The Big Story

This weekend marked a profound escalation of COVID-19 cases nationally, and ProPublica has deployed essentially our entire staff to bring you unparalleled coverage about the pandemic.
 
Just this weekend, we have a compelling and deeply disturbing look at what COVID-19 does to the lungs, as told by a medical worker to reporter Lizzie Presser. We also have a story about how remote Alaska villages, previously decimated by other epidemics, are trying to keep the coronavirus out. We published a story about how advocates for domestic violence victims and children who are abused are terribly nervous about what  quarantines will mean for those they care for. Our partners at The Miami Herald wrote a piece about coronavirus at assisted living facilities in Florida. And deputy managing editor Charles Ornstein reported a story about how Lupus patients can’t refill their prescriptions for a drug that President Trump has hyped as a treatment for COVID-19.

Please continue to stay in touch and share any tips with us. Take good care.

More From This Investigation

Fatal Coronavirus Outbreak at Assisted Living Center is Grim Reminder that Both Residents and Staff are at Risk

Three Atria Willow Wood residents died from COVID-19. One resident went untested for days before being diagnosed, and his family didn’t learn test results until after his death.

Remote Alaska Villages Isolate Themselves Further in Effort to Shield Against Coronavirus

Alaskan communities that are accessible only by plane or snowmobile are cutting off the outside world in response to COVID-19 rather than risk elders’ lives.

Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Will Rise During Quarantines. So Will Neglect of At-Risk People, Social Workers Say.

Patchwork social service departments are scrambling to address the fallout of coronavirus restrictions, and social workers say vast numbers of at-risk, elderly, sick and disabled Americans will be imperiled. “We are going to see some deaths.”

A Medical Worker Describes Terrifying Lung Failure From COVID-19 — Even in His Young Patients

“It first struck me how different it was when I saw my first coronavirus patient go bad. I was like, Holy shit, this is not the flu. Watching this relatively young guy, gasping for air, pink frothy secretions coming out of his tube.”

Immigration Courts Are Telling Employees to Come to Work — Ignoring Health Risks and Local Shelter-in-Place Orders

Interviews with 10 workers at immigration courts around the country reveal fear, contradictory messages and continuing perils for the employees.

The White House Asked Manufacturers for Help, Then Gave Them No Clear Instructions

Vice President Mike Pence wants the private sector to donate critical medical supplies to help during the coronavirus pandemic. But the White House’s chaotic requests have not included consistent information on how exactly businesses can do that.

The Veterans Health Administration Has Banned Even Administrative Employees From Working From Home

VA employees have expressed alarm that they may be unnecessarily exposed to the coronavirus at a time when the agency could face a flood of new patients. Many VA clients are elderly, a group at especially high risk from COVID-19.

We Tracked the Last Time the Government Bailed Out the Economy. Here’s What to Know About the $1 Trillion Coronavirus Plan.

A decade ago, the government spent more than $1 trillion to bail out companies and stimulate the economy. What have we learned since then?