Tag Archives: COVID19

Senate Republicans, by rejecting the Congressional COVID-19 Stimulus Plan, are encouraging COVID-19, suppressing the economy, suppressing the vote and promoting chaos! Cashless renters are facing eviction… Cashless mini-landlords and cashless homeowners are threatened with foreclosure! Small and large businesses are closing because they have no consumers!

The Republican leadership is obviously willing to kill urban dwelling minorities and Democrats! The red state governors proved that with their “no mask- crowds welcome- get back to work” policies utilized in their urban area! This opinion was declared ridiculous when I first suggested it in March… Now the term “killer republicans” has a hat-rack!

The fact that the COVID-19 stimulus, if delivered, will also benefit poor and middle class Republican voters, is either invisible to or ignored by Senate Republicans! It appears that Senate Republicans are mean-spirited enough to sacrifice poor and middle class republican voters along with minorities and Democrats! They are willing to do it all in order to maintain their racist, inequitable, self-serving, freedom eroding power.

People are dying daily from the virus and yet, Republican leaders are still sending mixed messages regarding COVID-19 policy… Their lack of action on the stimulus plan will definitely suppress the small business economy! It will cause evictions which will disproportionately affect minorities and poor people… Evictions and foreclosures will cause address changes, which can void voter registrations and suppress votes!

Walk together children, and don’t you get weary! There is a long hot road ahead!

The president and governors of both political parties with the support of local municipalities and businesses pushed to reopen the country even as medical experts warned against moving too far, too fast.

It appeared they weighed dollars and cents against the value of Black lives, those of the elderly and others. Apparently, it was a gamble they were willing to take to help save the economy.

Today, as the number of COVID-19 cases exceeds 2.2 million nationally and the country’s death toll rapidly approaches 120,000, California is among the growing number of states contributing to these rising numbers.

San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are not idle bystanders in this deadly march as indicated by the rising hospitalizations experienced in both counties last week.

As warranted, the number of people being tested for COVID-19 in both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are increasing and most understand the correlation between the increased number of people being tested and the increasing number of positive cases. However, embedded in the rising numbers of positive cases lies the potential for increased hospitalizations.

The increasing number of hospitalizations is not a benign measure as in too many instances, it serves as a harbinger of grief—especially for Blacks and the elderly.   

On Thursday, June 18, 2020 Riverside experienced the highest number of hospitalizations in a single day with 291 COVID-19 patients countywide; and San Bernardino saw its highest number in recent weeks with 313 hospitalizations. Though the numbers are still below peaks recorded earlier this year—the trend is ominous.

Regardless of how one may argue the need for prioritizing the economy—the value of human life is immeasurable.

By Friday, June 19, 2020, San Bernardino County reported 8,959 confirmed cases and 233 deaths. Riverside County, (ahead in COVID-19 testing) reported 12,778 cases and 410 deaths.

As a result of Riverside Counties rising numbers, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has added the county to its Data Monitor Watch List which calls for targeted engagement between the county and the state as a result of its rising numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

At this point it is important to remind the community how Riverside County applied for and received a variance to move more quickly through Stage 2 of the state’s reopening process even though it did not meet all the requirements to do so.

Now, barely a month later as noted by the CDPH, “Riverside County is experiencing elevated disease transmission based on the following: general increases in local gatherings; outbreaks at state prisons and skilled nursing facilities; potential transmission at public protests; in-county patient transfers from Imperial County; patients seeking care from Northern Baja California and traveling along SR-86 corridor into Coachella Valley.”

CDPH has recommended the county take several steps to help slow the spread of the virus and reduce the potential for increased hospitalizations and deaths.

The steps include closely monitoring the data, the need for increased testing at both county and state test sites, the implementation of a Quick Response Team for high-risk skilled nursing facilities; and expanding its contact tracing workforce.

The state has further recommended the county increase its messaging about the importance of personal protection measures. And finally, it called for increased coordination and communication between the local health department, CDPH, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to curb and contain outbreaks at state prisons.

On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a new order requiring all Californians to wear a mask in public. This came just a day after the state reached a record high on Wednesday, in the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded since the state reopened for business.

That day California reported 4,165 new cases—the highest daily number recorded since the onset of the pandemic. 

CHINO, CA––On May 13th, CDCR released a statement identifying a new outbreak of Covid-19 at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California. Less than five miles away, at the California Institution for Men (CIM), the disease has swept through the population, with 398 confirmed cases and at least five deaths. 

While CDCR has yet to release the number of new cases in the women’s prison, advocates at the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) have heard from incarcerated individuals that more than 50 individuals have been made aware of their positive statuses, as hundreds more wait to hear their results. One incarcerated individual who tested positive stated: “Almost my entire unit just tested positive. Some of them are canteen workers, kitchen workers, and workers who have been sewing masks. People who interact with everybody. We are terrified. This entire prison needs to be tested.”

Since mid-March, advocates have been demanding action to prevent an outbreak at CIW. In letters to prison and state officials, CCWP exposed dangerous conditions at CIW, including a lack of access to protective and preventive supplies and a blatant disregard by prison staff of CDCR’s own policies. Further, the state refused to listen to advocates and public health experts who warned that the only way to prevent outbreaks in prison is to reduce population density by expediting releases, especially for those at highest risk of the deadly effects of Covid-19. 

While CDCR claims it instructed prisons to “conduct additional deep-cleaning efforts in high-traffic, high-volume areas” and to institute social distancing practices “wherever possible,”  incarcerated people indicate that CIW staff failed to implement such policies and that social distancing is impossible in prison. In California’s overcrowded prisons, all spaces are high-traffic areas, but people report that not even the showers at CIW are being regularly cleaned or disinfected. Similarly, while guards were instructed to wear masks and social distance, CCWP continues to receive reports of guards refusing to adhere to these policies.

The devastating, needless deaths at CIM present a dire warning for prison administration and the State of California. The state must expedite release for vulnerable populations. At the same time, elected officials must ensure that CDCR goes beyond advertising preventative measures and actually implements meaningful, life-saving policies, including widespread testing. 

California is ready to partially reopen major sectors of its economy as early as this Friday, including retail shops and the manufacturers that supply them, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. 

Clothing outlets, bookstores, florists and other merchants across the state will be allowed to offer curbside pickup as long as they obey physical distancing guidelines meant to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. California companies that make clothing, furniture, toys, and other goods those retailers sell can also resume operations, with appropriate worker protections. 

“This is an optimistic day as we see a little ray of sunshine on the horizon,” said Newsom. 

While more details on which specific industries would be allowed to reopen won’t be available until Thursday, Newsom’s announcement marks the first major relaxing of the statewide shelter-in-place order he issued March 19 and the first time the governor has offered a specific date by which California can enter the second stage of the administration’s four-stage recovery plan.

CA is led by data and SCIENCE.

Based off our progress, we’ll begin to gradually move into Stage 2 this FRIDAY.

Some sectors where there’s a lower risk of transmission will be able to adapt & re-open with modifications.

This will include some retail and manufacturing/logistics.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 4, 2020

With COVID-19 hospitalization rates stabilizing, testing capacity improving and a sufficient inventory of personal protective equipment, Newsom said the state can begin the delicate dance of reopening its battered economy while trying to prevent a second major wave of infections. 

In a nod to growing pleas from more rural parts of the state less affected by the virus, Newsom’s plan allows individual counties to reopen restaurants and offices if local public health officials certify those plans as safe. But the governor cautioned the state would intervene if it suspected community transmission of the virus was reaching dangerous levels, referencing an unspecified “trigger” that would prompt state action. 

“To the extent that we start to see community spread, that we start to see that the certification and the commitments they made at the local level aren’t manifesting and they weren’t able to hold up…then the state can once again intervene,” he Newsom.

Counties could also opt to maintain stricter shelter-in-place orders than those proposed by the state, Newsom said, indicating some Bay Area counties may consider that approach. 

While picking up T-shirts outside an Old Navy or paperbacks outside a local bookseller may provide some Californians with a sliver of pre-pandemic normalcy, wide swaths of the day-to-day life will remain shuttered even under the updated shelter-in-place order, including gyms, hair salons, and movie theaters. Newsom did not indicate when he believed those enterprises, slated for “Stage 3” of the state’s plan, may reopen. 

And malls are specifically excluded from the kinds of retail businesses that would be allowed to start welcoming customers beginning Friday.

Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties, all in relatively sparsely populated regions of the state, have already allowed the reopening of private gyms and some other businesses still not approved by the state. Newsom declined to answer whether he was planning to punish counties that moved too fast than the administration preferred. 

Key to the administration’s confidence it could reopen parts of California safely was a new initiative to create an “army” of coronavirus contact tracers–public health workers tasked with tracking down people exposed to the virus so they can safely self-isolate and prevent the disease from spreading. 

Newsom said a partnership with UCLA and UCSF will allow for online training of 3,000 new tracers a week, starting Wednesday, that will work for local public health agencies. Those workers will initially come from a pool of local and state government workers. 

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD), the largest school district in the county, has partnered with local organizations as part of concerted efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact in the region.

When Loma Linda University Health put out a call for 3D printers, several SBCUSD campuses responded by loaning state-of-the-art 3D printers. Loma Linda University will use them to manufacture personal protective equipment.

“When we say that we’re all in this together, we really mean it,” said SBCUSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Harold J. Vollkommer. “It is our privilege to work with our partners to flatten the curve for our community and our state.”

Soon after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order and school closures in mid-March, the District began providing meals to thousands of children, ages 18 and younger. The District’s effort was bolstered by the California Charter Schools Association, which also provided free meals to children, as has the PAL Charter Academy.

T-Mobile donated $25,000 to the District’s Nutrition Services Department, which will fund efforts to distribute student meals.

Produce grower Lucky Farms donated thousands of face coverings to the District, which have been used by essential employees working to provide meals and electronic devices to SBCUSD students.

The District is also partnering with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health to provide parking lot space for drive-through COVID-19 testing at Arroyo Valley High School in the weeks ahead.

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health today announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. California now has 56,212 confirmed cases and 2,317 deaths.

Testing in California

As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Individuals prioritized for testing include:

• Hospitalized patients
• Symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers, first responders, and other social service employees
• Symptomatic individuals age 65 and older or symptomatic individuals of any age with chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness
• Individuals who are tested as part of disease control efforts in high-risk settings
• Asymptomatic residents and employees of congregate living facilities when needed to prevent disease transmission
• Symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in essential occupations such as grocery store and food supply workers, utility workers and public employees
• Other individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

As of May 4, 779,902 tests have been conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 32,028 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period. These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 25 state and county health labs currently testing. The Department is now reporting all tests reported in California, rather than the total number of individuals tested.

New Data Portal
The state has launched a new, user-friendly data portal at update.covid19.ca.gov that tracks COVID-19 cases statewide and by county, gender, age and ethnicity. The portal also outlines statewide hospitalizations and testing efforts. The data presented on the portal will be updated daily and will include additional information as it is available.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends. Overall, for adults 18 and older, Latinos, African Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. The proportion of COVID-19 deaths in African Americans is about double their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but there is nearly a four-fold difference between the proportion of COVID-19 deaths and their population representation. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of May 4, local health departments have reported 6,167 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 33 deaths statewide.

How People Can Protect Themselves
Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense: 

• Staying home except for essential needs/activities
• Practicing social distancing.
• Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
• Following guidance from public health officials.

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath), call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit covid19.ca.gov.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance web page.???

www.cdph.ca.gov

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) recently voted for the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, an interim coronavirus relief package to provide additional funding to support small businesses through the economic downturn. The legislation also provides new funding for hospitals and medical practitioners, including for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as funding to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across the country.

“The first round of funding Congress passed didn’t reach enough small businesses, including many in the Inland Empire that wound up empty-handed while corporations received millions,” Rep. Torres said. “The bill we passed today will get vital support to the mom-and-pop shops who desperately need it, helping more businesses make payroll, ensuring more employees can feed their families, and making emergency relief just as accessible to unbanked and rural areas as it is to downtown shops.”

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act also requires a report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services on COVID-19 testing, including disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, age, sex, geographic region, and other relevant factors. The provision follows an effort Rep. Torres jointly led to highlight our nation’s lack of testing data as the Trump Administration sought to roll back its COVID-19 response based on testing.

“Until we have the testing capacity to know who has this disease, we cannot combat it,” Rep. Torres continued. “And until that day, I fear that it will be minority communities and low-income communities like the ones I represent that will be hardest hit. Getting a test to anyone who needs it and developing a deeper understanding of the communities impacted by COVID-19 must be a top priority.”

Provisions in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act include:

For Small Businesses
$310 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, with $30 billion reserved for community-based lenders, small banks and credit unions and $30 billion for medium-sized banks and credit unions.   Additionally, $50 billion for SBA disaster lending, translating into more than $350 billion in loans, and $10 billion in SBA disaster grants. The bill also provides strong protections to ensure farmers have access to this vital assistance.

For Hospitals and Health Care Workers

$75 billion to provide resources to the frontlines, including Personal Protective Equipment. Negotiations also led to key improvements to be made in CARES Act 2.0, including significantly lowering the interest rate on advance payments, lengthening the repayment schedule and distributing payments from general revenues not the Hospital Insurance Fund.

For Testing

$25 billion for COVID-19 testing, which is the key to reopening the economy and resuming our lives. The Administration has agreed to a national strategic testing policy that will focus on increasing domestic testing capacity including testing supplies.

Census Day 2020 came April 1. The global coronavirus pandemic was worsening. It had already forced social and economic shutdowns across America.

Since then, all the major African-American community-based organizations, political leaders and other advocates in California — concerned that there may be an undercount of Black Californians during the 2020 census count — have found themselves grappling.

Under a statewide shelter in place order, those groups have been working overtime, rejiggering outreach strategies from a boots-on-the-ground game to expanding online get-the-word-out campaigns — most of their social media content identifiable by the hashtag #MakeBlackCount.

Their goal, leaders say, is to ensure every Black household in California accurately completes its 2020 Census form.

Their hard work is paying off.

So far, California has a 53.8% response rate, which is higher than the national response rate of 52.4%. The state is on good footing at this point, considering that this is still the first phase of the national count, and census workers have not yet even begun to conduct in-person, door-to-door data collection campaigns. About 47.8% of participants in the state have responded online, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Up and down the state, most of the groups we’ve reached out to told us that they have had to step back and reimagine how they can best get their message to those African-American families and individuals who live in our hardest-to-count communities,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media and a member of the California Complete Count committee.

“It is not business as usual,” Wilson continued.  “To be successful during this crisis, they have had to switch up their plans in real time. Its remarkable, but to achieve a full count of Blacks in the state, we have to keep that momentum up.”

During Census Week, responses jumped 9.1 percentage points — an estimated 1.36 million households self-responded to the Census form, the California Census 2020 Campaign announced April 9.

“We understand there is still more work to be done to make sure all Californians, especially those who are hard to count, fill out their questionnaire. We are proud of the work our partners are doing to push these self-response rates,” said Ditas Katague, Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office. “We’d like to remind everyone that filling out the Census form will help bring needed representation and resources to California’s diverse communities.”

The state’s success to date stems from the California Census Campaign’s work with more than 120 partners including local governments, tribal governments, K-12 schools, county offices of education, community-based organizations, state agencies and departments, faith-based organizations, labor unions, small businesses, ethnic and mainstream media outlets, and others.

COVID-19 prompted the Census Bureau to prioritize an online count; and caused the California governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order for everyone except essential workers — or people going out to pick up medicines, shop for groceries or fill up their cars with gas.  Having to adhere to a 6-foot physical distancing mandate between people, per Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, has also influenced how census informational campaigns are being executed.

But advocates say they are now more determined than ever to work for a complete count.

Many rely on social media and web-conferencing events and they emphasize that the confidential, simple 9-question Census questionnaire can be completed quickly online at my2020census.gov, and by phone in English and other languages at 844-330-2020. 

The U.S. Census Bureau has been sending paper forms to households that haven’t responded to the Census.

“Just think about Head Start and Meals on Wheels, and after-school programs.  That’s all dependent on getting everybody counted,” said Cassandra Jennings, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League. She held a Celebrate Census Day Facebook live stream with Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on April 1.

The Census Day celebration in Sacramento is just one example of many others that happened in regions of the state with the highest African-American populations, including the Los Angeles area, the Inland Empire, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast and greater San Diego.

Jennings’ virtual event featured an interactive social media challenge. Participants tweeted about completing census forms on Instagram or Facebook, then tagged 10 of their friends.  “Let’s challenge each other to complete the census, not tomorrow, not the next day, but on Census day April 1,” Jennings invited people online to participate.

Earlier this month, California Black Media (CBM) released “Counting Black California – Counting the Hard to Count.” The Sacramento-based organization updated its comprehensive report identifying areas in the state where African Americans are least likely to be counted by the 2020 Census. The study includes an easy-to-use, online interactive map scalable down to the street level with those hard-to-count tracts highlighted.

Although the coronavirus crisis has forced community-based organizations doing census outreach work to adjust, they are coping, said California community leaders and advocates across the state like Janette Robinson Flint, founder and executive director of Black Women for Wellness (BWW) in Los Angeles.

Its civic engagement program hired workers before the March 3 general primary elections. They went door-to-door and set up tables at grocery stores and public spaces to educate canvassers about including census awareness in their get-out-the-vote campaigns.

“My fear is that it’s going to be a serious undercount as a result of the coronavirus. At a community level, we just simply can’t afford to be undercounted,” she said.

Robinson Flint said the key is for organizations to be nimble enough to switch up their ground games in communities to reach people online and by other means.

Her organization is now relying on texting and social media and, in the process, studying the technological capacity of their community.

Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), a statewide social and political action organization — comprised of African-American elected and appointed officials; community leaders; activists; artists; scholars, and more — also pivoted its outreach strategy. The group recently released a video online featuring Black women across the state encouraging the community to respond and sharing how the Census directly benefits them.

Robinson-Flint says adjusting to a digital strategy has its challenges too, like unpredicted costs.

“A lot of people have smartphones, but if you ask them to text a thousand people, then that’s difficult for them in terms of how much it would cost,” Robinson Flint said.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted its enumeration timeline. Field activities, which were scheduled to begin March 1, will not start until June 1. The bureau also warned that those dates and the processes associated with them might change, too.

“In-person activities, including enumeration, office work, and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance from authorities to ensure the health and safety of staff and the public” the bureau announced on its website.

Track response rates of every state here.    

WASHINGTON—-  The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) issued frequently asked questions (FAQ Watch) for healthcare providers related to COVID-19. The novel coronavirus outbreak has caused significant disruption to global health, especially for vulnerable populations in the U.S. The ABC created FAQ Watch to provide a succinct update on the science and clinical challenges posed by the disease and potential cardiac implications. FAQ Watch will be updated as needed or at least weekly by its editors Kevin M. Alexander, MD (Chair), Michelle A. Albert, MD, MPH (ABC President), Peter Chin-Hong, MD, MPH, and Norrisa Haynes, MD, MPH.

In addition to informing health care providers about the science and clinical aspects of the coronavirus infection, the ABC is undertaking efforts to raise awareness in diverse populations.  The organization is particularly concerned about the pandemic’s effect on the African-American diaspora and other underserved groups. 

“ABC has been at the forefront of addressing cardiovascular disparities in our communities,” said Elizabeth Ofili, MD, MPH, ABC Board Chair. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed severe inequities in access to healthcare and preventive services. As a nation, we have an unprecedented opportunity to address these issues, by working with affected communities, and the healthcare providers who serve them.”

FAQ Watch covers the clinical stages of COVID-19, associated cardiovascular complications and treatments currently advised for COVID-19 management. Recommended changes in practice for interventional cardiologists and catheterization laboratories as well as new guidance for transthoracic echo and transesophageal echo procedures have also been incorporated. FAQ Watch answers other critical questions, including how communities of color can diminish the spread of COVID-19 and decrease their risk of fatal outcomes.

ABC is inspired by how different communities are pulling together at individual, leadership, medical, scientific and public health levels to mitigate the impact of this pandemic. This downloadable FAQ is a new component of earlier actions ABC initiated in response to the virus:   

• ABC President Dr. Michelle Albert introduces ABC COVID-19 Information & Resource Hub and highlights the Council on Black Health’s brief, “What Coronavirus Means for Black Communities.”
• ABC and OtherHealth Care Groups Issue Urgent Call for Federal Action to Address Medical Equipment Shortages
• ABC hosts a webinar, “At the Heart of the Matter: Unmasking the Invisibility of COVID-19 in Diverse Populations.”Now available for viewing.
• ABC President Dr. Michelle Albert joins KDKA Radio host Lynne Hayes-Freeland to discuss COVID-19, health care disparities and African Americans. Listen to Interview

About ABC
Founded in 1974, the ABC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the disparities related to cardiovascular disease and achieving health equity such that all people can live long, healthy lives. Membership is open to all interested in the care of people with or at risk for cardiovascular disease, including health professionals, lay members of the community (Community Health Advocates), corporate and institutional members. For more information, visit www.abcardio.org and connect with ABC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE: Association of Black Cardiologists

CNBC—- Another 4.3 million workers are expected to have filed state unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number seeking benefits to over 26 million since states started shutting down in the second half of March to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of jobs lost rose to 22.025 million over the prior four weeks, erasing nearly all of the 22.442 million jobs recovered since the Great Recession. During the financial crisis the number of jobs lost totaled 8.7 million.

“The pace of losses is slowing, but the pain is compounding,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton.

Economists are closely watching Thursday claims data, expected at 8:30 a.m. ET, because it is for the week ending April 18, the same week the government conducted its survey for the monthly employment. Claims in the previous week  totaled 5.245 million, and it was the fourth week of claims filings in the multiple millions.

“It’s a critical week because it gives us the best real-time picture of what the job losses will be in April, which will be the worst month of the recession and the worst month ever,” Swonk said. Swonk said because of the government’s methodology and the furloughed status of some workers, the total number of nonfarm payrolls lost in April is not likely to be as high as the claims, but it will still be shockingly high.

Economists also say the unemployment rate could be 15% or more in April. Claims data has provided insight into what happened as the economy closed down, first with restaurant workers, retail employees and other service workers. The layoffs then also hit manufacturing and now they are expected to have broadened out even further. The filings of claims are also expected to have been delayed because of the sheer volume of the sudden layoffs overburdening state unemployment processors.

So far, Michigan and Pennsylvania appeared to be hardest hit, with more than 20% of workers filing claims.

Rhea Thomas, Wilmington Trust economist said the weekly claims report should also confirm that the filings probably peaked, when they surged to 6.615 million in the week ended April 4.

“I still think it could be in the millions next week, but I think the trend could be declining,” she said. “I still think some of the layoffs are still in the process of happening … It does feel like we’re going to have a couple of months of disruption.”

Thomas said the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses could encourage hiring as companies begin to get funds, and rehiring should pick in the next couple of weeks.