide $7.76 billion to battle the coronavirus.

“This should not be about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic,” Shelby said in a statement.

The funding was three times the $2.5 billion initially requested by the Trump administration.

The bill includes $7.4 billion in new discretionary spending for vaccine development, research, equipment and state and local health budgets amid the outbreak, including more than $400 million to be sent to governments within 30 days with each state receiving no less than $4 million.

“While we all ardently hope that this public health emergency does not worsen, House Democrats will not hesitate to act again if we must augment this funding with more resources,” Lowey said.

After a meeting at the White House with executives from the nation’s largest air carriers, Trump said air travel is safe for “large portions of the world.”

Executives from American, United, Southwest and other airlines briefed Trump and Pence on their procedures for ensuring aircraft are safe and disinfected for passengers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

They urged the administration to reassure the public as ticket sales have slowed globally in recent weeks, and worried travelers have postponed or canceled trips over outbreak fears. Several airlines have grounded flights to Hong Kong, Japan, Milan and other international destinations where the virus has sickened hundreds.

Administration officials also discussed procedures for properly disinfecting planes between flights, as well as tracking passenger travel so that close contacts with infected passengers can be found and monitored for treatment.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also reiterated their belief that earlier travel restrictions for foreign nationals arriving from China and State Department-issued travel warnings for areas of Italy and South Korea have limited the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Additionally, the United States started screening all passengers arriving on direct flights from Italy and South Korea on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, several carriers — including American, Delta and United — have waived some ticket change fees in the aftermath of the outbreak, but they only apply to those purchasing tickets this month, and not for those who booked travel months ago for now-canceled vacations or conventions.

Meanwhile, New York state officials confirmed 11 cases of COVID-19 after the friend of a 50-year-old man with the disease tested positive along with the friend’s wife and their three children. The 50-year-old man’s wife, two children and a neighbor tested positive earlier.

The 50-year-old, from New Rochelle in Westchester County, is the only one to require hospitalization for the illness, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a press briefing.

New York is one of 13 U.S. states with confirmed cases of the virus.

Cuomo said an initial review of the 50-year-old man’s travels doesn’t suggest any travel to China or other countries at the nexus of the outbreak, so authorities are treating it as a case of person-to-person transmission. Although the man lived outside New York City, he worked as an attorney in Manhattan.

“We will continue working closely with our state partners to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.

The Westchester patient was first diagnosed at a hospital in the city earlier this week, as the city began conducting rapid testing locally, de Blasio said.

The man’s 20-year-old son, who has also been diagnosed with COVID-19, is a student at Yeshiva University in Manhattan, and he had been symptomatic prior to his father’s hospitalization, officials said. No details on the son’s condition were immediately available.

Yeshiva announced Wednesday it had canceled all in-person graduate courses on the campus and closed its all-boys’ high school. De Blasio said two of the son’s contacts from the Yeshiva campus have been sent to Bellevue Hospital for testing.

Cuomo said about 300 students and faculty from several State University of New York and City University of New York schools studying abroad in high-risk countries will be recalled to New York and quarantined in dorms located throughout the state.