US medical supply chains failed, and virus deaths followed; Pence, Biden again test negative

Despite decades of warnings about the fragility of the supply lines that brought protective gear from overseas factories to America’s health care workers, the U.S. was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic and failed to react quickly. With the death toll at over 210,000 and rising, the collapse of medical supply chains continues to cost lives.

Internal memos show administration officials were concerned about the country's ability to meet urgent medical supply needs as early as January. It wasn't until late March that the White House used the Defense Production Act — a law that allows the government to compel companies to increase manufacturing and prioritize federal contracts — to ramp up production of N95 masks and other supplies.

Yet hospitals and healthcare workers say they’re still lacking. And both the Food and Drug Administration and the Government Accountability Office contradict White House claims that the U.S. now has all the medical supplies needed to keep nurses and doctors safe from the virus.

The Associated Press and “FRONTLINE” launched a seven-month investigation to understand what was behind these critical shortages.

In other developments:

• President Trump says he has instructed aides to stop negotiating on another round of COVID-19 relief until after the election. Stocks dropped on Wall Street in response to the move.
• Vice President Mike Pence’s doctor says Pence does not need to quarantine and has continued to test negative for COVID-19 as he prepares for Wednesday’s vice presidential debate.
• Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden again tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday. It was the former vice president's fourth negative test since last week’s debate in Cleveland, where he shared a stage with Trump for 90 minutes.
• The Food and Drug Administration released updated safety standards Tuesday for makers of COVID-19 vaccines after the White House blocked their formal release, the latest political tug-of-war between the Trump administration and the government’s public health scientists.
• Trump’s supporters are not shocked that he caught COVID-19. Some are praising him because he managed to dodge it so long and think it might help his reelection.
• Should people fear the coronavirus? Public health experts say 1 million worldwide deaths are among reasons to be concerned, if not fearful, and to take everyday precautions despite rosy advice from the still-recovering president.
• Hospitals and their workers have been stretched to their limits again in Madrid, where the surging number of COVID-19 patients in September forced an expansion of critical care beds into gymnasiums and surgery rooms. But as the number of incoming patients started to ease last week, health professionals are dismayed at what they see as official acceptance of a situation that is far from normal.
• A U.S. judge says the IRS can’t keep withholding coronavirus relief payments from incarcerated people, potentially clearing the way for at least 80,000 checks totaling more than $100 million to be sent to people behind bars in the United States.
• The Pentagon says top military leaders are under self-quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus.
• Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday she was “shocked” to see Trump discharged from the hospital so soon, and said Trump set a poor example by appearing at the White House without a mask.

For more summaries and full reports, select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers and a list of who in President Trump's circle has tested positive for COVID-19.

Virus by the numbers

Here's who in President Trump's circle has tested positive for COVID-19