Trump says hes taking an unproven (and heart attack inducing) antimalarial drug. OH WELL!
Trump says he's taking an unproven (and heart attack inducing) antimalarial drug. OH WELL! Tasos Katopodis / Getty News

Here's your daily roundup of all the local and national news about COVID-19. (Like our coverage? Please consider donating to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)

• The Oregon Health Authority's latest report: 62 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, bringing the total to 3,687. The total number of deaths went up by one, to 138 total. Nationally, the death toll has topped 90,000.

• The OHA also reported that the state has received enough doses of the experimental COVID-19 treatment drug remdesivir that all current patients who meet the criteria for its usage can begin their treatments.

• Social distancing is WORKING: Sunday marked a day with a drastic decrease in new coronavirus cases in Oregon—and while health authorities rightly say we shouldn't pin all our hopes on a single good day, it's nice to have some positive news.

• Today in "Can You Believe This Shit?!?" A judge in Baker City has ruled that Gov. Kate Brown's restrictions on religious gatherings are "null and void" after a few Oregon churches sued the governor for the crime of protecting their lives. Don't worry, this bullshit ruling will be getting an emergency appeal at the Oregon Supreme Court.

• Related: Oregon health officials approved Jackson County for Phase One reopening last week, and to say thank you, several hundred right-wing protesters massed at the Jackson County courthouse on Saturday to decry Gov. Kate Brown's attempts to halt the spread of a virus that has killed 90,000 people nationwide in roughly 60 days.

• According to new state guidelines issued Friday, all Oregonians will be required to wear face masks while riding public transit. Our Alex Zielinski has the details.

• While certain small retail in Portland have been given the go-ahead to reopen if they can conform to safety measures, some businesses are hesitant to do so. Our Blair Stenvick has more.

• Maybe moviegoing's past will end up being moviegoing's future? Newberg's 99W Drive-In is announcing a Memorial Day weekend re-opening. Reservations will be required, and attendees can only leave the car to use the restroom (in case of emergencies only) or purchase concessions, provided they are wearing a mask and staying six feet apart in line.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• Soooooooo... according to Trump (who, remember, lies ALL THE TIME) is now saying he's been taking hydroxychloroquine—the antimalarial drug that has been unproven to have any effect on COVID-19 (other than causing heart attacks in some patients), but can cause side effects such as "confusion" or "unusual behavior," so maybe he's telling the truth?

• Potentially great news: According to drug manufacturer Moderna, their experimental coronavirus vaccine was deemed safe for humans and may be able to stop the virus from replicating. The next step is to try it with larger groups of people.

• Last week Wisconsin re-opened early and got 400 new cases confirmed in one day. Today, Texas decided to move forward with reopening plans despite the panhandle's surge in confirmed infections over the weekend (over 700 on Saturday in Amarillo alone). It's almost like trying to re-open after two months of quarantine, sporadic testing, and no vaccine in sight isn't a very beneficial course of action.

• "You could feel it going through your veins and it was almost like someone injected you with straight-up fire." A 14-year-old's case "may help doctors understand a frightening new affliction in children linked to the coronavirus."


• Get your tickets NOW for the hilarious (and sometimes poignant) Confinement Online Film Fest (CoFF) debuting this Friday. Grab those tickets and watch the trailer here!

• And finally, move over Last Dance... now there's a far more interesting basketball documentary.