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u.s. news Diahuebs 3 september 2020

HHS canceling ventilator contracts, says stockpile is full

By MICHAEL BIESECK- The company has said it still
ER plans to deliver the 10,000
Associated Press low-cost ventilators over the
WASHINGTON (AP) — next two years under its ear-
The Trump administration is lier contract.
canceling some of its remain- House Democrats said they
ing orders for ventilators, would expand their probe
after rushing to sign nearly into the White House's han-
$3 billion in emergency con- dling of the Phillips contract,
tracts as the COVID-19 pan- which they said was negoti-
demic surged in the spring. ated by Trump trade adviser
The Department of Health Peter Navarro.
and Human Services issued "American taxpayers deserve
a statement Tuesday affirm- to have their money well
ing that the national stockpile spent," said Rep. Raja Krish-
has now reached its maxi- namoorthi, chairman of the
mum capacity for the life- House Subcommittee on
saving breathing machines, Economic and Consumer
with nearly 120,000 avail- Policy. "Incompetent negoti-
able for deployment to state ations by top Trump Admin-
and local health officials if istration officials, like Peter
needed. Though the orders Navarro, wasted hundreds of
were billed as a cost-saving millions of taxpayer dollars."
measure, Democrats said the White House deputy press
cancellations show the White In this May 13, 2020, file photo, a ventilator is assembled at the Ford Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti secretary Sarah Matthews
House vastly overspent in Township, Mich. said Navarro "played a vital
its quest to fulfill President Associated Press role in our coronavirus re-
Donald Trump's pledge to for the early terminations But Steve Klink, a spokesman pointed in light of our mas- sponse" by helping oversee
make the United States the were still being negotiated for Philips at the company's sive efforts, we will work federal contracts that helped
"King of Ventilators." with the companies involved. headquarters in Amsterdam, with HHS to effectuate the create thousands of jobs.
"By terminating the remain- HHS confirmed it was termi- confirmed that its contract partial termination of this "While the Trump Adminis-
der of deliveries from these nating contracts with ventila- had also been canceled and contract." tration has been focused on
contracts, HHS is balancing tor manufacturers Hamilton that it will not deliver the The Philips contract has been saving lives, House Demo-
federal stockpile require- Medical and Vyaire Medical, remaining 30,700 ventila- under scrutiny because the crats continue to focus on
ments with commercial mar- which will result in the re- tors on its order to the U.S. company had signed a 2019 pointless investigations,"
ket demand for ventilators," duction of 38,000 ventilators stockpile. agreement to deliver 10,000 Matthews said.
said Carol Danko, an agency that had been scheduled for Klink said HHS had not yet basic emergency ventilators As the virus took hold and
spokesperson. "As a result, delivery to the National Stra- given the company any "for- to the national stockpile by began to spread widely across
HHS is saving the U.S. tax- tegic Stockpile by the end of mal reason" for the cancella- 2022 at a cost of about $3,280 the U.S. in March, gover-
payer millions of dollars by 2020. tion. each. But once the COVID nors and mayors of big cit-
halting delivery of additional An agency spokesperson de- "Unlike typically in the pri- pandemic hit, the company ies urged Trump to use his
ventilators that are no longer clined to comment on the vate sector, the U.S. gov- inked a new deal with the authority under the Defense
required." status of its largest ventilator ernment does not need any Trump administration to Production Act to direct pri-
The agency didn't have an contract, a massive $647 mil- reason to terminate an agree- provide 43,000 of its more vate companies to ramp up
estimate for how much tax- lion deal with Philips that is ment," Klink said. "We can complicated and expensive production of ventilators. At
payers would save by cancel- now the subject of an internal confidently say that we have hospital-grade models at an the time, the national stock-
ing the contracts because the HHS investigation and legal delivered on our commit- average cost of about $15,000 pile had only about 16,660
terms and potential penalties review. ments. While we are disap- each. ventilators ready to deploy.q

COVID-19 death tied to Sturgis Rally reported in Minnesota

By STEPHEN GROVES Rallygoers crowded into bars first reported the death.
Associated Press and rock shows, mostly ig- For 10 days in August, the
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) noring social distancing rec- rally created a travel hub in
— A Minnesota man who at- ommendations. Few wore western South Dakota com-
tended the Sturgis Motorcy- masks. Kris Ehresmann, parable to a major U.S. city,
cle Rally in South Dakota last infectious-disease director at according to an analysis of
month has died from CO- the Minnesota Department anonymous cellphone data
VID-19, Minnesota health of Health, said health offi- from Camber Systems, a firm
officials reported on Wednes- cials have also seen infections that aggregates cellphone ac-
day. spread from people who at- tivity for health researchers.
The death is the first report- tended Sturgis, but those The researches found that
ed that is possibly linked to infections weren't included 61% of all the counties in
the biker rally that drew hun- in the state's count of Stur- the U.S. have been visited by
dreds of thousands of people. gis-linked infections, which someone who attended Stur-
Infections among rallygoers stood at 50 on Wednesday. gis.
have been reported among She said people who attended South Dakota has seen the
269 people in 12 states span- the rally have reported mov- bulk of cases tied to the ral- In this Aug. 7, 2020 file photo, people congregate at One-Eyed
ning coast to coast, according ing between events, camp- ly, with the Department of Jack's Saloon during the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
to a survey from the Associ- grounds and indoor and out- Health reporting 105 tied to in Sturgis, S.D.
ated Press. The rally went door spaces. the rally. The city of Sturgis
forward despite fears it could The man who died in Min- made coronavirus tests avail- Associated Press
become a super-spread event, nesota was in his 60s, had able to residents and city em- The state has experienced two weeks. Cases among
with South Dakota Gov. underlying health conditions ployees after the rally in an a surge in cases in recent people who attended the rally
Kristi Noem welcoming bik- and was hospitalized before attempt to uncover people weeks, currently ranking have been reported in 11 oth-
ers and the tourist dollars he died, according to Ehres- who had infections but no third in the country for new er states, from Washington
they spend. mann. The Washington Post symptoms. cases per capita over the past state to New Jersey.q