The Evening: Supply Shortage, Boris Johnson, Elvis and More

April 6, 2020

Hospitals Run Low on Supplies as the U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 10,000

Hospitals continue to confront severe shortages in testing and protective equipment for medical staff working to combat the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General, as the NYT reports.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports the official U.S. death toll surpassed 10,000--including 4,758 in New York.

Dive Deeper: “A Covid-19 Response Corps Can Help Stop the Pandemic,” by Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Susan Brooks (R-IN), both members of the CSIS Health Security Commission.

“When pandemics come to slums,” by Brookings’ Vanda Felbab-Brown and Paul Wise.

Boris Johnson Moved to ICU

Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care as the UK prime minister’s condition worsened on Monday afternoon after suffering from “persistent” symptoms of coronavirus, as the FT reports.

OPEC Seeks to Rally Producers Over Fears of Filled Storage

A growing scarcity of oil storage space is driving some of the world’s biggest crude producers to negotiate a truce this week in a Saudi-Russian fight for market share that has contributed—along with the coronavirus pandemic—to the recent oil-price rout, as the WSJ’s Benoit Faucon and Summer Said report.

On the Horizon

The COVID-19 crisis will change the Europe we have known for the past 70 years. What is on the short- and long-term horizon once the dust has settled?

CSIS’s “On the Horizon” series offers insights into the more fundamental changes we might anticipate for our future social and economic world as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CSIS Executive Education

We invite you to apply to Unpacking the Defense Enterprise, a a three-day live, online course exploring defense strategy, budgetary and technical issues, and future challenges and opportunities in the U.S. defense enterprise.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

$6

One hospital is now paying $6 apiece for masks that used to cost 50 cents each.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General

Critical Quote

“I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.”

— Queen Elizabeth II

iDeas Lab

Just as the novel coronavirus is adding pressure to the daily life of individuals around the world, the pandemic is also exerting pressure on governments to embrace protectionist policies.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and video.

Optics

(Photo credit: Kena Betancur/Getty Images). Flags are flying at half-mast as the sun rises behind in Manhattan.

Recommended Reading

“Cooperation, Not Fear, Keeps the Food Supply Chain Secure,” by CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh and Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute (FMI).

Video

Last week, CSIS Middle East director Jon Alterman explained how Middle Eastern governments are dealing with the expanding COVID-19 crisis. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

In the 20th episode of The Asia Chessboard, Mike Green is joined by Georgetown Professor Diana Kim to discuss Diana's new book, Empires of Vice, which uses colonial-era drug policies as a lens to examine politics and power in Asia today.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Every day, someone tells me that this artist or that is on Facebook live from home or streaming on YouTube from home. My favorite was when one of my closet friends Keith texted to tell me to watch Tommy Malone of the Subdudes on Facebook performing some of his standards. Go on Facebook and search Tommy Malone for that one. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than Tommy doing his thing from home…I stumbled upon Elvis Costello performing “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding” from his home in Vancouver to raise money to support the National Health Service staff and volunteers in the UK caring for COVID-19 patients.